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Planning a trip to see the fifth day of a Test match anywhere in the world is a sign of unbridled optimism, but do so in India at the moment and you might find people questioning your sanity.Each of the first three matches in India’s series against Australia have ended inside three days with the hosts taking a 2-1 lead into the final match in Ahmedabad next week.It reflects a wider, and not wholly unpopular, trend globally as five-day stalemates have given way to three days of frenetic action with a guaranteed outcome.While playing a contest over five days and potentially ending in a draw has always been a source of amusement in non-cricketing nations, the length of a test has always been part of the attraction for devotees of the longest format.Shortened Tests are not an India-specific issue but nowhere has the trend been more evident than in the cricket-mad nation of 1.4 billion.Of the last 15 Tests played in India, only two reached day five.Nine ended inside three days, including the 2021 Ahmedabad Test which India won in two days against England on a pitch rated “average” by the International Cricket Council (ICC).The Indore surface, where 30 wickets tumbled in two days before Australia triumphed by nine wickets on Friday, has been slapped with three demerit points after being rated “poor” by the game’s governing body.The ICC does not think there is a problem with Tests rarely lasting full five days in India, however.“If it is an issue, it would have been raised by the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee,” an ICC spokesperson told reporters.India have defended rolling out rank turners to suit their spinners but former Australia batter Mark Waugh is among those who felt the Indore track was “not up to Test standard.”Home matches have become must-win affairs since the introduction of the World Test Championship (WTC) in 2019 and many believe it is encouraging home teams to prepare extreme wickets that suit their strength.Of the five Tests Australia played at home over the new year before arriving in India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, only two stretched to day five.The other three included a two-day farce in Brisbane, where Australia thumped South Africa by six wickets on a greentop at the Gabba.Pakistan, unable to stage Test matches for security reasons for 10 years until a return in 2019, would appear to be the exception with six of the last eight matches making the final day.India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour said winning home matches had become impertative under the WTC, which may have started influencing pitch preparations.“Yeah, since the World Test Championship started, there is more pressure on teams to win home games,” Rathour told reporters during the Indore Test.“So you want to win (all) games when you are playing at home.”India need to win the final Test in Ahmedabad, which starts on Thursday, to join Australia in the WTC final in June without having to rely on the outcome of Sri Lanka’s two-Test series in New Zealand.India captain Rohit Sharma, for one, does not get the fuss about duration of Test matches. “People have to play well for the game to last five days,” Rohit said. “Games are not lasting five days even outside India.“In Pakistan, three Test matches were played and people were saying it was boring. We are making it interesting for you guys.”After neat glovework, Australia’s Carey wants to contribute with batAustralia wicketkeeper Alex Carey’s neat glovework in the third Test against India has earned him praise from coach Andrew McDonald and the 31-year-old wants to be equally effective with the bat in the ongoing series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.McDonald said Carey put on “an absolute clinic” in Nagpur, where Australia triumphed by nine wickets to bounce back after back-to-back defeats in Nagpur and Delhi.Carey conceded three byes in the match and stumped India captain Rohit Sharma, giving, McDonald believes, Australia “control of the game”.The 31-year-old said he spoke to several former Australia stumpers before arriving in India.“I speak to guys regularly who’ve played for Australia in terms of (Brad) Haddin and (Adam) Gilchrist and Ian Healy’s always in the corner there,” Carey told reporters yesterday.“I think our training wickets have been really difficult as well so it’s been nice to actually stand in a training wicket and keep to our bowlers.“You don’t always do that in Australia, the nets are a bit shorter, and you probably go about your business more standing back.”The depth of India’s batting has proved decisive in the first two matches of the series, while Australia accommodated rookie spinners Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnemann in their tail.Australia’s lower order has not contributed much in the series so far and Carey’s plot to sweep his way out of trouble has not worked so far either.“We know that we haven’t given enough at the tail there,” Carey said.“We also understand that India’s batting line-up’s very, very strong,” Carey added.“We’ll have those conversations about how we can navigate and try to get 10-15 runs each more.”

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 issued its Resolution No. (1) for the year 2023 appointing Jassim Abdulaziz Al Jassim as the Chief Executive Officer of the tournament organised by Qatar during the period from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10, 2024.This decision comes within the framework of the Local Organizing Committee's efforts to start implementation steps regarding hosting the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar.In late February, the Executive Office of the Qatar Football Association issued a decision to form the local organizing committee for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, headed by HE President of the Federation, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani, and Vice-Chairman, Jassim Rashid Al Buainain.The committee included in its membership Ahmed Abdulaziz Al Buainain, Ibrahim Khalil Al Muhannadi, Hani Talib Ballan, Mansour Mohamed Al Ansari, Ghanem Ali Al Kuwari, Mohamed Al Suwaidi, and a representative of the Ministry of Interior.It also appointed Mansour Mohamed Al Ansari, Secretary-General of the Qatar Football Association (QFA), as the general manager of the tournament, in addition to his membership in the local organizing committee.Qatar National Team holds the title of the 2019 edition in the tournament that is held once every four years, and the State of Qatar will host the most important mens tournaments in the Asian continent for the third time in its history, after the 1988 editions when Saudi Arabia crowned the title at the expense of South Korea on penalties and 2011 when Japan won the tournament In front of Australia after extension.Japan holds the record for winning the Asian Cup (4) times, against Saudi Arabia and Iran (3) times.

