MULTAN: Babar Azam was on top of the world two years ago — Pakistan captain and top-rated batsman in all three formats — but he will celebrate his 30th birthday at home on Tuesday when the second Test against England begins in Multan.
Pakistan on Sunday left out Azam from the second Test squad after a poor run of form where he has failed to pass fifty in his last 18 Test innings.
It is the first time Azam has been dropped from the Pakistan team since his white-ball debut against Zimbabwe in Lahore in 2015 and Test baptism against the West Indies a year later.
Azam shot to prominence with three successive hundreds in an ODI series against the West Indies in 2016.
He replaced India great Virat Kohli as world number one ODI batsman five years later, a place he still occupies having been briefly deposed in between.
He is still ranked fourth among Twenty20 batsmen but it is the long format where his form has suffered the most and his slump has seen him fall outside the world’s top 10.
A 13-year-old Azam was a ball boy in Pakistan’s Test against South Africa in Lahore in 2007, where he could watch his childhood idol AB de Villiers.
From the streets of Lahore he rose to play in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, topping the batting charts for Pakistan with 298 runs in six games.
Two years in at the U19 World Cup in Australia he was captain and again leading run-scorer, with 287.
In 2015 he was picked for the senior side and after thrilling in the white-ball game developed into a modern-day great in all three formats, often drawing comparison with Kohli.
His opening partnership with Mohammad Rizwan in Twenty20s has realized 3,268 runs in 70 innings — the most by a pair in the format.
He anchored Pakistan’s only T20 World Cup win over arch-rivals India in 2021 in Dubai.
He hit an epic 196 against the famed Australian pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon to draw a Test in Karachi in 2022 — hailed as one of the greatest innings in Pakistan.
But the pressure of captaining a struggling Pakistan took its toll and began to affect Azam’s form with the bat.
Following Pakistan’s first round exit from the 50-over World Cup in India last November, where his side lost to Afghanistan for the first time, Azam stepped down from the captaincy in all three formats.
When the Pakistan Cricket Board hierarchy changed in April this year he was reinstated as white-ball skipper.
But it proved to be a short-lived tenure as Pakistan lost a T20 to Ireland before crashing out of the T20 World Cup in June after being stunned by the USA and losing to India.
He resigned as white ball captain for a second time earlier this month.
But it was in Tests where his form deserted him the most and a poor run in the series defeat against Bangladesh last month saw him score just 64 in four innings.
His 30 and five on a faultless Multan batting wicket in the first Test defeat against England, coupled with the formation of a new selection panel straight after, saw him left out for the second Test despite a vote of confidence from captain Shan Masood and his coach Jason Gillespie
He was seen in an emotional discussion with Gillespie on Sunday at Multan stadium before leaving the squad for the journey home to Lahore.
The break from cricket will give a tired Azam time to rest, reflect and recuperate, after two years of mental, emotional and physical toil on the front line of a struggling side.
“We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players, especially Azam, regain their confidence,” said selector Aaqib Javed.
Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
https://arab.news/z7d5y
Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
- Pakistan on Sunday left out Azam from the second England Test squad after he failed to pass 50 in his last 18 Test innings
- It is the first time Azam has been dropped from the Pakistan team since his white-ball debut against Zimbabwe in Lahore in 2015
Sinner beats Fritz to win ATP Finals and add another big title with his doping case still pending
- Sinner won his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open in 2024 and had already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking
TURIN, Italy: Top-ranked Jannik Sinner added another big title to his tremendous year, beating US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday for the ATP Finals trophy before his home fans — and before a final verdict is reached in his doping case.
Sinner won his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open in 2024 and had already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking.
“It’s the first title in Italy and it means so much to me,” said Sinner, who also won the Next Gen ATP Finals — an event for the top under-20 players — in Milan in 2019. “It’s something very, very, very special.”
Sinner, however, has off-court issues after he tested positive in two separate drug tests in March. A decision to clear him of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September. A final ruling is expected from the Court of Arbitration for Sport early next year.
Sinner’s explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger.
Sinner maintained his recent mastery over Fritz, having also beaten the American in the US Open final in September and in the group stage this week at the elite event for the year’s top eight players.
By sweeping all five of his matches en route to the trophy, Sinner earned $4.8 million — the largest winner’s prize on the men’s tour.
Sinner became the first Italian to win the finals and he went one step further than last year, when he lost the championship match to Novak Djokovic, who withdrew this time. And he did so without dropping a set – which was last accomplished by Ivan Lendl in 1986.
“I just tried to understand whatever works best for each opponent,” Sinner said. “It was a very high-level tournament from my side. At times, I couldn’t play better.”
