BAFOUSSAM, Cameroon: Sadio Mane saved Senegal with a 97th-minute penalty to beat Zimbabwe 1-0 while Morocco won the first meeting of heavyweights at the African Cup of Nations with a late goal to edge Ghana 1-0 on Monday.
Neither game produced much high-quality football despite them involving three title contenders. It didn’t disappoint that many fans in Cameroon, though, as both were played in front of sparse crowds as the African showpiece reverted to one of its perennial problems.
The tournament often struggles with poor attendances when the host nation isn’t playing. This year, only people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are allowed into the stadiums, meaning the crowds in Cameroon might be even smaller than normal.
Senegal, Africa’s top-ranked team, opened their campaign on the second day of the tournament with an unconvincing win in Group B over a team ranked 101 places below them. It was a win nonetheless.
Mane sent goalkeeper Petros Mhari the wrong way and drilled his very late penalty into the left corner at the Kouekong Stadium in Cameroon’s western city of Bafoussam. The Liverpool forward took his chance after Zimbabwe midfielder Kelvin Madzongwe was penalized for handball in the fourth minute of injury time as the game suddenly ended in drama.
Zimbabwe protested vehemently but referee Mario Escobar of Guatemala stuck by his decision after referring to a video review, which is being used at every game at the African Cup for the first time. Madzongwe had thrown himself to the ground trying to block a shot and the ball struck his arm.
Mane’s penalty was effectively the last kick of the game as Escobar blew for fulltime as soon as Zimbabwe restarted.
Senegal played without goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and captain Kalidou Koulibaly, who were among a group of players ruled out for the game after testing positive for the coronavirus. There have been virus outbreaks in many of the 24 squads in the buildup and at the tournament and it seems the African Cup will soldier on through them.
In an update to its tournament rules because of the virus, the Confederation of African Football has said teams must fulfil fixtures if they have at least 11 players healthy and available, even if it means they won’t have any substitutes.
Senegal have also lost forward Ismaila Sarr for the tournament with injury, providing them with a less-than-ideal buildup to its latest quest to win the African title for the first time.
Senegal lost to Algeria in the final at the last African Cup in 2019.
Guinea beat Malawi 1-0 in the day’s other Group B game with a first-half goal from Issiaga Sylla. Guinea-Malawi followed the Senegal-Zimbabwe game at the same stadium.
Morocco vs. Ghana at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde seemed headed for 0-0 when Sofiane Boufal suddenly pounced on a loose ball that bounced off a Ghana defender to score Morocco’s 83rd-minute winner.
Ghana captain Andre Ayew finished the game with a bandage wrapped round his head and blood seeping through it after a clash of heads with Morocco skipper Romain Saiss. It encapsulated the game as the Ghanaian came off second best.
Comoros, a tiny Indian Ocean island off the east coast of Africa, made its debut at the African Cup against Gabon in Monday’s last game.
Cameroon’s African Cup opened Sunday when the host team beat Burkina Faso 2-1. The Central African nation has been waiting three years for this tournament after it was stripped of the right to host the 2019 African Cup and then saw its second chance in 2021 postponed for a year because of the pandemic.
Mane saves Senegal, Morocco beat Ghana at African Cup
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Mane saves Senegal, Morocco beat Ghana at African Cup
- Neither game produced much high-quality football despite them involving three title contenders
- Guinea beat Malawi 1-0 in the day’s other Group B game
Tammy Abraham says it would mean everything to win first trophy for AC Milan in Saudi Arabia
- AC Milan play city rivals Inter in Riyadh on Monday night in Italian Super Cup final
- Abraham says victory would be ‘amazing’
RIYADH: Tammy Abraham said it “would mean everything” to win his first trophy for AC Milan.
The former Chelsea striker, on loan at the San Siro from Roma, played a key role in AC Milan qualifying for the Italian Super Cup final against city rivals Inter in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday night.
England striker Abraham came off the bench for the final half-hour against Juventus in Thursday’s semifinal with AC Milan 1-0 down. But his forward play helped the Rossoneri overturn the deficit to win 2-1, with the equalizer netted by fellow former Chelsea player Christian Pulisic.
Having won trophies at both Stamford Bridge and Roma — who loaned him out to AC Milan at the start of the season — the 27-year-old, 11-times capped England striker dearly wants to add to his medal collection in Riyadh.
