Asians target England

Women's World T20 begins today

India and Pakistan believe they can thrive as underdogs at the women's World Twenty20 where all the pressure will be on hosts, and 50-over World Cup winners, England.

India were third in March's World Cup while Pakistan were sixth, but both Asian sides harbour hopes of making the semifinals of the Twenty20 which, along with the final, will be played alongside the men's closing stages.

This is the inaugural women's T20 with all the teams still relatively new to the format - India have played only two while New Zealand with 12 have the most experience.

India warmed up for the tournament by taking on boys' teams in Bangalore.

"We have one of the best bowling attacks. Gouher Sultana has been bowling well in her first few series and Priyanka Roy was our highest wicket-taker in the World Cup," India coach Sudha Shah told www.cricinfo.com.

India skipper Jhulan Goswami dismissed fears that Australia and New Zealand may have an advantage with their big hitters.

"They are taller and fitter than us", Goswami said. "But power is not everything, you need to play with your mind. If you're mentally strong you can beat them and we are confident about ourselves."

Under-rated Pakistan, who were sixth at the World Cup, are also looking to their spinners to cause an upset.

"Our strength lies in our spin attack," said captain Sana Mir.

"We are planning to make full use of our plus point and do well in this tournament. I believe we are among the favourites."

The first round of the tournament will be played at Taunton, the home of English county Somerset, with South Africa against West Indies and England facing India on Thursday's opening day.

England skipper Charlotte Edwards insists her team can cope with the pressure of playing at home.

"I'd rather be in our position than not to be honest," she told cricinfo.com.

"It's new territory for us, but we're not feeling the pressure from it at all."

FIXTURES
June 11 S Africa v W Indies

June 11 England v India

June 12 Australia v N Zealand

June 12 Pakistan v S Lanka

June 13 N Zealand v W Indies

June 13 India v Pakistan

June 14 England v S Lanka

June 14 Australia v W Indies

June 15 N Zealand v S Africa

June 15 India v S Lanka

June 16 England v Pakistan

June 16 Australia v S Africa

SEMIFINALS
June 18

June 19

FINAL
June 21

PCB plans to draft in Razzaq!

Pakistan on Wednesday sought special permission from the organisers of the World Twenty20 to include all-rounder Abdul Razzaq in their squad to replace injured Yasir Arafat, an official said.

The 29-year-old Razzaq cut his ties with the unrecognised Indian Cricket League (ICL) earlier this month and was cleared by the Pakistan Cricket Board to play for the national team.

Fast bowler Arafat suffered a hamstring injury during Pakistan's 48-run defeat against England in their opening match on Sunday and could be ruled out of the remaining matches.

"Yes, we have requested for Razzaq's inclusion as replacement," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told AFP.

The technical committee of the World Twenty20 will take a final decision on the inclusion of Razzaq.

Razzaq, who played 46 Tests and 231 one-day internationals for Pakistan, joined the unrecognised ICL as a protest for his omission from the squad selected for the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007.

The PCB barred all the 23 players who signed for the rebel league from domestic and international cricket as the ICL was not recognised by the ICC and Board of Control for Cricket in India.

But all but two of Pakistan's ICL players got their bans suspended by Sindh High Court in February this year.

Razzaq said he was delighted at the prospect of playing for Pakistan again.

"I am very happy and if given a chance I will do my very best for the country," he said.

Spin on song

ICC World Twenty20

Turn and trickery, rather than raw pace, are proving match-winners at the World Twenty20 as slow bowlers put the brakes on the game's big hitters.

It was feared by some that cricket's shortest and newest format would be a nail in the spinner's coffin, with a combination of short boundaries and aggressive shot-making stacking the odds against them.

But the evidence at this tournament is that sides really can win with spin.

It is not always easy for batsmen to 'tee-off' when there is no pace on the ball and the fact that matches are being played on the same pitches leads to worn surfaces which aid turn.

Yet at the same time the generally flat nature of the wickets means batsmen can hit through the line with confidence against pace bowlers who, if they are off target and not doing that much with the ball in the air, can struggle.

Take Australia's six-wicket tournament-ending loss to Sri Lanka on Monday where the unorthodox Ajantha Mendis, one of several Lankan spinners, took three wickets for 20 runs in his four overs.

