AHMEDEBAD: India, a country of 1.4 billion people, will come to a virtual standstill on Sunday when its cricket team led by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli takes on five-time champion Australia in the Cricket World Cup final.
It will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket venue with a seating capacity of 132,000. It was commissioned in 2015 and built with the purpose of hosting the tournament final eight years later. In the process it will likely set a world cricket attendance record.
From Chennai to Dharamsala and Mumbai to Kolkata, India has played in front of partisan crowds during the six-week tournament. The home side has channeled that weight of expectations and pressure to win nine consecutive games — the only unbeaten team.
Kohli, not surprisingly, has been the focal point for this Indian performance. Now the foremost one-day international batter in history with 50 centuries, he has scored 711 runs in 10 innings at average of 101.57. It is an insurmountable tally, with Sharma (550 runs) and Australia’s David Warner (528) well behind.
India’s dominance in this World Cup, however, has been underlined by its bowling attack. Mohammed Shami has been the leader — 23 wickets in only six games. And Shami wasn’t in contention for the first four games when India opted for Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur/Ravichandran Ashwin.
Pandya’s left ankle injury ruled the allrounder out of the tournament and made more room for Shami. Also helping India was Jasprit Bumrah, who took 18 wickets in 10 games, while spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with 31 wickets between them.
India’s bowling has been so impressive that it has yet to chase any total over 273 runs in this tournament and restricted the opposition to sub-100 scores twice and under-200 scores two other times. Among them, Australia was bowled out for 199 in its tournament-opening match at Chennai on Oct. 8.
“The difference is our bowling attack,” said opener Shubman Gill. “Our bowlers have either defended the total or restricted the other team to a below-par score.”
Going for its sixth title, Australia is the most dominant side in World Cup history. It has lost two finals — to the West Indies in 1975 and to Sri Lanka in 1996. Now in its eighth final, it stands between India’s quest for a third title.
The two sides have a previous knockout history — they have met on two occasions. Australia beat India in the 2015 World Cup semifinal at Sydney, enroute to its fifth title. In 2011, Yuvraj Singh’s heroic half-century allowed the eventual championship-winning home side to beat Australia in the quarterfinals at Ahmedabad.
The 2003 final in Johannesburg was the last time the teams met in a championship match. Skipper Ricky Ponting smashed an unbeaten 140 off 121 balls as Australia won by 125 runs, amassing 359-2 before India surrendered meekly with 234-9.
Sharma will once again look to take the attack to Australia captain Pat Cummins and his fellow bowlers. Sharma especially loves short deliveries and has hit the most sixes in this tournament — 28.
Australia lost its first two games — to India and South Africa — and was in 10th and last place in the standings with no points on Oct. 15. Since, Warner, Mitchell Marsh (426 runs in nine games) and Adam Zampa (22 wickets) have been the cornerstones of its revival.
“It’s why we play the game, we want to take on the best,” Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc said after his team’s semifinal win over South Africa.
“India has been the best in the tournament so far and we both find ourselves in the final. We played them in the first game of the tournament, now we get to take them on in the last. What a place to be at the end of a World Cup.”
The last teams standing: India takes on Australia in the Cricket World Cup final
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The last teams standing: India takes on Australia in the Cricket World Cup final
- The final will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket venue with a seating capacity of 132,000
- The stadium, commissioned in 2015 and built for tournament final eight years later, will likely set an attendance record
‘Ready and excited’: Beterbiev looking to remain undefeated in rematch with Bivol at ‘The Last Crescendo’
- The fight, backed by Riyadh Season, will determine the undisputed light-heavyweight champion
LONDON: Artur Beterbiev on Monday declared his readiness and excitement for his highly anticipated rematch against Dmitry Bivol, headlining the blockbuster boxing event “The Last Crescendo” on Feb. 22 in Riyadh.
The fight, backed by Riyadh Season, will determine the undisputed light-heavyweight champion.
“I am ready and excited, and looking forward to the match,” Beterbiev told Arab News during a press conference in London. The undefeated champion highlighted his respect for Bivol’s skills and his confidence in securing another win.
Their first fight was a closely contested bout, showcasing their talent and tenacity. Bivol, seeking redemption, expressed his determination to reclaim the title and avenge his only career loss.
