Bahrain set for tough Syria test
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Bahrain host Syria this evening in a crucial Group D Asia/Oceania qualifier for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. The contest is scheduled for a 7pm tip-off and it will be played at the Khalifa Sports City arena in Isa Town.
Fans will be able to enter free of charge, with precautionary guidelines being enforced for the safety of all in attendance. Tonight’s clash is the third so far for the Bahrainis in World Cup qualifying, and it is part of two fixtures in this second window of action. In the first window last November, the Bahrainis played twice against Iran and lost both games.
They now hope to turn the page when they face Syria this evening before going up against Kazakhstan in another qualifier on Sunday at the same venue. Bahrain head coach Sam Vincent, a former player and 1986 NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, has named his final 12-player squad for the two games.
The roster includes Mohammed Ameer, Ahmed Najaf, Ahmed Salman, Maitham Jameel, Hesham Sarhan, Subah Hussain, Ali Jaber, Ali Rabea, Noman Ahmed Khan, Nasser Almosawi, CJ Giles and newly selected captain Mohammed Kowayed.
The Bahrainis have been training the past several weeks in preparation for the upcoming qualifiers, and have boosted their practices with the participation of former Bahrain league import Wayne Chism from the U.S. They recently held a brief overseas training camp in Saudi Arabia as part of the lead-up to the upcoming games. During a local practice this week, the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports president’s adviser and Bahrain Basketball Association national teams committee head Mohammed Al Ajmi paid a visit to the national team and wished them the very best in the upcoming games.
Al Ajmi urged all of Bahrain’s basketball fans to support the nationals and attend the two contests at Khalifa Sports City. Bahrain’s senior men’s national basketball team have a busy year ahead, as they not only continue their qualifying campaign for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 later this year, but will also be playing in the FIBA Asia Cup against some of the continent’s top basketball nations. The third and final window of World Cup qualifiers will be in July when Bahrain take on Syria in Damascus on July 1, before playing Kazakhstan in Nur-Sultan on July 4.
Bahrain must finish amongst the top three in their group to earn a place in the second round of qualifying. The FIBA Asia Cup will then be held from July 12 to 24 in Jakarta, and the Bahrainis have been drawn with Asian powerhouses China and South Korea, along with Chinese Taipei, for the competition’s first round.
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