SPORTTuesday 4 December 2018

PAGE | 09 PAGE | 10Qatar’s Al Kuwari sets sights on Dakar Rally after ‘fantastic year’

AFP LONDON

Mark Hughes has been sacked as manager of Southampton after just eight months in charge, the struggling Premier League club announced yesterday, despite an improved performance in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United.

The Welshman, 55, took over at St Mary’s in March and guided them to Premier League survival as well as an FA Cup semi-final but was unable to inspire a better campaign this season.

Former RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhuettl is reportedly the

front-runner to replace Hughes -- the new

boss will be Southamp-ton’s fourth permanent manager in 18 months.

“ W e

would like to express our thanks to Mark and his staff for all of their efforts during their time at St Mary’s,” the club said in a statement.

“The search for a new manager to take the club forward is already under way.

“First team assistant coach Kelvin Davis will lead the team for Wednes-day’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.”

Assistant first team manager Mark Bowen and assistant first team coach Eddie Niedzwiecki have also left the club.

Southampton, who were 2-0 up against Jose Mourinho’s United at home on Saturday at one stage, are 18th in the Premier League, just one point ahead of bottom club Fulham.

They have won just one of their 14 Premier League matches this

season under Hughes, suffering seven defeats.

The former Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea forward signed for Southampton as a player towards the end of an illustrious career.

During his subsequent coaching career he has managed Wales as well as Blackburn, Manchester City and Stoke.

Southampton manager Hughes sackedREUTERS LONDON

Former Red Bull Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuettl emerged as odds-on

favourite to fill Mark Hughes’ shoes at Southampton, after the Premier

League strugglers sacked their manager yesterday with the club mired

in the relegation zone.

British bookmaker William Hill priced the former Austrian inter-

national striker a short 8-11 price to replace Hughes, having tumbled

from a 33-1 shot only an hour earlier.

Hasenhuettl left Leipzig in May this year after securing Europa

League football, but Southampton may also be about to plunder the

Bundesliga Club for their Head of Recruitment, with Paul Mitchell on

their list as a replacement for former vice-chairman Les Reed.

Mitchell would be a popular choice among south-coast fans after

developing players including Luke Shaw, James Ward-Prowse, Calum

Chambers and Nathaniel Clyne during a 2012-2014 spell as Director

of Recruitment and Scouting at Saints.

Southampton made no comment on the hunt for Hughes’

replacement, other than to say the search for a new manager was

already underway.

Hasenhuettl favourite to get the job

Mark Hughes

Hosts Portugal take on Switzerland in Nations League semisREUTERS DUBLIN

European champions Portugal will take on Switzerland in the semi-finals of the inaugural UEFA Nations League tour-nament in June while World Cup semi-finalists England will meet a resurgent Netherlands following yesterday’s draw in Dublin.

Hosts Portugal face the Swiss, the only one of the four sides never to have won a major trophy at senior level, at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao on June 5 with England playing the Dutch the following

day in nearby Guimaraes. The final of the mini-tournament will be on June 9 in Porto with a third-place match in Gui-maraes earlier the same day.

Portugal, without forward Cristiano Ronaldo who has not been selected since the World Cup, qualified by winning Group A3 ahead of Italy and Poland while the Swiss topped Group A2 after coming from two goals down to beat Belgium 5-2 in the final game.

They previously met in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers with Portugal fin-ishing top of the group on goal difference after the sides traded 2-0 wins.

“We know Switzerland very well and, even if we didn’t, we would just have to look at their record in the Nations League, where they were the highest scorers,” said Portugal coach Fernando Santos, who has been ambiguous over Ronaldo’s future.

“We are going there to win, we are ready to pull off an upset,” said Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic.

England face the Netherlands in a competitive match for the first time since a thumping 4-1 win in the 1996 European Championships.

Gareth Southgate’s side needed a late

goal from Harry Kane to beat World Cup finalists Croatia and claim top spot in Group A4 which also featured former world and European champions Spain.

The Netherlands, a rejuvenated side under new manager Ronald Koeman, topped a tough group featuring world champions France and Germany as they bounced back from their failure to qualify for the last European Championship and World Cup.

“All four teams are fairly evenly matched and bunched together in terms of our world rankings so everybody will feel they have a good chance,” said

England manager Southgate. “It’s a really good test for us and I know all of our players will be looking forward to the summer.

“I’ve been watching Holland closely since Ronald Koeman took over and they’re similar to us, in that they have a lot of exciting young players with good technical ability, high energy and a lot of pace.” The event, created to replace friendly internationals that were unpopular with clubs, players and fans as they interrupted league action, largely got the thumbs up after the first batch of matches in September.

Ballon d'Or winners(Past 15 years)

2018 Luka Modric2017 Cristiano Ronaldo2016 Cristiano Ronaldo2015 Lionel Messi2014 Cristiano Ronaldo2013 Cristiano Ronaldo2012 Lionel Messi2011 Lionel Messi2010 Lionel Messi2009 Lionel Messi2008 Cristiano Ronaldo2007 Kaka2006 Fabio Cannavaro2005 Ronaldinho2004 Andriy Shevchenko

Ballon d'Or - Top 1001: Luka Modric (Real Madrid/CRO)02: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/POR)03: Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid/FRA)04: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA)05: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/ARG)06: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/EGY)07: Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid/FRA)08: Eden Hazard (Chelsea/BEL)09: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/BEL) 10: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG)

Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe with the Kopa Trophy.

Norway’s Ada Hegerberg with the Women’s Ballon d’Or Award.

Modric wins Ballon d’OrAGENCIES PARIS Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric was named winner of the 2018 Ballon d’Or yesterday, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s and Lionel Messi’s decade-long hold on the prestigious award.

Modric, 33, helped Real Madrid win a third successive Champions League title in May and also captained Croatia to their first World Cup final, being named player of the tournament despite his side losing 4-2 to France.

The award, voted for by journalists and organised by French magazine France Football, has been dominated by Messi and Ronaldo since 2008.

The last player to lift the award apart from the Argentine and Portu-guese, who have won it a joint-record five times each, was Kaka in 2007 when the Brazilian played for AC Milan.

Mbappe named best under-21 player

Earlier, Kylian Mbappe was named as the winner of the Kopa Trophy for the best player of the year under the age of 21.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward, who does not turn 20 until later this month, starred as France won the World Cup and also won the best young player award in Russia.

The new award -- named after

French former Ballon d’Or winner Raymond Kopa -- was voted for by 33 living former winners of the main Ballon d’Or prize. Mbappe was also among the 30 nominees to win that award.

Mbappe -- who was accompanied at the ceremony by his father and his younger brother Ethan -- scored four goals at the World Cup, including one in the final as France beat Croatia 4-2 in Moscow.

In doing so he became just the second teenager to score in a World Cup final after Brazilian great Pele, who achieved the feat in 1958.