The event features a stellar lineup of undercard bouts, with champions and rising stars ready to deliver memorable performances.
Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker
Dubois, the IBF heavyweight champion, will defend his title against former WBC champion Parker. “I’ve pushed myself harder than ever in training. This is my time to shine,” said Dubois. Parker, undeterred, vowed to use his experience to regain a world title.
Shakur Stevenson vs. Floyd Schofield
In a WBC lightweight title bout, Stevenson will face Schofield, a rising star in the division. “This fight is a stepping stone to solidify my legacy,” Stevenson said. Schofield called the match a “dream opportunity” to prove his worth on the world stage.
Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz
WBC middleweight champion Adames will battle the undefeated Sheeraz. “I’m here to make a statement and bring the title home,” Sheeraz said. Adames, determined to retain his belt, promised to “show the world why I’m the champion.”
Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel
Heavyweight powerhouses Zhang and Kabayel will face off in a bout with global intrigue. “The support of Saudi Arabia is incredible, and events like these align with Vision 2030 to promote global sports and cultural exchange,” Zhang said.
Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith
Two rising stars of the light-heavyweight division will clash in a bout that could redefine the division’s future.
Djokovic joins Alcaraz, Sinner in second round of Australian Open
- In front of new coach and former rival Andy Murray, Djokovic struggled to raise a smile in the immediate aftermath
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic survived a scare in his quest for tennis history before following Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Jannik Sinner into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday.
But Greek former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and home favorite Nick Kyrgios both fell at the first hurdle, with the combustible Australian going out swearing and in pain.
In the women’s draw, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff powered through with minimum fuss as they launched their bids to dethrone two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Another winner was two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka, who defeated France’s Caroline Garcia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
On a blockbuster second day in Melbourne, Djokovic lost the first set to 107th-ranked American Nishesh Basavareddy in the prime-time evening match on Rod Laver Arena.
But the Serbian great, hoping to roll back the years and win an 11th Australian Open and record 25th Grand Slam singles title, recovered to ease through 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
In front of new coach and former rival Andy Murray, Djokovic struggled to raise a smile in the immediate aftermath.
“At the end, it was great but I think he was the better player for a set and a half,” said the 37-year-old.
Italian world No. 1 Sinner was warmly welcomed on Rod Laver Arena before defeating Chile’s Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.
Sinner is playing under a cloud after twice testing positive for traces of a steroid in March.
He denies wrongdoing and was cleared by tennis authorities, but the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed and is seeking to ban him for up to two years.
“I was curious to see how it was. You never know what’s happening,” he said about the reception.
“I was happy about the crowd,” added Sinner, who has not tasted defeat since losing to Alcaraz in the Beijing final in October.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion but never a winner in Melbourne, had a couple of hairy moments before seeing off Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko, 6-1, 7-5, 6-1.
“This is a tournament I really want to win one day, hopefully this year,” said the 21-year-old Spaniard.
There was disappointment for home fans as the colorful but temperamental Kyrgios, only recently back from 18 months out with injury, lost 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) to Britain’s Jacob Fearnley.
Kyrgios spoke to physios multiple times in the second set after wincing in pain while serving and fired expletives at his coaching box.
The 11th-seeded Tsitsipas became the first major casualty when Alex Michelsen blasted past him 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
The 26-year-old Greek, who played Djokovic in the 2023 final at Melbourne Park, never looked comfortable against the 42nd-ranked American.
“It just sucks in a way that I’ll be hanging around for quite a while now before my next tournament comes in,” said Tsitsipas.
Two-time US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe vomited twice on court before pulling through in five sets against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.
The women’s draw provided few upsets on day two.
Red-hot world No. 3 Gauff laid down a marker as she swept aside former Melbourne champion and fellow American Sofia Kenin.
Gauff is unbeaten this year after leading the US to United Cup glory and eased past the 2020 Australian Open winner 6-3, 6-3 in 80 minutes.
“I knew it was going to be difficult, but you know, I’m happy with how I played,” said Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion.
World No. 2 Swiatek defeated Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-4 to get her tournament up and running.
The Pole has won five Grand Slams but her best performance at Melbourne Park is the semifinals in 2022.
