RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA DOHA: In exactly four years from today, football history will be made when the first kick-off at the 2022 FIFA World Cup takes place in Qatar.

At the World Cup in Russia last summer, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said football’s showpiece spectacle in 2022 will begin on November 21 and wrap up on December 18.

When the first kick-off takes place at one of the eight state-of-the-art stadiums, Qatar’s amazing journey to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be complete.

Almost eight years ago, Qatar won the rights to host the 2022 World Cup at a historic FIFA vote in Zurich. The moment the then FIFA President Sepp Blatter took out the card that had Qatar’s name on it, the entire country erupted in absolute jubilation.

Once the announcement was made on December 2, 2010, and the deed officially signed by FIFA President in Doha a couple of weeks later in the presence of H E Sheilkh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of the 2022 Bid Team, Qatar has gone about fulfilling its promises at a rapid pace and without a pause.

One of the biggest examples of its preparatory projects has been the large-scale renovation of the country’s iconic sports venue the Khalifa International Stadium. The 50,000-seater, which was renovated at a remarkably quick pace, got inau-gurated in May 2017 when the Amir Cup final was played between Al Sadd and Al Rayyan.

With the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani cutting the inauguration ribbon in the company of FIFA President Infantino and scores of other dig-nitaries, the world watched in awe at the spectacular redevel-opment of the stadium. More sur-prising for the fans was that the country’s historic sports venue was inaugurated more than five years ahead of schedule!

Qatar’s new World Cup venues - Al Rayyan Stadium, Al Wakrah Stadium, Education City Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium and Lusail Stadium - are in various stages of completion. Some of the sta-diums are in the process of installing the roofs. Every bit of construction work will be com-plete by 2020, two years before the World Cup.

Along with that, Qatar has also spent billions of dollars to link up the country’s football sta-diums with the most modern metro network in recent times. According to recent estimates,

more than 70 percent of the rail network has been completed with some of the lines already running trial rides.

Ever since its inauguration in April 2014, the Hamad Interna-tional Airport has expanded its work area significantly and suc-cessfully increased capacity to handle the rising numbers of pas-sengers. Meanwhile, Ashghal is expanding and improving Qatar’s road networks, spending billions to rev up Qatar’s preparations for the World Cup.

Last year in February, Qatar announced that it was spending close to ‘$500m a week on World Cup infrastructure projects’ to meet its deadlines ahead of the 2022 edition. Work continues at full speed to lay new road net-works, build new hospitals and construct underground rail tunnels and bridges. How Qatar looked some 5-6 years is a far

cry from how futuristic it looks now.

With government completing their side of the promises with relative ease, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) is busy assem-bling a strong outfit that will be seen on the pitch at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Last week Qatar stunned hosts Switzerland - ranked number 8 in the world - in an international friendly played in Lugano and on Monday, Al Anabi produced a fighting 2-2 draw against Iceland in Eupen, Belgium.

With heavy investments being made to develop senior and junior football sides, Qatar’s football teams are indeed showing signs of rapid improvement. In October 2014, Qatar juniors won the AFC Asian U-19 Cup in Myanmar with a gutsy win over North Korea in the title clash. The title win

helped the Qatar boys to qualify for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in New Zealand.

A few weeks later, Qatar seniors stunned hosts Saudi Arabia in the 2014 Gulf Cup final at Riyadh.

Earlier this month, Qatar juniors finished fourth at the AFC Asian U-19 Championship to qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be played in Poland next year. In January this year, Qatar finished the AFC Asian U-23 Championship in third spot in China where their young striker Almoez Ali won the Golden Boot for his six goals in the high profile event.

The 10-month professional circuit in Qatar - QNB Stars League - is a battleground for exciting clashes every week. With players like Barcelona legend Xavi appearing for Al Sadd as skipper and Dutch star Wesley Sneijder taking the captain’s armband for Al Gharafa, the club game is an intense affair.

The QNB Stars League, one of the top leagues in the region, has roped in players like Nam Tae-hee from South Korea, Samuel Eto’o from Cameroon, Vladimir Weiss from Slovakia, Youssef Msakni from Algeria and Valentin Lazar from Romania to appear for different clubs.

The next few months will be important for Qatar teams as well and not just the organizations preparing to host the big event.

Qatar’s senior team - coached by Felix Sanchez - will battle for top honours at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the UAE (Jan 5-Feb 1). In May, Qatar juniors will head to Poland to appear in the FIFA U-20 World Cup. In June, Qatar’s senior outfit will take part in the Copa America to be held in Brazil. Qatar is also expected to play the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches

to gain match practice. All these events and series of

matches will help the Qatar outfits get the much-needed international exposure to improve its overall game on the pitch.

In July this year, the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani officially received the hosts mantle of the FIFA World Cup from Russian President Vladimir Putin. In his speech, the Amir said Qatar would love to repeat what hosts Russia did at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The Russian team delivered a stunning per-formance to reach the quarter-finals. Hosts of the next FIFA World Cup, Qatar would clearly love to go as far as possible in the home event.

Apart from producing encouraging team results, Qatar is pretty much moving smoothly as they prepare to stage the FIFA World Cup. With world-class infrastructure devel-opments take shape at a fast pace and the most serene weather to be enjoyed in the c o u n t r y i n November and December, Qatar clearly looks set to leave a lasting legacy with the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

With amazing tourists spots around the country of 2.67 million people and a transport system second to none in the world, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be hard to beat. Since fans will cover short distances to reach from one venue to their hotel or to another stadium, the World Cup in Qatar could actually make it pos-sible for visitors to watch more than one match a day! What’s more Qatar’s easily accessible geographical location more or less guar-antees a record fan turnout for the 2022 spectacle.

SPORTWednesday 21 November 2018

PAGE | 27 PAGE | 31Smith and

Warnerto serve out

their bans

Qatar on right track as Cup debut becons on home soil

The final countdown begins Exactly four years to go for the first kick-off at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani holds a football with Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino during a symbolic transfer of the authority to Qatar to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the Kremlin in Moscow in this July 15 file photo.

H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), and H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, are seen at a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow in this July 2018 file photo.

