Qatar beat Bhutan in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier B

DOHA - Qatar defeated Bhutan by six wickets to claim their second consecutive victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier B on Wednesday. The home side displayed an all-round performance after electing to field at the University of Doha for Science and Technology ground. Left-arm medium pacer Amir Farooq was the star picking three wickets for only 16 runs as Qatar bowled out Bhutan for 111 runs in 20 overs. Ikramullah Khan (3-24), Muhammad Jabir (2-22) and Mohammed Nadeem (1-3) were the other wicket-taking bowlers for the hosts. Ranjung Mikyo Dorji and Gakul Ghalley scored 21 runs apiece for Bhutan. Later, opening batsman Imal Liyanage fired a 28-ball-51 as Qatar achieved the target with ease in 16.4 overs. Mohammad Ahnaff, who scored 50 in Tuesday’s win over Thailand, remained unbeaten on 19. Farooq was named man of the match for his heroics with the ball. Qatar will take on Cambodia in their next match on Saturday. Meanwhile, in other matches on Wednesday, Thailand defeated Cambodia by 16 runs at West End Park International Cricket Stadium while United Arab Emirates recorded a 17-run win over Saudi Arabia at the same venue. After winning both their respective opening matches, UAE and Qatar are leading the standings with four points each followed by Bahrain and Thailand on two points apiece. Bhutan, Cambodia and Saudi Arabia are yet to score a point. Teams securing the top two places in the competition will qualify for the Regional Final, where they will be joined by Nepal, Oman and Papua New Guinea.

Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saoud re-elected President of the Qatar Paralympic Committee

Doha:  The General Assembly of the Qatar Paralympic Committee (QPC) has re-elected H.E. Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saoud Al-Thani as President of the QPC for the 2024-2028 term.  During the meeting, which was held today at the QPC headquarters, Dr. Hassan Al-Ansari was elected as Secretary-General.  Moreover, Saleh Yousef Jaber Al-Mulla, Mohammed Duhaim Al Dosari and Abdulqader Al Motawa were elected as members of the QPC's Board of Directors.  The Assembly agenda included the approval of the previous meeting's minutes and the endorsement of last year's financial statements. 

Team Qatar gets better of Thailand by five wickets

DOHA - Mohammad Ahnaff and Muhammad Tanveer shared a 76-run fourth wicket stand to steer Qatar to a comfortable five-wicket win against Thailand in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier B at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha yesterday. Qatar chased down the target of 123 runs in 17.2 overs with Man of the Match Ahnaff making 50 off 47 balls aided with six fours and one six. Tanveer contributed 48 runs (33 balls) slamming five fours and two sixes. Earlier, after being put into bat, Thailand rode on the knocks of opener Akshaykumar Yadav (37 runs; 47 balls; 2x4s), Sorawat Desungnoen (26 runs; 19 balls; 1x4; 2x6s), and Nitish Salekar 28 not out (23 balls; 2x4s). Qatar’s left-arm pacer Ikramullah Khan took three wickets for 17 runs while Mirza Baig, Mohammed Nadeem and Saqlain Arshad picked a wicket each to restrict Thailand to 122 for 7. Meanwhile, United Arab Emirates also made a winning start to their campaign beating Bhutan by 63 runs at the University of Doha for Science and Technology Stadium. Batting first, UAE scored 166 for 6 with captain Alishan Sharafu scoring 50 (42 balls; 3x4s, 3x6s) and Muhammed Waseem making 46 (24 balls; 4x4s, 4x6s). The openers shared a 61-run partnership. In reply, Bhutan were restricted to 103 for 8 with Thinley Jamtsho being the highest run-getter scoring 28 (24 balls; 2x4s, 2x6s). Off-spinner Dhruv Parashar was the most successful bowler for UAE finishing with 4 for 12 in his four overs while Muhammed Jawadullah claimed 2 for 17. In another match, Bahrain pipped Saudi Arabia by 3 runs. Put into bat, Bahrain reached a total of 188 for 5 wickets with skipper Haider Ali scoring an unbeaten 67 (51 balls; 6x4s, 2x6s), and Imran Anwar making 53 runs (35 balls; 2x4s, 4x6s). In reply, Saudi Arabia despite a 55-ball century from opener Abdul Waheed 110 runs (8x4s, 7x6s) failed to reach the target falling short by three runs at 185 for 9. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier B have a total of 7 teams are taking part - Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bhutan, Bahrain, Thailand, UAE and Cambodia from which the top two will qualify for the Regional Final, where they will be joined by Nepal, Oman, and Papua New Guinea. BRIEF SCORES Thailand 122-7 (A Yadav 37, N Salekar 28 n.o., S Desungnoen 26; I Khan 3-17) lost to Qatar 123-5 in 17.2 overs (M Ahnaff 50, M Tanveer 48; N Senamontree 2-27) by five wickets. Bahrain 188-5 (H Ali 67, I Anwar 53) beat Saudi Arabia 185-9 (A Waheed 110) by three runs. UAE 166-6 (A Sharafu 50, M Waseem 46) beat Bhutan 103-8 (T Jamtsho 28; D Parashar 4-12) by 63 runs.  