“For sure it wasn’t an easy first round, so I’m happy that I’m through,” said Swiatek.
US Open finalist Jessica Pegula, the seventh-seeded American, blew away home player Maya Joint 6-3, 6-0.
Victoria Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 champion, was a notable early loser as the Belarusian went down 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) to Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti.
Warner, Williamson, Joseph and Mitchell to make debut in Pakistan Super League 2025
- All six franchises assembled their squads at the glittering PSL 2025 Player Draft ceremony on Monday
- PSL 2025 is scheduled to take place between April 8 and May 19, with 116 players from 10 countries
ISLAMABAD: New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell became the first pick of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 Player Draft as the two-time winners Lahore Qalandars roped him in to bolster their batting order at a ceremony in Lahore on Monday afternoon, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.
Mitchell, who has played 70 T20Is, will make his PSL debut later this year. Left-handed batter David Warner was pouched by 2020 PSL champions Karachi Kings as they made use of the second pick in the first Platinum round. Warner, with his wealth of experience including 12,727 T20 runs in 392 T20 matches, will also be among the list of notable debutants this season.
Peshawar Zalmi used the Right to Match option for Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who was picked by Quetta Gladiators. Kohler-Cadmore has represented Zalmi in the last four PSL editions. Gladiators then picked up New Zealand’s Mark Chapman, who has played 81 T20Is in his 10-year long international career and is a dual international as well.
Michael Bracewell and Matthew Short were the last two picks in the Platinum one round as they were gleaned by Multan Sultans and Islamabad United, respectively. Bracewell, an all-format player for New Zealand has played 149 T20s having scored 2,744 runs and taken 66 wickets. Short will add to Islamabad’s explosive batting line-up as they look to add a fourth PSL Trophy to their cabinet later this year.
“In the Platinum round two, Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings had two picks each. Gladiators used their Wild Card pick option to snare all-rounder Faheem Ashraf to their squad,” the PCB said in a statement.
“Aggressive Kiwi opening batter Finn Allen was the other player Quetta picked in this round. Allen, 25, has played 47 T20Is for New Zealand and scored 1,141 runs with the help of two centuries and at a strike rate of 158.69.”
Karachi Kings strengthened their pace arsenal as they went for Adam Milne as their first pick of the Platinum two round and followed it up by using Wild Card on Mohammad Abbas Afridi.
Milne will bring in extra pace to PSL 2025 along with his experience of 186 T20s in which has bagged 213 wickets at an average of 23.61. On the other hand, Abbas Afridi, who will now ply his trade for the Kings, was the leading wicket taker – 23 wickets, for Multan Sultans in PSL 2023 and also became part of the team of the tournament.
The Diamond round of picks saw Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars bag quality overseas talent in the form of Corbin Bosch, Jason Holder and Kusal Perera. Bosch was picked by Zalmi, Holder by United and Perera by Qalandars.
Peshawar Zalmi topped up their pace stocks by picking Bangladesh’s Nahid Rana in the Gold category round one. Rana, 22, has impressed one and all with his express pace in his brief international career.
In the same category, Islamabad United picked Aussie left-arm fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis, who has bagged 176 T20 wickets at an average of 22 in 140 games. He will join his fellow countrymen Riley Meredith and Short on the United roster for PSL 2025.
“In the Silver category round three Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain was picked up by Qalandars. In a first, United States of America’s (USA) Andries Gous made it to the HBL PSL 2025 and he will turn up for Islamabad United,” the statement read.
“Multan Sultans added Irish pacer Josh Little and West Indies’ spinner Gudakesh Motie to their side during this round.”
In the supplementary round one, Kane Williamson was picked by Karachi Kings, who will join his New Zealand teammate Milne. He will be one of the notable overseas signings for Kings along with Mohammad Nabi, David Warner and Litton Das. Johnson Charles, Tom Curran, Kusal Mendis and pacer Alzarri Joseph were bagged by Sultans, Qalandars, Gladiators, and Zalmi, respectively in the supplementary round one.
In the round two, Sam Billings was snared by Qalandars who used Right to Match card against defending champions Islamabad United, who later picked up Rassie van der Dussen. Quetta Gladiators made a strong pick as they bagged Australia’s Sean Abbott adding more pace and batting firepower to their line-up. Shai Hope was picked by Sultans while Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi will return to Karachi Kings this year.
