Al-Ittihad CEO building solid foundations for bright future at Jeddah club

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Updated 13 August 2024
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Al-Ittihad CEO building solid foundations for bright future at Jeddah club

Al-Ittihad CEO building solid foundations for bright future at Jeddah club
  • Domingos Soares De Oliveira spoke to Arab News about the standard of the Saudi Pro League, Al-Ittihad’s scouting and Karim Benzema’s status at the club, among other issues
  • Domingos Soares De Oliveira: I think that the work which started maybe one year ago, one year and a half ago, about attracting very important players, it has to continue

At the end of September, 2023, Domingos Soares De Oliveira was announced as the new CEO of Ittihad Club Company, and in February he was named as part of the club’s new three-man Sporting Committee, alongside Sporting Director Ramon Planes and coach Marcelo Gallardo.

The moves look to give the reigning Saudi Pro League champions the best possible structure and governance as they look to a bright future.

De Oliveira spoke to Arab News about his first six months in the role and gave his views on various topics, including the standard of the Saudi Pro League, Al-Ittihad’s scouting and Karim Benzema’s status at the club.

Here are some highlights from the interview.

Taking over the position of Ittihad Club Company CEO…

At the time I was leaving Benfica, I had different opportunities in terms of new roles in different continents. But when the proposal from Ittihad came, I was really surprised by it because I got a lot of exciting information from the transformation the Kingdom was facing, and all the professional clubs.

This club has a fantastic legacy. We are the (current) champions, we won two Champions Leagues. We were the first club in the Kingdom, I think, and I’m sure that we are the club that has the best fan base. I’m not sure if it is the biggest, but in terms of commitment, in terms of passion, they are fantastic. We have 18 or 19 different sports, so the responsibility about being the CEO of Ittihad is a enormous responsibility. But at the same time, it’s a great challenge also because the Kingdom and the Ittihad, they are facing a new reality.

I think we are entering in a new era. We have right now a transformation process coming from a club with a different profile in terms of shareholders, to now a much more structured club. We have a new management in place, we have a new governance in place, we have a new squad in the sense that we were able, with the best programs, to attract different players — much better players.

I think to be honest, it was the best opportunity a professional like myself as CEO from a European club could get.

Role of Saudi football in the Kingdom’s culture…

Well, it’s quite impressive because I think the story of the Kingdom and the story of our club, they mix together. In fact, the club was established in 1927 and the Kingdom in 1932.

So, you can see Saudi people are very proud of their history, like Ittihad fans. I think you have a great, great history, and really every day I am surprised by this country and the opportunities about this country. It’s about unity, it’s about community, all those values that you have in your country. The same way, we have inside Ittihad.

The ambitions of Saudi football…

Well, the Saudi Pro League has an ambition and we share the ambition as a club. But also, I believe we can easily be part of the top five leagues in the world. And I think we can have the ambition to be much more than that, because we have now a strategy in place, strategy that is totally aligned with Vision 2030.

We also have now a new challenge, which is in 2034 the country will organize the World Cup, so we have to develop our players to be ready for 2034. And in this sense, the transformation that the SPL is doing, for example for next season, to have only 25 players, which means 15 Saudi players in the squad, (will mean) that the clubs will have to invest much more in the Saudi players.

And I think we are part of this process because if you see what we have done in the winter, we hired five Saudi young players and we are very happy with the way they are performing here. In fact, we have, as you know, the Olympics team and we will have to take five players from our squad to (Paris 2024). We are proud about that, even if it represents a difficult challenge for our coach.

How technology will impact football…

Technology will have a strong impact in two areas.

First of all, in terms of the digitalization that we have inside the company, all departments, the commercial departments, financial, all of them are embracing digital.

For scouting, it will be extremely relevant to gather as much information as we can from players, to have access to information that happens in the training sessions, to have access to live information that you have during those matches. The SPL is already sending us a lot of information, but we want to go much further and we want to have much more technology in all areas in the club.