A bowler who 'flicks' the ball off his fingers and turns it both ways, Mendis is not easy to read.

The Australians clearly struggled to work him out and with bowlers restricted to a maximum of four overs each they had hardly any time to get a handle on Mendis.

"We knew that it would be a huge challenge against their spinners," said Australia captain Ricky Ponting. "We knew we had to play them well. We didn't do that."

By contrast fast bowler Brett Lee, hammered during a blistering innings by West Indies captain Chris Gayle in Australia's opening match defeat, saw his four overs against Sri Lanka cost 39 runs while fellow quick Nathan Bracken went for 33.

Pakistan were on the brink of exiting the World Twenty after their first round defeat by England - a match where the hosts, unusually, played two spinners in Graeme Swann and Adil Rashid.

But leg-spinner Shahid Afridi and off-spinner Saaed Ajmal took seven wickets between for a mere 31 runs as Pakistan coasted home to an 82-run victory over the Netherlands, shock winners over England in the tournament opener, at Lord's on Tuesday.

Afridi's figures were the fourth best in the history of Twenty20 internationals and his bowling exploits are now threatening to overshadow his reputation as a hard-hitting batsman.

"I don't worry about his batting," said Pakistan captain Younus Khan. "Everybody knows if he bowls well, we will get quick wickets."

But it's not just the Asian nations, with World Twenty20 champions India fielding Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha, where spin has traditionally played a key role, who are fans of slow bowling in this format.

For a long time South Africa got by without a specialist slow bowler.

But they weren't winning any major limited overs tournaments either and, after losing their one-day series in England last year, coach Mickey Arthur and captain Graeme Smith knew they had to change their approach.

"We realised pace off the ball was going to be a major issue for us," Arthur said. "We realised we needed to grow our spin bowling department."

The fruits of that change were on show Tuesday when, despite defending a meage total of 128 for seven, South Africa beat New Zealand by one run off the last ball at Lord's.

Off-spinner Johan Botha bowled three tight overs for 17 runs but it was left-armer Roelof van der Merwe, with two for 14, who turned the match the Proteas' way.

Neither is a 'mystery' spinner but they were certainly effective against a New Zealand side without injured captain Daniel Vettori, arguably the world's leading left-arm spinner.

"At the end of the day I am not too worried about getting wickets," said van der Merwe, somewhat surprisingly. "I am more of a 'container'."

But as former Australia captain and leg-spinner Richie Benaud has often said there is no better way of 'containing' than getting batsmen out - and that still remains true in any form of cricket.

Injuries hit NZ hard

ICC World Twenty20

Jesse Ryder is set to miss New Zealand's opening World Twenty20 Super Eights match against Ireland at Trent Bridge on Thursday as he undergoes hospital treatment.

The 24-year-old opening batsman missed New Zealand's one-run loss in their final group match against South Africa at Lord's on Tuesday and is staying in London to have tests to determine the nature of an ongoing muscle pain.

New Zealand team manager Dave Currie said: "Jesse is continuing to suffer serious discomfort and has been admitted to hospital for observation and further tests, which we hope will provide a clearer picture of his condition."

The Black Caps also have ongoing concerns regarding the fitness of captain Daniel Vettori, who has yet to play in this tournament because of a shoulder injury, and batsman Ross Taylor, who appeared to sustain a hamstring strain against South Africa.

Middle-order stroke player Taylor played against the Proteas only to suffer what appeared to be a hamstring strain while batting and he too is now doubtful for Thursday's Super Eights game.

Taylor helped stand-in skipper Brendon McCullum add 56 for the third wicket before, with New Zealand in sight of victory, he was bowled slogging against left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe.

McCullum, who top scored with 57, fell soon afterwards when he was stumped off van der Merwe, whose two for 14 turned the tide in the Proteas' favour.

The acting captain said it had been the right call to let Taylor bat on in what was a 'dead' match, with both sides already through to the Super Eights after beating Scotland.

"That was my decision," McCullum told reporters. "A guy like him, even at 80 per cent, is capable of hitting the ball out of the park and one or two over the rope would have made the difference in that game."

Asked about the extent of Vettori, Ryder and Taylor's injuries, McCullum said: "I'm not too sure, we'll find out in the next 24 hours whether they'll be available for remainder of the tournament, the next game or not at all.

