SPORTTuesday 18 December 2018

PAGE | 08 PAGE | 11Kohli and Paine exchange words

in Perth

Qatar ready for AFC Asian Cup, says coach Sanchez

Doha Worlds in line with Qatar National Vision 2030: DahlanQNA DOHA

The Director General of the Organising Committee of Doha 2019 IAAF World Champion-ships, Dahlan Al Hamad has said hosting of the next year’s mega event corresponds to the Qatar National Vision 2030, saying preparations were in full swing to host top athletes from around the globe.

Doha will host the World Championships from September 27 to October 6 next year. The event will be hosted in the Middle East for the first time.

Dahlan, who is also the Vice

President of International Asso-ciation of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in a statement, said that Qatar has the legacy in hosting major world championships, saying the prestigious events which the country has been hosting is an honour for the whole Arab world and the Middle East.

He pointed out that Doha started hosting the athletics championships 21 years ago with an ambition of hosting the World Championships, which will be achieved next year.

The Director General of Organising Committee said that preparations were proceeding

at a fast pace at all levels, and as the countdown for the largest IAAF event continues, Doha con-tinues to establish itself as the sports capital and the athletics home of the Middle East.

The Qatari capital has hosted several world championships over the past decade in numerous sports such as swimming, handball, boxing, and athletics. In recent weeks, Doha has added 48th World Gymnastics Cham-pionships to that list.

The 17th IAAF World Cham-pionships in Doha will be unique, opening up new horizons for the game and attracting new fans and athletes of all ages and

interests, thanks to a range of innovations such as the modified schedule that allows for more excitement by organising compe-titions through one evening session as well as a variety of dif-ferent ticket options.

Since the announcement of Khalifa International Stadium as venue, which will introduce the cooling technology, the Organ-ising Committee has been receiving requests to register tickets from countries around the world including Australia, Canada, France, Brazil, China, Cameroon, Chile, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Syria and Tunisia. Dahlan Al Hamad

PSG set date with Manchester UnitedAFP NYON

Liverpool will take on fellow five-time winners Bayern Munich in the last-16 of the Champions League, while Jose Mourinho’s struggling Manchester United face French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

Holders Real Madrid were paired with Ajax in yesterday’s draw in Nyon as the Spaniards attempt to lift the trophy for the fifth time in six seasons, while Lionel Messi and Barcelona will play Lyon.

Both Liverpool and Bayern have a rich tradition in the com-petition, with Jurgen Klopp returning to his homeland to face the side that beat his Borussia Dortmund team in the 2013 final.

Liverpool, defeated finalists last season, are the current form side of the two and sit top of the Premier League while Bayern have been far short of their own high standards in the Bundesliga this term.

“That’s the team of the hour, the league leaders in England, they are playing really good football, very physical, really

stepping it up. We are looking forward to it,” Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said

of the tie with Liverpool.Klopp said: “It will be a tough

one, an interesting one, and I am looking forward to it.”

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City take on German side Schalke 04 while Atletico Madrid, runners-up in 2014 and 2016, come up against Cristiano Ronaldo and Italian heavy-weights Juventus.

“A very difficult match, with few goals,” Juve vice-president Pavel Nedved predicted.

“No doubt Cristiano is the man of the Champions League, he has always shown that, with goals and victories. Our team is very strong and we can be calm and confident.”

Bundesliga leaders Dortmund will meet Tottenham Hotspur for the second season in a row, having faced each other in last year’s group stage, while Roma meet two-time former cham-pions Porto.

“We’ve already met them (Tottenham) twice. A strong opponent, the chances are at 50-50. The team has top players. We are also strong, it will be interesting,” Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Sky.

United, at a low ebb after

Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool, meet PSG for the first time and a formidable task awaits against a side featuring Neymar and Kylian Mbappe -- the world’s two most expensive players.

“It’s always difficult to play Manchester United,” said PSG boss Thomas Tuchel.

“They have lots of experience in this competition, they’ve won it numerous times. It’s always dif-ficult to play at Old Trafford, it’s always a big challenge.

“It’s the same thing against Mourinho. He has lots of expe-rience in this competition and you must have respect,” he added.

City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain warned the English champions will not have it easy against a Schalke outfit languishing in 13th place in Germany following a nightmare start.

“Teams that have been strug-gling in their leagues have still they’ve done very well in the Champions League,” said Begiristain.

“Schalke will be difficult. After a winter break, German clubs are always very dangerous.”

Lyon coach Bruno Genesio says his team can draw on their group-stage displays against City -- a 2-1 away win and 2-2 home draw -- ahead of their clash with five-time European champions Barca.

“We’ll need to pull off two big performances, in the first leg and in the return, but we can do it. We did it against City,” said Genesio.

“It’s tough. They are a team that Lyon has already played against but never beaten. Barca are more experienced and stronger but over two matches anything is possible,” Gerard Houllier, who holds an advisory role at the French club, told RMC Sport.

“The first match is key and we are playing at home. Barca are potential champions. We have nothing to lose. Everything is a bonus for Lyon.”

UEFA Champions League last-16 draw

Former Spanish player Luis Garcia shows the slip of Bayern Munchen next to the Cup during the draw for the UEFA Champions League last-16 in Nyon, yesterday.

First Leg, Tuesday, February 12

Manchester United (England) vs Paris Saint-Germain (France)

Roma (Italy) vs Porto (Portugal)

Wednesday, February 13

Tottenham (England) vs Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

Ajax (Netherlands) vs Real Madrid (Spain)

Tuesday, February 19

Lyon (France) vs Barcelona (Spain)

Liverpool (England) vs Bayern Munich (Germany)

Wednesday, February 20

Schalke (Germany) vs Manchester City (England)

Atletico Madrid (Spain) vs Juventus (Italy)

Second Leg, Tuesday, March 5

Borussia Dortmund (Germany) vs Tottenham (England)

Real Madrid (Spain) vs Ajax (Netherlands)

Wednesday, March 6

Paris Saint-Germain (France) vs Manchester United (England)

Porto (Portugal) vs Roma (Italy)

Tuesday, March 12

Manchester City (England) vs Schalke (Germany)

Juventus (Italy) vs Atletico Madrid (Spain)

Wednesday, March 13

Barcelona (Spain) vs Lyon (France)

Bayern Munich (Germany) vs Liverpool (England)

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW LISTIt’s always difficult

to play Manchester

United: PSG boss

Thomas Tuchel

Neymar to miss PSG’s League Cup clash todayAFP PARIS

Neymar will miss today’s French League Cup last-16 encounter against second division Orleans to nurse a nagging groin injury, Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel said.

