Malaysia have been issued with a formal warning and a raft of other sanctions from soccer's world governing body FIFA after their World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia last month was abandoned because of crowd trouble.
A round-up of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers played on Thursday
With the number of teams participating in the ICC events - like the World Cup - increasing on a regular basis, the whole idea of a separate tournament for Asian nations seems far-fetched. Is a tournament like the Asia Cup still relevant?
Check out the 10 Best pictures of fans in week one of the 2015 ICC World Cup
Scotland pipped Kenya to secure their third World Cup appearance on Thursday while United Arab Emirates (UAE) also booked their ticket for next year's marquee 50-over tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
The rumblings of discontent from Righteous Europe over Qatar's admittedly appalling human rights record can only be viewed as deeply disingenuous and phoney, argues Kanika Datta.
The 22-year-old leg-spinner said on social media that he was not consulted by the ACB, who earlier named an 18-member squad and two reserve players for the tournament in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The uncertainty surrounding the Liverpool forward's participation after he suffered shoulder ligament damage in last month's Champions League final, had a huge impact on both preparations and team confidence coming into the tournament.
Pirlo started his first season in charge of a senior side looking to make it 10 successive Serie A titles for Juve, but the rookie coach struggled.
They are now on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup 2007.
"You have to ask the boss (Arsene Wenger), he picks the team," the French international told Reuters in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
Australia pace bowler Nathan Ellis will join Punjab Kings for the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament, the team said late on Friday.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter ruled out a January World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and said on Friday November/December was the only alternative to a summer tournament.
Australia's scheduled one-day international series against Afghanistan in India has been postponed, the cricket boards of the competing countries said on Sunday, leaving players free to fulfil their Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments.
Plenty of room for all three formats to flourish, says Sehwag
'We'll let them go play the game as they normally would' 'You don't want to clone them all into little choir boys'
Boualem Khoukhi's early strike and an eighth goal of the tournament from striker Almoez Ali gave Qatar a 2-0 halftime lead with Hassan Al-Haydos and Hamid Ismail completing the rout in the last 10 minutes.
A draw against Bahrain in their final group league match will be enough for India to qualify for the round of 16 for the first time in the continent's showpiece event after failed attempts in 1984 and 2011.
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
Fast bowler Sohail Khan earned a surprise recall while Pakistan selectors ignored senior players Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal in their final 15-member squad for the World Cup.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Both sides will be high on confidence with an aim to come out all guns blazing.
Indian cricket board president Sourav Ganguly expects next year's Indian Premier League (IPL) to be played in the country after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to stage the second half of this year's tournament in the United Arab Emirates.
Former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee backed Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan to shine with the bat in the upcoming Asia Cup saying the two openers will hold key to India's game-plan in absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli.
India defeated Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets in a U-19 World Cup match, in Mount Maunganui, on Tuesday.
North Korea and United Arab Emirates produced the first 0-0 draw of the Asian Cup on Tuesday after the Koreans missed a first-half penalty in an evenly-matched Group D match at the Qatar Sports Club Stadium.
Rainbow-themed badge adorns US training facility
The Asia Cup to be played in Bangladesh from February 24, will be played in the T20 format for the first time in the tournament's history. The tournament which precedes the vital World T20 to be held in in India in March, has a rich history with India and Sri Lanka winning it five times each. Pakistan have been victorious on two occasions while Bangladesh's best finish has been their runner-up performance in the 2012 edition. Team India will be led by MS Dhoni and the tournament will also see Virat Kohli returning after taking a break from the recently concluded three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Dhoni will be chasing history to become the most successful skipper in the tournament history. The Indian skipper and former Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga have both recorded same number of nine victories and four defeats in the Asia Cup All the matches will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur. The qualifying rounds involving Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Oman has begun from Friday.
Swashbuckling opening batsman David Warner used to assist regular driver of the Australian cricket Institute's van in Brisbane.
India, currently ranked 132nd in the FIFA world rankings, have never played in the World Cup finals and kick off the latest phase of their attempt to qualify for the Asian Cup on Tuesday when they take on Myanmar in Yangon.
Qatar smashed 15 unanswered goals past Bhutan and the United Arab Emirates knocked in 10 against Malaysia in a lopsided round of World Cup qualifiers across Asia on Thursday
The world's most-talented young players gave India a memorable show of high quality football on the field as the country showcased its organizational skills in a near-flawless and record-breaking FIFA Under-17 World Cup across six cities, which culminated with England clinching the title in Kolkata on Saturday.
Scotland's Scott McTominay grabbed another brace of goals as they stunned a much-changed Spain side to earn a deserved 2-0 victory in their Euro 2024 qualifier.
Former India batsman Robin Uthappa highlighted the significance of an India-Pakistan clash during a World Cup.
India captain Virat Kohli said his side's impeccable tournament record against Pakistan will count for nothing when they face each other on Sunday and they will need to be at their very best to overcome Babar Azam's side in the Twenty20 World Cup.
Cricket's global showpiece has confirmed the Scots are a way from being able to compete with the top Test playing nations.
The total number of spectators, who turned up at the six host venues across the country, currently stand at 12,24,027, a mere 6949 less than the earlier attendance of 12,30,976 set in the first edition of the tournament in China in 1985.
Hundreds of thousands of ecstatic French fans celebrated the return of their World Cup winning football team on Monday, jumping and chanting "We Are The Champions" as their bus paraded down the Champs Elysees before a special presidential reception.
India were clubbed in a tough group, along with higher-ranked Uzbekistan and United Arab Emirates, in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup final qualifying round draw, held at the Aspire dome in Doha. Malaysia is the fourth team in the group.
Aaqib Javed-coached United Arab Emirates take on Waqar Younis-tutored Pakistan at the picturesque McLean Park in Napier at the ongoing ICC World Cup.