“It would mean everything to me to win my first trophy in a Milan shirt. I’m a player who always wants to win. I’ve won a few trophies in the past, and I want to keep building the cabinet. It would be amazing to lift my first trophy for Milan,” Abraham said.
“I’m a player that always wants to win. I want to help my team as much as possible. Against Juventus in the second half, I had to bring my energy and bring some belief to my team. I’m proud of my team but the job is not finished, and we have a really big job in the final.
“We played Inter earlier in the season and we won. We are ready and we have to be ready. They had a day extra to recover and prepare, but that’s no excuse for us. We want to go back home with the trophy.”
Inter beat Atalanta 2-0 on Thursday with a double from Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries to qualify for the final. All matches are taking place at Al-Awwal Park — the home of Cristiano Ronaldo and his Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr. Inter are going for three Super Cups in a row in Riyadh and a record four wins in succession.
The Italian Super Cup is being staged in Saudi Arabia — where some 80 percent of the population either play, attend, or follow football — for the fifth time.
Sri Lankan Embassy holds cricket tournament to mark ties with Saudi Arabia
- Competition marks 50 years of diplomatic ties
- Plans to bring big names from Sri Lankan cricket to promote annual event
RIYADH: The Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh recently held a cricket tournament to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Asia nation and Saudi Arabia.
The embassy organized the event in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Cultural Forum in Riyadh. Last year marked the half century of ties between the two nations.
The tournament was an 11-a-side competition with a maximum of five overs per innings, held from Dec. 3 to 27. The final resulted in the Riyadh Lankans beating the Gulf Lions.
A total of 25 teams drawn from the Sri Lankan community in Riyadh participated.
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Omar Lebbe Ameer Ajwad told Arab News on Monday that the plan is to make it an annual event.
“We are planning to bring some big names from Sri Lankan cricket in the final of the tournament in the future, in order to promote cricket among the Sri Lankan community in Saudi Arabia as well as promote cricket ties with the Kingdom.”
He added that since Saudi Arabia also has a cricket federation, the plan is to “explore opportunities” for cooperation in the game.
Ajwad said the Riyadh Lankans, who clinched the trophy, had showcased exceptional talent and teamwork.
The envoy expressed delight that Saudi Arabia was becoming a global sports hub and would be hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup, 2029 Asian Winter Games and 2034 Asian Games.
South Africa wrap up Test series win over Pakistan
- Forced to follow on 421 runs , Pakistan battled to 478 all out
- South Africa easily knocked off a target of 58 on the fourth day
CAPE TOWN: South Africa eased to a 10-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second Test on Monday in Cape Town to secure a 2-0 series win despite second-innings resistance from the tourists.
Forced to follow on 421 runs behind on the first innings, Pakistan battled to 478 all out but South Africa, who qualified for the World Test Championship final last week, easily knocked off a target of 58 late on the fourth day.
David Bedingham hit 44 not out off 30 balls as South Africa sealed victory in just 7.1 overs.
Bedingham was opening in place of Ryan Rickelton, who suffered a hamstring strain in the field after scoring 259 in South Africa’s first innings of 615.
Captain Shan Masood led Pakistan’s fightback, scoring 145.
Masood fell to the second new ball, trapped leg before wicket by 18-year-old debutant Kwena Maphaka.
Masood’s dismissal came three balls after Kagiso Rabada had Saud Shakeel caught at second slip for 23, ending a 51-run fourth-wicket stand.
Pakistan, a batter short after Saim Ayub suffered a broken ankle while fielding on the first morning, were still 92 runs in arrears after the double blow.
But Mohammad Rizwan (41) and Salman Agha (48) put on 88 for the sixth wicket and Aamer Jamal hit a quick 34 before the innings was ended.
South Africa’s bowlers received virtually no assistance from a placid pitch.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who had been expected to be a major factor on a fourth day pitch, achieved minimal spin and toiled for 45 overs to take three for 137.
South Africa will go into the Test championship final against Australia at Lord’s in June on the back of seven straight wins — the second most successful sequence in their history.
West Indies Test squad arrives in Pakistan for two-match series
- West Indies to play two Test matches against Pakistan in Multan from Jan. 17-29, says PCB
- West Indies last toured Pakistan for a Test series in November 2006 for three-match series
ISLAMABAD: The West Indian national men’s cricket team has arrived for their first Test tour of Pakistan in 19 years, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Monday, during which they will play two Test matches.
