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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2024
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BRAVE CF 91 Staredowns: Tensions flare as India targeting big first
fighters complete pre-fight rituals in Bahrain innings total in Brisbane: Gill
India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal (C) talks with teammate Shubman Gill (R) during a
training session
AFP | Brisbane short with the bat in the first
innings.”
Rohit, who missed the first
Fighters during BRAVE CF 91 Staredowns ndia are determined to post Test in Perth, came in at num-
TDT | Manama dence, claiming the Zimba-bwe- a respectful staredown ahead remaining staredowns were in- Ia big first innings total in the ber six in Adelaide, with Ya-
an challenger could not look of their 60kg catchweight bout. tense yet respectful, wrapping third Test against Australia at shasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul
he stage is set for a historic him in the eye, setting the stage Mokaev’s return to the BRAVE up the pre-fight programs on an Brisbane, batsman Shubman retained at the top.
Tfight night on Friday, De- for an electrifying showdown. CF cage after three years has exciting note. Gill said after they were skit- There has been talk that he
cember 13, at the Khalifa Sports Elsewhere, the fight between made this one of the most an- BRAVE CF 91 will mark the tled cheaply in Adelaide. could revert to opener in Bris-
City Arena in Bahrain as fighters Hamza Kooheji and Alperen ticipated fights of the year when return of BRAVE Combat Fed- India made only 175 in their bane, but he failed to front the
completed their pre-fight rituals Karabulut has been making Joevincent is stepping up on eration to Bahrain after a second knock, leaving Austral- traditional pre-match captain’s
ahead of BRAVE CF 91 with the headlines due to the heated short-notice for the biggest fight groundbreaking year around ia a meagre 19 to win. press conference to discuss
staredowns on Thursday night. buildup, which carried over of his MMA career. the world. The event is part of “As a team, as a batting group the issue.
Ahead of their main event into their staredown. During The staredown between Hus- the BRAVE International Com- we are looking to post a big to- Asked why Rohit was a no-
clash at BRAVE CF 91, Bantam- the face-off, Alperen escalat- sain Al Kurdi and Seif Shawki bat Week, which also features tal first up,” said number three show, Gill alluded to training
weight champion Nkosi Nde- ed tensions by declaring that turned physical, setting the tone the IMMAF Youth Asian Cham- Gill. “That’s been one of the yesterday being optional and
bele and challenger Nicholas Ham-za would “die in the cage for the night, while Moham-med pi-onships and BRAVE CF 92, key discussions. not compulsory.
Hwende had an intense face-off. tomorrow” before storming off. Alsameea and Salah Walid butt- capping off a record-breaking “Every batsman will have “I think he practised
Following the encounter, Nko- Muhammad Mokaev and Jo- ed heads to raise the stakes for year for the most global MMA their own game plan, but as a enough,” he said.
si questioned Hwende’s confi- evincent So, meanwhile, shared their Flyweight showdown. The organisation. group collectively we will try Pace spearhead Jasprit
to get a big first innings score.” Bumrah has been carrying a
In the wake of the Adelaide minor groin injury picked up
defeat, which left the five-Test in Adelaide, but trained on
Australia’s Hazlewood back for third Test against India series poised at 1-1, skipper Thursday and is expected to
Rohit Sharma was critical of be fit.
AFP | Brisbane Mitchell Starc for the crunch third defeat with the pink ball in Ad- the batting, including his own Whether India keep faith
Test against India in Brisbane. elaide. poor form. with young seamer Harshit
ustralia’s Josh Hazlewood The five-match series is finely Hazlewood took five wickets in “That is the disappointing Rana remains to be seen. He
Awas cleared of injury yester- poised at 1-1 after the visitors won Perth but picked up a side strain part, that we didn’t bat well failed to get a wicket in the
day to reunite with fellow pace the first game in Perth by 295 runs that ruled him out of the next enough,” he said at the time. second Test and Akash Deep is
spearheads Pat Cummins and before crumbling to a 10-wicket clash. Australia’s Josh Hazlewood “Probably were 30-40 runs a potential replacement.
Amorim denies city contact before Utd
United manager denies City talks as both teams face struggles before Manchester derby
• Amorim rejects
rumors of prior When Manchester
discussions with United talked to me, I
Manchester City KNOW WHAT had no doubts because I
• United struggling in my mind that it could
had already something
in 13th place after Manchester United be a possibility. With
recent disappointing boss Ruben Amorim Manchester City or Hugo
performances previously master- Viana? Nothing about
that
• City experiencing minded a 4-1 Champi- RUBEN AMORIM
ons League win over
worst run in recent Manchester City with game, so I’m really focused on
years with seven losses his former club Sport- my team.”
ing Lisbon Asked if United are facing a
AFP | London different, weaker City, he said:
as a contender to take over from “No, no, no, no.
Guardiola after City announced “The great teams can respond
anchester United man- Sporting’s director of football in any moment, and I think they
ager Ruben Amorim Hugo Viana would replace Tx- are in a better place than us in
Minsists he did not speak iki Begiristain at the end of this Manchester United’s Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim (C) arrives for a match (file photo) the type of understanding the
to Manchester City about re - season. in my mind that it could be a underlined the extent of the re- four Premier League titles. game, the way they play, the con-
placing Pep Guardiola at the Eti- Guardiola eventually ended possibility. building job he faces. One of those losses was mas- fidence they have. Even in these
had Stadium before making his speculation over his future by “With Manchester City or Yet, for the first time in years, terminded by Amorim, whose kind of moments.”
move to Old Trafford. signing a new two-year contract Hugo Viana? Nothing about City go into the derby mired in Sporting side enjoyed a 4-1 City may be struggling but
As Amorim prepares for his shortly after Amorim’s arrival in that.” more turmoil than United after Champions League triumph they still enter the weekend
first Manchester derby on Sun- Manchester. Amorim’s side ended a run of a dismal run of one win in 10 over City. fourth in the Premier League,
day, the 39-year-old’s link to City Asked if he ever had a conver- two successive defeats with a 2-1 games in all competitions. “I never think about these eight points better off than their
prior to his arrival at United has sation about the prospect of join- victory at Viktoria Plzen in the things,” Amorim said of City’s neighbours.
become a hot topic. ing City, Amorim told reporters: Europa League on Thurs-day. ‘We have a lot of issues’ woes. “We will face a great op- “I just want to improve the
United hired the highly-re- “Never. Never had and this was But United have won just Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions ponent and I’m more focused on team, so I cannot live it like a
garded Amorim from Sporting my only option. three of Amorim’s six games in League defeat at Juventus was our problems, so we have a lot of normal derby like it should be,
Lisbon in November after sack- “When Manchester United charge and are languishing in City’s seventh loss in their last 10 issues here. like two great teams fighting
ing Erik ten Hag. talked to me, I had no doubts 13th place after recent losses to matches, an astonishing decline “I’m more focused on what we for the title. It is not that in this
Amorim had been mentioned because I had already something Arsenal and Nottingham Forest for a club that has won the last should do on Sunday to win the moment,” Amorim said.
Hon. Chairman Najeb Yacob Alhamer | Chairman & Managing Director P Unnikrishnan | Editor-in-Chief Mahmood Al Mahmood
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