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We are confident that the

2022 World Cup in Qatar

will be up to expectations:

FIFA President

Gianni Infantino

On December 2,

2010, Qatar won

the 2022 FIFA World

Cup bid race at a historic

vote in Zurich.

The Khalifa

International

Stadium is ready

for action and

seven more

unique-looking

state-of-the art football

stadiums are beginning to

take shape in Qatar.

The 2022 World Cup

will be held from

November 21 –

December 18.

FIFA WORLD

CUP HOSTS

1930 Uruguay

1934 Italy

1938 France

1950 Brazil

1954 Switzerland

1958 Sweden

1962 Chile

1966 England

1970 Mexico

1974 Germany

1978 Argentina

1982 Spain

1986 Mexico

1990 Italy

1994 USA

1998 France

2002 Japan and

South Korea

2006 Germany

2010 South Africa

2014 Brazil

2018 Russia

2022 QATAR

People from all corners of the world will visit Qatar in 2022, and billions will be watching on screens.

For Qatar, the Middle East, and for the international community, the FIFA World Cup in 2022 is a precious opportunity to celebrate our common humanity and

advance progress for human rights in our region: Hassan Al Thawadi, the Secretary-General of the

Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC)

28 WEDNESDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2018SPORT

Dutch draw to reach Nations League semisAFP

GERMANY: Virgil van Dijk hailed the Netherlands’ belief as his 91st-minute equaliser fired them into the semi-finals of the Nations League after their dramatic 2-2 draw with Germany.

The point in Gelsenkirchen was enough for the Dutch to advance to the last four at the expense of world champions France after scoring twice in the final six minutes in a dramatic finish.

Liverpool defender Van Dijk volleyed home a cross in added time to complete the Dutch fight back after Quincy Promes had scored their first goal on 85 minutes.

Germany, who led 2-0 after only 20 minutes through goals by Timo Werner and Leroy Sane, were punished for not being clinical enough in the second half.

Van Dijk said it was “a fan-tastic feeling” to finish top of Group One ahead of European powerhouses France and the Germans.

“We should all be proud of ourselves. I know I am,” he said after the Dutch join England, Switzerland and Portugal in the Nations League’s last four.

“We worked so hard every game and to get rewards for that is fantastic.” After missing out on qualifying for the finals of both Euro 2016 and this year’s World Cup, Van Dijk said the priority is to get the Dutch to the Euro 2020 finals.

“If we can win the Nations League, fantastic, but we all want to make sure we’re at the European Championships and

do very well there to make our country proud,” he added.

Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman praised his team for turning two of their three late chances into goals.

“It was very difficult for us, the Germans were sharper and faster in the first half,” admitted Koeman.

“We fought to come back in the second half and pressed.

“They had their chances to finish it off, but the fight and belief we showed was enough for the point.

“We didn’t play great

football, it wasn’t our best per-formance, but it was enough.

“No one expected Holland to win the group.

“Of course, we did not want to go down to League ‘B’, but winning the group was a dream.” - Germans rue wasted chances - After Germany missed several second-half chances, head coach Joachim Loew rued the victory that got away from his inexpe-rienced side.

“That’s the price you pay for having a young side, we have to learn to close a game down,” said Loew, who started only three

2014 World Cup winners in Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos and Manuel Neuer.

“They risked everything and were rewarded.

“This is a learning experience for us and we will have to analyse our performance in the last 10 minutes.

“We showed for 80 minutes that we are strong and they hardly had a chance to score, which says a lot for our team.” Thomas Mueller reached the milestone of 100 Germany appearances as a second-half replacement, but the future

belongs to the likes of Man-chester City’s German winger Sane, who was outstanding.

“The result is annoying,” Sane said.

“We went ahead and then let them off the hook.

“We should have scored the third goal, then you run the game down, but it didn’t work out like that.” Fellow goal-scorer Werner, who ended his eight-game goal drought, agreed.

“It’s a pity, we had every-thing under control until the 85th minute and could have gone 3-0 up,” said Werner.

Cahill ends Australia career with Lebanon winAFP

SYDNEY: Veteran Tim Cahill bid an emotional farewell yesterday on his 108th and final appearance for Australia as Scottish striker Martin Boyle scored twice for his newly-adopted country.

Cahill, the Socceroos all-time top scorer with 50 goals, came out of international retirement to play the final nine minutes of Australia’s 3-0 win against Lebanon in their last match before defending the Asian Cup crown in January.

Coach Graham Arnold made sweeping changes from the line-up that drew 1-1 with South Korea on Saturday with Hibernian marksman Boyle, who recently secured an Aus-tralian passport, starting up front.

He played alongside South Sudanese refugee Awer Mabil and added a spark that the Socceroos have been missing since Cahill announced his retirement at the end of the World Cup in Russia.

Boyle, who played for the Scotland under-16s but qual-ified for Australia due to his Sydney-born father, scored on his starting debut in the 19th minute when his pow-erful long-range strike took a deflection.

He made it 2-0 on 41 minutes after toe-poking home the rebound after Milos Degenek’s header hit the bar.

Substitute Matthew Leckie buried the third soon after coming on in the second half, from a Boyle assist.

With the result secure, it was all about Cahill as he came on in a pre-arranged farewell in front of his home fans in Sydney.

Widely considered as the “Greatest Socceroo”, he couldn’t add to his goal-scoring tally but was given a huge ovation and handed the captain’s armband.

“It’s the first time I’ve cried on a football field and I’m proud of it,” he said after the final whistle, wiping away tears.

There will be no Super League: UEFA chief AFP

LONDON: There will be no breakaway European Super League, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and Andrea Agnelli, the chairman of the influential European Club Asso-ciation has told the BBC.

Instead their joint plans for the future of European football from 2024 onwards will see a revised football schedule which will possibly involve less domestic football and more European competition.

German news magazine Der Spiegel claimed to have

documents which showed Europe’s biggest clubs planning for a Super League from 2021.

“The Super League will not happen. It is in a way a fiction now or a dream,” Ceferin told the BBC.

Agnelli, whose body repre-sents over 200 leading teams, said the clubs and UEFA are “united” in their views on how the game should progress over the coming years.

