Al Rayyan Take on Mesaimeer; Al Sailiya Face Umm Salal

De Kock guides South Africa to seven-wicket ODI win over England page 14

WEDNESday, FEBRUARY 5, 2020

48th AMIR CUP FOOTBALL Al Rayyan take on Mesaimeer; Al Sailiya face Umm Salal

Ayeni Olusegun Doha

The 48th Amir Cup kicks into gear on Wednesday when six- time champions Al Rayyan We need to win to take on second division team continue the journey. Our Mesaimeer at the Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium (Al Ahli), goal is to reach the final while Al Sailiya battle fellow and win the title. I realise struggling Qatar Stars League that the competition will side Umm Salal. Unilke the previous pool be very strong, but we system, this year 16 teams bat- can win tle for a spot in the last eight, where another draw will be if we stay focused. held to determine the matches – Al Rayyan coach in the quarter-finals. Diego Aguirre Al Rayyan, currently sec- Al Rayyan players during a training session ahead of their Amir Cup Last 16 clash against Mesaimeer. ond in the QNB Stars League are clear favourites against also know that Umm Salal are Mesaimeer, who are sixth in also looking to restore confi- the second division. dence,” Trabelsi said. The Lions however, last Umm Salal coach Aziz Ben won the prestigious tourna- Askar, who was part of the ment in 2013 during Diego title-winning team in 2008, Aguirre’s first spell as coach. Al Rayyan coach Diego Aguirre speaks to the media during a press conference at the Al Bidda Tower in Doha. said the importance of win- The Uruguayan, in his second ning such trophy would spur stint, is keen to win the title Saturday in the league. With ferences between both sides. Al Sailiya vs Umm Salal his players to give their best again for Al Rayyan -- who lost momentum on their side after Abdullatif’s side beat Al Sami Trabelsi’s Al Sailiya on Wednesday. back-to-back finals against Al a string of shock defeats, Agu- Shamal by a lone goal in the will be hoping to put behind “I won it as a player with Sadd and Al Duhail in 2017 irre said his side will take Me- playoff to qualify for the last a miserable week which saw Umm Salal in 2008, so I have and 2018. saimeer seriously. 16 and the Iraqi coach say his them knocked out of the AFC some experiences and I think “The first match will be “We respect the opponent team will not be easy to beat. Champions League before a they are important and allow very important and we need and must continue to work “Taking part in the Prince 3-0 defeat to Al Sadd over the me to offer some insight to to win to continue the journey. hard to achieve victory. Eve- Cup Amir Cup is off important weekend. the players. Our goal is to reach the final ryone expects us to qualify value to us, and I have spoken The Peregrines however I believe that the team and win the title. I realise that against Mesaimeer but we to the players about how to face an Umm Salal side on the Trabelsi sees the Amir Cup as tion. Cup matches are not easy needs to develop its capabili- the competition will be very need to be cautious and avoid deal with the circumstances of back of a win and a draw, a an opprtunity to right their and the team that is able to ties and everyone knows the strong, but we can win if we any surprises.” the match,” the coach said. change in fortune after losing season. maintain its focus to the end value of the Cup. So we will stay focused,” Aguirre noted For Mesaimmer coach “I have told them to play six straight matches. “Our preparations have will win. only play for victory, because ahead of the match. Raad Abdullatif, Al Rayyan’s with great caution. The team is Al Sailiya, 2014 finalists, been good and we will play Our recent results haven’t a loss will be a disappoint- Yohan Boli’s goal fired status will hold little water for physically ready and everyone lost to eventual champion Al with caution because it is a been good and we are fighting ment for us,” the French-born Al Rayyan past Al Duhail on his team despite the vast dif- is excited for the match.” Duhail in last year’s final but knockout in the Cup competi- to get out of this slump, but we Moroccan said.

