LAHORE: Shahid Afridi was left out of Pakistan’s squad for the Champions Trophy on Monday after the allrounder’s poor one-day international form during the past year.
Afridi has scored only 161 runs at an average of 17.88 and taken just four wickets at an astonishing cost of 113.75 runs each in the last 12 ODIs, leading selectors to exclude him from the eight-team competition in England in June.
Chief selector Iqbal Qasim believes Afridi could still make a comeback to international cricket if the veteran of 354 ODIs lifts his game.
“It’s not like that his career is over,” Qasim said after the lengthy meeting with selectors in Lahore. “He is an asset to Pakistan and he can always make a comeback. As long as a player is performing, he keeps on playing. If he doesn’t perform, he goes out of the team.” Qasim picked Afridi for the five-match ODI series against South Africa in March purely as a leg-spinner, saying it could be his last chance to perform at international level.
Afridi was disappointing in failing to take a single wicket in five matches as Pakistan lost the series 3-2.
Fast bowler Asad Ali is the only uncapped player in the 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy.
The selectors also left out middle-order batsman Umar Akmal, who didn’t figure in the last ODI series against South Africa despite being selected in the squad. Fast bowler Umar Gul missed out as he will likely undergo a knee operation in Australia next month.
The squad includes six specialist batsmen, with experienced captain Misbah-ul-Haq forming the nucleus of the middle order. Offspinner Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik are the all-rounders, while Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman are the specialist spinners.
The squad also includes five fast bowlers — Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Ali and Wahab Riaz. They spent 10 days training at the all-time great Wasim Akram’s fast bowling camp in Karachi, which concluded on Monday.
Pakistan is in Group B of the Champions Trophy alongside West Indies, South Africa and fierce rival India. Group A comprises defending champion Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
“Our team is good but our opponents are tough as compared to the other group,” Qasim said. “But our team has the ability if it plays to its potential. Whatever best resources were available we have picked.” Trend Woodhill of Australia, who coaches Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, was appointed Pakistan’s batting coach for the Champions Trophy.
He has coached New Zealand for four years and will join the Pakistan team in England after it plays two one-day internationals in both Scotland and Ireland next month.
Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Asad Shafiq, Umar Amin, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Ehsan Adil, Asad Ali, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz.
Afridi left out of Pakistan Champions Trophy squad
Afridi left out of Pakistan Champions Trophy squad
Man United hope for Van Nistelrooy magic, Arsenal face Newcastle test
- United, 14th in the Premier League and with Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim widely expected to soon take over as coach, could potentially fall to 16th if results go against them this weekend
- Mikel Arteta’s men have pushed City all the way in the past two seasons and know they cannot afford to fall off the pace, with Liverpool also riding high
LONDON: Manchester United face Chelsea on Sunday with interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy at the helm while faltering Arsenal face a potentially tricky trip to Newcastle.
Top-four hopefuls Tottenham and Aston Villa go head to head as the three teams in the relegation zone — Ipswich, Wolves and Southampton — each look for their first win of the season.
Here are some of the key talking points ahead of the weekend action.
The current Manchester United side are a pale shadow of the team Ruud van Nistelrooy played for under the leadership of Alex Ferguson.
The former striker, in temporary charge after Erik ten Hag’s sacking earlier this week, will be in the dugout against Chelsea, looking to build on the club’s 5-2 League Cup win against Leicester in midweek.
United, 14th in the Premier League and with Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim widely expected to soon take over as coach, could potentially fall to 16th if results go against them this weekend.
Chelsea are riding high in Enzo Maresca’s first season in charge, just one point off the top four, and will be well rested after the Italian changed his whole team for their midweek League Cup defeat against Newcastle.
But Van Nistelrooy, who spent five years at United as a player from 2001 to 2006, will be hoping he can inspire his charges during his brief spell in the Old Trafford spotlight.
Injury-hit Arsenal suffered the frustration of conceding a late equalizer against Liverpool last week, following their shock defeat at Bournemouth.
If they lose at St. James’ Park on Saturday, they could find themselves a daunting eight points behind champions City by the end of the day.
Mikel Arteta’s men have pushed City all the way in the past two seasons and know they cannot afford to fall off the pace, with Liverpool also riding high.
The Gunners’ 3-0 League Cup win against Preston in midweek gave them a lift ahead of tough games against Newcastle, Inter Milan and Chelsea, with Gabriel Jesus scoring his first goal since January.
Although any match at St. James’ Park is potentially daunting, Newcastle are more of a threat on paper than on the pitch at the moment following a run of five league games without a win.
Tottenham are a conundrum — capable of scintillating attacking football but frustratingly fragile.
