RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

World number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia yesterday rallied from a set down to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili for a place in the semi-finals as Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain stunned three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka on day four of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

Djokovic, the top seed in Doha, was fully tested by Gero-gia’s Basilashvili in their three-set battle on Centre Court before the Serbian wrapped up a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win in 1 hour 53 minutes. It was Djokovic’s second win over Basilashvili.

Earlier, Bautista Agut dis-mantled Wawrinka’s game as he scripted a 6-4, 6-4 win in 1 hour 45 minutes.

Djokovic, who will be one of the favourites at t h i s month’s Aus-

tralian Open, praised his opponent after the draining battle under lights.

“Obviously you have to work hard before you get to such matches. He was playing really well from the beginning,” Djokovic said.

“I expected him to. He is probably playing the best tennis of his life in the last 10 months or so,” the Serbian added.

“He’s definitely one of the greatest hitters in the game. I wish him all the best for the rest of the season,” Djokovic, who won the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in 2016 and 2017, said yesterday.

“I am looking forward to playing with (brother) Marko (in the doubles). The dream con-tinues for both of us,” Djokovic said.

Basilashvili suggested an early warning when he broke

Djokovic in the very first game of the first set and followed it with another break in game five to surge at 4-1. Djokovic reduced the deficit by breaking Basilashvili in the next game but the Georgian tennis star wrapped up the first set at 6-4 in 42 minutes.

In the second set, Djokovic raced to a 4-2 lead thanks to a service break in the second game. A couple of long returns followed by two unforced errors from Basilashvili helped Djokovic to bag the second set at 6-4. Two service breaks - in games one and five - provided Djokovic the energy to wrap up the third set at 6-4 as Basilashvili sent a return long on match point.

Djokovic, who fired 7 aces in his exciting win, celebrated the win by raising both hands and then pumping the left wrist on his chest.

Earlier, Wawrinka, returning to Doha after 11 years, tripped in the very first game of the match when he let go off a 40-0 cushion through reckless tennis as Agut broke the experienced Swiss for an early lead.

Both players retained their serves until the 10th game when Agut, the seventh seed, bagged the set at 6-4.

In the second set, a similar pattern ensued. In the 10th game, Wawrinka despite being 40-love up, failed to break the Spaniard who went to take the set and the match on an ace.

It was Agut’s first win over Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam winner who was not seeded for this event.

Agut sounded thrilled with the outcome of the 1 hour 45-minute match in which Wawrinka fired 7 aces but still came out second best.

“Of course it’s a great win. Stan is a great player. We both played a good match,” Agut said after his two-set victory. “I had to play really good to beat him. I had to keep my concentration

right until the end to beat him,” he added.

“Well, it’s always good for me to stay two months at home before the new season. It is always refreshing to feel that way,” Agut said.

“I get a lot of power. I usually start the season well. I feel good here in the dessert. I really like the conditions here. I look forward to my next match,” Agut said.

Also yesterday, Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic

beat Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets. Serving with purpose, Berdych won 6-2, 6-4 in 71 minutes on the Centre Court. It was the first meeting between the two unseeded players.

Berdych, who got a wild card to play the main draw in Doha, did not disappoint his fans at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex with aggressive tennis throughout the entertaining quarter-final played under lights.

In the semi-final today, Berdych will meet Italian Marco Cecchinato who yesterday beat Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 7-6, 6-2 in the last quarter-final.

Djokovic, who will be one of the favourites at t h i s month’s Aus-

Basilashvili suggested an early warning when he broke

HEAD TO HEAD: DJOKOVIC VS BAUTISTA AGUT

DJOKOVIC’S PATH TO SEMI-FINAL * Beat Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-2

* Beat Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 6-4, 6-1* Beat Nicoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

BAUTISTA AGUT’S PATH TO SEMI-FINAL * Beat Matteo Berrettini 6-1, 6-4

* Beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-1, 6-4* Beat Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-4

Djokovic vs Bautista Agut 31 (1987.05.22) Age 30 (1988.04.14) Belgrade, Serbia Birthplace Castellon de la Plana, Spain Monte Carlo, Monaco Residence Castellon de la Plana 6’2” (188 cm) Height 6’0” (183 cm) 170 lbs (77 kg) Weight 165 lbs (75 kg) Right-Handed Plays Right-Handed Two-Handed Backhand Two-Handed 2003 Turned Pro 2005 53/12 YTD Won/Lost 33/20 4 YTD Titles 2 836/175 Career W/L 245/150 72 Career Titles 8 $125,772,589 Career Prize Money $9,156,286

HHHHHHHEAD TO

DJ

BABABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB U

31 (198 Belgrad MMMonMMMMMMMMMM te Carlo, 6’2” (

170 lb Right Two $125

GUT

ana, Spainana

SPORTFriday 4 January 2019

PAGE | 17 PAGE | 18Federer

wins to steer Switzerland

into final

Afif feels no pressure as Qatar eye Asian Cup glory

Obviously you have to work hard before you get to such matches. He (Basilashvili) was playing really well from the beginning. He is probably playing the best tennis of his life in the last 10 months or so. He’s definitely one of the greatest hitters in the game: Djokovic

Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut returns the ball to Stan Wawrinka

of Switzerland during their quarter-final match played yesterday.

