Amateur cricket shows game can be force for good

Thailand’s amateur cricket competition puts emphasis on having fun, respecting the game and putting in maximum effort. (AFP)
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Updated 06 April 2023
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Amateur cricket shows game can be force for good

  • Chiang Mai Sixes example of how sport can bring together different abilities, genders, races, socio-economic backgrounds in harmony

This week, I am in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, which last week was accorded the unwanted title of the world’s most polluted city. It is an unlikely setting for an international six-a-side cricket tournament.

Yet, the competition is in its 33rd year. The last three years were lost to the coronavirus pandemic, so it was with some relief that many of the participants, who only meet each other at the event, have gathered together.

This is an amateur tournament, teams paying for the opportunity to take part. In previous years, retired former international players have played. They came mainly from Australia, England, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, adding quality to the playing side and anecdotes to the perpetual conversations.

The team with which I have played for almost 20 years meet together only at this competition. The average age of players in most teams has risen, so it is always encouraging to welcome new teams.

There is a handful of Pakistanis who live and work in Chiang Mai. The pandemic years have been tough for their businesses. This year their numbers have been supplemented by a team who have travelled from Pakistan. Its members originate mainly from Islamabad.

According to my memory, there has been only one other team from Pakistan which has participated previously in the sixes. They told me of the difficulty of raising funds, obtaining visas, and the challenges of coordinating the process with flight bookings.

Hence, it was with a heightened level of interest that I approached the members of this new team, to find out what had motivated them to join the event, what their cricketing backgrounds were, and how the team had been formed. A fascinating story unfolded.

Firstly, they are guided by the principles of having fun, respecting the game, and putting in maximum effort. These are manifest in being what they believe to be the only mixed-gender team in Pakistan, certainly at amateur level. In addition, they seek members irrespective of socio-economic and religious background.

Secondly, membership is largely by recommendation. Potential members are given guest status from which they may progress to full-member status once their alignment with the team’s principles have been established.

Over the last three years, the team, known as the Islamabad Doosras, has grown in Pakistan. Matches have been played away from the capital, in Peshawar and Lahore.

The trip to Thailand is the first international venture, with the team’s name being shortened to the Doosras, the description given to a particular type of spin delivery in cricket.

It is commonly accepted that the doosra originated in Pakistan, relatively recently. An off-spin bowler aims to deliver a ball which turns from the off-side toward the leg side of a right-handed batter. In delivering a doosra the bowler is seeking to make the ball turn toward the offside to the surprise of the batter. In Hindi/Urdu, doosra means the second or other one.

The name was chosen to reflect a different, not entirely conventional, approach. The Doosras were proud to tell me of the moment when a female player, Huda Rizwan, claimed the first ever wicket by a woman for the team.

Another unconventional approach has been taken toward the funding of the tour.

In a belief that those who make up the touring party should be selected irrespective of the ability to pay, there has been an element of cross-subsidization. Players with a greater ability to afford the trip are supporting those who would not be able to make the trip on their own. Sponsorship was obtained from a company, Shaping the Future, which is aligned with the club’s principles and focused on human development.

Currently, the team has a domestic squad of around 20 players, of whom 15 are active players. The ambition is to provide more opportunities for women to play and a goal was expressed to send a women’s team to the Chiang Mai Sixes in the future. In this year’s sixes, four of the 28 teams are comprised of women.

The Doosras’ developmental goal is influenced by the number of matches which the team can play each year. Depending on the incidence of the rains, the aim is to play three or four matches per month between November and March if suitable venues can be booked.

It was clear from the opening matches that the Doosras team assembled for this tournament comprises talented players, who ensured their qualification for the cup section, the highest level.

The players have different cricketing backgrounds. One of them, Umer Javaid, has played first-class cricket in Pakistan and has a level two coaching badge. Muhammad Fayyaz is the oldest member of the club and, apparently, the fittest member of the squad. Hisham Azhar, has been a long-term guest member but recently become a full member, having played against the Doosras for several years.

Zubair Ahmed is originally from Karachi and has worked on covering stories of the game, while, for Rafi Romi, who has played competitive cricket in Pakistan, the trip is the first time that he has ever travelled on a plane. Usman Javaid, who works with the World Bank as a gender specialist, swam competitively for 17 years and represented Pakistan. He is the founder of the team and a key architect of its principles, philosophies, and structure.

In the tent next to the Doosras was a team based in Kolkata, India. Bonds between the two squads have been forged quicky, making a mockery of the tensions which exist between their respective cricketing boards.

