KARACHI: Fawad Alam gave further evidence of his considerable patience with a grafting century which helped Pakistan take a useful first innings lead over South Africa on the second day of the first Test in Karachi on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old left-hander, who returned to the side last August after a decade in the international wilderness, scored 109 in almost six hours to anchor Pakistan’s 308-8 at the National Stadium, lifting the team from a precarious overnight total of 33-4.
Azhar Ali and Faheem Ashraf also weighed in with half-centuries as Pakistan closed with a lead of 88 after bowling South Africa out for 220 on the first day.
Just four wickets fell on the second day which was in stark contrast to the opening when 14 wickets tumbled on the grassless pitch. It would have been different had South Africa not dropped four catches.
Fawad, relishing his first Test at his home ground, added 102 runs for the seventh wicket with Faheem who cracked a relatively rapid 64 from 84 balls.
Resuming on five and with Pakistan in serious trouble, Fawad led the recovery with an invaluable 94-run stand for the fifth wicket with Azhar, who played within himself for three hours 40 minutes for his 51.
Fawad had a life on 35 when Dean Elgar failed to cling on to a sharp edge off Keshav Maharaj in the slips but he and Azhar, who survived a tight leg before shout and review from left-arm spinner George Linde, batted right through the morning to take Pakistan to 104-4 at lunch.
Fawad added another 55 for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Rizwan who made a counter-attacking before edging Lungo Ngidi to Faf du Plessis at first slip.
Shortly after tea, Fawad opened his shoulders to hit a flighted delivery from spinner Keshav Maharaj for a six over long-on which brought up his third Test century in just his eighth Test.
“It was my dream to score a hundred at home and what better time to do it then when the team was in a difficult situation,” said Fawad, who now has 38 hundreds in first class cricket.
“Azhar and I decided that we should bat long and take the total as close to South Africa as possible and I am happy that we have done close to that.”
He was finally caught at mid-wicket off Ngidi after batting for six minutes under six hours, hitting nine boundaries and two sixes.
Fawad’s ton marked yet another remarkable milestone in his return to international cricket.
After making a debut hundred in Sri Lanka in 2009, Fawad played just twice more that year before being dropped — for 10 years and 259 days.
Despite scoring heavily in Pakistan’s domestic matches, he was constantly overlooked, primarily because of his peculiar stance — facing front-on to the bowler before turning side-on when playing the ball.
He was recalled for Pakistan’s tour of England in August last year but his first innings back ended with a four-ball duck in Southampton.
But he followed up with another gutsy century in the first Test defeat by New Zealand in Mount Maunganui in December.
Ashraf’s entertaining 64, which included nine boundaries, ended in unorthodox fashion when he jammed down on a yorker from Anrich Nortje only to see the ball backspin into his stumps.
The two-match series marks South Africa’s first trip to Pakistan in 14 years, after a deadly 2009 attack on Sri Lanka’s team halted visits by foreign sides.
Veteran Fawad hits ‘dream’ century to put Pakistan in charge
https://arab.news/2ypah
Veteran Fawad hits ‘dream’ century to put Pakistan in charge
- The 35-year-old left-hander scored 109 in almost six hours to anchor Pakistan’s 308-8 at the National Stadium
- Fawad Alam was kept out of international cricket for 10 years and 259 days
Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s first year at Man United has not gone to plan
“Fans should not be paying the price for previous bad ownership & bad management,” Manchester United Supporters Trust posted on X
MANCHESTER: It’s been a year since one of Britain’s richest men bought into its most famous soccer team and vowed to bring the good times back.
So far, it hasn’t gone to plan for Manchester United or Jim Ratcliffe.
The record 20-time English champion is languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, losing vast sums of money every year and facing fan unrest.
Even head coach Ruben Amorim said recently that this might be the worst team in the club’s storied history.
That’s not all on Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS, but it has been a rocky start since he paid $1.3 billion for an initial 25 percent stake in United and assumed control of its soccer operations.
