21-09-2022

WEdNEsdAy, sEpTEMBEr 21, 2022
9
Bangladesh beat
Scotland by six
wickets in World
T20 qualifiers
sporTs dEsk
Bangladesh women's cricket
team defeated Scotland by six
wickets during their second
match of the World Cup
qualifiers at Zayed Stadium in
Abu Dhabi on Monday,
reports UNB.
Scotland were bowled out
for just 77 runs 19.3 overs as
Bangladesh bowlers bowled
with tight line, length and
accuracy.
Shohely Akhter was
particularly magnificent with
the ball as she took four
wickets conceding just seven
runs from her four overs with
one maiden.
Other bowlers also gave
good support as Nahida
Akhter took two wickets while
Salma Khatun and Sanjida
Akter Meghla took one wicket
each.
In reply, Bangladesh lost
the wicket of opener Shamima
Sultana early but skipper
Nigar Sultana played a
sensible innings of 34 off 43
deliveries to guide the team
closer to victory.
In the end Bangladesh
reached their target from 13
overs losing four wickets.
Bangladesh also beat
Ireland by 14 runs in their first
game and they will play their
third match of the group stage
against USA on Wednesday
before the play offs.
Eight teams are battling for
the two remaining places in
the next World Cup.
Bangladesh are in Group A
along with Ireland, Scotland
and the United States. And in
Group B consists of Papua
New Guinea, Thailand, UAE
and Zimbabwe.
The top two teams will seal
their berth in the main event,
which will be played in South
Africa in February and March
2023.
kylian Mbappe "decided not to take part in the photo session scheduled" with
France's national football team after the French Federation's refusal to "modify
the agreement" for the players' personality rights, he said. photo: Ap
Exclusive beach-front entertainment festival
unveiled for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
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Football fans traveling to the FIFA World
Cup Qatar 2022 will be able to experience all
the tournament's action from an exclusive
beachfront setting, after Qatar-based
UVentures and Qetaifan Projects announced
a partnership to establish an entertainment
area in Qetaifan Island North, in the new city
of Lusail in the north of Doha, for the monthlong
football event reports UNB.
Operated jointly by Madaeen Al Doha
Group in strategic partnership with Fusion
Hospitality and Exhibitions, the purposebuilt
Qetai-Fan Beach Fest powered by Unit-
Y will operate from early morning until latenight
hours during the entirety of the
tournament, allowing guests to enjoy a
variety of hospitality services, activities, food
and beverage offerings, retail outlets and live
music performances.
"We are thrilled to put our vision into
action ahead of the most eagerly awaited
event in the world. Qetai-Fan Beach Fest
powered by Unit-Y is a first-of-its-kind
entertainment concept that is meant to take
the fan experience to a different level in
Qatar," said Sheikh Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-
Thani, head of business development at
Qetaifan Projects.
"With the support of our partners and
supporting stakeholders as well as the
relentless efforts of our team, we will be
bringing a holistic and historical
entertainment experience to life, where all
fans from all walks of life can gather to create
memories and exchange cultures through
the universal language that music provides,"
he added.
The festival will be a unique entertainment
area in Qatar, with direct beach access and a
license to operate catered music events
designed to offer experiences merging local,
regional and international cultures.
As part of the entertainment, resident
musicians and artists will perform alongside
concerts and special performances by worldrenowned
and rising artists.
Nations League games offer last
chance to prepare for World Cup
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A hectic schedule of club
football ahead of the World Cup
is interrupted this week as
national teams get a last chance
to finetune their preparations
before traveling to Qatar for the
start of the tournament on Nov.
20, reports UNB.
Holding the World Cup in the
middle of the European season
is having major consequences
for clubs but also for coaches of
national teams. While domestic
competitions bear the brunt of
the upheaval to the calendar as
they are forced to halt a week
before the opening game in
Qatar, that also means there
will be next to no time for
squads to work together before
beginning their World Cup
campaigns.
