AHMEDABAD: Thousands of sleepless flag-waving fans sporting blue India jerseys clogged roads outside the world’s biggest cricket stadium early Sunday, too excited to sleep as excitement built ahead of the World Cup final.
Drivers honked at fans blocking roads, shouting slogans and bargaining with roadside hawkers hours before the Sunday afternoon finale between the cricket-crazy hosts and the game’s traditional powerhouse Australia.
The blockbuster conclusion of cricket’s showpiece tournament, with 48 matches over 46 days between 10 teams at 10 venues, wraps up Sunday at the grand 132,000-seat arena named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India’s western city of Ahmedabad.
With fans attending the game from distant parts of India and across the world, the city is packed, with some hotels charging 10 times regular rates.
Media reports said that many desperate fans had even approached some local religious institutions to stay overnight at their subsidised dormitories for devout pilgrims before the game.
Others lit candles, offering prayers for the success of their beloved team.
“This feels like a big Hindu festival... with families and friends out on the roads in a celebratory mood,” said Suresh Raval, 34, a local resident outside the stadium.
Confident that India, who are still unbeaten in the tournament, would trounce Australia, Raval said that he and his friend were “finding it hard to sleep” and felt “really lucky to get two tickets for the game.”
While he refused to reveal what he’d paid for the two “priceless tickets,” many fans have reportedly paid 10 to 20 times the cheapest ticket’s listed price to attend the title clash.
“All these expenses — from flights to hotels to the stadium tickets — wouldn’t pinch a bit if India performs well and win the title,” said Vijay Kumar, a fan from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
Kumar said that “it felt so good” to see fans also wearing blue India jerseys crowding his flight to Ahmedabad on Saturday.
“But this atmosphere outside the stadium already feels so much better,” he added outside the stadium’s main entry gate.
“We are still many hours away from the start of the match but it feels so festive. Everyone here shares the same hope and nervous excitement.”
Modi will be joined at the game by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.
Fans at the packed stadium will also witness an air force flypast, a light and laser show, and hundreds of dancers performing Bollywood hit songs between the two innings.
“All the song and dance is good, but we are here for the game — and happy as long as India keeps winning,” said Sahil Khanna, 48, a fan from New Delhi.
He came to the stadium on Saturday night, saying he couldn’t sleep because of the excitement about the game.
“I am glad I am here. It is festival-like, there are thousands of fans here already,” he said, surrounded by hawkers selling snacks and India T-shirts and caps. “Everyone’s discussing the game.”
Despite the country’s cricket riches, India are without a major international title since the 2013 Champions Trophy, and national expectations have reached fever pitch.
Amidst the festive excitement in the decked-out Ahmedabad — with colorful lights and large cutouts of cricket stars at many intersections — tens of thousands of security forces were also deployed.
Police formed a multi-layered security ring around the stadium, readying for not only 130,000 fans at the venue, but also tens of thousands more packing the streets if — as the fans dream — India wins.
Sleepless India fans ready for World Cup title clash
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Sleepless India fans ready for World Cup title clash
- Drivers honked at fans blocking roads, shouting slogans and bargaining with roadside hawkers hours before the Sunday afternoon
- The blockbuster conclusion wraps up at the grand 132,000-seat arena named after Prime Minister Modi in India’s Ahmedabad city
Commando Group crowned champions as Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour ends
- The fifth and final round of the season, held in Abu Dhabi, saw MOD UAE and Al-Wahda finish second and third respectively
ABU DHABI: This season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour concluded on Sunday, with Commando Group emerging as champions after the fifth and final round.
The event at the Mubadala Arena saw fierce competition between professional black belts worldwide¸ with MOD UAE and Al Wahda Jiu-Jitsu Club securing second and third respectively.
As the curtain fell on the 2023-2024 season, which included rounds in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Tokyo, and Rome, organizers announced the best-ranked athletes in the various weight and belt divisions based on accumulated points.
The men’s rankings included black belts Welison Fernandes (under 62 kg), Jefferson Fagundes (under 69 kg), Diego Batista (under 77 kg), Luiz Paulo Medeiros (under 85 kg), Uanderson Ferreira (under 94 kg), Marcos Carrozino (over 94 kg), and Felipe Bezerra (over 120 kg).
The women’s rankings included black belt Diana Teixeira (under 49 kg), and brown belts holders Beatriz Campos (under 55 kg), Julia Alves (under 62 kg), and Isabely Lemos (under 95 kg).
“Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour is considered one of the major jiu-jitsu events presented by Abu Dhabi to the world,” said Youssef Al-Batran, UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation board member.
“The event gets bigger and better year after year, taking the sport to newer heights and establishing itself as a much sought-after platform for the world’s elite athletes. Professional athletes from around the world are keen to participate in it and have been intensifying their preparations for the competitions.”
Tareq Al-Bahri, general manager of the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro, lauded the champions for their performances throughout the season, highlighting the event’s success across all levels of competition.
“The final round of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour was a tremendous success, as testified by the fact that it welcomed more than 2,500 male and female players,” he said. “Preparations have already begun for the start of the new season, with the first event scheduled in Istanbul in June 2024.”