A F r e n c h champion last season with PSG following a €180 m ($204m) move from Monaco, Mbappe is the top scorer in Ligue 1 this season with 12 goals in 10 appearances.

He has scored 32 goals in 56 games for club and country in the calendar year.

Hegerberg is women’s Ballon d’Or winner

Meanwhile. Norway striker Ada Hegerberg was rewarded for her pro-lific form with Champions League winners Lyon as she took the first ever women’s Ballon d’Or prize. The 23-year-old saw off competition from the likes of Danish star Pernille Harder, of German club VfL Wolfsburg, and Brazil’s Marta to take the prize following a vote by jour-nalists from around the world.

Real Madrid’s Luka Modric with the Ballon d’Or award.

BALLON D'ORLuka Modric (Real Madrid/CRO)KOPA TROPHY (BEST UNDER 21 PLAYER)Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA) WOMEN'S BALLON D'ORAda Hegerberg (Olympique Lyonnais/NOR)

All eyes on captain Kohli as India seek

first series winin Australia

08 TUESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

Williamson, Watling dig in after Yasir shinesAFP ABU DHABI

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson hit a fighting half century while BJ Watling batted with patience to delay leg-spinner Yasir Shah’s bid to become the fastest to 200 wickets on the first day of the third and final Test in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

Williamson missed out on a 19th Test century but Watling was unbeaten on 42 as New Zealand closed on 229-7, a measured recovery after being reduced to 72-4 by a triple strike from Yasir in the first session.

Yasir began his 33rd Test needing five wickets to become the fastest man to reach the mile-stone of 200 Test wickets.

The record is currently 36 Tests, set 82 years ago by

Australian legspinner Clarrie Grimmett.

Yasir managed 3-62 but was then thwarted by the fifth wicket stand of 104 in 249 balls between Williamson and Watling.

He failed to take any more wickets in the last two sessions and still needs another two wickets to hit the 200-mark and claim the record.

Williamson struck seven

boundaries but these were the bright points in a day when defence came first.

The normally robust and aggressive Kiwi captain curbed his attacking instinct as he attmpted to carve out a first innings that might give his side some leverage in the match. The scoring rarely got above two an over.

Watling also dug in and the

pair batted right through the middle session.

Williamson passed 50 in a Test for the 46th time but he was not able to convert his innings into another hundred. Having reached 89 off 176 balls, he mis-timed a clip off Hasan Ali shortly after tea and found a gleeful Asad Shafiq oouching the catch at short midwicket.

Off-spinner Bilal Asif took

over from Yasir, claiming Colin de Grandhomme for 20 and Tim Southee for two to finish with 2-57.

But Watling kept one end intact through his patient near-four hour batting, hitting only one boundary in his 180-ball display of self-denial.

With both teams needing a win to seal a series which is cur-rently tied at 1-1, Yasir was the

key and the leg-spinner induced a mini-collapse in the morning as the Kiwis slipped from 70-1 to 73-4 at lunch.

Yasir trapped opener Jeet Raval leg before with a faster one for 45. Raval reviewed but ball-tracking showed it would have hit leg stump.

With his next ball, Yasir clean-bowled Ross Taylor as the batsman went back but com-pletely missed the ball.

Henry Nicholls saved the hat-trick but shortly after he attempted to sweep and Yasir flicking the ball as it went through to bowl him around his legs.

Yasir, whose 14 wickets helped Pakistan level the series in Dubai, has 25 wickets in the series so far.

It was teenage left-arm paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi, making his Test debut as a replacement for injured medium pacer Mohammad Abbas, who gave Pakistan their initial break-through and claim his first Test victim.

The 18-year-old nipped one back sharply to rap opener Tom Latham on the pads. Pakistan reviewed the on-field not out decision and were rewarded when ball-tracking showed the ball would have cannoned into the stumps.

New Zealand, who won the first Test by four runs in Abu Dhabi, brought in fast bowler Tim Southee and off-spinner Will Somerville in place of Neil Wagner and Ish Sodhi.

Pakistan and New Zealand begin battle in decisive Test

Pakistani spinner Yasir Shah (right) delivers the ball as New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (left) looks on during the first day of their third and final Test in Abu Dhabi, yesterday.

New Zealand Ist inningsJ. Raval lbw b Yasir ........................................45T. Latham lbw b Shaheen ............................... 4K. Williamson c Shafiq b Hasan ...................89R. Taylor b Yasir ................................................0H. Nicholls b Yasir .............................................1BJ Watling not out ........................................42C. de Grandhomme c Shafiq b Asif .............20T. Southee c Azam b Asif ................................. 2W. Somerville not out ....................................12Extras: (b 8, lb 6) .......................................... 14Total: (for seven wkts; 90 overs) ..... 229Stil to bat: Ajaz Patel, T. BoultFall of wickets: 1-24 (Latham), 2-70 (Raval), 3-70 (Taylor), 4-72 (Nicholls), 5-176 (William-son), 6-203 (Grandhomme), 7-209 (Southee)Bowling: Hasan 16-5-46-1, Shaheen 17-4-43-1, Yasir 31-9-62-3,Asif 24-2-57-2, Haris 2-0-7-0

SCOREBOARD

Pitch perfect goal for Australian grass gurus ahead of the four-match seriesAFP SYDNEY

Mostly green and often down-trodden, the humble grass on which the highly-anticipated Australia-India Tests will be played doesn’t normally attract as many headlines as superstars Virat Kohli and Mitchell Starc.

Yet the turf on Australia’s ovals can play a critical role in determining the outcome of the highly-anticipated four-Test series, which begins in Adelaide on Thursday, and is often the subject of fierce debate among players, pundits and fans.

It all serves to turn up the heat on the curators -- the behind-the-scenes gods of the field -- who delve into the depths of horticultural science to engineer the ground carefully for each format of the game.

Adam Lewis joined the exclusive club when he became just the ninth curator of the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) a year ago, taking over from Tom Parker who retired after two decades.

Matt Page assumed the prestigious role at the Mel-bourne Cricket Ground (MCG) late last year after five years at Perth’s WACA Ground.

Both are aware of the pub-lic’s high expectations after predecessors came under fire for their pitches.

“You’ve got to have pretty strong shoulders,” said Lewis.

“You notice with cricket, everyone has an opinion. You can’t please everybody. Just as long as I can provide a good even surface for both sides, then I’m happy with that.”

Satisfying teams and fans can be a difficult task.

The world-famous MCG was slammed by critics and received an official “poor” rating from the International

Cricket Council -- the first time for an Australian pitch -- after the Ashes Boxing Day Test almost a year ago.

The governing body said it did not change over the five days of the match against England, giving neither batsmen nor bowlers a chance to seize control of the match, which ended in a tedious draw.

The outcry reflected just how important the pitch is to players, fans and administrators who have invested time -- and lots of money -- to watch a dra-matic contest.

Despite the immense pressure, the curators are focused on the root of their jobs -- nurturing the plants and trying to get the best out of them every time.