Extra importance is therefore
placed on events over the next
week, as European sides
complete the UEFA Nations
League group stage while other
contenders play friendly
matches, including back-toback
games for Brazil on
French soil against Ghana and
Tunisia.
Reigning world champions
France are preparing to defend
the crown they won in Russia in
2018 while simultaneously
trying to avoid being relegated
from the top tier of the Nations
League.
Les Bleus, who won the
Nations League last year, host
Austria on Thursday and visit
Denmark on Sunday needing to
win both games to be sure of
remaining in League A.
But France coach Didier
Deschamps has numerous
issues, not least injuries to key
players including Paul Pogba -
he is recovering from a knee
operation which has left him
facing a race against time to be
fit for Qatar.
"He will do everything to try
to be fit as quickly as possible,
despite the lack of time,"
Deschamps told broadcaster
TF1 on Sunday.
It is also too early to say if a
dispute between Kylian
Mbappe and the French
Football Federation over image
rights could impact squad
morale, with the Paris Saint-
Germain star refusing to take
part in a photo shoot on
Monday.
France's latest squad features
several new faces who are
hoping to seize their chance to
impress before final lists must
be submitted to FIFA by Nov.
13.
England manager Gareth
Southgate has handed an
opportunity to Brentford
forward Ivan Toney as the Euro
2020 runners-up play Italy and
Germany in Nations League A3.
Like France, England
suffered a series of poor results
Notable UEFA Nations League matches
this week (kick-offs 1845 GMT)
ThUrsdAy
Group A1
France v Austria
Croatia v Denmark
Group A4
Belgium v Wales
Poland v Netherlands
FridAy
Group A3
Germany v Hungary
Italy v England
sATUrdAy
Group A2
Spain v Switzerland
Czech Republic v Portugal
Group B4
Serbia v Sweden
sUNdAy
Group A1
Austria v Croatia
Denmark v France
Group A4
Netherlands v Belgium
Wales v Poland
MoNdAy, Sept. 26
Group A3
England v Germany
Hungary v Italy
TUEsdAy, Sept. 27
Group A2
Switzerland v Czech
Republic
Portugal v Spain
Group B4
Norway v Serbia
in June and so realistically need
to win both of these games to
avoid relegation to League B.
But Southgate will run the
rule over an expanded 28-man
squad with Qatar in mind.
"Part of the rationale is that
we are very close to a World
Cup and we feel, although our
results were disappointing in
the summer, we have picked on
the basis of form and capability
over a long period," Southgate
said last week.
Spain and Cristiano
Ronaldo's Portugal will warm
up for the World Cup by
meeting in Braga on Sept. 27 in
a game that could decide which
of the Iberian neighbors
advances to the Nations League
finals next June.
Meanwhile, fresh from
signing a new four-year deal,
Wales manager Robert Page
has named Los Angeles FC's
Gareth Bale in his squad for
games against Belgium and
Poland.
Wales look set to be relegated
from their Nations League
group too, but that is not
something that will concern
them too much before they
return to the World Cup stage
for the first time since 1958.
France's head coach didier deschamps, center, attends a training session
of the French national soccer team at Clairefontaine training center, south
of paris.
photo: Ap
Mbappe in image
rights fight with
France ahead of
World Cup
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A dispute between Kylian
Mbappe and the French
soccer federation over the
use of image rights
resurfaced Monday as the
team prepared for
Nations League matches.,
reports UNB.
The months-long
disagreement and an
ongoing extortion scandal
involving Paul Pogba are
threatening to disrupt
France's preparations for the
World Cup in Qatar.
French media quoting an
Mbappe statement to
France's national news
agency reported that the
Paris Saint-Germain star
will refuse to participate in a
photo session Tuesday with
his teammates because the
federation has not amended
the collective agreement
governing rights for the
French team ahead of the
World Cup.
Mbappe's lawyer could not
be reached for comment.