Al-Ittihad’s scouting of Saudi talent across the Kingdom…

Scouting is a critical part of our business. Without the right raw materials, you cannot build a good product. This is obvious in any industry, but especially here. So, what we need is, and this is what we are establishing, is, first of all, to have a scouting department with a strong focus in the Kingdom.

So, we will develop a kind of a network of scouts around the Kingdom in order to identify the best talent. In fact, we are not doing that for the first time now. If you see what we did in the winter, and the players we scouted in the winter, we were able to attract those players. Everyone recognized that we did a good job at that time.

But it’s more than that. I think we need to scout at the youngest ages, and not only in Jeddah. We need to be able to identify players that are maybe today eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 years old and to attract them to the club.

We have to take care of them, we have to take care of their families. But we have to have a comprehensive strategy and the comprehensive role model for these young kids and to define a program together with their families, to develop not only the players, but also the young men.

Balancing local and international scouting…

We want players like we have today, which are role models, which are able to play and to work hand-in-hand with the Saudi players.

So, we have a network of of international scouts. In fact, the football department we have today are scouting everywhere (across) the globe. It’s part-international and part-Saudi.

International, (we seek) much more established players; and national, young players that we can be proud of in two or three years from now, and especially in 2034.

Ittihad’s role in helping Saudi Arabia become an international sporting hub…

Saudi has probably the best program I saw so far in terms of becoming a hub for sports. Very often, the investment in other countries is based on investment by the clubs, and the clubs keep themselves in a very, I would say, individual position.

Here, you can understand that the Ministry of Sport has a strategy and they are supporting the clubs in terms of developing the different sports the clubs can have. In our case, we have 19 different sports. We have very individual sports with strong performances. If you look to badminton, to archery, to table tennis, tennis, we have a fantastic group of young players with very good results.

Taking part in the Said Super Cup in Abu Dhabi…

For us to play in the most important competitions, it’s very important. We want to be part of the international competitions, of the Super Cup, of the King’s Cup, of the SPL. We are a club that likes to be challenged, that likes to accept defiance, that likes to fight, because we have this spirit, a fighting spirit.

So, going for the Super Cup, even if it is in Abu Dhabi, even if it will be a little bit more difficult for our fans to be there, even if we have some players that are playing (with the Olympic team), and we are proud of that, we are facing that with strong confidence. We believe that we can deliver a very good result and our ambition, and our president’s ambition, and our coach’s ambition, is to succeed.

Al-Ittihad’s new sporting committee…

The sporting committee is something that the board decided to create. So, it’s a decision coming from the board and in the sporting committee there are three persons: Myself, the sports director, Ramon Planes, but also the coach (Marcelo Gallardo). The sporting committee is mainly in charge of the decisions related with the market. So, with players that we want to hire, with analyzing the squads, where do we have positions that we need to reinforce, which players are now maybe at the stage that we would eventually prefer them to to be sold? Because, of course, the clubs also need these revenues coming from player-trading.

So, it’s about the sporting decisions, not, of course, the decisions from the coach. We do not decide who is going to play or not, but in terms of especially around the market and around the players. I think it was a very brave decision from the board because very often the board members like to be involved in these kinds of operations, but they understand that it’s critical that such decisions are taken by professional people that are used to take those decisions.

The five players we hired in the winter transfer window are a result of this sporting committee’s decisions and the support we got from the board to take those decisions.

The professional standards of the Saudi Pro League…

The Saudi Pro League is a very interesting competition. We have very good players in the Saudi Pro League and we have very good organization inside the SPL with experts that I met for the first time here, but are people that know a lot about the industry. I was myself part of the Portuguese league for a very specific topic, which is the TV rights.

But what I found here is extremely professional. Now, for the product to be very attractive, we need that the competition is strong, so all clubs have to try to fight for the same results. Of course, there are clubs that are bigger than others. In this sense, I think that the work which started maybe one year ago, one year and a half ago, about attracting very important players, it has to continue.

