KARACHI: The Softball Federation of Pakistan (SFP) and Pakistan Federation Baseball (PFB) will jointly hold the first B-5 National Championship at Gilgit-Baltistan next month in which provincial teams Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as Islamabad and host Gilgit-Baltistan will participate.

The organising committee delegation will visit soon Gilgit-Baltistan for administrative matters, this was jointly announced by PBF president Syed Fakhar Shah and Secretary-General Asif Azeem.

Baseball 5 (B-5) is a modern format of softball & saseball in which the term baseball 5 refers, requirement or bases, a ball, and five players; this version of the merge is getting popular at a rapid pace in the world as it can be played anywhere with no big ground and no softball or baseball equipment needed.

Secretary-General World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) & President Softball Asia (SA) Dato Low Beng Choo has given special tasks to Asif Azeem and Fakhar Shah to promote this game in the country.

In this regard, Fakhar said that the first B-5 National Championship will be fruitful to spread this format in Pakistan. He also said that this will be a platform to discover young talent and opportunity for them to show their potential.

Asif said to make this game popular and build a strong infrastructure for which both the federations have started the chalk out the strategies and this national championship is the first step.

Before the national championship, B-5 training and coaching workshops will be organized in Karachi and Lahore, in which players and sports teachers of schools, colleges, and universities will be given training, added Asif.

He further remarked that the efforts, interest, and patronage from WBSC Secretary General Dato Low Beng Choo and president of Pakistan Olympic Association retired Lt General Syed Arif Hasan has made it possible that the first B-5 National Championship will be held.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2021