Rejuvenated Amir back for ‘unfinished work’ at T20 World Cup

Pakistan's Mohammad Amir takes part in a practice session at the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore on May 4, 2024. (AFP/File)
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Updated 07 May 2024
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Rejuvenated Amir back for ‘unfinished work’ at T20 World Cup

  • Amir was selected at the age of 15 by none other than great left-armer Wasim Akram at a fast-bowling camp
  • He says his short-term goal is to win World Cup, adds it’s hard to describe the feeling of playing for Pakistan

KARACHI: Rejuvenated fast bowler Mohammad Amir said he has “unfinished work” at next month’s T20 World Cup, 15 years after dazzling as a teenager when Pakistan last lifted the trophy.

The 32-year-old, who was jailed for spot-fixing in 2011, came out of retirement last month and is grateful to have another crack at the World Cup.

“It’s a great feeling to be playing for Pakistan again,” Amir told AFP by phone from Lahore this week ahead of the tournament in the United States and the West Indies beginning on June 2.

“I want to complete the unfinished work and, for me, the short-term goal is to win the World Cup.”

The young Amir impressed in all formats after breaking into the Pakistan side in 2009 and playing at the T20 World Cup.

Within a year he was one of the hottest young talents in cricket, but his precocious career then crashed to an infamous halt in 2010.

Amir was one of three Pakistan players banned from cricket for five years for spot-fixing during a Test match in England after being caught in a newspaper sting. He was later jailed in the UK for six months.

Pakistan captain Salman Butt, who was deemed the ringleader, and fellow quick bowler Mohammad Asif were also banned and the pair were jailed for 30 and 12 months respectively.

Amir returned after his ban to play for Pakistan in 2016 but announced a shock retirement in December 2020 after poor form kept him from being selected.

He will form a potent pace bowling attack with spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf that sees Pakistan ranked among the World Cup favorites.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board and the team management have shown trust in me so I have to fulfil that trust,” said Amir.

“I have come back after four years and when you play for your country the feeling cannot be described.”

Amir played three of the four T20 home matches against New Zealand last month, taking three wickets in a 2-2 drawn series, and said he felt part of the attack again.

“To be honest I felt fitter than in 2019 and until you are fit you cannot express yourself, so I am ready to do better and better,” said Amir.

He will be in action when Pakistan travel to Ireland for three T20s in Dublin on May 10, 12 and 14.

Pakistan then move to England to play the defending T20 world champions in Leeds (May 22), Birmingham (May 25), Cardiff (May 28) and London (May 30).

Brought up in Changa Bangial village in Punjab province, some 60 kilometers from the capital Islamabad, Amir was determined to make his name in cricket after his five older brothers introduced him to playing.

He was picked out at the age of 15 by none other than great left-armer Wasim Akram at a fast-bowling camp and within two years grew in height and overcame a stress fracture of the back.

Amir said now he only wanted to remember the good events in his career.

“The 2009 Twenty20 World Cup winning memories are special and excite me to this day,” said Amir, who took six wickets in seven matches in the tournament.

They included the prize dismissal of Sri Lanka opener Tillakaratne Dilshan — the player of the tournament — in Pakistan’s eight-wicket final victory.

“I was selected for the first time and then became part of a champion team.

“When I landed (back) at Rawalpindi airport to go to my village there were so many cars and they were showering flowers on me,” he recalled.

“I am lucky that I am still playing. When I came, I was the youngest in the team, so here I am having another chance to win the World Cup and that is the target for me and my team.”


Bahrain game ‘crucial’ for Saudi World Cup qualification hopes, says coach Herve Renard

Updated 30 sec ago
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Bahrain game ‘crucial’ for Saudi World Cup qualification hopes, says coach Herve Renard

  • With 2 games left to play in 3rd round of the qualifiers and the Green Falcons sitting 3rd in Group C, he warns that 6 points are a ‘must’
  • The squad’s final preparations are going well, he adds, with a renewed spirit and clear determination among the players to perform well