We need to attract more players and to have those players in the different clubs, for the matches to be much more attractive. We don’t want that it’s easy to win against a small team. It should be the same concept as, for example, the Premier League, where a small team can beat a big team because the TV rights revenues are spread in a very democratic way.

The Saudi players that have impressed the most..

My players, to be very honest. So, those are the players that I like. I don’t want to emphasize one specific player because then it would be unfair for the rest of the players.

But I think we have a group of Saudi players, some of them quite senior, others quite young. They all deserve my respect — I think they are very good professionals.

Growing the Al-Ittihad brand globally…

Al-Ittihad is already a well-known club outside Saudi because it’s part of the Kingdom’s historical brand, but also because we were able to attract some young players and players like Benzema, like Kante, like Fabinho, Luis Felipe, Jota. They bring a lot of attention to the club.

But I think we need to move forward. That’s the reason, for example, this preseason will be different from the preseason we had last season. So, we will be in Europe. We will have part of the work we will do during the preseason (be) between Spain and Portugal. We will play European matches not only in Portugal and Spain, but also probably in Central Europe.

This is what we want to do. We want, first of all, to prepare our players for new challenges. We want them to play against very important teams in Europe, but we want also the international community to be aware about the quality we have in this club. And I think it is a good opportunity to showcase some of the Saudi players that we have today, as they are very, very good.

I don’t think they are well known in the market, but they will be known if we take those players and we put them in the best stadiums, playing against the best teams.

The impact of signing Karim Benzema…

Well, let’s start with off the pitch. It’s obvious, Karim is a player that is, I would say, a global player. There are very few global players. I would call it a global brand, but it’s a global player. Everyone in the world knows Karim Benzema. So, the impact from Karim Benzema followers in our club was impressive.

I think that the fact just to see Karim with the black and yellow shirt, it’s a fantastic demonstration for the world about our club and the way we can attract these kind of players.

But the second, on the pitch, it’s much more important than the first one. Karim is the Ballon d’Or winner. Karim played in probably one of the best leagues in the world. He was part of the French national team. So, the quality of Karim — no one can have any doubt about that. Karim, as you know, was injured for a certain period and probably the last two months. Now, in the last training sessions we had this week, Karim is already in very good shape and I think he will be extremely important for the rest of the season.

I’m glad to see that he’s smiling, I’m glad to see that he’s committed and I will be glad to see him on the pitch.

Addressing the supporters’ frustrations this season…

My experience about the role we have in the club cannot only be in this very short term. I understand their frustration, and their frustration is my frustration. We would love to have delivered better results during this season. But, from my experience, the right thing to do is to prepare the foundations for the future.

If we have the right foundations, we will be able to deliver the best results in the future and the right foundations, right now, is, among others, to have an academy. We have already the new land, and we will start building the academy in a very short period. The foundations are also about having a very good management team, a very good professional team. We have already a professional team in place.

The foundations are also about taking smart decisions in building the squad between international players and between Saudi players. We are taking those decisions.

Those foundations, once they are in place, the success, the sporting success, will be obvious. We need to go faster, we need to go deeper than our competitors, and we will do that. So, for our fans, that I totally respect, I understand them, but please believe that we are doing the right job right now, which is to prepare the future.

The future will be a brilliant future.


Clinical New Zealand thump Pakistan to win tri-nations series final

Clinical New Zealand thump Pakistan to win tri-nations series final
Updated 34 sec ago
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Clinical New Zealand thump Pakistan to win tri-nations series final

Clinical New Zealand thump Pakistan to win tri-nations series final
  • O’Rourke’s 4-43 helped New Zealand bowl out Pakistan for 242 before securing a five-wicket win
  • Victory boosts their confidence ahead of Wednesday’s Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan

KARACHI: Pace bowler Will O’Rourke claimed four wickets while Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham hit half centuries as New Zealand defeated Pakistan by five wickets to clinch the tri-nations series final on Friday.
O’Rourke’s 4-43 helped the tourists dismiss Pakistan for 242 in 49.3 overs before Mitchell’s 58-ball 57 anchored the chase as the Black Caps finished on 243-5 in 45.2 overs at Karachi’s National Stadium.
The victory gives the New Zealanders a timely boost ahead of the Champions Trophy opener against the same opponents at this venue on Wednesday.
New Zealand lost opener Will Young in pacer Naseem Shah’s first over for five before Devon Conway (48) and Kane Williamson (34) steadied the chase with a second wicket stand of 71.

New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell, center, and Glenn Phillips, right, shake hand with Pakistan’s players after winning the tri-series ODI cricket final match against Pakistan, in Karachi on February 14, 2025. (AP)

Williamson lost his wicket while charging down the wicket against spinner Salman Agha while Naseem returned for his second spell to dismiss Conway.
At 108-3 the tourists’ chase wobbled but Mitchell found an able ally in Latham (56) as the two added 87 for the fourth wicket.
When Mitchell fell caught and bowled off spinner Abrar Ahmed the tourists needed just 48 runs which Latham and Glenn Phillips (20 not out) reduced to ten.

New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, left, and Tom Latham run between the wickets during the tri-series ODI cricket final match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Karachi on February 14, 2025. (AP)

Mitchell hit six boundaries in his knock while Latham’s 64-ball innings featured five fours.
Naseem was the pick of an otherwise ineffective Pakistan bowling attack with 2-43 off eight overs.
Earlier, spinners Mitchell Santner (2-20) and Michael Bracewell (2-38) backed up O’Rourke to ensure Pakistan did not post a big total.
Skipper Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with a 76-ball 46, while Salman Agha hit 45 off 65 balls as slow and variable bounce on the National Stadium pitch proved tough for batting.

New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips, center, shakes hand with Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, second right, after winning the tri-series ODI cricket final match against Pakistan, in Karachi on February 14, 2025. (AP)

Pakistan lost opener Fakhar Zaman to O’Rourke in the fourth over for 10 and then Saud Shakeel for eight.
Babar Azam looked good for his 29 runs, hitting four boundaries and a six, and reached 6,000 runs scored in one-day internationals when he was on 10.
He was playing his 123rd innings, the joint fastest to reach the 6,000-run milestone with South African Hashim Amla.

Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha, left, walks off the field after his dismissal during the tri-series ODI cricket final match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Karachi on February 14, 2025. (AP)

Azam fell to a miscued shot off Nathan Smith, leaving Pakistan struggling at 54-3.
Rizwan and Agha, who shared a match-winning 260-run partnership against South Africa on Wednesday, then revived the innings with an 88-run stand.

New Zealand’s Will O’ Rourke, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman during the tri-series ODI cricket final match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Karachi on February 14, 2025. (AP)

Rizwan hit four boundaries and a six but he and Agha fell within 19 runs of each other to end any hope of a challenging total.
Tayyab Tahir hit a 33-ball 38, also with four boundaries and a six, while Faheem Ashraf (22) and Naseem (19) added 39 invaluable runs to get Pakistan past 240.

Pakistan’s Babar Azam plays a shot during the tri-series ODI cricket final match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Karachi on February 14, 2025. (AP)

Brief scores:
Pakistan 242 all out in 49.3 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 46, Salman Agha 45; W. O’Rourke 4-43) v New Zealand 243-5 in 45.2 overs (D. Mitchell 57, T. Latham 56; Naseem Shah 2-43)
Result: New Zealand won by five wickets
Toss: Pakistan


Morocco’s history-making surfer Ramzi Boukhiam believes best is yet to come

Morocco’s history-making surfer Ramzi Boukhiam believes best is yet to come
Updated 44 min 21 sec ago
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Morocco’s history-making surfer Ramzi Boukhiam believes best is yet to come

