14 Established 1961 Sports Thursday, April 12, 2018 Sixers close in on third seed with 15th straight win Wizards romped past Celtics 113-101

LOS ANGELES: The Philadelphia 76ers powered to a worst side in the East with a 24-58 record, saw their record-breaking 15th straight victory on Tuesday with season end with another loss. Taurean Prince led the a 121-113 defeat of the Atlanta Hawks to stay on course Atlanta scoring with 27 points while Tyler Dorsey had for third seed in the Eastern Conference standings. 17 off the bench. The only sour note for the Sixers was J.J. Redick led the scoring with 28 points while Ersan an injury to power forward Dario Saric, who left the Ilyasova weighed in with 26 off the bench as the Sixers game in the opening seconds nursing a cut lip and a moved to within one win of locking up third spot. Ben chipped tooth after a collision with John Collins. Simmons, who had been struggling with a stomach bug, “It’s not an ideal time of year to lose a starting player added 14 points with 10 assists while Marco Belinelli on the first play of the game,” Brown said. “We’ll learn had 20 off the bench as the Sixers set a new franchise more about his condition when we get back to record for consecutive wins. The Sixers can seal third in Philadelphia.” Elsewhere Tuesday, John Wall racked up the Eastern Conference in the final round of regular 29 points as the Washington Wizards romped past the season games yesterday Celtics 113-101. when they return to Wall pulled down seven Philadelphia to host rebounds and provided 12 Milwaukee. Sixers coach assists in the win as the Brett Brown said he believes Celtics, who are already his team’s record winning We broke a assured of second place in streak can be the catalyst for the East, slipped to their a strong performance in the club record fourth loss in five games. postseason. Jaylen Brown led the “We have momentum, we tonight Boston scorers with 27 broke a club record tonight,” points. Jayson Tatum had 12 Brown told reporters. “It’s points while Al Horford not like we’re a young club. snagged 14 rebounds and We’re an old club with a added 10 points. In the tremendous history. Taking that kind of momentum into Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors the playoffs is important. It doesn’t guarantee anything brought their regular season campaign to a close with a but it certainly lets you feel you’re doing things the tame defeat to the Utah Jazz. right way. The team has been fantastic.” Third place in The reigning NBA champions had already assured the East could potentially be worth an easier route to themselves of second place and were a long way off the Conference finals, with the injury-hit Boston Celtics, their best as they slumped to a 119-79 loss at Salt Lake seeded second, likely opponents in the second round. City’s Vivint Smart Home Arena. Kay Thompson led the scoring for the Warriors with 23 points but the Dubs SARIC INJURY SCARE were no match for the all-round offensive threat of the Philadelphia’s emergence this season marks a dra- Jazz, who face Portland on the road yesterday to decide ATLANTA: Amir Johnson #5 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday matic turnaround in fortunes, just two years after finish- which team will finish third. Both Utah and Portland at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. — AFP ing bottom with a dismal 10-72 record. Atlanta, the have identical 48-33 records. — AFP

(IPL), told Reuters in an interview. “Whatever opportu- Pollard leaves nity I get to play I am happy. “Now I am focussing on the IPL at the present time and after that there are a couple of international series.” Aaron targets ODI return to Considered a Twenty20 specialist, Pollard has played 101 ODIs for the West Indies, the last of them against county success Pakistan in October, 2016. The hard-hitting lower-order Windies board batsman and medium pace bowler hopes to add to that number. to overcome “I am still very much part of the West Indies interna- : is available to play one-day tional Twenty20 squad,” Pollard said at an event to internationals for West Indies but the 30-year-old all- launch the new AlphaBounce Beyond shoe by Adidas. IPL snub rounder remains unsure what plans the board may have “The 50-over is still a bit up in air as to what for him in the 50-over format. Players have been they (CWI) are thinking. That is a question you need to NEW DELHI: Varun Aaron has shrugged off the dis- embroiled in contractual disputes with Cricket West ask them. “But me as a cricketer, I am happy in life, I am appointment of being left unwanted at this year’s Indies (CWI) for several years, with the team even happy in what I am doing and I am just trying to per- India Premier League (IPL) auction with the Indian abandoning a 2014 tour of India midway through the form in whichever continent I am playing my cricket.” paceman instead channelling his focus on striving for series over a payment structure row. Two-time champions West Indies have qualified for a successful county stint in England. However, CWI reached an agreement with the play- the quadrennial 50-over World Cup in England and Despite being overlooked by all eight IPL fran- ers’ union for a ‘temporary amnesty’, paving the way for Wales, finishing runner-up to Afghanistan in a 10-team chises, the 28-year-old is now armed with a deal to high-profile players such as , event hosted by Zimbabwe last month. play for Leicestershire in the early part of the 2018 and Pollard to return to the national one-day interna- Pollard was happy for the team though he was dis- County Championship, a stint he hopes will put his tional side. appointed that West Indies had to take the qualifying stuttering career back on track. While Gayle and Marlon Samuels were part of the route to grab the two non-automatic spots in the 10- “I was not really thinking about whether I’d be 15-man squad for last month’s 2019 World Cup quali- team tournament. “Congratulations to them for qualify- picked or not in the IPL auction,” Aaron, who has fiers, CWI informed that Narine, all-rounder Andre ing for the World Cup,” the Trinidadian said. represented the Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Punjab Russell, Pollard and batsman had opted to “Obviously, as a West Indian cricketer it’s disappointing franchises in the lucrative Twenty20 league, told play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). that we had to go through that