MANAMA: Saudi Arabia’s match against Bahrain on Thursday is “crucial” to their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, coach Herve Renard said on Wednesday.
The away game will be followed by a showdown with Australia at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Tuesday, as the third round of the qualifiers draws to a close.
The Saudis are sitting third in the six-team Group C, 10 points behind already qualified Japan and trailing Australia by three. The top two in the group qualify automatically for the finals, while those who finish third and fourth will fight it out with four other teams for the last three spots. At this point no outcome is certain for the Green Falcons, who are just four points ahead of bottom-of-the-group China.
Speaking at the prematch press conference in Manama, Renard said the Saudis must take maximum points from their remaining games.
“We have to win the six points in the next two matches,” the Frenchman said. “Knowing the outcome of the Australia-Japan match (on Thursday) in advance gives us an important psychological boost ahead of the Bahrain match, and it may also determine my final message to the players.”
The squad’s final preparations for the game were going well, he added, with a renewed spirit and clear determination among the players to perform at a level worthy of the team, despite the difficult task ahead.
The position they are in reflects the team’s stumbling start to this phase of the qualifiers, Renard said, but everyone is determined to restore balance to the team and win.


Boisson ‘going for the dream’ at French Open after injury nightmare

Updated 04 June 2025
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Boisson ‘going for the dream’ at French Open after injury nightmare

  • Boisson swept past world number six Mirra Andreeva in a thrilling two-set battle 7-6 (8/6), 6-3
  • The 22-year-old had already eliminated US third seed Jessica Pegula two days ago

PARIS: Lois Boisson has “resilience” tattooed above her right elbow and the 361st-ranked Frenchwoman demonstrated she had plenty as she stormed into semifinals of the French Open on Wednesday.

Boisson swept past world number six Mirra Andreeva in a thrilling two-set battle 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 in just over two hours on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The 22-year-old had already eliminated US third seed Jessica Pegula two days ago.


A wildcard entry, Boisson is making her Grand Slam debut in Paris after seriously injuring her left knee a week before Roland Garros 12 months ago.

On Wednesday, the French national anthem rang out in the crowd as Boisson and 18-year-old Andreeva warmed up.

“It gave me the chill, I have to say,” said Boisson. “But it was extraordinary to have the crowd supporting me so much.

“Even though sometimes it’s a bit raucous and there is a lot of noise between two points.”

Boisson had trailed 3-1 and 5-3 in the first set but saved set points to turn the match in her favor.

She kept her cool as last year’s semifinalist Andreeva unraveled from a 3-0 lead in the second set to win the last six games.

A frustrated Andreeva received a warning from the umpire for blasting the ball into the crowd. She was then booed when she argued with the umpire over a line call.

“Obviously I expected it,” said the Russian of the partisan home crowd.

“I think that in the first set I managed it pretty well.. but obviously with nerves and with pressure, it became a little harder.”

Andreeva struggled with the pressure, hitting nine double-faults in total, and made 43 unforced errors to Boisson’s 27.

She conceded the final game to love as Boisson wrapped up victory on her first match point.

The player from Dijon advances to meet US world number two Coco Gauff, who battled back from a set down to beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-1.

“For sure I will go for the dream, because my dream is to win it, not to be in the semifinal,” warned Boisson.

“My routine won’t change, it’s been the same since the start of the tournament,” she added of her preparation for Thursday’s semifinal.

Former US Open winner Gauff, 21, said she would just pretend the home crowd was “cheering for me.”

“Just using it and not letting that get to you.”

Boisson becomes the lowest-ranked major semifinalist in the last 40 years.

Winner of the Saint Malo tournament on the secondary circuit in 2024, she was ranked 152nd before her injury.

“(It) was the toughest moment of my life,” said Boisson, who had only won one match on the main circuit before Roland Garros — at the modest WTA 250 event in Rouen on clay in April.

Her earnings this year have been 18,470 euros ($21,100) for a career-total 130,000 euros ($148,000).

Reaching the singles semifinals at Roland Garros will earn her a paycheck of 690,000 euros.

The winner receives 2.55 million euros and the runner-up half that.

“She’s probably a better player than her ranking right now,” said Andreeva.

“I think that if she keeps playing like this, freely and not being scared or afraid... I think everyone can win.

“It’s going to be pretty interesting to watch. I think if maybe she believes in herself enough, maybe she can.”

Boisson is the third player to reach the semifinals in her Grand Slam main-draw debut since 1980, following Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati who also did it at Roland Garros in 1989 and 1990.

