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Germany to face Switzerland in Hopman final AFP | Perth, Australia Du Plessis, Bavuma ermany’s Angelique GKerber and Alexander Zverev earned the chance to avenge their defeat in last year’s Hopman Cup final by defeating Australia 2-1 at the mixed teams tournament yesterday. stretch S African lead The winner of the final round robin tie would ad- when he thought Bavuma was vance to Saturday’s final ’s leg before . He later won against Swiss defending • an lbw decision against Bavuma champions Roger Federer century leaves Pakistan only for the batsman to be re- and Belinda Bencic and it with mountain to climb prieved on review, with replays was the Germans who pre- showing the ball just going over vailed by claiming both sin- South Africa lead by the top of the bails. gles matches. 205• runs with 4 The left-armed Mohammad World number two Ker- Amir beat the outside of Du ber was too good for the remaining in the innings Plessis’s bat on several occasions 15th-ranked Barty in the but Du Plessis batted on dog- opening match, winning South Africa reached gedly, prepared to wait for rare 6-4, 6-4. 382/6• at stumps on Day loose deliveries before playing Zverev, ranked fourth 2 in reply to Pakistan’s attacking shots. and playing in his fourth Bavuma, who hit a solitary successive Hopman Cup, 177 in the first innings Test century against England then secured the tie for the three seasons ago, made his 13th Germans with a 6-4, 6-3 win AFP | Cape Town, South Africa half-century before being caught over Matthew Ebden. behind off left-armer Shaheen That means the final will Faf du Plessis ground out a Shah Afridi, bowling around the feature the same four play- century and put South Africa in wicket. Bavuma faced 162 balls ers as last year, a first for a commanding position on the and hit ten fours. the tournament in what is second day of the second Test expected to be its final in- against Pakistan at Newlands stalment. yesterday. Pakistan, first innings, 177 Switzerland claimed their Du Plessis made 103, his ninth South Africa’s Faf du Plessis leans into a drive South Africa, first innings country’s third Hopman Test century, as South Africa (overnight 123-2) Cup last year, with Federer, reached 382 for six at the close, a lead of 205 runs. in an innings lasting six minutes the right-handers’ off stump and A. Markram b Shan Masood 78 who first won the title in The South African short of six hours. He faced 226 sent the leg stump flying. D. Elgar c Sarfraz Ahmed b 2001 with Martina Hingis, shared a fifth wicket partner- balls and hit 13 fours. Abbas appeared to have had Mohammad Amir 20 and Kerber winning their BETTER ship of 156 with Temba Bavuma He gave a chance on 96 when Bavuma caught by Azhar Ali at H. Amla b Mohammad Abbas 24 respective singles and the (75), which sapped the energy Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan first slip when the batsman was T. de Bruyn c b Shaheen Swiss taking the deciding from the Pakistan bowlers and captain and wicketkeeper, could on three. The on-field umpires Afridi 13 mixed doubles. KNOW fielders. Wicketkeeper Quin- not hold a faint glance down the gave a “soft” signal of out but F. du Plessis c Sarfraz Ahmed After overpowering a ton de Kock benefitted from the leg side off Mohammad Abbas. asked for television umpire Sun- b Shaheen Afridi 103 stubborn Ebden, Zverev wearing down of the bowlers, Abbas bowled a probing line daram Ravi to check whether T. Bavuma c Sarfraz Ahmed said he and Kerber were Shaheen Shah hitting a breezy 55 off 71 and length but had a largely luck- there had been a clean catch. b Shaheen Afridi 75 motivated by last year’s loss balls late in the day. less day. It started well enough Ravi decided the ball had made Q. de Kock not out 55 in the final. Afridi was the most Du Plessis, out for a pair dur- when he bowled Hashim Amla contact with the ground while V. Philander not out 6 “It’s nice to be back in fi- expensive of the ing South Africa’s six-wicket with his fifth of the the catch was being taken. Extras (b5, lb1, nb2) 8 nal and play Switzerland, Pakistan bowlers, win in the first Test in Centuri- morning with a ball which devi- Shortly afterwards, Abbas un- Total (6 wkts, 116 overs) 382 who we lost to in a close conceding 112 runs on, showed patience and resolve ated sharply off a crack outside successfully sought a review match last year,” he said.