Djokovic shows nerves of steel to reach semis as Bautista Agut stuns Wawrinka

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns the ball to Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia during their quarter-final match of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha

yesterday. PICTURES: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN: RESULTS

QUARTER-FINALS:Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO x5) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x7) bt Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 6-4, 6-4

Tomas Berdych (CZE) bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 6-2, 6-4

Marco Cecchinato (ITA x4) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 7-6, 6-2

Tomas Berdych hits a return against

Pierre-Hugues Herbert during

their quarter-final match yesterday.

17FRIDAY 4 JANUARY 2019 SPORT

Star Cecchinato holds Kids Clinic for ExxonMobil communityDOHA THE PENINSULA

Children from the ExxonMobil Qatar community spent over an hour yesterday with Italian star Marco Cecchinato at a Kids Tennis Clinic during the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2019 taking place in Doha.

QTF and ExxonMobil Qatar have been organising these clinics since 2013 to promote a love for tennis, and help children develop an interest in physical activities as part of leading a healthy lifestyle.

The informal session helped the children with racquet control, coop-eration and movement, and Cecch-inato helped ensure that they were using proper technique.

He also reminded everyone there that tennis is always fun, always inter-esting, and never fails to put a smile

on everyone’s face. Before heading onto the court to spend some valuable time with the tennis stars, the children visited the ExxonMobil Qatar stand in the Public Village with their families and had an amazing interactive 3D virtual reality experience in a green cube that introduced them to the dugong – an endangered marine mammal that has lived in Qatar’s waters for centuries.

They enjoyed watching their parents and other adults trying out the exciting racing car simulator and com-peting for the fastest lap time.

“Today’s kids clinic was an unfor-gettable experience for our children,” said Ryan Quinn, a parent from the ExxonMobil Qatar community.

“I would like to thank ExxonMobil Qatar and the Qatar Tennis Federation for giving our children this oppor-tunity to spend time with world

renowned professional players.” “Marco Cecchinato gave them

great advice and tips, he worked with them on their technique and made sure they were engaged, motivated and enjoying themselves for the entire time the children were with him. Experiences like these can have a huge impact on young players – they can inspire them to follow their passion for sport and even motivate them to become athletic leaders.”

ExxonMobil is committed to sup-porting Qatar’s sustainable devel-opment goals, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.

By partnering with like-minded local organisations, ExxonMobil Qatar invests in education and professional workforce development programmes that nurture a highly skilled, motivated and productive workforce to con-tribute to Qatar’s bright future.

Italian star Marco Cecchinato poses for photograph along with children who took part at a Kids Tennis Clinic in Doha, yesterday.

Roger Federer of Switzerland serves against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during their men’s singles match on day six of the Hopman Cup in Perth, yesterday.

Federer wins to steer Switzerland into finalPERTH, AUSTRALIA AP

Roger Federer relied on his

trusted serve to beat Stefanos

Tsitsipas 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) yes-

terday and give defending

champion Switzerland a spot in

the Hopman Cup final.

Unbeaten Switzerland

assured its place in tomorrow’s

final ahead of the women’s

singles match between Belinda

Bencic and Greek opponent

Maria Sakkari.

“There was very little

unforced errors and it was really

good quality tennis,” Federer

said.

“It could have easily gone

three sets. For me it is about

maintaining a good level of play

and I am happy with my game.”

The Swiss will next face

either host Australia or

Germany. “I will be excited to

watch it tomorrow and see who

we play in the final,” Federer

said.

“This format lends itself to

some exciting tennis.”

Federer lost only seven

games in wins over Cameron

Norrie and Frances Tiafoe but

found it tougher in his first

match against Tsitsipas.

The first set pitted Tsitsipas’

power against Federer’s pre-

cision with eight games held at

love.

Federer trailed 4-1 in the

first tiebreaker before reeling

off consecutive forehand

winners to claw back into it.

Tsitsipas double-faulted at 5-5

and Federer then won the set

with an ace.

The serve continued to

dictate play until Federer had

break points in the ninth and

11th games but was unable to

convert. The 23-time Grand

Slam champion, however, raised

his game in the tiebreaker with

a perfect drop shot to take a

6-3 lead. He closed it out shortly

after.

Federer’s appearances at

the past two Hopman Cups

were followed by Australian

Open titles.

Earlier, Serena Williams

beat Katie Boulter 6-1, 7-6 (2)

to complete an unbeaten

Hopman Cup campaign in

singles.

With daughter Alexis

Olympia in attendance, Williams

was made to work in the second

set before prevailing.

The winless United States,

however, lost to Britain 2-1.

Norrie upset Tiafoe 7-6 (4), 6-0

in men’s singles and Britain won

the mixed doubles 3-4 (2), 4-3

(4), 4-1. The 37-year-old Wil-

liams’ hopes for a record third

Hopman Cup title ended when

the United States was elimi-

nated after losses to Greece and

Switzerland.

Williams has slowly built

momentum in her first tour-

nament since the US Open in

September as she eyes a

record-equaling 24th Grand

Slam singles title in

Melbourne.

“It was definitely good to

play three singles matches here,

and the mixed (doubles),” Wil-

liams said on-court after her

singles match.

The American did not

attend a news conference after

the match.

It could have easily gone three sets. For me it is about maintaining a good level of play and I am happy with my game: Roger Federer

Osaka passes Sevastova test to reach semisREUTERS BRISBANE

Naomi Osaka said the confidence of starting a year as a Grand Slam champion helped her pass a tricky test against Latvian Anas-tasija Sevastova and reach the semi-finals of the Brisbane Inter-national yesterday.