Marcelo Fanosa, coach of the MOD UAE, said: “We began preparing vigorously for the ADGS Abu Dhabi months ago. Our athletes gave stellar performances as we achieved first places in the master’s and amateur categories. I extend my thanks to the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and AJP for organizing a tournament of this level and allowing our competitors to test their skills against the world’s elite athletes here in Abu Dhabi.”
Celtics push Cavs to brink of elimination, Thunder pull level with Mavs
- Jayson Tatum scored 33 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 27 points
- The Boston Celtics will try to finish off the series at home on Wednesday
LOS ANGELES: The Boston Celtics fought off short-handed Cleveland to take a 3-1 stranglehold in their NBA playoff series Monday as Oklahoma City leveled their series with Dallas.
Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Jaylen Brown added 27 points for the Celtics, who beat the Cavaliers 109-102 for a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.
The Boston Celtics will try to finish off the series at home on Wednesday.
Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City head home tied 2-2 with the Mavericks after a furious fourth-quarter rally carried them to a 100-96 victory in Dallas.
Oklahoma City trailed most of the night in the face of a stout Dallas defensive effort that included 13 blocked shots.
But the Thunder broke through in the fourth quarter, tying it at 86-86 on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s fadeaway jump shot with 4:02 to play.
Rookie Chet Holmgren followed with a three-pointer that gave the Thunder the lead for good.
Dallas had the deficit down to one point with 10.1 seconds left, but Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander each made a pair of free throws and the Thunder closed it out.
“We just stuck to it,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half.
“We just plugged away, took it possession by possession and eventually the game turned for us.”
Holmgren finished with 18 points and Luguentz Dort had 17 for the Thunder, who made 23 of their 24 free-throws and withstood a triple double of 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists from Dallas star Luka Doncic.
P.J. Washington led Dallas with 21 points but star guard Kyrie Irving was held to nine.
Doncic said it wasn’t a defensive breakdown that cost the Mavs but too many mistakes in the “little details.”
He called it “unacceptable” that Dallas made just 12 of their 23 free-throws, and the Mavericks also coughed up 14 turnovers leading to 19 Thunder points.
In Cleveland, the Cavaliers were dealt a blow when Donovan Mitchell, who had averaged more than 35 points over the six prior games, was ruled out with a calf injury, joining starting center Jarrett Allen on the sidelines.
NBA superstar LeBron James, who led the Cavs to their only NBA title back in 2016, was sitting courtside, but with Mitchell absent the Cavs ultimately didn’t have enough firepower.
The Cavs kept the pressure on, taking the lead briefly on Darius Garland’s driving basket early in the third quarter.
But the Celtics quickly reasserted themselves and led by 10 going into the final period.
Cleveland, on the back of 30 points from Garland, pulled within five points three times in the final four minutes, but Brown, fed by Tatum, connected on a three-pointer with 1:09 to play that effectively sealed it.
“It’s a game of runs,” Tatum said after the Celtics — who took control early with a 12-0 scoring run in the first quarter — struggled to put the depleted Cavaliers away.
“It’s not going to be perfect every single time. They’re going to make shots, but it’s our job to figure it out.”
Boston led by as many as 13 in the second quarter but Cleveland, with 11 of their 15 three-pointers in the first half, twice cut the deficit to one point before going into the break down by five.
Brown avoided a flagrant foul call in the second quarter after he fell backwards into Max Strus and grabbed Strus’s ankle as the Cavs player — himself struggling to stay upright — stepped over his head.
Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff was more concerned at the fact that Boston went to the free-throw line 24 times compared to Cleveland’s seven.
“I’ll be honest with you, I was disappointed with the way the whistle blew tonight,” he said. “I don’t think we got an equal opportunity at it tonight from that standpoint.
Garland called the free-throw discrepancy “ridiculous.”
“I’m not one of those guys with the striped shirt, but I know how many times I get hit, I know how many times my teammates get hit, put on the floor. And we can’t reciprocate,” he said.
Pakistan face dangerous Ireland in T20I series decider today
- Buoyed by stellar performances from Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan beat Ireland on Sunday to level series 1-1
- After Ireland series, Pakistan will head to England for four-match T20 series as preparation before T20 World Cup
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will face a dangerous Ireland cricket team today, Tuesday, in the third and final T20 match of the series between the two teams in Dublin, as both sides look to gain momentum with less than a month to go before the World Cup kicks off in June.
The visitors were shocked by minnows Ireland last week when they lost in the series opener on Friday. However, the South Asian country bounced back in the second T20I on Friday, beating Ireland by seven wickets in a match that saw stellar performances from Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi and a late blitz from Azam Khan.
“The third and last T-20 between Pakistan and Ireland will be played at Dublin today,” state-run Radio Pakistan reported. “The match will start at 7:00 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.”
Pakistan and Ireland are both in Group A of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA. They will face each other in the tournament on 16 June, Sunday, in Florida. Ireland have given Pakistan a tough time in the series, losing the second match after taking early breakthroughs and handing skipper Babar Azam’s side an impressive 194-run target.