Philipp Weishaupt astride nine-year-old mare Just Be Gentle secured an impressive victory in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Doha at the Longines Arena at Al Shaqab yesterday.The German rider, who had led team Riesenbeck International to GCL victory on Friday, earned a Golden Ticket to the season-ending LGCT Super Grand Prix at the GC Prague Playoffs.The third and final day of the LGCT of Doha saw spectacular competition yesterday with a fairytale ending to a week rocked with emotion. It had been a spell of 11 years since his last LGCT Grand Prix win, but it all came together for Weishaupt on a mare that had never jumped even a 2* Grand Prix in her life.“This is a very, very special moment. Winning a Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix is special but even more so with this young mare. We always put our best horses in the league and we won that which was already incredible so to put this one in the Grand Prix I was never expecting to jump clear let alone win. These unexpected wins are the nicest ones so I am over the moon right now,” said Weishaupt.“It is a very special moment, the nicest story in this whole situation is when we have one down like what happened with Ludger’s (Beerabaum) accident it could not have happened in a better place. We felt like the whole country of Qatar was helping us, the hospital was amazing and he almost felt like he was at home,” he added.Omar al-Mannai, Event Director spoke of the competitive nature of the Longines Global Champions Tour, particularly at the season opener in Doha: “Always the Longines Global Champions Tour expectation is really high you never know who can win. We are very glad to host this event for the past 16 years. It has been a tough Grand Prix but the three winners did a great job and it has once again been an exciting competition,” he said.Christian Kukuk, who finished second behind his Riesenbeck teammate yesterday, said: “It is quite an emotional second place today. I am definitely more smiling than crying today about coming second. I was last to go and I had to give everything. I am so happy for our team.”While third place Simon Destre praised the next-level show: “This is always one of my favourite shows of the season. Thank you to everyone for making this possible as all the facilities here, especially for the horses are fantastic.”39 riders started in the LGCT Grand Prix of Doha, and in a true display of the level of both horses and riders on the tour, over 12 combinations took to the arena in round 2. In what looked like a rocky start to the round 1, clear rounds started to flow. A dramatic, fast and exhilarating jump-off resulted in 7 double clear rounds over the challenging but jumpable Uliano Vezzani built track.Entering the jump off First was Qatar’s Rashid Towaim Ali al-Marri. With the home-crowd on their feet, the pressure was felt and an unfortunate two rails fell, leaving room for the proceeding 11 riders to take to the arena. Hans-Dieter Dreher aboard Elysium produce the first of the double clears, setting the bar for those to follow while Maikel Van der Vlueten had the crowd holding their breaths, but an unfortunate rail at the last fence.Philipp Weishaupt and Just Be Gentle was the next to enter. Tight corners and quick lines saw the duo fly into the lead, 1.5 seconds ahead of leader Dreher. Next saw leading lady rider Malin Bayard-Johnsson and H&M Indiana, 2022’s highest performing horse on the GCL tour, leave it all on the line, just 0.28 seconds behind Weishaupt.Crowd favourite Mike Kawai had the weight of the stadium on his shoulders, but a slight miscommunication into the imposing branded combination, and the final vertical, saw two rails fall. As second of the two lady riders in Round 2, Iolli Mytilineou and Levis de Muze marked the middle of the riders returning to the arena for the final time. A neat and tight round followed, resulting in a place holding 3rd place.Smolders, Devos, Delestre and Kukuk – the final four. A potential podium in itself, it was all to play for. A fast four for Smolders. An uncharacteristic rail from Devos and Moms Toupie De La Roque. Delestre’s speedy clear putting him just 0.09 behind Weishaupt.An on-fire Kukuk and Nice Van’t Zorgvliet then entered the arena as the crowd fell silent but he fell short by a mere 0.05 seconds behind as Weishaput emerged triumphant.As the curtain falls on the 2023 season opener, the Longines Global Champions Tour of Doha, which was a rousing success with the contribution of the entire team partnered with an army of volunteers, all eyes look ahead to leg two, the LGCT of Miami Beach, where riders and spectators alike are treated to one of the most iconic stops on tour.ResultsCSI5* LONGINES GLOBAL CHAMPIONS TOUR GRAND PRIX OF DOHA with jump-off; Height: 1.60m1. Horse: Just Be Gentle; Rider: Philipp Weishaupt (GER); Time: 73.35 & 34.37 sec; Prize money: €123,750,002. Nice van’t Zorgvliet; Christian Kukuk (GER); 70.42 & 34.42 sec; €75,0003. Dexter Fontenis Z; Simon Delestre (FRA); 69.54 & 34.46 sec; €56,250CSI5* against the clock; Height: 1.45m1. Horse: Kimosa van het Kritrahof; Rider: Jodie Hall McAteer (GBR); Time: 53.07 sec; Prize money: €6,5502. Harley Davidson; Malin Baryard-Johnsson (SWE); 54.97 sec; €5,2403. Hollywood V; Henrik von Eckermann (SWE); 55.72 sec; €3,930CSI3* Grand Prix with jump-off; Height: 1.50m1. Horse: Little Lord Pezi 2; Rider: Khalid Mohamed A S al-Emadi (QAT); Time: 67.30 & 34.79 sec; Prize money: €32,2412. Manola LS la Silla; Ramzy al-Duhami (KSA); 62.67 & 31.32 sec; €19,5403. Jack van het Dennehof; Kamal Abdullah Bahamdan (KSA); 66.15 & 39.00 sec; €14,655CSI3* against the clock; Height: 1.35m1. Horse: Navaronne; Rider: Rashid Towaim Ali al-Marri (QAT); Time: 53.62 sec; Prize money: €1,2502. Obama; Cyrine Cherif (FRA); 56.41 sec; €1,0003. Nebrasco; Hamad Nasser al-Qadi (QAT); 57.93 secs; €750

Steve Smith has no ambition to be Australia’s full-time captain again but the 33-year-old may continue to lead them in the fourth and final Test against India as regular captain Pat Cummins stays put in Sydney.Cummins returned home after the second Test in Delhi to be with his ailing mother after Australia had dropped 2-0 behind in the four-match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Smith led their brilliant turnaround in Indore where they beat India by nine wickets inside three days to secure their place in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) in June.Coach Andrew McDonald said Cummins remained in touch with rest of the squad in India.“He’s obviously dealing with what he’s dealing with at home but he’s still so invested in this group,” McDonald told reporters yesterday.“Our thoughts are still with him and his family at this difficult time.“We’re in constant contact with him daily, so at the moment he’s not here and the Test match is a few days away, so we’ll discuss with Pat on a daily basis.”Smith led Australia between 2014 and 2018 before he was stripped off the honour following a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.He remains Cummins’s deputy since the paceman became Test captain in November 2021 and has stepped in three times to lead Australia since then.Smith said he had no ambition to return as full-time captain at any stage of the remaining part of his career.“My time is done. It’s Pat’s team now,” Smith said after inflicting on India what was only their third defeat on home soil in their last 46 tests dating back to 2012.“I’ve obviously been able to stand in this week, obviously in tough circumstances with Patty going home. Our thoughts are still with him back home,” Smith said.“But India is a part of the world I love captaining... it’s probably my favourite place in the world to captain.”Smith marshalled his attack with aplomb, took a stunning catch at leg slip to remove Cheteshwar Pujara at a crucial juncture and overall looked in charge in the frenetic, low-scoring contest.Former Australia Test and ODI opener Matthew Hayden was among those impressed by Smith’s “inspired” captaincy in Indore.“You could tell that he was right in the match. He has been brilliant. Tactically on point, up for the challenge,” Hayden said during commentary.

