FRIDAY 5 JULY 2019 SPORT 17 It is very difficult, 316 runs is a big Pakistan captain Sarfaraz margin. Only if you’re batting first, Ahmed says as his team TODAY TOMORROW if you score 600 runs or 500 runs. faces a near impossible task Pakistan vs Bangladesh Sri Lanka vs India I don’t know what the study is to qualify for the semi-finals 43rd match 44th match, in Leeds behind this, but I can’t do anything. in a World Cup tie against in London Australia vs South Africa Bangladesh today. 12:30pm (Qatar time) 45th match, in Manchester Doha champs return home Handball: Top Qatari clubs to feature in major events DOHA Football League Handball Cham- THE PENINSULA pionships to be held in South Korea from November 9 to 21. The Qatar Handball Federation Al Wakra will participate in (QHF) yesterday confirmed the the tournament as the Qatari participation of Al Gharafa and handball champion while Al Qatar SC at the 35th Arab League Arabi will participate as H H the Handball Championships, which Amir’s Cup champions in the will be held in the Jordanian 2018/2019 sports season. capital Amman from September Al Duhail will also participate 23 to October 3 . in the Super Bowl 2019 World Al Gharafa will also feature Handball Championships, which the Arab Super Cup on Sep- will be held in Dammam from tember 22 in Jordan. August 28 to 31. Esperance Tunisia won the Al Arabi will feature in this year’s Asian Football League Handball Al Duhail’s participation Arab League Handball Champi- Championships as reigning Amir Cup champions. comes as a representative of Asia Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal and Muhammad Bilal pose with their World onships last year in Tunisia in Salmiya Kuwaiti 37-31 in the they were crowned champions after winning the 21st Asian Snooker Team Cup trophy upon their arrival at Karachi airport, December after winning the final match to determine the third and in the 2000 edition. Championship for the handball yesterday. The Pakistani duo defeated an Indian pair 3-1 in the against fellow citizen Sakia Oil fourth positions. The QHF also announced the championships held in Kuwait final to win the title earlier this week in Doha. 36-29 while the Qatari club fin- Al Rayyan is the only Qatari participation of Al Wakra and Al in March, after winning the final ished in third place after beating team to have won the title, when Arabi teams in the 22nd Asian against Al Wakra 22-21. Injury puts Colombian Bernal takes Tour Van Niekerk’s IAAF Worlds spotlight in Froome’s absence in jeopardy REUTERS best-equipped teams for the REUTERS PARIS DOHA Bernal, looking to become the race with Ineos and Movistar, who will rely on the formidable In the absence of injured four- first Colombian to win cycling’s triumvirate of Mikel Landa and South African world record times winner Chris Froome, all most prestigious race, has been former podium finishers Nairo holder Wayde van Niekerk’s eyes will be on his 22-year-old promoted to Ineos co-leader after Quintana and Alejandro defence of his 400 metres world Ineos team-mate Egan Bernal defending champion Geraint Valverde. title could be in jeopardy after a to fill the void at the Tour de Thomas’s preparations were Italian Vincenzo Nibali, knee injury. France starting tomorrow. hampered by a crash at the Tour de second in the Giro this year, will The two-time world Bernal, looking to become wait until the first hilltop finish champion had picked up a bone the first Colombian to win Suisse won by Bernal. at La Planche des Belles Filles bruise in his right knee that had cycling’s most prestigious race, to assess whether he has the set back his training by five to has been promoted to Ineos co- Froome, winner in 2013, 2015, legs to fight for a second title six weeks, his agent said in a leader after defending 2016 and 2017, was ruled out after after 2014. statement. champion Geraint Thomas’s suffering serious injuries in a crash There will be further “Sadly guys, I’ve had a minor preparations were hampered at the Criterium du Dauphine excitement for the French setback on my road to recovery,” by a crash at the Tour de Suisse crowds as world number one Van Niekerk added on Twitter. won by Bernal. Julian Alaphilippe and newly “I’ve been pushing myself a “It’s no secret my build-up crowned French champion bit too hard in training so that I has been affected by the crash Warren Barguil look set to battle can make a memorable at Tour de Suisse, but I’ve had it out