“I can confirm we have never seen, never discussed, never been involved in the creation of this document (about a Super League),” said Agnelli, who is

also chairman of Juventus one of the clubs reportedly due to be a founding member of the Super League.

“We are fully engaged with Uefa in shaping the game going forward.” Ceferin -- who is due to be re-elected to his post unop-posed next February -- and Agnelli says discussions are taking place about how to change the format of European club football’s premier compe-tition, the Champions League.

This is being done in order to obtain a more financially attractive broadcasting deal.

“We have some ideas,” said

Ceferin. “All I can say is that any Super League is out of the question.“Participation stays. And everybody will have an opportunity to compete in every European competition,” added the 51-year-old Slovenian lawyer.

Ceferin said a planned third European competition with 32 teams will be appreciated by European clubs.It is not the first time there have been three European club competitions as prior to it being reduced to the Champions League and Europa League -- formerly the UEFA Cup -- there was the Cup

Winners Cup.The new compe-tition is due to be voted in at a UEFA meeting in Dublin in early December.

“It will be our duty to safe-guard the great heritages of European football but on the other side I think we are very well aware that we have to safe-guard markets, we have to think about upcoming markets,” said Ceferin.

“Fans can rest assured that if we put our hands to making a new product it’s because we want to make sure that fans across Europe engage.”

PGA announces new tournament in JapanAP

TOKYO: The PGA Tour will hold its first official tournament in Japan. And the main sponsor of next year’s event, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, is describing it as a kind of “moonshot” for golf in his country.

Maezawa should know.The founder of the Japanese

fashion website Zozotown, Maezawa was announced earlier this year as the first commercial passenger to attempt a flight around the moon.

“I think this will be the first PGA Tour sponsor that is going to the moon,” he said through an interpreter Tuesday in announcing the tournament. “I haven’t decided who I will take to the moon with me yet. I would like to talk to many people with an open mind.” Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama was sitting alongside Maezawa during the media event at a central Tokyo hotel.

“I don’t know whether he will ask me, but I would love to go (to the moon),” Matsuyama said.

The tournament, set for October 24-27, will be part of the PGA’s swing through Asia along with stops in South Korea and China. The Japanese tournament replaces one in Malaysia.

The PGA said it was a six-year deal, and driven partly by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and golf’s high profile there.

PGA officials said the Zozo Championship will have a purse of $9.75 m with a field of 78 - plus 10 designated by the Jap-anese Tour, and eight others with special exemptions. It will be played at the Accordia Golf Nar-ashino Country Club in Chiba prefecture, just outside Tokyo.

Maezawa said he was a “5-handicap” golfer at his best, but said he may have slipped to a 9-handicap - also a high level for an amateur player.

Isao Aoki, who was the first Japanese player to win a PGA Tour event, was thrilled by the announcement. Aoki won in 1983 in Hawaii.

“Finally this day has come,” the 76-year-old Aoki said. “If I were younger, I’d like to play in a PGA tournament in Japan. I wish this day had come earlier.”

Embiid dazzles in 76ers winAFP

WASHINGTON: Joel Embiid scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to power Phila-delphia over the Phoenix Suns 119-114 on Monday, keeping the 76ers the NBA’s only unbeaten team at home.

The 24-year-old Cam-eroonian 7-footer made 12-of-23 shots from the floor and added three steals as the Sixers improved to 9-0 at home and 12-7 overall despite trailing 62-57 at half-time.

“It was good,” Embiid said. “We can’t be taking possessions off. Tonight we did. We had a lull but we picked it up. I was just trying to do my job.”

Australian playmaker Ben Simmons added 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the 76ers while Jimmy Butler added 16 in his fourth game since coming from Minnesota to the 76ers, who won for third time in four days.

“It’s great,” Embiid said of Butler’s arrival. “He helps us a lot, especially on the defensive end. We’ve got to have him. We’ve got to keep working and he’s going to take us a long way.”

Devin Booker scored a

game-high 37 points with eight assists for the Suns while Bahamas big man Deandre Ayton, the top pick in this year’s NBA draft, added 17 points and nine rebounds.

“He’s going to be a really good big man in this league,” Embiid said of Ayton, whom he had taunted on social media before the season.

Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook scored 29 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, passed off seven assists and

made three steals in his comeback after missing six games, but the Thunder still lost 117-113 at Sacramento.

Westbrook sprained his left ankle two weeks ago but only missed Saturday’s game for the birth of twin daughters Skye and Jordyn.

The loss kept Oklahoma City from joining Portland, Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers atop the Western Con-ference at 11-5. Oklahoma City had won 10 of 11 prior games,

including five of six without Westbrook. Kemba Walker scored 43 points on 14-of-25 shooting to spark the host Hornets over visiting Boston 117-112. Walker, who struck for 60 points on Saturday in a loss to Philadelphia, became only the sixth player in NBA history to follow a 60-point effort with 40-or-more points -- putting his name alongside Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Pete Mar-avich, Wilt Chamberlain and Tracy McGrady.

San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan (10) drives past New Orleans Pelicans guard E’Twaun Moore (55) during the second half of their NBA game on Monday at the Smoothie King Center.

Netherlands’ defender Virgil van Dijk scores during the UEFA Nations League match in Gelsenkirchen on Monday.

29WEDNESDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2018 SPORT

Abderrahman Samba (QAT) - World lead and unbeaten in nine finals at 400m hurdles, setting the world’s

quickest time since 1992

- Asian Games champion at 400m hurdles and 4x400m

- IAAF Continental Cup winner

- Asian indoor 4x400m champion

Christian Coleman (USA)- World indoor record and world indoor champion at 60m

- World lead and IAAF Diamond League champion at 100m

Armand Duplantis (SWE)- European champion at pole vault with a world-leading height

- World U20 champion

- Eight world U20 records or bests, indoors and out

Eliud Kipchoge (KEN)- London Marathon champion

- Berlin Marathon champion with the biggest improvement on a men’s mara-

thon world record since 1967

Kevin Mayer (FRA)- World indoor champion at heptathlon

- World record at decathlon

FINALISTS FOR IAAF MALE-ATHLETE-OF-THE-YEAR AWARD

Qatar’s star Samba among five finalists for top IAAF award

Qatar’s Abderrahman

Samba from Team Asia and Pacific competes in the

men’s 400m hurdles event at the IAAF

Continental Cup in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in this

September 8, 2018 file photo.

