Established 1961 13 Sports Sunday, January 7, 2018 Usman Khawaja leads the way as Australia pull away from England Marsh brothers making merry in an unbroken 104-run partnership SYDNEY: Usman Khawaja plundered a big centu- ry as Australia roasted England’s bowlers yester- day to open up a 133-run lead with two days to play in the final Ashes Test in Sydney. Khawaja topscored with 171 while Shaun Marsh finished unbeaten on 98 after Steve Smith fell for 83 as Australia built a substantial lead with more runs to come and intense 40 Celsius (104 F) heat forecast for Sunday’s fourth day. Australia have already regained the Ashes with an unassailable 3-0 lead and are looking to close out the series 4-0 after last week’s fourth Test in Melbourne was drawn. At the close of play on a dispiriting third day for the tourists, who took just two wickets, broth- ers Shaun and Mitchell Marsh were making merry in an unbroken 104-run partnership as Australia cruised to 479 for four. Mitchell Marsh clubbed Moeen Ali for two sixes in three balls to be 63 not out off 87 balls at stumps after surviving a leg before wicket review in the final overs. Khawaja SYDNEY: Australia’s batsman Usman Khawaja (L) steers a ball away as England’s Mark batted for 515 minutes off 381 balls with 18 fours Stoneman (C) and Jonny Bairstow (R) look on, on the third day of the fifth Ashes cricket Test and a six for his maiden Ashes Test hundred. “You match at the SCG in Sydney. —AFP don’t get to celebrate Test centuries too much SCOREBOARD unless you’re Steve Smith. You’ve got to enjoy his ground. It was due reward for the Hampshire could not find supporting evidence. them when they come,” Khawaja said. It was the leg spinner, who endured the heartbreak of hav- England earlier claimed Smith’s prized wicket Pakistan-born Khawaja’s sixth Test hundred and ing a leg before wicket review rubbed out for a before lunch when Ali caught and bowled the SYDNEY: Scoreboard at the close on day three in the fifth Ashes Test between first in Sydney and came at a time when some for- borderline no-ball when Khawaja was on 132 ear- Australian skipper when he seemed set to make Australia and England in Sydney yesterday: mer players were calling for his sacking despite lier in the day. his fourth century of the series. Smith, who looked scoring two half-centuries earlier in the series. Crane, who at 20 is the youngest specialist untroubled batting patiently through the morning England first innings 346 (J. Root 83, D. Total (4 wickets; 157 overs) 479 “It’s disappointing,” Khawaja said of the criticism. spinner to play for England in 90 years, showed session, left the field shaking his head after batting Malan 62; P. Cummins 4-80) Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Bancroft), 2-86 “When I am scoring runs, I’m elegant and when plenty of heart to keep plugging away without for 253 minutes and facing 158 balls. Smith and I’m not scoring runs I’m lazy. Can’t seem to win, much luck until dismissing Khawaja. Crane finished Khawaja seized the momentum for Australia with (Warner), 3-274 (Smith), 4-375 when things aren’t going well. “I’ve had that a challenging day with one wicket for 135 off 39 a 188-run stand as England chase a face-saving Australia first innings (overnight 193-2) (Khawaja) throughout my career. It’s disappointing to hear overs. “It was a pretty tough day,” Bairstow said. win after surrendering the Ashes after just three C. Bancroft b Broad 0 To bat: T. Paine, M. Starc, P. Cummins, J. but it’s something I have dealt with throughout my “We’re 150 overs into the innings so there’s going matches. The skipper has been one of the key dif- D. Warner c Bairstow b Anderson 56 Hazlewood, N. Lyon career.” He fell three runs short of his highest Test to be a few tired bodies out there. “I thought the ferences between the two sides in the series, U. Khawaja st Bairstow b Crane 171 Bowling: Anderson 30-11-52-1, Broad score of 174 scored against New Zealand in way the guys toiled out there and really worked amassing 687 runs at an average of 137.40 with a Brisbane in 2015. hard was impressive and that’s really good to see top score of 239, his Test best. There was drama S. Smith c and b Ali 83 23-2-70-1, Ali 37-9-125-1, Curran 20- Debutant Mason Crane ended Khawaja’s epic for us as a side going forward.” Shaun Marsh in the final over before lunch when