Captain Rohit Sharma believes Indian batsmen needed to learn the lesson from their loss in Indore and be braver when they take on the Australian spinners in the fourth and final test in Ahmedabad next week.India, who lead the four-Test series 2-1, were bundled out for 109 and 169 on a rank turner at Indore’s Holkar Cricket Stadium where 30 wickets fell in the first two days of the low-scoring contest.Cheteshwar Pujara’s 59 was the highest score by an Indian batter in the match and Australia’s Nathan Lyon claimed 11 wickets, including 8-64 in India’s second innings.“Look, when you’re playing on challenging pitches, you’ve got to be brave, honestly,” Rohit said after their nine-wicket defeat inside three days.“I just felt we allowed their bowlers to bowl on one particular spot. Not taking any credit away from their bowlers, especially Nathan Lyon. He was brilliant, he kept challenging us, kept hitting that right length.“When the bowler is doing that, you’ve got to come out with your plans and try and do different things; try and be a little brave as well, which I thought we were not.”While Pujara played a characteristically dour knock in the second innings, Australia remained in charge.Shreyas Iyer briefly lifted the pressure smashing two sixes and three boundaries in a run-a-ball 26 before Usman Khawaja took a stunning one-handed catch at midwicket to sent him back.Rohit said cameos like Iyer’s could prove decisive in such low-scoring matches and cited it as a template to follow in Ahmedabad.“When you’re playing on pitches like this, you need a Shreyas Iyer kind of an innings,” Rohit said.“Someone has to step up, someone has to take down the bowlers. It cannot be always that the batters will get 100 runs, 90 runs, 80 runs. You have to play cameos like that.”

Coach Chris Silverwood said Sri Lanka would be doing their absolute best to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final during their two-match series in New Zealand to give the people back home something to cheer about.Sri Lanka, who are third in the WTC rankings behind already qualified Australia and India, will need to beat the reigning test champion Black Caps 2-0 to have a chance of playing in June’s final at The Oval.India could take matters out of Sri Lankan hands with a win in its fourth Test against Australia next week but Silverwood said the team would be determined to take advantage of any slip up to raise the spirits of an embattled nation.“It would mean everything to them,” he said in Christchurch ahead of a tour game against a New Zealand XI.“The country has been through a bit recently and we know the spirits are really lifted when the cricket team is doing well.“The guys are very aware of that and take that responsibility very seriously, so they’ll be desperate to give them something to smile about back at home. “To get to the WTC Final would be unbelievable, but at the same time we know we’ve got a very good New Zealand team in front of us as well and we have to respect that, work hard, and try and earn that right.”Sri Lanka is grappling with its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948, beset by inflation, a shortage of foreign exchange, a plummeting currency and a steep recession.The tourists will play a youthful New Zealand XI over the weekend at Bert Sutcliffe Oval to prepare for the opening test against New Zealand at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval starting next Thursday.“We’re looking to get as ready as possible for the first test match, we want to hit the road running and to do that we have to make sure that we prep well here,” Silverwood added.“We want to make sure the batsmen get a good hit and get used to conditions and that bowlers get overs under their belts as well.”

Daniil Medvedev conquered all remaining doubts as he completed an impressive hat-trick, picking up a third title in as many weeks with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Andrey Rublev in the Dubai final yesterday.“Not over yet,” scribbled the third-seeded Medvedev on the TV camera lens after his triumph, referring to his current 14-match winning streak amassed over the last 19 days, starting with the title in Rotterdam, followed by Doha and now Dubai.“It’s amazing because the start of the year was not perfect; in tennis, when you don’t win tournaments you’re always doubting no matter what happens in practice,” said Medvedev, who briefly dropped out of the top 10 last month before recovering in tremendous fashion.“I was doubting a lot and now it just feels better. I’m really happy with these three weeks and I’m looking forward to the next ones.”Playing free-flowing tennis throughout the week, which earned him a coveted victory over world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals before ending Rublev’s title defence in the final, Medvedev fired a total of 119 winners through five matches, including 27 in the championship decider.“A lot of shots this tournament were landing, which were maybe not supposed to be, and that’s when confidence is going sometimes, so that helps a lot,” said Medvedev, who has now won his last four consecutive matches against top-10 opposition after losing nine in a row.Rublev was the victor in his previous two clashes with Medvedev coming in, but had no answers for his compatriot yesterday.He tried to venture up to the net, moving forward on 18 occasions, but was only successful on 12 of those approaches as Medvedev punished him from the back of the court. “I think it was a very tactical match, I know that Andrey can cause a lot of troubles for everyone on tour. So for sure every time we play he tries to make me suffer, I try to make him suffer.“Today I managed to be on top, but next matches could be a different story,” said Medvedev, who leads his childhood friend 5-2 head-to-head in tour-level meetings.Former world number one Medvedev put Rublev under pressure on serve from the start, and the No.2 seed had to come up with a courageous volley winner to fend off a first break point in the opening game. But Medvedev still found a way as he carved a 3-1 opening.Rublev saved two break points to hold in game five but Medvedev still widened the gap with some exceptional returning two games later for a 5-2 advantage.Medvedev confidently served out the opening set to take secure a one-set lead in 36 minutes. The 2021 US Open champion had dropped serve just twice all week and he kept that statistic intact in the final.The 27-year-old blasted a forehand winner to break for 3-2 in the second set and he consolidated with ease as he marched towards victory shortly after.Rublev has yet to successfully defend any of his 12 career titles but can take positives from his runner-up showing this week in Dubai.“I had great matches, great victories, I was supposed to lose in the second round,” said Rublev, who saved five consecutive match points in his encounter with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina earlier in the week.“But in the end I found a way to be alive until the final, and then Daniil destroyed me tonight.“Only four games, I don’t know how he’s doing that, three titles in a row, it’s my first final of the season, I told him I’m completely destroyed and he won three titles in a row.“I think I never said this to Daniil face to face, but I have huge, huge respect for him.”

