SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 2017 SPORTS MOTOR RACING Alonso hints at McLaren exit after nightmare test BARCELONA: Two-time Formula One more motivation to continue. I will not mum pressure” to come up with solu- gap.” Alonso, world champion in 2005 between the late eighties and early world champion Fernando Alonso ruled stop driving without a good result, tions to their continued reliability prob- and 2006, claimed he still feels he is a nineties when they reunited in 2015. out retiring until he is handed a compet- which I think is what I deserve.” lems. At the other end of the field, the better driver than the likes of Hamilton Instead, Honda has been unable to itive car as his beleaguered McLaren- McLaren finished bottom of the pad- likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, and Vettel. deliver an engine capable of competing Honda suffered more reliability prob- dock in terms of laps completed from Lewis Hamilton and Valterri Bottas were “I feel the fastest driver out there, so I at the front of the grid. lems to end pre-season testing on the eight days of testing at Barcelona’s blitzing the times set in recent years for just need an engine that can run as fast McLaren executive director Zak Friday. The Spaniard broke down twice Circuit de Catalunya. Mercedes and Ferrari. as the others on the straight.” Brown, though, has rejected rumours as electrical faults again restricted his “We have only one problem which is A series of new regulations for the Alonso’s stance heaps extra pressure that the British team could look to break running to just 43 laps and the 11th the power unit,” added Alonso. 2017 season was expected to see onto the relationship between McLaren ties with the Japanese manufacturer. fastest time of 13 drivers. Alonso’s con- “There is no reliability and there is no McLaren reassert themselves as a con- and engine suppliers Honda ahead of “We have a long-term contract,” he tract with McLaren expires at the end of power. We are 30 kilometres (per hour) tender after failing to win a Grand Prix the season opening Grand Prix in told Sky Sports. “We have won a lot of the season. down on the straight.” since 2012. Melbourne on March 26. championships with them, they have “I want victories and podiums and if it Alonso’s criticism backed up McLaren “This year is more frustrating because The pairing was intended to bring the right people, we have the right peo- all goes wrong, I will attack next year,” racing director Eric Boullier’s claim on you have high hopes due to the change back a glory period when they won ple, so we are going to work through it Alonso, 35, told reporters. “It will give me Wednesday that Honda are “under maxi- or rules and you think you can cut the eight world championships together together.” — AFP Herath leads Sri Lanka’s crushing win over Bangladesh GALLE: Rangana Herath grabbed six wick- Gunaratne clipped the bails of his off ets in the second innings to become Test stump to dismiss the left-hander with his cricket’s most successful left-arm spinner as overnight score of 53. Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by 259 runs Perera then struck in successive overs, in their first Test at Galle yesterday. trapping Mominul Haque leg-before for Herath finished with 6-59, his 23rd five five before forcing a catch from Tamim or more wicket haul, which took his tally in Iqbal to Gunaratne at slip for 19. Herath Tests to 366 wickets, going past New delivered further blows when he removed Zealand’s Daniel Vettori, who has 362 wick- Shakib Al Hasan for eight and handed ets to his name. Mahmudullah a second-ball duck in a His exploits helped Sri Lanka dismiss space of three balls in one over. Shakib Bangladesh for 197 runs in the second gloved a catch to Dimuth Karunaratne at innings in less than two sessions on the leg slip while Mahmudullah was deceived fifth day after the visitors resumed play by an arm ball, which hit his back foot, to promisingly on 67-0. be adjudged lbw. Skipper Mushfiqur “I would say kind of a big achievement, Rahim and wicketkeeper-batsman Liton but I must thank every single person who Das put 54 runs for the sixth wicket but Sri has supported me - the support staff, my Lanka wrapped the innings quickly once family - I want to say thank you to all of left-arm spinner Lakshan Sandakan broke them,” Herath said about his record. the stand. Mushfiqur fell to Sandakan for 34 “Everybody chipped in and I must congrat- runs before Herath removed Liton for 35 ulate everyone because it is a team effort,” runs to expedite the win. he said about the victory. Mushfiqur refused to blame the pitch for Herath claimed four of the last five wick- their defeat. “I thought the wicket is still ets that fell in the post-lunch session as pretty good to bat, it does not look like a Bangladesh were folded in 60.2 overs to day five wicket,” he said. hand Sri Lanka a 1-0 lead in the two-Test “It came down to how we batted on the series. Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera claimed final day and the first session was going to two wickets in the morning to trigger the be crucial, but we unfortunately lost wick- collapse in Bangladesh innings before ets.” Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis was named Herath took charge of Sri Lanka’s bowling man of the match for his heroic 194 runs in unit. Bangladesh lost unbeaten-overnight the first innings. DUNEDIN: New Zealand’s James Neesham (R) attempts to catch South Africa’s Dean Elgar during day four of the first international cricket Test batsman Soumya Sarkar in the second ball “I am extremely happy about the match between New Zealand and South Africa at the University Oval in Dunedin yesterday. — AFP of the morning and failed to regroup as achievement and thank Rangana Herath they lost wickets at regular intervals. and rest of the team for the support,” he CRICKET Soumya got a leading edge off the first ball, said. The second Test, Bangladesh’s 100th, which somehow missed a fielder. However, will be held in Colombo between March the next ball of medium pace Asela 15-19. —AFP SCOREBOARD Elgar goes, S Africa GALLE: Final scores of the first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on the fifth day in Galle yesterday. stumble as rain hovers Sri Lanka 1st innings 494 (K. Mendis 194, A. Mehedi Hasan c Kumara b Herath 28 Gunaratne 85, N. Dickwella 75, D. Perera 51; Taskin Ahmed c Mendis b Herath 5 Mehedi Hasan 4-113). Mustafizur Rahman b Herath 0 Bangladesh 1st innings 312 (Mushfiqur Rahim Subashis Roy not out 0 DUNEDIN: South African batting coach Neil 85, Soumya Sarkar 71, Tamim Iqbal 57; D. Perera 3- Extras (b1, lb4, w1 nb4) 10 McKenzie believes his side need another 70 runs to SCOREBOARD 53, R. Herath 3-72) Total (all out, 60.2 overs) 197 feel safe after New Zealand captured the key wick- Sri Lanka 2nd innings 274/6 declared (U. Fall of wickets: 1-67 (Soumya), 2-80 (Mominul), 3- et of Dean Elgar to keep alive the prospect of a DUNEDIN, New Zealand: Scoreboard at the close of day four in the first Test between New Zealand and South Tharanga 115, D. Chandimal 50 not out; Mehedi 83 (Tamim), 4-104 (Shakib), 5- 104 (Mahmudullah), result in the first Test in Dunedin yesterday. Africa in Dunedin yesterday. Hasan 2-77, Shakib Al Hasan 2-104) 6-158 (Mushfiqur), 7-166 (Liton), 8-180 (Taskin), 9- At stumps on day four, New Zealand were South Africa 1st innings 308 (D. Elgar 140, T. Bavuma F. du Plessis not out 56 Bangladesh 2nd innings (overnight 67-0) 194 (Mustafizur, 10 -197 (Mehedi). already sensing a moral victory with South Africa at Tamim Iqbal c Gunaratne b Perera 19 Bowling: Lakmal 7-3-12-0, Perera 15-0-66-2, 64, F. du Plessis 52; Boult 4-64, Wagner 3-88) T. Bavuma b Santner 6 224 for six, a lead of 191 and with rain forecast on New Zealand 1st innings 341 (K. Williamson 130, J. Q. de Kock b Patel 4 Soumya Sarka b Gunaratne 53 Herath 20.2-5-59-6, Gunaratne 6-1-16-1 (nb1), the final day. Champion run maker Elgar went late Mominul Haque lbw b Perera 5 Sandakan 9-0-29-1 (nb3), Kumara 3-0-10-0 (w1). Raval 52, B. Watling 50; Maharaj 5-94) V. Philander not out 1 Mushfiqur Rahim c Dickewella b Sandakan 34 in the day for 89, and if it stays dry, McKenzie said Extras: (b1, lb3, w1) 5 Shakib Al Hasan c Karunaratne b Herath 8 Result: Sri Lanka won by 259 runs the remainder of the line up needed to build a big- South Africa 2nd innings (overnight 38-1) Total: (six wickets; 102 overs) 224 Mahmudullah lbw b Herath 0 Series Result: Sri Lanka lead two-match series 1-0 ger buffer. “It’s about dictating terms in terms of S. Cook c Watling b Boult 0 Fall of wicket: 1-0 (Cook), 2-39 (Amla), 3-113 (Duminy), 4- Liton Das c Tharanga b Herath 35 Man of the match: Kusal Mendis (SRI) batting time,” he said. “It’s not going to come in 10 D. Elgar c Williamson b Patel 89 193 (Elgar), 5-206 (Bavuma), 6-218 (de Kock) overs, that’s the nature of the wicket, so we have to H.