HYDERABAD: Abdullah Shafique has a habit of making great first impressions, the latest of which came on Tuesday when he became the first Pakistan batsman to make a century on his World Cup debut in an epic pursuit against Sri Lanka.
Called up to replace the out-of-form Fakhar Zaman, the 23-year-old opener clubbed 113 and with a cramping Mohammad Rizwan (131 not out) helped Pakistan reach their 345-run target, the highest successful run chase in World Cup history.
“The way Abdullah built the innings in the beginning, the kind of shots he hit, made it easy for us to chase the score,” said Rizwan.
Shafique has become accustomed to making instant impacts.
He scored a hundred on his domestic Grade-II debut (non-first class), notched another century on his first-class debut in 2019 and a year later achieved the same feat in Twenty20 cricket.
Shafique is only the second batsman in the world to have hit a hundred on first class and T20 debut, along with India’s Shivam Bhambri.
His talents for the big stage were spotted early on by former Pakistan player Mansoor Rana, a former Pakistan team manager.
“We selected him for Under-19s as I saw enormous talent in this boy,” said Rana.
“He is better than anyone technique-wise but the problem was he didn’t score runs initially,” explained Rana, the son of former international umpire Shakoor.
After his T20 debut hundred, the then head coach Misbah-ul-Haq selected him in the shortest format but Shafique failed with four successive ducks.
He was backed despite his failures, making him a target for critics who accused him of receiving preferential treatment.
“I noticed that this boy had good technique and temperament. He has a repertoire of shots for every pitch,” said Misbah.
“At his age, Shafique has superb qualities and that is why I backed him.”
Shafique finally came good in Tests, hitting a hundred against Australia and England, and two against Sri Lanka including a double ton in July this year.
“Shafique benefitted from regular chances. During Covid he worked very hard indoors and that period allowed him to improve,” said Rana.
Barely a month out from the World Cup, Shafique was not even in the squad.
However, with concerns over Zaman’s lack of runs, the Pakistan team management select him as a back-up.
Next up for Shafique, another first — facing old rivals India in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique making habit of great first impressions
https://arab.news/c2348
Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique making habit of great first impressions
- Called up to replace the out-of-form Fakhar Zaman, the 23-year-old opener clubbed 113 against Sri Lanka
- Shafique is viewed to have good technique and temperament, with a repertoire of shots for every pitch
Saudi driver Farah Al-Yousef to compete as wild card in F1 Academy Jeddah round
- Racer hopes participation inspires other Saudi women to ‘chase their dreams’
JEDDAH: Saudi racing talent Farah Al-Yousef will make her debut in the 2025 F1 Academy series as a wild-card entry during Round 2 of the championship in Jeddah this weekend, it was confirmed on Tuesday.
The announcement was made by the Saudi Motorsport Company, main promoter of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which will host the F1 Academy race as part of its race weekend from April 18 to 20 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Al-Yousef’s participation follows in the footsteps of fellow Saudi driver Reema Juffali, who made an appearance in the series at the same venue last year.
“Racing as a wild-card entry in the F1 Academy on home soil here in Jeddah is truly a dream come true,” Al-Yousef said.
“I hope my participation inspires young girls across Saudi Arabia to believe in themselves and chase their dreams.”
The 21-year-old has already made a name for herself in karting, winning the Saudi Women’s Karting Championship in 2022 and competing at the Karting World Finals, where she finished 26th.
She will also represent Saudi Arabia at the FW Nations Cup Finals in Dubai in May.
The F1 Academy, launched in 2023, is an all-female racing series aimed at developing young female drivers aged 16 to 25.
The 2025 season spans seven rounds, each held as part of the F1 World Championship calendar, with races scheduled in Asia, Europe and North America.
After the opener in Shanghai, the series will move to Jeddah before heading to Miami, Montreal, Zandvoort and Singapore, concluding with the finale in Las Vegas in November.
Iraq boots Casas citing unpermitted exit as World Cup hopes hang by a thread
- “We officially informed FIFA with that decision,” the IFA said
- Casas, 51, had been in charge since 2022 and led Iraq to lift the 2023 Gulf Cup
BAGHDAD: Iraq has sacked national team coach Jesus Casas Garcia after the Spanish manager left the country without permission, the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) said on Tuesday.