At a time when cricket’s image, at least in the UK, is suffering as a result of the Azeem Rafiq racism case, the Chiang Mai Sixes provides an example of how the game can bring together people of different abilities, genders, races, and socio-economic backgrounds in harmony.

This is even more relevant when the emphasis is on having fun, respecting the game, and putting in maximum effort.


Four UAE teams among strong line-up for 24H Dubai race

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Four UAE teams among strong line-up for 24H Dubai race

  • More than 70 teams are set to compete in the Jan. 11-12 event, which coincides with Dubai Autodrome’s 20th anniversary

DUBAI: Dubai Autodrome will welcome 70 race teams — including four UAE-based outfits — for this weekend’s milestone 20th Michelin 24H Dubai race.

The event, which will see some of the world’s top endurance drivers in action, coincides with Dubai Autodrome’s own 20th anniversary celebrations.

The season-opening 24HR Series will see its largest GT3 grids, with more than 30 teams taking to the track for the flagship competition on Jan. 11-12.

Among the UAE teams competing are Rabdan Motorsport, led by Emirati driver Saif Al-Ameri, who will be joined by teammates Fahad Al-Zaabi, Salem Al-Ketbi and Christopher Zoechling. Other UAE-based teams include Dragon Racing, Fulgenzi Racing and Duel Racing.

They will be part of a competitive grid which has attracted prominent names from the world of endurance motorsport. These include two-time World Rally Championship winner Kalle Rovanpera, former World Touring Car series champion Robert Huff and reigning Asian Le Mans Series GT winner Alex Malykhin. Also set to be behind the wheel are Oman’s Ahmad Al-Harthy, British Touring Car champion Jake Hill and Saudi Arabia’s first professional female racing driver Reema Juffali.

Indian actor Ajith Kumar, who has starred in more than 60 movies in the Tamil film industry, makes his return to motor racing with his own newly formed team, Ajith Kumar Racing.

Mixing with this elite field will be Dubai Autodrome’s very own Jamie Day, who has climbed through the ranks from karting to race in the GT3 category. The venue’s driving instructors, Axcil Jefferies (2021 edition champion), Mathieu Detry (GT AM 2024 champion) and Ramez Azzam are also set to line up on the track.

Since opening in 2004, the Dubai Autodrome has staged every edition of the 24H Dubai, with the event a key championship in the venue’s busy motorsport calendar.

General Manager Faisal Al-Sahlawi said: “This 2025 Michelin 24H Dubai event represents a significant moment as it is also part of Dubai Autodrome’s 20th anniversary celebrations. Since the lights first went out way back in 2006, this motorsport event has gone from strength to strength, creating wonderful memories to cherish. The fact we are staging the 20th edition of this flagship event, which has brought together some of the top names in motorsport, reaffirms how highly-regarded it is, both in the UAE and abroad.

“This competition has served as an important platform for UAE drivers and teams to get competitive experience against an international field that will help them in their development. In the past, we have seen many teams and drivers fly the UAE flag high by gaining podium finishes and we hope to see some of the participants follow in their footsteps.”

Off the track, the weekend includes a wide array of family entertainment and activities, including a cultural zone where visitors can explore the cultures of Africa, Asia, America and Australia, a kids’ zone and a car display.


Sinner, Djokovic in opposite halves at the Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st round

Updated 55 min 12 sec ago
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Sinner, Djokovic in opposite halves at the Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st round

  • The year’s first Grand Slam tournament begins on the hard courts of Melbourne Park on Sunday morning local time

MELBOURNE: Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season’s first major, ruling out a replay of last year’s semifinal match.
Sinner upset Djokovic in the semifinals here last year before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam singles title.
Top-ranked Sinner has a first-round match against Nicolas Jarry and also has Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Medvedev in his quarter of the draw. Fritz will open against fellow American Jenson Brooksby.
Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz could meet in the quarterfinals, with a possible semifinal against No. 2 Alexander Zverev.
At the draw Thursday to set the brackets for the singles fields, defending champions Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka walked into the official ceremony on the steps of Margaret Court Arena holding their trophies.
Sabalenka won her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2. Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women’s singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens and has 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Zheng in her section.
“I have a lot of great memories and to be back here ... as a two-time Australian Open champion, it’s definitely something special,” Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane International title last week, said at the draw ceremony. “I hope that I can keep doing what I’m doing here in Australia.”
Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semifinal rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula.
No. 2 Iga Swiatek and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina are on the other half of the draw.
The Australian Open starts Sunday morning in Melbourne (Saturday night EST in the U.S.) and will run for 15 days.
Doping and the cases involving Sinner — which is still not fully resolved — and Swiatek was a topic that shadowed tennis in 2024 and is still a talking point in Melbourne.
There's plenty else for fans to talk about.
Djokovic will be playing in his first event alongside new coach Andy Murray, his former on-court rival and a three-time major champion. Nobody has won the men's title at Melbourne Park more often than Djokovic, although he said he still feels trauma from the one year he wasn’t allowed to play.
Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who withdrew from an exhibition against Djokovic this week because of an abdominal strain, will face Jacob Fearnley in the first round if the mercurial Australian is fit enough to contest his first major since the 2022 U.S. Open. Kyrgios is in the same section as Zverev.