The 170-year-old SCG, alongside Brisbane’s The Gabba, is only one of two major Aus-tralian grounds left using a tra-ditional pitch, which remains in the ground and is adjusted for different sports and seasons.

The grass and soil are measured and analysed to make

sure they are healthy and have the right amount of compaction and moisture.

Most attention is focused on the pitch -- a 20.12-metre (22 yards) long and 3.05-metre wide patch of very short grass bounded between the wickets.

Faster pitches are prepared for the shorter formats. For Tests, there’s more grass cover on day one and two, with the pitch drying out over the next few days.

“With a cricket wicket,

we’re actually almost killing the grass. We’re drawing all the water from the soil, we’re taking all the moisture out of the leaf, we’re basically taking that plant all the way to the nth degree,” Lewis said.

“And then we’re trying to bring it back to life again to regrow. So it’s totally different t o o t h e r s p o r t s , preparation-wise.”

In addition, Sydney has a reputation for being a spinner’s paradise due to its Bulli soil, which has a different cracking pattern to other soils and dries out quicker.

By contrast, the MCG uses a drop-in pitch that is tended to and repaired at a nearby nursery before being trans-ported to the ground ahead of a match.

Not everyone is a drop-in fan. Purists warn such pitches -- which some grounds now favour so they can host multiple sports -- remove the character-istics of different fields that made matches more unpre-dictable, and therefore exciting.

“With the drop-in pitch, there’s more of the sameness about things from city to city, and place to place,” Australian cricket historian Bernard Whimpress said.

“Which makes me sort of think, why don’t they just forget about the drop-in pitch and put in artificial turf or something.”

This year, all eyes will be on the drop-in pitch at Perth’s new Optus Stadium, which will host its first-ever Test as part of the Australia-India series in mid-December.

The plans for each setting are so meticulous that “you can lose a lot of sleep by worrying about it”, said Justin Groves, who was brought in by the SCG from Adelaide Oval as grounds manager to fine-tune the process.

The weather has already made its mark this season. Ahead of the Test series, the Australia-India T20 interna-tionals in Brisbane and Mel-bourne were rain-affected.

India’s pre-Test prepara-tions at the SCG last week were then hit by a once-in-a-century storm.

Even so, the excitement building up around the Tests -- with millions expected to tune in to watch powerhouse India take on Australia -- is shared by the curators.

Page nominates Boxing Day Test as the biggest event on his calendar since he started in Melbourne.

“I’m really looking forward to preparing the pitch,” he said, adding that he’s not daunted by the scrutiny his deck is set to be under.

“I’m pretty relaxed about it all. You rock up and you do the best job that you can... and if you don’t get it right, you’ll take something out of it that you can then use in your next pitch.”

A photo taken on November 23, 2018 shows Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) curator Matt Page (left) rolling the pitch during the innings break of the Australia versus India T20 in Melbourne.

You notice with

cricket, everyone has

an opinion. You can’t

please everybody.

Just as long as I can

provide a good even

surface for both sides,

then I’m happy with

that: Curator Matt

Page

WI payback delights Bangladesh skipperAFP DHAKA

Bangladesh Test skipper Shakib Al Hasan is pleased his team were able to get payback for the humiliation they suffered at the hands of the West Indies earlier this year.

Bangladesh completed a 2-0 sweep of the West Indies inside three days in Dhaka on Sunday, recording their first ever victory by an innings in the second Test.

The Caribbean side recorded a few other unwanted records during the match, becoming the first side to be asked to follow-on by Bangladesh after a first innings total of 111 in Dhaka -- the lowest Test score ever recorded against Bangladesh. It was exactly the response Shakib said he had expected from his team after losing two Tests in the West Indies in July -- by an innings and 219 runs, and by 166 runs.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 43 in the first innings in Antigua’s series opener, their lowest in any Test.

“I think everyone who was in West Indies did not expect that kind of per-formance,” Shakib said.

“This is why we wanted to do something. So that people don’t get us wrong. They took their home advantage, we took ours.

“To be frank, I was very demanding in this series. I was looking for an extra effort from all. We had a point to prove after losing that way,” said Shakib.

The West Indies will also play three ODIs three twenty20 internationals during their month-long tour of Bangladesh.

Yasir began his 33rd Test needing five wickets to become the fastest man to reach the milestone of 200 Test wickets.

He managed 3-62 but was then thwarted by the 5th wicket stand of 104 in 249 balls between Williamson and Watling.

SCHEDULE

First Test:

Dec. 6-10: 10.30 am (0000) - Adelaide Oval

Second Test:

Dec. 14-18: 10.20 am (0220) - Perth Stadium

Third Test:

Dec. 26-30: 10.30 am (2330) - Melbourne Cricket GroundFourth Test:

Jan. 3-7: 10.30 am (2330) - Sydney Cricket Ground

AUSTRALIA

World ranking: FifthCaptain: Tim Paine

Coach: Justin LangerTop ranked batsman: Usman Khawaja (11)

Top ranked bowler: Pat Cummins (7)

RECENT FORM

(Opponent/Venue/Result):October

Pakistan, Dubai, DrawPakistan, Abu Dhabi, Lost by 373 runs

March/April

South Africa, Durban , Won by 118 runsSouth Africa, Port Elizabeth, Lost by six

wicketsSouth Africa, Cape Town, Lost by 322 runsSouth Africa, Johannesburg, Lost by 492

runs

SQUAD - Aaron Finch, Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter

Handscomb, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Chris

Tremain, Peter Siddle.

INDIA

World ranking: FirstCaptain: Virat KohliCoach: Ravi Shastri

Top ranked batsman: Virat Kohli (1)Top ranked bowler: Ravindra Jadeja (5)

RECENT FORM

(Opponent/Venue/Result):October

West Indies, Rajkot, Won by an innings and 272 runs

West Indies, Hyderabad, Won by 10 wickets

August/SeptemberEngland, Birmingham, Lost by 31 runs

England, Lord’s, Lost by innings and 159 runs

England, Nottingham, Won by 203 runsEngland, Southampton, Lost by 60 runs

England, The Oval, Lost by 118 runsJune

Afghanistan, Bengaluru, Won by an innings and 262 runs

SQUAD - Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar

Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh

Pant, Parthiv Patel,Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja,

Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah,

BhuvneshwarKumar.

PREVIOUSLY

Australia vs India Tests

Matches: 94Australia wins: 41

India wins: 26Draws: 26

Ties: 1 PREVIOUS INDIA TOURS OF AUSTRALIA

Year Tests Winners Result

1947-1948 5 Aus 4-01967-1968 4 Aus 4-01977-1978 5 Aus 3-21980-1981 3 Drawn 1-11985-1986 3 Drawn 0-01991-1992 3 Aus 4-01999-2000 3 Aus 3-02003-2004 3 Drawn 1-12007-2008 4 Aus 2-12011-2012 4 Aus 4-02014-2015 4 Aus 2-0

FACTBOX: AUSTRALIA SERIES

09TUESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT

When coach Ravi

Shastri was asked in

August if this was the

best Indian attack ever,

the former Test player

gushed, “By a mile, by

a mile. No (other India)

team comes even

close.”