The Florida-based Japanese player struggled to get to grips with Sevastova as she lost the opening set in 33 minutes but after a few wise words from coach Sascha Bajin she blasted through the next two sets to win 3-6, 6-0, 6-4.

The US Open champion dropped only five points in the second set and then cruised through the decider.

“Maybe six months ago I wouldn’t have been able to do that (come back),” US Open champion Osaka said.

“I’m not sure if I’d have had the same feeling -- but six months ago I hadn’t won the US Open. Now I sort of know what could potentially come next.

“I feel like right now I’m really confident in myself... so I’m not that scared or threatened... this was an important win. It’s harder for me to play against girls like her.”

Osaka said players like Sev-astova, who mix up their game rather than relying purely on power, have caused her trouble in the past and that Bajin’s advice had helped her regroup.

“He said not to be so worried.

It was acknowledging that she was playing really good and there was nothing I could do about that,” Osaka, who takes on Lesia Tsurenko or Anett Kon-taveit in the semi-final, added.

“I had to wait for my chance, and I think that’s what I did really well in the second set.”

In the men’s competition, Osaka’s compatriot Kei Nishikori battled past Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 7-5 in a rematch of the 2017 title clash in Brisbane.

Nishikori, seeking to avenge his loss in that match, staved off a comeback attempt by Dimitrov in the second set to improve his career win-loss record against the Bulgarian to 5-1.

“I want to go into the top five. That’s my next goal... I think I’m playing great tennis again,” world number nine Nishikori said.

Up next for Nishikori is France’s Jeremy Chardy who moved in to the last-four by getting past Japanese qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4).

Japan’s Naomi Osaka hits a return against Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia during their women’s quarter final match at the Brisbane International in Brisbane, yesterday.

Men (Second Round) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) bt Taro Daniel(JPN) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3

Quarter-finals Jeremy Chardy (FRA) bt Yasutaka Uchi-yama (JPN) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4)

Kei Nishikori (JPN X2) bt Grigor Dimitrov(BUL X6) 7-5, 7-5 Women Quarter-finals

Naomi Osaka (JPN X2) bt AnastasijaSevastova (LAT X8) 3-6, 6-0, 6-4

Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt Anett Kontaveit(EST) 7-5, 6-3

BRISBANE RESULTS

Rain disrupts quarter-finals at Shenzhen OpenSHENZHEN AP

Rain disrupted play at the Shenzhen Open yesterday with two quarter-final matches suspended.

Qualifier Veronika Kudermetova was leading Vera Zvonareva 6-4 and Sorana Cirstea was leading Alison Riske 2-0 when play was stopped.

The matches will resume today.

In the other quarter-final matches, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka will take on fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova and Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu will meet Wang Yafan.

Sharapova qualified for the quarter-finals after strug-gling against China’s great tennis hope Wang Xinyu, who was forced to retire from the match in pain.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori hits a return against Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov during their men’s singles match at the Brisbane International in Brisbane, yesterday.

Canadian teen knocks Wozniacki outAFP AUCKLAND

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki was bundled out of the WTA Auckland Classic in the second round yesterday, beaten in straight sets by 18-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu.

It was a blow for Woz-niacki who was looking for as much court time as she could get in Auckland on her

way to defending her Aus-tralian Open crown.

She was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by the Canadian teenager who is ranked 152nd in the world and had to play her way through the qualifying tournament to make the main draw.

“Honestly, I can’t believe it,” said Andreescu who was near speechless at having beaten Wozniacki to set up a quarter-final against Venus

Williams who progressed to the final eight with a 6-4, 6-3 win over fellow American Lauren Davis.

“First I have to swallow this one and then I’ll think about tomorrow.”

Williams, seeded six in Auckland, broke Davis for the first time in the sixth game of the first set and took control from there. On a day domi-nated by teenagers, 17-year-old American Amanda

Anisimova stunned fifth seed Barbora Strycova 6-3, 6-3.

Anisimova, ranked 96th in the world and the youngest player in the top 100, never dropped a game against the Czech veteran and cashed in on all three break points that went her way.

In the other quarter-finals, second seed Julia Goerges plays Eugenie Bouchard and third seed Hsieh Su-wei is up against Sara Sorribes Tormo.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Strong confrontations are in the cards as 24 teams compete for top honours under four groups during the 4th Banks and Financial Institutions League (BFIL), according to the official draw of the tournament.

The draw ceremony of the tour-nament was held at Rotana City Center Hotel, Doha, yesterday in the presence of Khalid Mubarak Al Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Communication of Qatar Football Association (QFA); Salah Salman Al Mohannadi, Qatar Central Bank’s (QCB) Head of Training and Devel-opment, and Tournament Director, Ali Al Ethba, Qatar Central Bank’s Head of Government Relations.

The draw was conducted by Hussein Al Sharshani, the league’s General Supervisor and Ahmed Al Rumaihi representative of the QFA’s Competitions and Players Affairs Department, with the participation of former Qatari football stars Khalid Salman and Adel Khamis.

The QFA is organising the fourth edition of the league for the first time as part of its’ ongoing efforts in coop-erating with government entities in the country and its’ 2021 vision to organise various football activities for the different segments of the com-munity. QFA’s involvement in the league highlights the influential role of the banking and financial sector in the country and demonstrates QFA’s objective to encourage greater com-munity participation in football.