“The association announces the termination of the contract of Spanish coach Jesus Casas Garcia and his technical staff due to their serious breach of contractual obligations, including leaving the country without official permission and failing to comply with invitations and warnings issued to them by the association. We officially informed FIFA with that decision,” the IFA said in a statement on its Facebook page.
Casas, 51, had been in charge since 2022 and led Iraq to lift the 2023 Gulf Cup on home soil.
The dismissal comes after Iraq’s World Cup qualifying campaign hit turbulence with a 2-2 draw against Kuwait and a 2-1 defeat to Palestine last month.
Currently sitting third in Group B of the Asian qualifiers with 12 points, Iraq face a must-win scenario in their final two matches against South Korea and Jordan in June to have any chance of securing automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
Riyadh to host Asian qualifiers for Arena World Polo Championship for the first time
- Qualifiers will take place from April 24 to 26 at Arena Field at Nofa Equestrian Resort on the outskirts of Riyadh
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will host the Asian qualifiers for the Arena World Polo Championship finals for the first time later this month, as teams from India, Pakistan and Iran compete for a place at the tournament.
The qualifiers will take place from April 24 to 26 at Arena Field at the Nofa Equestrian Resort on the outskirts of Riyadh.
Organized by the Federation of International Polo, the AWPC will take place in the US in October and will be co-hosted by Roseland Polo Club in Crozet, Virginia, and Virginia Polo Inc. in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Amr Zidan, chairman of the Saudi Polo Federation, underlined the significance of the event, describing it as a continuation of the Kingdom’s growing reputation as a global sporting destination.
He said the tournament forms part of the Vision 2030 commitment to bring major international events to the Kingdom.
Zidan also welcomed the participating teams and expressed hope for high-level competition that would reflect the ongoing development of polo throughout Asia.
‘We played for Gaza’: How Palestine’s U-20 Women’s team went from underdogs to champions
- Shock penalty shootout win over Jordan secures first U-20 West Asian Football Federation title
AMSTERDAM: When rank outsiders secure a victory they tend, often, to be of the moral variety. If victory is achieved it rarely ends up with an outsider advancing to the final match and lifting the trophy.
On Saturday afternoon, Palestine’s U-20 Women’s team did just that. While Palestine’s senior men’s team has been punching above its weight for the past decade it has been an entirely different story for other teams in the program.
Palestine has been absolutely abject in youth football. Since gaining admission to the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA in 1998, Palestine’s men’s and women’s teams have qualified for a single youth tournament, the U-23 Asian Cup.
The gaps have only widened for female sides as other countries in the region invested in the sector, leaving Palestine far behind neighbours Lebanon and Jordan.
When the U-20 West Asian Football Federation Championship kicked off last week, not much was expected from Palestine. Jordan were seen as heavy favorites due to their home advantage and the absence of Lebanon, the only other side of note in the region.
Palestine were expected to finish above Kuwait but behind Jordan and Syria in the four-team tournament.
Preparation was anything but ideal with the team meeting only 48 hours before their first game. With football suspended throughout Palestine there was a heavy reliance on the diaspora to fill the gaps. Palestine’s squad featured players born in Sweden, Canada and the United States as well as professionals plying their trade in Chile and Egypt.
The tournament got off to the best possible start for Al-Fidai’yat, a 9-0 hammering of Kuwait set the stage, but a 3-0 loss to bitter rivals Jordan had the doubters circling the team. Many of the comments of the Palestine Football Association Facebook page were tinged with sexism while others demanded women’s football have its funding suspended.
The nature of the loss was particularly frustrating for Palestine who showed an ability to compete with their more established rivals but were undone on a series of corner kicks and set pieces.
Palestine emerged from Matchday 2 in good shape thanks to Syria’s narrower margin of victory against Kuwait. That result meant Palestine needed only a draw against the Qasioun Eagles to set up a rematch against Jordan in the final.
A goalmouth scramble after an early corner kick was finished off by Narin Abu Asfar giving Palestine the lead against Syria. They looked the better side for much of the match but a late Syrian equalizer against the run of play in the 84th minute set up a grandstand finish. A series of corner kicks in the game’s dying seconds had fans fearing the worst but Palestine’s players held their nerve and saw the game out.
A rematch against Jordan was on the cards.
Palestine’s futility at the WAFF Championship is well documented. The senior men’s team has never advanced past the group stage of the regional tournament. The senior women’s team's greatest accomplishment was a second-place finish in 2014 in a four-team tournament in which they were battered 10-0 by champions Jordan.