sort of an avenue in Reuters in a telephone interview. “I am actually happy in my life,” Pollard, who plays order to get the World Cup. “But I think the guys went Kieron Pollard “It was more a case of which team is going to pick for the Mumbai franchise in the and did a fantastic job.” — Reuters me. But when it didn’t happen, it was a shocker for sure,” added the right-arm bowler, who played his last test in 2015. “But it took me a few minutes to snap out of it. For the amount of hard work I have put in, for all that I have come through, I feel there’s bigger things in store. “When we talk after six months, then I can ICC to resolve tell you that it’s the best thing to have happened to me. I really feel this might be the turning point,” he said, looking forward to his spell in England with the India-Pakistan Division Two side. After the snub, Aaron set his sights on county cricket dispute cricket and an unlikely door opened when Leicestershire asked him to fill the ‘overseas player’ void left by Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas, who LAHORE: The International Cricket Council has will be busy on national duty. Aaron said he always created a dispute resolution panel to hear wanted to experience county cricket and the IPL Pakistan’s compensation claim against archrival snub made his decision to head to Britain that much India for refusing to play a bilateral series. easier. “I even considered skipping IPL last year to Sporting ties between the cricket-mad South play county cricket. I spoke to my colleagues and my Asian neighbours have suffered in recent years coaches who said ‘No, you must play in the IPL, it’s a amid rising political tensions, and Pakistani cricket big thing in the calendar’ and stuff like that,” he said. authorities say their Indian counterparts have vio- “This year what happened is by default... county lated a 2014 memorandum of understanding under cricket is really competitive. I know that after I come which the two were to play six bilateral series out of this, what I’m bowling now is going to be max- JAIPUR: cricketer Jos Buttler (R) plays a shot during the 2018 Indian Premier between 2015 and 2023. imised by a big margin.” League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils at the Sawai The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is seeking Aaron burst on to the Test scene in 2011 as a gen- Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur yesterday. — AFP uine speed merchant in an Indian pace attack of $70 million in compensation. It initiated dispute mostly line-and-length bowlers but a spate of injuries resolution proceedings against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the ICC in ensured he has played only nine tests and the same Visakhapatnam, Trivandrum, Pune and Rajkot-none of number of one-day internationals. “I have had so November last year. Chennai to lose which is in Tamil Nadu, the water-strapped southern A three-member panel will hear the claim later many injuries. Every time I’ve hit form, something has state home to Chennai. “CSK can play their matches happened,” he said. “Touch wood, the past year’s this year, the sport’s world governing body said in a at these venues,” Rai said, using the acronym for the been really good. I’ve bowled a lot of overs in the IPL matches amid statement Tuesday. (domestic) Ranji Trophy and getting a county deal Chennai Super Kings franchise. “The hearing will take place in Dubai from 1-3 immediately after that, it’s going to help me a lot.” The cash-rich Twenty20 tournament returned to October and the decision of the Dispute Panel shall With India set to tour England later this year and also water protests Chennai after a two-year ban handed to the Super be non-appealable” and binding on both Pakistan head there for the 2019 World Cup, Aaron felt the IPL Kings for illegal gambling expired. But their home- and India, the ICC said. rebuff could actually prove to be a “blessing in dis- coming was marred when protesters-trying to raise The BCCI refused to play two series against guise”. “While I’m not thinking about it constantly, it NEW DELHI: India’s cricket board is considering awareness about a long-running water dispute with Pakistan in 2015 and 2017, saying it did not have would be really stupid to say it’s not something I shifting Indian Premier League games from Chennai, neighbouring Karnataka-burned merchandise and jos- permission from the Indian government because of haven’t thought about,” he said. “At the same time, I which is in the grip of a water crisis, after protesters tled with police outside the stadium. Shoes were strained relations. can only play for the India team if I do well for threatened to release snakes during the next match. hurled at Chennai players on the boundary ropes dur- India-Pakistan ties, including sports and cultural Leicestershire. I’m really looking forward to making The Board of Control for Cricket in India was ing the match, which the Super Kings won over the contacts, plummeted after the 2008 militant attacks an impact with Leicestershire. mulling alternate venues for Chennai’s remaining six despite the disruption. A Tamil in Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistani “I can still do big things. In the coming years, I IPL matches after protesters scuffled with police and outfit yesterday also threatened to release snakes dur- militant groups. There has been just one bilateral definitely want to win matches for India abroad.” The threw shoes on the pitch at their home match on ing the Kings’ next match on April 20 against tour since, when Pakistan visited India to play two paceman from also admitted to having a Tuesday. “We are thinking on the lines of shifting the Rajasthan Royals if it is not shifted from Chennai. The better understanding of both his body and his craft, Twenty20s and three one-day internationals in IPL matches from Chennai,” BCCI administrator Vinod drought-prone state has witnessed increasing December 2012 and January 2013. They have, how- pointing to his increased workload in domestic cricket Rai was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India protests in recent weeks over a disputed accord with as evidence of this acquired knowledge.—Reuters ever, continued to play each other in multinational news agency. Karnataka on how to share water from the key events like the World Cup. — AFP The BCCI had four alternative venues up its sleeve- Cauvery river. — AFP