The league, which will be held on the training field of Al Gharafa Sports

Club, will feature the participation of 24 teams and kick off on February 2 as part of QFA’s activities for the National Sports Day.

The 7-a-side league will start with group stage matches in which the first and second place teams of each of the four groups will qualify to the quarter-finals which will be held on February 16. The semi-finals will take place on February 18 while the final and third place match will be held on February 20.

A press conference was held fol-lowing the draw and was attended by Khalid Mubarak Al Kuwari, Qatar Football Association’s (QFA) Director of Marketing and Communications and Salah Salman Al Mohannadi, Qatar Central Bank’s (QCB) Head of Training and Development, and Tour-nament Director in which they dis-cussed the rules and regulations of the league in addition to the

objectives both organisations wish to achieve through organising the league.

Khalid Mubarak Al Kuwari, Director of Marketing and Commu-nications at the Qatar Football Asso-ciation said: “We value the rela-tionship and cooperation we have with the Qatar Central Bank to organise this tournament.”

“This league demonstrates our commitment to support community programs in the country by spreading football amongst all sectors of the community and government entities. This is in accordance with the direc-tives received by the President of the QFA, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, whom sees social responsibility programs and activ-ities as extremely important.”

Salah Salman Al Mohannadi, Qatar Central Bank’s (QCB) Head of Training and Development, and

Tournament Director said: “We thank the Qatar Football Association for coming on board to organise the league and for all their efforts in ensuring the success of the compe-tition. This year we have allocated cash prizes for the first, second, third and fourth place teams as well as cash prizes for the best player, top scorer, best goalkeeper and best coach.”

18 FRIDAY 4 JANUARY 2019SPORT

Football: BFIL draw conducted in DohaTHE DRAW

GROUP A1. Al Khaleej Takaful Group2. Al Ahli Bank3. Al Rayyan Bank4. Lulu Exchange Company5. First Finance Company6. Al Mana Exchange GROUP B1. Qatar National Bank (QNB)2. Al Khaleej Exchange 3. Al Madina Exchange4. Al Zaman Exchange5. Travelex6. International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) GROUP C1. Qatar Central Bank2. Al Mirqab Exchange Company3. Aldar For exchange Works4. Unimoni Exchange LLC5. HSBC Bank Middle East Limited – Qatar Branch6. Al Fardan ExchangeGROUP D1. Doha Bank2. Qatar Development Bank (QDB)3. Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance Company4. Doha Insurance Group5. Islamic Exchange Company6. General Takaful Company

Officials during the draw ceremony of the 4th Banks and Financial Institutions League yesterday.

Afif feels no pressure as Qatar eye Asian Cup gloryFIFA.COM DOHA

For the people of Qatar, December was a special month. To begin with, the countdown to the 2022 FIFA World Cup began in earnest, with four years to go before the nation hosts the global showcase.

That coincided with the unveiling of the design for Lusail Stadium, a proposed venue for the tournament’s Opening Match and Final. And Qatar also celebrated its National Day on 18 December – the date when the 2022 World Cup will reach its climax.

Now the country’s football fans have switched their focus to the national team as they prepare for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The upcoming tour-nament could play a key role in shaping Qatar’s squad for the 2022 World Cup, which means a number of key players will be under the

spotlight. Chief among them is Akram Afif. The

talented forward, who turned 22 in November, is the name on every-body’s lips, and not only because he is

the first Qatari to have appeared in

Spain’s La Liga.

H e a l s o helped Qatar clinch the Asian U-19 title in 2014 and book their place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup the following year.

Q: The 2019 AFC Asian Cup is almost ready for kick-off. How do you rate Qatar’s chances in the competition?

A: Everyone knows how

difficult these tournaments are. Every team will try to win the title. We’re not short of enthu-siasm and the desire to compete fiercely. We want to go as far as possible. Our prep-arations have been more than excellent. We’ve played a number of impressive games against teams with various playing styles in the past few months. That’s helped us build our experience, improve our physical fitness and under-standing, and test a lot of tac-tical plans. I believe we’re ready to translate all that on to the pitch.

Q: You have been drawn in Group E with Lebanon, Korea DPR and Saudi Arabia. How do you expect those games to unfold?

A: None of those are easy teams since they’ve all made it to the finals. Our first game will be against Lebanon and usually the opening matches are tough as each side is trying to avoid defeat. But we’ll insist on going for all three points because that’s the key to further progress. In the second game, we’ll be up against Korea DPR, a team with an east-Asian football style and we have an idea about how to play against them. The third game will be against Saudi Arabia. We’ll take each game as it comes and play the 90 minutes of every match with a view to qualifying. Then we’ll see what we do in the sub-sequent rounds.

Q: This will be your first major tournament with the

senior national team. What are your per-sonal ambitions?

A: I’m definitely excited about wearing

the Qatar shirt and expe-riencing this great honour. From day one, I dreamed about taking part in tour-

naments like this. I remember being a supporter of the team during the 2011 finals in Qatar. Eight years later,

my dream is coming true. I hope I can meet the expecta-tions of the fans and give them the happiness they deserve. I’m not interested in personal acco-lades. I’m completely focused on serving my team so we can all achieve our ultimate goal of raising Qatar’s football profile.

Q: You have impressed this season with both the national team and Al Sadd. Do you feel any personal pressure and do you expect the other teams to single you out?