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba is just a step away from a major honour as the star 400m hurdler has been shortlisted among the five finalists for the 2018 IAAF Male-Athlete-of-the-Year award, yesterday.

The 23-year-old won everything that fell on his way the last season. Samba’s achievements in the 2018 calendar year includes the world’s quickest time since 1992. He remained unbeaten in nine finals at 400m hurdles and 4x400m. The top athlete also won the IAAF Continental Cup and the Asian indoor 4x400m champion.

A three-way voting process determined the finalists.The IAAF Council and the IAAF Family cast their votes by

email, while fans voted online via the IAAF’s social media platforms.

The IAAF Council’s vote counted for 50% of the result, while the IAAF Family’s votes and the public votes each counted for 25% of the final result. Voting closed on November 13, according to IAAF website.

World record holders Eliud Kipchoge and Kevin Mayer are also among the five nominees for the top male award.

Thirty-four-year-old Kenyan Kipchoge, the Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist, smashed the previous marathon world record by a towering 78 seconds in Berlin in Sep-tember, five months after winning this year’s London Marathon.

Frenchman Mayer sensationally recorded a world record in the decathlon on the same day as Kipchoge’s heroics - September 16.

He tallied an amazing 9,126 points at the annual meeting in Talence to move past American Ashton Eaton’s previous mark of 9,045, set in 2015.

Mayer, the reigning world champion and Olympic silver medallist, also won the heptathlon at the World Indoor Cham-pionships in Birmingham this year.

American Christian Coleman and Sweden’s Armand Duplantis are also in the running for the award.

The male and female World-Athletes-of-the-Year will be announced live on stage at the IAAF Athletics Awards 2018 on December 4 in Monaco.

Aspire Park set to host Asian

beach volleyball spectacleFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Top continental teams will descend on Doha next week, eyeing top honours in the seventh edition of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Aspire Beach Volleyball Qatar Master to be played at Aspire Park.

The Organising Committee of the event, which is jointly organised by the Qatar Vol-leyball Association (QVA), the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Aspire Zone Foun-dation (AZF), has received confirmation from 16 teams for the competition set to take place from November 27 to 30.

“We are looking forward to deliver another successful event,” Mohammed Mubarak Al Kuwari, Chairman of the Organ-ising Committee told a press conference at Torch Hotel, yesterday.

“Doha has become one of the main regional and global sports hubs and that with AZF at its heart, the city is embracing all types of sports events,” he added.

“The four-day championship will welcome a wide range of fans and sports enthusiasts due to its location at Aspire Park in line with our objective to encourage individuals to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle,” said Al Kuwari before appreci-ating sponsors - Sports Corner (Main sponsor), Ooredoo (Telecommunication sponsor), De Boer (Technical sponsors), and Kidzania (Event partner) – for their support.

Mohammed Salem Al Kuwari, General Coordinator of the Championship at QVA; Nasser Abdullah Al Hajri, Member of the OC and the Director of PR and Communications at AZF; and Nasser Ahmed Al Meer, captain of the Qatar national team were also present during the press conference.

The tournament is set to witness thrilling games as teams will be looking to score maximum points as they are eyeing World

Championships qualification, with just four berths available for Asian teams.

Two teams each from Australia, Iran, Japan, Oman, Kazakhstan, and Thailand while one New Zealand outfit have con-firmed their participation. The organisers are expecting a rise in number of partici-pating teams.

Hosts Qatar, who will be defending their title, will field three teams in the home contest. Qatar’s top duo of Ahmed Tijan

Janko and Cherif Younousse will start among the favourites as they have shown good form during their title triumph in Asian Beach Vol-leyball Championship in Satun, Thailand last September.

Qatar 2 will be led by Al Meer, who will partner with Hamad Al Kuwari while Qatar 3 comprises Assam Mahmoud and Tamer Abdelrasoul.

“We are well prepared but it is going to be a tough challenge,” Al Meer said yesterday.

“Teams from Australia, Kazakhstan and Iran are very good. I have good experience of partnering with Hamad (Al Kuwari) and we are looking forward to a good show.”

Meanwhile, Salem extended his utmost appreciation and gratitude to AZF for their ongoing efforts and cooperation in organ-ising a global event ‘that reflects AZF’s read-iness to work with other sports federations in Qatar’.

He said: “The Aspire Beach Volleyball championship is set up as a preparation phase to train Qatari teams for future tour-naments, including the upcoming World Championship in Hamburg, Germany, and to obtain extra points in the rankings. The Qatari beach volleyball team has advanced in the Asian rankings, attaining the 1st place and is ranked 10th in the world.”

“We will continue to host tournaments like these to rise in the world rankings of this year while achieving medals in inter-national and continental championships, which stems from Qatar Olympic Commit-tee’s vision under the leadership of His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Al Thani to train athletes to reach their highest performance level and to bring home the gold.” he added.

The organisers, who are making special arrangements for the event, are expecting a turnout of over 12,000 fans during the event.

Mohammed Mubarak Al Kuwari, Chairman of the Organising Committee, AZF (centre), Mohammed Salem Al Kuwari, General Coordinator of the Organising Committee, QVA (right) and Nasser Ahmed Al Meer, captain, Qatar national team during a press conference at Torch Doha Hotel yesterday. PICS: QASSIM RAHMATULLAH/THE PENINSULA

Qatar captain Nasser Ahmed Al Meer

We are well prepared but it is

going to be a tough challenge

as teams from Australia,

Kazakhstan and Iran are very

good sides: Qatar captain

Nasser Ahmed Al Meer.

QTSBF, Qatar Rail join hands to promote tennis, squash eventsARMSTRONG VAS THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Two new tournaments - the QTSBF Qatar Rail Tennis Open Tournament and the Qatar Rail Squash Team League - have been scheduled to give the national team players more exposure and prepare them for international competitions, a top official said yesterday.