There have been high profile hirings and firings, brutal cost cutting, a hike in ticket prices and new lows on the field for a team that had been in decline for more than a decade before he became minority owner.
While there was triumph in the FA Cup last year, that success has been overshadowed by supporter protests, job losses, unconvincing transfers and humbling defeats.
Bold plans
Ratcliffe said his investment was “just the beginning of our journey to take Manchester United back to the top of English, European and world football.”
Those ambitions feel further away now than they have in decades, with United 15th in the standings and closer to the relegation zone than the top six after a woeful campaign. Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Tottenham was the 12th in the league this season and an eighth under Amorim, who only took charge in November.
Amorim said: “I have a lot of problems, my job is so hard, but I am here to continue my job to the next week with my beliefs.”
Major overhaul
He was one of a number of key hires made as part of Ratcliffe’s overhaul of United’s soccer operations.
Omar Berrada was lured away from Manchester City to become CEO and Dan Ashworth left Newcastle to take up the role of sporting director. Jason Wilcox, formerly director of City’s academy, became technical director.
Key figures at Ratcliffe’s Ineos Sport, Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc, were appointed to the board and Amorim became the final piece of a new leadership team after former manager Erik ten Hag was fired in October.
But that restructuring has been far from a smooth process.
Ten Hag was fired three months after being handed a one-year contract extension with United having lost four of its opening nine league games.
Ashworth left the club less than six months after taking up his role, and after months of negotiations to take him away from Newcastle.
They were expensive missteps.
In total it cost United 10.4 million pounds ($13.09 million) to pay off Ten Hag and his staff and another 11 million pounds ($13.85 million) to trigger Amorim’s release from Sporting Lisbon.
It was reported it cost between 2 and 3 million pounds ($2.5-3.78 million) to hire Ashworth, who spent five months on gardening leave during negotiations with Newcastle.
Cost cutting
Those numbers make uncomfortable reading at a time when United has implemented cost-saving initiatives that it said included staff redundancies of around 250 roles. More could be on the way, according to reports.
In October it emerged that managerial great Alex Ferguson was not beyond the reach of those measures. He will step down from his lucrative role as club ambassador at the end of the season.
In addition to cuts, United raised its lowest-priced tickets to 66 pounds ($81) partway through the season, up from 40 pounds ($49).
It defended that decision by telling fans it could not sustain its current financial losses and was in danger of breaching league rules if it did not act. United reported losses last year of 113.2 million pounds ($140 million).
“We will get back to a cash positive position as soon as possible and we will have to make some difficult choices to get there,” it said in a letter to fans.
Fan protests
That explanation has not gone down well with supporters.
“Fans should not be paying the price for previous bad ownership & bad management,” Manchester United Supporters Trust posted on X. “The supporters bring far more value than the simple collective ticket revenue.”
Supporters spent years trying to drive out the American Glazer family, which is still majority owner, and there continues to be anger toward them after Ratcliffe’s investment.
There have been jeers for the team while United’s performances on the field have continued to slide.
New lows
Ratcliffe’s first season as co-owner saw United endure its worst league campaign in 34 years when it finished in eighth place.
The end of his first full season could be even worse.
The last time it lost 12 of its first 25 games in a league season was in the 1973-74 campaign when it was relegated from the top flight.
Transfer strategy
United has spent around $260 million on players in the two transfer windows under Ratcliffe, but the squad still looks well short of the quality required to challenge for the title.
Forward Joshua Zirkzee has struggled to adapt to the Premier League and defender Leny Yoro missed a large part of the season through injury.
The pressure of complying with the league’s financial rules has placed uncertainty on United’s ability to spend big in the summer to bring in players to suit Amorim’s preferred system, and there is unlikely to be a quick fix.
Stadium rebuild
Ratcliffe wants a world class stadium, either by way of redeveloping United’s iconic Old Trafford or building one from new.