The Brazil forward underwent tests at hospital yesterday and “is not at 100 percent” according to Tuchel, who said the results were otherwise reassuring.

The world’s most expensive player came off early in the second half of a 2-2 draw at Bordeaux on December 2 after hurting the same groin he injured playing for Brazil against Cameroon last month.

“He trained yesterday (Sunday) but not at full intensity. That’s why he’s not able to play” at Orleans, said Tuchel.

PSG’s last two league matches, at home to Montpellier and away to Dijon, were postponed amid ongoing protests across France and the threat of further terror attacks following last week’s shooting in Strasbourg.

“It was a bit difficult because Thursday they told us that the match against Dijon was off, but Friday they said it was possible we play on Sunday.”

The German also sowed further doubt over the future of midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who is out of contract at the end of the season. “I cannot guarantee that ‘Adri’ will finish the season with us,” said Tuchel.

08 TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

Australia’s Nathan Lyon (right) reacts after dismissing India’s captain Virat Kohli for 17 runs on day four of the second Test match against India at Perth Stadium in Perth, Australia, yesterday.

Spirited Australia closing in on Test match win after long waitAFP PERTH

Australia is poised for their first Test match win since the ball-tampering scandal after spinner Nathan Lyon claimed the prized wicket of Indian captain Virat Kohli in the second Test in Perth yesterday.

Set 287 to win on an unpre-dictable pitch, India were reduced to 112 for five at stumps on the fourth day.

Hanuma Vihari was 24 not out and Rishabh Pant was on nine.

The visitors still needed 175 to win with just five wickets in hand as Australia seek to level the four-Test series and claim their first Test win since beating South Africa at St George’s Park in March.

It was during the following Test at Newlands that Cameron Bancroft was caught using sand-paper to alter the ball.

The scandal led to lengthy suspensions from Cricket Aus-tralia for Bancroft, captain Steve Smith and opener David Warner.

Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood said the home team were excited by the chance of an overdue victory on the fifth day.

“It has been a bit of a long time between wins,” he said.

“We’re pretty excited to come back tomorrow.

“There is still a bit of work to

be done, there is obviously enough there in the wicket and we just have to hit the right

areas.” India lead 1-0 after victory in Adelaide, but have never won a Test series in

Australia. The loss of Kohli appeared a fatal blow to their chances of a famous win.

Lyon dismissed Kohli for the seventh time in Test cricket, two more than any other bowler, when he had him caught at slip by Usman Khawaja for 17.

Kohli was unable to repeat the heroics of his first innings century, the ball catching the outside edge as he probed forward defensively.

His departure was the cause of great delight for Australian captain Tim Paine, after the pair had exchanged words at the conclusion of the third day.

The Australian wicket-keeper, looking for his first win as skipper in five Tests since taking over from the disgraced Steve Smith, cel-ebrated the dismissal with a cheeky comment to not out batsman Murali Vijay.

“Murali, I know he’s your captain, but you can’t seriously like him as a bloke,” Paine said, in com-ments picked up by micro-phone. Just two overs later Vijay was also on his way back to the pavilion, bowled

off an inside edge by Lyon, who took two for 30.

The pair of wickets

continued a fine match for Lyon, who picked up five in the Indian first innings to move into the top 25 all-time Test wicket-takers, currently on 333.

After Australia lost their last six wickets for 51 runs to be dis-missed for 243, with Mohammed Shami claiming a career-best 6-56, India made a disastrous start to their run chase just before tea.

Opener KL Rahul didn’t survive long, falling to the fourth ball of the innings from Mitchell Starc for a duck.

Rahul attempted to pull the bat away and only succeeded in getting an inside edge onto his stumps.

Cheteshwar Pujara then feathered a short delivery from Josh Hazlewood on four, as India slumped to 13 for two.

Across the two teams, eight wickets fell for 68 runs between lunch and tea, as batting appeared to become very dif-ficult due to variable bounce.

Australian number eight Pat Cummins was the chief victim of the pitch gremlins after lunch, when he was clean bowled for one by a Jasprit Bumrah delivery that kept very low off the wicket.

The home team had resumed at 190 for four after lunch, but Shami cleaned up the tail, removing Khawaja for 72 and Paine, on 37, with sharply rising deliveries.

Australia’s bowler Nathan Lyon (centre) is congratulated by team mates after dismissing India’s captain Virat Kohli during day four of the second Test in Perth yesterday.

It’s time you also grew up, Harbhajan tells SymondsAFP PERTH

Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has refuted claims from Andrew Symonds that he broke down and cried in apol-ogising over the infamous “monkeygate” scandal, telling the Australian to “grow up”.

Symonds on Sunday recounted what he claimed was a truce between the pair

called three years after the ugly incident in the 2008 Sydney Test, where Singh was accused of calling Symonds a “monkey”.

He told Fox Sports that Singh “actually broke down crying” after saying sorry when they met up in Mumbai.

But the Indian took to Twitter to dispute this, saying: “When did that happen??? Broke down?? What for???”

In a later tweet to his nine million followers he told Symonds to get over it.

“I thought he was a very good cricketer but Symonds has turned out to be a good fiction writer,” he said.

“He sold a story then (2008) and he is ‘selling a story’ now (2018). Mate, the world has come of age in these 10 years and it’s time you also grew up.”

At the time, Singh was charged with racial abuse and suspended for three matches despite denying any wrongdoing.

But the ban was

overturned when India threatened to quit the tour in what was an all-time low in India-Australia cricket relations.

It left Symonds feeling let down by the system while the need for teammates and close friends Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke to step up as witnesses weighed on his conscience.

In his interview with Fox, Symonds said the pair were reunited by the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in 2011.

“We go to a very wealthy man’s place for a barbecue, drinks and dinner one night and the whole team’s there and he had guests there, and Harbhajan said ‘mate, can I speak to you for a minute out in the garden out the front’,” Symonds claimed.

“He goes, ‘look, I’ve got to say sorry to you for what I did to you in Sydney. I apologise, I hope I didn’t cause you, your family, your friends too much harm and I really apologise for what I said, I shouldn’t have said it’.

“And he and I could just see that was a huge weight off his shoulders, he had to get rid of it. We shook hands and I

gave him a hug and said: ‘Mate, it’s all good. It’s dealt with’.”

Symonds, who was born in England with one of his parents of West Indian background, has previously recounted how his life went downhill after the incident.

He started drinking heavily and in June 2009 his Cricket Australia contract was withdrawn after he was sent home from the World Twenty20 following the

latest in a series of alcohol-related indiscretions.

“I suppose this would be the moment where my whole persona to cricket changed,” Symonds, who is commen-tating on India’s current tour of Aus-tralia, said of “monkeygate”.