Yesterday, Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton (QTSBF) and Qatar Railways Company announced details of the two new events that kicked off this week. As per the new agreement, Qatar Rail will sponsor a week-long local tennis tournament and a team squash league set to last 10 weeks.

Addressing a press con-ference QTSBF Secretary General Tariq Zainal yesterday said: “It is a pleasure to launch a new chapter of cooperation between Qatar Tennis, Squash and Bad-minton and Qatar Rail Company regarding the two local tourna-ments in squash and tennis”

Zainal stressed that this cooperation is to develop tennis and squash in Qatar by sup-porting the Qatari athletes and

providing them with opportu-nities to acquire more experience.

“Qatar Rail’s support to these two local events comes as a part of the social responsibility of the company and its positive contri-bution to the development of the community” he added.

Speaking to The Peninsula, Zainal said they have approached a few schools in Qatar with a view to enroll them for long term coaching programmes.

“We have a definite vision where we are heading to. We are happy that we have our own Abdulla Al Tamimi as one of the top ranked player on the squash circuit. The World No.23 is a role model and an inspiration for many of the young players. Hopefully we will have more players of his caliber in the near future,” he said.

“Next year’s World Champi-onship in Qatar will hopefully inspire more young players to take the game and become pro-fessional players,” added Zainal.

Chief of Strategy and Business Development Division at Qatar Rail Ajlan Eid Al Enazi also present for the press conference.

QTSBF Secretary General Tariq Zainal (left) and Chief of Strategy and Business Development Division at Qatar Rail Ajlan Eid Al Enazi shake hands after the signing ceremony yesterday.

He said:”Qatar Rail Company keen to be an active partner in developing the com-munity and supporting the Qatari sport as it has a positive impact on young people. The company also aims at encour-aging the Qatari community to practice physical activities and promoting the culture of sports as Qatar Rail Open tournament comes in this regard.”

The first edition of the QTSBF Qatar Rail Squash Team League began yesterday at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex and features six teams comprising of players from Qatari national team and

Aspire Academy. Matches are held on Tuesday every week and the tournament will last 10 weeks. Players from the senior team to boys under-11 will be seen in action in the league.

Meanwhile,the first edition of the QTSBF Qatar Rail Tennis Open Tournament began on Monday at the same venue.

The event brings together 231 players including 89 players from national teams.

The event will feature dif-ferent age groups including boys and girls under 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, and 18 years in addition to Men, Women and veterans’ events and will conclude on November 29.

30 WEDNESDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2018SPORT

Construction of the Al Wakrah Stadium nearing completion.

QATAR GETS READY TO ‘DELIVER AMAZING’

AL WAKRAH STADIUMCapacity: 40,000

Design inspired by: Dame Zaha HadidDistance from Doha city centre: 23km (14 miles)

Inspired by the late British-Iraqi architect Dame Zaha Hadid, the futuristic Al Wakrah Stadium will host matches up to the quarter-finals stage during Qatar 2022. The design is inspired by the sails of traditional dhow boats – in tribute to Al Wakrah’s seafaring past. An innovative cooling system and retractable roof mean the stadium will be used all year round.

Work at Al Wakrah Stadium advances at a rapid pace. The stadium building structure is now completed, and work is progressing on internal finishes, the roof and façade works. The energy centre that will serve the stadium has been built, while the precinct infrastructure and hard landscaping are advancing.

AL BAYT STADIUM AL KHOR CITY STADIUM

Capacity: 60,000Designer: Dar Al Handasah

Distance from Doha city centre: 43km (27 miles)

A remarkable sight will welcome fans to Al Bayt Stadium – Al Khor City, which is being delivered by Aspire Zone Foundation. The arena, designed to represent Arab hospitality, will host matches through to the semi-finals stage in 2022 and will be covered by a structure resem-bling a traditional Arab tent known as ‘bayt al sha’ar’, complete with a state-of-the-art retractable roof.

The stadium structure has been completed, along with the installation of the retractable roof. Works within the precinct infrastructure and landscaping are pro-gressing at the venue.

AL RAYYAN STADIUMCapacity: 40,000Designer: Ramboll

Distance from Doha city centre: 22km (14 miles)

Al Rayyan Stadium will showcase the very best of Qatari culture in 2022 as it hosts matches up to the quarter-finals stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The outer façade will be made up of intricate patterns representing Qatar, from its history of trade to its varied wildlife. Al Rayyan’s desert landscapes will be reflected on the façade – and in the dune-shaped hospitality areas and merchandise stalls dotted around the stadium complex.

The installation of the compression and tensile roof steel structure modules has been completed, while façade installation has commenced, along with the testing of the energy centre.

EDUCATION CITY STADIUMCapacity: 40,000

Designer: FIA Fenwick Iribarren ArchitectsDistance from Doha city centre: 12km (7 miles)

Education City Stadium is located at the heart of Qatar Foundation – a vibrant centre for knowledge and innovation where this ultramodern arena will be a fitting addition and lasting symbol of sustainability. The stadium will host matches up to the quarter-finals stage in 2022 and become the home of the Qatar Women’s team in legacy mode.

Progress continues to be made at the ‘Diamond in the Desert’. More than 220,000m3 of concrete has been casted, fabrication of the shimmering façade is almost complete and the roof structural steel works are pro-gressing rapidly.

AL THUMAMA STADIUMCapacity: 40,000Designer: Arab Engineering BureauDistance from Doha city centre: 13km (8

miles)The design of Al Thumama Stadium is

inspired by the ‘gahfiya’, a traditional woven cap worn for centuries by men across the Arab world. It is the first World Cup venue to be designed by a Qatari architect – Ibrahim Al Jaidah.

More than 80% of the stadium’s concrete frame has been completed, while work on the stadium’s upper tier steel structure is pro-gressing well. Installation of the bleachers is ongoing. Precinct works are also in progress, including installation of water tanks, training pitches and other utilities and services.