The current agreement
that dates back to 2010
requires players to
participate in marketing
operations with the team's
sponsors. In return, players
receive €25,000
($25,000) for every
international match they
play.
But Mbappe and his
advisers argue that the deal
is unfair because images of
some high-profile players
are used more often than
others. They also want the
right to review the brands
with which players are
associated.
Mbappe boycotted a
marketing event for the
federation in March.
France play Austria on
Thursday and travel to
Copenhagen three days later
to take on Denmark. Les
Bleus face relegation to the
second tier of the Nations
League. The defending
champions are in last place
in Group 1 with two points
from four games. Denmark
lead with nine.
Black Caps tweak
2021 squad for
T20 World Cup
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New Zealand have named a
largely settled 15-man party
for the Twenty20 World Cup
in Australia with Finn Allen
and Michael Bracewell the
only players who did not
feature in the squad that
made the final in 2021,
reports UNB.
Martin Guptill will play in
his seventh T20 World Cup
and Devon Conway will keep
wickets in addition to his
batting duties at the
tournament, which starts for
the Black Caps with a re-run
of last year's final against
Australia in Sydney on Oct.
22.
Seamer Adam Milne, who
was an injury replacement
for Lockie Ferguson at last
year's tournament in the
United Arab Emirates, was
retained in the absence of
Kyle Jamieson, who has a
back problem.
Hard-hitting batsman
Allen and all-rounder
Bracewell are the numeric
replacements for leg spinner
Todd Astle and
wicketkeeper Tim Seifert,
who both missed out.
"It's great to have this
tournament so soon after
last year's event in which we
played some really good
cricket, but couldn't quite
get over the line at the end,"
said coach Gary Stead.
"With the nucleus of that
squad retained along with
the exciting additions of
Finn and Michael, we should
go into the tournament with
plenty of optimism."
New Zealand also face
Afghanistan, England and
two as yet undetermined
qualifiers from the opening
stage of the tournament in
Group 1 of the Super 12.
Everything stacked in
US favor at another
Presidents Cup
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The last Presidents Cup was so close the
International team walked away with
renewed hope that it had enough game and
enough fight to conquer the mighty
Americans, reports UNB.
That now seems so long ago.
Sure, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the
Presidents Cup back a year.
"That's something that we've been looking
forward to for the last three years," said
British Open champion Cameron Smith, and
then 20 days later he was officially
announced as defecting to the rival league.
Joaquin Niemann of Chile and Marc
Leishman of Australia also took the cash to
sign with LIV Golf just two days before the
12-man International team was to be filled
out. Louis Oosthuizen, so good in the
Presidents Cup he had a winning record
while never playing on a winning team, was
among the first to go back in June.
US captain Davis Love III was asked if he
felt bad for Trevor Immelman, who was
chosen International captain long before LIV
was anything more than a Roman numeral.
"I feel bad for the game of golf right now
that this is the story going in," Love said. "I
feel bad for all of us, really. But Trevor has a
job to do, and that's to take 12 guys in there
ready to play, and he's going to be focused on
that."
The 14th edition of the matches between
Americans and an International team
composed of players from outside Europe
starts Thursday at Quail Hollow Club, and it
looks to be as one-sided as the record
suggests.
The Americans have lost only once, in 1998
at Royal Melbourne in Australia, matches
that ended 12 days before Christmas. There
was a tie in South Africa and then eight
consecutive US celebrations.
The US are not quite a year removed from
giving Europe their worst beating ever in the
Ryder Cup, 19-9 at Whistling Straits, with a
young and hungry team.
The Americans were not immune to the
defections - Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka
and Bryson DeChambeau were on that
Ryder Cup team - though there was no
certainty they would have made this team.
And the state of American golf is such that
replacements are easily found. All 12 players
are among the top 25 in the world ranking.
The International team counters with only
three players from the top 25 - former
Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama,
Sungjae Im and Tom Kim, the 20-year-old
South Korean who wasn't even a
consideration until he won the Wyndham
Championship six weeks ago.
