SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 9, 2014 KUWAIT: President of the Asian Shooting Federation Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah (center) during the meeting of the Asian Shooting Confederation in Kuwait yesterday. Kuwait-Asian Fund set up to support shooting By Abdellatif Sharaa Shooting Confederation for their efforts to improve the said the Grand Prix is developing at the international level He said participants had very good results during game and spread the cooperation spirit among all mem- and technical standards were expected to continue in the the previous events, and commended the efforts of KUWAIT: President of the Asian Shooting Federation bers. The meeting was chaired by Sheikh Salman at the third GP that was launched yesterday. the technical preparations of the Qatari team. Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, Regency Hotel as all board members attended. Rossi was impressed with the organization and the facil- Youth coach Zain Al-Senani said the Qatari team announced that arrangements are being made to establish Meanwhile, two gold medals are up for grabs today, the ities at Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting was well prepared for this major event, and it has the Kuwait-Asian Fund to support the Shooting sport in first day of HH the Amir Grand Prix in the shotgun event. Complex which is the most modern around the world. He skillful shooters who are able to achieve great results Asia during the meeting of the Asian Confederation in The men’s double trap and women’s skeet will see fierce thanked Kuwait and KSSC for inviting him to attend the GP and reach China Olympics. Kuwait yesterday. competition. The seventh Asian Air Gun Cchampionship activities. Rossi appreciated the hospitality afforded by the Kuwait’s Nasser Al-Miqlid said Kuwait is hosting HH Sheikh Salman said the meeting was successful as all will see three winners in the 10m pistol for men and youth, President of the Asian Shooting Confederation, ISSF Vice- the Amir Grand Prix for the third time and he is look- heads of delegations were in agreement towards the issues men and women, meanwhile preliminaries of the men’s president Sheikh Salman. ing forward to win the gold medal, for which he has that were discussed. 10m air rifle, youth and women. Meanwhile, Qatar’s national team is participating in the strived hard. He said competition for top places will be Items on the agenda included participation in the Asian Vice-president of the International Shooting Sport 7th Asian Air Gun Shooting Championship. Supervisor and very fierce, especially as world and Olympic champi- shooting during the Games in Incheon, Korea in addition Federation (ISSF), President of the Italian Shooting head of Qatar’s team, Ibrahim Al-Muhannadi said the ons are participating. Al-Miqlid said he participated in to the youth Olympics in China. Federation Luciano Rossi said HH the Amir Grand Prix is championship is very important because it qualifies for the training camps in Qatar and Kazakhstan for this cham- Sheikh Salman thanked all members of the Asian now an important event on the international agenda. He China 2014 youth Olympics. pionship. Sri Lanka thump Pakistan Lift Asia Cup DHAKA: Opener Lahiru Thirimanne hit a three wickets to force Pakistan on to the magnificent century to help Sri Lanka back foot, before he finished with 5-56. thump Pakistan by five wickets to regain Alam added an invaluable 122 for the the Asia Cup title in Dhaka yesterday. fourth wicket with Misbah and then The left-hander notched 101 for his another 115 for the fifth wicket with third one-day hundred to anchor Sri Umar Akmal who made a 42-ball 59. Lanka’s successful chase of a 261-run tar- Alam, who returned to the team with a get in 46.2 overs for his country’s fifth brilliant 74 against Bangladesh on Asia Cup title at Dhaka’s Shere Bangla sta- Tuesday after a four-year absence, hit dium. eight boundaries and three sixes off 134 Thirimanne, who also scored a hun- balls. dred in the tournament’s opening match Alam became the first left-handed against the same opponents, hit 13 Pakistan batsman, other than openers, boundaries during his 108-ball knock and to hit a one-day century. He hit paceman GERMANY: Bayern Munich’s French midfielder Franck Ribery (left) and Wolfsburg’s Serbian midfielder Slobodan steadied the chase during a solid 156-run Thisara Perera over long-on for a six to Medojevic vie for the ball during the German First Division third-wicket partnership with veteran reach his century off 126 