Pakistan’s bowling attack, considered its main strength which features the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Amir, has been in the spotlight for conceding too many runs and failing to trouble the Irish batters much.
Separately, Cricket Ireland on Monday officially confirmed a first men’s tour of Pakistan in August and September in 2025. The series will see both countries play three T20Is and three ODIs against each other. It was part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) of the ICC scheduled for September 2025.
The decision was finalized after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Cricket Ireland Chairman Brain MacNeice. A statement released by the PCB, however, did not mention any dates and venues for the schedule of the series. It follows in the wake of Ireland Women touring Pakistan, who also played three ODIs and three T20Is in November 2022.
The Pakistan men’s team will head to England for a four-match T20I series after the third T20I against Ireland. Following the England series, with matches scheduled at Headingley (22 May), Birmingham (25 May), Cardiff (28 May), and The Oval, London (30 May), both England and Pakistan will head to the US for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
England will face Scotland in Barbados on June 4 in their opening match, while Pakistan will launch their campaign against the United States (US) in Dallas on June 6. Pakistan will take on arch-rivals India on June 9 in New York which is set to be one of the most anticipated clashes of the T20 World Cup.
Squads:
Ireland: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir (unavailable for first T20I), Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan
England’s Livingstone leaves IPL to get ‘knee sorted’
- Livingstone played just seven of 12 matches for Punjab, who have been knocked out of the play-off race
- His injury is reportedly not serious but requires rest before England play Pakistan in four T20Is this month
NEW DELHI: England batsman Liam Livingstone has left the Indian Premier League early to get his knee “sorted” ahead of the T20 World Cup in June, the Punjab Kings player said.
Livingstone, 30, played just seven of 12 matches for Punjab, who have been knocked out of the play-off race for this season.
Livingstone, who has been named in England’s provisional squad for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States, missed two matches early this IPL after he went down on the field.
He later did not make the playing XI but returned to the starting line-up last week.
“IPL done for another year, had to get my knee sorted for the upcoming World Cup,” Livingstone wrote on social media.
“Thanks once again to the Punjab Kings fans for all their love and support. Disappointing season as a team and personally, but as always I loved every minute of playing in the IPL.”
According to ESPNcricinfo, Livingstone’s injury is not serious but requires rest before England play Pakistan in four T20 internationals this month.
Livingstone managed just 11 runs with a highest of 38 not out and returned three wickets with his spin bowling.
Other World Cup-bound England players including Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Reece Topley will begin to return home in the next few days.
‘Ring of Fire’ timepiece marking Fury v. Usyk fight in Saudi Arabia to be auctioned by Sotheby’s for charity
- A piece from the Astronomia Art collection, the “Ring of Fire” watch is a 50-mm rose-gold timepiece, the design and details of which pay tribute to both fighters
RIYADH: A bespoke timepiece created by Jacob & Co. to commemorate the heavyweight boxing clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia will be auctioned on Friday.
All proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish International charity.
A piece from the Astronomia Art collection, the “Ring of Fire” watch is a 50-mm rose-gold timepiece, the design and details of which pay tribute to both fighters.
A figurine of each world heavyweight champion measuring less than 1 cm-high adorns the watch, while the hour and minute dials are represented by the iconic champion belt of the World Boxing Council and its green color is used on the strap.
Sotheby’s will host the auction, on the evening before fight night, which will also feature other coveted boxing-themed items, with the high-value Ring of Fire watch the star attraction.
British WBC title holder Fury takes on Ukrainian WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion Usyk in Riyadh on May 18 at the Kingdom Arena in the clash, also called the “Ring of Fire.”
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the board of directors at the General Entertainment Authority, commissioned Big Time Creative Shop, the GEA’s creative arm, to work alongside luxury watch brand Jacob & Co. to design and craft the timepiece.
“This is an incredible and rare opportunity to own a piece of boxing history. The magnitude of this fight cannot be underestimated,” Alalshikh said.
“It will be spoken about for decades, and the successful bidder will share a special bond with the lead protagonists of this undisputed heavyweight story through the collective ownership of these unique and elegant timepieces.
“We are also pleased to be able to donate all auction proceeds to Make-A-Wish International, so they can help fulfil the wishes of even more children around the world,” he said.
Ever in confident mood, Fury said that the watch would remind the owner of a night of boxing history.
“This watch will forever represent a bit of boxing history and, for me personally, it is going to be a constant reminder of the night I became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the 21st century,” he said. “This is a rare and incredible timepiece and I hope it can raise lots of cash for an important global cause. I’d also like to thank everyone who has been involved in putting this together,” he said.
His Ukrainian opponent said that he hoped as much money as possible could be raised in auctioning the watch.
“I look forward to the auction and seeing who will be fortunate enough to achieve the winning bid and share with me in owning this masterpiece,” he said.
“I encourage everyone who can to get involved so we see a big donation to help with the good work of Make-A-Wish International. This watch is an excellent allegory of the limited time given to us by God in this world to help others and make it a better place to live.”