Defending double world champion Max Verstappen claimed pole position yesterday as Red Bull locked out the front row of the grid for today’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.After struggling for balance in practice, the Dutchman and his Mexican teammate Sergio Perez rediscovered their best form when it mattered to ease clear of their rivals led by Ferrari.It was Red Bull’s first front row lockout in Bahrain, a track where they have not won since 2013, when the recently-retired Sebastian Vettel was triumphant.The 25-year-old Verstappen’s success brought him his 21st career pole and made a perfect gift to his father Jos on his 51st birthday.Last year’s pole-sitter and race winner Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz, the Monegasque driver choosing to save a set of tyres rather than make a second final flying run.Two-time champion Fernando Alonso, who was fastest in second and third practice, was unable to repeat that form, but took fifth on the grid for Aston Martin in his first outing for the team since moving from Alpine to replace Vettel.The Mercedes of George Russell and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton were sixth and seventh ahead of Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin, Esteban Ocon of Alpine and Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg.“That’s a very pleasant surprise,” said Verstappen.“I didn’t expect to be on pole after the last few days here.”He will be seeking his first victory at the Bahrain International Circuit today at the 10th attempt and to record a first victory in a season-opening race.Leclerc said: “I felt it was better to start from third but have a new set of tyres than to fight for pole and start maybe from the front row on old tyres.”“It was very close, Aston Martin was very quick, Mercedes was very quick. It is looking good for the future and makes Formula 1 much more exciting,” he added.After earlier hot conditions with a track temperature of more than 40 degrees for FP3, it was down to 29.4 and an air temperature of 24.5 shortly before qualifying began at Sakhir, a former camel farm in the desert.The two Alpha Tauri cars were the first out, Yuki Tsunoda leading rookie Nyck de Vries on track, followed by Ferrari.Almost immediately, Leclerc, who won last year’s race from pole, locked up at Turn One after losing part of his front right wheel arch and the session was red-flagged for seven minutes to collect debris.A frantic spell saw Stroll, Leclerc, Russell and Alonso top the times before Sainz clocked the first sub 1:31 lap leaving the top four separated by less than two-tenths after their first runs.It remained that way on the second runs with Sainz quickest ahead of Russell, Leclerc and Alonso while, at the back, American rookie Logan Sargeant just missed the cut in 16th for Williams.He went out along with a disappointed Pierre Gasly of Alpine, Kevin Magnussen of Haas, rookie Oscar Piastri of McLaren and De Vries who, though 20th was only 1.123 seconds off Sainz’s lap time – suggesting a close contest is in prospect.As Hulkenberg led the way for Q2 in his Haas, Gasly’s best lap was deleted, meaning he will start from 20th and last place in Sunday’s race.In Q2, Red Bull finally delivered their expected pace and Verstappen and Perez topped the first run times ahead of the rejuvenated Mercedes of Hamilton and Russell. The Red Bulls opted not to take a second run as Leclerc went quickest ahead of Verstappen, Russell and Hamilton with Hulkenberg, back with Haas to replace Mick Schumacher, progressing in eighth.Lando Norris of McLaren, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, Tsunoda and Williams’ Alex Albon missed out on the top ten shootout.Remarkably, Verstappen, Russell, Hamilton and Sainz were separated by just 0.012 seconds in Q2 – another sign of how tight a contest may lie ahead – but on his first run in Q3 the Dutchman clocked 1:29.897 to set the pace.That took him clear of Leclerc by a tenth and he trimmed that to 1:29.708 to claim pole ahead of teammate Perez, leaving Ferrari to fill the second row and Alonso qualifying fifth.

Qatar successfully hosted the Senior Arab Judo Championship at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena with exciting two days of competitions over the weekend. The Championship was utilised as a test event for the World Judo Championships – Doha 2023, which will take place at the same venue from May 7-14.Salha al-Badi secured a silver medal for Qatar in the women’s 57kg category. Other Qatari judokas in action were Mohamed Rabahi (81kg), Khalil Rabahi (81kg), Rida Almarri (100kg), Fatina Bouqehous (52kg), and Kholoud al-Kuwari (78kg). The event also attracted entrants from Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Djibouti, Bahrain, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Tunisia, Kuwait, Syria, and Lebanon.The WinnersMen-60kg: Adel Hamada (Egypt)-66kg: Abderrahmane Boushita (Morocco)-73kg: Houd Zourdani (Algeria)-81kg: Askerbii Gerbekov (Bahrain)90kg: Omar El Ramly (Egypt)-100kg: Z Yakub (Bahrain)+100kg: Mohamed Lili (Algeria)Women-48kg: Noura Salem (Egypt)-52kg: Faiza Aissahine (Algeria)-57kg: Soumiya Iraoui (Morocco)-63kg: Taibi Chaimae (Morocco)-70kg: S Bellakehal (Algeria)-78kg: Louiza Ichallal (Algeria)+78kg: Nermine Graoua (Algeria)

