After their opening loss to Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings ensured Dolphins would not be in a position to do an Andre Russell on them. They blasted their way to 242 for 6, equaling the highest total in the Champions League T20, as Suresh Raina led with a 43-ball 90. Dolphins tried hard, but even a reply of 188 meant a crushing margin of victory for Super Kings.
In previous seasons, the side’s approach was to build steadily and accelerate, but the opening pair of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum has given them enhanced freedom to attack from the first ball. Super Kings lost Smith early against Dolphins but that did not stop them from reaching 100 by the ninth over. The Super Kings line-up is packed with hitters, which means an onslaught can get difficult to contain for the opposition if multiple batsmen fire.
That is something Lahore Lions will also have to watch out for. Lions did not start badly at all in their first group match against Kolkata Knight Riders as Ahmed Shehzad dominated an opening stand of 50. They were faced with Sunil Narine and the debutant chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav after that, and collapsed to 103 for 6 before Umar Akmal revived them to 151 for 7. They followed that with atrocious fielding and catching to suffer a four-wicket loss.
Knight Riders themselves went from 100 for 0 to 147 for 6 to make the chase interesting. Unlike them, Super Kings are not prone to such collapses, and Lions will have to put in a sharply improved performance in all departments if they are to challenge MS Dhoni’s men.
Form guide
Chennai Super Kings WLLWW (most recent first, completed matches only)
Lahore Lions LWLWW
Watch out for
Mohammad Hafeez struggled to 9 off 15 against Knight Riders. He wasn’t able to pick Kuldeep and was intent on using the slog-sweep, which he tried unsuccessfully several times and eventually top-edged one in the deep. Hafeez had struggled against Southern Express in the qualifiers as well, but had recovered from 15 off 24 to take 52 off his final 16 deliveries. Hafeez has the ability to suddenly convert a crawl into an explosive finish. He needs to find the second gear soon.
He performs acrobatics in the deep, he fields like a man possessed in the covers, he thumps sixes at the top of the order, and he is also the only man from his country to have made a Test triple hundred. He does all this with a back that has given him trouble for years now. Brendon McCullum is a special cricketer, and one half of one of the most destructive T20 opening combinations. Lions, who conceded 100 against openers Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir, will need to strike early against Super Kings.
Stats and trivia
Suresh Raina needs one more six to become the first Indian and tenth batsman to hit 200 T20 sixes
Dwayne Bravo is the only Super Kings bowler to go for under six an over so far in the tournament
Ahmed Shehzad has scored the most runs for Lahore Lions – 1380 from 44 games with one hundred and nine fifties
Quotes
“One of the areas we need to improve is fielding. We have to do well as a fielding unit. We have to really raise the standard of our fielding”
Mohammad Hafeez couldn’t be clearer about what he wants Lahore Lions to do
Qatar forfeit basketball game in hijab row
INCHEON
AGENCIES
The Qatar women’s basketball team forfeited a game at the Asian Games on Wednesday after being refused permission to wear the hijab, saying they were taking a stand against what they say is a discriminatory policy against Muslim women.
The Qatari players were asked, in accordance with International Basketball Federation’s rules, to remove their headscarves in order to play against Mongolia.
However, the players refused, saying it violated their religious beliefs and they wanted to send a strong message to the sport’s governing federation that the ban was unfair.
“We have to take this stand,” said Ahlam Salem M al Mana of Qatar.
“We are here to push the international association that all Muslim teams are ready to compete in any competition. We knew about the hijab ban, but we have to be here. We have to show everyone that we are ready to play, but the International Association is not ready,” she added.
A spokesperson for the Incheon Asian Games (IAGOC) told a foreign news agency that organisers had no alternative other than to declare a forfeit because, “the rule that the players broke is International Basketball Federation rule 4.4.2, which talks about uniforms and what players can wear.”
The technical official asked them to remove the scarf and they refused, so the game was forfeited by Qatar.
The use of hijabs has become a hot topic in sport in recent years with Muslim athletes complaining that they are being discriminated against. Human rights groups and the United Nations joined forces to put pressure on sporting bodies to lift the bans.
Earlier this year, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) unanimously overturned a ban on the garments, allowing soccer players to wear them. They had previously been banned due to safety concerns and because they were not recognised in the laws of the game. But FIFA medical reports showed there were no safety concerns.
Other sports at the Asian Games allow athletes to wear the hijab. All four members of the Iranian lightweight women’s quadruple sculls team wore it as they rowed to a bronze medal on Wednesday.
Basketball remains one of the exceptions although International Basketball Federation (FIBA) said earlier this month that it had held discussions on the issue and was introducing a two-year ‘testing phase’ on what players can wear.
“Relaxing the current rules regarding headgear in order to enable national federations to request, as of now, exceptions to be applied at the national level within their territory without incurring any sanctions for violation of FIBA’s Official Basketball Rules,” FIBA explained.
“National Federations wishing to apply for such an exception to the uniform regulations shall submit a detailed request to FIBA. Once approved, they shall submit follow-up reports twice a year to monitor the use of such exceptions.”
The Incheon official said there had been no instructions from FIBA regarding the hijab.
“FIBA informed me they had not released a statement regarding possible changes yet,” the official added.
Qatari player Amal Mohamed A Mohamed said they had been assured they would be able to wear the hijab before they came to the Asian Games, which are being run under the slogan: “Diversity Shines Here”.
“Before attending the Asian Games, we were told that we would be able to participate in matches by wearing a hijab,” she said. “However, the organisers of the Asian Games said to us that players with the hijab cannot play today’s match.”
“Since we can’t take that off to take part in the match because of our religion, we just forfeited the match with Mongolia.” Mohamed said.
She was confused about why the scarf had been banned. ”I just don’t understand why we’re not allowed to play with the hijab. I don’t think the hijab is dangerous, and negatively influences the match or other players,” she said.
“We’ve attended many international competitions in Indonesia and China. Therefore, we will not attend any games in this Asian Games unless the officials change their decision,” she concluded.
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