His plans, which include an ambitious redevelopment of the surrounding area, have been backed by the UK government. Financing them, however, is another issue and it is not yet clear where that money will come from.
The modernization of United’s Carrington training ground is well underway after 50 million pounds ($63 million) of investment.
The future
United hasn’t lifted the league title since Ferguson’s last season in 2013 and behind the scenes the focus is on winning it for a record-extending 21st time. But with Liverpool on course to equal United’s haul of 20 this season, it is the club’s great rival from Merseyside that could set that new bar first.
Ratcliffe is a hugely successful businessman but, as he is discovering, that does not guarantee success in soccer.
Babar Azam says a lot has changed since last Champions Trophy, but Pakistan belief remains same
- Defending champions and hosts Pakistan will face New Zealand in the opening match in Karachi on Wednesday
- Azam heads into the tournament as the world’s top ranked batter and his form will be crucial for Pakistan
KARACHI: Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam has said that a lot has changed since they last played the Champions Trophy, but his side’s belief was still the same.
The statement by the former Pakistan skipper came a day ahead of defending champions and hosts Pakistan’s opening match against New Zealand in Karachi.
Babar hit 46 from 52 balls in the 2017 Champions Trophy final against India that helped Pakistan on their way to a 180-run win at The Oval.
However, the right-hander refuses to live in the past and wants to make more memories in front of the adoring Pakistani public in the coming weeks.
“I am very excited. My primary memories of the 2017 final are Fakhar Zaman’s innings [of 114], the spell of Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali’s spell and the winning moment,” Azam was quoted as saying by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“Playing against India, that excitement and the nervousness was there but when we won, we enjoyed and celebrated. [But] a lot has changed since the Champions Trophy was held in 2017. We have new players coming, we only have three or four players who were part of that winning team. But the belief, confidence and execution is the same.”
Pakistan-New Zealand clash on Wednesday will include two of biggest names in the competition, with Azam set to go head-to-head with Kiwi star Kane Williamson.
Joe Root, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli are part of the respective England, Australia and India squads but Azam stands in a league of his own in ODI cricket, heading into this competition as the world’s top ranked batter in the 50-over format.
“When you have responsibility as a senior player in any team and the team relies on you and has belief in you, then I take it in a positive way,” he said.
“I try to give my best in every match. I try to perform so that Pakistan win and I enjoy my cricket.”
His form will be crucial if Pakistan are to improve on their recent tournament record. They have been knocked out in the group stage at the last two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups and suffered the same fate at last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after losing to co-hosts USA.
But Azam said he does not have any “pressure.”
“What has happened in the past is beyond us. We have discussed mistakes we have made and we have worked on them. So we will try not to do what we have done in the past,” he was quoted as saying.
Azam’s home city of Lahore is among the three Pakistani cities hosting matches and he believes local knowledge will help his side thrive.
“When you play at home you get that edge as you know the conditions,” he said. “You have a knowledge of how the pitch will behave, both in the first and second (innings), but still you have to play good cricket because all other teams are among the best.”
India unveils official Champions Trophy 2025 jersey featuring Pakistan’s name
- Media reports earlier claimed India would not feature Pakistan’s name on jerseys due to political tensions
- ICC requires teams participating in any of its tournaments to feature host country’s name on their jerseys
ISLAMABAD: The Indian cricket team this week revealed its official jersey for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy tournament featuring arch-rival Pakistan’s name on it as the host country, ending weeks of media speculation that it would not.
India refused to send its cricket team to Pakistan earlier this year due to political tensions and security concerns. The 2024 T20 World Cup winners will play their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai only.
Indian media reports had speculated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had refused to feature Pakistan’s name on its official jersey due to tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors. As per the ICC’s dressing guidelines, all participating members of an ICC tournament are required to feature the name of the host country on their jerseys, even if they play at neutral venues.