The crowd inside Inalpi Arena included multiple clusters of fans wearing orange — a tribute to Sinner’s red- and orange-colored hair, and how he once ate carrots during a match. There were orange carrot costumes, orange wigs, orange hats, jackets and plenty of other orange items, too.
Some fans even had carrots in their mouths.
The crowd broke into its customary chant of “Ole, Ole, Ole; Sin-ner, Sin-ner” when Sinner produced a drop-shot winner to break for a 4-3 lead in the first set.
Sinner faced a break point while serving for the first set but saved it with a big serve out wide that Fritz couldn’t return. Then he served an ace — his 10th of the set — to close it out.
Another break by Sinner early in the second and the match was virtually over.
Sinner extended his winning streak to 11 matches. He’s won 26 of his last 27 matches and ends the ATP season with eight titles and an overall record of 70-6.
Fritz was attempting to become the event’s first American champion since Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in the title match 25 years ago.
Still, Fritz will rise to a career-high No. 4 in the rankings on Monday after beating No. 2 Alexander Zverev in a third-set tiebreaker in the semifinals on Saturday. That will make him the highest-ranked American man since Andy Roddick was No. 4 in August 2007.
It’s the latest in a series of achievements for Fritz, whose run in New York made him the first American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.
At the start of the week, Fritz told The Associated Press that his “career has always been a very steady progression and just improving a little bit each year.”
Both Sinner and Fritz will conclude their seasons representing defending champion Italy and the United States, respectively, in the Davis Cup finals, which start Tuesday in Malaga, Spain.
The German duo of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz beat Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) to win the doubles title.
Casa Riyadh win Silver Cup polo championship
- Polo teams show ‘good technical performance and strong competition’ in first championship of the season
RIYADH: Casa Riyadh won the Silver Cup polo tournament after beating the Tuwaiq Team 5-4 in the final match at the Nova Equestrian Resort field, west of the capital Riyadh.
On Saturday, Casa Riyadh’s captain, Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Salman, accepted the championship trophy from Amr Zidane, the president of the Saudi Polo Federation. Ibrahim Al-Harbi, Salman bin Haif and Mohammed Nafeed won golden medals alongside Prince Salman.
Zidane said that the third edition of the Silver Cup was the first championship of the polo season in Saudi Arabia and that teams delivered a “good technical performance and strong competition” in the latest tournament.
The Tamam team of Hashem Al-Alawi, Abdulmohsen Al-Hokair, Faisal Abunyan, and the Argentine Marcelo Antonio came second, while Tuwaiq players Khaled bin Muammar, Mudhar Al-Zoubi, Asif Shah and Britain’s George Amor secured third place.
The Silver Cup is played using a points system. In the event of a tie, the team with the most goals wins.
Zidane said that there are six local competitions in the current polo season that “will enhance the technical performance and readiness” for the Saudi national polo team’s international competition.
Rory McIlroy ends his year with another win in Dubai and a 6th title as Europe’s best
- He birdied two of the last three holes Sunday for a 3-under 69 to win by two over Rasmus Hojgaard
DUBAI: Rory McIlroy capped off a tumultuous year by winning the World Tour Championship and his sixth title as Europe’s No. 1 player. He birdied two of the last three holes Sunday for a 3-under 69 to win by two over Rasmus Hojgaard.
McIlroy hit wedge to within a foot on the 16th hole to break out of a tie with Hojgaard, then closed with a 6-foot birdie for his third title in the European tour’s season finale.
He won the Race to Dubai — previously known as the Order of Merit — for the sixth time in his career, leaving him two behind the record held by Colin Montgomerie and tying him with the late Seve Ballesteros.
Hojgaard, who rallied to stun McIlroy in the Irish Open in September, didn’t make a birdie over the final 11 holes and had to settle for a 71.
McIlroy was emotional when he came off the 18th green, his final event of a year memorable for so many reasons. He won four times — twice on the PGA Tour — but went a 10th consecutive year without a major when he threw away a late lead in the US Open.
He announced he was getting a divorce before the PGA Championship, and then scrapped those plans and said he and his wife would try to reconcile.
“I’ve been through a lot this year, professionally and personally,” McIlroy said. “It feels like the fitting end to 2024. I’ve persevered this year a lot.”
‘Bright is an understatement’ says Golf Saudi CEO about the sport’s future in the Kingdom
- Noah Alireza speaks to Arab News about the Aramco Team Series, the GoGolf programs and producing homegrown talent
On a weekend that included the start of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, WWE Crown Jewel, as well as the Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam derbies in the Saudi Pro League, you could be forgiven for thinking there was any space left for any other sporting event to shine.
But golf’s Aramco Team Series — Riyadh, however, more than held its own and even drew in higher crowds than some of the rival events. The aim, said Golf Saudi CEO Noah Alireza, is to spread the golfing gospel.