I’ve reached this level thanks to hard work and per-severance with both club and national team. But the credit mainly goes to the support of my team-mates and how we’ve implemented the coach’s instructions, as well as our teamwork and belief that the team must always come first. So, personally, I don’t fear pressure, and if there’s pressure

I’ll turn it into a positive. If I find myself under man-to-man pressure, that won’t be a big deal as I’m not the only player in the team. My team-mates are capable of compensating for that in their own positions.

Q: You shone with the youth team and won the U-19 Asian title. How does that victory motivate you and the rest of the team?

A: That tournament is cer-tainly unforgettable. As a side, we outperformed everyone. We were armed with a spirit of teamwork, and our primary goal was to put Qatar on the continental football map and qualify for the U-20 World Cup. After achieving that, we focused on clinching the title. I’ll never forget the day of the final, when the youth team won its first trophy. What makes me especially proud is that I scored the winner against Korea DPR. I hope I’ll get to have the same

experience with my team-mates in the senior side. With resolve and determination, we can achieve that.

Q: You made history when you became the first Qatari to play in La Liga. How would you describe that experience?

A: After the U-20 World Cup in 2015, I received an offer from Eupen in Belgium. I had the ambition of playing in Europe because that’s the normal route for development. I think I did well there, scoring eight goals in 26 appearances. The following season, I received an offer from Vil-larreal in Spain. I couldn’t have turned down that opportunity. I moved there and started a new experience in my career. Everyone knows what La Liga means. For me, every training session there was a new lesson. I was then loaned to Sporting Gijon, and I had a chance to feature in games. I was then loaned to Eupen again last season and after that, I received an offer from Al Sadd. I’m happy with what I’m doing here this season. I hope I’ll be able to help the club regain the league title and other trophies, especially after we missed out on the Cham-pions League title. I’m still a Villarreal player, and I’ll see how things develop at the end of the season.

Q: The national team is preparing for the 2022 World Cup. How do you see the next stage developing?

A: We’re all very enthusi-astic, and everyone wants to have the honour of playing in this historic World Cup for the Qataris and every Arab. We know that the Qatari Football Association will organise a series of training camps and international games over the next four years to raise our level so that we’ll be fully ready. In the summer, we’ll participate in the 2019 Copa America.

FIFA.COOMMDOHA

FooFFF r r the ppep oopplel ooof Qaaattatatar,r, DDeDDececembmbmbmberreere wwwwasas aa ssspppepecial mmoom nth.h TTTT TTToo bbbebegin n wwith, thecountdowwn ttotoo thee 202022 FIFAWorld CuCup p bbbeeb gagann inin earnest,with ffoouuur rr r yeyeyears sss toto g goo before thenaatitioonn hoososts tthe g globall shshhowowowowcacacaseseess . .

That ccccooioincccidiidedd ww witi h the unveiling ofofff tthhhe dessigiignnn fofof r rr LuL sail Stadium, aa p rrropoposeedd venuue e forthe tournnnammmemem nntntn ’s’s O Opepeninin ngngn MaMaMaMatch and d Fiinnananan ll. AAndnd QQaatar alssooo celebrrrrratededdedd ittstss N NNattioi nal Day on18 DDDDecemmmmbeeebbb r rr rr – – the e dad te whenthht e e 22022 22 WWorrrooo ldldllld Cupp w will reachitits s ccllc iimimax.

NNoNoooN w ww thhhheee ccococc unu try’y ss fof otballfans hhhaava ee swititttcchchchccchchedede t theh ir focusto the nnatationaal l teteeeam as they prprepepepeeppparararaara ee e e fofofofor r ththe e 2020201919 A AFCFC Asian CCuCCuCuCup.p. TThehe upccooming tour-nananaameememementntnntnt ccc cououououlldldld pp plalalayyy y aaa kekekeyyy y rorororoleleleele ininn sshhahah pipingnnng Q Q Qatatatarar’’ss s squad for thhthe 20202020022222222222 WWWW Woororldldldld CC C Cupupup,, whwhicichhmmmeemm ana s a nunumbmberer o off kekeyy pppllaayers wiwill be under the

spotlight. CChihiefef a amomongng hthththememem iii isss AAkAkAkrararammm AfAfAfifiif. ThhTThe

talented forward, who turneddd 2 22 inNovevevembbbmbererer, is thenanaamemem on n n every-bbboooddyd ’s lipipipps, aanddndnd nn nototoonnly becccausese hh heee isisis

thhhee e fiiirsr t Qataaririri to haveappepeeararared in

Spppain’s LaLiLiLigaga.

H eH eH ea l s ohelped Qatar clclininchch t thehe AAsian UUU-191919 tt titititlelele i inn 20201414 a a dndnd U 9 t t ee 0 a dbooko ttheh ir pplalaceece a aa attt ththe e FIFA U-20 World Cup ththe e foollllowing year.

Q: The 2019 AFC Asian Cup is almost ready fofor r kikikickckk-ooffffffff. . How do yyouo raratete QQ QQatatarara ’ss c cchahah ncnceses i inn ththe ecocompmpmpetetititioion?n??

A: EvEvEverereryoyoyonenene k kknononowsws hhhowow

didifffficiculu t t thEvery y teteaatitle. We’siasm acocococompetego aaass s s far aratiioonns exceelllleennumbbererr againsnst plpplpplaayaying g smoonntnthhs. Tour expephysicalstandidinngnggtitiicacacac ll planttoto translpitch.