The ISSF World Cup Shotgun 2023 will commence today at the Lusail Shooting Range (LSR) and continue until March 12 with the participation of 465 male and female shooters, representing 63 countries, including 30 Olympic and world champions.The championship begins with official training for the men’s and women’s skeet competition, where the participants for will compete in a series of events scheduled by the host organizing committee.Hosts Qatar will will feature 10 shooters with five taking part in the trap competition and 5 in skeet contests. The championship will also witness the participation of 8 referees from Qatar and 7 from Germany, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait, all of whom have the international badges.Mishaal Ibrahim al-Nasr, President of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSAA), and Executive Director General of the championship, said the iconic Lusail Shooting Range is ready to host the event, noting that international shooting stars continue to flock to Qatar to participate in this event.“We thank the Qatar Olympic Committee for its unlimited support and its great keenness to make the tournament a success, which is one of the important events on its annual calendar, as well as on the agenda of the International Shooting Federation,” al-Nasr said.Regarding the expected technical level of the championship, al-Nasr said: “The participation of 465 male and female shooters, including 30 world and Olympic champions, in the competitions, clearly underlines that this championship will witness fierce battles among the participants. We wish success to all participants.”He added: “We are looking forward to Qatari shooters appearing in the best possible way and that they do well on home soil.”In turn, Jassim Shaheen al-Sulaiti, Deputy Director of the championship, confirmed that all arrangements are place for the start of the championship.Al-Sulaiti said in a statement: “As for the Qatari participation in the ISSF World Cup Shotgun, we have Reem al-Sharshani, Rashid Saleh al-Athba, Abdulaziz al-Attiyah, Kholoud al-Khalaf, Saeed Abu Sharb in the mix. We will have Qatar shooters in the skeet and trap competitions.”Most of the shooters who participated in the Qatar Open Championship will be seen in action this week, he said.For his part, Abdullah Ali Al-Mutawa al-Hammadi, Chairman of the Technical Committee of the championship, said: “Eight referees from Qatar will participate in the championship. We have experienced referees at this event. We also have referees from Germany, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Croatia.”

Arsenal recovered from conceding the second fastest goal in Premier League history as Reiss Nelson’s stoppage-time strike gave the Premier League leaders a thrilling 3-2 win over Bournemouth after title rivals Manchester City beat Newcastle 2-0 yesterday.Mikel Arteta’s side were trailing by two goals with just over half an hour left. But the Gunners showed they can cope with the pressure of the title race with a remarkable comeback that kept them five points ahead of second placed City. “I’m incredibly happy. It was just mad. It was a really special win and it took until the last second to earn it,” Arteta said.Arsenal hadn’t even touched the ball when Philip Billing gave bottom of the table Bournemouth the lead after just 9.11 seconds with a clinical finish from inside the Gunners area. The quickest goal in Premier League history was scored by Shane Long after 7.69 seconds for Southampton against Watford in 2019.Arsenal fell further behind in the 57th minute as Marcos Senesi escaped Thomas Partey to glance a header past Aaron Ramsdale from a corner. Partey made amends for his slack marking five minutes later when he reduced the deficit with a close-range finish from Emile Smith-Rowe’s header.Underlining their desire to win a first title since 2004, Arsenal seized the momentum and equalised through Ben White’s powerful finish from Nelson’s cross in the 70th minute. Nelson completed Arsenal’s incredible revival in the seventh minute of stoppage-time when the substitute produced a superb finish from 20 yards to spark scenes of wild celebration all around the Emirates Stadium. “They never gave up. We want to stay there (at the top) for as long as possible,” Arteta said.Earlier, City rode their luck in a 2-0 win over Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium. Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva scored the goals for the champions, who were let off the hook by a series of glaring misses from the visitors. Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson and Joelinton were all guilty of not even forcing Ederson into a save as fifth placed Newcastle suffered another blow to their hopes of a top-four finish.Wesley Fofana eased the pressure on Chelsea boss Graham Potter as the French defender sealed a 1-0 win against Leeds at Stamford Bridge. Fofana put Chelsea in front with his first league goal for the club seven minutes after half-time, the former Leicester centre-back rising to head home from Ben Chilwell’s corner.It was Chelsea’s first goal in 396 minutes and just their second in seven games in all competitions. The 10th placed Blues held on for just their third win in their last 16 games in all competitions. Ending a run of three successive defeats will give Potter a little breathing space ahead of Chelsea’s bid to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against Borussia Dortmund next week.Fourth placed Tottenham’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were rocked by a 1-0 defeat at Wolves. Just days after losing 1-0 at second tier Sheffield United in the FA Cup fifth round, the north Londoners were beaten again as Adama Traore struck in the 82nd minute, driving the rebound in off the bar after Raul Jimenez’s effort was saved.Southampton climbed off the bottom of the table with a 1-0 victory against Leicester as Carlos Alcaraz scored the 35th minute winner at St Mary’s. Brighton kept West Ham in relegation trouble with a 4-0 victory at the Amex Stadium.Aston Villa beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Villa Park, with Eagles defender Andersen scoring a 27th minute own goal before Palace’s Cheick Doucoure was sent off for two bookings in the second half.Results Arsenal 3 (Partey 62, White 70, Nelson 90+7) Bournemouth 2 (Billing 1, Senesi 57); Aston Villa 1 (Andersen 27-og) Crystal Palace 0; Brighton 4 (Mac Allister 18-pen, Veltman 52, Mitoma 69, Welbeck 89) West Ham 0; Chelsea 1 (Fofana 53) Leeds 0; Manchester City 2 (Foden 15, Silva 67) Newcastle 0; Southampton 1 (Alcaraz 35) Leicester 0; Wolves 1 (Traore 82) Tottenham 0Playing Today: (Time in GMT) Nottingham Forest v Everton (1400), Liverpool v Manchester United (1630)

Argentinian powerhouse pair Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno yesterday reached the final of the Ooredoo Qatar Major 2023 with a hard-fought win over Arturo Coello of Spain and Agustin Tapia of Argentina.Stupaczuk and Di Nenno, seeded two, battled from a set’s deficit to win 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 31 minutes on the centre court of the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex.In the final, Stupaczuk and Di Nenno will meet Argentina’s Fernando Belasteguin and C Daniel Gutierrez who beat seventh seeds from Spain Jeronimo Gonzalez Alejandro Ruiz. Belasteguin and Gutierrez won 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 17 minutes.Stupaczuk was thrilled with his performance in Doha this week“We are very happy to continue the series of wins in Doha. This is a top-class tournament and our win today gives us great confidence going into the final,” Stupaczuk said. “Hopefully we play another great match in the final. Our goal is to continue to shine and compete strongly for the championship title,” he added.“The tournament is very special. It is one of the best tournaments in the world. The technical level is very high and the top rankers aspire to win the Doha title. We will do our best to go for the title,” he added.Meanwhile, the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Badminton and Padel Federation (QTSBPF) paid tribute to Brazil’s Pablo Lima, who is playing in his final Premier Padel season. Lima, regarded as the greatest ever padel player to play for his country, failed to reach the semi-finals of the Qatar tournament this week.Lima and Spain’s Jorge Nieto Ruiz lost to Argentina’s Belasteguin and Gutierrez in a two and half hour-long thriller in which the latter prevailed 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.During the felicitation ceremony held at the centre court yesterday in the presence of QTSBF President Nasser Ghanim al-Khelaifi and secretary-general Tariq Zainal, the 36-year-old Lima said playing in Doha was special. “Of course there are still lot of events left in the season, but it feels special to play in Doha. Thank you for this honour,” Lima said. “I love this sport a lot. And I am grateful and happy to see that the paddle is in good hands. I am sure this season of Premier Padel will be great for me,” the former World No.1 said.