Morocco’s history-making surfer Ramzi Boukhiam believes best is yet to come
  • Two-time Olympian has high ambitions for his sophomore season on the WSL’s Championship Tour
  • Last year was a big one for Boukhiam, not just because of his second appearance at the Olympics

ABU DHABI: Last summer at the Paris Olympics, Moroccan surfer Ramzi Boukhiam attacked one monster wave after another at Tahiti’s iconic Teahupo’o, going toe-to-toe with Brazilian Joao Chianca in one of the most memorable heats of the Games.
The duo traded perfect 8-to-10-foot barrels throughout the heat, with Boukhiam scoring a stunning 9.70 on one of his waves. But the Moroccan’s total, which combines the highest-scoring two waves per surfer, ended up being just 0.3 points short of Chianca’s tally and he missed out on a spot in the quarter-finals and a chance to fight for an Olympic medal.
“It was pretty much the conditions that I love, that I dream of. Perfect heats, at perfect Teahupo’o, big waves, barrels. And I was against Joao Chianca. He’s one of the best barrel riders in the world. And he’s a good friend. And I knew he charged a lot,” Boukhiam told Arab News on the sidelines of the ongoing Surf Abu Dhabi Pro at Hudayriyat Island in the UAE capital.
“We knew that both of us were going to go for it and bring the best out of each other. And we did. It was an amazing, amazing, amazing heat. And I was really bummed.
“I think it’s the toughest loss of my career. Even though I put on a show and it was amazing, but I still didn’t come home with a medal. So, at the end of the day, I was really sad. But I’m proud of my performance.”

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It may have felt like he left Tahiti empty-handed, but Boukhiam walked away from his second appearance at the Olympics with scores of new fans, from the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.
The Paris Games gave surfing a wider platform compared to when the sport made its Olympics debut in Tokyo three years earlier.
Opting to stage the competition in Tahiti, the Paris Olympics showcased surfing at its best, with massive barrels and elite-level ripping on full display.
“When you see those big, perfect barrels, even if you don’t understand nothing about surfing, you’re going to be like, wow! You know? It gets you. It captivates you,” Boukhiam said.
“So, I really feel like these Olympics were way bigger for surfing than the other one. And we really showed what surfing is all about. I wish I had the medal. But it is what it is. It was a nice one.”
Last year was a big one for Boukhiam, not just because of his second appearance at the Olympics. The Agadir native spent 10 years battling on the Qualifying Series before he finally clinched a spot for the 2023 Championship Tour, or CT, of the World Surf League, or WSL, only to get injured and break his ankle in training just before the start of the new season.
He got his chance a year later when he was handed the replacement slot for 2024 and a couple of withdrawals made way for the first Arab surfer to compete on the WSL’s CT, the highest-level of competition in the world of professional surfing.
Boukhiam finished his rookie campaign ranked 12th in the world and he has loftier targets for his sophomore season, which began at Pipeline in Hawaii a couple of weeks ago before landing on Abu Dhabi shores this weekend for the first CT event to be staged in the Middle East.
“My first year, I had a lot of fun,” Boukhiam said. “And I was super proud of a few moments in the year where my back was against the wall and I managed to step it up and turn the situation around and come out with big results and just boost of confidence, coming back from my injury and everything.
“So, I was pretty happy and proud of myself after a nice year.”
An interference call in the round of 32 saw Boukhiam finish 17th at Pipeline last week and he admits it was a tough pill to swallow given he had high hopes for the opening event of the 2025 season.
“It really felt like I let an opportunity go by to have a really, really good result. So it hurt a lot,” he said.
Boukhiam quickly put the disappointment behind him on landing in the UAE for a historic inaugural Surf Abu Dhabi Pro, and is excited to compete in front of Moroccan and Arab fans.
“Honestly, it’s super cool. And I’m sure I’m going to see some Moroccan flags the day of my heat. I know a lot of friends and a lot of Moroccans that live here in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi as well. So, I hope they’ll come around and check it out and support,” he said.
“Hopefully it’s going to motivate the kids from here in the Middle East. Maybe a champion is going to come from here soon. And you guys have good waves close by. You know, Sri Lanka and everything. So, yeah, it’s a perfect start for the region. Having the best surfers on the planet in your home. I’m super happy.”

