NEW DELHI: Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk smashed 84 off 27 deliveries to fire Delhi Capitals to 257-4 and a 10-run win over Mumbai Indians in another IPL high-scorer on Saturday.
In the second match of the day, skipper Sanju Samson hit an unbeaten 71 as Rajasthan Royals all but confirmed their play-off spot with a seven-wicket hammering of Lucknow Super Giants.
Delhi, at their home Arun Jaitley Stadium, posted their best-ever total in the T20 tournament, a day after Punjab Kings chased down a record target of 262.
Delhi’s previous best was 231-4 in 2011 against Punjab Kings. This edition Sunrisers Hyderabad have twice smashed IPL records with totals of 277 and 287.
Bowlers kept five-time champions Mumbai down to 247-9 despite a valiant 32-ball 63 by Tilak Varma as Delhi boosted their play-off hopes with five wins in 10 matches.
Fraser-McGurk, a 22-year-old Australian batsman who has taken his IPL debut season by storm with three half-centuries in five matches, started with two fours and a six off England pace bowler Luke Wood in a 19-run first over.
“That’s my role, go out there and score as many as I can and get the team off to a nice start,” Fraser-McGurk, who has a strike-rate of 237.50, said after his blitz.
The Australian kept up the charge to reach his fifty in 15 balls with a hit over the fence and put on 114 runs with opening partner Abishek Porel, who hit 36.
Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla finally denied Fraser-McGurk, who went unsold in the auction before Delhi signed him as injury replacement, his century.
There was no stopping Delhi as Shai Hope hit a 17-ball 41, skipper Rishabh Pant made 29 off 19 deliveries and Tristan Stubbs smashed an unbeaten 48 to pummel the opposition attack.
Mumbai, who have endured a tough season after Hardik Pandya replaced veteran Rohit Sharma as captain and has been booed across a number of venues, lost regular wickets.
Pandya hit 46 off 16 balls but it was a 70-run partnership between Varma and Tim David, who hit 37 off 17 balls that raised Mumbai’s hopes, but Delhi kept calm.
David fell lbw to Mukesh Kumar after a four and a six and Varma was run out at the start of the final over as Mumbai remained ninth.
Kumar and fellow medium-pace bowler and impact substitute Rasikh Salam took three wickets each.
In the evening match in Lucknow, the hosts posted 196-5 courtesy a 76 by skipper KL Rahul and his 115 run stand with Deepak Hooda, who made 50.
Lucknow lost two early wickets after New Zealand’s left-arm quick Trent Boult bowled Quinton de Kock for eight and Sandeep Sharma bowled Marcus Stoinis for a duck.
Rahul and Hooda steadied the innings and then hit back but the effort was not enough as Dhruv Jurel, who hit 52, and Samson steered table-toppers Rajasthan home with one over to spare for their eighth win in nine matches.
Top four teams will qualify for the play-offs.
Fraser-McGurk shines as Delhi down Mumbai in IPL, Rajasthan near play-offs
https://arab.news/zcq5a
Fraser-McGurk shines as Delhi down Mumbai in IPL, Rajasthan near play-offs
- Top four teams in the IPL table will qualify for the play-offs
The youngest Saudi snooker player hopes to one day be world champion
- Abdullah Alqabani participated in the Saudi Junior Championship as the youngest player in the tournament
- Alqabani practices at the Ronnie O’Sullivan academy in Riyadh
JEDDAH: 10-year-old Saudi snooker player, Abdullah Alqabani, is hoping to make a name for himself in the sport and represent Saudi Arabia internationally.
Alqabani on Tuesday took part in the Saudi Junior Championship, a part of the World Pool Championship making him the youngest player in the tournament.
Despite losing 4-7 in the first round of the Saudi Junior Championship to Romanian Hermeneanu Evan, the young Saudi remains hopeful about his future in snooker and aims to be the best snooker player in Saudi Arabia.
Arab News spoke to him at the Green Halls, he said: “I am so glad to be part of this international championship and seeing the best in the world competing here at home. It is a really great moment for me and my teammates because we learn from it. Just watching the best in the world performing here in Saudi Arabia is something else.”
Alqabani, who hails from Riyadh, spends more time training at Ronnie O’Sullivan academy in Riyadh and recently has been shining on the junior snooker circuit in Saudi Arabia and because of his skills, he was invited to join the Saudi national team.
“Saudi Arabia is not a snooker nation but the sport is getting there and many players now are playing billiards and snooker off course with the support of the Saudi Billiards and Snookers Federation,” he said.
At the age of 8, he started playing the American pool and moved to snooker as he got older, “It all started with my father who used to take me to play with him in one of the clubs in Riyadh.
He continued: “I am going to work hard to become the best player in Saudi Arabia and with such events held in Saudi Arabia, I think my generation can make it to the highest level but it takes time.”