Ange Postecoglou knows his inconsistent team must put a run of results together if they are to challenge for the top four, which they missed out on last season.
Spurs have enjoyed big wins against Everton, Manchester United and West Ham but they have already suffered four defeats in their nine Premier League matches so far.
Spurs, who have won eight of their past 10 games in all competitions, suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace last week before a morale-boosting League Cup win against Manchester City in midweek.
Postecoglou will be desperate to have Son Heung-min fighting fit after the South Korean missed three of the past four league games.
Unai Emery’s Villa have dazzled in the Champions League and have made a strong start to their Premier League season, sitting fourth in the table, level on points with Arsenal.
They have drawn three of their past four league games to lose ground on the leaders, but have won on their past two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and boast significant firepower with Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran in the ranks.
Fixtures
Saturday (1500 GMT unless stated)
Newcastle vs. Arsenal (1230), Bournemouth vs. Manchester City, Ipswich vs. Leicester, Liverpool vs. Brighton, Nottingham Forest vs. West Ham, Southampton vs. Everton, Wolves vs. Crystal Palace (1730)
Sunday
Tottenham vs. Aston Villa (1400), Man Utd v Chelsea (1630)
Monday
Fulham vs. Brentford (2000)
Verstappen unfazed by criticism after aggressive battle with Norris in Mexico
- Verstappen: It is my 10th year in F1. I know what I am doing
- Verstappen has 362 points in the drivers’ championship with four races and two sprint races to go, while Norris has 315
SAO PAULO: Three-time defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen said Thursday he doesn’t care about criticism of his racing tactics at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend.
The Red Bull driver saw his championship lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris decrease to 47 points after a race in which he received two 10-second time penalties — one for forcing Norris off the track, and a short time later for gaining position when he left the track.
Verstappen spoke ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.
“It is my 10th year in F1. I know what I am doing,” Verstappen said in a press conference at the Sao Paulo track. “I like to win. I don’t like to lose. I think not many people like to lose. I just tried to maximize the result and, like I said, some you win, some you lose.”
After Sunday’s race, won by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, the FIA also handed Verstappen two penalty points, bringing his total to six for a 12-month period.
Verstappen has 362 points in the drivers’ championship with four races and two sprint races to go, while Norris has 315. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has a more distant shot at the title. He currently has 291 points.
Asked about criticism from 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill, who considered Verstappen to be too aggressive, the Dutchman responded: “I don’t listen to those individuals. I just do my thing. I’m a three-time world champion.”
Verstappen said he takes advice on his racing from “people who are close” and “with a good heart.” He denied that one of those is three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet.
Later, Norris told journalists at Interlagos that Verstappen “deep down” knows he made mistakes in Mexico.
“I still have a lot of respect for Max and everything he does. Not respect for what he did last weekend, but I have respect for him as a person and for what he has achieved,” the McLaren driver said. “It is not for me to speak to him. I am not his teacher, his mentor or anything like that.”
Norris also said “Max knows what he has to do” about the incidents in Mexico.
“He knows that he did wrong, deep down he does. And that’s for him to change, not for me,” the British driver said.
Mercedes driver George Russell, who is one of the directors of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said a post-race meeting in Mexico turned out to be positive despite the differences between Verstappen and Norris. He also agreed that the actions of the Dutchman should have been punished as they were.
“If you read the rules, there are lines that say if you’re driving erratically or dangerously, you’ll be punished,” Russell said. “You can argue that if a driver outranks himself and doesn’t make the corner on the exit, that is erratic because you’re driving off the racetrack. So there is an element of interpretation that for sure just needs to be cleaned up.”
Verstappen said in his press conference that F1 is probably over-regulated.
“The rulebook is only getting bigger and bigger every single year,” the three-time champion said. “I don’t think that’s always the right way forward.”
Al-Shehri wins Jeddah derby for high-flying Al-Ittihad
- As derbies often are, this was high-paced, frenetic affair but there was a little quality missing in the final balls
- Goalscorer’s timely reminder to Saudi Arabia’s coach Herve Renard
JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Ahli 1-0 on Thursday in a tightly-contested Jeddah derby. The result means the victors are level on points with Al-Hilal at the top of the Saudi Pro League, while the losers are left languishing in mid-table.
Saleh Al-Shehri reminded returning Saudi coach Herve Renard of his attacking instincts by grabbing the only goal of the game before the break.
Al-Ahli came back into it in the second half but could not get back on level terms.
Coach Matthias Jaissle will be hoping that the efforts of his side will be enough to keep him in his job as the Greens continue to struggle.
