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HONG KONG: Afghanistan hope to achieve a footballing milestone on Tuesday by snatching a spot in the third and final phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The team ranked 151 in the world are on the brink of history and a place at the 2027 Asian Cup under their English coach Ashley Westwood.
Once on the books of Manchester United, he took over the Afghan team seven months ago and has masterminded a significant upturn in fortunes for the footballing minnows.
They play away at Kuwait on Tuesday in the final round of games in the second qualifying stage knowing they need to better India’s result at Qatar to progress further.
Afghanistan held already qualified Qatar, the Asian champions, to a precious 0-0 draw on Thursday in a “home” game for the Afghans that was played in Saudi Arabia.
“When we took over in November just before the first game against Qatar, which we lost 8-1, (if) you told us that we’ll be giving ourselves a chance of qualifying with one game to go, we wouldn’t have believed it,” Westwood said afterwards.
“The players are excited and we believe that we have a genuine chance of making history for Afghanistan in reaching the Asian Cup and third round of the World Cup qualifiers.”
India are also trying to reach the final stage of World Cup qualifying for the first time.
Igor Stimac’s side currently occupy the second qualifying berth from Group A on goal difference from the Afghans.
Just to complicate things, Kuwait are also in with a shot of progressing, with the group going right down to the wire.
After Stimac saw his men held to a goalless home draw against Kuwait on Thursday, the coach said: “We don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves because our chances are still alive.
“I need to do everything in the next five days to make the boys believe they will take us into the challenge against the Asian champions.”
Elsewhere, it is a straight shootout between China and Thailand for the second qualifying berth out of Group C.
China are in the driving seat in second place and needing only a point from their final game to guarantee advancement.
However, they must travel to Son Heung-min’s table-topping South Korea while Thailand have a far easier task when they host basement side Singapore in Bangkok.
As well as Qatar and South Korea, also already into the last qualifying round are: Japan, Oman, Iran, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Australia and Palestine.
Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia and Indonesia are all bidding to join them in the third Asian qualifying round for the first time.
It is between Indonesia and Vietnam to take the second qualifying place out of Group F.
Indonesia will be favourites to progress because they are a point in front and host already eliminated Philippines in Jakarta. Vietnam travel to table-toppers Iraq.
NEW YORK: What an experience. From the moment I arrived in New York on June 7, when I immediately felt the match build-up, to mingling with cricket fans in Times Square, to being in the ground, it is an event I will never forget.
All conversations centered on Pakistan’s match with India, cricket in North America and cricket in general, providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Then came the match, which lived up to all my expectations and then some.
The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium is an hour and a half away from Times Square by taxi. Thick cloud accompanied fans travelling to the stadium and the poor early weather could have brought Pakistan into the game as Shaheen’s swing bowling would add to already difficult batting conditions.
If India had won the toss, I would have feared they would take full advantage, but Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, called correctly and opted to bowl first.
Early rain caused several stops and starts, but India came out as a team that had played on the ground before, whereas this was Pakistan’s first outing in New York. India’s advantage of already experiencing the conditions and winning there was evident.
Although Pakistan claimed the prized wickets of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India’s openers, early on, Rishabh Pant and a promoted Axar Patel illustrated exactly how ready India were to take the game to their great rivals. Their aggressive approach was designed to make the Pakistan bowlers crumble. I never got the sense that Pakistan genuinely believed they could win. Even with India two wickets down cheaply, the team in green could not quite believe the position in which they found themselves.
I have a great deal of respect for both sets of players, as they were playing on a surface that was not fit for international cricket. This is not just my view but that of many experienced observers. The pitch was dangerous at times and every batter struggled. Each player chose his own way of dealing with the demons. Rishabh Pant was ultra-aggressive and the rest of his team followed suit. India took more risks and rode their luck, but fortune often favors the brave.
Once India had taken their total to a modest 119, most people would think the chasing team held all the aces. Unfortunately for Pakistan, it felt like none of their batters felt the same way. They opted to try and dig deep, which was understandable, but any invention, drive and intent was lacking.