Q: Yin GrouKorea DPHoHHHow dogagaaamemmm s to

A: Nteams isisinnnntotototo ttt thehehehe fff finininaabe againsthe openiassas eee eeeacacacacachh h sdefeat. BBufofofoforrrrr alalala ll ththat’s thprogresswee’lll be ua teeeam footototball siddidea abouthththem. Thagaiaiinsnsnst Saeach gamamamthe 90 mmmwwiw th a viewe’ll see wsequent r

Q: TTmajor t

s

exthe

rienFromababouo

namereremem mbmbofof t hehe t teefiffinaalsl in Q

Solskjaer wants more than caretaker role

REUTERS LONDON

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reiterated how he wants to be more than a caretaker manager at Manchester United after matching a venerable feat only ever performed at the club by its most revered patriarch -- the late, great Matt Busby.

“Of course I won’t, I don’t want to,” said the ever-smiling Norwegian on Wednesday, when asked after United’s 2-0 win at New-castle United whether he would want to leave Old Trafford in May at the end of his planned interim spell.

And after a startling opening to his reign following Jose Mourinho’s sacking continued with a fourth successive win -- something only Busby, in 1946, could boast among United man-agers -- he is making a compelling application for the full-time role.

Sounding uncannily like his old insatiable United mentor Alex Ferguson, the former striker reckoned he had already consigned to history the idea of having emulated Busby, who went on to win a fifth consecutive game at the infancy of his epic reign.

“That will be in the books, but it’s nothing that I’m thinking of,” said Solskjaer.

“I’m just thinking about the next game because if you win four, you can win another four at this club. That’s the challenge and that’s the standard that we’re known for.

There has been much media speculation that United want Mourinho’s permanent replacement next season to be Juventus’s Mas-similiano Allegri but if he carries on in his current vein, Solskjaer could make life very awkward for the club hierarchy.

Akram Afif

Akram Afif (left) with his team-

mates during a training session

in this file photo.

19FRIDAY 4 JANUARY 2019 SPORT

Pujara century puts India in control of Sydney TestAFP SYDNEY

Irrepressible Cheteshwar Pujara stroked his third century of the summer yesterday to put India in a commanding position in the decisive fourth and final Test as they strive for an historic series win in Australia.

At stumps on day one, they were 303 for four with the rock-like number three not out 130 and Hanuma Vihari on 39. Mayank Agarwal made 77, with Josh Hazlewood the best of the bowlers with 2-51.

After toiling on a hot Sydney day, Australia were rewarded with the wickets of KL Rahul, Agarwal, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, but despite a five-pronged attack the key scalp of Pujara remained elusive.

The visitors lead the series 2-1 after winning the opening clash in Adelaide and the third one in Melbourne. Australia claimed victory in Perth.

If India, the world’s top-ranked nation, win or draw in Sydney they will clinch a first-ever series in Australia since they began touring Down Under in 1947-48.

“We are very happy, although we would have liked to be only three down. That said 300 for four on the first day, choosing to bat, I think we are in a great position,” said Agarwal, who paid tribute to Pujara.

“It’s great to watch him bat from the other end, the way he

grinds the bowlers. He under-stands his strengths and he sticks with that. He’s very tight with his defence and just waits for the bad ball to come.”

Marnus Labuschagne, who in a surprise throw of the dice was picked by Australia to be their number three, said his team must learn from Pujara.

“He was very classy. I think it’s something I personally can take a lot from. He has just batted a lot of time and that’s what we’re going to need to do,” he said.

Labuschagne added that

Australia were confident they could get early breakthroughs today and “hopefully get them out for under 400”.

Kohli again won the toss and Australia got an early break-through with Hazlewood tempting Rahul into a defensive shot that took a outside edge and carried to Shaun Marsh at slip, and he was gone for nine.

But that only brought the stoic Pujara to the crease and like he has done all series, the 68-Test veteran dug in and blunted the new ball.

He survived a review

decision for caught behind on 12, but otherwise gave a masterclass.

In another innings of patience and concentration, he slowly picked off runs to bring up his 18th Test century from 199 balls, with 13 boundaries.

The methodical 30-year-old has been by far the best batsman from either side across the series and his ton followed a stellar 123 in Adelaide and 106 in Melbourne.

Playing in only his second Test, the Bangalore-born Agarwal was also impressive.

He was targeted with bouncers and struck on the helmet but held firm, rein-forcing his credentials after a solid debut in Melbourne.

He worked hard to make his second Test 50 in only three innings by caressing a Mitchell Starc delivery through the covers for four.

But he began to open up with the bat and after hitting Nathan Lyon for six to bring up his highest Test score of 77, attempted to do the same from the next delivery and was caught by Starc at long-on.

Master batsman Kohli was welcomed by boos from a section of the crowd and immediately silenced them with an exquisite four off Hazlewood.

But after a restrained 23 Hazlewood snared him in the first over after tea, caught behind by wicketkeeper Tim Paine.

Vice-captain Rahane looked good in making his way to 18, but a Starc bouncer caught him off guard and Paine collected another catch.

For Paine, it was the sixth toss he had lost in seven Tests and it could prove costly on a Sydney Cricket Ground pitch expected to be conducive to spin as it wears.

When Australia bat, they will have a new-look opening pair with Usman Khawaja padding up with Marcus Harris after the underperforming Aaron Finch was axed.