All eyes on captain Kohli as India seek first series win in AustraliaREUTERS MUMBAI

Having proved his credentials as a batsman in Australia four years ago, Virat Kohli returns for a series Down Under that could well define his legacy as India captain. Pundits once bracketed Kohli alongside Australia’s Steve Smith, Joe Root from England and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson as the batsmen who would go on to dominate world cricket but the India skipper’s prolific run-scoring form and consistency has set him apart from the rest.

Kohli, who turned 30 last month, is the world’s top-ranked batsman in both Tests and One Day Internationals, with over 1,000 runs in both formats in the calendar year.

Despite his achievements with the bat, Kohli has failed to achieve the success he craves as captain.

India’s home form remains strong, they last lost a Test series at home in 2012, but Kohli’s hopes of winning more series on foreign soil have been dashed with defeats in South Africa and England this year due to a lack of batting support.

He was the top scorer between both sides in South Africa with a hundred and

a half century in a 2-1 series defeat, while in England he fared even better with two centuries and three fifties but still the tourists were beaten, 4-1.

The last time India toured Australia in 2014-15 Kohli scored four centuries in as many Tests and notched 692 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 86.25. India ended up losing 2-0.

Kohli took over India’s Test captaincy during that series after Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from the longest format and this time around he will be looking to achieve some-thing no India captain has managed before - a series win in Australia.

With their oppo-nents struggling to recover from a ball-tampering scandal that led to long bans for former captain Steve Smith, opener David Warner and batsman Cameron Ban-croft, India may never have had

a better chance to claim victory.Not since Sachin Tendulkar

retired in 2013 has an Indian cricketer commanded the adu-lation Kohli enjoys.

He became the fastest to reach 10,000 ODI runs in his 205th innings in October, eclipsing Tendulkar’s record by an astounding 54 innings, and his performances have earned him rock star status in the

cricket-mad country

of 1.3 billion.

Kohli’s single-minded drive for excellence mirrors that of Tendulkar, who accumulated over 34,000 runs and 100 cen-turies in a 24-year career.

Like Tendulkar, Kohli has a near-flawless technique which helps him tackle pace and spin with equal ease, and India look to him every time they hit choppy waters, as they did for two decades with the retired batting great. In the run-up to the four-Test series, which starts in Adelaide on Thursday, Australian pundits have been asking how the hosts can go about stopping Kohli but few have been able to provide a sat-isfactory answer.

Before arriving on Aus-tralian shores, Kohli hit a Test hundred and three consecutive ODI centuries against the West Indies at home. He hit a spar-kling 61 late last month to help his side to a series-levelling win in the three-match Twenty20 series against Australia. It will be no cakewalk for Kohli though.

Australia’s bowling attack, comprising pace trio Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon, is still something to be feared and the hosts believe they are good enough to beat any side in their home conditions.

Kohli alongside Australia s SteveSmith, Joe Root from England and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson as the batsmen who would go on to dominate world cricket but theIndia skipper’s prolific run-scoring form and consistency has set him apart from the rest.

Kohli, who turned 30 last month, is the world’s top-ranked batsman in both Tests and One Day Internationals, with over1,000 runs in both formats in the calendar year.

Despite his achievements withthe bat, Kohli has failed to achievethe success he craves as captain.

India’s home form remains strong, they last lost a Test series at home in 2012, but Kohli’s hopes of winning more series on foreignsoil have been dashed with defeats in South Africa and England this year due to a lack of batting support.

He was the top scorer between both sides in South Africa with a hundred and

dropping average of 86.25. India ended up losing 2-0.

Kohli took over India’s Test captaincy during that series after Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from the longest format and this time around he will belooking to achieve some-thing no India captainhas managed before - a series win in Australia.

With their oppo-nents struggling torecover from a ball-tampering scandal that led to long bans for former captain Steve Smith, opener David Warner andbatsman Cameron Ban-croft, India may never have had

an astounding 54 innings, and his performances have earned him rock star status in the

cricket-mad country

of 1.3 billion.

Kohli’s single-minded drivefor excellence mirrors that of Tendulkar, who accumulated over 34,000 runs and 100 cen-turies in a 24-year career.

Likenear-flahelps hiwith equto himchoppy two decbatting the foustarts inAustralasking about shave beisfactor

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AustcomprisStarc, JoCummiLyon, isfeared aare goodin their

Kohli, who turned 30 last month, is the world’s top-ranked batsman in both Tests and One Day Internationals, with over 1,000 runs in both formats in the calendar year.

The last time India toured Australia in 2014-15 Kohli scored four centuries in as many Tests and notched 692 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 86.25. India ended up losing 2-0.

India’s pace hype faces tough test Down UnderREUTERS NEW DELHI

Having spent frustrating decades envying Pakistan’s endless supply of fast bowlers across the border, India’s excitement around their current pace attack is palpable but they would do well to temper their sunny optimism in Australia.

For a nation that traditionally built their bowling attack around crafty spinners who operated as if their life depended on it, India have finally acquired a versatile pace attack, which helped them claim 20 wickets in all but two Tests this year.

India captain Virat Kohli pleasantly finds himself spoilt for pace choice, a luxury none of his predecessors in the job had, and is naturally upbeat about winning the four-Test series Down Under, something the previous Indian teams could not manage in 11 previous attempts.

In Mohammed Shami, the tourists have got a quick who can move the ball both new and old. It was hardly a surprise that the Indian board limited his workload to 15-overs-per-innings in the domestic Ranji Trophy prior to the series in Australia.

Among others, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s prodigious swing, Umesh Yadav’s consistent pace and Ishant Sharma’s extra bounce make them real assets.

Cherry on top is Jasprit Bumrah, whose sling-arm action and awkward release point along with his ability to bowl yorkers almost at will adds an X-factor to the unit.

When coach Ravi Shastri was asked in August if this was the best Indian attack ever, the former Test player gushed, “By a mile, by a mile. No (other India) team comes even close.”

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis concurred, having had a first-hand experience against

them earlier this year when his team prevailed 2-1 in an intense home series.

“... for the first time, they’ve got three or four seamers in their squad that can bowl 140(kph)-plus and are very good bowlers,” du Plessis told www.cricket.com.au recently.

“Obviously when you come to conditions like South Africa, Australia, England, you need pace bowlers and in the past they might have had one or two, but now they’ve got three or four.

“And when they travelled in South Africa (earlier this year), we felt like that was the best pace (attack) that they’ve had.”

Considering they will be operating against an Australian team shorn of two of their best batsmen -- the banned duo of Steve Smith and David Warner -- India have reasons to be opti-mistic but the challenges are sub-stantial. For starters, it is going to be a different ball game, quite literally.

