14 Thursday, February 4, 2021 Sports Shakib helps Al Gharafa hoopsters lift Bangladesh Qatar Cup a fourth time recover from League winners Warrican strikes AGENCIES defeat Al Shamal CHITTAGONG 86-77 in an IT was a steven-evens open- absorbing final ing day of the first Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Sta- dium, Bangladesh posted 242 TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK for 5 even as Jomel Warrican DOHA took three wickets for West In- dies to stiffle the hosts. AL Gharafa hoopsters once Bangladesh opted to bat again stamped their class on and had opener Shadman Is- the Qatar Cup as they lifted lam scoring a half-century, the trophy a fourth time at but the rest of the line-up the Al Gharafa Sports Club on struggled to convert starts Wednesday. before Shakib Al Hasan and Al Gharafa claimed the Liton Das took them through 2020/2021 Qatar Basketball to stumps with an unbroken Cup with an absorbing 86- stand of 49. 77 victory over Al Shamal in On an opening day pitch the final. that didn’t have much for the This was their fourth title bowlers, Warrican would be having emerged champions on pleased with his 3/58 that three earlier occasions as well. took the sting out of the Bang- In 2014, Al Gharafa beat Al ladesh batsmen, particularly Rayyan 91-88 to capture their in the second session. How- first title. They beat El Jaish 65- ever, the partnership between 57 to win the 2015 Qatar Basket- Shakib and Liton means Bang- ball Cup, and in 2017, Al Ghara- ladesh will be confident on the fa defeated Al Rayyan 104-91 to second morning. West Indies’ Jomel Warrican capture their third title. The Bangladesh batsmen (right) and teammate Jermaine Al Gharafa won the played attritional cricket for Blackwood celebrate the dismiss- 2020/2021 Qatar Basketball most of the day, making for a al of Bangladesh’s Shadman Is- Cup after a fantastic cam- low scoring rate. That perhaps lam (not pictured) during the first paign, where they beat Al had something to do with the day of their first Test at the Zohur Wkarah 112-81 in the quarter- early wicket of senior bats- Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in finals and defeated Qatar SC Al Gharafa players with the Qatar Cup basketball trophy and their medals after the final at the Al Gharafa Sports Club on Wednesday. man Tamim Iqbal, who was Chittagong on Wednesday. (AFP) 83-71 in the semi-final. cleaned up by pacer Kemar Speaking to the victory, They have us on the ropes for tiring game. We have played better basketball today and are have won two trophies this Roach in just the fifth over had brought up his half-centu- Al Gharafa’s Franklin Ses- a while, but we stayed together three games in five days. Con- the deserving winners.” season. The credit goes to the of the morning. The delivery ry meanwhile, was undone by sion, said, “It is an amazing as a team and win the title.” trary to the league final this Al Gharafa’s coach Kosay players as they played like a was on a length, but moved in Warrican shortly thereafter, win. Hats off to Shamal as Al Gharafa captain Abdul- time, Shamal have their full Hatem was equally delighted. unit throughout the season,” enough to go through Tamim, trapped in front attempting a they played very well today. rahman Saad, said: “It was a team, but I think we played “It is a big win for us. Now we he said. and Bangladesh were 23/1. sweep, and Bangladesh were Shadman and Najmul suddenly in deeper trouble at Hossain Shanto then carefully 134/4. They went into tea at a navigated the best part of 19 precarious 140/4, their patient overs, putting on an assidu- batting undone. ous 43, but all the hard work The final session was Eng. Osama Al Dafea-owned & trained was undone when Shanto was therefore crucial for the home disastrously run out. Shadman side. They needed runs while had worked one to fine leg, also keeping wickets intact, and wanted to run two, but but in the duo of Mushfiqur Taxiwala tops for Al Shaqab Trophy Shanto was late to respond, Rahim and Shakib, they had and was stranded on 25 as the experienced campaigners to TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK bails were whipped off. help navigate the tough waters. DOHA It meant Bangladesh were Shakib put on important, 69/2 at lunch. With captain sizeable partnerships with ENG. Osama Omer Al Dafea- Mominul Haque partnering Mushfiqur first and then with owned & trained Taxiwala Shadman after the break, the Liton. Mushfiqur scored a (IRE) (Holy Roman Emperor hosts went about slowly add- 69-ball 38 – a knock compris- x It’s True) claimed the Al ing to the total. It was a session ing six