RAS ABU ABOUD STADIUMCapacity: 40,000Designer: FIA Fenwick Iribarren

ArchitectsDistance from Doha city centre: 10km

(6 miles)Ras Abu Aboud Stadium will be the first

fully demountable and reusable tournament venue in FIFA World Cup history. Designed by Fenwick Iribarren Architects, this 40,000-capacity stadium will be built using shipping containers and other modular mate-rials. Overlooking the stunning Doha Corniche and West Bay skyline, the stadium will host matches up to the quarter-finals stage in 2022.

The fabrication of containers for Ras Abu Aboud Stadium commenced in August 2018, with the first batch expected in Doha in Feb-ruary 2019. The venue will be built using 998 modular containers. The prefabricated modular structure allows for the use of fewer materials and reduces waste and emissions.

LUSAIL STADIUMCapacity: 80,000Concept designed by: Foster + PartnersDistance from Doha city centre: 16km

(10 miles)Lusail Stadium will host the 2022 FIFA

World Cup final, opening game and matches throughout the tournament. The design for Lusail Stadium is due to be unveiled in December 2018. At Lusail Stadium, the 24th – and final – main structural column to support the stadium façade has been installed. Meanwhile, concrete superstructure works are progressing in all zones, reaching the fifth and sixth floors in the east and west sides respectively, where the structure will reach 80m at its highest point.

KHALIFA INTERNATIONAL STADIUM

Capacity: 40,000Distance from Doha city centre: 13km (8

miles)On 19 May 2017 Khalifa International

Stadium became the first 2022 World Cup stadium to open when it hosted the Emir Cup final in front of more than 40,000 fans. Located in Aspire Zone, the historic venue has previously hosted the Asian Games, the Gulf Cup and the AFC Asian Cup. Next year it will host the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships.

THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Construction of the state-of-the-art stadiums being built to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup is advancing rapidly across Qatar, with the venues for the first tour-nament in the Arab world continuing to take shape.

Qatar Seven stadiums are currently under con-struction, while one venue – Khalifa International Stadium – has been redeveloped and was inaugurated in May, 2017.

Main works on all stadiums will be completed two years before kick-off of the tournament.

The longest distance between stadiums will be just 55km (Al Bayt Stadium – Al Khor City to Al Wakrah Stadium) while the shortest distance will be 5km (Al Rayyan Stadium to Education City Stadium), which means fans will be able to attend more than one match a day during the group stage.

Eight stadiums for a compact tournament

Hassan Al Thawadi (left), the Secretary-General of the SC and other officials briefing the FIFA President Gianni Infantino (centre) about the construction work of the Al Wakrah Stadium during a recent visit. Work in progress inside the Al Bayt Stadium.

The construction work under way at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. BOTTOM: A rendition of the completed stadium.

An artist’s impression of the Education City Stadium.

The Al Thumama Stadium

31WEDNESDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2018 SPORT

I think

this World

Cup is

extremely important,

not only for Qatar but

for the whole region

– a region that has a

passion for football

and is investing

a lot in the game.

This World Cup is a

unique opportunity –

a chance to show the

world what this region

can offer; for football,

but also for anybody

in the world to come

and visit a beautiful

place, learn about

a new culture and

meet new people.

In this world,

especially in the

current climate, it is

very much needed

that we open our

doors and discover

new places: FIFA President Gianni Infantino

This July 9 file photo shows the general view of Majlis Qatar, Majlis Qatar, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s (SC) installation in Gorky Park, Moscow which showed what’s on offer at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Football fans in Russia attending the 2018 FIFA World Cup got a taste of what’s to come in four years’ time after Qatar unveiled a host of activities in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Visitors were invited to travel to Qatar through an immersive multimedia show, where informational graphics on Qatar’s hosting plans will be projected onto walls, appearing to flow down into the river’s water.

Qatari players celebrate after scoring against Iceland during their friendly match which wa played in Eupen, Belgium on Monday.

Qatar on right track as Cup debut beckons on home soilFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

DOHA: With exactly four years left to the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, hosts Qatar have started exhibiting a credible game awareness on the pitch as they prepare to make debut in the game’s showpiece event on home soil.

The former Asian champions are marking the four-year countdown with a phenomenal run this season, stunning several top-ranked opponents including European sides as they get ready for next year’s Asian Cup in the UAE.

Qatar, under coach Felix Sanchez, are on the way to becoming a formidable side with a blend of youth and experience. The World No.96 side this season has played six friendlies and lost just one game, winning four matches.

One of those victories was a 1-0 win over World No.8

Switzerland on their home soil last week, which stunned the world. Proving

it was no fluke, Qatar also held another 2018 World Cup side Iceland to a gutsy 2-2 draw

in Eupen, Belgium just days later (On Monday).

They have also beaten Iraq, China, Pal-estine and Ecuador this year in the last two months.

The best part of a successful European tour for Qatar was that team regulars and young players played their due role. Captain and feared striker Hassan Al Haydos, influ-ential defender Abdul Karim Hassan – the current nominee for AFC Player-of-the-Year award - and Karim Boudiaf showed their vast experience while young foward Akram Afif sent out the warning to the world with a winning goal against the Swiss side.

Al Haydos, who will be celebrating his 32nd birthday during the 2022 World Cup, hopes to be in national camp during the home tournament.

“Aside from being a football player, as a Qatari it is an honour to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the most important event in world football. I will try my best to be with the national team in 2022, that would be a dream for me and it is a dream for all the nation of Qatar,” the striker had said in an interview earlier.

Meanwhile, coach Sanchez is hoping that with more exposure to tougher tests, his players have the potential to bring further improvement.

“There are games where we cannot do

100 percent what we have to do and of course you have the opposition in front ... we need to do more things that we’re not used to do but it’s the way to compete,” he told AP.

“It’s steps we have to do to arrive in 2022 ready to compete,” said Sanchez.

For Qatari midfielder Assim Madibo, victory against Switzerland was crucial, saying it has established the team Al Anabi’s name in major footballing nations.

“It’s a big win for us especially (because) a lot of people don’t know us,” he said.

“I think they will know us more after this game ... Now we are only focusing on playing big games so we will get respect and people will know us,” Madibo added.