“I didn’t realise how powerful one player, one incident, how much money was at stake and the ramifications,” Symonds said.

Australia (I innings) ........................... 326 India (I innings) ................................. 283Australia (II innings) M Harris b Bumrah .........................................20A Finch c Pant b Shami .................................. 25U Khawaja c Pant b Shami ........................... 72S Marsh c Pant b Shami ....................................5P Handscomb lbw Sharma ............................13T Head c Sharma b Shami ............................. 19T Paine c Kohli b Shami ................................. 37P Cummins b Bumrah ......................................1M Starc b Bumrah .......................................... 14N Lyon c Vihari b Shami ...................................5J Hazlewood (not out) ....................................17Extras (B8, LB3, W4) ....................................15Total (all out) ..................................... 243Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-64, 3-85, 4-120, 5-192, 6-192, 7-198, 8-198, 9-207, 10-243Bowling: Sharma 16-1-45-1, Bumrah 25.2-10-39-3, Shami 24-8-56-6 (2w), Yadav 14-0-61-0 (2w), Vihari 14-4-31-0India (II innings) KL Rahul b Starc ...............................................0M Vijay b Lyon ................................................20C Pujara c Paine b Hazlewood ....................... 4V Kohli c Khawaja b Lyon ...............................17A Rahane c Head b Hazlewood ...................30H Vihari (batting) ............................................24R Pant (batting) .............................................. 9Extras (B6, W2) .............................................. 8Total (five wkts) ................................. 112Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-13, 3-48, 4-55, 5-98Bowling: Starc 10-2-28-1 (1w), Hazlewood 11-3-24-2, Cummins 8-0-24-0 (1w) , Lyon 12-2-30-2

SCOREBOARD

Kohli, Paine exchange words in Perth

WWW.CRICINFO.COM

The fourth day witnessed heated conversations between the two captains, Tim Paine and Virat Kohli, in Perth as Australia were strengthening their grip on the match.

During the wicketless first session, the captains even came into physical contact when Paine ran down the pitch for a single in the 71st over.

As Paine nudged the first ball of the over towards mid-wicket for a run, Kohli ran towards the pitch in anticipation of collecting the ball and col-lided with Paine before the batsman could reach the non-striker’s end. Even as Kohli col-lected the ball and made his way towards mid-on for the next delivery, Paine followed him for a few words before umpire Chris Gaffaney interrupted.

Kohli to Paine: “I’m not saying a word to you, why are you getting riled up?”

Paine to Kohli: “I’m fine. You’re the one that lost it yes-terday, why are you trying to be cool today?”

Chris Gaffaney: “Oi, that’s enough, that’s enough.”

Paine: “We’re allowed to talk.”

Gaffaney: “Nah, nah, come on, play the game. You guys are the captains.”

Paine: “We can have a con-versation... there’s no swearing, no...”

Gaffaney: “Tim you’re the captain.”

Paine: “Keep your cool, Virat!”

Harbhajan Singh (right) is seen with former Indian players Sunil Gavaskar (second right), Ashish Nehra (second left) and Deepdas Gupta during a TV show yesterday.

“It has been a bit of a

long time between wins.

We’re pretty excited to

come back tomorrow.

There is still a bit of

work to be done, there is

obviously enough there

in the wicket and we

just have to hit the right

areas.”

Pace ace Josh

Hazlewood

09TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT

Imperious Latham strokes epic 264 as Sri Lanka face defeatAFP WELLINGTON

New Zealand opener Tom Latham flayed Sri Lanka’s bowlers with an unbeaten 264 yesterday before the tourists’ top order failed again, leaving them on the verge of a heavy first Test defeat in Wellington.

Latham walked off to a standing ovation at the Basin Reserve after carrying his bat and helping New Zealand to 578, a commanding first-innings lead of 296.

Seamers Tim Southee and Trent Boult then combined to remove Sri Lanka’s top order, reducing them to 20 for three at stumps on day three.

Boult dismissed Danushka Gunathilaka on three, while Southee snared Dimuth Karu-naratne for 10 and Dhananjaya de Silva for a duck, taking his tally for the match to eight.

The Kiwi pair, along with short-ball specialist Neil Wagner, will be relishing the prospect of having two full days to attack Sri Lanka’s misfiring batting line-up.

But the day belonged to Latham, who added steadily to his overnight total of 121, offering no chances to the frustrated Sri Lankans.

It was the sixth best Test score by a New Zealander and the highest this year by a batsman from any nation.

His innings, which lasted more than 11 hours, also con-tinued a horror run at the Basin Reserve for Sri Lanka, where they have now conceded double centuries to four New Zealanders.

Latham said he always believed he was capable of pro-ducing such a performance but it was pleasing to achieve it on the international stage.

“These innings don’t come around too often, so you have to enjoy the moment when they

do,” he said. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson helped the Black Caps reach their imposing total with a sparkling 91, while Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls both reached 50.

Lahiru Kumara was the pick of a Sri Lanka attack that struggled on a flat wicket, taking four for 127.

T a y l o r w a s dismissed for 50 in the first over of the day after failing to add to his overnight score, thanks to a sharp catch f r o m D i m u t h Karunaratne.

The ball was forcefully struck and initially bounced off Karunaratne’s hand at silly mid-off before he recovered to grab it as he tumbled to the ground.

Henry Nicholls also went for 50 after lunch trying to take on spinner Dilruwan Perera.

B J W a t l i n g followed without scoring when he tucked his bat awkwardly under his arm as he ducked a Kumara bouncer and the ball clipped it on the way through. Colin de Grandhomme scored three sixes during an aggressive innings but fell on 49 attempting to bludgeon a fourth.

Sri Lanka, who are currently ranked sixth in the world, have lost their last five Test matches against New Zealand and suffered a shocking 3-0 home Test series whitewash against England last

month. They have faced upheaval in their coaching and selection ranks in recent weeks and arrived in New Zealand low on confidence.

In contrast, the fourth-ranked Black Caps entered the two-match contest buoyed by

their first away Test series win over Pakistan in 49 years.

The New Zealanders are looking for a fourth straight Test series win after also defeating England and the West Indies in the past 12 months.

New Zealand’s Tom Latham plays a shot during day three of the first Test cricket

match against Sri Lanka at the Basin

Reserve in Wellington yesterday.

Cottrell, Hope guide West Indies to convincing T20 win over BDAFP SYLHET

Left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell delivered a career best 4-28 before Shai Hope struck a half-century as West Indies crushed Bangladesh by eight wickets in their Twenty20 series opener yesterday.

West Indies raced to 130-2 in just 10.5 overs after Cottrell and his fellow pacers bowled out Bangladesh for 129 runs in Sylhet. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan scored 61 off 43 balls for the home side but could not stave off a thumping defeat.

