Sports FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017 43

Duminy, Amla post century partnership

JOHANNESBURG: JP Duminy and Hashim Amla shepherded a struggling Amla early in the stand. first time, was leg before to Sri Lankan shared a century partnership as South Africa recov- Amla was dropped by at gully Angelo Mathews for ten. He sought a review of ered from a double blow on the first day of the third off when he had five and only scored umpire Bruce Oxenford’s decision but was palpably and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers six in the pair’s first 50 runs together. in front of his stumps. In the next over Elgar, on 27, Stadium yesterday. South Africa were 193 for two at Gradually, though, Amla found his timing and he pushed at a lifting from Lahuri Kumara and tea after deciding to bat on a well-grassed pitch in reached his first half-century in 11 Test matches was caught at first slip by Dimuth Karunaratne. overcast conditions. shortly before tea. He had faced 109 balls and hit sev- South Africa opted for an all-pace attack and gave Duminy was on 87 , while Amla, playing in en fours. Duminy, by contrast, cruised to his half-cen- a first cap to Duanne Olivier, 24, with left-arm spinner his 100th Test, was unbeaten on 50. The pair added tury off 62 balls with ten boundaries and had faced Keshav Maharaj being left out. Left-arm seamer 148 runs after coming together when both opening 127 deliveries, adding three more fours, by tea. Cook Wayne Parnell replaced , whose contract batsmen, Stephen Cook and Dean Elgar, were dis- and Elgar survived the first hour before both were with South Africa was cancelled after he missed within six balls when the total was on 45. The out soon after the mid-morning drinks break. revealed he had signed a Kolpak contract to play left-handed Duminy was the dominant partner as he Cook, playing in a Test on his home ground for the English county cricket with Hampshire. — AFP

Rahane gives India A big win over England

MUMBAI: Skipper Ajinkya Rahane struck a dominating 91 to help India A trounce England XI by six in the second 50- over warm-up match in Mumbai yesterday. Chasing 283 for vic- tory, India A rode on the 119-run opening stand with Rahane and Sheldon Jackson (59) to race to their target in 39.4 overs. India A, who lost their opening game to the Eoin Morgan-led side on Tuesday, made the English bowlers toil at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium. Rahane, coming off a long injury lay-off, smashed 10 fours and a six during his 83-ball knock as the India A top-order came good. Earlier opting to bat first, England were bowled out for 282 in 48.5 overs with top-scoring with 64 runs. India off-spinner Pervez Rasool claimed three wickets. After a good start the visitors dramatically collapsed from 161-1 to 211-9 before (39) and number 11 (38 not out) put together a 71-run 10th-wicket partner- ship to stage a fightback. Opener Jason Roy (25) was out hit wicket after pacer Pradeep Sangwan’s delivery struck the back of his helmet flap and the extra protective gear fell on the stumps as the bails were dislodged. Alex Hales scored a well- made 51 but Morgan, who made three in the first warm-up, once again failed with the bat after registering a first-ball zero. The two sides now head to Pune for the first of the three one- day internationals starting Sunday before the sides play three Twenty20 matches. — AFP WELLINGTON: Bangladesh’s Mominul Haque plays a shot during day one of the first match between New Pakistan blow as Sarfraz Zealand and Bangladesh at the Basin Reserve. — AFP leaves Australia tour Mominul, Tamim shine BRISBANE: Sarfraz Ahmed has become the second Pakistan player forced to return home this week in a troubled lead- up to today’s opening one-day international against in New Zealand gloom Australia in Brisbane. Captain Azhar Ali confirmed on Thursday that his team will be without their vice-captain and wicketkeeper for the opening game at the Gabba and WELLINGTON: Mominul Haque and Tamim Iqbal plundered because we haven’t faced this situation before but still we possibly this month’s entire five-match series. the New Zealand attack to have Bangladesh 154 for three at played really well.” Azhar said Sarfraz had gone back to Pakistan to be with stumps on a rain-disrupted opening day of the first Test in The overcast weather, strong wind and green wicket at the his mother, who is in intensive care in hospital. Mohammad Wellington yesterday. New Zealand were all smiles when they Basin Reserve suggested a bowler’s paradise at the start of the Rizwan will take the gloves for the first day-night match and won the toss and put Bangladesh into bat in prime day, but the conditions proved not as threatening as first could remain in the side if Sarfraz does not return to conditions. But at the end of the day after rain and bad light thought. Instead the bowlers, particularly Trent Boult in the Australia. The news comes just days after fast bowler had restricted play to 40.2 overs, it was Bangladesh with their early overs, had trouble keeping their balance and control in Mohammad Irfan also left the team following the death of heads held high. the wind-with gusts of up to 120 kilometers per hour. his mother. “We’ll definitely miss Sarfraz tomorrow. Mominul was unbeaten on 64 at the close and Shakib Al The wind sent the bails, players’ caps and sunglasses flying Hopefully, he can rejoin the team but, as for right now, he’s Hasan on five after being dropped on four. Opener Tamim and forced the television cameramen to vacate their tower at not here,” Azhar told reporters. went for 56. “Today was Bangladesh’s day,” New Zealand the exposed end of the ground, but it could not stop Tamim Pakistan have retained half the players who were seamer Neil Wagner conceded, blaming the bowling unit for and Mominul cashing in. involved in 3-0 Test series wipeout to Australia for the ODI not making the most of the conditions. “We didn’t do that. We part of their tour. Azhar said the addition of some new faces missed a little bit and we got hurt.” Whirlwind innings and Tuesday’s 196-run thumping of a Cricket Australia XI in Wagner said the New Zealand seamers need to bowl a bet- Tamim only faced 50 deliveries for his whirlwind 56, which a one-day practice game in Brisbane had helped lift the ter line on Friday to get into the match. “We’re going to have included 11 boundaries, while Mominul has 10 fours and a six team’s mood. “I know it wasn’t a very competitive game, to find a way. We know if we put the ball in the right area for a to his name. Tamim was particularly tough on Boult at the but I still believe the batsmen who scored runs will get a lot period of time and build that pressure and bowl consistently start of the day and New Zealand’s new-ball specialist, with of confidence,” he said. “The bowlers had a good outing as in partnerships you can get two, three, four wickets quickly.” the wind behind him, was pulled out of the attack after three well. There’s nothing like playing matches. It’s good to be overs which cost 26 runs of which Tamim had 25. out there no matter what sort of team you play against.” Aggressive approach But Boult had the final say in their battle when play Pakistan’s need for victories is even more urgent given Tamim, who led the way for Bangladesh with his aggres- resumed after the first rain break as he trapped Tamim lbw in they are currently the eighth-ranked one-day nation in the sive approach, said the tourists were happy with the state of the first over of his second spell. Mominul, who has scored world, three rankings points ahead of the West Indies. If the game. “History says the first innings is really difficult on two centuries in four previous innings against New Zealand, they drop out of the top eight by September, they’ll miss this wicket and not too many runs have been scored by the had been circumspect until the rain arrived for a second time out on automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup and best of teams. In that case we handled it pretty well,” he said. 89 minutes into the middle session. The left-hander be forced to enter a 10-team qualifying tournament in “We are very new to this wind so at times we had to stop the launched into Tim Southee with two fours and a top-edge Bangladesh in 2018. —AFP bowlers because it was too heavy. There were seven, eight that flew over the wicketkeeper’s head for six before the occasions when the bails fell down. For us it was difficult players left the field. —AFP