Unlike the SG or Dukes balls they usually wreak havoc with, the old Kookaburra in Australia does not really swing or seam, which could substantially defang the Indian quicks, especially Kumar, who is unlikely to be

Ishant Sharma’s extra bounce makes him the real asset on Australia tour.

fielded for the series opener in Adelaide from Thursday.

The lack of sideways movement from the firm sur-faces will also mitigate the threat Shami or Yadav would otherwise pose bowling else-where, while the heat will chal-lenge them to maintain their pace throughout the day.

Sharma will be looking forward to the extra bounce as he chases redemption in arguably the cruellest place for a touring bowler where each wicket has cost the touring

bowlers 47 runs since 2000.In his 10 Tests Down Under,

the gangly quick has managed only 20 wickets with an embar-rassing 62-plus average - worst by a full-time bowler who has sent down a minimum of 2000 bal“Ishant leading the attack on his fourth tour (of Australia) now, that’s heaps of experience which is very important,” Khan told www.cricbuzz.com.

“You need not look at the numbers all the time... the expe-rience of playing in Australia is going to play a huge role.”

AFP DHAKA

Former West Indies bowling great Courtney Walsh has admitted to mixed emotions as his countrymen were routed by Bangladesh -- the side he now helps coach, who earned a rare Test series win.

Bangladesh swept the series 2-0, with the second Test

wrapping up on Sunday inside three days as the Tigers recorded their first-ever victory by an innings margin.

The Caribbean visitors made just 111 runs in their first innings -- the lowest Test score ever recorded against their hosts -- to become the first side Bang-ladesh has ever asked to follow-on.

Walsh, a Jamaican

cricketing giant, who took a total of 519 Test wickets for the West Indies, today acts as fast-bowling coach for Bangladesh, and said the thumping was bittersweet.

“I might say that I am dis-appointed with probably how things have unfolded, but I am very happy to be involved with Bangladesh,” Walsh told reporters in Dhaka.

“We are in a winning situ-ation, so my pride is intact. As a West Indian, you are going to be disappointed in the per-formance,” said the former great fast bowler.

Walsh’s part in the second Test win was somewhat dimin-ished as Bangladesh did not field a single fast bowler -- an unprecedented move for the home side.

Their lone fast bowler in the first Test, Mustafizur Rahman, bowled just four overs in that match, leaving the spinners to dominate.

Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan accounted for all 40 wickets, a record for a Test series in Bangladesh.

Despite the spinners’ dom-inance, Walsh insisted

Bangladesh’s fast bowlers had more to give.

“Tactically, we wanted to play more spinners to win a Test and the series. It was achieved,” he said. “Hopefully when we go to New Zealand, the seamers might get a better opportunity. We might get different types of wicket, and they should want to grab those opportunities as well.”

Virat Kohli

Bangladesh thumping of West Indies bittersweet for Walsh

RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

Qatar’s award winning rally driver Nasser Al Kuwari is aiming to compete at the Dakar Rally, the world’s biggest stage in off-road competition.

Al Kuwari, 38, last week received the Middle East Rally Championships (MERC) 2 co-driver’s trophy from FIA Pres-ident Jean Todt at a motorsport gathering in Beirut, Lebanon.

It was the second MERC 2 trophy for Al Kuwari who comes from a family of rally drivers including his grandfather and father.

“I am so happy to raise the Qatar flag in this fashion. Many of my friends ask me why I don’t change my driver’s seat. I am happy with my seat. This is my job. I give my best every time. If I can stay like this, I wouldn’t mind racing for another 10 years,” Al Kuwari told The Peninsula in an exclusive chat.

“I am looking to one day win the overall MERC title if I can,” Al Kuwari said.

“But I have another dream - I hope one day I can join the world’s biggest stage - the Dakar Rally. I hope I could be there next year,” the affable Qatari said.

“I am doing all I can to be in that position. If I get a sponsor for my driver’s fee, I will defi-nitely be going there. As we know competing at Dakar Rally is expensive. You need a huge budget. I hope I can do it once in my life,” he added.

“I was the only Qatari to be awarded in Beirut. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, who won the MERC title, could not be there as he is getting ready for the Dakar Rally. It was the first time that I received the trophy from the FIA President. He was happy for me. When he presented the trophy he told me “I was in your country”.

“He was here in Qatar (last week). He was happy for me. It was a great moment for me. They had brought together all the category winners from the MERC last season,” Al Kuwari said.

Al Kuwari said the 2018 season was a ‘fantastic year’.

“I am so happy for my season. It was a fantastic year. It was one of my best seasons ever. I can say it is the best year

of my 18-year career in ral-lying,” Al Kuwari said.

“It feels great because racing is in my blood. My grandfather was a rally driver, my father is a great driver and now me. My seniors are so happy to see me do so well. We sit together and we always talk about motor-sport - our topics are drivers, riders, rallying, circuits - every-thing that is related to motorsport.

“My family is so happy - my mother, my wife, my children and all of them are excited for me. They know I have won something really big. I am very motivated to do be even better in the future,” he said.

“I am happy with this result. I was happy to get this trophy in Beirut. This was my second trophy. I am happy I have done it again. This trophy feels it has come home. The events take place in our region and it feels we are competing at home. I want to participate in as many events as I can. I thank God for this achievement. I am a very happy person,” he added.

Al Kuwari, in company with

driver Ahmed Allou last Saturday won Round 4 of the Qatar Manateq Baja. Al Kuwari was thrilled with the outcome.

“The route tracking device was very helpful. For the last couple of years following the route was very difficult for the drivers and co-drivers. So

QMMF gave us new devices that really helped us (in Round 4 of the Qatar Manateq Baja),” Al Kuwari said.

“I would say it was a perfect route. Everything was fine. There was one point where I would say we thought we got a tricky spot to negotiate. Most of the drivers did not go for it whereas we went for it. My driver and I crossed that point and went ahead with our

journey. The ones who did not

go through it took a p e n a l t y w h e r e a s we did not get any p e n a l t y

points since we went

through that tricky spot,” he added.

10 TUESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

I am so happy to raise the Qatar flag in this fashion. Many of my friends ask me why I don’t change my driver’s seat. I am happy with my seat. This is my job. I give my best every time. If I can stay like this, I wouldn’t mind racing for another 10 years: Al Kuwari

I have another dream - I hope one day I can join the world’s biggest stage - the Dakar Rally. I hope I could be there next year. I am

doing all I can to be in that position. If I get a sponsor for my driver’s fee, I will definitely be

going there. As we know competing at Dakar Rally is expensive. You need a huge budget. I hope I can do it once in my life: Al Kuwari

Qatar’s Al Kuwari sets sights on Dakar Rally after ‘fantastic year’

Qatari rally driver Nasser Al Kuwari receiving the Middle East Rally Championships (MERC) 2 co-driver’s trophy from FIA President Jean Todt during a ceremony held in Beirut, Lebanon, last week.