She becomes the first French semifinalist at her home Grand Slam event since Marion Bartoli in 2011 — and the first in the Open Era to do it as a wildcard.


Saudi footballer Abdulmalik Al-Jaber shines on European stage

Updated 04 June 2025
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Saudi footballer Abdulmalik Al-Jaber shines on European stage

  • Al-Nassr star’s performances in Bosnia put him at top of list of 9 Saudi players across 7 of Europe’s football leagues
  • Faisal Al-Ghamdi played as key midfielder for Beerschot in Belgium

BEIRUT: Midfielder Abdulmalik Al-Jaber has been a guiding light among Saudi players making their mark in Europe following his impressive spell at Bosnia’s FK Zeljeznicar.

Al-Nassr announced on Monday the capture of 21-year-old Al-Jaber on a four-year contract after his strong season with FK Zeljeznicar where played 33 times, scored three goals and assisted in three more.

Al-Jaber’s performances put him at the top of a list of nine Saudi players who played across seven different European leagues last season.

Faisal Al-Ghamdi, 23, played 29 times for Belgian club Beerschot where he was a key player in midfield, scoring one goal and assisting in the creation of another.

Clubmate and forward Marwan Al-Sahafi also impressed, the 21-year-old scoring six times and making one assist across 28 games.

Mohanad Al-Saad, 21, played for Dunkerque in France and scored four goals in 15 matches — one of them against Paris Saint-Germain in the French Cup semifinal, a proud moment despite the 4-2 defeat.

Saud Abdulhamid, 25, got some valuable minutes with AS Roma in Italy where he played eight matches, scoring once and making one assist. Four of his appearances were in Serie A, the top tier.

Midfielder Mohammed Al-Rashidi, 23, boasted eight appearances for Greece’s Panserraikos and a total of 184 minutes on the pitch.

Three other young players had a taste of European football. Hussain Al-Taha, 19, played three matches for Croatian side Vukovar, while Mishal Haddad, 20, appeared in two games for Vinkovci, also in Croatia. Yazan Madani, 20, played twice as left-back for Albania’s Egnatia.

With more Saudi players heading to Europe, it is clear that the future looks bright for talented footballers from the KIngdom.

These youngsters are gaining experience, growing in confidence, and helping to raise the profile of Saudi football on the international stage.


Middlesbrough sack manager Michael Carrick

Updated 04 June 2025
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Middlesbrough sack manager Michael Carrick

  • The former Manchester United midfielder had been in charge at Boro since October 2022
  • “Middlesbrough Football Club has today parted company with head coach Michael Carrick,” the club said

LONDON: Middlesbrough on Wednesday sacked manager Michael Carrick after the Championship club missed out on a play-off place during the 2024/25 season.

The former Manchester United and England midfielder, who previously had a spell as caretaker boss at Old Trafford, had been in charge at Boro since October 2022.

The 43-year-old guided Middlesbrough to the Championship play-offs in the 2022/23 season but they have missed out on the top six in the past two campaigns.

“Middlesbrough Football Club has today parted company with head coach Michael Carrick,” the club said in a statement.

“Michael’s assistants Jonathan Woodgate and Graeme Carrick have also departed the club.

“We’d like thank Michael, Jonathan, and Graeme for all their hard work and unwavering commitment. We wish them all the very best for the future.”

Middlesbrough won just one of their final six league games to finish 10th in the Championship table, four points off the play-off spots.


Arsenal in talks with Partey over new deal as Jorginho and Sterling depart

Updated 04 June 2025
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Arsenal in talks with Partey over new deal as Jorginho and Sterling depart

  • Partey’s contract is due to expire on June 30
  • The Ghana international has been with Arsenal since 2020

LONDON: Arsenal are in talks with Thomas Partey to extend the midfielder’s contract, the club said Wednesday, while confirming the departure of a slew of other players including Jorginho and Raheem Sterling.

Partey’s contract is due to expire on June 30 and Arsenal said “discussions are on-going.”

The Ghana international has been with Arsenal since 2020.

Italy midfielder Jorginho, Scotland left back Kieran Tierney, Brazilian goalkeeper Neto and Sterling — at one stage a key player for England — are among those confirmed to be leaving Arsenal.

Sterling was only on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

Arsenal have just finished second in the Premier League for the third straight season.