Palestine were not expected to put up much of a fight. After all, success in women’s football starts with investment, and Jordan has been the leading light in the region, punching above their weight in all age categories for both genders since the turn of the century.
A cagey first half under the hot Aqaba sun ended scoreless, just as it did five days earlier. Manager Ahmed Hammad went to his bench and called on Selina Ghneim to change the match.
The forward did just that, thumping home a header from Narin Abu Asfar’s corner to open the scoring.
Jordan answered through a substitute of their own, Marah Abbas, who also scored off a corner kick.
A penalty shootout was needed to settle the match, which ended 1-1. Typically, underdogs favor the lottery of the shootout, which increases their chances of victory considerably. There was just one problem for Palestine. Their goalkeeper Miraf Maarouf had broken her foot in warmups.
Any doubt as to the imperious goalkeeper’s ability to perform injured and under pressure was immediately put to rest. Maarouf dove to her right and blocked Jordan’s first two attempts giving Palestine a lead in the shootout they would not relinquish.
An embarrassing moment of confusion took place after captain Naomi Philips scored to make it 3-1 after three and a half rounds. Palestine’s players rushed on to the pitch to celebrate with Maarouf, who was imploring her teammates to clear the area because there was still a Jordanian kick to deal with.
Jordan scored to force a fifth round of kicks but Miral Kassis did not feel the pressure. The FC Masar forward had to leave the team midway through the tournament due to club commitments. She had played in Egypt less than 24 hours before and arrived in Aqaba only on the day of the final.
Her winning penalty came with a high dose of bravado, with the 19-year-old seeming to ask Celine Seif which side she wanted to be scored on.
“Forget tactics and all that. We played for Gaza. We took care of organization (to correct mistakes from the first game) but the players fought to get the win,” Omar Barakat, the team’s assistant coach, told Arab News.
Reaction from a fanbase starved of success has turned dramatically with snide and sexist comments conspicuously absent from recent comments.
“We are proud of ourselves because we play for Gaza. We play in the name of Palestine in the name of every mother that has lost her son, in the name of every martyr,” Malak Barakat told the media after the historic win.
“My message is that this is only the start and you will be hearing more from us in the future.”
Barakat might be right — she and several of her teammates have already made the jump to the senior team.
FIA president welcomes Georgia to sport’s global fight against online abuse
- Coalition embraces 10th country as sports minister signs charter during Bahrain Grand Prix weekend
DUBAI: Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, has welcomed the government of Georgia to the organization’s growing United Against Online Abuse coalition.
Georgian Minister of Sport Shalva Gogoladze formally signed the charter during a meeting with the FIA chief over the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.
It becomes the 10th country to join the united and influential coalition of governments, sporting bodies and technology platforms committed to combating online harassment and hate speech across the sporting world. Members of the group work in close partnership to confront the rise of online hate and its damaging impact on mental health, participation in and integrity of sport.
During their meeting, Ben Sulayem and Gogoladze discussed the minister’s commitment to protecting athletes and safe sports, as well as his “Start to Talk” campaign on the reporting of harassment and abuse.
As part of UAOA’s work to shape effective policies and strategies to address online abuse, the campaign is looking forward to collaborating with Georgia, exchanging best practices and strengthening cooperation through evidence-sharing.
UAOA was founded by Ben Sulayem in 2022 as a new initiative by the FIA, which is the governing body for world motorsport and the federation for mobility organizations.
He said: “I am delighted to welcome the government of Georgia to the United Against Online Abuse coalition. This endorsement underscores Georgia’s leadership in recognizing online abuse as a serious threat to the future of sport. Together we are building a strong, global alliance that will deliver meaningful change and make sport a safer space for everyone.”
Gogoladze added: “Georgia is honored to stand with our international partners in the fight against online abuse in sport. Signing the United Against Online Abuse Charter reflects our unwavering commitment to promoting safety, respect, and mental wellbeing for all athletes, coaches, officials and fans. We are proud to support this global movement established by the FIA and to play our part in creating a sporting culture that thrives on safety and inclusivity, both on and off the field.”
The campaign has witnessed rapid growth in recent months and was recently awarded Peace and Sport’s prestigious Coalition for Peace award in recognition of its efforts.
To date, the coalition has welcomed endorsements from the governments of Greece, France, Slovenia, Albania, Australia, Kenya, Costa Rica, Namibia and Rwanda, alongside organizations such as the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations.