Al Thumama Stadium Jaiswal cracks Scoreboard Pakistan unbeaten ton, India crush Haider Ali c Bishnoi b Jaiswal ��56 takes ‘gahfiya’ shape Mohammad Huraira c Saxena b Mishra ��4 Saxena fifty to Fahad Munir c Ankolekar b Bishnoi ��0 Rohail Nazir c Varma b Mishra ��62 star in 10-wkt win Pak to reach Qasim Akram run out (Ankolekar) ��9 Mohammad Haris c Saxena b Ankolekar ��21 AFP Irfan Khan b Tyagi ��3 Abbas Afridi lbw b Bishnoi ��2 Under-19 Tahir Hussain c Jurel b Tyagi ��2 Potchefstroom (S Africa) Aamir Ali c Veer b Mishra ��1 Mohammad Amir Khan not out ��0 Defending champions In- Extras: (b-1, w-10, nb-1, Penalty 0) ��12 World Cup Total: (All Out, 43.1 overs) ��172 dia cruised to a 10-wicket win Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Mohammad Huraira, 2 ov), 2-34 (Fahad Munir, 8.5 ov), 3-96 over neighbours and arch- (Haider Ali, 25.3 ov), 4-118 (Qasim Akram, 30.3 ov), 5-146 (Mohammad Haris, rivals Pakistan in Potchef- 34.4 ov), 6-156 (Irfan Khan, 37.2 ov), 7-163 (Abbas Afridi, 38.1 ov), 8-169 (Rohail Nazir, 41.4 ov), 9-172 (Tahir Hussain, 43 ov), 10-172 (Aamir Ali, 43.1 ov). stroom on Tuesday to reach final Bowling: Kartik Tyagi 8-0-32-2, Sushant Mishra 8.1-0-28-3, Ravi Bishnoi 10-0- the Under-19 Cricket World 46-2, Akash Singh 7-0-25-0, Atharva Ankolekar 7-0-29-1, Yashasvi Jaiswal 3-0- Cup final for the seventh time. 11-1. India, the record four-time India winners of the underage com- Yashasvi Jaiswal ��not out 105 petition, dismissed Pakistan Divyaansh Saxena �� not out 59 for 172 in 43.1 overs before Extras: (b-0, w-10, nb-0, Penalty-0) ��12 comfortably knocking off the Total: (For no loss, 35.2 overs) ��176 Did not bat: Tilak Varma, Priyam Garg, Dhruv Jurel, Siddhesh Veer, Atharva runs with 88 balls to spare. Ankolekar, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh. India will play either New Bowling: Tahir Hussain 6-1-17-0, Qasim Akram 8-0-37-0, Mohammad Amir Khan Zealand or Bangladesh, who 5-1-20-0, Abbas Afridi 7-0-50-0, Aamir Ali 5.2-0-38-0, Fahad Munir 4-0-12-0. meet in the second semi-final, Man of the Match: Yashasvi Jaiswal (India). for the title at the same venue on Sunday. Pakistan will con- Yashasvi Jaiswal of India celebrates his a century during the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Super League semi-final against Pakistan at the The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy tweeted latest test the third-place play-off in JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom, South Africa, on Tuesday. He made unbeaten 105 off 113 balls. (ICC) pictures on the Al Thumama Stadium – one of the venues for FIFA Benoni on Saturday. World Cup Qatar 2022 World Cup. The 40,000 capacity stadium’s Yashasvi Jaiswal struck “The pitch was good, and design has been inspired by the gahfiya, a traditional woven cap worn an unbeaten 105 off 113 balls, we didn’t put enough runs on by men in the region. The two pictures show the actual stadium being completing his century and the board,” said Pakistan skip- built and how it will appear when complete. sealing the victory in style with per Nazir. a six over deep mid-wicket. “I think Haider and I had a “It’s a dream come true for great partnership, we were at me. To be able to do this for a good position at the 25-over my country is a great feeling. mark, but Haider got out at a Court hearing To score a hundred against crucial point, and the rest of Two men threatened to ‘kill’ Arsenal’s Ozil Pakistan in a World cup semi- the batsmen weren’t able to final is something I can’t put take enough responsibility.” London: Two men threatened to “kill” Mesut Ozil when they confront- into words,” said Jaiswal. He added: “We learn from ed the Arsenal midfielder’s security guards, a London court heard on “They bowled well initially all our mistakes, and the boys Tuesday. The alleged incident happened outside Ozil’s north London and we wanted to ride that out are confident and happy that home just weeks after the former World Cup winner was targeted by and we knew we could domi- we played some good cricket moped attackers while driving in the area. Security guard Kemil Sezer nate them after that.” in the tournament.” told the court that he and a colleague had been protecting Ozil, who Left-hander Jaiswal, who Pakistan, who were back- was inside the house at the time, for several weeks. Salaman Ekinci was snapped up by the Ra- to-back champions in 2004 and Ferhat Ercun deny behaving in a threatening or abusive manner jasthan Royals in the 2020 IPL India’s Divyaansh Saxena took two catches in the field before making an unbeaten half-century.( AFP) and 2006, haven’t beaten In- outside the house. Assisted by a Turkish interpreter, Sezer told the auction, smacked eight fours dia at the U19 World Cup since Magistrates Court he first saw two men on the evening of August 8 and four sixes as he took over competition. players made double digits. balls, provided any additional 2010. last year before they returned around three hours later. Sezer said the as the tournament’s leading Jaiswal earlier picked up Ali and captain Rohail Na- contribution. With political relations on men told him: “We’re going to come back and if security don’t go from runscorer. the key wicket of Pakistan zir (62) helped Pakistan re- Left-arm seamer Sushant a knife-edge, there has been here, we’re going to kill Mesut Ozil and kill you’. Ozil, who played inter- He was ably supported opener Haider Ali (56) with cover after losing Mohammad Mishra took 3-28 while right- no Test series between the two national football for Germany but is of Turkish heritage, did not appear in a leisurely chase by Divy- his part-time legspin as Paki- Huraira and Fahad Munir arm quick Kartik Tyagi and countries at senior level since at the hearing. Ekinci and Ercun, both 27, were present. (AFP) aansh Saxena who finished 59 stan collapsed from 96 for two cheaply, but only Mohammad legspinner Ravi Bishnoi col- 2007-08 and no white ball se- not out, his second fifty of the in an innings where just three Haris, who hit a brisk 21 off 15 lected two wickets apiece. ries since 2012-13.