FOOTBALL | Page 4 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 11 Resurgence India frugal of Fabregas with priase To Advertise here asserts coach for Pune Test Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 Conte’s style winner O’Keefe Tuesday, February 28, 2017 TENNIS Jumada II 1, 1438 AH Federer returns GULF TIMES with easy win over Paire in Dubai SPORT Page 6 FOOTBALL CRICKET Lekhwiya twin Pakistan to hold T20 fi nal blunders gift on home soil Al Fateh 2-2 draw Lekhwiya clearly were the better side, especially in the latter part of the second half during which they came up with several scoring opportunities By Sports Reporter Doha Lekhwiya scorers Youssef al-Arabi and Nam Tae-hee celebrate in Al Hasa yesterday. couple of horrible blunders saw Lekhwiya PCB executive chairman Najam Sethi gift Saudi Arabia’s Al Fateh a 2-2 draw in the Asian Champions League at the Prince Reuters/AFP dominated build-up to the March 5 A Abdullah Bin Jalawi Stadium in Al Hasa. Islamabad fi nal in Lahore. Four-time Qatar Stars League champions Le- Karachi Kings beat Islamabad Unit- khwiya, who thrashed the UAE’s Al Jazira last week, ed by six wickets in a must-win game were clearly the better side but lost out on a golden akistan will hold the fi nal of in Dubai, eliminating Lahore Qaland- opportunity to consolidate their position in Group B its wildly popular domestic ars from the next round. after allowing their rivals to bounce back from a goal T20 cricket league on home For the fi rst time in the league Chris down and clinch one point. Psoil for the fi rst time, despite Gayle showed why he was regarded as Moroccan international Youssef al-Arabi had a wave of deadly attacks across the the most destructive limited over bats- netted his third goal in two matches to help Le- country, the cricket board announced man, hitting a 17-ball 44 with fi ve tow- khwiya go ahead in the 18th minute, heading the yesterday. ering sixes and two boundaries. ball crisply off a Youssef Msakni cross, but Nathan However, it was not clear how many Gayle was dropped from the last Junior scored from the spot to draw level in the 40th foreign players would come to Pa- match after managing just 59 runs in minute after Luiz Junior had handled the ball. kistan, where 130 people have been six games. As if the handball was not costly enough, Le- killed in recent attacks, to take part in Gayle’s quickfi re knock eased Ka- khwiya conceded their second goal in the 56th the March 5 game in the eastern city of rachi Kings’ 124-run target in a match minute when goalkeeper Amine Lecomte’s inept Lahore. reduced to 15-over-a-side due to rain handling of a corner kick saw Sayyef al-Bishi scor- While the league, now in its sec- in Dubai. ing from point blank range. ond year, attracts an estimated televi- Islamabad United, who were already Lekhwiya clearly were the better side, especially sion audience of over 50mn people in in the play-off s, had posted 123-7 with in the latter part of the second half during which the cricket-crazed nation, so far all West Indian Dwayne Smith hitting a they came up with several scoring opportunities. matches have been played in the Unit- 36-ball 49. But forward Youssef Msakni’s shot was saved by ed Arab Emirates. It was Gayle’s West Indian team- Al Fateh goalkeeper Abdullah al-Qaisher and Moez “The nation has shown its pas- mate who brought Lahore’s downfall Ali went wide from close. sion and unity. The Pakistani nation in the last game, smashing two sixes The Saudi side appeared heading for their fi rst- is peaceful and it will not be black- off the last two balls of the match to ever win in the continental event over the years but mailed,” Pakistan Cricket Board ex- help Karachi chase down the 156-run Lekhwiya’s Nam Tae-hee scored a stunning 86th ecutive committee chairman Najam target. minute equaliser to deny them three points. Sethi said. Peshawar Zalmi (Youth) and Quetta With time running out Lekhwiya’s Korean star In Group A, Iran’s Estheglal thrashed Saudi Ara- Wahda in their fi rst match of the campaign as goals The Pakistan Super League features Gladiators, who fi nished one and two Nam found the target following a throw-in with a bia’s Al Tawoon 3-0 and Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv from South American duo Gonzalo Viera and Victor cricket stars from all over the world but respectively in the league phase, will sweetly