“Game face,” the ICC said in a post on Instagram on Monday, featuring Indian cricketers revealing their official jersey for the tournament. “India are raring to go at Champions Trophy 2025.”
The video post showed Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh showcasing their new blue kit with Pakistan’s name imprinted on top right side of the jersey with the Champions Trophy logo.
Pakistan will host the eight-team ICC Champions Trophy in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi later this week. The tournament kicks off with Pakistan locking horns with New Zealand on Feb. 19 at the southern port city of Karachi.
Pakistan and India will face off in Dubai on Feb. 23 in front of thousands of fans and millions watching at home in what is being regarded as one of the most anticipated cricket contests of the year.
Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017, defeating arch-rivals India by 180 runs in a one-sided final. The last time Pakistan hosted an ICC event was in 1996 when it co-hosted the ICC World Cup with Sri Lanka and India.
New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson to miss the Champions Trophy with a foot injury
- Coach Gary Stead calls Ferguson key part of the bowling group who was excited about the tournament
- His place will be taken by Kyle Jamieson, who played his most-recent ODI match in September, 2023
WELLINGTON, New Zealand: New Zealand has had another setback ahead of the International Cricket Council’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan, losing fast bowler Lockie Ferguson to a foot injury.
Ferguson was injured in a warm-up match against Afghanistan on Sunday. He will return home immediately and his place in the New Zealand squad will be taken by Kyle Jamieson, who played his most-recent one-day international in September, 2023.
The injury to Ferguson follows the loss of another fast bowler, Ben Sears, to a hamstring injury.
“We’re really disappointed for Lockie,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. “Lockie is a key part of the bowling group and brings a lot of major tournament experience and we know how much he was looking forward to representing New Zealand at another major event.
“We wish him well for his recovery and hope he is back firing soon.”
Stead said Jamieson has a skill set which makes him an effective replacement for Ferguson.
“Kyle brings plenty of pace and extra bounce which will suit the conditions here in Pakistan,” Stead said. “He’s shown since returning in the (New Zealand domestic cricket) how effective he can be in the shorter forms of the game and he’s bowled with real pace and energy, which is what you’re looking for.”
New Zealand plays its first match in the Champions Trophy against host Pakistan on Wednesday.
Bebeto’s baby Mattheus Oliveira now chasing success at UAE’s Al-Nasr
- The player made famous years ago by his father’s iconic goal celebration spoke to Arab News about the UAE move and his friendship with Vinicius Jr.
LONDON: There is nothing atypical about a father going to watch his son play football, even when it is thousands of kilometers from home. What is a little more unusual, however, is when the team is Khor Fakkan and the father is one of the greatest Brazilian players of all time.
In early January, the 7,500-capacity Saqr bin Mohammad Al-Qassimi Stadium hosted Bebeto, whose glittering 20-year career included star turns on the pitches of iconic grounds such as the Maracana, Camp Nou and the Bernabeu.
The legendary Brazilian striker was in town to watch his son Mattheus Oliviera, who put in his best display yet for Khor Fakkan — setting up two goals in a 5-2 victory over Baniyas.
Mattheus, in his first season in the UAE Pro League, has since joined Al-Nasr — making a switch this week that sees him trade a relegation battle for a fight for third place and a spot in the AFC Champions League 2 group stage.
The winger ended nearly a decade-long spell in Portuguese football to move to the UAE last summer.
“It is completely new for me but I’m liking the football here so far,” Mattheus told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “It’s difficult with the heat but I am enjoying how different it is and the people are very warm here in the UAE.”
Mattheus’ decision to swap Portugal for the Gulf came after he sought advice from his brother-in-law Carlos Eduardo.
The midfielder was an influential player for Al-Hilal, Shabab Al-Ahli and Al-Ahli Jeddah before returning to Brazil, where he won a historic Copa Libertadores title with Botafogo last November.
“I spoke with him a lot when I was in Brazil last summer,” Mattheus revealed. “I wanted to know about the country, the league and of course the culture.