 

Winning his first CT event is high up on Boukhiam’s bucket list for 2025, and he’s also hoping to finish the year in the top five.
“I know I can do it. It’s really hard, but I know I can do it. So, I’m going to go for it,” said Boukhiam, whose best CT finish so far was clinching third at the Tahiti Pro last year after defeating surfing great Kelly Slater in the quarter-finals.
At 31, Boukhiam believes his best days are still ahead of him. He feels he’s finally coming into his own competing against the world’s best and isn’t putting any limits on his ambitions.
Could a third Olympics appearance be in the cards for him at LA 2028?
“If my body lets me, for sure, I’m thinking about it,” he said.
“I feel fresh, honestly. I feel the strongest I’ve ever been. My surfing is there. I feel like I’m almost still improving a little bit, which is not usual. At 31, normally you start going down. But I feel like I’m getting better and stronger. So, Alhamdulillah, yeah. Why not? Why not?
“I’m going year by year and event by event. I just want to do good in the CT. And if I’m ready for the Olympics, I’ll be ready, inshallah.”
Boukhiam was born in Agadir to a Moroccan father and Dutch mother. He lost his father at the age of 11 and later moved with his mother and brother to Biarritz, France — the epicenter of European surfing.
After a strong junior career and a decade toiling on the Qualifying Series, Boukhiam, who is back based in Agadir, is finally where he belongs, competing against the best surfers on the planet.
Asked what his advice would be for Arab surfers looking to follow in his footsteps, Boukhiam said: “I know it’s cliche, but keep going, because that’s exactly what I did. I had a good junior career, and then I had ups and downs for more than eight, nine, 10 years on the Challengers and all that stuff, and then finally qualified at 29,” he said.
“So I kept pushing with a lot of injuries, a lot of stuff. I know it’s cliche, but keep pushing, believe, and keep improving.
“Forget about what everyone is doing. Do you, and do the best of you, and try to be the best of you every day, and keep going, and try to do the maximum so you have no regrets. I think that’s the mindset you need to have.”


Bayern Munich tie star player Jamal Musiala to contract until 2030

Bayern Munich tie star player Jamal Musiala to contract until 2030
Updated 14 February 2025
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Bayern Munich tie star player Jamal Musiala to contract until 2030

Bayern Munich tie star player Jamal Musiala to contract until 2030
  • The Bavarian powerhouse said Friday that the 21-year-old Musiala signed a new deal extending the one he had for another season
  • “People go to the stadium for players like Jamal Musiala,” Bayern president Herbert Hainer said

MUNICH: Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala has extended his contract with the club through June 2030.
The Bavarian powerhouse said Friday that the 21-year-old Musiala, who joined the club as a youth from English side Chelsea in 2019, signed a new deal extending the one he had for another season.
“People go to the stadium for players like Jamal Musiala. He’s a truly exceptional player,” Bayern president Herbert Hainer said.

“Sometimes you feel like the rules of gravity don’t apply to him. Credit to our sporting management and the board. Today is a very good day for FC Bayern.”
Musiala’s extension follows recently announced new deals for teammates Alphonso Davies and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich and forward Leroy Sané and Thomas Müller still have contracts expiring at the end of this season.
Musiala fired Bayern to the 2023 Bundesliga title with the winning goal at Cologne in the last round while Borussia Dortmund were held to a draw by Mainz.
He has seven goals in 38 appearances for Germany.