Joe Jones of Wales shot a stunning five-under-par 67 to win the 37th Qatar Open Golf Amateur Championship by two strokes at the Doha Golf Club (DGC) yesterday.Jones, who carded 73 and 75 in the first two rounds, took full advantage of improved conditions at the course to finish with an aggregate of one-under 215. With the triumph, the Wales’ golfer sealed his place in the prestigious Commercial Bank Qatar Masters 2023 that will take place from October 26 to 29. It was a Welsh one-two as James Nash finished runner-up after carding a two-under-par 70 for a total of 217.England’s Reece Goodyear, who led the first two rounds, shot 73 on the decisive day to finish third, aggregating 219 while DGC’s Calum Fitzgerald, who had a shaky start with 77 on Thursday, fired another 72 yesterday to finish fourth with a total of 221.Qatar’s Saleh Ali al-Kaabi secured a top five finish with an aggregate of 223 after scoring 74, while Pakistan’s Omar Khalid Hussain (225) finished sixth after a card of 74 in the final round.South-Korea born Russian Daniil Sokolov (227), England’s Sam Epstein (227), Tej Ganjavarapu (228) and Olivier van Lelyveld (229) received special prizes courtesy top 10 finish.Qatar’s Ali al-Shahrani (230), who won the title two years ago, struggled on the decisive day carding 82 to finish 11th.

Qatari dressage rider Wejdan al-Malki has made it to the international classification of qualifying for 2024 Olympics Games. The 45-year-old al-Malki’s qualification came following her recent show in the Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Presented by Longines Grand Prix dressage event in Doha. Al-Malki excelled on her 18-year-old purebred bay Spanish stallion Mango Jacaro.

Close on the heels of the highly-successful FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) is preparing to host a number of prominent football events in the coming period, including the AFC Asian Cup in January-February 2024.“Hosting the 2022 World Cup was the major milestone for us so far. The world continues to move and we continue with our efforts towards the next goals. We have lined up several events in the coming months and will be hosting the Asia Cup from January 2024,” said Mansour Mohamed al-Ansari, secretary-general, QFA.Al-Ansari was speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines of the seventh Medical Conference organised by the Asian Football Confederation, QFA and Aspetar – Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital.“We are also going to hopefully host the Olympic qualifiers for the under-23s sometime soon. We are very proud to be a sports hub in the region as the sporting world is in continuous evolution and development and we are very excited about it,” he continued.The official said the Qatar national team will participate in several high-profile events in the coming months. “We look forward to the best participation of our national team in many competitions. Our national team is going to participate in the Gold Cup in the summer this year in North America, and is also getting ready for the Asian Cup in January next year. We also have a lot of plans, which will be revealed in due course,” he added.