“He said a lot of good things to me so it helped me decide to sign the contract. I spoke with my family too and we agreed it was time for a new project in our lives.”
Of course, Mattheus also consulted his father. The 30-year-old midfielder has followed in the footsteps of many Brazilian players who have made the UAE Pro League their home — though Bebeto is not one of them.
Bebeto — whose 35 goals for the Brazil national team are only surpassed by Zico, Romario, Ronaldo, Pele and Neymar — did play in the Gulf, but it was for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad. The Jeddah giants were the final club of his illustrious career.
“We lived in Saudi for a few months. I was probably about 8 years old,” Mattheus recalled.
“I can really remember him playing at Al-Ittihad, it was the last six months of his career. It’s funny now that I’m back here in the region.”
It is not the first time that Mattheus’ career path has crossed his father’s. In Brazil, the attacking midfielder came through the youth system at Flamengo, where Bebeto scored most of his goals in domestic football.
It was here that Mattheus was first alerted to the ability of another, younger player in Flamengo’s academy.
“The first time I saw Vinicius Jr. he was around 9 years old; by the time he was 12, you already knew that he was a special player,” Mattheus said.
“He was very fast and very confident. He can lose the ball 20 times in a game but he will try 50 more times to make things happen and one he’s going to score for sure.
“I’m very happy for him because he’s my friend. I know him and I know his family. We had a good relationship and he’s a very humble guy. He is playing for Real Madrid in the top of the world but is the same guy he was as a kid.
“What he did last year and he continued to do this year is completely amazing and it has been great to see because I know he deserves this.”
Vinicius Jr. was snapped up by Real Madrid at the age of 18 but for Mattheus, the move to Europe came at a slightly later age.
After finding the label of “Bebeto’s son” tough to deal with at Flamengo, a 21-year-old Mattheus — by that time a Brazil under-20 international —initially went on loan to Portuguese side Estoril and later moved to Sporting in 2021.
“In Brazil it was very difficult to be his son because he’s a legend of the game there,” Mattheus said.
“They were comparing me the whole time and you hear people saying ‘you are only here at Flamengo and you are only going to the national team because you are Bebeto’s son.’
“It was the main reason I wanted to go to Europe because I didn’t want those comparisons; I think the whole experience made me grow up faster.
“But to me it will always be a blessing to have Bebeto as my father. I’ve had my own personal coach, a legend of the game, teaching me the right things to do on the pitch.”
It was on the pitch that Bebeto created one of football’s most iconic moments during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the US.
After scoring Brazil’s second goal against Netherlands in the quarterfinal, Bebeto delighted the crowd at Dallas’ Cotton Bowl with a ‘baby rocking’ celebration — along with teammates Romario and Mazinho.
It was an instinctive, emotional tribute to Mattheus, who had been born two days earlier.
“It’s completely crazy because I travel a lot with my family and everywhere we go, people look at me and say to him, ‘this is the kid you did the celebration for?’ It was 30 years ago and people are still doing it to him now.
“To him, the celebration was a natural thing to do because when my brother and my sister were born, he was there to get them in his arms. When he was playing in the World Cup, he wasn’t there with my mother, so he did this. I love that he did it.”
Mattheus still has the photo of the celebration hanging above his bed at his family home in Brazil, but the midfielder has now forged his own path in football.
At Sporting, he counted Rafael Leao and Bruno Fernandes as friends and teammates, and played under current Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim.
In the UAE he emerged as a key creative force for Khor Fakkan, earning the move to Al-Nasr for the rest of the 2024-25 season. Still, Mattheus knows that whatever his circumstances and wherever in the world he plays, his father will always be on hand to support him.
“After the game (against Baniyas in January), we went back to my house and he’s still giving me advice. I think it’s the most beautiful thing to play a game of football and have him talk to me about it afterwards.
“My dad was a football player; he made history in football. I think it was in my blood to play this game and it is something special. It is a gift.”