"We'll try and get as many as bodies on deck as possible and make sure we get guys as fit as we can so we can make a decision on selection.

"Then we'll look at the surfaces and opposition we are playing and try to come up with the best game plan.

"Over the last two games we saw our batting the way we want to play against Scotland and today (Tuesday) it was with ball and in the field, so if we can marry those two up then hopefully we'll give ourselves an opportunity."

Teenage South Africa seamer Wayne Parnell held his nerve to just deny the Black Caps the 15 runs they needed off the last over but McCullum said there were positives for New Zealand in defeat.

"It's not too bad, considering we had three guys come into the mix and took on an impressive South African side and competed the way we did.

"It's a small step forward, but not winning does hurt and we know we have a huge job to do in the next few days."

Win it for fans: Younus

ICC World Twenty20

Pakistan captain Younus Khan challenged his side to win the World Twenty20 for their cricket-starved fans after they booked their place in the second round here on Tuesday.

Victory over the Netherlands - who stunningly defeated England in the opening match of the tournament - by 82 runs at Lord's saw Pakistan bounce back from their 48-run loss last weekend to the hosts at the Oval.

Now Younus wants Pakistan, finalists at the inaugural World Twenty20 two years ago in South Africa, to go all the way and give their supporters something to celebrate after the Asian nation became a virtual no-go zone for international cricket following an armed attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March.

"We have no international cricket so if we reach the semifinal or win the tournament, the nation will stand up for us," Younus told reporters.

"I need a cup for Pakistan. If I bring one cup for Pakistan that will be an achievement for me."

The Dutch, who began the match with a better run-rate, needed to stop Pakistan winning by at least 25 runs to go through to the Super Eights.

But, after holding Pakistan to 175 for five and so needing to make at least 151 to get into the second round, the Dutch were dismissed for just 93. Leg-spinner Shahid Afridi did the bulk of the damage with four wickets for just 11 runs - the fourth best figures in all Twenty20 internationals.

"If we bowl like that in every game, we will go through to the semifinals, said Younus.

"Everybody knows we are slow starters, I just hope we have performances like this in every game."

Afridi, perhaps best known as a destructive batsman in limited overs cricket, has been struggling for runs of late but Younus said: "I don't worry about his batting.

"Everybody knew if he bowls well, we will get quick wickets."

Kamran Akmal responded to being promoted to open from No 3 by top-scoring with 41 and the wicket-keeper then completed four stumpings during the Dutch innings.

"I am very happy to open the batting," he said. I was just given a free hand."

Dutch captain Jeroen Smits said his Associate or non-Test side, which features several part-time players, could be proud of their efforts.

"I thought we had a good chance," he said. "Maybe we were a bit over-confident."

However, the wicket-keeper added: "Pakistan deserved to win, Afridi bowled a special game. Afridi was really special and he made life hard for us.

"Maybe that's the difference between Associate level and a professional level. We can be proud of ourselves but I feel a bit disappointed we didn't make it to the Super Eights.

"We felt confident at half-time but we needed a big innings from someone. I would have liked to seen Darron Reekers (the opener's 13 included three fours) for a few more overs but it wasn't to be."

Pakistan return to Lord's on Friday for their first Super Eights match against Sri Lanka.

India warm up well for Super Eights

ICC World Twenty20 ,England 2009

Reigning champions India warmed up for the Super Eights of the World Twenty20 by crushing hapless Ireland by eight wickets on Wednesday.

Left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan claimed four for 19, including three wickets in seven balls, to restrict Ireland to 112-8 in a match reduced to 18-overs-a-side due to rain.

Young opener Rohit Sharma then hit an unbeaten 52 off 45 balls as India romped home with 15 balls to spare to end the preliminary league with two successive wins.

Gautam Gamhir chipped in with 37 in a first-wicket stand of 77 with Sharma in front of a sell-out crowd at Trent Bridge.

The Irish, surprise qualifiers for the Super Eights, never recovered from Zaheer's triple strike which reduced them to 28-4 by the seventh over.

Andrew White top-scored with 29 as four of the top six batsmen failed to reach double figures.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha picked up two for 18 in his four overs.