balls. Akmal hit Bundesliga football match. — AFP team-mate Mahela Jayawardene, who seven boundaries to give impetus to the made 75. innings as Pakistan scored 101 in the last SCOREBOARD Pakistan’s main spin weapon Saeed ten overs. Bayern hit six to Ajmal had broken through after Sri Earlier, Malinga rocked the innings DHAKA: Complete scoreboard of the Asia Cup final between Pakistan and Sri Lanka played at Lanka’s confident start of 56, dismissing with the wickets of Sharjeel Khan (eight), Shere Bangla stadium yesterday. Kusal Perera (42) and dangerman Kumar Ahmed Shehzad (five) and Mohammad Pakistan Sri Lanka beat Wolfsburg Sangakkara (nought) off successive deliv- Hafeez (three) in his incisive four-over Sharjeel Khan c Thisara b Malinga 8 eries. Jayawardene, who had a poor run spell, pushing Pakistan to 18-3 by the K. Perera st Akmal b Ajmal 42 Ahmed Shehzad c Sangakkara b Malinga 5 L. Thirimanne b Ajmal 101 BERLIN: Bayern Munich went 23 points clear at the top of scores with 13, nine, 14 and nought in fifth over. Misbah and Alam played Hafeez c Sangakkara b Malinga 3 of the Bundesliga yesterday with a 6-1 thrashing of the tournament, benefitted when wicket- steadily during their 122-run partnership K. Sangakkara lbw b Ajmal 0 Wolfsburg to record a 16th consecutive win and 49th keeper Umar Akmal dropped a regulation and were lucky to survive some close Misbah-ul Haq c Perera b Malinga 65 M. Jayawardene c Sharjeel b Talha 75 match without defeat. With just 10 games left in the catch off Shahid Afridi. Jayawardene, chances. Fawad Alam not out 114 A. Priyanjan c Akmal b Khan 13 campaign, the European champions are virtually then 36, hit nine boundaries and a six Misbah was ruled not out on 19 by Umar Akmal c Priyanjan b Malinga 59 A. Mathews not out 16 assured of defending their title after a sixth successive before he holed out off paceman Australian umpire Bruce Oxenford when Shahid Afridi not out 0 C. de Silva not out 6 win over the 2009 champions. Mohammad Talha. action replays suggested he edged Extras: (lb1, w5) 6 Extras: (b1, lb1, nb1, w5) 8 Sri Lanka also lost Ashan Prinyanjan Mathews to wicket-keeper Sangakkara. Victory was also the perfect tonic ahead of Tuesday’s Total: (for five wkts; 50 overs) 260 Total: (for five wkts; 46.2 overs) 261 (13) to Junaid Khan and Thirimanne to Misbah hit three boundaries and two Champions League last-16 tie against Arsenal where Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Sharjeel), 2-17 (Shehzad), Fall of wickets: 1-56 (Perera), 2-56 they will defend a 2-0 first leg lead. Naldo gave Ajmal but skipper Angelo Mathews (16 sixes during his solid 98-ball knock 3-18 (Hafeez), 4-140 (Misbah), 5-255 (Akmal) not out) hit the winning runs. before Malinga returned for his second (Sangakkara), 3-212 (Jayawardene), 4-233 Wolfsburg a shock 17th-minute lead before Bayern, Bowling: Malinga 10-0-56-5, Lakmal 10-2-41- Thirimanne, who reached his hundred spell and had the Pakistan captain (Priyanjan), 5-247 (Thirimanne) heading for a 24th national title, turned on the style. with a single off Khan, was finally bowled caught in the deep. Five-times champi- 0 (2w), Senanayake 9-0-54-0, Thisara 10-1-66- Bowling: Hafeez 9-0-42-0 (1w), Gul 6-0-44-0 Pep Guardiola’s side scored five times in 20 second- by Ajmal who finished with 3-26. Sri ons India, hosts Bangladesh and 0 (2w), Mathews 7-1-23-0 (1w), de Silva 4-0- (1w), Khan 9-0-56-1, Ajmal 10-2-26-3 (3w), half minutes on Saturday and they have now hit 30 Lanka had also won the Asia Cup in 1986, Afghanistan were the other teams in the 19-0 Talha 6.2-0-56-1(1nb), Afridi 6-0-35-0 goals in eight games since the Bundesliga resumed 1997, 2004 and 2008. competition. — AFP after the winter break. “We wanted to break the barrier They have also scored 72 times since the start of the between us and finals,” said Mathews of season with just 11 conceded. “We haven’t been this Sri Lanka’s failure to win the World Cup dominant in recent matches,” said Guardiola. finals of 2007 and 2011 and the Twenty20 “Wolfsburg were very well organised and very aggres- finals of 2009 and 2012. sive. They caused us a lot of problems in the first half “The credit goes to the whole team. It and at the start of the second. was a very good run chase and big victo- “But we scored the goals we needed.” Wolfsburg’s ry not only for me but for the whole lead lasted just 10 minutes before Xherdan Shaqiri lev- team,” said Mathews whose team won all elled. Thomas Mueller and former Wolfsburg striker the five matches in the event. Mario Mandzukic both scored twice in the second half.