BASEBALL | Page 5 BASKETBALL | Page 7 Seager shines as France Dodgers clinch send USA 7th straight NL packing out West title of World Cup Thursday, September 12, 2019 FOOTBALL Muharram 13, 1441 AH Ronaldo hits GULF TIMES four for Portugal against Lithuania SPORT Page 3 FOOTBALL Shock draw with Qatar fi lls India with pride Reuters eight minutes to go down 2-1 at home. we have played well, that too against two New Delhi Few gave the side any chance of coming powerful teams,” the goalkeeper said. India’s goalkeeper Gurpreet away with anything but a defeat to 2022 “It gives us that added motivation and Singh Sandhu (C, top) leaps hosts Qatar, a team ranked 41 places higher confidence that in football, anything is to pouch the ball during their ndia are unlikely to make it to their than India, but stout defending and some possible.” match against Qatar at the first World Cup finals this time around superb goalkeeping from Gurpreet Singh India’s talismanic forward Sunil Chhetri Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in but a 0-0 draw in Doha against Asian Sandhu helped them earn a point. missed the match with a fever but was Doha on Tuesday. champions Qatar in 2022 qualifying on “Definitely a night to remember...” Sand- thrilled with the team’s gutsy display. ITuesday has filled them with pride. hu tweeted after the match, adding that he “THAT is my team and THOSE are my Cricket is king in India with football a hoped the result would inspire them against boys! Cannot describe how proud I am at distant second in the list of the country’s Bangladesh and Afghanistan, the other this moment,” tweeted the 35-year-old. favourite sports, though most fans rarely teams in Group E, both of whom are ranked “Not a big result for the table, but in pay attention to Indian soccer, instead pre- even lower than India. terms of a fight, as big as it can get. Huge ferring to watch the English Premier League “The effort, the will and the guts shown credit to the coaching staff and the dress- or La Liga. by everyone in the team was truly inspir- ing room.” Igor Stimac’s team, ranked 103rd in the ing. This result will help us to keep grow as Qatar top the group with four points from world, have given a good account of them- a team and as a nation.” two matches, one ahead of Oman and Af- selves in their first two matches in Group Qatar enjoyed 63% possession and had 13 ghanistan. The eight group winners and the E. They led Oman 1-0 in their opener last shots on target but Sandhu was unbeatable. four best runners-up advance to the third week but conceded two goals in the last “We have played just two matches, and round of qualification for the World Cup. CRICKET SPOTLIGHT East-to-West Ultra Run to be Australia hungry held on Dec 6 QNA capabilities and improve Doha their level of sports, fi tness and psychological well-be- ing. atar Sports for All He added that the race will to fi nish off Ashes Federation has an- be run over a total distance of nounced the Qatar about 90km, with the Cor- East-to-West Ultra niche identifi ed as the start- QRun to take place on Decem- ing point and Dukhan Beach ber 6 as part of its ongoing as the end point. It will be activities to encourage all held over fi ve phases in order segments of society to par- to give the participants some ticipate in sports. rest. series in style Chairman of the organising Al-Dosari explained that committee of the race, Ab- the race is only for amateurs To stand any chance of levelling the series, England will have to find a way to solve dullah al-Dosari, explained and is expected to be com- that the Qatar Sports for All pleted in about 17 hours. the riddle of the immovable Smith, who has scored 671 runs in just five innings Federation aims to promote a He added that every par- healthy lifestyle through the ticipant will be awarded a AFP provision of services and ac- medal since the main purpose London tivities to the public, includ- of the race is to encourage the ing raising awareness among community to exercise and young people, develop their promote a healthy lifestyle. ustralia head to the Oval hungry to win their fi rst Ashes series in England since 2001 as the peer- Aless Steve Smith seeks to infl ict further pain on the hosts. Tim Paine’s men fi nally saw off stubborn England at Old Traff ord on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the fi ve-Test series with just one match to go, meaning they will retain the urn. To stand any chance of level- ling the series, the World Cup winners will have to fi nd a way to solve the riddle of the immovable Smith, who has scored 671 runs in just fi ve innings at an aston- ishing average of more than 134. The former captain, top of the international rankings, has car- ried his team’s batting with three centuries and two fi fties, includ- ing a double-century in the win in Manchester, with Marnus La- buschagne the only other bats- man who has shown any consist- ency. Organising committee chairman Abdulla al-Dosari announcing Smith, who returned to Test England’s Jos Buttler (L) and Ben Stokes play a game of football during a training session at The Oval in London yesterday. details of the Ultra Run yesterday. action in England after complet- ing a 12-month ball-tampering top-ranked batsman and bowl- troops to one last eff ort after a many runs as they’d like. I think men would make way, perhaps ban, has made his mountain of er at his disposal, is urging the gruelling season in which Eng- the Australian team have bowled Jason Roy. runs despite missing three in- other batsmen to step up in the land became world champions in pretty well to him.” Stokes is England’s top-scorer Qatar to participate in nings after he was felled by a Jofra match starting on Thursday, even the 50-over format for the fi rst England talisman Ben Stokes in the series, with 354 runs and Archer bouncer. though he admits they lack expe- time. Their failure in the Ashes was included in an unchanged two centuries but, with the ex- LGCT event in France Given a full series, the freakish rience. has prompted questions over 13-man squad but will be as- ception of Rory Burns, the rest Paris: Qatar’s Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani and Bassem Smith might well been even clos- “You can’t just give them that the Yorkshireman’s position, but sessed to fi nd out whether he is of the batsmen have struggled Hassan will participate in the 17th leg of Longines Global er to Don Bradman’s mark of 974 experience, they have to earn outgoing coach Trevor Bayliss is fi t to bowl at the Oval. to build totals for the bowlers to Champions Tour to be staged in Saint Tropez, France. runs for the most runs ever made that and we’re very thankful to adamant the captain retains the The England vice-captain did defend. From today until September 14, the sparkling Longines in a Test series, set in 1930. have Steve batting,” he said. “I’ve support of the England hierar- not bowl in Australia’s second In the continuing absence of Athina Onassis Horse Show (LAOHS) will see the world’s top The other key factor for Aus- never seen batting like that. chy. innings at Old Traff ord following the injured James Anderson, horses and riders head to the legendary Pampelonne Beach tralia has been the strength of “You’ve still got to perform “He’s not come under ques- a right shoulder injury sustained Root will be relying on his new- with it’s turquoise waters and enviable blue skies. their pace attack, with Josh whether you’re young or you’re a tion from anyone making any in the tourists’ fi rst innings. ball pairing of Stuart Broad and In total, a hundred riders and nearly 200 horses are ex- Hazlewood and world number veteran, but we also have to rec- decisions,” Bayliss said. “He’s If Stokes is unfi t to bowl in Archer to do the damage. pected, representing more than twenty nations. one Pat Cummins catching the ognise they are young batsmen under no pressure at all.” London, he is expected to play But he will know that for every The two Qatari riders will also participate in Global Champi- eye with 42 wickets between and it’s a really tough school and Speaking about Root’s form as a specialist batsman, mean- minute Smith is at the crease, any ons League within Doha Falcons team which also includes them. hopefully they’ll come through with the bat, Bayliss added: ing either Sam Curran or Chris hopes of denying Australia a fi rst Michael Whitaker, Jur Vrieling, Bronislav Chudyba and Mike Australia coach Justin Langer, at some point.” “Everyone goes through peri- Woakes would come into the side series win in England for 18 years Kawai. (QNA) revelling in having the world’s Joe Root must inspire his ods where they don’t score as and one of the struggling bats- will recede.