Qatar’s strides in international football has also impressed Spain and Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez, who has spent the best part of his post-international retirement era playing for Al Sadd in the Gulf state.

“We are in a good way,” Xavi, a World Cup winner, said in an interview recently. “We have many talented players and it means that (coach) Felix Sanchez is doing a really good job. We must keep going like that. It’s a big win, of course.”

Qatar will accelerate their preparations for the FIFA 2022 World Cup and after the 2019 Asian Cup, Al Anabi’s next stern test will be the 2019 Copa America in June and the World Cup qualifying tournament.

Sanchez said the next challenges will give Qatar valuable experience before the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

“It’s a big motivation to play against such teams and start to feel what is the real pressure in official competition against one of the top national teams in the world like Brazil, Argentina or one of those,” he said.

With a lot of hard work being put in by the Qatar Football Association (QFA) to prepare a best possible group of players, the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts can emulate the hosts of the last edition Russia, who impressed all by reaching the quarter-finals on their home soil.

Aside from being a football player, as a Qatari it is an honour to host the 2022

FIFA World Cup, the most important event in world football. I will try my best to be with the national team in 2022, that would be a dream for me and it is a dream for all the nation of

Qatar: Captain Hassan Al Haydos

We are

in a good

way (right path). We

have many talented

players and it means

that (coach) Felix

Sanchez is doing a

really good job. We

must keep going like

that. It’s a big win,

of course: Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez

OOa 1-0

Swsoistu

it wheld anoside Icel

in Eupen, BelgMonday).

They have also bestine and Ecuador months.

The best part oftour for Qatar was tyoung players playedand feared striker Hential defender Abdcurrent nominee for award - and Karimvast experience whilAfif sent out the wara winning goal again

Al Haydos, who32nd birthday durin32nd birthday durin

In four years’ time,

1.5 million fans will

descend on Qatar

from every corner

of the globe and

billions more will

tune in on their TVs,

smartphones and

tablets to watch 28

days of football. It

will be a momentous

occasion for the

teams participating,

the fans watching,

and for the whole

Arab world, which is

eagerly anticipating

hosting the

showpiece event of

the most popular

sport in the world for

the first time ever:

Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi

Football, more than

any other sport,

has the power to

build bridges of

understanding

between people

and cultures. With

key tournament

and national

infrastructure

projects on-schedule

and each of our

legacy initiatives

proving a catalyst for

positive change both

locally and abroad,

we are delivering

on our promise of

hosting a unique and

transformational FIFA

World Cup for Qatar,

the region and the

world: SC Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi

Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi

It will be a very

important World Cup.

The stadiums are

very impressive and I

know the tournament

will be a big boost

for the Arab world:

Argentinian star Angel Di Maria

SPORT1:00PM 5:45PM

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LIVE ON

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27WEDNESDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2018

We definitely have a very strong

side. When we step on the field

we have 11 individuals striving

for excellence and they want to

be the best they can.

Virat Kohli

The star Indian batsman and captain

In this combination of photos created on March 29, 2018 shows Australia’s captain Steve Smith (left), Australia’s batsman David Warner (centre) and opener Cameron Bancroft. Smith, Warner and Bancroft will all have to serve their full bans for ball-tampering, Cricket Australia ruled after reviewing a submission by the players’ union to cut the penalties yesterday.

Smith and Warner to serve out their bansREUTERS

SYDNEY: Steve Smith and David Warner will serve out their one-year bans in full after a review of the punishments by the board of Cricket Australia (CA), the governing body said yesterday.

Former Test captain Smith and his vice-captain Warner were handed the bans from international and state cricket after the ball-tampering scandal that rocked Australian Cricket in March this year.

Batsman Cameron Bancroft was also banned for nine months for his role in trying to alter the condition of the ball during a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town. He will be able to return to repre-sentative cricket at the end of December.

The players’ union, the Aus-tralian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), have always contested the bans were unduly harsh and had pushed for all three to be able to resume first class cricket immediately.

“The Cricket Australia Board has carefully considered all ele-ments of the ACA submission and has determined that it is not appropriate to make any changes to the sanctions handed down to the three players,” CA’s chairman Earl Eddings said in a statement.

Calls for the bans to be looked at again intensified after an independent review into CA

last month said the governing body had contributed to the ball-tampering scandal by fos-tering a “win without counting the costs” culture.

That review led to the res-ignation of CA chairman David Peever, who had forcefully maintained that the players should see out the full terms of their suspensions.

“The original decision of the board to sanction the players was determined after rigorous discussion and consideration,” Eddings, Peever’s temporary replacement, added.

“CA maintains that both the length and nature of the sanc-tions remain an appropriate response in light of the consid-erable impact on the reputation of Australian cricket, here and abroad.”

The ACA said in a statement it “respectfully” disagreed with CA’s decision, which it regarded as “disappointing”.

“It remains the ACA’s view that a recalibration of these sanctions would have been a just outcome,” it continued. “The ACA has done all it could in support of our submission, and now considers the matter closed.”

Eddings in any case made it clear that no further submis-sions for a review of the punish-ments would be heard by the CA board.

“We believe the ongoing conversation about reducing the sanctions puts undue pressure

on the three players - all of whom accepted the sanctions earlier this year - and the Aus-tralian men’s cricket team,” he said.

“As such, the Cricket Aus-tralia Board doesn’t intend to consider further calls for amendments to the sanctions.”

Smith and Warner are two of the best batsmen in the world and the debate over their bans, which are scheduled to expire at the end of March, was played out against the backdrop of Aus-tralia’s continued struggles in all formats of the game.

With Australia’s defence of the 50-overs World Cup starting in England at the end of May and the defence of the Ashes fol-lowing in August and Sep-tember, there was clearly a desire among some Down Under to get the duo back as soon as possible.

Aaron Finch, captain of Australia’s limited overs teams, said it had not been a big topic of conversation in the dressing room but the decision did bring some clarity.

“It would’ve been great to see the guys play some domestic cricket at the back half of the season but we have to respect CA’s decision on that for the original ban to stand,” he told reporters in Brisbane. “It would have been great for Davy and Steve also obviously with Cam coming back shortly. But yeah, respect the decision and just got to move on.”