De Zerbi is improving fortunes at Marseille two months after he considered quitting the club

Updated 09 January 2025
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De Zerbi is improving fortunes at Marseille two months after he considered quitting the club

  • That was back in November when, following home defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Auxerre, he said he was ready to leave

PARIS: Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi was so confounded by his team’s bad form that he considered quitting just months after arriving.
That was back in November when, following home defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Auxerre, he said he was ready to leave. The 45-year-old Italian soon backtracked and affirmed his commitment to stay and turn things around.
Whatever he told the players at that time clearly worked, as did an arduous four-day camp. There were daily 5 a.m. wake-up calls for jogs on an empty stomach, followed by twice-daily training sessions.
Marseille is looking much sharper and fitter as a result.
The 1993 Champions League winner has won five of its six matches since the Auxerre loss and drawn the other against Lille — a decent result considering Lille is undefeated in all competitions since mid-September.
Marseille has rediscovered its touch, too, scoring 17 goals during that period, and has moved into second place in Ligue 1 behind leader Paris Saint-Germain, which is seven points ahead after 16 rounds.
Marseille travels to play Rennes on Saturday and PSG hosts lowly Saint-Etienne on Sunday.
De Zerbi has tightened things up tactically and is starting to work Marseille into a more streamlined side.
During his time with Brighton in the English Premier League, he earned a reputation as a shrewd tactician capable of beating bigger teams. He left Brighton after two seasons, having raised the team to its highest ever top-flight finish of sixth, and into the last 16 of the Europa League.
De Zerbi’s decision to join Marseille, which has passionate but impatient fans, surprised many observers. Even before his time at Brighton, De Zerbi had earned good reviews in Italy with Benevento and Sassuolo. He was widely praised for guiding Sassuolo to back-to-back eighth-place finishes in Serie A and touted as one of the best young coaches in Europe.
He had bigger clubs than Marseille calling for him last summer, but perhaps he saw the depth of Marseille’s potential — which is the only French club to win the Champions League and has a 67,000-capacity stadium.
De Zerbi has instilled a healthy competition for places within his squad and strengthened it further on Tuesday by signing central defender Luiz Felipe, who made over 100 appearances for Lazio in Serie A from 2017-22.
Felipe’s arrival comes after De Zerbi reproached his players for conceding too many goals — 19 in the league so far, compared with 14 for PSG and 16 for third-place Monaco and fourth-place Lille.
“We need so start thinking that 5-0 and 5-1 are not the same thing,” he said after Sunday’s 5-1 home rout of Le Havre at Stade Velodrome. “We need to make other teams understand that scoring a goal against us is difficult.”
Felipe said the possibility of playing under De Zerbi was “fundamental” in his decision to join.
“I have known De Zerbi since he was Sassuolo, it was always difficult to play against him,” Felipe said.
Key players have emerged into leadership roles, such as Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and France midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
Playing in a role higher up the field allows Rabiot to make more dangerous use of his excellent passing range and eye for long-distance shooting.
Signing the 29-year-old Rabiot was seen as something of a coup of Marseille, considering that he is entering his prime years and his wealth of experience with Italian giant Juventus (212 matches overall) and France (50 caps).
“We need two, three, four or five Rabiots,” De Zerbi said recently.
Then he added, jokingly: “I asked him if he has any brothers, but unfortunately they don’t play football.”


UAE jiu-jitsu team to compete in 9 championships during 2025

Updated 09 January 2025
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UAE jiu-jitsu team to compete in 9 championships during 2025

  • Emirati male and female fighters will take part in regional, continental and international competitions across various categories

ABU DHABI: The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has announced that the country’s national team will take part in nine championships in 2025.

Sponsored by Mubadala Investment Co., Emirati male and female fighters will compete from February to November, spanning regional, continental and international events across various age groups, the UAEJJF stated recently.

The continental season kicks off with the Asian Youth Championships in Thailand from Feb. 13 to 15, featuring competitions in categories falling under the ages of 14, 16 and 18.

The team will then head to Jordan for the ninth Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship from May 23 to 25, for adults and under-21 athletes, where they aim to uphold their continental supremacy.

