Saudi Arabia: Fighters Jubail lift B-Human Cup 2026 after thrilling final in Al Jubail
Al Jubail: Fighters Jubail clinched the B-Human Cup 2026 (Season 3) after defeating the Ascent in a high-voltage thrilling final at the Al Falah Floodlight Cricket Stadium on Friday, January 2.
The two-day, six-over championship witnessed a packed venue.
After winning the toss, Ascent elected to field first. Fighters Jubail put up a total of 85 runs in six overs. Chasing a target of 86, Ascent fought hard but eventually fell short.
Anwar from Fighters Jubail was crowned as the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series for his standout performance.
In the semi-finals of the tournament, Ascent defeated Clusters, while Fighters Jubail outplayed Amplitude Avengers to reach the finals.
The two-day tournament organised by Team B-Human, Jubail Unit, with Al Muzain and Raqwani Group as the main sponsors witnessed intense competition from 10 teams.
The post-match closing ceremony began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by Fawaz Ullal. Basheer, President of the B-Human Jubail Unit, welcomed the gathering. The programme was compered by Salim Udupi, who invited the dignitaries to the dais.
The chief guest for the occasion was Asif Deal, Founder of B-Human. Other dignitaries included Sharif Bolar, Chairman of B-Human; Deepak, General Manager, Al Muzain; and Arun Rai, CEO, Yenepoya School, Al Khobar.
They were joined by Shakeel (CEO, Makhavi), Farooq Ahmed (CEO, Arab Energy), CR Aboobakker, Hitesh (E-Manager, Al Muzain), Mohammed Farooq (CEO, Portway Travels), Muqthar Noor (Managing Director, Shield Sensor), Shahul Hameed (Trustee, B-Human), Yunus (Trustee, B-Human), and Ansaf (CEO, Unified Inspection Company).
A short documentary highlighting the activities of Team B-Human was presented by Founder Asif Deal. Appreciation mementos were also presented to sponsors in recognition of their continued support for B-Human’s free dialysis care initiative.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Arun Rai said the success of the day belonged as much to B-Human as to the finalist teams, noting that the organisation’s service initiatives had earned widespread goodwill.
Deepak and Shakeel lauded the organisers for conducting the event and urged their continued support for B-Human’s charitable initiatives.
In his address, Asif Deal reflected on the establishment of Team B-Human in 2016 and reiterated its commitment to providing free dialysis support while thanking members, donors, and volunteers for their continued dedication.
The event also featured a felicitation ceremony honouring Mohammed Malebettu, Dilawar Hussain and Heena Firoz Khan for their exceptional service during emergency situations. Family games for women and children, along with complimentary lucky draw coupons, added to the celebratory atmosphere.
Younus, Trustee of B-Human, rendered the vote of thanks, expressing gratitude to all participating teams, sponsors, spectators, and organisers for making the annual B-Human Cup a grand success. /F5.jpg)
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England sticking with Key, McCullum and Stokes despite Ashes humbling
London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.
A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."
Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.
“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”
Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.
“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”
The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.
At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.
Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.
Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.
“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”