Both teams had already advanced to the Super Eights after knocking Bangladesh out of the competition.

Ireland took the field without star batsman Niall O'Brien, who was resting a sprained ankle, and burly seamer Trent Johnson also missed out to freshen up for the second round.

Zaheer said he enjoyed the four-wicket boost as he continued his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury.

"I had not played for four or five weeks so it's great to be back in the wickets," he said. "It's a real confidence-booster. I'm very pleased with my performance.

"The shoulder is coming along well. I feel better day by day and I am improving, I feel 100-percent now."

Zaheer had missed most of the Indian Premier League in South Africa and the two practice matches ahead of the World Twenty20 due to the injury in his left shoulder.

India play the West Indies in their first Super Eights match at Lord's on Friday. South Africa and England are the other teams in the group, from which the top two advance to the semi-finals.

Ireland return on Thursday to face New Zealand here with Pakistan and Sri Lanka also in the same group.

SCORES IN BRIEF
IRELAND: 112 for 8 in 18 overs (White 29, Wilson 19, Mooney 19; Zaheer Khan 4-19, Ojha 2-18)

INDIA: 113 for 2 in 15.3 overs ( Rohit Sharman 52 not out, Gambhir 37, Dhoni 14; West 1-23, McCallan 1-28)

Result: India won by 8 wickets.

Man-of-the-match: Zaheer Khan.

SL keep WI in check

ICC World Twenty20

Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillekeratne Dilshan hammered an opening stand of 124 as Sri Lanka beat the West Indies by 15 runs in the World Twenty20 here on Wednesday.

The duo lifted Sri Lanka to 192-5, a total the West Indies chased bravely despite the absence of explosive opener and captain Chris Gayle, who missed the Group C match due to a knee injury.

The West Indians ended at 177-5, fired by a spectacular counter-attack by Dwayne Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who put on 77 off 59 balls for the fifth wicket.

Bravo hit a 38-ball 51 that included five fours and two sixes, while Sarwan remained unbeaten on 28.

The match, watched by a sell-out crowd at Trent Bridge, held only academic interest since both teams had already qualified for the Super Eights at Australia's expense.

Sri Lanka, who thumped Australia by six wickets in their first match, are hot favourites to make the semifinals from Super Eights Group F which includes Pakistan, Ireland and New Zealand.

The West Indies are drawn in the tougher Group E which also has defending champions India, South Africa and hosts England.

Two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.

Left-handed Jayasuriya, at 39 the oldest player in the 12-nation tournament, smashed 81 off 47 balls that was studded with 10 boundaries and three sixes.

Dilshan, who contributed just 38 in the century partnership, went on to make 74 off 47 balls before he became one of seamer Lendl Simmons's four victims.

All-rounder Kieron Pollard bore the brunt of the Sri Lankan assault, conceding 45 runs from his three overs.

The West Indies made a spirited reply, reaching 70-1 by the seventh over before losing three wickets in the space of as many runs.

Two of those wickets fell in one over from spinner Ajantha Mendis, who had Xavier Marshall caught in the deep before bowling danger man Shivnarine Chanderpaul for one.

SCORES IN BRIEF
SRI LANKA: 192 for 5 in 20 overs (Jayasuriya 81, Dilshan 74, Sangakkara 5, Jayawardene 4, Silva 7, Mubarak 8 not out; Simmons 4-19)

WEST INDIES: 177 for 5 in 20 overs (Simmons 29, Fletcher 13, Marshall 14, Sarwan 28 not out, Bravo 51, Pollard 19 not out; Malinga 2-45, Mendis 2-25-2)
Result: Sri Lanka won by 15 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Sanath Jayasuriya.

Proteas edge Kiwis

South Africa left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe took two key wickets as the Proteas beat New Zealand by one run off the last ball in their 'dead' World Twenty20 group clash at Lord's here on Tuesday.

The Black Caps were cruising at 82 for two, chasing just 129 to win, when van der Merwe, who finished with two for 14, bowled Ross Taylor as the batsman slogged across the line.

He then had top scorer Brendon McCullum stumped for 57 and New Zealand were 93 for four off 17 overs.

Come the last over, from teenage seamer Wayne Parnell, New Zealand still needed 15 to win.

