CRICKET | Page 2 NNBABA | Page 5 Kiwis seek Spurs beat All Blacks Warriors 89-75, magic in James lift s fi rst Test Cavaliers Wednesday, March 21, 2018 FORMULA ONE Rajab 4, 1439 AH Vettel seeks GULF TIMES fi ft h world title to end Ferrari rot SPORT Page 3 CRICKET Rabada boost for S Africa The ICC said the pace bowler had been found not guilty of making inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with Steve Smith Qatar players led by Hassan al-Haydos (R) pictured during a training session in Basra yesterday. At bottom, coach Sanchez talks to al-Haydos. FOOTBALL Qatar take on Iraq today in historic match in Basra By Sports Reporter team and will surely try to impress Basra, Iraq their fans with a victory. ‘They will come out strongly against Qatar. We will have to be at atar will take on Iraq today our best, both physically and techni- in the fi rst match of the cally,” he said. International Friendship This is the fi rst engagement for the Championship, marking national side after the Gulf Cup in Qthe fi rst time the confl ict-hit coun- January which was won by Oman. try will be hosting an international Qatar had a three-day preparatory FIFA-approved tournament in sev- camp in Doha before fl ying to Basra eral years. yesterday where they were received The tournament also involves Syria warmly by Iraqi football offi cials and and comes as a result of FIFA lifting fans. the ban on three Iraqi cities – namely Later they trained under the guid- Basra, Erbil and Karbala after several ance of Sanchez with the focus on months of strenuous eff orts put in by technical skills. Qatar. With the QNB Stars League given Qatar squad: Saad al-Dosari, Hassan FREE TO PLAY: Kagiso Rabada of South Africa. a three-week break before the fi nal brothers and sisters enjoy compet- Sanchez said Qatar would fi eld al-Haydos, Akram Afif, Pedro Miguel, round next month, Qatar have fi eld- itive football on their home ground their best 11 for the match. Salem al-Hajri, Abdulkarim Hassan, AFP in a ban. Heron said the key issue was ed a strong team in the Friendship after several years,” Qatar coach Felix “We will fi eld our best players. All Almoez Ali, Karim Boudiaf, Ismail Cape Town whether Rabada made deliberate con- Championship, which will conclude Sanchez said at his pre-match press of them have been involved in the Mohamed, Bassam al-Rawi, Sultan tact with Smith. on March 27. Qatar meet Syria on conference. QNB Stars League and several are al-Barek, Abdulaziz Hatem, Youssef “I am not ‘comfortably satisfi ed’ that March 24. “We will be playing our matches in part of the Asian Champions League. Hassan, Asim Madibo, Ahmed Alaa, outh Africa’s Kagiso Rabada Mr. Rabada intended to make contact,” “We are very happy to play this all seriousness despite the fact it is a Therefore they are not short of match Moayad Hassan, Mohamed Alaa, Mo- was cleared to play the remain- Heron said. tournament and help our Iraqi friendly tournament,” the Spaniard fi tness.” hamed al-Bakri, Ahmad Fathi, Ahmed ing two Tests against Australia “I am entitled, however, to consider added. He added that Iraq are a strong Moin and Tariq Sulaiman. Safter winning an appeal against whether the conduct involved consti- his ban over an alleged shoulder barge tutes a lower-level off ence. yesterday. “I consider the conduct was inap- The International Cricket Council propriate, lacked respect for his fellow said Rabada had been found not guilty player and involved non-deliberate of making inappropriate and deliberate and minor contact. The actions con- physical contact with Australian cap- travened the principle that a dismissed tain Steve Smith after taking his wicket batsman should be left alone.” during the second Test in Port Eliza- Rabada’s ban was among the low beth last week. points of a bad-tempered series, in Australian spin bowler Nathan Lyon which Australia’s David Warner and said his side had “no dramas” with South African Quinton de Kock were the decision to lift Rabada’s ban and fi ned over a confrontation during the they were delighted to be facing “the fi rst Test. number one bowler in the world” in the Lyon said Australia had largely ex- third Test starting at Newlands tomor- pected the decision. row. “We were preparing for him to play... Judicial commissioner Michael Her- As Australian cricketers we always on of New Zealand found Rabada guilty want to play against the best players of the lesser charge of conduct contrary in the world and KG (Rabada) is the to the spirit of the game following an number one bowler