Aspire Zone gears up for Qatar National Day celebrationsTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) has announced that for this year’s Qatar National Day (QND) celebrations it will hold a week-long series of events for the first time.

The programme of events is specially designed for the whole community to enjoy and will run from 13 to 18 December 2018.

Commenting on the announcement, Nasser Abdullah Al Hajri, Director of PR and communications at AZF said: “We are keen that AZF plays a major role in contributing to the country’s National Day celebrations with a programme designed to encourage loyalty, unity, and build pride in Qatar’s national identity.”

Al Adaam Flag Relay grand finale on December 13The celebrations will commence with Al Adaam Flag

Relay as a partner with Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) which will culminate in a grand finale at Aspire park scheduled to take place on December 13 from 6:00 pm – 7:30pm in the presence of VIP dignitaries. The Flag Relay is designed to unite and inspire audiences whilst encouraging them to share their pride.

AZF staff and Aspire Academy student athletes to perform Ardha

Included among other events planned at Aspire Park is a celebration planned for AZF employees that will take place on December 17 from 9-11am. The celebrations will com-prise a range of cultural activities including the traditional “Ardha” sword dance that will be performed by Aspire Academy student-athletes.

A week-long programme of activitiesThe week-long programme will also feature 16 booths

located in Aspire Park that will offer citizens and expatriates the chance to sample a wide of food choices as well as activ-ities including live cooking demonstrations, pop up photo studios, henna designs, and games for children all delivered in collaboration with the Ministry of Administrative Devel-opment Labour and Social Affairs.

Military parade and parasailing performanceAudiences will also be treated to a Military Parade which

will be performed by members of the National Service, Qatar Armed Forces by the Lake at Aspire Park from December 13-17.

Another highlight will be an intricate parasailing per-formance conducted by the Internal Security Force

(Lekhwiya), with members of the forces descending in dif-ferent formations into the park behind the lake near Al Fur-ousiya Street. And on the side-lines of the event, films pro-duced by Qatari film makers will be screened for audiences to enjoy throughout the week, in collaboration with Doha Film Institute.

Further details can be obtained on www.lifeinaspire.qa

A performer carries a Qatari flag while parachuting at Aspire Park in this file photo.

Qatari show jumper Bassem Mohammed (left), runner-up of the Land Rover Grand Prix of the CSI 2* Masters Two Grand Finale, celebrates on the podium with the winner, Tony Cadet (centre) and third-placed Ecurie Olivier Guillon (right), in Paris, France, on Sunday. The event, organised in parallel with the CSI 5 * Longines Masters, saw 63 riders in action. Cadet posted two superb rounds with Tolede de Mescam, clocking a time of 36.03 in the jump-off and Bassem, astride Gunder, was 91 hundredths slower than the winner. RIGHT: Bassem guides Gunder over an obstacle.

Qatar’s Bassem runner-up at Land Rover Grand Prix in Paris

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Guardiola wants more from in-form Sterling

AFP MANCHESTER

Pep Guardiola challenged in-form Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling yesterday to improve his game even further, despite his sparkling form for club and country.

Sterling has recently been rewarded with a new five-year con-tract, worth a reported £300,000 ($382,000) a week, by the Premier League leaders and is currently enjoying the best form of his career.

He is the Premier League’s joint-leading English scorer, his eight goals matching Harry Kane’s tally after the weekend games, and is joined by two others on top of the assists table.

But Guardiola says his star cannot rest on his laurels and warned Premier League rivals that there is far more to come from the 23-year-old.

“He can do better,” said the City boss yesterday. “We are so delighted with what he’s done in three years but he can do better.

“He can be more consistent, his first touches, receptions, many things. Definitely -- I’ve said many times we are delighted but he can do better.”

Guardiola, speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Watford on Tuesday, leapt to the defence of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who has faced criticism for his celebrations after his team’s late victory over Everton on Sunday.

The German may yet face FA action for sprinting onto the pitch but Guardiola, who was similarly criticised for his response to a late win against Southampton last season, can understand his actions.

“I did it, against Southampton,” said the City manager. “There’s a lot of emotions in those moments. I know when I did it I was not happy to have done it.

“So I can understand (Everton manager) Marco Silva, (then South-ampton manager) Mauricio Pel-legrino when it happens.

“But sometimes it is what it is and it’s an emotional game, every-thing happens in your mind. I talk from my side, you have to be respectful of the others.”

Guardiola has also welcomed the announcement that European governing body UEFA will introduce VAR for the knockout stages of the Champions League this season.

City felt decisions went against them in last season’s quarter-final defeat to Liverpool, especially when Leroy Sane had a goal ruled out in the tie at the Etihad.

“I welcome the news, I’m delighted with it,” said the City manager. “The Premier League is the last one (to adopt VAR) and sooner or later it will happen.

“This season, our second goal against Shakhtar was a ridiculous penalty. It’s so we don’t have to talk about it or to talk about last season versus Liverpool.

“Now with VAR, we are looking to make better football, better deci-sions. Most of the time, not always, the ref will do a good job. Everyone makes mistakes and they’ll be helped by it and it will be good.”

Sergio Aguero and Alexander Zinchenko face late fitness tests before City travel to Watford. Kevin De Bruyne is not yet ready to return to the first team.

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AFC Beach Soccer Championship: Qatar to begin campaign against BahrainTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar will begin their 2019 AFC Beach Soccer Championship campaign against Bahrain in Group C, details showed yesterday. According to the official draw which took place in Pattaya, Thailand, yesterday, Group C also includes Japan, ranked third in the competition in 2017, as well as Kuwait.

Fifteen teams, three more

than the inaugural edition in 2017, will battle to be crowned cham-pions when the tournament kicks off in Pattaya, Thailand on March 7 next year.

Qatar’s first match will be played on March 8. Al Annabi will take on the strong Japanese team on March 10 in their second match, before facing Kuwait, a day later.

Defending champions Islamic Republic of Iran, will take on begin their title defence against Oman and Iraq in Group D.

Host nation Thailand will face Afghanistan, Malaysia and Pal-estine in Group A while the United Arab Emirates, who finished second in the 2017 edition in Ter-engganu, Malaysia, were drawn alongside Lebanon, China PR and Kyrgyz Republic in Group B.

The winners and runners-up in each group will qualify for the quarter-final stage which begins on March 14.

The semi-finals will take place on the next day while the final of the 15-team tournament will be held on March 17.

The second edition of the premier beach soccer champi-onship in Asia will be an important competition as the top three teams will represent the Continent in the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay.

QATAR’S GROUP STAGE FIXTURES

March 8, 2019: Qatar vs Bahrain March 10, 2019: Qatar vs JapanMarch 12, 2019: Qatar vs Kuwait

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola

Blow to Sierra Leone is big news for Kenya, Ghana

UEFA approves new club competition

REUTERS CAPE TOWN

Sierra Leone have been disqualified from the prelim-inaries for the 2019 African Nations Cup finals, confirming places for Kenya and Ghana at the continental championship next June-July.

