MIRPUR, Bangladesh: As he took off his helmet, tucked his bat under his arm and trudged back to the pavilion after a 19-ball struggle in the World Twenty20, Yuvraj Singh looked a shadow of the talismanic all-rounder who delivered two World Cups for India.
The dashing southpaw hitting England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over remains the defining moment of India's victory in the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007.
His player-of-the-tournament performance helped India win the 50-over World Cup in Mumbai four years later, and he showed his battling qualities off the pitch too by overcoming a cancerous lung condition.
But it has not all been plain sailing.
Yuvraj, who has been dumped from India's one-day side, managed just one run and conceded 13 off his only over in India's opening World Twenty20 match against Pakistan.
And it was another forgettable outing on Sunday against defending champions West Indies.
He dropped explosive opener Chris Gayle in the deep and was not even required to bowl his left-arm spin, a weapon which proved crucial in India's 50-over World Cup victory in 2011.
When he came in to bat, Yuvraj struggled to middle the ball and was dismissed after a laboured 10. Needing five runs from two overs with eight wickets in hand, India eventually won with two balls to spare.
Fortunately for Yuvraj, India won both matches with ease and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is willing to be patient with him.
"Yuvraj is perhaps the best player in Twenty20. You can say he's not in his rhythm but it's always tough after you've been dropped from ODI side and return in Twenty20," Dhoni said after the victory against defending champions West Indies.
"There is invariably some pressure on an individual returning to the side. It takes a couple of games at least.
"We are only hoping that he gets a good match. We all know the kind of match winner he is. He can really turn the game around on his own."
Dhoni conceded he had to make a choice between improving the net run rate and giving Yuvraj some batting time but felt he made the right decision in the end.
"I'm glad that he got a bit of time (in the middle) because it will only settle his nerves and we all know how dangerous he can be," Dhoni said.
"Once he gets going, he'll give many more victories. If Yuvi comes back and bats really well, it would be a good asset to have at number four."
In spinner Amit Mishra, Dhoni has already seen how a captain's backing can change a player.
The chubby 31-year-old legspinner from Delhi has transformed from bench warmer to match winner with back-to-back man-of-the-match performances on Mirpur's spin-friendly tracks.
Mishra has credited his captain for showing faith in him, but Dhoni said he only told the spinner to express himself freely in the middle.
"It's important that people bowl or bat according to their strength," Dhoni said. "I personally felt he was feeling a bit of nerve in the first game against Pakistan.
"I just went up and told him: 'You are known for turning the ball, you're someone who flights the ball, varies the pace. You've variations. So just don't keep bowling the straighter one or try to bowl just back of a length so that batsmen can't hit'.
"I told him: 'Your bigger strength will be to flight the ball and use that extra bit of bite in deceiving the batsmen'. I was really comfortable with the way he bowled after that.
"After the first game, I knew he was still not bowling at his 100 percent, he still had nerves to overcome. I knew with that man-of-the-match performance, his performance in the coming games will get better and better.
"There will be odd games where, like other bowlers, he would also get hit but it's important that he backs his strength and his strength will always be using the flight and using the variations that he has got," added Dhoni.
India cricket captain Dhoni backs struggling Yuvraj to hit form
India cricket captain Dhoni backs struggling Yuvraj to hit form
Middle East war puts Asian Football Confederation in a tricky situation
- Asian football has long been structured around regions, with competitions split between East and West
- With conflict in the Middle East escalating on Feb. 28, the AFC was forced into emergency mode as the knockout stages of its club competitions approach
DAMMAM: Football in Asia has never been an easy task to manage. Long flights, numerous time zones, conflicting calendars, vastly different football cultures and — perhaps more than any other confederation in the world — politics.
While the war in the Middle East falls under the AFC’s umbrella, its direct effects have so far been limited to the clubs in West Asia. Asian football has long been structured around regions, with competitions split between East and West, although for a period, the second-tier AFC Cup operated in five separate regions.
As a result, AFC club competitions in East Asia continued uninterrupted in the first week of March. A crowd of 31,225 watched Johor Darul Ta’zim’s historic 3-1 victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the AFC Champions League Elite round of 16. Bangkok United defeated Tampines Rovers in the AFC Champions League Two quarter-final, and an all-Cambodian clash between Phnom Penh Crown and PKR Svay Rieng in the AFC Challenge League ended in a 4-1 victory for the visitors.
The situation in West Asia, however, is vastly different.
With the conflict in the Middle East escalating on Feb. 28, the AFC was forced into emergency mode as the knockout stages of its club competitions approach.
Within 24 hours, the confederation announced that all first-leg matches involving West Asian clubs in AFC competitions would be rescheduled until further notice. The same decision was taken for the second-leg matches fixtures just 48 hours later.
Domestic football has also been heavily disrupted. Leagues in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon have been postponed indefinitely, with matches continuing behind closed doors in Jordan.
Leagues in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq and Syria continue to operate, but flights in the region are limited.
With the season already compressed by the FIFA Arab Cup, FIFA Intercontinental playoffs and the upcoming FIFA World Cup, member associations throughout the Middle East now find themselves scrambling alongside the AFC to solve a problem that ultimately lies outside their control.
Another issue looms on the horizon. The AFC Champions League final stage will be hosted in Saudi Arabia next month for the second year in a row. While football has not halted in the Kingdom and the security situation is stable, it remains to be seen whether East Asian clubs will be willing to travel if the conflict continues.
What is the real solution, fans ask?
One proposal that has been circulated is to centralize the knockout rounds from the Round of 16 stage instead of the quarter-finals. That option, however, presents its own challenges. East Asian clubs have already begun their journey in the round of 16, and the idea of centralized hosting has historically not been popular across the continent.
When Saudi Arabia and Qatar were selected to host the AFC World Cup Qualifiers fourth round last year, the decision sparked backlash from Indonesia, Iraq, Oman and the UAE. More recently, journalist Ali Al-Marshoud claimed on Saudi sports program “In the 90” that the UAE’s Al-Wasl rejected a proposal for their AFC Champions League Two quarter-final against Al-Nassr as a single-leg match in Jeddah.
The AFC therefore finds itself in a difficult position. It cannot control regional geopolitics, nor can it influence government policies. At the same time, there is no guarantee that East Asian clubs will travel to the region, or that West Asian clubs will agree to surrender their right to play matches at home.
The conflict has also begun to affect international football.
With the FIFA World Cup intercontinental playoffs scheduled for later this month and Iraq facing a crucial qualifier in Mexico on March 31, uncertainty continues to grow.
In a statement released by the Iraqi Football Association, officials confirmed they were in constant contact with FIFA and the AFC regarding potential travel complications.
Head coach Graham Arnold is currently unable to leave the UAE, while several players and staff have struggled to obtain visas to Mexico due to embassy closures. All the while flights through Iraqi airspace have been suspended.
Political complications are not new to Asian football. For years, Saudi and Iranian clubs played each other at neutral grounds. Conflicts in Syria, Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon also forced the AFC to adopt special arrangements at various times. And of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, which fundamentally reshaped the state of football in Asia.
Yet the current situation presents a different scale of challenge.
For the first time in modern history, the AFC must navigate a regional conflict that touches nearly every part of the confederation. With the season entering its decisive stages and the largest World Cup in history approaching, solutions must be found quickly, or Asian football risks a crisis that could reshape the continental game.