Jasprit Bumrah was outstanding with the ball, well supported by Hardik Pandya and Mohammad Siraj. Once Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed, the task seemed too large for the rest of the Pakistan batting.
The atmosphere in the ground, though, was special. The two sets of fans mixed, although Pakistan’s supporters were heavily outnumbered. As the teams traded blows, the excitement switched from one set of fans to the other. I was watching both as a cricket fan and with my media head, but still lost my voice through giving vocal support.
Even the seats in the big temporary stands were blue, something that could perhaps have been changed. It must have been intimidating for the Pakistan players and it is difficult to escape the feeling that small, seemingly inconsequential, actions create favorable environments for Team India. The almost total lack of Pakistan supporters in Ahmedabad for the match against India in the ODI World Cup last year comes to mind.
Nevertheless, the Indian team was excellent. When their backs were against the wall, they showed fight and a genuine togetherness. India are incredibly confident, they believe in what they are doing, have clarity of thought and in their roles, and are backed by their management structure.
Pakistan, on the other hand, have a number of problems. They do not appear to believe in themselves and the off-field instability shows no sign of change. Despite the closeness of the scores on the day, the two sides are a long way apart.
There were big opportunities for Pakistan throughout the match. The pitch conditions were a leveler, whilst they bowled well to restrict India with wickets in the latter stages. They could have grabbed the game, but let things slip and fell short. In a match where every run mattered, India captain Rohit Sharma chose the right moves, Babar was slow to react. An example of Pakistan’s problems was that leg-spinner Shadab Khan was not asked to bowl a single over. Why, then, is he in the team, if the captain does not appear to possess enough faith in his bowling?
Turning to the American market, the spectacle was mesmerizing, even crazy. It was a day the like of which I have never before experienced and something that still has me buzzing. Anyone at the game will surely want to watch more cricket. However, if its best side is to be shown to the Americans, the quality of pitches has to improve. There is a risk that a golden opportunity has been missed.
A better pitch would have provided even better entertainment. No doubt there will be those who argue that the pitch created a close and tense match. This misses the point. The variable pitch conditions across the nine grounds on which the World Cup is being played may hand skewed advantages and disadvantages to individual teams.
The defeat leaves Pakistan on the brink of an early exit from the tournament. Their fate is no longer in their own hands, with the USA, India and Canada ahead of them in the group. A victory for the USA over Ireland will see Pakistan out, which is not acceptable in a group containing three much lower-ranked sides. The Super Eights were the bare minimum objective for Pakistan.
The team’s performance is a byproduct of everything that has happened over the last two years. All the chaos, the poor off-field management and instability, mean the desired levels of professionalism are lacking. It is going to take more than changing the coaches to resolve the issues. The new coach, Gary Kirsten, bemoaned poor decision-making by batters after reaching 72 for two with eight overs left.
I did not expect Pakistan to beat India. In fact, I predicted a clear India win. The closeness of the game should not be seen as any kind of positive or used to mask Pakistani deficiencies. It never felt like Pakistan were destined to win. There is an obvious and large gap in standard between the two sides, which will take serious work to bridge.
Pakistan will not be eliminated from the T20 World Cup just because of this defeat in New York. The damage was done by the defeat to the USA. However good this was for the competition and tournament hosts, it was a match which Pakistan should never have lost. They will be going home early because, currently, they are not good enough to stay.
The $5 million PIF Saudi International will debut in December at Riyadh Golf Club after five years at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.
The tournament, backed by SoftBank Investment Advisers, takes place from Dec. 4 to 7, moving into the coveted season-ending position for both the Asian Tour and The International Series, a statement from the organizers said.
Opened in 2005, Riyadh Golf Club is the capital’s premier golf course. Its par-72 championship course is set across 6,976 meters of undulating fairways. It has played host to many of the Kingdom’s leading tournaments including the Saudi Open presented by PIF, the Aramco Team Series Riyadh and the Aramco Saudi Ladies International.
Those who are confirmed to play are defending champion Abraham Ancer, 2022 champion Harold Varner III, 2019 and 2021 winner Dustin Johnson, and 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith.