With 10 runs required off three balls, a diving Jacques Kallis at long-off dropped Jacob Oram and next ball the left-hander glanced a boundary.

But with four needed off the last ball, Oram couldn't manage a repeat display and was run out by South Africa captain Graeme Smith.

Left-handed opener Smith top-scored for his side with 33 off 35 balls in a modest total of 128 for seven.

However, this was a 'meaningless' match with both sides already through to the second stage Super Eights after they'd each defeated minnows Scotland.

Earlier, Ian Butler led the New Zealand attack with two for 13.

Stand-in captain McCullum got the Black Caps off to a brisk start and he went on to complete a 46-ball fifty with five fours.

But Martin Guptill, opening in place of the injured Jesse Ryder, went cheaply for six.

And when Neil Broom, who'd taken Ryder's place in the side, was caught and bowled for one by a diving Kallis, New Zealand were 26 for two.

But a stand of 56 between McCullum and Taylor appeared to have repaired the early damage.

New Zealand were again without captain Daniel Vettori because of the left-arm spinner's shoulder injury.

Both these teams begin their Super Eights programme at Trent Bridge on Thursday. New Zealand play Ireland while South Africa take on hosts England.

SCORES IN BRIEF
SOUTH AFRICA: 128 for 7 in 20 overs (Smith 33, Kallis 24, Duminy 29, De Villiers 15; Butler 2-13)
NEW ZEALAND: 127 for 5 in 20 overs (McCullum 57, Taylor 22, Oram 24; Van der Merwe 2-14)
Result: South Africa won by one run.
Man-of-the-match: RE van der Merwe.

Sizzling Spain

Spain fired a six-goal warning on Tuesday as the countdown to the June 14 kick-off of the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa continued.

Striker David Villa, reportedly on the wanted list of super spenders Real Madrid, performed a one-man sales pitch during the first half in Azerbaijan with a hattrick that set up a 6-0 friendly triumph.

While pitting the country ranked first in the world against opponent who weigh in at number 140 might appear cruel, the sizzling Spaniards reeled off another victory without a hint of mercy.

Euro 2008 winners Spain inhabit what appears to be much the easier of the two Confederations Cup groups with hosts South Africa and the champions of Asia and Oceania, Iraq and New Zealand.

On the other side of the draw, World Cup holders Italy come face to face with defending Confederations Cup champions Brazil, and potentially dangerous 'dark horses' Egypt and the United States lurk in the background.

New Zealand, who have lost all six encounters in two previous Confederations Cup appearances with an embarrassing 2-17 goal tally, face Spain in the north-west mining town of Rustenburg on Sunday.

And when the score from Baku in the oil-rich east European state filters through to the 'All Whites' camp, it can only heighten fears that they are set to become the next victims of the Spanish armada.

Villa from cash-strapped Valencia demonstrated his predatory instincts by converting an Alvaro Albeloa cross, slamming home a shot from outside the penalty area, and converting a penalty when Cesc Fabregas was fouled.

Albert Riera, substitute Daniel Guiza and Liverpool goal machine Fernando Torres scored in the second half as Spain demonstrated why they are the most feared national football team in Europe.

It was much closer in Cape Town where Iraq scored first but had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Poland in their first competitive action under Serb Bora Milutinovic, who has coached five countries at the World Cup.

Mahdi Kareem half volleyed a cross from constant menace Hawar Mohammed into the Polish net on 54 minutes only for Brazil-born Roger Guerreiro to equalise with a shot that gave goalkeeper Noor Sabri no chance.

South Africa, who edged Poland 1-0 in Johannesburg last weekend, meet Iraq in the tournament opener at Ellis Park on Sunday with the winners expected to accompany Spain into the semifinals.

Super Stadium in Atteridgeville outside Pretoria - host to numerous recent South Africa fixtures - will stage a friendly between Italy and New Zealand on Wednesday night.

This fixture presents a challenge for notoriously fickle South African football followers who must decide between attending the game in expected freezing winter conditions or watching it live on television.

The Confederations Cup began officially in 1999 and now serves as a four-yearly dress rehearsal for the World Cup, which South Africa hosts between June 11 and July 11 next year.

Chelsea make Aguero bid

Chelsea have made an offer of 50 million euros for Atletico Madrid's highly-rated Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero, according to English media reports on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old, who scored 17 goals last season to help Atletico claim a place in the Champions League, is one of the hottest properties in European football.

