DUBAI: No Pakistani cricketer has been as maligned and criticized on his failures and lack of performances as batsman Asif Ali.
Even his selection for the Twenty20 World Cup earlier this month received flak, not only on the national television channels but also vociferously on social media.
Asif also struggled with his form after his 18-month-old daughter, Noor Fatima, died of cancer in 2019 on the eve of the 50-over World Cup in England.
But the 30-year-old has rebounded and silenced his critics with his smashing sixes in Pakistan’s wins over New Zealand and Afghanistan in Group 2 of the Super 12 Stages.
Asif was Pakistan’s hero on Friday, smashing four sixes in the 19th over from pacer Karim Janat to give Pakistan a five-wicket win over Afghanistan in Dubai.
That came two days after he smashed three sixes — two in one New Zealand pacer Tim Southee’s over — in Pakistan’s five-wicket win over New Zealand in Sharjah.
Asif was once a laborer in an iron foundry, and his play has proved an old Hindi adage about striking with power: “One hundred blows from a goldsmith are comparable to one blow from an iron-smith.”
Former Pakistan skipper and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq was ecstatic on Asif’s success.
“I am delighted that he has proved his critics wrong and forced fans to change their minds,” Misbah, who discovered Asif in 2011, told AFP.
Misbah was leading the Faisalabad team in Pakistan’s National Super Eight Twenty20 tournament, when he saw a clean hitter in Asif and brought him into his team.
“Asif was an instant success, hitting a century on his Twenty20 debut and then he performed well for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League,” recalled Misbah.
But Asif found the international stage tough and with his every failure Misbah was equally condemned for giving Asif more chances than others.
“Number six is a tough position to bat at and you want a hitter in that position, so I am delighted that Asif is hitting his way to stardom,” said Misbah.
- ‘Painful journey’ -
Former skipper Wasim Akram said fans, who applied Urdu terms for ‘recommended’ suggesting Asif was getting preferential treatment, needed to show patience.
“They called him a ‘sifarshi, parchi’ but Asif has shown that if you show patience then a talented player can come good,” said Wasim during commentary on television.
Islamabad United’s head coach late Dean Jones — a former Australian great — was also a great admirer of Asif.
“Asif is a real talent,” Jones said after Asif was one of the stars of the 2018 PSL final, smashing a six-ball 26 with three sixes as Islamabad beat Peshawar. “He is an impact player and can change the game in a jiffy.”
Jones broke into tears during a PSL post-match press briefing in March 2019 when told Asif’s daughter was suffering from cancer and then raised funds for her treatment.
Two months later Noor Fatima died, leaving Asif shattered.
He featured in the 2019 50-over World Cup but after he scored 19 runs in two matches, the selectors to dropped him.
Asif admits it has been a painful journey.
“It has been a tough journey,” said Asif after the Afghanistan match. “I want to thank Misbah. He worked very hard with me and I’ll always be grateful to him.”
Asif said he ignores social media flak.
“I don’t notice criticism as I don’t follow social media at all, I’m very far away from it. My role was such that I sometimes came into the team and sometimes was dropped.
“I play in the middle order. It’s tricky in that position. The stats guys only see that I scored 10 runs in three innings, but they don’t see if you played only three or four balls of the final over.”
But his T20 World Cup stats — 19 balls faced, seven sixes and 52 runs, without being dismissed — cannot be maligned any more.
Pakistan’s Asif hits his way to stardom during T20 World Cup in UAE
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Pakistan’s Asif hits his way to stardom during T20 World Cup in UAE
- Asif was Pakistan’s hero on Friday, smashing four sixes in the 19th over to give Pakistan a five-wicket win over Afghanistan
- Two days earlier he smashed three sixes in Pakistan’s five-wicket win over New Zealand in Sharjah
England’s Livingstone leaves IPL to get ‘knee sorted’
- Livingstone played just seven of 12 matches for Punjab, who have been knocked out of the play-off race
- His injury is reportedly not serious but requires rest before England play Pakistan in four T20Is this month
NEW DELHI: England batsman Liam Livingstone has left the Indian Premier League early to get his knee “sorted” ahead of the T20 World Cup in June, the Punjab Kings player said.
Livingstone, 30, played just seven of 12 matches for Punjab, who have been knocked out of the play-off race for this season.
Livingstone, who has been named in England’s provisional squad for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States, missed two matches early this IPL after he went down on the field.
He later did not make the playing XI but returned to the starting line-up last week.
“IPL done for another year, had to get my knee sorted for the upcoming World Cup,” Livingstone wrote on social media.
“Thanks once again to the Punjab Kings fans for all their love and support. Disappointing season as a team and personally, but as always I loved every minute of playing in the IPL.”
According to ESPNcricinfo, Livingstone’s injury is not serious but requires rest before England play Pakistan in four T20 internationals this month.
Livingstone managed just 11 runs with a highest of 38 not out and returned three wickets with his spin bowling.
Other World Cup-bound England players including Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Reece Topley will begin to return home in the next few days.
‘Ring of Fire’ timepiece marking Fury v. Usyk fight in Saudi Arabia to be auctioned by Sotheby’s for charity
- A piece from the Astronomia Art collection, the “Ring of Fire” watch is a 50-mm rose-gold timepiece, the design and details of which pay tribute to both fighters
RIYADH: A bespoke timepiece created by Jacob & Co. to commemorate the heavyweight boxing clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia will be auctioned on Friday.
All proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish International charity.
