YAOUNDE, Cameroon: Two more goals by Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar helped put the host into the knockout stages of the African Cup of Nations on Thursday, while positive coronavirus tests continued to put players and coaches out of action elsewhere at the tournament.
Cameroon was the first team through to the round of 16 after coming from behind for the second time in two games to overwhelm Ethiopia 4-1. The Indomitable Lions have indeed proved to be difficult to subdue, and Aboubakar scored a brace, as he did in the tournament opener, to take his tally to four goals at the tournament.
Lyon forward Karl Toko Ekambi also got two for Cameroon, which hit the post three times and could have really embarrassed Ethiopia at Olembe Stadium in Yaounde.
Burkina Faso beat Cape Verde 1-0 in Thursday’s other Group A game to bounce back from its opening-day defeat to Cameroon. Burkina Faso was without captain Bertrand Traoré, one of many players to test positive for the virus at the African soccer championship.
In a quirk, it was Hassane Bandé, the man who replaced Traoré in the team, who scored the goal that revived Burkina Faso’s chances of making it to the next round. He threw himself at a cross and cleverly chested the ball in, then patted himself on the chest in celebration.
In the first game, Ethiopia’s Dawa Hotessa Dukele had stunned the Olembe Stadium into silence with the opening goal in the fourth minute.
Cameroon shook off that blow, just as it did to come from behind to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in the tournament opener on Sunday with two penalties from Aboubakar.
Ekambi equalized four minutes after Ethiopia’s surprise goal and Cameroon took control from then. Aboubakar scored twice in the space of two minutes early in the second half, first with a powerful header and then when he forced the ball in with a sliding finish.
Ekambi made it 4-1 by cutting back inside a group of Ethiopia defenders and firing into the bottom left corner, and after deciding against passing to Aboubakar for a chance for a hat trick for the captain.
Ekambi and Aboubakar were both taken off by Cameroon coach Toni Conceicao, who knows there are tougher tests ahead.
Nine of the first 12 games at the African Cup had ended 1-0, and there were also two 0-0 draws, so Cameroon’s free-scoring result brought the tournament some much-needed goals.
Gabon will also hope for goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is out of isolation and available to play against Ghana on Friday having tested positive for the virus at an airport on arrival in Cameroon last week.
In an interview released by the Gabon soccer federation, the Arsenal forward said he was “so excited to get back to training” having been confined to his hotel room with an exercise bike.
It wasn’t all good news for Gabon, though. As Aubameyang and midfielder Mario Lemina returned after their positive tests, coach Patrice Neveu and defenders Sidney Obissa and Lloyd Palun tested positive and were ruled out of any involvement in the game against Ghana.
There was also more fallout from the refereeing debacle that marred the Mali-Tunisia game on Wednesday.
Reports quoted African soccer confederation official Essam Abdul Fattah as saying the referee in question had been suffering from sunstroke when he twice blew for full time too early in the game, and needed to go to the hospital after the match.
Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe’s errors sparked chaos and incensed Tunisian players and coaching staff because Tunisia was losing 1-0. There was even an attempt to restart the game about 30 minutes after it finished to play out the time Sikazwe missed, but Tunisia refused to get back on the field.
Tunisia has lodged an official protest over Sikazwe’s actions with the African confederation.
Host Cameroon 1st team into knockouts at African Cup
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Host Cameroon 1st team into knockouts at African Cup
- Burkina Faso beat Cape Verde in the other Group A game to bounce back from its opening-day defeat to Cameroon
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.