Cricket world body rejects PCB compensation claim over IndiaAFP

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council yesterday dismissed a compensation claim by Pakistan over India’s refusal to honour an agreement to play bilateral series.

“Following a three-day hearing and having considered detailed oral and written submissions, the Dispute Panel has dismissed the PCB’s claim against the BCCI,” the ICC said in a statement.

The decision cannot be appealed. The dispute centred on a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) according to which India and Pakistan had agreed to play six bilateral series between 2015-2023, four of which would be hosted by Pakistan.

The PCB had filed a compensation claim of $70m.

But India refused to play Pakistan citing the Indian government’s objections due to strained relations with Pakistan.

According to the agreement, the six tours would include up to 14 Tests, 30 one-days and 12 Twenty20 internationals.

The MoU was a reward to Pakistan for backing the “Big Three” plan according to which India, Australia and England had the major share of power and revenues of world cricket.

However, that arrangement fell apart and the BCCI refused to accept the MoU as a legal doc-ument, dismissing it as a “piece of paper”.

India cut off cricket ties with Pakistan after the 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai which left more than 160 people killed.

The two sides have not played a full series since Pakistan’s tour of India in 2007.

Pakistan toured India for a limited-overs series with two Twenty20s and three one-day interna-tionals from December 2012-January 2013 but full ties were not restored.

After negotiations about the proposed tours failed, the PCB filed a notice of dispute with the ICC resolution committee in November last year, claiming the $70m in compensation.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which has reportedly spent one million dollars fighting the case, described the decision as “disappointing.”

“Following a lengthy dispute resolution process, the announcement of the decision has come as a disappointment,” it said.

“PCB will determine its future course of action in this regard after detailed deliberations and con-sultations with its stakeholders.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) welcomed the decision, saying it had always main-tained that the MoU was non-binding and that it “merely expressed an intention to play”.

“The BCCI wholeheartedly welcomes the decision of the Dispute Panel.

“The BCCI will now move the Dispute Panel to recover its legal cost from the PCB,” it said in a press release.

Finch wants aggressive cricket against IndiaREUTERS

SYDNEY: Australia have the ideal opportunity to arrest their slide with some aggressive cricket in the three-match Twenty20 series against India, limited-overs captain Aaron Finch said in Brisbane yesterday.

World champions in the 50-overs, Australia were whitewashed 5-0 by England in an one-day international series and lost 2-1 loss to South Africa at home earlier this month.

They have not won an ODI series since beating New Zealand 2-0 in 2016-17 and fin-ished the calendar year with only two wins from 13 matches.

In the shortest format, they were blanked 3-0 by Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates and also lost a one-off T20 match against the Proteas on Saturday.

“We are still very confident in this (T20) format,” Finch told reporters on the eve of the series opener against India, who beat world champions West Indies 3-0 at home before landing in Australia.

“India have been in great form in all forms of the game for a long time now.

“It’s going to be a great opportunity for us to come out and express ourselves, play some aggressive, attacking cricket and take the game on and really try and take it to India.”

India captain Virat Kohli scored four hun-dreds during the team’s last trip Down Under but Finch said Australia would be foolish not to have plans against the touring side’s other

batsmen. “They’ve got dangerous guys all through,” the Australian opening batsman said, referring to the likes of Rohit Sharma.

“You’ve got guys who’ve made double hun-dreds in one-day cricket and played so much T20 cricket and are so experienced that if you take them for granted, they’ll hurt you badly.

“There’s obviously been a bit of focus around Virat, but no more than Rohit, Shikhar (Dhawan) or KL (Rahul), or any of these guys who can be as damaging as anyone on their day.”

Finch said bouncers could be the “go-to” delivery for his bowlers against the Indians more comfortable on slow and low surfaces back home.

“Most of the Indian guys have been here before and know what to expect, so with so much cricket being played these days it’s probably not as foreign as what it was going back some time,” he said.

“There’s an opportunity to use that as our go-to, no doubt.

“It’s going to be an exciting series, India are in great form, and we feel as though we’ve been building really nicely without the results going our way so far.

“It’ll be good fun.”Australia will also need to bat well against

the best Indian pace attack to have toured the country, he said.

“When you look at India in the past you might have seen it (pace) as a bit of a weak link, but now I think they have every base covered through their list.”

Captain Kohli says weakened Australia is still ‘world-class’

AFP

BRISBANE: India captain Virat Kohli insisted yesterday Australia have the quality to upset the odds in their Twenty20 series and said his team will be focusing on the “little things” to come out on top.

The visitors open their tour with the first of three T20s in Brisbane today ahead of four Tests and three one-dayers that will keep them in Australia until late January.

In the short format, they have been by far the better team in recent times. Australia have also been weakened by ball-tampering bans to key batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner.

“We definitely have a very strong side,” said Kohli, who last month became the fastest to reach 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record. “When we step on the field we have 11 individuals striving for excellence and they want to be the best they can. Those are the dynamics that have allowed us to play the cricket that we are and hopefully we can build on that.”

While Kohli is a dangerman for India, so are KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, who has smashed two centuries in four T20 innings since July. They both

sit above their captain on the T20 batting rankings. Despite Australia being without Smith and Warner -- who will need to serve their full 12-month bans for ball-tampering, Kohli is adamant the hosts still pose a big threat.

“There’s no denying the quality they have in their side,” he said. “They still have world-class crick-eters, though missing out on two of the world’s best batsmen in not ideal for any team.

“But the guys they have, especially in the lim-ited-overs game, can do damage at any point in time. You can never underestimate any side. We’re won’t be taking anything for granted.”

India arrived in Australia on the back of a home thrashing of the West Indies, but their form tradi-tionally is more fragile on the road.

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (capt), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Ben McDermott, Glenn Maxwell, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa

India squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Khaleel Ahmed, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuv-neshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Krunal Pandya, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav

Former Indian cricketer and UNICEF goodwill ambassador Sachin Tendulkar poses with kids after playing indoor football with them during an event to mark World Children’s Day in New Delhi yesterday.