Shoaib Malik will feature in his tenth consecutive PSL edition as he was picked up by Quetta Gladiators in the Supplementary round three. Among the two Emerging rounds of picks, notable selections were made. Batting prodigy Hasan Nawaz went to Gladiators’ roster, while talented Maaz Sadaqat was picked up by Zalmi.
Saad Masood the right-arm leg-spinner, who can bat as well and made headlines in the recent Champions T20 Cup in Rawalpindi, found home in Islamabad United and will be marshalled by Shadab Khan himself. Hunain Shah returns to Islamabad United while Ubaid Shah was picked up by Multan Sultans.
FINAL SQUADS
Islamabad United: Matthew Short, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan (all Platinum), Imad Wasim (mentor) and Azam Khan, Jason Holder (both Diamond), Ben Dwarhuis, Salman Irshad, Salman Ali Agha (Brand Ambassador) and Haider Ali (all Gold), Andries Gous, Colin Munro, Muhammad Nawaz and Rumman Raees (all Silver), Hunain Shah, Saad Masood (both Emerging)
Supplementary – Riley Meredith and Rassie van der Dussen
Multan Sultans: Michael Bracewell, Mohammad Rizwan and Usama Mir (all Platinum), David Willey (mentor), Iftikhar Ahmed (Brand Ambassador) and Usman Khan (all Diamond), Chris Jordan, Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Hasnain (all Gold), Akif Javed, Gudakesh Motie, Josh Little, Faisal Akram and Tayyab Tahir (all Silver), Ubaid Shah and Shahid Aziz (both Emerging)
Supplementary – Johnson Charles, Muhammad Amir Barki, Shai Hope and Yasir Khan
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (all Platinum), Corbin Bosch, Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Haris (all Diamond), Abdul Samad, Hussain Talat and Nahid Rana (all Gold), Arif Yaqoob, Najeebullah Zadran, Max Bryant, Mehran Mumtaz and Sufyan Moqim (Brand Ambassador) (all silver), Ali Raza and Maaz Sadaqat (both Emerging)
Supplementary – Ahmed Daniyal and Alzarri Joseph
Quetta Gladiators: Faheem Ashraf, Finn Allen and Mark Chapman (Platinum), Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir (mentor) and Rilee Rossouw (all Diamond), Akeal Hosein, Saud Shakeel (Brand Ambassador) and Mohammad Wasim Jr. (all Gold), Haseebullah Khan, Khawaja Muhammad Nafay, Kyle Jamieson, Khurram Shahzad and Usman Tariq (all Silver), Mohammad Zeeshan and Hasan Nawaz (both Emerging)
Supplementary – Danish Aziz, Kusal Mendis, Sean Abbott and Shoaib Malik
Karachi Kings: Adam Milne, David Warner and Mohammad Abbas Afridi (all Platinum), Hasan Ali and James Vince, Khushdil Shah (all Diamond), Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Shan Masood (all Gold), Arafat Minhas (Brand Ambassador), Litton Das, Mir Hamza, Tim Seifert and Zahid Mehmood (all Silver), Fawad Ali and Riazullah (Emerging)
Supplementary – Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, Omair Bin Yousuf, Mirza Mamoon
Lahore Qalandars: Daryl Mitchell, Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi (all Platinum), Haris Rauf (Brand Ambassador), Kusal Perera and Sikandar Raza (all Diamond), Abdullah Shafique, Jahandad Khan and Zaman Khan (all Gold), Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, David Wiese, Muhammad Akhlaq and Rishad Hossain (all Silver), Mohammad Azab and Momin Qamar (both Emerging)
Supplementary – Mohammad Naeem, Sam Billings, Salman Ali Mirza and Tom Curran
Dubai Basketball completes season sweep over defending ABA Champions Crvena Zvezda
- First time in three years that Crvena Zvezda has fallen to the same team both home and away in the same season
- Nate Mason took Man-of-the-Match honours with an exceptional 23-points, nine assists, and one steal
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball silenced Crvena Zvezda’s passionate fans on Sunday night in Belgrade, Serbia with a season-best performance to secure a defining sweep of the reigning ABA League Champions with a brilliant 107-92 win on the road. This marks the first time in three years that Crvena Zvezda has fallen to the same team both home and away in the same season.