Hope accelerated the West Indies’ run chase with 55 off 23 balls that included six sixes and three fours.

Victory never looked in doubt as he struck spinner Mehidy Hasan for three sixes and a four in just the second over of the innings, yielding 23 runs.

Spinner Mahmudullah Riyad dismissed Hope after medium pacer Mohammad Saifuddin broke a 51-run opening stand with Evin Lewis, who fell for 18.

But Nicholas Pooran and Keemo Paul ensured West Indies cruised to their target, with quickfire innings of 23 and 28 respectively. Cottrell and fellow pacer Oshane Thomas earlier choked Bangladesh, who opted to bat first, at the start of their innings.

Openers Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das, as well as Soumya Sarkar, all fell for single-figure scores to short-pitch deliveries.

In-form Mushfiqur Rahim was run out for five, leaving Bangladesh on 48-4 before six

overs of batting power play had elapsed. Shakib put on two small partnerships of 25 and 30 respectively with Mahmudullah Riyad and Ariful Haque to lift the side briefly.

“Everything (fell) apart from the toss. Batting failed and then the bowling also obviously went wrong,” Shakib said after the match. “Was a good pitch, should have probably got about

180 on the board.” He hit eight fours and two sixes before being dismissed by Cottrell.

Paul wrapped up Bangla-desh’s innings with 2-23.

The West Indies are hoping a series win will end their Bang-ladesh tour on a positive note after losing their Test and one-day international series 2-0 and 2-1 respectively.

“Very good win but it’s only one game,” skipper Carlos Brathwaite said. “We have started with a win before and then gone on to lose the series in recent times. So, it’s important to be respectful of the opposition.” Bangladesh and West Indies play the remaining two T20 interna-tionals of the series in Dhaka this week.

West Indies cricketer Keemo Paul (left) and Nicholas Pooran run between the wickets during the first T20 match against Bangladesh at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet yesterday.

Sri Lanka (I innings).............................. 282New Zealand (I innings)J Raval c Dickwella b Kumara ...........................43T Latham not out .............................................264K Williamson c Rajitha b de Silva ....................91R Taylor c Karunaratne b Kumara ...................50H Nicholls c Rajitha b Perera ............................50BJ Watling c Dickwella b Kumara .....................0C de Grandhomme c Rajitha b de Silva ........ 49T Southee run out (Chandimal)......................... 6N Wagner c de Silva b Lakmal ..........................0A Patel b Perera ....................................................6T Boult c Dickwella b Kumara ...........................11Extras (LB5, NB2, W1) .......................................8Total (all out) .........................................578

Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-221, 3-312, 4-426), 5-426, 6-499, 7-520, 8-520, 9-549, 10-578Bowling: Lakmal 31-6-88-1 (1nb), Rajitha 34-5-144-0 (1w, 1nb), Mathews 4-3-1-0, Perera 40-1-156-2, Ku-mara 31.3-2-127-4, de Silva 15-0-54-2, Gunathilaka 2-1-3-0Sri Lanka (II innings)M Gunathilaka lbw Boult .................................... 3F Karunaratne c Boult b Southee ...................10D de Silva b Southee ........................................... 0K Mendis (batting) ................................................ 5A Mathews (batting) ............................................ 2Total (3 wkts) ......................................... 20Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-10, 3-13 Bowling: South-ee 5-3-7-2, Boult 6-0-12-1, Wagner 1-0-1-0

SCOREBOARDBangladesh:Tamim Iqbal c Brathwaite b Cottrell ..............5Liton Das c Brathwaite b Thomas ................. 6Soumya Sarkar c Powell b Cottrell .................5Shakib Al Hasan c&b Cottrell ........................61Mushfiqur Rahim run out ................................5Mahmudullah Riyad c Hope b Cottrell ......... 12Ariful Haque c Pooran b Allen ....................... 17M Saifuddin c Pooran b Brathwaite ...............1Mehidy Hasan c Hope b Paul ......................... 8Abu Hider (not out) ..........................................1Mustafizur Rahman b Paul ............................. 0Extras (B4, LB2, W1, NB1) ............................ 8Total (all out) ..................................... 129Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-19, 3-31, 4-48, 5-73,

6-103, 7-110, 8-122, 9-129, 10-129Bowling: Thomas 4-0-33-1, Cottrell 4-0-28-4 (w1), Paul 4-0-23-2 (nb1), Brathwaite 3-0-13-1, Allen 3-0-19-1, Powell 1-0-7-0West IndiesE Lewis c Ariful b Saifuddin .......................... 18S Hope c Mustafizur b Mahmudullah .......... 55N Pooran (not out) ........................................ 23K Paul (not out) ...............................................28Extras ( LB 5, W1) ........................................... 6Total ( two wkts) ............................... 130Fall of wickets: 1-51 (Lewis), 2-98 (Hope)Bowling: Shakib 3.5-0-32-0, Mehidy 2-0-37-0, Hider 1-0-15-0, Saifuddin 1-0-13-1 (w1), Mustafi-zur 1-0-15-0, Mahmudullah 2-0-13-1

SCOREBOARD

India’s captain Virat Kohli (left) greets paceman Mohammed Shami (centre) for his fifth wicket during day four of the second Test cricket match against Australia in Perth yesterday.

Frontline spinner could have helped India, says ShamiREUTERS PERTH

India would have been better served with a frontline spinner in their side, pace spearhead Mohammed Shami said yesterday following the potentially match-winning exploits of Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon in the second Test in Perth.

In the absence of injured off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the touring side opted to go in with four quicks on the green-tinged pitch with all-rounder Hanuma Vihari being the only slow bowling option for India.

Lyon proved India’s main tormentor in the first innings with 5-67 and has already taken the wickets of captain Virat Kohli and opener Murali Vijay in the second to put Australia on course for a series-levelling win.

“The decision is taken by the team management and we can’t do anything about it,” Shami told reporters at the end of the fourth day’s play with his team still needing another 175 for a 2-0 series lead with just five second innings wickets remaining.

“We had a spinner in Hanuma Vihari and you can’t say he bowled badly. He bowled well. But I feel, probably we could have played a frontline spinner.”

India have left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav as the other slow bowling options in the squad. Vihari, playing only his second Test, took 2-53 in the first innings but went wicketless in the second.

India were left to chase a target of 287 to win the second test after Shami’s spectacular spell of fast bowling saw Aus-tralia dismissed for 243 even after a wicketless first session on the fourth day.

Shami, 28, took career-best figures of 6-56 with some blis-tering short-pitched bowling as Australia lost five wickets for 15 runs.