As one of the young snooker players all over the world who look up to the greatest player of all time, Ronnie O’Sullivan, often referred to as ‘The Rocket,’ Alqabani said: “My idol is Ronnie O’Sullivan and hope one day to be like him.”
Power Slap returns to Abu Dhabi Showdown Week in October
- Event will take place in the lead-up to UFC 321 at Etihad Arena
- Dana White: Power Slap has had 13 straight sold-out events, and is now heading back to Abu Dhabi, one of the premier fight capitals in the world
ABU DHABI: Power Slap, the world slap fighting promotion, is set to return to the UAE on Friday, Oct. 24 at the Space 42 Arena as part of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, headlined by UFC 321.
Last year, Power Slap hosted its first international event, Power Slap 9: Dumpling vs Da Crazy Hawaiian, in the UAE capital. A sold-out crowd witnessed a showdown between two of the world’s best strikers, as former Power Slap super heavyweight champion, Da Crazy Hawaiian, defended his title against No. 1 ranked super heavyweight, Vasilii “Dumpling” Kamotskii, in a match that ended in a dramatic draw.
Power Slap 9 generated more than 700 million total views across social media platforms through promotional and event coverage content and drew global influencers with 1 billion-plus followers. This marked a big step in the sport’s international growth and highlighted the region’s enthusiasm for combat sports.
“Power Slap has had 13 straight sold-out events, and is now heading back to Abu Dhabi, one of the premier fight capitals in the world,” said Power Slap founder Dana White. “In just two years, Power Slap has exploded with nearly 30 million followers and close to 20 billion video views across our platforms. The Middle East is becoming a hotbed for Power Slap, and I’m excited to bring it back.”
Pakistan keep Bangladesh down to 133 in second T20I
- Batter Jaker Ali smashes five sixes to hit a 48-ball 55 for his third T20I fifty
- Bangladesh lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first match
DHAKA: Pacers Salman Mirza and debutant Ahmed Daniyal grabbed two wickets apiece to restrict Bangladesh to 133 all out in the second Twenty20 international in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Mirza finished with 2-17 and Daniyal took 2-23 after Pakistan won the toss and sent Bangladesh into bat on another slow-paced pitch.
Jaker Ali hit a fiery 48-ball 55 for his third T20I fifty, smashing five sixes and a boundary before holing out off the final delivery of the 20th over.
Fast bowler Abbas Afridi also grabbed 2-37.
Bangladesh lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first match — also at the same venue — by seven wickets.
Bangladesh had lost four wickets by sixth over for 28 before Jaker and Mahedi Hasan revived the innings with a 53-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Mahedi scored a 25-ball 33 with two sixes and as many boundaries.
Pakistan wins toss and puts Bangladesh into bat in second T20
- Pakistan handed Ahmed Daniyal his international debut
- The third and final match in the series is in Mirpur on Thursday
DHAKA: Pakistan cricket captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and put Bangladesh into bat in the second T20 on Tuesday.
Pakistan handed Ahmed Daniyal his international debut. He replaces leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed in the team’s only change after it lost the first match by seven wickets.
Bangladesh made two changes with Naim Sheikh replacing opener Tanzid Hasan and paceman Shoriful Islam coming in for Taskin Ahmed.
The third and final match in the series is in Mirpur on Thursday.
Line-ups:
Bangladesh: Parvez Hossain Emon, Naim Sheikh, Litton Das (captain), Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Mohammad Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Abbas Afridi, Salman Mirza, Ahmed Daniyal.
Qatar bids to host 2036 Olympic Games
- One of the smallest and wealthiest states in the Gulf, Qatar had already hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup
- Should it be chosen, Qatar would become the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to host the Olympic Games
DOHA: Doha is bidding to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, authorities said on Tuesday, as the wealthy Gulf state sets its sights on yet another major sport event to diversify its energy-reliant economy.
One of the smallest and wealthiest states in the Gulf, Qatar had already hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Should it be chosen, Qatar would become the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to host the Olympic Games, said Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
“The official bid submitted by the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games represents a new milestone in Qatar’s journey,” he said in a statement shared on the official Qatar News Agency.
“The bid builds on Qatar’s proven track record of successfully hosting major international sporting events, most notably the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
Amnesty International and other rights groups claimed thousands of migrant workers died in the lead-up to the 2022 tournament, though Doha has said only 37 workers on World Cup projects perished – and only three in work-related accidents.
President of the Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani said Doha had “made sport a central pillar of our national strategy.”
“We currently have 95 percent of the required sports infrastructure in place to host the Games, and we have a comprehensive national plan to ensure 100 percent readiness of all facilities,” he said.
Countries are no longer required to make their Olympic bids public.
The Games are meant to rotate continents every season. With the 2024, 2028, and 2032 editions set for Europe, North America, and Oceania, there are high chances the 2036 Olympic Games will be held in Asia – or in Africa, which would be a first.
Choosing the next host of the games will be the first major project for the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) new president Kirsty Coventry, who last month became the first woman to lead the body.