By Sports ReporterDohaTeam Riesenbeck International took the opening honours of the Global Champions League at the buzzing Longines Arena at Al Shaqab yesterday.Heavyweights Christian Kukuk and Philipp Weishauppt took full advantage of the extraordinary horsepower of Coby and Mumbai with impressive rounds to seal the coveted first win of the season and took the lion’s share of the €300,000 prize money. St Tropez Pirates, featuring brand new signings Simon Delestre and Marlon Modolo Zanotelli also collected just four faults, with an accumulated time of just over a second slower than the winning team, which earned themselves a well-deserved runner-up place.A mix of team rivalry and competitive spirit shone through with Valkenswaard United finishing in an impressive third, with returning riders Marcus Ehning aboard the on-form Stargold, and John Whitaker and Equine America Unick du Francport leading the team to the final spot on the podium.It has been mixed emotions for the Riesenbeck International squad this week as team rider and owner Ludger Beerbaum was taken to hospital on Thursday after a fall.Weishauppt explained: “We are delighted with the win today. We have had ups and downs this week. I was not supposed to jump today at all – Coby was meant to have a day off and Ludger was supposed to ride but unfortunately he ended up in hospital last night. This win was for Ludger and we wish him a speedy recovery. For sure he is watching from the hospital now so we wish him all the best.”Teammate Kukuk added: “My strategy was just to jump a clear round. In the first round, I felt we were already fast and we ended up eighth place individually without even trying to be fast. In the second round, I was like wow when we crossed the finish line. I am impressed with how fast Mumbai is. It is a very good day for us. Now we have an evening to celebrate!”With the unveiling of the new weekend format. Riders were challenged by GCL’s Round 1 and Round 2 being back-to-back, rather than the traditional two-day rollout. “The new format with both rounds in one day and I thought it was great,” Weishauppt approved.After GCL Round 1, six teams entered the arena for Round 2 with a clean score sheet. Four teams took to Round 2 bringing in just four faults, leaving little to no room for error for the leading teams.Competition favourites Shanghai Swans star striker Max Khuner dramatically put them out of contention when his horse Eic Cooley Jump the Q collected 12 faults in the second round, leaving teammate Christian Ahlmann and Solid Gold’s double clear void of contention.As the first double clear rounds entered, Rome Gladiators had just one pole in hand. Represented by the Breen brothers, Shane and Trevor, ultimately left the arena on an uncharacteristic 19 faults from Trevor’s homebred mount Highland President, and four faults from Shane’s Cuick Star Kervec.Next, Stockholm Hearts entered the arena. Switching horses for Round 2, Malin Baryard-Johnson took to the Uliano Vezzani built course aboard 2022’s highest performing GCL horse, H&M Indiana. Lilly Attwood and Calvaro’s Up To Date found the last line challenging with the last three fences falling, Leaving 2022’s GCL of Doha winners on 16 faults.No team changes for German-based team, Riesenbeck International, proved a success with anchor riders Kukuk posting a double clear and Weishaput collecting just one rail. Leaving all to play for as the final three teams entered the arena, the suspense was high.A single rail from Valkenswaard’s United John Whitaker saw the iconic duo of Whitaker and Marcus Ehning sit in third with just one team to go.Enter: Istanbul Warriors. Heading into Round 2 in pole position, but, Round 2 proved a challenge for Omer Karaveli and Abdel Said.With one day of competition left, for the opening leg of the 2023 Longines Global Champions Tour and GCL Series, today will see the ultimate individual challenge – Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Doha – take place from 6pm local time.Earlier, Greek Ioli Mytilineou started the outdoor and GCL Season with a bang and took home the first victory on L’Artiste de Toxandria. The 1.55m class was ridden directly on time with 38 combinations who came to try their luck. Mytilineou was the third combination to start on L’Artiste de Toxandria (v. Toulon). The pair set the pace and finished in a fast time of 66.79 which put them on top very early on in the Class. No other combination was able to do better and the victory went to Greek rider. Efe Siyahi came very close and crossed the finish on Calvino in a time of 67.28. With 69.50 on the clock, Jur Vrieling finished on Griffin van de Heffinck and was third.RESULTSGlobal Champions League team competition1, Riesenbeck International (Mumbai/Christian Kukuk, Coby/Philipp Weishaupt), Team Total: 4 penalties, 138.20 secs. Prize Money: €32,6182: St Tropez Pirates (Dexter Fontenis Z/Simon Delestre, VDL Edgar M/Marlon Modolo Zanotelli, I Amelusina R/Simon Delestre, Like A Diamond Van Het Schaeck/Marlon Modolo Zanotelli) 4 penalties, 139.92 secs., €27,1813. Valkenswaard United (Stargold/Marcus Ehning, Equine America Unick Du Francport/John Whitaker) 4 penalties, 141.30 secs., €22,832CSI5* GCL of Doha - Second GCL Competition against the clock; Height: 1.60m1. Horse: Stargold; Rider: Marcus Ehning (GER); Time: 66.79 sec; Prize money: €7,5002. Mumbai; Christian Kukuk (GER); 68.57 sec; €6,0003. Dexter Fontenis Z; Simon Delestre (FRA); 68.65 sec; €4,500CSI5* GCL of Doha - First GCL Competition Againstthe clock; Height: 1.55 m1. Horse: L’artiste de Toxandra; Rider: Ioli Mytilineou (GRE); Time: 66.79 sec; Prize money: €7,5002. Calvino; Efe Siyahi (TUR); 67.28 sec; €6,0003. Griffin van de Heffinck; Jur Vrieling (NED); 69.50 sec; €4,500CSI3* against the clock; Height: 1.45m1. Horse: Henriette; Rider: Ibrahim Hani Bisharat (JOR); Time: 61.98 sec; Prize money: €6,5502. I; Ali al-Khorafi (KUW); 64.12 sec; €5,2403. Crispo; Faleh Suwead al-Ajami (QAT); 75.85 sec; €3,930CSI3* against the clock; Height: 1.35m1. Horse: D Saucedo; Rider Mohamed Saeed Haidan (QAT)l Time: 54.16 sec; Prize money: €1,2502. Steyburn; Faleh Suwead al-Ajami (QAT); 56.26 secs; €1,0003. Casal des Forets; Saeed Nasser al-Qadi (QAT); 56.54 sec; €750

Battered in Nagpur and bruised in Delhi, Australia flipped the script on a minefield of a pitch in Indore to register a rare Test victory in India yesterday.The nine-wicket romp sealed on day three of the third Test was only Australia’s second win in India in 18 attempts. It also confirmed their place in the World Test Championship final in June, potentially against India.The magnitude of Australia’s victory could be gauged from the fact that it was only India’s third defeat on home soil in their last 46 Tests dating back to 2012.Australia sniffed victory after claiming a lead of 88 on a turning wicket and had only 76 to chase after India’s second batting collapse in the match was engineered by Nathan Lyon’s 8-64.While it appeared a cakewalk in theory, Australia had to score those runs on a pitch where 30 wickets had tumbled in the first two days.They got off to the worst possible start, losing Usman Khawaja before even making a dent in their target.Ravichandran Ashwin removed the opener caught behind for a duck with the second ball of the day and Khawaja burned a review trying to overturn that decision.Travis Head, who made a breezy 49 not out, counter-attacked to lift the pressure, hitting Ashwin for a six, and suddenly boundaries started flowing.Marnus Labuschagne, who made 28 not out, sealed the victory with a boundary as the visitors romped home in 18.5 overs.“They are pretty hard to come by,” stand-in captain Steve Smith said of the importance of their victory, even though India are 2-1 ahead in the four-Test series.“For us to get on top in this game, particularly after losing the toss... it shows the talent in this group and the belief we’ve got in ourselves.”Australia would be particularly pleased they pulled it off with a battered squad, and under a makeshift captain after regular skipper Pat Cummins flew home to be with his ailing mother.Injured quick Josh Hazlewood had already flown home without playing a match in the series, while David Warner’s tour was cut short when he fractured his elbow in the second test in Delhi. BACKS AGAINST THE WALLWith their backs against the wall after consecutive defeats in Nagpur and Delhi, Australia responded splendidly in Indore despite losing the toss.Lyon claimed a match haul of 11 wickets that also earned him the player-of-the-match award, Khawaja made a match-high 60 in the first innings and Smith led proactively to script a memorable turnaround.Smith led by example on the field too, plucking a stunning one-handed catch at leg slip to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara just when the batsman threatened to turn the game on its head with a gritty 59.“It’s probably my favourite place in the world to captain,” Smith said. “So I thought I did it well this week and it was good fun.”India will go all out for a win in the final test in Ahmedabad next week, an outcome that would confirm their place in the WTC final at The Oval.Home captain Rohit Sharma said Indian batters would have to sort out their shot selection before that.“If you look at the dismissals, we played poorly,” Rohit said of their batting in Indore.“Out of the 10 wickets in the first innings, maybe one or two was where the pitch did help the bowler a little bit,” Rohit said.“Other than that, I think it was the skill of the bowler to fox the batsman and get rid of the batsman.”SCOREBOARDIndia 1st innings 109Australia 1st innings 197India 2nd innings 163Australia 2nd inningsU. Khawaja c Bharat b Ashwin 0T. Head not out 49M. Labuschagne not out 28Extras (lb1) 1Total (1 wicket, 18.5 overs) 78Fall of wickets: 0-1 KhawajaBowling: Ashwin 9.5-3-44-1, Jadeja 7-1-23-0, Yadav 2-0-10-0,Result: Australia won by 9 wicketsSeries: India lead the four-match series 2-1Toss: IndiaUmpires: Joel Wilson (WIS), Nitin Menon (IND) TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)