“Our focus on global events comes with a primary objective of growing the game locally,” Alireza said. “(At Aramco Team Series) we (saw) a really vibrant crowd thatwas really getting into it.
“It’s all about creating the right environment and with this crowd being here as a captive audience, we, as much as possible, push towards them signing up for GoGolf, the program, and converting them into future golfers.”
As the 2024 golf season draws to a close, Alireza said that his federation’s mandate is to act as an “catalyst and incubator” to create a golf industry.
“For us in Saudi, we have a blank canvas,” Alireza told Arab News. “We’re starting from scratch, and that provides an opportunity not to catch up, but hopefully to leapfrog because as is everything (in the Kingdom) today, Saudi doesn’t look at things in terms of just taking what was there and bringing it here. It’s taking and learning from what was, and doing it better.
“So for us to grow the game in Saudi Arabia, our primary focus today is on the development of innovative supply and infrastructure, and hopefully when we build it, the demand will catch up and that’s how we're going to hopefully be creating a viable ecosystem for golf.”
One of the ways that Golf Saudi is looking to increase participation in the game, in accordance with Vision 2030, is through its GoGolf programs.
“GoGulf is for us a complete product from end to end to get people from Saudi and living in Saudi Arabia to get into Golf. So we’re starting with a program that answers the question why golf? What is golf? And then a call to action is GoGolf. GoGolf is a three-month (program), maybe you can look at it as getting a license to drive.”
Alireza appreciates that taking up golf comes with a significant sporting and financial dedication, and GoGolf aims to give budding players an early advantage.
“Golf is not an easy game to play. In order to break that barrier, three months’ worth of free lessons, or a package of 12 free lessons, will get you the license to be able to play on golf courses and other areas. So it’s a teaching methodology, but beyond the teaching phase, there is other infrastructure under the GoGolf brand that we will be deploying in addition to other things we’ve launched outside golf courses, like Top Golf — a project that’s going to be taking place over the next year and a half.”
Alireza has a message for parents looking to introduce their children to new sports and activities: “The choices are plenty to get kids into sports, and all sports will teach kids certain traits,” he said. “Whether it is discipline, motivation and so many other traits.
“Growing up around golf, I had the opportunity to see it first hand, and golf is slightly different from other sports in that it takes up so much time and you’re moving an object, you’re not reacting to a ball, you’re having to impart impact on to a ball and a lot of time in between there are so many things that you have to exercise. Patience, resilience, determination, the seeking of perfection and getting better every day, and I believe those traits are really good traits to start to ingrain into kids, and hopefully one day from that some of the kids will specialize in golf and create those future champions that we’re looking to create.”
Alireza is bullish about golf’s trajectory in the Kingdom over the coming years.
“Bright is an understatement,” he said. “With the incredible support that we’re seeing in Saudi Arabia today across all the sectors, we have an incredible opportunity to bring the world of golf here to co-innovate with us on creating a platform that defines what future golf will be in terms of the infrastructure, golf courses, practice facilities and beyond.”
While there are several Saudi golfers already making moves in the professional game, Alireza’s aim is to see a whole generation of golfers emerging from the Kingdom over the next decade.
“I think it's important that we focus on building that generation for two important reasons,” he said. “No.1 is that creating champions is an element that we’ve seen as a story throughout history that helps generate future generations of champions.
“So when Saudi beat Argentina in the World Cup, that was a generational moment that not only created future football stars but athletes in general,” Alireza said. “Everyone could now believe if somebody that I know of that is from my city, my country can do it, then so can I. And that element, that barrier, as a threshold is extremely important. So for us, the focus on creating those champions is really important because then it goes to the second reason.”
“The second reason is that that tipping point, when that champion is created, inshallah, and our goal is to have that happen within the next five to 10 years, is that it creates a whole new generation of golfers that sustains the golf economy that we’re seeking to create.”
Brazil crowned champions at NEOM Beach International Cup
- Spain defeated Germany 2-1, while Japan won 8-2 against England to finish fifth
NEOM: Brazil were crowned NEOM Beach Soccer Cup champions for the third time in a row at Gayal Beach after a 6-1 win over the UAE in the final on Saturday night.
The Samba Boys dominated the first period, scoring four goals and the one-sided affair continued in the second period, with the UAE struggling to find their footing.
The defending champions’ relentless pressure paid off in the third period, as they extended their lead to 6-0 with a late consolation goal for the UAE.
In the match to decide third and fourth places, Spain defeated Germany 2-1, while Japan won 8-2 against England to finish fifth.
Saudi Arabia grabbed sixth after beating China 5-3.
In the women’s competition, Spain were crowned 2024 NEOM Beach Soccer Cup champions after a 5-1 win against Brazil.
