TEHRAN – Iran national basketball team coach Mehran Shahintab has named his 12-man team for two crucial matches against Japan and Australia in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers.

Team Melli will host Japan on Thursday in Tehran’s Azadi Hall and face Australia three days later at the same hall.

Hamed Haddadi, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami and Arsalan Kazemi are big absentees of the list.

Iran are at solo second spot in Group F with seven wins against three losses and a win against Japan will guarantee them a place at next year’s showpiece event in China.

Australia, the group's top team, have already booked their tickets to China, and Iran are aiming to follow suit.

If Iran win at least one game, they'll finish with eight wins and four losses, which will be good enough to get them through to the World Cup.

:12-man Iran pool for the final Asian Qualifiers window  

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