struck volley that arched over al-Qaisher downed UAE’s Al Ahli 2-0. Caceres ensured a win on their return to the com- many appear reluctant to travel to Pa- meet in the fi rst play-off s in Sharjah into the top right corner of the net. Meanwhile, Saudi giants Al Hilal and Qatar’s Al petition, before the Doha-based team then lost by kistan for the fi nal. today. The winner will qualify for the In another Group B match, Estheglal Kouzestan Rayyan will go head to head in Group D of the 2017 the same scoreline to Al Gharafa in the Qatar Stars “We have to wait until March 3 to fi nal. handed UAE giants Al Jazira their second straight AFC Champions League today at Prince Faisal Bin League on Saturday. know which foreign players will trav- Pakistan has played most of its home defeat with Aloys Nong fi nding the net in the very Fahd Stadium with the two sides looking to main- Al-Hilal won both of the previous two encoun- el to Lahore, as we still do not know international matches in the United second minute. tain their unbeaten start on the continent. ters between these teams, outscoring Al Rayyan by a which two teams will qualify,” Sethi Arab Emirates since 2009, when gun- Al Jazira, the runaway leaders in the UAE Pro Brazilian Carlos Eduardo netted with eight min- combined score of 5-1 in the 2013 Group Stage. told reporters. men attacked a bus carrying the Sri League, were beaten 3-0 by Lekhwiya in Doha last utes remaining as Al Hilal secured a 1-1 draw with Al Rayyan have lost 12 of their last 13 games away The tournament entered the play- Lankan cricket team from their hotel to week and their second loss on the trot has left them Persepolis in their opening game of the tournament from home at this tournament (W1), including each off s on Sunday with title-holders Is- Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium, wound- with a great deal of catching up to do as the tourna- after falling behind midway through the second half. of the last seven despite having scored a combined lamabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Ka- ing six players and killing six security ment progresses. Al Rayyan, meanwhile, ran out 2-1 victors over Al six goals in their last three such games. rachi progressing as security fears personnel and two civilians. BOTTOMLINE Qatar’s Fijian coach Biumaiwai exudes confi dence ahead of Asian 7s tournament By Mikhil Bhat Beracibi and Orisi Sareki have joined have to show improvement with the lo- prepared well and we should treat each Doha the coach here but none of them will cal boys.” The 12-man squad has a good game as a fi nal. be wearing Qatar colours this tourna- mix of expats, who call Qatar home, and “We have a few big forwards and that ment, which gives the winners a shot at nationals – wingers Rakan al-Mutawaa is our advantage, and style. Idea is to run atar coach Usaia Biumaiwai making it to the Rugby World Cup 7’s in and Abdul Kareem al-Muhannadi, and straight at them, use offl oads and break believes his team have all it 2018. forward Mubarak al-Malik. the opposition’s defence line.” takes to win the 11-nation While the qualifi cation rules don’t al- Al-Muhannadi and al-Malik made As much as he would like to prep the QAsia Rugby Sevens Trophy low the Fijians to play for Qatar in this their Sevens debut in 2006 when Qatar team for the big games, especially with which will be played this Thursday and tournament yet, Biumaiwai is not wor- hosted the Asian Games. the likes of Singapore and Thailand also Friday in Doha. ried. “I came here in 2015, and I have seen in the tournament, Biumaiwai is all for Fijian Biumaiwai, who has been in “It is not concern. The boys have the local boys improve a lot,” he said. taking baby steps. Qatar since 2015, was talking on the been playing with the Fijian boys, and Qatar have been drawn in the same “I don’t want to think about them. It sidelines of a team practice session at have been getting better at playing the group as the Philippines and Nepal. will only put you under a lot of pressure. Aspire Zone ahead of the two-day tour- Sevens. As a format Sevens is very new Asked about the team’s preparation There are two things: fi rst, every game is nament that’s just around the corner. here in Qatar, and playing that is diff er- for the pool phase, he said, “I have been a fi nal, and two, look forward to a game “Preparations were scrappy a couple ent from the XVs.