The UAE will also compete in the JJAU Regional Championship for West Asia in Bahrain on July 24 and 25, which includes the 14, 16, 18, 21 and adult categories. Additionally, the team will take part in the third Asian Youth Games from Oct. 22 to 31, focusing on the under-18 category.

Internationally, the team will participate in the Grand Prix Paris Open for adults in France on April 26 and 27, followed by the Grand Prix Thailand Open in Bangkok from June 19 to 21. The Grand Prix events are crucial for the UAE’s global ranking and positioning for the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship draw.

On the global stage, the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, from Aug. 10 to 12, will be a highlight for the adult category. The team aim to replicate their impressive performance from the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, where they earned five medals, including two historic golds.

The season concludes with the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in Thailand from Nov. 1 to 15, which encompasses all age groups — 14, 16, 18, 21 and seniors — followed by the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 17 and 18.

Fahad Ali Al-Shamsi, secretary-general of the UAEJJF, said the athletes are expected to do well across all competitions.

“The year 2025, with its high-profile championships, will build on our national team’s legacy of achievements and inspire future generations of athletes.

“We are fortunate to have the limitless support of our wise leadership, which provides our athletes with all the resources needed for success and has helped them achieve top global rankings.”


Barcelona defeat Bilbao without Olmo to reach Spanish Super Cup final

Updated 09 January 2025
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Barcelona defeat Bilbao without Olmo to reach Spanish Super Cup final

  • Gavi put Barcelona ahead from close range after 17 minutes and teenage winger Yamal netted the second early after the break

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Young starlets Gavi and Lamine Yamal fired Barcelona, without Dani Olmo after his license to play was revoked, into the Spanish Super Cup final with a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.
Spanish playmaker Olmo was cleared to play again on a temporary basis before the game but the decision came too late for him or Pau Victor, in the same position, to feature against Copa del Rey winners Athletic.
Gavi put Barcelona ahead from close range after 17 minutes and teenage winger Yamal netted the second early after the break.
Spanish and European champions Real Madrid face cup runners-up Mallorca on Thursday in the second semifinal in Saudi Arabia, where the competition has been held for the past few years.
“Athletic are a very physical team that make you run a lot, we suffered above all toward the end, but we were able to play well and we’re very happy,” Yamal told Movistar.
The winger said Olmo and Victor were pleased to be allowed to play once more.
“In the end you’re nervous when you can’t play and when you get news like that, you’re very happy,” added Yamal.
Barca coach Hansi Flick hailed the decision from Spain’s national sports council regarding Olmo and Victor.
“The whole club is very happy for this right decision,” said Flick, hoping to win his first silverware at the helm of Barca.
“We wanted to show we are a team and we win also for them.”
Barcelona, who qualified as La Liga runners-up, started brightly and Raphinha volleyed over from a fine Jules Kounde cross and forced Unai Simon into a good save with a free-kick.
It was no surprise when the Catalans broke the deadlock with Alejandro Balde cutting the ball back for Gavi, playing in Olmo’s attacking midfield role, to turn home for his first goal since suffering a severe knee injury last season.
The 20-year-old pointed at an imaginary watch in his celebration, a nod to Olmo who regularly produces the same gesture after scoring.
At the other end Inaki Williams dallied on the ball too long as Athletic’s best attacking move of the first half broke down.
Yamal, returning after an ankle problem, should have added Barcelona’s second after Raphinha’s shot was saved but the 17-year-old miscued an attempted lob.
Wojciech Szczesny, on his second start in goal for Barcelona, made a good save to keep Inaki Williams at bay before the break.
Barcelona doubled their lead early in the second half when Gavi slipped in Yamal who finished with aplomb.
Veteran Polish forward Robert Lewandowski spurned a fine chance to add the third, firing off-target when well placed.
Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde, who was sacked as Barcelona boss after a defeat at the same stadium in 2020, brought on Nico Williams to try and turn the game around.
The Spain international, heavily linked with Barcelona in the summer, was not fit enough to start, but made a positive impact from the bench.
The winger set up Oscar de Marcos to strike but the Athletic defender had strayed just offside and the goal was ruled out.
Inaki Williams also had a goal ruled out for offside after Frenkie De Jong’s poor back-pass took a slight deflection off Alvaro Djalo on its way to the Ghana international.
“It’s a shame given all the effort... but we have good things ahead of us and we have to continue,” said Inaki Williams.
Barcelona were able to book their place in Sunday’s final, in which Olmo will be allowed to feature.
“We don’t care (who we face in the final), it will be hard and we want to win it, which is the important thing, and go back home with the trophy,” said Yamal.