Immelman brings eight Presidents Cup
rookies to Quail Hollow. Only three players
on his team have won tournaments this year.
Only two - Matsuyama and Adam Scott -
have won majors.
Love's team has only three players who
haven't won this year. That includes twotime
major champion Collin Morikawa and
Cameron Young, the PGA Tour rookie who
has been a runner-up five times and twice
came within one shot of a chance to win a
major.
Now think back to Melbourne in 2019, a
Presidents Cup that was going the
International team's way until a US rally on
the final day and a 16-14 victory. Ernie Els
was the captain who gave his side a new logo,
a new identity and a fighting spirit.
Els said of his team when it was over, "If
you look at their record and where these guys
are at the moment, they are going places, I
can tell you that."
The Americans have five Presidents Cup
rookies, though two of them (Morikawa and
Scottie Scheffler) played in the Ryder Cup,
and two others (Sam Burns and Max Homa)
have collected three PGA Tour victories in
the last 12 months.
It's one-sided on paper. It's a one-sided
history. If there is pressure on the
Americans, it's about not being the team that
finally loses.
Immelman doesn't hide the
disappointment at not having Oosthuizen
and Smith and Niemann and those who were
looked upon as being big contributors.
Justin Thomas of the Us Team plays a shot as caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay,
Assistant Captain Zach Johnson of the Us Team, and Mike Thomas look on
prior to the 2022 presidents Cup at Quail hollow Country Club. photo: Ap
US keeper Turner
unfazed by lack of
Arsenal game time
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Matt Turner said yesterday
he is unfazed by a lack of
minutes for Arsenal as he
bids to establish himself as
the US' first-choice
goalkeeper for the World
Cup, reports UNB.
Turner, 28, who started
eight of the USA's 14 World
Cup qualifiers, joined the
Gunners in June on a longterm
deal from the New
England Revolution after
being named Major League
Soccer's goalkeeper of the
year in 2021.
However Turner has failed
to dislodge first-choice
goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale
since moving to London, and
has not featured in any of the
Gunners' seven Premier
League fixtures to date.
Turner, though, does not
believe a lack of minutes will
hamper his match sharpness
as the USA prepare for
friendlies against Japan and
Saudi Arabia - the team's
final games before heading
to the World Cup in Qatar.
"The situation depends on
how you approach training,"
Turner told reporters on a
video conference call.
"I'd say if you're in
(training) just to stroll about,
and you don't think that you
can change your situation,
no matter what you do then
you'll lose a lot of that
sharpness.
"I don't know how much
you know about me or my
story, but that's not really the
kind of way that I operate.
"Every single day I go to
training, I'm going to try to
get better to try to learn and
improve, and try to get
myself onto the field."
Turner is one of three
goalkeepers included in the
US squad for Friday's game
against Japan in
Duesseldorf, Germany and
next Tuesday's friendly
against Saudi Arabia in
Murcia, Spain.
Luton Town's Ethan
Horvath and New York City
FC's Sean Johnson complete
the trio. Manchester City's
injured Zack Steffen, on loan
at Middlesbrough, is
expected to return to the
squad for the World Cup.
Turner meanwhile paid
tribute to the work of Arsenal
manager Mikel Arteta, who
has guided the Gunners to
the top of the Premier
League table after seven
games.
"He's just a great person to
be around," Turner said,
recalling an incident in one
of his first sessions at Arsenal
where the manager had
remonstrated with him.
"I gave a ball away, and I
sort of showed that I was
frustrated and upset,"
Turner said.
"And he just came up to
me and shoved me and
basically was like 'I don't
want to see that, I don't like
that reaction. I want to see
you pick yourself up and
keep going.'
"I think that really set the
tone for my mentality within
the club, and just to keep
going, no matter what.
"If you fail that's all right.
What matters is how you
react not about the failure in
itself."