“When there is a partnership we have to be patient, espe-cially on a wicket on which we were constantly beating them. We were not bowling badly, we were maintaining good line and length,” he said.

“But the wickets were not coming. As soon as the first wicket fell, we got momentum and we carried that momentum forward. “The wicket was normal for the first two days. But it has been a little up and down from the third day, there has been some uneven bounce. Some balls have kept low but it’s a typical Perth wicket.”

10 TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

QTCC: Al Khelaifi storms to wins againTHE PENINSULA

It was another perfect weekend for the defending Qatar Touring Car Championship (QTCC) winner Abdulla Al Khelaifi who posted another double at Losail International Circuit (LIC).

In the first race, Al Khelaifi, who started from pole position, took the lead from the start to the checkered flag and emerged the winner in front of newcomer driver Ghanim Al Maadheed with a gap of 1.398 seconds.

The third place in the podium was secured by Hamad Al Sulaiti.

Mohammad Al Khaiat fin-ished fourth and Hamad Al Asam in fifth place.

Ahmed Al Asiri had a problem with his tyres and could not finish the race.

In the second race, with the reverse grid in play, Al Khelaifi after an intense battle finished ahead of Al Asiri. The third place went to Al Khaiat while Al Maadheed finished fourth.

After the race, Al Khelaifi was very happy with another double victory.

“The first race was nice with a bit of difficulties with the wind but I had an exciting lap with Al Asiri. Unfortunately for him, he had an incident and left the track so I was saved from battling with him. From that point I was only

controlling the race,” Al Khelaifi said.

“The second race was much more exciting as I started from last position due to the reverse grid. As Al Asiri didn’t finish the first race, he started from the pole position and managed to build a big gap. I managed to pass almost everyone easily except him but I passed him in the seventh lap and retained my lead,” he added.

Al Maadheed, who finished

second in the first race, was very happy with his first podium.

“‘This is my first time in this championship and although the car is not ready, this second position is great. Hopefully for the next round, we can prepare the car in a better fashion. For the second race, starting second from the back was very difficult to reach the front as some slow cars were blocking the way but it is OK. My new lap time record also makes

me happy,” Al Maadheed added. “In the second race, I had a

good start. I thought that Abdulla will fight eventually so I wanted to widen my gap but when he shadowed me, I pushed very hard and we battled for seven laps but at the end he passed me and won again,” Al Asiri said.

“In the first race, I started from the sixth place and I jumped for the second place in the third lap but unfortunately I had a problem in the turn 10 so I was

pushed back to fourth position and I stayed there until the end. For race two, I started in the fourth position and we jumped for the second position but the Honda cars on the straight line are faster and I finished third. I hope for the next round I have more time to work on the car and make better results,” Al Khaiat said.

After the second round, Al Khelaifi leads the standings with 64 points. Al Khaiat is second with 39 points and Al Asiri is third with 36 points. Ghanim Al Maadheed is fourth with 35 points. The trophies were pre-sented by QMMF President Abdulrahmam Al Mannai and Khalid Al Remaihi, the LCSC Vice President and General Manager.

The next round of QTCC will be held on Jan 25 and 26.

US coach says Vonn plans to return to racing next monthAP SELVA DI VAL GARDENA

Lindsey Vonn is hoping to return from injury next month and resume her pursuit of the all-time World Cup wins record, according to the US Ski Team’s head coach.

“That’s what we’re hopeful for. That’s the plan,” Paul Kristofic said yesterday.

Vonn hyperextended and sprained a ligament in her knee during a training crash on November 19. She also suffered a bone bruise in the crash, in which she fell on a turn, did the splits and went into the pro-tective fence.

January would be an opportune time for Vonn to return, since there are three con-secutive weekends of speed

races, downhill and super-G - which are Vonn’s specialties.

The series opens January 12-13 in St Anton, Austria, fol-lowed by stops in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

A win or two in that stretch would move Vonn closer to the mark of 86 victories set by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark. Vonn has 82 wins.

However, Vonn has not returned to on-snow training yet. “She’s just doing rehab and strength and conditioning,” Kristofic said, adding that there is no precise date set for her return to ski training.

“It really depends on how things go when she’s not on snow. It’s sort of day by day.”

The 34-year-old Vonn was planning to retire at the end of

this season but the injury prompted her to announce recently that she plans to come back for one more series of speed races in Lake Louise, Alberta, next season.

Kristofic said Vonn is also expected to compete in one more final major event - the world championships in Are, Sweden, in February.

“It’s in the plans to do it,” he said. Meanwhile, Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia is also hoping to return from injury in January. Goggia broke a bone in her right ankle during a fall in giant slalom training in Hintertux, Austria, in October.

“She has a doctor’s appointment on or about December 21 and hopefully she’ll be cleared for on-snow training before the end of this month,”

Italy coach Giovanni Feltrin said.“The idea is for her to return

in January,” Feltrin added. “The exact date I don’t know but it would be great if it’s in Cortina.”

Both Goggia and Vonn won downhills in Cortina last season.

Mikaela Shiffrin will also be missing from speed races today and tomorrow in Val Gardena. The overall World Cup leader is resting after winning her last three races and with a big set of events coming up in her spe-cialties of slalom and giant slalom. “I won’t be racing as my team and I needed a rest and reboot after the busy last six weeks,” Shiffrin wrote on social media Sunday.

The next downhill on Shif-frin’s schedule is in Cortina on January 19, Kristofic said.

With Breezy Johnson, Jac-queline Wiles, Alice McKennis also out injured, that leaves only Laurenne Ross and Alice Merry-weather to represent the US. team in Val Gardena.

The Gardena races were originally scheduled for Val d’Isere, France, this weekend but were moved due to a lack of snow in the French resort.

While the US has plenty of starting spots available in Gardena, Kristofic said that the team’s younger athletes “are not ready to race World Cup downhill, especially on a men’s track.” It’s the first time that the Saslong course will host women’s World Cup races, having been a classic stop on the men’s circuit for a half-century.

Grosjean named France Davis Cup captain

AFP PARIS

Former world number four Sebastien Grosjean was named as the new captain of France’s Davis Cup team, the national fed-eration announced yesterday.

The 40-year-old takes the role ceded by Amelie Mauresmo earlier this month after she objected to the competition’s new format. Mauresmo, who would have been the first women’s captain of France’s men’s tennis team, was appointed in June to take over from Yannick Noah in 2019, when the Cup will be played under a new single-week format in Madrid.

Noah led France to three Davis Cup victories but ended his third spell as captain in November with defeat to Croatia in the final. “I am very proud to be named captain of the France Davis Cup team because I have always been very attached to the event,” said Grosjean in a statement released by the federation.