A piece from the Astronomia Art collection, the “Ring of Fire” watch is a 50-mm rose-gold timepiece, the design and details of which pay tribute to both fighters.
A figurine of each world heavyweight champion measuring less than 1 cm-high adorns the watch, while the hour and minute dials are represented by the iconic champion belt of the World Boxing Council and its green color is used on the strap.
Sotheby’s will host the auction, on the evening before fight night, which will also feature other coveted boxing-themed items, with the high-value Ring of Fire watch the star attraction.
British WBC title holder Fury takes on Ukrainian WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion Usyk in Riyadh on May 18 at the Kingdom Arena in the clash, also called the “Ring of Fire.”
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the board of directors at the General Entertainment Authority, commissioned Big Time Creative Shop, the GEA’s creative arm, to work alongside luxury watch brand Jacob & Co. to design and craft the timepiece.
“This is an incredible and rare opportunity to own a piece of boxing history. The magnitude of this fight cannot be underestimated,” Alalshikh said.
“It will be spoken about for decades, and the successful bidder will share a special bond with the lead protagonists of this undisputed heavyweight story through the collective ownership of these unique and elegant timepieces.
“We are also pleased to be able to donate all auction proceeds to Make-A-Wish International, so they can help fulfil the wishes of even more children around the world,” he said.
Ever in confident mood, Fury said that the watch would remind the owner of a night of boxing history.
“This watch will forever represent a bit of boxing history and, for me personally, it is going to be a constant reminder of the night I became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the 21st century,” he said. “This is a rare and incredible timepiece and I hope it can raise lots of cash for an important global cause. I’d also like to thank everyone who has been involved in putting this together,” he said.
His Ukrainian opponent said that he hoped as much money as possible could be raised in auctioning the watch.
“I look forward to the auction and seeing who will be fortunate enough to achieve the winning bid and share with me in owning this masterpiece,” he said.
“I encourage everyone who can to get involved so we see a big donation to help with the good work of Make-A-Wish International. This watch is an excellent allegory of the limited time given to us by God in this world to help others and make it a better place to live.”
Saudi Hockey Federation announces tournament in Western Region to be played in Jeddah
- The tournament will feature six teams comprising 60 players
LONDON: The Saudi Hockey Federation announced on Monday it was organizing the Saudi Arabia Western Region Championship, which will kick off next Friday at the sports hall of Al-Ittihad Club in Jeddah.
The tournament will feature six teams comprising 60 players.
The hockey federation said the championship was part of its plan to develop hockey in the Kingdom and marks the beginning of its series of tournaments for the 2024 season.
The federation said that it would continue to organize similar tournaments, with an aim to expanding them to various regions of the Kingdom, to create a competitive environment for the sport and in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Felix da Costa wins historic third Berlin E-Prix
- Round 10 win at Tempelhof earns TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team first victory on home turf
- Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing has a 45-point lead in standings after victory in round 9
BERLIN: Antonio Felix da Costa became the only driver to win three times at the Tempelhof Airport street circuit after he clinched the win in round 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
His win at the Berlin E-Prix also secured Tag Heuer Porsche’s inaugural victory on home turf in Formula E.
“It just feels great to win at a home race for Porsche, it’s amazing,” said da Costa. “We’ve got so many guests here: so many people who work in the factory that don’t normally get to come to the races, our board members are here, so it’s definitely a special one.
“Honestly, it’s been a tough start to the season and we’ve been building a really good momentum, always closing the gap to the championship leaders and it feels good to take this one.”
He added: “You have to work hard when things aren’t right, but when you have the right people around you it makes it a little bit easier. I want to dedicate to this to my engineer’s father-in-law who passed away this week, so it’s for him and his family.”
Da Costa held on throughout the 38-lap race, despite relentless pressure from Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy of Jaguar, the latter being the victor of round 9 on Saturday.
Cassidy executed a last-minute move on Nissan’s Oliver Rowland to secure second place, clinching the fastest lap in the process. Rowland snatched third after a challenging starting position, ahead of Tag Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, who valiantly battled reigning champion Jake Dennis (Andretti) for fourth.
Cassidy’s teammate, Evans, finished in sixth. Jehan Daruvala of Maserati MSG Racing delivered an impressive seventh-place finish after navigating through the pack from 13th, marking a personal best Formula E result for the Indian driver.
Climbing from 18th to eighth place was 19-year-old Taylor Barnard of NEOM McLaren Formula E, showing remarkable skill in what was his first full weekend in the series. Joel Eriksson (Envision Racing) also achieved his best result to date with a ninth-place finish, while Jean-Eric Vergne (DS PENSKE) rounded out the top ten.
Cassidy leaves Berlin with a substantial 45-point haul and assumes top position in the standings with 140 points, ahead of Wehrlein on 124. Rowland occupies third place with 118 points.
In the team championship, Jaguar TCS Racing leads with 237 points, followed by TAG Heuer Porsche in second place with 183.
Saudi team ready for World Para Athletics Championships in Japan
DUBAI: The Saudi Paralympic team has set off for Kobe, in Japan, where they are competing in the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships.
The team’s preparations included extensive training sessions in both local and international camps.
The first phase took place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Damman from March to April, while phase two was in Dubai and included the team’s participation in the Gulf Games.
The 11th edition of the World Para Athletics Championships begins today and runs until May 27. It is being held at the Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium, where more than 1,000 athletes from 100 nations will compete in 168 events.
The 2024 championships are the first to be held in East Asia and the third one in Asia, following Doha in 2015 and Dubai in 2019.