In a league that produces some of the best fan tifos around, there was another special one as the teams took to the King Abdullah Sports City pitch. Al-Ittihad came up with a colorful clenched fist, and the home fans were entitled to be confident as their team were boasting 10 wins from the last 11 games.
Even without their star striker Karim Benzema, who had picked up a hamstring injury, the Tigers made most of the early running.
There were some nerves for Al-Ahli early on when Houssem Aouar went down in the penalty area but, despite a VAR check, the game continued.
Soon after, Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi, deputizing for the injured Edouard Mendy, had to get down well to prevent more danger from the left.
This was a fast-paced, frenetic affair, as derbies often are, but there was little quality in the final balls. Then, four minutes before the break, Al-Ittihad broke the deadlock with a simple but effectively worked goal.
Al-Ahli had just had a penalty review refused when a long ball from goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic found Moussa Diaby free on the right. The French winger waited inside the area, twisting and turning, before getting to the byline and pulling it back to Al-Shehri, who had drifted intelligently into space on the edge of the six-yard box. The Saudi Arabian international striker side-footed home to give his side a deserved lead.
One almost became two within minutes. Al-Shehri’s backheel inside the area gave Muhannad Al-Shanqiti a chance to pick his spot but his low shot was deflected onto the post. From the resultant corner, Al-Ittihad again hit the woodwork as Abdulelah Al-Amri headed powerfully against the underside of the bar.
The second half was a big one for Al-Ahli and it started with Saad Yaslam forcing a good save from Rajkovic.
Al-Ahli then fashioned their best chance. Ivan Toney latched on to a ball from deep, went past Rajkovic on the edge of the area and the England striker’s low shot looked destined for goal until Al-Amri sprinted back and somehow slid at the near post to put the ball behind with a heroic block.
He was powerless, though, to seemingly prevent a goal after 59 minutes. A free-kick from deep led to some ping-pong inside the area and the ball eventually fell to Franck Kessie who steered home from just outside the six-yard box. However, and following a lengthy video review, it was ruled out following the tightest of offside decisions.
Al-Ahli kept coming and Kessie shot from outside the area, the attempt looking bound for the bottom corner before Rajkovic got down well to save.
Al-Ittihad were hanging on, although Diaby hit the post in the 101st minute when through on goal after sprinting from inside his own half.
It had been a spirited second-half performance from Al-Ahli but they are stuck in mid-table while Al-Ittihad are still challenging at the top.
Attention now turns to the Riyadh derby to see what Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr — who are first and third respectively — produce.
UAE women’s team Banaat FC seeking silverware in sophomore year
- Banaat, meaning ‘girls,’ aiming for league title this season
- Founder Budreya Faisal seeks to ‘empower’ girls via football
DUBAI: Following an impressive debut in the UAE Women’s Football League last season, Banaat FC have their sights firmly fixed on the trophy in their sophomore campaign, which they kicked off with a bang last Sunday with a 5-0 win over PSA.
The brainchild of Budreya Faisal, an Emirati entrepreneur with extensive sports marketing experience, Banaat FC was founded in 2023.
Its mission is “to empower young girls in the UAE through football, providing top-tier training in a culturally inclusive environment, while championing Arab representation in the sport.”
Faisal’s vision is to provide Arab women with a football club that reflects their identity and values, starting with the club’s name, Banaat, which means ‘girls’ in Arabic.
In their first year, Banaat FC won 10 of 11 games to qualify for the top division league, which they ultimately finished in third place.
They enter this 2024-2025 campaign having signed a landmark three-year deal with Nike. This makes Banaat the first independent women’s football club in the Middle East and North Africa region to partner with the athletic footwear and apparel powerhouse.
The Banaat FC jersey design features a bougainvillea, known in Arabic as ‘Jahannamiya,’ which is the unofficial UAE flower, known to thrive in harsh conditions.
The team’s kit is available exclusively at the Nike store in Dubai Mall. “It’s the best honor to have them as our main sponsor,” Faisal told Arab News in an interview after the kit launch recently.
“I think us being in the Nike store, having our jerseys sold there, it’s not something that’s ever happened here for a women’s team. So I feel like this partnership is helping us change the game at a much faster speed.”
The partnership with Nike is about more than just a football kit. The collaboration encompasses a variety of initiatives including community events and workshops featuring international Nike athletes.
The aim is to improve the perception of women’s football in the UAE, as well as support the club’s ambition to become Dubai’s first professional women’s club.
“It’s crazy. The kit launch event was so emotional and overwhelming. I felt so proud,” said Banaat FC center-back Farah Al-Zaben.