As a player Grosjean won the Davis Cup with France in 2001. He also won the Paris Masters and reached three Grand Slam semi-finals. Grosjean will also be in charge of the France men’s team heading to the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.

In this file photo taken on October 25, 2014, French former tennis player Sebastien Grosjean (left) gestures next to Richard Gasquet (right) during a French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Bordeaux at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Grosjean was appointed captain of the France’s Davis Cup team yesterday.

Abdulla Al Khelaifi takes the chequered flag during one of the two races in round two of the Qatar Touring Car Championship (QTCC) at Losail International Circuit. RIGHT: The podium winners from the QTCC race 2.

This spectacular shot shows the Losail Sports Complex in the background as drivers are seen in action during round two of the QTCC. BOTTOM: The podium winners from the QTCC race 1.

Pictures of Lindsey

Vonn posted on

her Twitter handle @

lindseyvonn

11TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT

Qatar ready for AFC Asian Cup, says SanchezQNA DOHA

Qatar coach Felix Sanchez said his players are raring to go as they enter the final stage of preparations before partic-ipating in the AFC Asian Cup 2019, which will be held from January 5 to February 1 in the UAE.

Qatar are placed in Group E along with Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and North Korea.

The national coach said at a press conference that the team will play four

friendly matches against Jordan, Kyr-gyzstan, Algeria and Iran in the final phase of the preparation for Asian Cup. He said the friendly matches will be a good opportunity for players to prepare for the tough challenge.

Sanchez added that he had several options of friendly games and opted the four teams because they represent dif-ferent schools in play.

On the team’s ambition as they get ready to take part in Asian Cup, the Spaniard said that every team goes into any competition eyeing the title.

He stressed that the Qatari team’s goal is no different, saying that Qatari fans have big hopes for the current batch of players.

The coach maintained that Qatar’s group was a tough one, and that all the teams in it deserve their respect.

Jordan, Kyr-n in the final

a s h

e had severaland opted the epresent dif-

n as they get ian Cup, the am goes into e title.

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Qatar are placed in Group E along with Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and North Korea. They will play four friendly games against Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria and Iran before the Asian Cup.

Felix Sanchez

Queiroz names Iran squad for Doha tripAFC.COM TEHRAN

Coach Carlos Queiroz has announced a 21-player Islamic Republic of Iran squad for a training camp in Doha ahead of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.

The squad named will be based in Doha from December 17 to 24, with a friendly against Qatar also part of the training plan.

Three-time champions Iran are in Group D of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 with Iraq, Yemen and Vietnam.

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Hos-

sein Hosseini (Est), Payam Niazmand (Sepahan).

Defenders: Ramin Rezaeian (Al Shahania), M

Khanzadeh (Al Ahli), Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal),

Milad Mohammadi (A’ Grozny), Vouria Ghafouri (Est),

Mohammadhossein Kananizadegan (Machine Sazi),

Ehsan Haji Safi (T’Sazi), Pejman Montazeri (Est).

Midfielders: Omid Ebrahimi (Qatar’s Al Ahli), Ashkan

Dejagah (Tractor Sazi), Masoud Shojaei (Tractor Sazi),

Ahmad Nourollahi (Persepolis), Ali Karimi (Est)

Strikers: Ali Gholizadeh (Charleroi), Mehdi Taremi

(Gharafa), Sardar Azmoun (R’ Kazan), Mehdi Torabi

(Per), Ali Alipour (Per)

IRAN SQUAD

Messi hat-trick restores Barcelona’s La Liga leadAFP MADRID

Lionel Messi continued his sublime form by netting his 31st La Liga hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed Levante 5-0 on Sunday to regain their three-point lead at the top of the table.

The 31-year-old Argen-tinian arrived in Valencia having scored two free-kicks in last weekend’s derby thumping of Espanyol.

He took his goals tally for the season to 20 after a virtuoso display, while also teeing up Luis Suarez’s 35th-minute opener and Gerard Pique’s late fifth.

Barca were under pressure after Atletico Madrid and second-placed Sevilla had both moved level on points with the Catalan giants.

But after resting his key stars for their final Cham-pions League group-stage match against Tottenham in midweek, coach Ernesto Valverde saw his refreshed side cruise to a third straight league win without con-ceding a goal.

Levante started the game brightly and visiting goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was forced into an early save by Ghanaian Emmanuel Boateng.

But Barca did not take long to start moving through the gears, with Messi curling wide from long range before testing Oier Olazabal in the Levante goal with a free-kick.

Just seconds after Boateng hammered a left-footed strike against the

crossbar, the reigning Spanish champions broke the deadlock as Messi jinked through a mesmerised home defence and picked out Suarez who volleyed home.

But Levante, who had ended Barcelona’s dreams of going through last sea-son’s La Liga campaign unbeaten with a remarkable 5-4 victory in the penul-timate game, came close to a quick response as Jose Luis Morales fired over.

The match was all but ended as a contest when Messi bore down on goal two minutes before half-time and drilled low into the net.

He wasted little time after the restart to add his second in the 47th minute, sweeping home Jordi Alba’s clever cutback, before com-pleting his treble with a

simple tap-in from Arturo Vidal’s square pass on the hour mark.

Messi has scored five goals in two league games since finishing only fifth in the voting for the Ballon d’Or earlier this month.

A bad evening for Levante worsened with 14 minutes to play, as left-back Erick Cabaco was sent off for a reckless lunge on Ousmane Dembele.

Centre-back Pique added further gloss to the

scoreline in the 88th minute, rampaging forward to collect Messi’s pass, before keeping his cool and rolling the ball home.

Sevilla reclaimed second place earlier on Sunday as second-half strikes from Ever Banega and Pablo Sarabia sealed a 2-0 win over Girona.

Pablo Machin’s side are unbeaten in seven league games since a 4-2 loss at Barcain October.

The hosts had to wait

until the 55th minute to break the deadlock, when striker Andre Silva was tripped in the area by Girona defender Juanpe.

Argentinian Banega stepped up to send visiting goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz the wrong way from the penalty spot.

The points were wrapped up only nine minutes later, as Wissam Ben Yedder cut the ball back for the onrushing Sarabia to slide home his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.

“In the first half they (Girona) were very good,” said Machin.

“They were very organised and had good chances, when (Sevilla goal-keeper) Tomas (Vaclik) was splendid.

Elsewhere, Villarreal were plunged further into crisis as Samuele Longo’s 93rd-minute strike saw them held to a 2-2 draw at bottom club Huesca.

V i l l a r r e a l , w h o replaced Javier Calleja with Luis Garcia Plaza as coach in midweek, are only one point and one place above the relegation zone. Real Betis eased to a 3-1 win at Espanyol to move into fifth place after a third successive league victory.