He said earlier this month that he wanted to stay in the Spanish capital but urged Atletico's owners to invest in player reinforcement to ensure the club was capable of making an impact among Europe's elite, suggesting he could be attracted by a switch to a club challenging for major honours every season.

The size of Chelsea's reported offer will severely test the resolve of the Atletico board to keep Aguero, who is the son-in-law of Diego Maradona.

Chelsea's desire to rejuvenate an ageing squad has also resulted in moves to sign Manchester City's 19-year-old Daniel Sturridge, who is a free agent from the end of this month.

Sturridge is set to become the best-paid teenager in English football after turning down a reported 45,000-pounds-a-week offer from City in favour of negotiating a deal with Chelsea.

City would be entitled to compensation for developing the player and will argue that Sturridge is in the same category as Theo Walcott, who could eventually cost Arsenal 12.5 million pounds under the terms of his transfer from Southampton.

The amount Chelsea will have to pay may have to be decided by a Football Association tribunal if the clubs cannot agree a price.

Chelsea are also said to be leading a three-horse race for the signature of their former defender Glen Johnson, who has established himself as England's first-choice right-back under Fabio Capello.

Liverpool and Tottenham are also believed to be interested in signing the 24-year-old, who will cost considerably more than the four million pounds it cost Pompey to make what was initially a loan deal from Chelsea permanent in 2007.

Liverpool's position in the transfer market is unclear because of uncertainty over the finances of their American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who face a July 24 deadline to refinance 350 million pounds of debt they used to acquire the club.

Hicks and Gillett have played down fears the banks will call in their loans and manager Rafael Benitez, who remains hopeful of signing Spain striker David Silva from his former club Valencia, has confirmed that he has money to spend.

"Clearly we don't have much to spend but I think we have enough money to add the one or two players that we need," Benitez said.

Socceroos edge Bahrain

South Africa 2010, FIFA World Cup

Australia laboured to beat Bahrain 2-0 in a muted celebration of their World Cup Asian qualification here on Wednesday.

The Socceroos, fielding only four survivors from the team that booked their ticket to South Africa 2010 in Qatar at the weekend, were frustrated by the fast-breaking visitors and needed second-half goals to grind them down.

Mile Sterjovski broke the deadlock in the 55th minute after he punished a defensive error inside the six-yard box and beat goalkeeper Sayed Mohamed for his eighth top-level goal.

David Carney doubled the lead in the 88th minute after Jason Culina's spectacular overhead kick ricocheted off an upright for Carney to ram the ball home for his second international goal.

Bahrain had the ball in the net during the second half from an Abdulla Marzooq header but the defender was ruled offside.

It would have been the first time Australia had conceded a goal in their last seven qualifying games.

Australia hold on to their lead at the top of Asia Group A and will play regional rivals Japan in Melbourne next Wednesday, with both teams already through to the World Cup finals.

The Socceroos could have had a third goal but incredibly the ball stayed out after Harry Kewell and Sterjovski had goalbound chances blocked on the line in the 75th minute.

But for the most part, before just under 40,000 fans at a half-filled Olympic stadium, the Australians played like strangers, with little rhythm and wayward passing.

The surprise omissions from the Australia team were English Premier League stars Tim Cahill and Vince Grella, with Cahill left out entirely and Grella on the bench. Grella came on in the 62nd minute.

Coach Pim Verbeek said Cahill had stiff muscles and would not be risked.

Bahrain, needing a point to lock up third spot in the group and with it a potential World Cup playoff against Oceania champions New Zealand, looked the livelier in the first half.

Skipper Mohamed Salmeen had a free header off an Abdulla Abdi corner in the 24th minute but the chance went over the bar.

Celtic striker Scott McDonald had a glorious chance to break his international goal drought in his 12th game minutes later after being put clear by Brett Holman but he blazed his volley over the bar for the hosts.

Bahrain continued to press and Mahmood Abdulrahman's free-kick was flicked on, only for goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to fumble the ball and regather at the second attempt on his line.

Sterjovski had a free header comfortably taken by goalkeeper Sayed Mohamed before Salman Isa blazed just over the bar nearing halftime.