in the world.” appeal hearing on Monday. Lyon added: “It’s going to be another Heron reduced Rabada’s penalty great challenge for the batters and all from three demerit points to one, and of us. The ICC has made their decision reduced his fi ne from 50% to 25% of his and we respect them. match fee. “That’s their job, so we’ve got no Rabada’s total of demerit points was dramas with them. Let’s just move on therefore reduced from nine to seven, and play some good cricket.” one short of the threshold for an auto- Cricket South Africa welcomed the matic two-Test ban. outcome with acting chief executive Although the ICC announcement Thabang Moroe thanking the legal leaves Rabada free to play in the series team. that is locked at one win apiece, his cu- Moroe said: “It is now important that mulative points tally means that any everybody gets the focus back where it The Qatar football team arrived to a grand welcome in Basra yesterday. further disciplinary action could result belongs on the game of cricket.” Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, March 21, 2018 CRICKET Rashid insists that Afghan World Cup hopes still alive PAKISTAN SUPER LEAGUE Harare: Rashid Khan insisted that Ireland on four points. old Rashid’s fourth ODI fi ve-for, taking “In this Super Six, the target was to win “anything can happen” and that Afghani- If they win their fi nal match against the him to a staggering 96 wickets in just 42 all three matches and just see what hap- stan are still holding hopes of qualifying Irish on Friday convincingly and Scotland games. “It feels good to take fi ve-wicket pens,” said Rashid. “Anything can happen Peshawar for next year’s World Cup in England and and Zimbabwe both lose their remain- haul and to contribute in the bowling de- in the match between UAE and Zimbabwe. Wales, after beating the United Arab Emir- ing games against the West Indies and the partment,” he added. We can only hope for the best.” ates by fi ve wickets yesterday. UAE respectively, Afghanistan could still “I did well in the last matches as well, Rashid carried the extra burden of cap- Rashid took fi ve for 41 as the UAE were snatch one of the two places for the World but I was unlucky in not taking many taincy in this tournament as regular cap- bowled out for 177 and teammates Na- Cup. “Anything can happen,” said Rashid. wickets. Today I took wickets, and it was a tain Asghar Stanikzai recovered from an edge out jibullah Zadran and Gulbadin Naib both hit “In the Super Six, it’s quite diffi cult for good day for me.” emergency appendectomy. unbeaten fi fties to see Afghanistan home anyone to go directly (into the fi nal). After a poor start to the tournament While his bowling performances thus with more than 15 overs to spare in Harare. “Still now, a single team hasn’t quali- with losses to Scotland, Zimbabwe and far have been inconsistent and haven’t re- Afghanistan didn’t carry any points fi ed. Everyone is in doubt. That is a good Hong Kong, Afghanistan have kept them- fl ected his no. 1 ranking in the ODI and T20 into the Super Six round, but two succes- thing. We just need to win the last match selves in contention with wins over West formats, Khan insisted that the pressure of Quetta in sive victories mean they are now level with and see what happens.” It was the 19-year- Indies and the UAE. captaincy had not weighed him down. last-ball SPOTLIGHT N Zealand seek thriller All Black magic against England ‘A lot of guys find it funny, being a rugby field and with quite short dimensions’ AFP Auckland ew Zealand’s cricketers are drawing inspiration from images of Richie Laim Dawson of Peshawar Zalmi hits out against Quetta Gladiators McCaw leading the All at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore yesterday. Dawson’s 35-ball 62 was NBlacks to Rugby World Cup glory instrumental in Peshawar’s crucial victory. At bottom, fans outside as they head into their fi rst home the Gaddafi Stadium. day-night Test against England tomorrow. Agencies Despite some injury concerns, Lahore New Zealand short-ball special- ist Neil Wagner was focused on performing at the Eden Park for- fi nal over blitz of 22 tress where the All Blacks are un- runs by Anwar Ali beaten in 40 rugby Tests dating went in vain as Quetta back to 1994. A Gladiators crashed to England quick bowler Stuart a one-run defeat against Pesha- Broad, meanwhile, believed the war Zalmi in the Pakistan Super fi rst day-night cricket Test on League Eliminator at the Gadd- New Zealand soil could be decid- afi Stadium yesterday.