The last time the West Indies played a Test series on Pakistani soil was in November 2006, when they played three Tests. Their last away Test series against Pakistan was in the UAE in October 2016, which was selected as Pakistan’s home venue for cricket series after 2009 when a militant attack in Lahore scared away international cricket teams from touring the country.
However, the former two-time ODI World Cup champions have toured Pakistan thrice since April 2018 — once for an ODI series in June 2022 and twice for a bilateral T20I series in April 2018 and December 2021.
“West Indies Test squad arrives in Pakistan for the two-match series,” the PCB said in a post on X.
West Indies will play two consecutive Tests against Pakistan in Multan after a three-day match against Pakistan Shaheens from Jan. 10-12 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The first Test will be held from Jan. 17-21, followed by the second one from Jan. 25-29.
International cricket teams refused to play cricket in Pakistan for years after militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in Lahore in 2009, wounding six players and killing two civilians and six security officials.
International cricket and its stars, however, slowly returned to playing in Pakistan as the security situation improved. The South Asian country is gearing up to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 from February to March next year.
This will be Pakistan’s first ICC tournament on its home soil since 1996 when it co-hosted the ICC ODI World Cup, which Sri Lanka won.
India gazes into life without Kohli, Rohit after Australia defeat
- Rohit, 37, and Kohli, 36, both performed underwhelmingly against Australia in recently concluded Test series
- India’s next Test assignment is their tour to England in June-July where the visitors will play five Tests against them
NEW DELHI: India contemplated Test cricket without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on Monday after the star duo again failed to fire in the bruising series defeat to Australia.
With out-of-form skipper Rohit missing, the visitors went down by six wickets in the fifth and final Test on Sunday in Sydney to lose the series 3-1.
Fresh from a 3-0 home whitewash to New Zealand, the defeat sparked renewed debate in India about the future of the team and in particular two of its stalwarts.
The 37-year-old opening batsman Rohit, who missed the only India win of the series in the first Test because of the birth of his second child, managed 31 runs in three matches.
Kohli, 36, scored an unbeaten century in the first Test but otherwise had another underwhelming series by his sky-high standards.
Australia booked a meeting with South Africa in the World Test Championship final in June after India lost out in the race with six Test losses in eight matches.
India’s next Test assignment is their tour to England in June-July, when the visitors will play five matches and selectors will have to make a call on Kohli and Rohit.
“I think the next 8-10 days are crucial for Indian cricket to take a good, honest look at itself,” former captain Sunil Gavaskar told news channel India Today.
“Most importantly, the star culture has to end. Total commitment to Indian cricket is non-negotiable.
“We don’t need players who are partly here and partly elsewhere. It’s time to stop pampering anyone.”
Kohli skipped matches after the birth of his second child in February last year.
Apart from his century, Kohli scored 90 runs across eight innings.
Dubbed “King Kohli” for his prolific scoring, the batsman averaged above 54 before 2019, but from 2020 onwards his average has slipped to 30.72.
Kohli and Rohit have been criticized for not participating in domestic matches to improve their faltering form, a decision that irked many pundits including Gavaskar.
“The cricket board needs to stop acting like admirers and put their foot down,” the batting great said.
“They must tell the players that Indian cricket comes first. It’s either a full commitment to Indian cricket or other priorities.”
Rohit, who had also been censured for his decision-making as skipper, said it was his choice to stand down for the decisive fifth Test.
He also insisted he was not retiring.
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar did not mince his words.
“When to retire is up to the player,” he wrote on social media.
“But how long to play is up to the selectors.”
Jasprit Bumrah, the vice captain, would be the clear pick to replace Rohit as Test captain after the pace spearhead took 32 wickets in five Tests in Australia and led the team to victory in the first match in Perth.
Coach Gautam Gambhir, who received flak for keeping the media guessing in his pre-match press conference about whether Rohit would play in Sydney, appears to favor keeping the duo at his disposal.
“I can’t talk about the future of any player. It’s up to them as well,” Gambhir said.
“They still have the hunger, they still have the passion, they are tough people and hopefully they can continue to take Indian cricket forward.”
He added: “Whatever they plan, they will plan in the best interest of the team.”
Kohli and Rohit both called time on their T20 international careers last year soon after India won the World Cup in June.
Both are expected to play in the one-day Champions Trophy in Dubai and Pakistan in February-March.