For the first time this year, the PIF Saudi International will finish on Saturday to align with the Kingdom’s weekend as players aim for the $1 million first prize.
The tournament is the last of 10 events on the Asian Tour calendar that offer a direct pathway for players into the LIV Golf League.
The champion of the season-ending International Series Rankings will secure a spot in the 2025 LIV Golf League.
In 2023, over 30 top-ranked players were eligible to play in the innovative LIV Golf Promotions event, where an additional three players qualified for the LIV Golf League.
The same will apply for this year, as the tournament will be the last opportunity for players to qualify for the LIV Golf Promotions event and, therefore, for LIV in 2025, the statement said.
LONDON: The Riyadh Polo Team emerged victorious as the 14th edition of the Chestertons in the Park championship concluded in the British capital on Sunday.
The Riyadh team were crowned champions after defeating the London team 6-2.
British player Patrick O’Dwyre of the runners-up won the award for best player in the championship, while Sofia, played by Francisco Elizalde of the Riyadh team, won best horse.
Faisal Abu Nayan, Noor Abu Khadrah, and Argentinians Francisco Elizalde and Matias Lallores made it to the final after beating the Dubai team 9-8 in the quarterfinals and the Buenos Aires team from Argentina 9-3 in the semifinals.
Amr Zidan, the president of the Saudi Polo Federation, said he was very happy that the Riyadh team had won the championship against such strong competition.
DUBAI: Prolific gold medal winner Jackson Sousa praised the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation for bringing revolutionary changes to the sport, after making a winning start to his first full campaign on the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour.
The Brazilian athlete, whose career has been revitalized by support from the UAE, won the masters 94kg division in Istanbul at the weekend at the start of the 10-round 2024-25 world tour.
Sousa, backed by UAE tech venture company Scalo Technologies, said: “What the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has done for our sport is nothing short of a paradigm change.
“They have opened up our beautiful, gentle art to people and places that weren’t on the map before. They have shown real leadership and innovation by valuing the sport and the athletes, both men and women, in a way that other jiu-jitsu federations don’t.
“All the UAE jiu-jitsu events are beautifully designed, impeccably organised and it’s a real honour to be part of them. Without the federation’s support, some of the top athletes who compete in Abu Dhabi’s World Pro event, many of them young talents, would never make it.”
Sousa said his own tough upbringing gives him extra motivation on the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour, which includes rounds in Brazil, the US, China, Japan, Australia, London, Italy, Abu Dhabi and Moscow.
“Every time I get on a plane, I tell my family and my students that I will try to bring home the gold,’ said Sousa, who runs training programmes at his own London gym and won at the last two grand slam events on the 2023-24 world tour, in Rome and Abu Dhabi.
“I grew up in a favela (working class neighbourhood in Brazil). There were times in my childhood where we didn’t have a roof over our head, or food on the table. But despite the poverty, my mum instilled in me that I had to strive for excellence.
“Just competing to participate wasn’t enough. She expected me to win, and I still carry this fire within me. I’m very excited to do the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour for the first time.
“I didn’t participate in previous years because it takes a lot of time and commitment. It’s only thanks to Scalo that I can do as many of the grand slams as possible. It’s really the dream of every BJJ (Brazilian jiu-jitsu) athlete.”
Sousa started jiu-jitsu at the age of 10 in Brazil, and won a host of tournaments. Finances and visa issues held him back, before he earned backing to contest the 2012 European Championship in Portugal where he won gold in his division.
He landed three world titles in the US in 2013, earned a black belt, and became one of the top jiu-jitsu exponents of his generation.
ROME: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said in an Italian newspaper interview on Monday that the newly crowned European champions will refuse to play in the expanded Club World Cup next year.
“Players and clubs will not participate in that tournament,” Ancelotti told Italian newspaper Il Giornale.
“A single Real Madrid match is worth 20 million euros and FIFA wants to give us this amount for the entire Cup. So no. Like us, other clubs will refuse the invitation,” the Italian coach added.
The expanded 32-team Club World Cup is proposed to take place next summer, adding to an already congested calendar for players.
England’s Professional Footballers’ Association has warned FIFA that players could go on strike.