Dubai went into the highly anticipated Roud-16 game in Belgrade looking to bounce back from a tough defeat last week, and rose to the challenge with a near-perfect performance, handing Crvena Zvezda their first loss at home this season, ending their 12-game winning streak. The win takes Dubai’s record to 12-4 for, firmly in the race for top spot.
On a night full of incredible individual performances, Nate Mason took Man-of-the-Match honours with an exceptional 23-points, nine assists, and one steal. The American’s shooting was immaculate throughout — finishing with an astonishing 100% success rate: 3/3 on two-pointers, 5/5 from three-point range, and 2/2 from the free throw line.
It was a complete performance by Dubai Basketball, with the home team having no answers to their constant attack. After holding a two-point advantage in the opening quarter (26-24), Dubai went into half-time with a 50-45 lead. With all to play for, the visitors were relentless in the third quarter, extending their advantage to 12 points at 78-64.
In the deciding quarter, Crvena Zvezda managed to reduce the gap to 10 points — before Danilo Andusic’s clutch 3-pointer all but deflated their rally efforts. Dubai maintained their composure, scoring four points in a row once again, to secure a double-digit lead at 97:86. A free-throw from JaCorey Williams saw Dubai cross the 100-point mark as his team secured a convincing win.
Dubai Basketball head coach, Jurica Golemac, praised his players for their team performance, where they were 23/35 (65.7%) from 2-point territory and 13/22 (59.1) from beyond the arc. The final result has Dubai sitting fourth in the standings, two points behind league leader, Partizan Mozzart.
Coach Golemac said: “Congratulations to my players on playing a very good match smartly. We knew that Crvena Zvezda had a big victory in the EuroLeague two days ago and did not have much time to prepare for us. We could see that their energy was not as usual. I said at the beginning that we have a good team and we were euphoric tonight.”
After two games on the road, Dubai Basketball will return to Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday 19th January against Cedevita Olimpija with tickets still available from just AED 75.
To purchase yours, please click here.
Nortje back in South Africa squad for Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy
- 31-year-old Anrich Nortje has not played in a 50-over match since September 2023 when he suffered a stress fracture
- South Africa will also play a triangular tournament in Pakistan against the hosts and New Zealand ahead of Champions Trophy
JOHANNESBURG: Fast bowler Anrich Nortje was on Monday named in South Africa’s 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy one-day international tournament in Pakistan next month.
Nortje, 31, has not played in a 50-over match since September 2023 when he suffered a stress fracture.
He came back to be South Africa’s most successful bowler in the T20 World Cup last June but has not played an international match since the final against India in Barbados.
He turned down a Cricket South Africa contract in order to play T20 franchise cricket.
Nortje had been due to play in white-ball matches against Pakistan last month but suffered a broken right toe while batting in the nets.
Coach Rob Walter said he was confident Nortje would be in peak physical condition for the Champions Trophy.
“He was at our camp in Pretoria bowling really quickly,” said Walter.
“He was super-fit and super-energised to be playing for South Africa again and it was just one of those unfortunate circumstances. Anrich is the ultimate professional, he looks after himself and takes care of his conditioning. I’ve got no doubt he’ll be good to go.”
Fellow fast bowler Lungi Ngidi will also return after recovering from the groin injury which kept him out of South Africa’s home international season.
Ten of the squad played in the Cricket World Cup in India in 2023, where Walter said the team had “played exceptional cricket” to reach the semifinals.
While South Africa’s quest for a major trophy continues, Walter said a core group of players would benefit from reaching the semifinals and final of their last two International Cricket Council events.
“They know what it feels like to be in the cauldron,” he said.
South Africa will play in a triangular tournament in Pakistan against the hosts and New Zealand ahead of the Champions Trophy but are likely to have to select some different players because of a clash with the closing stages of the SA20 franchise tournament.
South African squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton (wkt), Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen.
South African Group B fixtures:
February 21, Afghanistan in Karachi.
February 25, Australia in Rawalpindi.
March 1, England in Karachi.