Stage set for QSF 5 Open 2024

Doha: The QSF 5 Open 2024 gets underway tomorrow with 2019/20 World Champion Tarek Momen returning to the place where he claimed his World Championship title as top seed of the PSA Squash Tour Bronze level event. The event will take place from 20 – 24 November from the Khalifa Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar.  The Egyptian World No.7 has been one of the most consitent players in the world for many years now and hasn’t dropped outside the top 10 since 2017, a remarkable achievement. Momen is still looking to push up the rankings and claim PSA titles and has a great chance to do so again on a court where he has winning history. Momen will open his campaign in round two against either Yassin Elshafei or Matthew Lai. Fellow Egyptian Aly Abou Eleinen is the No.2 seed for the event as he looks to claim a second World Events title of his career. The 24-year-old has been steadily rising up the rankings over the past two seasons and now sits at his highest career ranking of World No.13. Eleinen is a confident, stylish player and will be determined to build on his recent impressive performances in the US to edge nearer to the world’s top ten. All home eyes will once again be on the Qatar No.1 Abualla Al-Tamimi as he looks to capture his fifth QSF title. Al-Tamimi has reached his top level several times on the all-glass court at the Khalifa Complex, most notably in 2022 when he defeated No.2 seed Paul Coll in the Qatar Classic. The No.4 seed will be hoping to reach those heights once again and delight the home crowd. Al-Tamimi will take on either Mazen Gamal or Emyr Evans in his opening match on day two. The final top four seed is Colombian veteran Miguel Rodriguez. The World No.16 will be competing in Qatar for the 13th time in his career, looking to cause an upset to reach a 41st career final. The extravagant 38-year-old is always a crowd favourite and will be determined to showcase his skills as he starts his tournament on day two against one of Aly Hussein or Joseph White. Draw: [1] Tarek Momen (EGY) bye Matthew Lai (HKG) v [9/16] Yassin Elshafei (EGY) [9/16] Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN) v Finnlay Withington (ENG) [8] Shahjahan Khan (USA) bye [5] Gregoire Marche (FRA) bye Salah Eltorgman (CAN) v [9/16] Addeen Idrakie (MAS) [9/16] Aly Hussein (EGY) v Joseph White (AUS) [3] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bye [4] Abdulla Al-Tamimi (QAT) bye Mazen Gamal (EGY) v [9/16] Emyr Evans (WAL) [9/16] Ben Smith (ENG) v Owain Taylor (WAL) [6] George Parker (ENG) bye [7] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bye Martin Svec (CZE) v [9/16] Jonah Bryant (ENG) [9/16] Abhay Singh (IND) v Edwin Clain (FRA) [2] Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) bye  

