AMIR Saoud is backstopping the Wael Arakji-less Lebanon squad in its clash against the Philippines on Friday in the Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers sixth window at the Philippine Arena.
Lebanon Final 12 vs Gilas
Saoud is serving as the team captain as he leads a team that will miss some of their notable players including Fiba Asia Cup MVP Arakji.
Also included in the final 12, based on the social media post of Fiba, are Sergio El Darwich, Hayk Gyokchyan, Gerard Hadidian, Jean Marc Jarrouj, Jad Khalil, Marc Khoueiry, Ali Mansour, Ali Mezher, Naim Rabay, Gabriel Salibi, and Karim Zeinoun.
Only half of the team played for Lebanon when it defeated the Philippines, 85-81, during the August window in Beirut.
Lebanon will also be playing without Ali Haidar, who averaged 13.4 points a game for Lebanon, second behind Arakji with 16.8 points. Haidar is also the leading rebounder of the Cedars during the qualifiers with 6.4 per contest.
The Cedars will still have Saoud, who had 17 points in the win over Gilas and the second leading scorer over Arakji (24) in that contest.
Another notable player for Lebanon is El Darwich, who is averaging 11.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists after six games and is playing in his second consecutive window.
Already qualified for the World Cup, Lebanon is holding a 7-1 win-loss record and is looking to top Group E with games against Gilas Pilipinas and New Zealand in the final window.
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