Giovani Lo Celso scored and missed a penalty for Betis, with Cristian Tello also on the scoresheet. Espanyol, who led the table earlier in the season, have lost five straight matches to slip into the bottom half.

Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (left) celebrates after scoring a goal during the La Liga match against Levante in Valencia.

Messi took his goals tally for the season to 20 after a virtuoso display, while also teeing up Luis Suarez’s 35th-minute opener and Gerard Pique’s late fifth.

Barca were under pressure after Atletico Madrid and second-placed Sevilla had both moved level on points with the Catalan giants.

Sevilla to face Lazio in Europa League last-32REUTERS NYON

Five-times champions Sevilla will face a tough tie against Serie A side Lazio in the Europa League round of 32 following yesterday’s draw.

Sevilla hit 18 goals on the way to winning their group unbeaten, but Lazio fell into the unseeded pot after scraping through in second place with three wins and three defeats.

La Liga’s other three teams in the league were also paired against tricky opponents with Valencia facing former European champions Celtic, Villarreal meeting Portugal’s Sporting and Betis meeting French side Rennes.

Inter Milan, one of the teams who para-chuted into the competition after finishing third in their Champions League group, will play Rapid Vienna and Napoli, also knocked out of the premiere competition, take on FC Zurich.

“We were disappointed with the Cham-pions League exit but we are ready to have a very good campaign in the Europa League now,” Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti said.

The two English Premier League sides were given fairly straightforward ties, although could face wintry conditions.

Arsenal will play Belarus champions BATE Borisov, while Chelsea visit Malmo, with both playing their away ties in the second week of February.

Elsewhere, Benfica were drawn against Galatasaray, Eintracht Frankfurt against Sha-khtar Donetsk and Zenit St Petersburg against play Fenerbahce.

La Liga’s other three teams in

the league were also paired

against tricky opponents

with Valencia facing former

European champions Celtic,

Villarreal meeting Portugal’s

Sporting and Betis meeting

French side Rennes.

City will not sacrifice League Cup for title race: GuardiolaAFP LONDON

Holders Manchester City will take today’s League Cup quarter-final with Leicester City seriously, says manager Pep Guardiola, even though they are in a tight duel with Liverpool for the Premier League title.

Guardiola -- whose Premier League champions trail Liverpool by a point -- says it is only by winning trophies the club can get better, even if the League Cup is viewed as the third most important domestic trophy in English football.

The 47-year-old Spaniard con-cedes Liverpool may benefit from no longer being involved in the

League Cup -- their next match is against Wolverhampton Wan-derers on Friday -- and if City progress they will face a two-legged semi-final in January.

“We could say yes,” said Guar-diola, answering a question at his press conference over whether Liverpool had an advantage in having a lighter fixture list.

“But I’d prefer to be in the League Cup than not.

“I cannot imagine going into a game thinking, ‘Oh, it will be better to lose because then we’ll have more time to rest’. I have never thought in that way.

“That is the only way a club like Manchester City -- who 10 years ago were not in this position -- can grow up, and get better and

better. And that’s what we have to do.”

Guardiola said that those players who had played on Sat-urday in the 3-1 win over Everton would probably have to shoulder the responsibility of backing up against Leicester due to a

growing injury list. Belgian star Kevin de Bruyne returned against Everton and should play again whilst record goalscorer Argen-tinian Sergio Aguero could start after a four week absence through injury.

“We don’t have many players,” said Guardiola.

“We have a lot of injured players. Some players that played Saturday and in the last games have to play.

“But it is a chance to reach a semi-final and since I’ve been here my teams have never dropped one game, not even a friendly game.

“It is a competition, it must be respected, like we did it last season. We are going to try and win the game.”

It is a competition, it

must be respected, like

we did it last season.

We are going to try and

win the game: Man City

coach Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola

SPORTEFL Cup, last-8: Leicester

City vs Manchester City 2nd Test: Australia vs India, day five in Perth

FOOTBALL CRICKET

07TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2018

We had a spinner in Hanuma

Vihari and you can’t say he

bowled badly. He bowled well.

But I feel, probably we could have

played a frontline spinner.

Pacer Mohammed

Shami says India would have been better served with a frontline spinner in their side in Perth. T

ODA

Y’S

ACT

ION

Thomas voted BBC Sports-Personality-of-the-YearREUTERS LONDON

Cyclist Geraint Thomas was voted BBC Sports-Personality-of-the-Year on Sunday, receiving British sport’s premier annual individual accolade in Birmingham as a reward for his remarkable Tour de France triumph.

The Welshman, whose victory in cycling’s most pres-tigious race was the sixth by a British rider in seven years, topped the public vote ahead of Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton and England soccer captain Harry Kane.

Thomas was the first Welshman to win the award since soccer player Ryan Giggs in 2009.

“I feel very lucky to have come into cycling when I did. I just went down to the local leisure centre for a swim and instead I rode my bike,” Thomas said.

Although he had previously been a double Olympic champion on the track, he had lived in the shadow of four-times Tour de France winner Chris Froome in Team Sky until beating his team mate and defending champion in the 2018 race.

“As a bike rider, I always focus on myself. Obviously, people want me to win, but hearing stories like Tyson (Fury)’s and Billy (Monger)’s, you realise that what we do does

inspire people back home,” Thomas said.

Fury amazingly beat the count after being knocked down in his world heavyweight title draw with Deontay Wilder while

youngster Monger made an uplifting comeback to motor racing after having his legs amputated following a Formula 4 crash. The others short-listed for the award were triple

European sprint champion Dina Asher-Smith, English cricket’s record test wicket taker James Anderson and double Olympic skeleton champion, Lizzy Yarnold.

It completed a happy day for the 32-year-old Thomas at the end of an unsettling week in which Sky, sponsors of Team Sky, announced it would end its involvement with his team at the end of 2019.

Thomas picked up a replica of the winner’s trophy from Tour de France organisers earlier on Sunday after the original was stolen from a cycling show.

Gareth Southgate, who led England’s soccer men to the World Cup semi-finals, won Coach-of-the-Year while the England women’s netballers who took Commonwealth Games gold won Team-of-the- Year award.

Italian golfer Francesco Molinari, star of Europe’s Ryder Cup win and British Open champion, was voted World Sport Star-of-the-Year.

Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas during the homecoming parade after his victory in the Tour De France in this August 9, 2018, file photo.

Gareth Southgate, who led England to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia, won Coach-of-the-Year title while the England women’s netballers, who took Commonwealth Games gold won Team-of-the-Year award.