Sierra Leone’s fate was decided by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) yes-terday after the nation was suspended by FIFA over gov-ernment interference in football in October.

That meant that the Leone Stars were unable to fulfil their last three qualifi-cation matches, and have now officially been with-drawn from the preliminaries by CAF and their previous two results annulled.

Kenya, who will make a first Nations Cup finals appearance since 2004, head the revised three-team qual-ification pool with seven points, followed by Ghana who are a single point behind.

With the top two sides advancing to the expanded 24-team finals, Ethiopia are a distant third with a one point from four games and no more fixtures to play.

FIFA’s decision to ban Sierra Leone came after it wrote to the African country’s sports minister expressing “grave concern” about the removal of SLFA president Isha Johansen and general secretary Christopher Kamara.

The Anti-Corruption Commission in the country had followed through on a threat to raid the SLFA amid allegations of match-fixing involving the national team, and barred Johansen and Kamara from the offices.

FIFA are also looking at matches as far back as a World Cup qualifier against South Africa in 2008 as part of their own investigation into the match-fixing allegations.

Both Johansen and Kamara deny any wrongdoing.

The host nation for the Nations Cup next year will be decided by Dec. 31 after CAF stripped Cameroon of the tournament after concerns over the slow pace of preparations.

Morocco and South Africa are the likely replacements for what will be the fourth successive Nations Cup to have a change of host.

AFP DUBLIN

Video Assistant Referees will be used in the Champions League from the knockout stages of this season’s competition and in the Nations League finals in June, UEFA confirmed yesterday.

European football’s governing body had previously stated its intention to introduce VAR only from the start of the 2019/2020 season.

VAR is already used in a number of Europe’s top leagues, including Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga and Serie A in Italy and was widely seen as a success at this summer’s World Cup.

UEFA to use VAR from CL knockout rounds this season

AFP SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, MEXICO

Diego Maradona’s new club, Dorados, fell just short of winning the Mexican second-division final and a shot at promotion on Sunday, abruptly ending the Cinderella story of the Argentine legend’s latest foray into coaching.

Dorados, from the western state of Sinaloa, lost their second-leg final to Atletico San Luis, who pulled off a 4-2 victory in extra

time at home to win the title series 4-3 on aggregate.

Maradona raised eye-brows when it was announced in September he was taking the managing job at struggling Dorados, who were then in 13th place in their 15-team league.

Skeptics questioned what interest the 1986 World Cup champion from Argentina, who has pub-licly battled drug addiction and alcoholism, could have in moving to a place better known for drug cartels

than football. But he answered his critics with an emphatic series of wins, improbably coaching the team to the championship and within spitting distance of promotion to the first division.

Maradona’s arrival has fueled unprecedented interest in the Mexican second division.

A plethora of Maradona scarves, jerseys and other merchandise was on offer outside the stadium ahead of the match.

AFP DUBLIN

UEFA confirmed on Sunday the creation of a third European club competition from the 2021/22 season designed to offer more clubs and associations the chance to play European football.

After approval from UEFA’s Executive Committee in Dublin, the Europa League will be cut from its current 48-team group stage so that all three competi-tions feature 32 teams in eight groups of four.

The seventh-placed teams in Europe’s top four leagues will qualify for the new competition, and they will be joined by a host

of clubs from smaller associations.

While the structure to UEFA’s landmark competition the Cham-pions League remains untouched, Europa League winners will now progress automatically to the last 16 of the competition.

Teams that finish second in their Europa League group and third-placed teams from the eight Champions League groups will playoff to join the eight group winners in the last 16.

That process in repeated in the UEL2 with the eight second-placed teams from the group stage meeting the eight third-placed teams in the Europa League for a place in the last 16.

“There will be more matches for more clubs, with more asso-ciations represented in the group stages,” said UEFA president Ale-ksander Ceferin.

“This competition was borne out of ongoing dialogue with clubs through the European Club Association.

“There was a widespread demand by all clubs to increase their chances of participating more regularly in European competition.”

UEFA has been under increasing pressure to reform its club competitions by the threat of a breakaway super league formed by top clubs in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.

However, the new compe-tition is designed to appease those further down the food chain unhappy at changes to guarantee English, Spanish, German and Italian clubs 16 of the 32 places available in the Champions League.

Matches in the UEL2 will be played like Europa League games on Thursday nights to ensure the Champions League’s prime Tuesday and Wednesday night TV slots are untouched.

All three European finals will take place in the same week with the new competition played on the Wednesday, Europa League final a day later and Champions League final on Saturday.

Maradona’s Mexican club misses title, promotion

Diego Maradona

Manchester City’s English midfielder Raheem Sterling celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League match against Bournemouth on Saturday.

SPORT 07TUESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2018

It feels great because racing is in my

blood. My grandfather was a rally

driver, my father is a great driver and

now me. My seniors are so happy to

see me do so well.

Qatar’s rallying star Nasser Al Kuwari

Mavs topple Clippers; Lakers ease past SunsAFP LOS ANGELES

The short-handed Dallas Mav-ericks denied the Los Angeles Clippers a fifth straight NBA victory Sunday, dropping the Clippers from first place in the Western Conference with a 114-110 win.

Harrison Barnes scored 30 points to lead the Mavericks, who were without star rookie Luka Doncic.

But DeAndre Jordan, playing his first game against his former team, chipped in 16 points and 23 rebounds for Dallas, who notched a fourth win in their last five games even with Doncic sidelined by a sore hip.

The Clippers had taken the lead for just the second time in the contest on Lou Williams’ three-pointer with 46.9 seconds remaining.

Barnes drove for a basket and missed but Mavs forward Dorian Finney-Smith tipped in the rebound to put Dallas back on top.

They led 112-110 when Dennis Smith blocked a shot by Tobias Harris and made two free throws to seal the win.

“I thought it was one of the best competitive things I’ve seen in a long time,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Smith’s effort. “He got switched and blocked the shot, got the rebound and made two free throws -- winning plays.”

It was a bruising contest. Smith lost a tooth when Patrick Beverley’s elbow caught him in the mouth and the intensity ramped up from there.

Dallas forward Wesley Mat-thews was whistled for a tech-nical foul and Beverley was ejected for throwing a ball at a fan as the Clippers fell to 15-7 and ceded first place in the West to Denver.

Back in Los Angeles, mean-while, the Lakers were coasting to a relaxed 120-96 victory over the struggling Phoenix Suns.

Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers with 23 points.

Superstar LeBron James added 22 while sitting out the entire fourth quarter of the com-fortable victory.

The Suns led by as many as 17 in a first quarter in which James characterized the Lakers’ play as “horrible”.

But Los Angeles had cut that

deficit to 10 points by the end of the period and out-scored the Suns 40-15 in the second to seize control.

“I think we’re just getting better every day,” three-time NBA champion James said of the young Lakers team. “We know what’s winning basketball for us -- that’s defending and sharing the ball.”