Cheteshwar Pujara kisses his helmet after reaching his century in Sydney, yesterday.

PAKISTAN, first innings

Imam-ul-Haq lbw b Philander ..........................8Fakhar Zaman c Bavuma b Steyn .....................1Shan Masood c De Kock b Rabada ................ 44Azhar Ali c Amla b Olivier ................................... 2Asad Shafiq c Elgar b Rabada ........................ 20Babar Azam c Du Plessis b Olivier .................... 2Sarfraz Ahmed c De Kock b Olivier ................. 56Mohammad Amir not out ................................22Yasir Shah c Du Plessis b Olivier ........................ 5Mohammad Abbas c De Kock b Steyn ............ 0Shaheen Afridi c De Kock b Steyn ..................... 3Extras (b8, lb2, nb1, w3) ................................14Total (51.1 overs) ..............................177

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-13, 3-19, 4-51, 5-54, 6-114, 7-156, 8-162, 9-163Bowling: Steyn 15.1-3-48-3 (1w), Philander 11-3-36-1, Rabada 10-2-35-2 (1nb), Olivier 15-3-48-4 (2w)SOUTH AFRICA, first innings

A. Markram b Shan Masood .............................78D. Elgar c Sarfraz Ahmed b M Amir ............... 20H. Amla not out ..................................................24Extras (lb1) ...........................................................1Total (2 wkts) ....................................123

Fall of wickets: 1-56, 2-123Bowling: Mohammad Amir 8-2-25-1, Moham-mad Abbas 9-0-45-0, Shaheen Afridi 9-1-34-0, Yasir Shah 3-0-14-0, Shan Masood 1-0-4-1To bat: F. du Plessis, T. Bavuma, T. de Bruyn, Q. de Kock, V. Philander, K. Rabada, D. Steyn, D. Olivier

SCOREBOARD

India, first inningsM. Agarwal c Starc b Lyon ............................ 77KL. Rahul c S.Marsh b Hazlewood ................. 9C. Pujara not out ..........................................130V. Kohli c Paine b Hazlewood ....................... 23A. Rahane c Paine b Starc ............................. 18H. Vihari not out .............................................39Extras (lb2, w5) ...............................................7Total (four wickets, 90 overs) 303To bat: Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kul-deep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bum-rahFall of wickets: 1-10 (Rahul), 2-126 (Agarwal), 3-180 (Kohli), 4-228 (Rahane)Bowling: Starc 18-0-75-1, Hazlewood 20-7-51-2, Cummins 19-3-62-0, Lyon 29-5-88-1, Labuschagne 4-0-25-0

SCOREBOARD

Tendulkar honours boyhood coachAFP NEW DELHI

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar paid a glowing tribute yesterday to Ramakant Achrekar, his childhood coach and lifelong mentor who has died aged 87.

Achrekar, a club-level coach, discovered a 12-year-old Tendulkar’s extraor-dinary talents in Mumbai and nurtured him on his way to becoming cricket’s most prolific run-scorer of all time.

Achrekar died at his home in Mumbai on Wednesday.

“Cricket in heaven will be enriched by the presence of Achrekar Sir. Like many of his students I learnt the ABCD of cricket under Sir’s guidance,” Tendulkar said in a statement.

“His contribution to my life cannot be captured in words. He built the foun-dation that I stand on.

“Achrekar Sir taught us the virtues of playing straight and living straight. Thank you for making us a part of your life and enriching us with your coaching manual. Well played Sir and may you coach many more.”

He attended Achrekar’s funeral which was carried out according to Hindu tra-ditions yesterday.

Guptill, Neesham shine as New Zealand draw first bloodAFP TAURANGA, NEW ZEALAND

Jimmy Neesham made a dream return to international cricket yesterday, crushing Sri Lanka with bat and ball as New Zealand won the opening one-day inter-national by 45 runs in Tauranga.

Neesham, recalled after 18 months in the wilderness as New Zealand look to trial all-rounder options before the World Cup, flayed the Sri Lankan bowling with an unbeaten 47 off just 13 deliveries.

He then took three for 38 to share the spotlight with Man-of-the-Match Martin Guptill who set the New Zealand innings alight with 138 off 139 deliveries.

On a placid wicket favouring the batsman and on a ground with short boundaries, Kusal Perera also reached three figures with 102 for Sri Lanka while

Niroshan Dickwella added 76. But in reply to New Zealand’s

371 for seven, Sri Lanka were all out for 326 with six balls remaining.

Free-scoring Sri Lankan openers Dickwella and

Danushka Gunathilaka had been on track to chase down the target when they reached 119 off 17 overs.

But when Neesham came into the attack he had Gunath-ilaka caught behind for 43 and

Dickwella bowled in the space of four deliveries.

Kusal Mendis and Perera smacked 52 off 50 deliveries until an Ish Sodhi googly removed Mendis for 18.

Neesham returned for his

second spell to dismiss Dinesh Chandimal for 10, before more success for spinner Sodhi who had Asela Gunaratne caught in the deep for 11.

Trent Boult eventually dis-missed the stubborn Perera as

Sri Lanka’s last five wickets fell for 53 runs.

New Zealand had elected to bat first and after the early loss of Colin Munro, Guptill and Kane Williamson put on 163 for the second wicket.

Guptill cracked five sixes and 11 fours to celebrate his return to the New Zealand side with his 14th ODI century in his 160th match, becoming the ninth-fastest player to pass 6,000 runs in the format.

