Sports

World Cup 2022: Wales move training time in Qatar to cope with heat

Published

4 years ago

2022/11/18

Wales have had to reschedule their World Cup training sessions in order to cope with the searing heat in Qatar.Robert Page’s squad had been due to train at 13:30 local time as they prepare for their tournament opener against the United States on Monday.But with temperatures exceeding 30C, Wales will now train at 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT) at their Al-Sadd base in Doha.

“Hopefully it’s a bit cooler later on,” said Wales forward Mark Harris.

“We went out for a walk this morning about 11 and it was very warm.

“We were sweating just walking around the hotel.”

Wales’ opening match against the USA and their final group game against England will both kick off at 22:00 local time.

Their second match against Iran, however, starts at 13:00 in Doha.

“Obviously, we are not too used to heat like this,” Harris added.

“But I would not say it is daunting or anything. I am not sure if there will be drinks breaks or not. That would help.

“It is just about getting ready for the occasion now. I am sure that training over the next few days will help us acclimatise to that, and we are just looking forward to the first game.”

The 2022 World Cup was switched to the winter for the first time because of the sheer impracticality of playing football during Qatar’s summer months with temperatures over 40C.Even in the mid-November winter, however, early afternoon temperatures have been above average at more than 30C.

“Of course it’s hot but it’s going to be hot for everyone,” said Wales defender and midfielder Ethan Ampadu.

“It’s something we’ll have to deal with. For us it’s about trying to manage that.”

All eight stadiums hosting World Cup games will be air conditioned, but Page questioned whether players would feel the benefit of that after visiting the Gulf state in July.

“They’ve done their best to accommodate that [the heat],” the Wales manager said before he and his players flew from Cardiff to Doha on Tuesday.

(BBC Sports)

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Sports

Arachchige, Rathnayake and Malinga pump Jaffna

Published

2 hours ago

2026/07/24

Priyan

A 36 ball 63 by Sahan Arachchige and three wickets each by Eshan Malinga [3-13] and Tharindu Rathnayake [3-19] helped Galle Gallants defeat Jaffna Kings by 60 runs in the 10th match of the Lanka Premier League 2026. Galle Gallants lead the points table with three wins from four outings.

Scores:
Galle Gallants 193/8 in 20 overs [Chris Lynn 46, Sahan Arachchige 63, Dasun Shanaka 12, Dinura Kalupahana 10, Mohammad Nawaz 27; Mohamed Shiraz 1-23, Dunith Wellalage 1-13, Shakib Al Hasan 1-27, Dilshan Madushanaka 2-35, Lizaad Williams 2-37]

Jaffna Kings 133 in 17.5 overs [Kamil Mishara 15, Ibrahim Zadran 11, David Weise 22, Dunith Wellalage 56; Dasun Shanaka 1-21, Tharindu Rathnayake 3-19, Akif Javed 1-22, Eshan Malinga 3-13, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth 1-32]

Sports

Hermann, Liyanage and Mujeeb steer Colombo Kaps to a 23 run win

Published

3 hours ago

2026/07/24

Priyan

Janith Liyanage scored an unbeaten 52 [LPL]

Half centuries by Rubin Hermann and Janith Liyanage and a three wicket haul by Mujeeb Ur Rahman helped Colombo Kaps defeat Kandy Royals by 24 runs in the 9th match of the Lanka Premier League 2026 played at Dambulla on Thursday [23rd July]’

Scores:
Colombo Kaps 192/9 in 20 overs [Rubin Hermann 53, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 14, Janith Liyanage 52*, James Neesham 24, Binura Fernando 21; Vijay Shankar 1-0, Shaheen Shah Afridi 2-34, Nuwan Thushara 1-31, Moeen Ali 2-31, Dushan Hemantha 2-20]

Kandy Royals 169/8 in 20 overs [Kusal Perera 19, Dale Phillips 38, Vijay Shankar 30, Angelo Mathews 39*, Dushan Hemantha 11*; Shahnawaz Dahani 1-35, Wanuja Sahan 1-24, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 3-34, Malsha Tharupathi 1-29, James Neesham 1-07]

Sports

Sri Lanka edge Qatar in Davis Cup opener

Published

9 hours ago

2026/07/24

Thilina Walpola

Hosts Sri Lanka made a winning start to their Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group IV campaign, edging out Qatar 2-1 in a closely contested opening-day tie at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts in Colombo on Wednesday.

The visitors struck first when Mubarak Alharrasi defeated Sri Lanka’s Apna Perera 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in a hard-fought opening singles encounter, giving Qatar an early 1-0 lead.

Sri Lanka bounced back in the second singles as Thehan Wijemanne produced a spirited comeback to overcome Mossa Alharrasi 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. After dropping the opening set, Wijemanne showed great composure to win the next two sets and level the tie at 1-1.

The decisive doubles match proved to be a tense affair, with Apna Perera returning to partner Saha Kapilasena. The Sri Lankan duo held their nerve in two tie-breaks to defeat Jabar Al Mutawan and Mossa Alharrasi 7-6, 7-6, sealing the tie 2-1 for the hosts.

Sri Lanka’s ability to recover from the opening singles defeat highlighted the team’s resilience as Wijemanne’s comeback victory and the doubles pair’s clutch performance ensured a successful start to their campaign. The hosts will now look to build on the opening-day victory as they continue their quest for promotion in the Asia/Oceania Group IV competition.