Ahmad Al Dwairi returns to Jordan's line up for final clash against New Zealand

AMMAN (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Coming off a morale-boosting win against China in the first game of the final window at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers, Jordan have brought back star center Ahmad Al Dwairi for the final and crucial game.

Jordan will be facing New Zealand to close out the Asian Qualifiers with a chance at punching a ticket to the World Cup. Whether or not Jordan qualify also depends on the results of the other games that will be played on 24 February, but the only way to maximize their chances is to seal a win in this final game. New Zealand have won 10 straight games in the Qualifiers and are coming off a huge victory over Lebanon on the road, highlighted by a clutch game winner by Tom Abercrombie. They will need all that they can get to take down the Tall Blacks and fortunately, one thing that they can get is Ahmad Al Dwairi.

The 25-year-old center was arguably one of the best players for Jordan in the 4 Asian Qualifiers games where he has appeared. Al Dwairi leads the team in blocks (0.8 per game), is third in scoring (16.5 per game) and second in rebounds (7.5 per game). Adding him to a frontcourt that already has Zaid Abbas and Mohammad Shaher Hussein and having Dar Tucker brimming with confidence should strike some worry in the opposing New Zealand squad.

Standing at 6ft 11in (2.10m) with excellent footwork, Al Dwairi is a tough cover for any defender, and he is shooting 63.9% from the field. Al Dwairi has had similar success for his Turkish Club, Fenerbache, where is he is scoring 5.1 points per game on 70.1% shooting from the floor along with 3.3 rebounds per contest across all competitions.

New Zealand have a massive and strong frontline including Alex Pledger and Rob Loe, though they will reportedly miss the services of Mika Vukona and Reuben Te Rangi, who are set to return home to play in the NBL Finals. The addition of Al Dwairi should therefore make things quite in the paint for the Tall Blacks. Jordan and New Zealand will play simultaneously with 8 other teams with only three FIBA Asia tickets to the World Cup up for grabs.

FIBA