After Williamson was bowled by Nuwan Pradeep for 76, Ross Taylor added a quick 54 off 37 balls before Neesham’s closing salvo.

On a day not made for bowlers, Pradeep returned the best figures for Sri Lanka with two for 72.

The second match in the three-match series is in Tau-ranga tomorrow.

New Zealand’s Martin Guptill (right) plays a shot during the first ODI against Sri Lanka, yesterday.

NEW ZEALANDM. Guptill c Sandakan b Perera .................. 138C. Munro c Sandakan b Malinga ...................13K. Williamson b Pradeep .............................. 76R. Taylor c Prasanna b Perera ......................54H. Nicholls run out (Perera) ...........................15T. Seifert c Perera b Malinga .......................... 11J. Neesham not out ........................................47M. Henry c Perera b Pradeep ......................... 6I. Sodhi not ou .................................................t 0EXTRAS: (lb 2, wd 5, nb 4) 11TOTAL: (FOR 7 WICKETS, 50 OVERS) ...........371FALL OF WICKETS: 1-23, 2-186, 3-274, 4-294, 5-316, 6-317, 7-363BOWLING: Malinga 10-0-78-2 (4w, 2nb), Pradeep 8-0-72-2 (1nb), Perera 10-0-80-2 (1w, 1nb), Pras-anna 10-0-60-0, Sandakan 10-0-64-0, Gunaratne 1-0-5-0, Gunathilaka 1-0-10-0SRI LANKA

N. Dickwella b Neesham ............................... 76D. Gunathilaka c Seifert b Neesham ...........43K. Perera c Siefert b Boult ..........................102K. Mendis c Seifert b Sodhi ........................... 18D. Chandimal c Taylor b Neesham .............. 10D. Gunaratne c Ferguson b Sodhi ................. 11T. Perera c Munro b Ferguson ......................... 4S. Prasanna c Seifert b Ferguson ................. 16L. Malinga b Henry .......................................... 11L. Sandakan b Boult ........................................ 6N. Pradeep not out .......................................... 6EXTRAS: (b 1, lb 10, wd 11, nb 1) ................. 23TOTAL: (ALL OUT; 49 OVERS) .......................326FALL OF WICKETS: 1-119, 2-126, 3-178, 4-211, 5-267, 6-273, 7-298, 8-303, 9-310, 10-326BOWLING: Boult 10-0-65-2 (3w), Henry 10-0-87-1 (1nb), Ferguson 10-0-65-2 (1w), Sodhi 10-0-53-2 (4w), Neesham 8-0-38-3 (3w), Munro 1-0-7-0RESULT: NEW ZEALAND WON BY 45 RUNS

SCOREBOARD

Bowlers, Markram put South Africa on topAFP CAPE TOWN

Duanne Olivier led another fast bowling assault on Pakistan’s batsmen as South Africa took control on the first day of the second Test at Newlands yesterday. Olivier took four for 48 as Pakistan were bowled out for 177 after being sent in on a hard, green-tinged pitch.

Aiden Markram struck an assured 78 as South Africa reached 123 for two at the close.

Olivier followed up a match-winning performance in the first Test in Cen-turion, while Dale Steyn took three for 48.

Captain Sarfraz Ahmed hit 56 and Shan Masood made 44 to lift an oth-erwise poor Pakistan batting performance.

South Africa’s decision to pick an all-pace attack paid dividends with all four fast bowlers picking up wickets, with most of the Pakistan batsmen looking vulnerable against fast, short-pitched deliveries.

As at Centurion, where he had match figures of 11 for 96, Olivier lived up to the “enforcer” tag given him by captain Faf du Plessis, regularly landing the ball in his own half of the pitch and making it rear up towards the batsmen.

Unlike Centurion, the pitch itself was not a major factor in Pakistan’s collapse. It was hard and there was some green grass on the surface but the bounce was largely true and there was no exag-gerated sideways movement.

The only ball that misbehaved markedly was the last of the day when part-time seamer Shan Masood bowled Markram with a ball which nipped back and kept low.

Azhar Ali, Pakistan’s most experi-enced batsman, fell to a short ball from Olivier for the third time in a row, fending tamely to first slip. Five of his teammates also were dismissed by short deliveries.

Pakistan’s batting was put into per-spective when Markram and Dean Elgar put on 56 for the first wicket at almost five runs an over.

Mohammad Amir put a brake on the scoring by having Elgar caught behind during a second spell in which he con-ceded only eight runs in five overs but Markram and Hashim Amla steadily built a second wicket stand of 67 off 109 balls.

Markram, who had not reached 20 in his previous six Test innings, struck the ball firmly in reaching a half-century off 64 balls with 11 fours. He added another three fours and a straight six off leg-spinner Yasir Shah before being sur-prised by Masood at the end of the day after a 96-ball innings.

Sarfraz provided the brightest interlude for Pakistan after coming in with his team in danger of a total col-lapse at 54 for five. Looking to counter-attack at every opportunity, Sarfraz put on 60 for the sixth wicket with Shan Masood (44) and 42 for the seventh wicket with Mohammad Amir (22 not out).

Sarfraz hit nine fours in an 81-ball innings. Masood faced 71 deliveries and hit five fours and a hooked six off Kagiso Rabada.

South African batsman Aiden Markram raises his bat as he celebrates after scoring a half century against Pakistan, yesterday.