“If you think about it, we’re only 1 year old and to be 1 year old and have a partnership with Nike, it’s not an easy thing to get. And it’s all testament to Budreya’s hard work and her belief in the vision of the club and what we’re trying to do.
“Of course we’re here to win the league, to compete, it’s the No. 1 goal for us this season, but it’s also us existing to show the other teams how it’s done properly, how it should be done.
“Because from what I’ve seen so far in women’s football, there’s not a lot of attention to details and how things are done. It’s just things getting done for the sake of it and not to actually help grow the game and expand it in the region.
“So it’s amazing. We’re talking about Nike, it’s not like any other partnership. We’re so lucky and this is just the beginning. I can’t wait to see what else is coming.”
Indeed there is a lot more in the pipeline, according to Faisal, who says community outreach events will be a key part of their work this season.
More sponsors will be onboarded as well, with the main focus being on winning the league in order to make it to the Asian Women’s Champions League qualifiers and get a chance to compete at the continental level.
UAE league champions Abu Dhabi Country Club have made history at the current inaugural Asian Women’s Champions League, by becoming the first Arab team to qualify, and then advancing to next March’s quarterfinals.
“This is the most important thing for us right now. I just sent them a message, to one of their coaches, saying, ‘I cannot wait for you to bring that trophy home.’ They can go all the way,” said Faisal.
“They’ve been here for 12 years, as the only professional club here, paying their players, having incredible staff there, they’re Abu Dhabi’s club. Them just making it that far gives us all a much bigger chance next year to improve things locally.
“Because you can’t have a team do that well and then you come back here and look at the league and not find much. It’s because of that achievement that we’re going to get a lot closer to professional football here and a lot sooner than everyone expected.”
While Banaat’s first season was filled with unprecedented milestones, it also served as a reality check for how much work needs to be done to elevate women’s football in the UAE and to professionalize the landscape.
Last season’s league featured 10 teams split across two divisions, with some eventually dropping out from the bottom one. This season there are only nine teams, and most of them are from academies, featuring younger players.
“This is tough, it’s much tougher than I thought it would be,” said Faisal.
“I’ve always worked in professional football, but with men’s football. I understand that the women’s league here is still not a professional league, as in players are still not paid and we don’t have enough clubs.
“But because I come from a very professional environment, I thought it would be easy to professionalize things. But what I’ve learned is that I have to change my expectations and almost erase a lot of what I’ve learned before because this is a completely different game and industry.
It’s not just women compared to men. And there’s so much more room for growth here, so much we can impact and change, which are all good things, it’s just not as smooth as I thought it would be. And it’s also very expensive.”
Faisal believes people have underestimated the appetite for women’s football in the country. She is confident things will change with more light being shed on the game, especially through the establishment of the Asian Women’s Champions League.
CAF, the governing body for football in Africa, recently enforced a rule stipulating that all men’s clubs must establish women’s teams to obtain professional club licenses and take part in regional and continental competitions.
The AFC, Asian football’s governing body, is meant to follow suit but such licensing criteria are yet to be enforced. Once they are though, things can develop rather quickly for women’s football in the UAE.
“Imagine that many more opportunities for girls to play and to get paid to play,” said Faisal.
“That’s going to be a new experience for them all and will show them what it’s like to actually be professional footballers. Because our players are as committed as any professional.
“They commute from Abu Dhabi, Khor Fakkan, Al-Ain, everywhere, four times a week, to come to training for an hour and a half. So they spend a good four to five hours in the car, just to come and train, and they don’t get paid.
“So they’re doing more than what men are doing, because men get paid to live in the same city. They’re putting in more effort for no financial return. But they know that, at least the girls on my team, that we’re here to change that for the better and push other clubs.
“And already we’re talking to other pro clubs and helping and advising them on their women’s programs. Because they’re seeing the appeal. So it’s going to change a lot of things for women here.”
Among the difficulties faced by Banaat in year one was multiple coaching changes. They have found stability with their current coach, Shamel Soqar, who took the helm midway through last season and helped steady the ship.
“We’re all grateful for him, because we believe he kept the team going,” said Al-Zaben, who has played for Jordan on different age-group national squads and competed at the U17 Women’s World Cup in 2016.
“Three different coaches in one season; we started off winning each and every single game, but we didn’t end up on the best note. But if anything this is just going to drive us to do better this season, fight for every single game as if it’s the final game,” said the 25-year-old.
“Because this season is different, everyone is seeing what we’re doing, it’s not just the social media part of things, but also the hard work we’re putting in as players, as coaches, as management, there’s a lot behind the scenes, especially for this season, because the mentality is different.