New Zealand’s O’Rourke’s four wickets limit Pakistan to 242 in tri-series final

New Zealand’s O’Rourke’s four wickets limit Pakistan to 242 in tri-series final
Updated 14 February 2025
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New Zealand’s O’Rourke’s four wickets limit Pakistan to 242 in tri-series final

New Zealand’s O’Rourke’s four wickets limit Pakistan to 242 in tri-series final
  • Final is a dress rehearsal for opening Champions Trophy match between the two sides on Wednesday
  • Pakistan’s batting ace Baber Azam scored confident 29, reaching 6,000 runs in one-day internationals

KARACHI: New Zealand pace bowler Will O’Rourke took four wickets to restrict Pakistan to a modest 242 runs in the tri-series final in Karachi on Friday.
O’Rourke finished with 4-43 and was ably supported by spinners Mitchell Santner (2-20) and Michael Bracewell (2-38) as Pakistan were dismissed in 49.3 overs after they won the toss and batted.
Skipper Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with a 76-ball 46, while Salman Agha hit 45 off 65 balls, with slow and variable bounce on the National Stadium pitch proving tough for batting.
The final is a dress rehearsal for the opening match of the Champions Trophy between the same teams at the same venue on Wednesday.
Pakistan lost opener Fakhar Zaman to O’Rourke in the fourth over for 10 and then Saud Shakeel for eight.
Babar Azam looked good for his 29 runs, hitting four boundaries and a six, and reached 6,000 runs scored in one-day internationals when he was on 10.
He was playing his 123rd innings, the joint fastest to reach the 6,000-runs milestone with South African Hashim Amla.
Azam fell to a miscued shot off Nathan Smith, leaving Pakistan struggling at 54-3.
Rizwan and Agha, who shared a match-winning 260-run partnership against South Africa on Wednesday, then revived the innings with an 88-run stand.
Rizwan hit four boundaries and a six but he and Agha fell within 19 runs of each other to end any hope of a big total.
Tayyab Tahir hit a 33-ball 38, also with four boundaries and a six, while Faheem Ashraf (22) and Naseem Shah (19) added 39 invaluable runs to get Pakistan past 240.


Formula E drivers revved-up for podium finishes at first Jeddah E-Prix

Formula E drivers revved-up for podium finishes at first Jeddah E-Prix
Updated 14 February 2025
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Formula E drivers revved-up for podium finishes at first Jeddah E-Prix

Formula E drivers revved-up for podium finishes at first Jeddah E-Prix
  • The doubleheader of races will take place at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Friday and Saturday

JEDDAH: Ahead of the third round of the Formula E’s season in Saudi Arabia this weekend, drivers from the teams competing in the first Jeddah E-Prix have revealed their ambitions for the doubleheader under lights.

Sam Bird of NEOM McLaren, Maximilian Guenther of DS PENSKE and Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing spoke to Arab News recently ahead of the action taking place at Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the first time after six years of Formula E’s Saudi Arabia residency in Diriyah.

Bird, who previously managed to claim two wins in Saudi Arabia, said: “I am very motivated to get the best on the Jeddah’s track for the first time.

“I am really excited to take on the two doubleheaders in Jeddah and push for my first points with Jaguar Racing. I’ve won in Saudi Arabia, particularly in Diriyah not so long ago so can’t wait to get going here in Jeddah.”

Even though the Mexico City E-Prix in January did not go as planned for the British driver, who ended fourth, he is determined to get back on the podium on Saturday.

“We need a strong performance to stay in the fight at the top of the standings,” said Bird.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Cassidy is keen to replicate past success in Saudi Arabia.

“We have put in a lot of hard work since Mexico and hopefully we can translate that into some strong results in Jeddah,” the Jaguar driver said.

“I have happy memories of racing in Saudi Arabia for Jaguar TCS Racing, including taking my first win with the team, so it would be great to continue that.”

Germany’s Guenther, who narrowly lost the internal team duel against Jean-Eric Vergne in Mexico, commented: “I am happy with the way the team works together.

“It was only my second race with DS Penske, but I have the feeling that everything is developing very well. Now I am really looking forward to Jeddah.”