THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 12 Bahrain to face Tajikistan, Lebanon in Dubai friendlies 2,000cc Challenge returns Bahrain are BIC 2,000cc Challenge is back action with season’s second round currently• looking to BETTER secure berths in the 2022 FIFA World KNOW The event will take Cup and the 2023 place• as part of National AFC Asian Cup Race Day tomorrow Bahrain are in Group KNOW WHAT TDT | Manama C of qualifying, TDT | Manama where they currently ahrain’s national football sit in second place Former champion Bteam will be playing two behind leaders Iraq, he Middle East’s long- international friendly matches est-running circuit rac- Shaikh Salman bin Isa while being ahead of bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa during their overseas training Iran, Hong Kong and Ting championship is back camp in Dubai next month, the in action this weekend at Bah- is once again set to go Bahrain Football Association Cambodia following rain International Circuit (BIC) up against a high-qual- (BFA) has confirmed. five games already in Sakhir. ity field that includes The Bahrainis will first be played The BIC 2,000cc Challenge other ex-champions taking on Tajikistan on No - takes place at “The Home of Shaikh Hamad bin Isa vember 7 before facing their Motorsport in the Middle East” Lebanese counterparts on No- as part of National Race Day bin Ebrahim Al Khali- vember 12. tomorrow. It will be the second fa, Tareq Al Tajer and The nationals are scheduled round of the 2020/2021 cam- Raed Himmo to hold their camp from No- games already played. paign and it follows a hugely ex- Participants steer their cars during BIC 2,000cc Challenge (file photo) vember 1 to 17, a BFA official The Bahrainis still have citing season-opener in which told TDT. three more fixtures remain- former champion Shaikh Sal- (Honda Civic), Tareq Al Tajer (Honda Civic), Ramzi Al Qa- ruary 5 and round six on March Bahrain head coach Helio ing—first at home against man bin Isa bin Ebrahim Al (Ford Focus), and Raed Himmo ssab (Acura DC5), Majed Him- 5. The season-finale is then slat- Sousa is expected to name his Cambodia, then away at Iran, Khalifa was dominant. (Honda Civic). Al Tajer joined mo (Honda Civic), Samer Gha- ed for April 2. squad for the camp within the before closing out this stage Shaikh Salman will be hoping Shaikh Salman on the overall zwan (BMW E46), Khaled Al Friday’s meeting will be tak- next few days. of qualification against Hong to continue from where he left podium for both races in round Rayyes (Renault Clio), Giovan- ing place with all precautionary Bahrain are currently look- Kong at home. off when action gets underway one, along with Raed Raffii ni Salerno (Ford Focus), Ali Al measures in place, in line with ing to secure berths in the In this stage of the quali - this meeting with a 30-minute (Honda S2000). Toblani (Honda Civic), Ahmed guidance from the Ministry of 2022 FIFA World Cup and the fiers, there are eight groups practice at 5.22pm. Qualifying They are all among the top Al Ghatam (Honda Civic), and Youth and Sports Affairs and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. in all, with five nations in follows at 6.32pm, also set for names in the 2,000cc’s Pro class, Shaikh Abdulla Al Khalifa (BMW Ministry of Health. The joint-qualifiers have each group. At the end, the 30 minutes, determining the where they are joined by Nasser Z3). National Race Day is being been delayed due to the coro- eight group winners and the grid for the round’s first 12-lap Al Alawi (Honda S2000). The 2020/2021 BIC 2,000cc orgainsed by BIC, in coopera- navirus (COVID-19) pandemic, four best runners-up advance race at 8.13pm. Race two is then The Novice category’s front- Challenge features seven meet- tion with the Bahrain Motor and matches are only expected to the third round of World scheduled to start at 9.33pm. runners include Wiebke Buelow ings, culminating in April of Federation and Circuit Racing to resume next year. Cup qualifying, and also se- Podium ceremonies will be held (Honda Civic) and Martyna Al next year. Round three will be Club. Bahrain are in Group C of cure their berths in the Asian after each sprint. Qassab (Acura DC5), both the held on the weekend of Novem- Amidst the current health sit- qualifying, where they cur- Cup. Shaikh Salman is once again series’ only female drivers who ber 12 to 14 in support of the FIA uation, no spectators or guests rently sit in second place be- The next best 24 teams will set to go up against a high-qual- have been excelling amidst the WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain. of participants will be permitted hind leaders Iraq, while be- compete in a separate compe- ity field that includes other tough competition. Round four will then be the to attend. Entry to BIC is re- ing ahead of Iran, Hong Kong tition for the remaining 12 slots ex-champions Shaikh Hamad They will be up against a field first event of 2021 on January 8, stricted to the registered drivers and Cambodia following five in the Asian Cup. bin Isa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa that includes Andreas Buelow followed by round five on Feb- and their appointed crew. Dhoni slammed for ‘bullying’ Delhi beats Rajasthan by 13 runs in IPL AP | Dubai umpire into changing mind elhi Capitals used the pace AFP | Dubai Dof Anrich Nortje and Kagi- so Rabada to earn a 13-run vic- tory over Rajasthan Royals in ricket fans have slammed the Indian Premier League on Cicon Mahendra Singh Dho- Wednesday. ni for apparently bullying um- Nortje (2-33) claimed the key pire Paul Reiffel into changing wickets of Robin Uthappa (32) a wide call during an Indian and Jos Buttler (22) and togeth- Premier League game. er with Rabada (1-28) tied down The incident occurred Tues- hard-hitting Rahul Tewatia in day when Dhoni-led Chennai the end to restrict Rajasthan Super Kings paceman Shardul to 148-8. Thakur bowled outside the off Delhi had earlier scored stump of Sunrisers Hyderabad 161-7 on the back of Shikhar batsman Rashid Khan. Dhawan’s second successive Umpire Reiffel, who played half century as the left-handed 35 Tests for Australia before opener scored 57 and captain Kagiso Rabada of Delhi Capitals celebrate a wicket retiring, appeared to start the Shreyas Iyer added 53. to offspinner Ravichandran Tewatia, who had earlier signal for a wide -- both arms Mahendra Singh Dhoni of Chennai Super Kings throws the ball during a match “On a slow wicket it is dif- Ashwin, Delhi kept striking at played two magnificent knocks outstretched at shoulder height ficult to make up runs in the regular intervals. in the tournament, couldn’t at- -- when Dhoni began protest- win by 20 runs and draw level end,” Rajasthan skipper Steve Smith had scored back to tack against the fiery pace of ing. with Hyderabad on six points Smith said. “Guys kept getting back half centuries in the first Nortje and Rabada in the end Reiffel then seemed to change in the eight-team table. in and kept getting out, and not two games at Sharjah, but and remained unbeaten on 14 his mind midway through the He started calling But Dhoni’s action did not go making 60-odd (runs) to see us since then the Australian has off 18 balls as Rajasthan lost signal and the ball went down it a wide, he looked down well on social media. through.” scored just 44 runs in the next their fifth game in the tourna- as legitimate in the crucial pe- up, saw Dhoni and he “Such a mockery of game, In a game dominated by pace six games and has struggled on ment. nultimate over of Hyderabad’s changed his mind. I pathetic! Dhoni keeps bullying bowlers, Jofra Archer had ear- the slow surfaces of Dubai and Delhi now sit on top of the ta- unsuccessful chase of 168. am someone who is umpires and gets away with it. lier clean bowled Prithvi Shaw Abu Dhabi. ble with 12 points after winning Commentator Ian Bishop, a sympathetic to the I have just lost count of it,” one off the first ball of the match, to Stokes, playing in only his six of their eight games. former West Indian interna- umpires because cricket fan wrote on Twitter. finish with figures of 3-19. second game this season, hit Rajasthan are languishing in tional, said on ESPNcricinfo that Others criticised Reiffel for But Delhi showed that they six fours before he was outdone seventh place with six points Reiffel had erred. it is a difficult job, apparently succumbing to pres- have the capability to defend by seamer Tushar Deshpande’s as they have won just one out “He started calling it a wide, but tonight I will say sure from Dhoni. small totals with the likes of slow delivery and holed out in of their last six games. They he looked up, saw Dhoni and he that Reiffel made a “Weak umpiring! Sad to see Nortje and Rabada in their the deep midway through the started the tournament with changed his mind,” Bishop said. mistake an Elite umpire bogging down bowling armory. Rajasthan run-chase. back to back wins at Sharjah “I am someone who is sym- IAN BISHOP by the stature of a cricketer,” English duo Buttler and Ben Sanju Samson (25) and but since then their top order pathetic to the umpires because said another Twitter user.