Qatar ends Jordan International as runners-up

DOHA -  The Qatari national basketball team secured second place in the 12th King Abdullah II International Basketball Cup Championship after suffering a 50-70 defeat in their final game against the Jordanian national team. The game took place on Monday evening at Prince Hamzah Hall in Al Hussein Youth City, located in the Jordanian capital, Amman. The game concluded with the following period scores: 19-10, 21-15, 9-11, and 21-14, all favoring the Jordanian team. At the conclusion of the championship, the Palestinian national team achieved third place after overcoming Syria 80-74. Earlier in the tournament, the Qatari team had triumphed over Syria with a score of 75-66 and narrowly defeated the Palestinian team 74-72. The King Abdullah II International Cup Championship serves as a crucial preparatory event for the four participating teams as they gear up for the double qualifiers for the Asian Cup, scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the 2027 World Cup, which will be hosted in Doha. This tournament presents a significant opportunity for the Qatari team to prepare its players ahead of the Asian qualifiers for the Saudi Asian Cup 2025. The team is set to travel to New Delhi to compete against the Indian team on November 21, as part of the second Asian window matches for Group Five. Additionally, the Qatari team will host the Iranian national team at Al Gharafa Hall on the 25th of this month. The Qatari team mission to Jordan was headed bySaadoun Sabah Al Kuwari, Secretary General of the Qatar Basketball Federation, and the administrative and technical staff includes Jassim Ashkanani (team manager) and Nabil Juma (team administrator), in addition to the technical staff led by Turkish coach Hakan Demir and his assistants, in addition to 12 players: Omar Mohamed Saad, Mustafa Fouda, Mahmoud Darwish, Khaled Rushdi, Babacar Dieng, Nadim Muslik, Mohamed Bashir, Tyler James Lee Harris, Aladji Boubou Magassa, Ndaye El Haj Sidou, Abdullah Yassin Musa, and Mustafa Ndaw. The Jordanian team won the title for the third time in a row and strengthened their record of winning the title six times, while the Lebanese team has two titles, and the Egyptian, Tunisian, Saudi, and Lebanese Riyadi teams have one title each.  

Sub-qualifiers for Asian Region for Men's Cricket World Cup T20 Kick Off in Doha Tuesday

Doha, November 18 (QNA) - The sub-qualifiers (B) for the Asian region for the Men's Cricket World Cup (T20) of the International Cricket Council will kick off on Tuesday, hosted by Doha and will continue until Nov.28. Khalid Saleh Al Rumaihi, Secretary-General of the Qatar Cricket Committee and Director of the Tournament, confirmed during a press conference Monday that all preparations have been finalized for the start of the competitions, as 7 teams are participating in the qualifiers: Qatar (the host), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the Emirates, Thailand, Cambodia and Bhutan, where 3 matches will be held daily starting on Tuesday, at the West End International Cricket Stadium in the Asian region and the Doha University of Science and Technology Stadium, while the teams will rest on the twenty-first, twenty-fourth and twenty-seventh of this month. Al Rumaihi added that 12 resident referees and 21 referees from the International Federation will manage the competitions, wishing all teams success and the best team qualifying for the second stage of the qualifiers. Regarding the Qatari team's preparations to participate in the qualifiers, he said that the team held internal training camps in Qatar, and played many friendly matches with a number of Asian and Arab teams, noting that the team members are fully prepared to participate in the competitions and achieve a positive result. He pointed out that the qualifiers system stipulates that the first and second place winners from the sub-qualifiers qualify for the main qualifiers for the Men's Cricket World Cup /T20/, the location of which will be determined later. For his part, Khalid Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of the Qatar Cricket Committee and Assistant Director of the Tournament, confirmed that the committee began preparing to host these qualifiers more than two months ago in order to hold the competitions in the best possible way in all organizational and technical aspects. Al Suwaidi noted the readiness of the Qatari cricket team to compete, as the team held more than one internal training camp, indicating that the team has a strong chance of winning first or second place and qualifying for the main qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. He added that all participating teams started their training Moday, to be on a daily basis according to the pre-arranged schedule, stressing that the participating delegations praised the good organization, hospitality and quality of sports facilities provided by the Qatar Cricket Committee to host the tournament. The Qatari cricket team will begin its journey in the tournament onTuesday by facing its Thai counterpart, then meet the Bhutanese team the day after on Wednesday, compete with the Cambodian team on the Nov.23, then face the Bahraini team on Nov.25 and play the UAE team on Nov.26 before concluding its journey in the qualifiers by meeting the Saudi team on the November 28.