Khawaja sur- S. Marsh not out 98 2-71-0 (1w), Crane 39-3-135-1 (2nb), innings to capture his first Test wicket when he reached his fourth half-century of the series and vived a review for leg before wicket but only after M. Marsh not out 63 Root 8-3-21-0. had him stumped by Jonny Bairstow with a sharp survived a review on 22 for a catch behind off Joe Crane had been found to have just overstepped Extras (b2, lb3, w1, nb2) 8 turner that left the Australian No.3 stranded out of Root after the “Snicko” and “Hot Spot” technology for a no-ball. —AFP New Zealand beat Pakistan by 61 runs in rain-hit ODI WELLINGTON: Kane Williamson may have been New Zealand’s hero in their dominant win over Pakistan in the opening one-day international in Wellington yester- day, but he said it was not a game for heroics. “You’re always thinking about the role you need to play and the situation of the game, and it certainly didn’t require something silly,” Williamson said after New Zealand beat the Champions Trophy holders by 61 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis system. New Zealand made 315 for seven in their 50 overs and had the tourists at 166 for six when rain stopped play in the 31st over. Pakistan had arrived on a nine- match winning streak but fresh from playing in more accommodating conditions than the 120 kilometre an hour (75 mph) winds and rain that greeted them in CAPE TOWN: South Africa batsman Dean Elgar plays a shot during day two of the First Test Wellington. between South Africa and India in Cape Town, yesterday. — AFP After being sent in to bat, Colin Munro (58) and Martin Guptill (48) gave New Zealand a flying start with 83 for the first wicket before Williamson went to His luck ran out when he flashed at a lifting ball from the middle with the dismissal of Munro in the 13th over. Rabada and was caught behind. South Africa on While the openers plundered the boundaries, Rabada finished with three for 34, while Vernon Philander took three for 33. Morkel and Steyn shared the other four Williamson’s 115 off 117 deliveries came from a diet of top despite Pandya wickets. Pandya’s innings was in contrast to the struggles of ones and twos with only eight fours and one six. most of the other Indian batsmen who were kept under pres- “It was holding in the wicket a little bit, and you sure by South Africa’s barrage of four fast bowlers. come to a point in your innings where you either swashbuckling 93 Chetashwar Pujara laboured to 26 off 92 balls, while Rohit address it sensibly and accept that’s what it is doing, or Sharma took 59 balls to score 11. South Africa made a good you do something silly,” Williamson said. “Today I was WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson CAPE TOWN: Hardik Pandya went on a thrilling counter- start to their second innings, with Aiden Markram and Dean a little bit more sensible and accepting of the fact that bowls during the first one day international cricket attack but could not prevent South Africa from finishing on Elgar putting on 52 for the first wicket before Pandya dis- they did bowl well for a long time there, and I felt we match between New Zealand and Pakistan at Basin top on the second day of the first Test at Newlands yester- missed both openers in successive overs. — AFP were perhaps fortunate to get that above 300 score. Reserve in Wellington yesterday. — AFP day. Pandya scored a swashbuckling 93, then took two “They did execute their plans well, the wind was wickets, but South Africa built on a first innings lead of 77 tough to deal with, and maybe that’s where we gained and were 65 for two at the close, an overall lead of 142 on SCOREBOARD an upper hand, but you do ebb and flow through an Fakhar Zaman battled bravely to try to restore the a pitch which has helped fast bowlers. Pakistan innings and was unbeaten on 82, the only India had slumped to 92 for seven in reply to South innings.” Williamson, who was dropped on 26 by Africa’s first innings total of 286 when Pandya found a Pakistan wicketkeeper and captain Sarfraz Ahmed, also innings of note, when rain stopped play and Southee CAPE TOWN: Scores at stumps on the second day of the first Test featured in a 90-run partnership off 80 balls with had the figures of three for 22. determined ally in Bhuvneshwar Kumar. While 24-year-old between South Africa and India at Newlands yesterday.