for the mountain classifi- comeback but I have picked up a good block of training since Colombian rider Egan Bernal cation’s polka dot jersey. a bone bruise on my knee so and I feel ready,” said Thomas. of Team Ineos looks on before Barguil won it in 2017 and won’t be participating in the “Discussing with the team, a training session in Overijse Alaphilippe prevailed last year. upcoming @Diamond_League we believe it makes sense to go yesterday, two days prior to the Peter Sagan of Slovakia will events.” into the race with joint leaders start of the 106th edition of the be bidding for a record- While the Doha World as it gives us more options. Egan Tour de France. breaking sixth green jersey for Championships are not until late and I will work hard for each the points classification after September and Van Niekerk has other and the team over the flying under the radar this already qualified as the reigning three weeks of the race.” season. world champion, the injury Froome, winner in 2013, the British team, deprived of top 10 in the last five editions “On the other hand, this is The race sets off from raises questions about whether 2015, 2016 and 2017, was ruled Froome’s authoritative figure, and two podium finishes in a year in which I’m hitting peak Brussels, 50 years after local he will try to make a comeback out after suffering serious might not take their usual grip 2016 and 2017, seems to have form. I’m ambitious, I’m calm legend Merckx won his first at all in 2019 and instead injuries in a crash at the Cri- on the race. reached his peak, Thibaut Pinot, because I’ve done everything I Tour, with a stage likely to end prepare to defend his Olympic terium du Dauphine and the In France, excitement has third in 2014, has added a new can to be ready.” in a bunch sprint -- without title in 2020. race now has the feel of 1976 or been mounting as the absences dimension. Pinot noted that several 30-times stage winner Mark Van Niekerk, 26, did not 1983 -- when Eddy Merck and of last year’s runner-up Tom The Groupama-FDJ climber climbers would be at ‘the same Cavendish who was omitted by compete in 2018 after tearing his Bernard Hinault respectively Dumoulin and Froome increase won the Tour of Lombardy high level’ and he is right. Team Dimension Data. anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) did not start. the chances of the French cel- Monument classic last season Jakob Fuglsang won the There will be only one indi- in a celebrity rugby match in Bernal, who looks a cut ebrating a first local champion and has shown impressive Dauphine in impressive fashion vidual time trial shortly after the 2017. above the other top climbers since Bernard Hinault won the strength in the mountains this and is the bookmakers’ third midway point but 30 catego- He has run only one 400 and also won Paris-Nice in last of his five titles in 1985. year, also rediscovering his favourite, but the Astana rider rised climbs with a gruelling metres this year, clocking 47.28 March, is the bookmakers’ “This year or never,” sports time-trialing form. has yet to shine on the Tour, 19th stage going through the Col seconds in February. His world favourites ahead of Thomas. daily L’Equipe wrote on their “I’m 29 years old so I’ve still where his best finish was de l’Iseran, 2,770 metres above record from the 2016 Rio But Ineos’s rivals are sharp- front page last month. got quite a few years ahead of seventh in 2013. sea level, after 89 kilometres of Olympics is 43.03. ening their knives, sensing that While Romain Bardet, in the me,” he said. Astana is one of the uphill riding. Mercedes target cooling after feeling the heat in Austria REUTERS with the cooling, how we can fundamental design of the car, “We were on limit. When you LONDON improve that,” he said. where in the push for very, very get to that point you are really “And that work started well tight packaging, we have ended limited in your options. You can Formula One champions before the race weekend in up being undercooled overall,” start to use lift and coast, which Mercedes say they are working Austria and there’s a lot of people said Shovlin. is where the drivers get towards hard to improve their cars’ here busy with that. And we will “Fundamentally the car the end of the straight and they cooling systems for future races get on top of that and make doesn’t have big enough back off the throttle,” he said. after struggling with overheating progress.” radiators.