Bale ‘nowhere near’ being Guardiola proud as ‘fearless’ City save title bid AFP | Manchester but we were not scared, we had Madrid’s leader, says Mijatovic no fear. Reuters | Madrid fered any serious injuries this ep Guardiola saluted his “We beat an incredible team. campaign, he has been substi- P“fearless” Manchester City We were outstanding from the ormer Real Madrid striker tuted 15 times in all competi- stars after the champions kept first minute. FPredrag Mijatovic criti- tions, sparking concerns about their Premier League title bid “Liverpool don’t concede cised Gareth Bale for lacking his ability to last 90 minutes. alive with a vital 2-1 win over goals, and we scored two. We leadership qualities and hit Mijatovic, scorer of the goal leaders Liverpool on Thursday. played with courage, so aggres- out at coach Santiago Solari which won the 1998 Champi- Guardiola’s side had no mar- sive in our pressing. after the club’s La Liga title ons League final for Madrid gin for error as a defeat would “We are happy for this victory ambitions were dented by over Juventus, also criticised have left them 10 points behind to reduce the gap. Everything Thursday’s 2-2 draw at Vil- Real coach So - the Reds and in danger of sur- is open.” larreal. lari for removing rendering the title they won in Guardiola reserved special Real’s record signing Bale Modric and said record-breaking fashion last plaudits for Aguero after the had to be substituted at half- he has not en - season. Argentina forward scored his Leroy Sane fires home the decisive goal for Manchester City against Liverpool time after a knock when his joyed watching But they rose to the chal - 250th career league goal with a side were 2-1 up and Solari his former side lenge in thrilling style, beating City ahead in the first half “I am proud of them. We sublime strike in the 40th min- later took off playmaker Luka this sea- Liverpool for the first time in and although Roberto Firmino knew that it was a final today, if ute. Modric, who had been ill with son. five meetings thanks to Leroy equalised after the interval, City we lose it is almost over,” Guar- City’s all-time leading scorer flu in the build-up to the game. Sane’s superb strike in the held their nerve with a coura- diola said. has now netted in all seven of Veteran midfielder Santi Ca- second half. geous display that had Guardi- “All credit to these incredible his home league games against zorla then scored for the sec- Sergio Aguero had put ola singing their praises. players. We had a lot of pressure Liverpool. ond time in the game by head- ing in an equaliser with eight minutes remaining, leaving Madrid in fourth place in the standings and seven points ‘How is that not a red card’: Klopp fumes over Kompany escape adrift of leaders Barcelona. “What keeps happening AFP | Manchester to play on after the foul, but with Bale is a real shame. Klopp insisted that was just I like him a lot as a play - urgen Klopp claimed Vin- luck because Kompany could er but he is nowhere near Jcent Kompany should have have ended his season with the being the leader of the team been sent off for his ugly foul on challenge. after Cristiano Ronaldo left,” Mohamed Salah as Liverpool’s The decision not to dismiss Mijatovic told Spanish radio title charge was hit by a 2-1 de- Kompany proved a crucial mo- station Cadena Ser. feat against Manchester City on ment according to Klopp as City “It’s worrying that he Thursday. went on to snatch the points gets injured so often.” Reds boss Klopp was furious thanks to Leroy Sane’s late win- Bale, who has scored that City captain Kompany es- ner after Roberto Firmino had only four goals in the league caped with only a yellow card cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s this season, has been in - from referee Anthony Taylor opener. jured over 20 times since his following his two-footed lunge “I really like Vincent Kompa- 105 million euro signing from on Salah in the first half at the ny but how on Earth is that not Tottenham Hotspur in 2013. Gareth Etihad Stadium. a red card? He is last man and Bale Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah winces after the tackle by Vincent Kompany that Although he has not suf - Egypt forward Salah was able he goes in,” Klopp said. resulted in a yellow card for the Manchester City defender