fours – helping revive Shaqab Racing Trophy win- of defensive, patient batting, Bangladesh, but just when it ning on turf at QREC’s 30th and with West Indies adopting seemed the hosts were getting Race Meeting at Al Rayyan a defensive approach as well, away, Warrican struck again, Park on Wednesday. run-scoring was slow. Haque, drawing an edge that was well Alberto Sanna rode the bay however, couldn’t keep at it. taken by Cornwall at slips. gelding to a 1¾-length win in the He attempted to take on the Bangladesh bat deep, how- 6f run for 4YO Thoroughbreds. spinners, skipping down the ever, and Liton came in to Al Shaqab Racing’s Gen- track against Rahkeem Corn- ensure there were no further eral Manager Khalifa Bin Mo- wall at one point, and was slip-ups for the rest of the day. hammed Al Attiyah presented fortunate his miscued shot He scored a relatively the Al Shaqab Racing trophy landed safely. quick 58-ball 34* while Shakib to Eng. Osama Omer Al Dafea He tried it again, against continued knocking it about at following Taxiwala’s victory. Warrican, and this time, the other end, and by the time Earlier, Al Jeryan Stud’s against a dipping ball, he stumps were drawn, Bangla- homebred AJS Berline (QA) could only pick out the fielder desh had added 102 runs in (AF AlBahar x Dormaline) at mid-wicket. Shadman, who the final session. won the Al Shaqab Racing Eng. Osama Omer Al Dafea-owned & trained Taxiwala with the trophy and prizes at QREC’s Al Rayyan Park on Wednesday. Purebred Arabian Cup. Mar- co Casamento rode the Hadi Mansoor Ebrahim Al P/A Handicap (0-80). Fahad Rashid Al Hajri’s the Alban de Mieulle-trained Scoreboard Al Ramzani -trained filly to a Mahmoud’s Burano Boy (IRE) Tomas Lukasek rode the Doha Incanto (NZ) (Per In- 4YO colt to a ¾-length win in Bangladesh (1st Innings) Fall of wkts: 1-23, 2-66, 3-119, 4-134, 5-193. 2½-length win in the 6f run (Footstepsinthesand) com- Julian Smart-trained 4YO canto) emerged best in the the 2000m run. Shadman islam lbw b Warrican 59 Bowling: Kemar Roach 16-5-44-1, Shannaon for 4YOs. pleted a double winning a TB filly to a 1½-length win in the Thoroughbred Handicap (0- Kicking off the day’s pro- Tamim Iqbal b Roach 9 Gabriel 17-3-51-0 (1w), Rahkeem Cornwall Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad Handicap (0-85). 2100m run. 75) (Div.1). Meteb Ali Al Saaq ceedings was Al Shahania Najmul Hossain Shanto run out 25 22-1-56-0, Kyle Mayers 7-2-16-0, Jomel bin Jassim Al Thani’s home- Soufiane Saadi rode the Eng. Hassan Ali Alabdul- rode the Owaida Salem Al Stud’s homebred Zaman (QA) Mominul Haque c Campbell b Warrican 26 Warrican 24-5-58-3 (3nb), Kraigg Brathwaite Mushfiqur Rahim c Cornwall b Wattican 38 4-0-13-0. bred Arandas (QA) (Namid) Jassim Ghazali-trained 4YO malik’s Hot Affair (GB) (Iva- Hajri-trained 7YO horse to a (Aziz ASF x Mansourah ASF) Shakib Al Hasan not out 39 Toss: Bangladesh claimed the Al Shaqab Rac- gelding to a length win in the wood x Romp) claimed the 3¾-length win in the 6f run. winning the Local Purebred Liton Das not out 34 West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), John ing Local Thoroughbred Cup 2200m run. Thoroughbred Handicap (0- Patrice Alexandre Nico- Arabian Maiden Plate on turf. Extras: (b2, lb2, nb3, w5) 12 Campbell, Jermaine Blackwood, Shayne with Ronan Thomas riding HH Sheikh Mohammed 75) (Div.2) with Faleh Bugha- let’s Wukair (QA) (Lancelot x Francois Herholdt rode the Total: (For 5 wkts, 90 overs) 242 Moseley, Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva (wk), the Ibrahim Al Malki-trained bin Khalifa Al Thani’s home- naim guiding the Debbie Yamamah) was the winner in Julian Smart-trained 4YO colt Yet to bat: Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Rakeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach, Shannon colt to a 3¼-length win in the bred Jamaiel (FR) (Dahess) Mountain-trained 4YO filly to the Local Thoroughbred Maid- to a head win in the 2000m Taijul islam, Mustafizur Rahman. Gabriel, Jomel Warrican, Kyle Mayers. 1100m run for 4YOs. completed a double winning a a neck win in the 6f run. en Plate. Carlos Henrique rode run for 4-6YOs. SA seek end to six years of subcontinental struggles as Pak eye series win It’s a result that would im- ball to have Pakistan in trouble Having had to wait until he 2nd Test at Rawalpindi from today mediately lift the pressure off at 27/4, only for the hosts to was 34 to play his first Test for new skipper Babar Azam, who rally to make 378 and claim a Pakistan, it was left-arm finger- AGENCIES pindi or they could be waiting a captained the Test team for the 158-run first-innings lead.