Steve Smith knows how difficult it is to win a Test in India so Australia’s stand-in captain was thrilled to bits after guiding his team to a nine-wicket victory in the third Test in Indore yesterday.Outplayed in Nagpur and Delhi, Australia bounced back in the four-Test series with a comprehensive victory well inside three days of the spin-dominated low-scoring contest.Leading the side as regular skipper Pat Cummins flew home to be with his ailing mother, Smith marshalled his bowlers well and took a stunning catch to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara whose second innings 59 was the only half-century by an Indian in the low-scoring match.“They are pretty hard to come by,” Smith told reporters, referring to wins in India, after only the second Australia has notched up in their last 18 attempts.“For us to get on top in this game, particularly after losing the toss... it shows the talent in this group and the belief we’ve got in ourselves.”Australia fought tooth and nail in Delhi only to be thwarted by India’s lower order, who set up India’s six-wicket victory.“We screwed up, I suppose, in Delhi is one way to put it,” Smith said. “We had an opportunity there and let that slip, but we had a good break and a good preparation coming here and it was just about getting our mental state right.”Smith captained Australia during the 2014-2018 period but was stripped of the role following a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.Cummins is expected to return before the final Test next week but chances are Smith may continue to lead the side in the final Test in Ahmedabad next week.“India is a part of the world I love captaining... it’s probably my favourite place in the world to captain,” the 33-year-old said.“Every ball is an event and therefore can dictate what happens after, which is something that I really love and you’ve got to be ahead of the game.“So I thought I did it well this week and it was good fun.”

Jason Roy struck a century while Sam Curran put in a fine all-round performance as England thrashed Bangladesh by 132 runs in the second one-day international in Dhaka yesterday.The victory, giving holders England valuable practice on spinning, low-bounce South Asian pitches before the 50-over World Cup in India later this year, meant that the visitors took the series 2-0 with one match still to play.England dismissed Bangladesh for 194 runs in 44.4 overs, thanks to Curran’s 4-29 and Adil Rashid’s 4-45 after Roy struck 132 off 124 balls to guide the side to 326-7, the highest ODI score by a side in Dhaka in over five years.The win also made England the first side to win an ODI series in Bangladesh in over six years, with the side also winning a series here last time in 2016.Curran, replacing Chris Woakes after the first match, took three wickets in five balls in the opening two overs, including two in two balls in the first over to leave Bangladesh reeling at 9-3.The hosts could never recover from the damage despite veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan making 58 runs.Shakib and skipper Tamim Iqbal shared 79 runs for the fourth wicket before Moeen Ali removed Tamim for 35 to end their resistance. Shakib was caught by Curran at extra cover off Rashid. Bangladesh, who were playing their 100th ODI at Mirpur, earlier elected to bowl first and kept the tourists in check at the start. Top-order batsmen Phil Salt (7), James Vince (5) and first-match centurion Dawid Malan (11) all fell cheaply. But Roy and skipper Jos Buttler gave England lift-off with their fourth-wicket stand of 109.Roy finally departed when Shakib had him out leg before and Buttler then took over the charge until he was dismissed by Mehidy for 76 off 64 balls.Moeen added a late blitz of 42 runs from 35 balls and Curran played his part with an unbeaten 33 off 19 balls.Taskin Ahmed was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with 3-66.Buttler paid tribute to Roy and called it a “fantastic” series win ahead of the final game on Monday in Chittagong.“Bangladesh are a formidable team at home so we’re delighted to get the win. (We) spoke about areas to improve from the last match and we really did that,” cricket website Cricinfo quoted the England captain as saying.“We’ll assess the conditions and play accordingly, there’s lots of guys putting their hands up and putting up performances, which is fantastic,” he said.Tamim said he was disappointed by the way Bangladesh bowled at the start while ruing a missed run-out.“Roy and Buttler batted exceptionally well. When you lose, you can point fingers. I’m not going to do that. We didn’t do well as a team, and that’s why we lost,” he said, according to Cricinfo.BRIEF SCORESEngland 326-7 in 50 overs (J. Roy 132, J. Buttler 76, Moeen Ali 42; Taskin Ahmed 3-66, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 2-73) beatBangladesh 194 all out in 44.4 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 58, Tamim Iqbal 35; S. Curran 4-29, A. Rashid 4-45)Toss: Bangladesh Series: England lead 2-0 in three-match series

ReutersLondonHarry Brook has made an electric start to his Test career but the England batsman will look to swap sixes for home runs this weekend when he joins up with Major League Baseball (MLB) team St Louis Cardinals at spring training.Brook has notched four centuries and amassed 809 runs in only six Tests, flourishing in England’s aggressive approach to the game, which has been dubbed ‘Bazball’ in a nod to coach Brendon McCullum.The 24-year-old will try his hand at hitting home runs at the Cardinals camp in Florida as part of a new ambassadorial role with MLB Europe.“I’m intrigued to see how different it is to cricket and what similarities there are too – will a home run feel as good as hitting a six?” Brook said in an MLB news release yesterday.“I’m also excited to learn from how other professional sportspeople go about their game and see if there are any transferable skills between batting in baseball and cricket.”England fast bowler Issy Wong, 20, was also named an MLB Europe ambassador.The Cardinals will face the Chicago Cubs in a two-game series at the London Stadium on June 24 and 25.