Italian golfer Francesco Molinari, star of Europe’s Ryder Cup win and British Open champion, was voted World Sport-Star-of-the-Year.

NBA: Nuggets topple RaptorsAFP LOS ANGELES

Jamal Murray scored 15 points in the final quarter as the short-handed Denver Nuggets rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 95-86 on Sunday in a battle between the league’s East and West Conference leaders.

Nikola Jokic tallied 26 points and Murray finished with 19 for the Nuggets, who posted their 10th win in 12 games and maintain a slim lead over Golden State in the Western Conference.

Denver improved to 20-9 on the season by going on a 23-2 run after falling behind 70-57 in the third quarter.

This marks the latest the Nuggets have been in first place in the West since December 1984.

Kawhi Leonard had 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors.

Toronto won two of four games on their recent road trip

and still have the NBA best record of 23-9.

The Nuggets didn’t have Will Barton (right hip surgery), Gary Harris (hip) and Paul Millsap (big toe) in the lineup.

The Raptors were also missing several players including Kyle Lowry (thigh injury) and Jonas Valanciunas (thumb).

Elsewhere, Ben Simmons delivered his third triple-double of the season and Jimmy Butler returned from an injury to score 19 points as the Philadelphia 76ers rolled over the Cleveland Cavaliers 128-105.

Simmons finished with 22 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds and Joel Embiid tallied 24 as the Sixers rallied from a second quarter deficit to lead 65-58 at the half.

“Ben is doing what he always does for us, passing the ball,” Butler said.

“When he’s playing like that, the game is really easy for everybody.”

Philadelphia had lost both games without Butler, who injured his groin in the first quarter Monday against Detroit. Philadelphia won that game, but

then followed up by losing to Brooklyn and Indiana.

“Having Jimmy back helped because we had multiple guys that could put it away,” Simmons said.

“I just do what I can offen-sively and help find guys who are scoring. Numbers are numbers. Obviously, stat-wise, it looks good.”

Landry Shamet added 16 points for Philadelphia, JJ Redick had 14 points and Wilson Chandler 11.

Cedi Osman and Jordan Clarkson each scored 18 points

for Cleveland. Rodney Hood and Matthew Dellavedova each had 13 points, and rookie point guard Collin Sexton added 12.

The Cavaliers led 44-34 early in the second quarter, but Philadelphia ended the first half on a 31-14 run.

Cleveland went on a 12-0 run in the third quarter to cut the Sixers lead to 86-85.

But that is as close as they would get as Wilson Chandler’s three pointer as time ran out in the third helped spark a game-deciding run that stretched into the fourth by Philadelphia.

Also, John Wall was at his attacking best as the Washington Wizards easily rolled over the Los Angeles Lakers 128-110.

While Wall finished with 40 points and 14 assists, Lakers star LeBron James could only muster a season-low 13 points on dismal five-of-16 shooting.

“We’re a team that’s built on energy and depth,” four-time league MVP James said. “We didn’t have either tonight.”

A day after he and Lonzo Ball each registered a triple-double in a win at Charlotte, James had six rebounds and three assists and sat out the fourth quarter.

Recently acquired forward Sam Dekker scored a season-high 20 for Washington, including a buzzer-beating shot at the end of the third quarter that put the Wizards up 99-76.

Jamal Murray (left) of the Denver Nuggets drives against Danny Green of the Toronto Raptors at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado on Sunday.

Washington 128, LA Lakers 110 Denver 95, Toronto 86

Dallas 113, Sacramento 120 New Orleans 96, Miami 102 Indiana 110, New York 99

Cleveland 105, Philadelphia 128 Brooklyn 144, Atlanta 127

NBA RESULTS

Sabres get best of Bruins againREUTERS BOSTON

Buffalo’s Jeff Skinner scored two goals, including the go-ahead tally late in the third period, as the Sabres knocked off the host Boston Bruins 4-2 on Sunday.

Skinner broke a 2-2 tie when he lifted a pass from Jack Eichel for his team-leading 24th goal to give Buffalo its third lead of the game with 3:31 remaining. Eichel put it away with an empty-net marker, his second goal of the game, with 25 seconds left.

Eichel also had two assists, Sam Reinhart had three assists

-- all in the third period -- and Rasmus Dahlin posted two helpers for the Sabres, who won for the third straight time in Boston.

Jets 5, Lightning 4 (OT) Mark Scheifele scored the

game-winning goal with 41.4 seconds left in overtime as Win-nipeg Jets moved into first place in the Central Division with a victory over visiting Tampa Bay.

Scheifele, who also had two assists, slapped in a rebound of a Patrik Laine shot from the slot for his 21st goal of the season and give Winnipeg its fifth straight win. Nikolaj Ehlers had two goals and an assist, while Brandon Tanev

and Mathieu Perreault also scored goals for the Jets, who improved to 9-1-0 in their last 10 games. Connor Hellebuyck had 43 saves to pick up the win in net.

Sharks 7, Blackhawks 3 Evander Kane, Melker

Karlsson, Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc each had a goal and an assist as San Jose rallied past host Chicago for its fourth straight win.

Five of San Jose’s goals came after Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford was forced to leave after hitting the back of his head on the goalpost following a collision.

Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (53) celebrates after scoring against Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (40) during the third period at the TD Garden in Boston on Sunday.

NFL: Play-off races tighten into Week 15REUTERS NEW YORK

The National Football League (NFL) play-off picture became clearer on Sunday as teams made another push for the post-season in Week 15 action.

The Chicago Bears capped a worst to first-place turnaround after their 24-17 win over Green Bay Packers clinched the NFC North Division.

“Anytime you can win a division that’s a pretty big milestone,” Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson told reporters.

“This was the first mile-stone that had to be accom-plished. And we were able to do that.”

The New Orleans Saints (11-2) and Los Angeles Rams (11-3), despite a loss to Phila-delphia, have each secured division titles and play-off berths leaving three spots up for grabs in the conference.

The Dallas Cowboys (8-6) saw their lead in the NFC East shrink to just one game over Philadelphia and Washington with two weeks to go.

The Seattle Seahawks (8-6) failed to lock down a playoff spot after a 26-23 overtime loss to San Fran-cisco but still lead the wild card race.

The Minnesota Vikings, at 7-6-1, are also firmly in the mix.

In the AFC, The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers are locked in a battle for the West Division crown though both have punched a ticket to the post-season.

The Chargers stunned the Chiefs 29-28 on Thursday to add intrigue, though Kansas City can own the division by winning out.

The defending AFC champion New England Patriots missed a chance to secure post-season by losing to Pittsburgh 17-10.

The Pats (9-5) are still in prime position with a two-game lead in the AFC East.