“Last season it was our first season ever, the team was two months old, we were there to do our best and hopefully get a result. But this season we’re there to win it and nothing else, there’s no other option.”
Al-Zaben added: “I’ve never seen the team this committed and working this hard because this season we’re literally taking it personal, every single game we’re there to win, and nothing else.”
Faisal has full faith in the team and says all their preseason performance testing showed significant improvement in the players’ physicality and agility after eight weeks of intense training.
“Everyone has improved drastically, which is incredible. So we’re after the trophy, we want to win, we want to go play in the Asian Women’s Champions League. So performance-wise we want it all and we’re ready,” said Faisal.
Hull, Babnik and Sobron lead Aramco Team Series Riyadh
- Hull came out at a blistering pace, with four birdies and an eagle wrapping up her front nine of six-under-par
- The Ladies European Tour’s rising star Chiara Tamburlini led her team to equal the record of 23-under-par
RIYADH: A strong opening day of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Riyadh saw three players share the clubhouse lead as Charley Hull, Pia Babnik and Luna Sobron each finished at seven-under-par.
Hull came out at a blistering pace, with four birdies and an eagle wrapping up her front nine of six-under-par, as she began the hunt for her first win since 2022 at this week’s Golf Saudi organized event
The English star, who has finished in second place twice on the series this year, added a further two birdies to her scorecard, before walking off with a bogey on the 18th, after just missing a short putt.
“It's a very, very scoreable golf course,” said Hull reflecting on her day. “You could shoot 60 – I was looking to shoot a 58 after the front nine - but yeah, I played well.
“It was a shame about my putt on the last, it just bobbled. It went straight down like a line on the green, but I played pretty decent.”
When asked about her increased length off the tee this year, adding 10 yards, Hull was unfazed – explaining this is just a biproduct of her own personal fitness drive.
“I don’t train for golf,” she explained. “I have no interest in doing golf training like I just trained for me. In my mind that’s what's happened. I’ve hit it a bit longer, it’s bit of a bonus.”
Also in the clubhouse at seven-under-par was Slovenian Pia Babnik, winner of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF in Jeddah in 2021, aged just 17. After bursting onto the scene, Babnik finished 2022 ranked 67th in the world, but has since struggled for form, dropping as low as 512th.
Coincidentally, Babnik was introduced to her new coach, Matt Belsham, through Charley Hull – who has helped Babnik to rebuild both her confidence and her technique.
“I’ve been working with him since last August,” said Babnik. “It’s just been amazing. He helped me a lot. I still have my dad as a coach, but it’s just good to have Matt. He completely changed my swing to be more compact and, yeah, just more stable.
“My technique was just terrible, so we’re still working on that, and then the power will come back as soon as I get the feel of the new technique.”
Spaniard Luna Sobron found herself at the top of the leaderboard early in the day, finishing the day at seven-under-par. Following a year battling injuries and losing her LPGA tour card, it’s a welcome return to form for Sobron – made all the more impressive by the fact it was her course debut.
“It’s a really good course,” said Sobron following her round. “I only had nine holes of practice on Tuesday and nine on Wednesday, but you can really score low with the right shots.”
“My putting was on fire, I made nearly all of them. I have changed up my putter, and now I’m using aimpoint – so I feel like everything has become much clearer to me.”
There was also a hole-in-one early in the day, as South Africa’s Cassandra Alexandra walked off with an ace on the sixth hole – a 165-yard par-three. The magical moment was actually missed by Alexandra, following on from some debate with her caddie on what club to use.
“I didn’t see it!” she admitted. “It was Anabel Fuller’s mum who told me, and I was like, ok cool! My caddie had a nine iron in mind, but I thought a chippy eight would be good… and chippy eight it was. I missed a few putts, if I could have made one or two more, I would have been even happier, but three under for the day, I’ll take it.”
In the team element, the Ladies European Tour’s rising star Chiara Tamburlini led her team to equal the record of 23-under-par, a single day scoring record for the series. After winning the team event in Shenzhen, Tamburlini is keen to become the first ever captain to win successive titles.
Tamburlini’s group is made up of Anne-Charlotte Mora, Mimi Rhodes and amateur Teniel Chu – who contributed with an incredible 11 net birdies to the team score.
“We had a great team again, and we all played well,” said Tamburlini. “But to be top again, it just shows as well how much I love this format and how well it suits my game and my mental game especially. Hopefully we’ll get it done tomorrow.”
Day two of the tournament begins on November 1, at Riyadh Golf Club. For more information, visit www.aramcoteamseries.com.