Anthony Davis powered the New Orleans Pelicans to a 119-109 victory over the Hornets in Charlotte, delivering 36 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists.

Davis, who also came up with two steals and blocked two shots, set the tone early with 17 points in the first quarter.

“When he plays like that, he’s unstoppable, and that trickles down to us,” said Pelicans point guard Tim Frazier.

It was a much-needed road win for the Pelicans, who improved to 12-12.

DeMar DeRozan’s big game helped the San Antonio Spurs bounce back from two embar-rassing defeats with a 131-118 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

After losing their last two games by a combined 68 points,

the Spurs responded with their highest point total in two weeks.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 29 points and Rudy Gay chipped in 18 as the Spurs withstood a 37-point performance form Port-land’s Damian Lillard.

In Miami, Dwyane Wade

drained two free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining to seal the Heat’s 102-100 victory over the Utah Jazz.

The 76ers notched a fourth straight victory, 103-95 over the Memphis Grizzl ies in Philadelphia.

JJ Redick led the 76ers with 24 points.

Jimmy Butler delivered another dominant fourth-quarter performance, scoring 13 of his 21 points in a spectacular display in the final period to keep the Griz-zlies at bay.

Dallas Mavericks’ DeAndre Jordan (6) grabs a rebound in front of LA Clippers’ Marcin Gortat (13) during the second half of their NBA game at the American Airlines Centre.

France’s Jean Baptiste Forgues (left) fights for the ball with Spain’s Enrique Gonzalez during their 2018 Hockey World Cup group stage match played in Bhubaneswar, India, yesterday. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Aberg’s goals lift Ducks to tough win over CapsAP WASHINGTON

Trailing the defending Stanley Cup champions by four in the second period, the Anaheim Ducks believed they had a chance.

They were right.Pontus Aberg scored twice

in the third, including the go-ahead goal with 5:05 remaining, and the Ducks stopped Wash-ington’s seven-game win streak with a 6-5 victory over the Cap-itals on Sunday.

“It’s hockey,” Aberg said. “Anything can happen.”

The Ducks trailed 5-1 before rallying for their fourth consec-utive victory. Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists and Rickard Rakell had a goal and an assist in the finale of a five-game trip.

“Believe me, there wasn’t anybody on that bench accepting where we were just because we’d had success pre-viously in winning three in a row,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said.

“That wasn’t even in their minds. They’re in the moment now, and it’s our job to keep them in that moment.”

Anaheim became the first

NHL team to overcome a four-goal deficit on the road to win in regulation since Colorado accomplished the feat against Florida on March 3, 1999.

It was the second time in franchise history that the Ducks overcame a four-goal deficit to win in any fashion, joining a 5-4 overtime victory against Win-nipeg on March 31, 2014.

Evgeny Kuznetsov and Chandler Stephenson each had a goal and an assist for Wash-ington, which chased John Gibson after scoring three times in the first part of the first period.

“You really can’t fault him on it,” Carlyle said of Gibson.

“But they had three goals on (11) shots, and as a coach you’ve got a decision to make for the rest of your team, not him,” he added.

It was Anaheim’s highest scoring game of the season. Ryan Miller stopped 19 of 21 shots for the win.

“I can’t remember anything like that honestly,” Miller said. “We had half the game to kind of get ourselves back, and we did it.”

Aberg’s ninth goal of the season came moments after Anaheim killed off Washington’s

fifth power play, and resulted from a turnover in the neutral zone.

Kiefer Sherwood took the puck into the right corner of the Ducks’ attacking zone and tried to feed Getzlaf in front.

With Caps goaltender Braden Holtby coming out of his crease, Getzlaf failed to make solid contact.

Aberg was first to the loose puck, where he easily guided it into an open goal from a few feet out.

“I just tried to be patient, not to rush it, because I didn’t want to miss that one,” he said.

Down 5-1, Andrew Cogliano and Rakell scored even-strength goals 55 seconds apart in the second period.

Aberg and Hampus Lindholm then converted on back-to-back power plays 1:45 apart to tie it at 5 midway through the third.

Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson and Nic Dowd also scored for the Capitals, and John Carlson had two assists. Holtby made 19 saves.

“We got too passive I think,” Backstrom said. “When we were up 5-1 we should have been more aggressive than we were. It’s our fault.”

World Cup: Hockey fans set to meet game’s superstarsIANS BHUBANESWAR

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, hockey fans will get a chance to meet and interact with their favourite players participating in the Hockey Men’s World Cup at Kalinga Stadium here.

All participating teams will visit the Fan Village, set up on the premises of the stadium, in an attempt to offer the spec-tators an opportunity to see their favourite stars up close and personal.

There will be fun activities such as question and answer sessions with the players where the fans can ask them to sing, dance or even share their tips on hockey.

There will also be plenty of selfies being clicked with the team and the fans, a ball-jug-gling contest among players and much more which promises to leave the spectators enthralled.

The village set up in an area of 18,000 square meters has been designed to keep visitors engaged in various activities.

“We wanted to make the Hockey Men’s World Cup a truly memorable experience for the

fans who have turned out in great numbers to cheer for their favourite teams and create an electrifying atmosphere in the stadium that motivates the players to perform their best,” said Elena Norman, CEO, Hockey India.

“While the spectators come and watch the exhilarating hockey action on the pitch, we wanted them to have an oppor-tunity to meet their favourite stars up-close and the partici-pating teams too were forth-coming to support the initiative,” she said.

While Belgium and South Africa will be the first of the

teams to visit today, the favourites at the prestigious event India too are expected to visit the Fan Village on the same day to meet their fans, said an official.

Pool D teams Malaysia, The Netherlands and Germany will visit on December 6. France, New Zealand, Argentina and Spain will visit on December 7 while China, England, Ireland and defending world champions Australia will pay a visit to meet their fans on December 8.

There are plenty of other activities in the Fan Village spanning about 18,000 sq meters inside the iconic Kalinga Stadium with activities that range from anti-gravity photo booth which lets people click gravity-defying photos in a hockey stadium ambience while those who wish to take a 360 degree photo can do so easily.

The massive fan village spread across two grounds between Gate No.3 and Gate No.4 of the Kalinga Stadium opens at 1.00 PM on match days and features several eatery stalls including those of local spe-cialties like the Odisha Millet Missions.

2018 Field Hockey World Cup

Results and FixturesYesterday’s results

Argentina 3 New Zealand 0 France 1 Spain 1

Sunday’s results: India 2 Belgium 2

Canada 1 South Africa 1

Today’s matches: England vs Australia

Ireland vs China

Winnipeg Jets’ Patrik Laine

(right) and New York Rangers’ Marc Staal (18) battle for

the puck behind the goal during the third

period of their NHL game at Madison

Square Garden.

AFC Bournemouth vs Huddersfield Town

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace

West Ham United vs Cardiff City Watford vs Manchester City

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