Liverpool savour remarkable Champions League comeback PAGE 18 THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019 Sarri fears transfer ban will ruin EUROPA LEAGUE SEMIS Chelsea’s title hopes next year PAGE 18 VALENCIA VS ARSENAL SAMBA GETS SET FOR SHANGHAI Achieving the ‘three-peat’ Qatar’s ace 400m in Shanghai 12 months ago left McLeod overwhelmed with hurdler will line emotion. “The appreciation and re- up against Rai spect they have for hurdlers Benjamin at IAAF here is really special to me,” said McLeod. “I always want Diamond League to go out there and do my very best just for the fans, to show on May 18 my appreciation for the appre- ciation they show for me.” IAAF The Jamaican’s first SHANGHAI Shanghai victory came in 2016 when he clocked a world- TWO of the three fastest men leading 12.98 to grab the title in history will clash in the ahead of two world champions 400m hurdles in Shanghai and the world record-holder. when Abderrahman Samba He went on to claim Olympic lines up against Rai Benjamin gold in 2016 and added world at the IAAF Diamond League outdoor gold to his collection meeting on May 18. in London in 2017. Samba, the world No.1 at McLeod will clash with 400m hurdles, is looking to Ortega again on 18 May when extend an unbeaten streak battle resumes for the 2019 that stretches back to the crown with the Spaniard seek- IAAF World Championships ing his first victory after finish- London 2017 where he was ing runner-up in 2015, 2017 seventh. and 2018. Since then he hasn’t lost Others aiming to wrest the a race at his specialist event, crown from McLeod’s grasp winning all of his races in his include 2015 world champion 2018 IAAF Diamond League Sergey Shubenkov and 2012 campaign and lowering the Olympic champion and world Asian record three times, cul- record-holder Aries Merritt, minating with a 46.98 clock- who is seeking a first Shanghai ing in Paris to move to second victory on his eighth appear- on the world all-time list. Rai ance at the meeting. Benjamin had been sharing Merritt will be joined by the second spot on the world US compatriot Devon Al- all-time list with Ed Moses af- Abderrahman Samba on way to winning the Doha Diamond League meeting in 2018. len, world indoor champion ter running 47.02 to win the Andrew Pozzi and European NCAA title last year, but he 19.99 last year and started his Yasmani Copello, Olympic fourth successive victory in successful athlete ever in the his third straight title in 13.16. indoor Milan Trajkovic of was bumped down one place 2019 outdoor campaign with finalist Annsert Whyte of Ja- Shanghai. meeting’s traditional blue More significantly, he Cyprus. on that list after Samba’s run a 400m PB of 44.31. The race maica and Feng Zhiqiang of The Jamaican sprint hur- riband contest. moved ahead of his boyhood China’s hopes rest with in Paris. in Shanghai will be Benjamin’s China are also in the line-up. dler made history last year The 25-year-old shrugged hero, Liu Xiang, who enjoyed Asian champion Xie Wenjun, Benjamin hasn’t contested first IAAF Diamond League In the 110m hurdles, world when he completed a hat- off injury niggles to beat two crowd-pleasing victories who hopes to repeat his 2014 a 400m hurdles race since appearance. and Olympic champion Omar trick of Shanghai hurdles Spain’s Olympic silver medal- at his home-town meeting be- victory after missing last year’s then, but he ran a 200m PB of World silver medallist McLeod will be targeting a wins to become the most list Orlando Ortega and claim fore his retirement in 2012. meeting with injury. Delhi survive Sunrisers scare SCOREBOARD SUNRISERS HYDERABAD Wriddhiman Saha c Shreyas Iyer b Ishant Sharma 8 Martin Guptill c Keemo Paul b Amit Mishra ........ 36 Manish Pandey c S Rutherford b Keemo Paul .... 30 Kane Williamson b Ishant ................................... 28 Vijay Shankar c Axar Patel b Trent Boult ..............25 Mohammad Nabi c Axar b Keemo Paul ..............20 Deepak Hooda Run Out Rishabh Pant ...................4 Rashid Khan c Rishabh Pant b Paul ......................0 Basil Thampi Not Out .............................................1 India among favourites to Extras: (2lb, 1nb, 7w) ......................................... 10 TOTAL: (20.0 overs) .......................................162-8 Fall of Wickets: 1-31 Saha, 2-56 Guptill, 3-90 win World Cup: Kapil Dev Pandey, 4-111 Williamson, 5-147 Shankar, 6-160 Nabi, 7-161 Hooda, 8-161 Khan. Bowling: Boult 3-0 -7-1 (1w), Ishant 4-0-34-2, Axar AFP 4-0-30-0, Mishra 4-0-16-1, Paul 4-0-32-3 (5w, NEW DELHI 1nb), Rutherford 1-0-11-0 (1w). DELHI CAPITALS Prithvi Shaw c Vijay Shankar b Khaleel Ahmed ...56 FORMER captain Kapil Dev Shikhar Dhawan st Saha b Deepak Hooda ........ 17 on Wednesday pegged India as Shreyas Iyer c Saha b Khaleel Ahmed ...................8 Rishabh Pant c Nabi b Bhuvneshwar Kumar ...... 49 one of the top three favourites to Colin Munro lbw Rashid Khan .............................14 win the World Cup, which starts Axar Patel c Saha b Rashid Khan ..........................0 later this month, saying their Sherfane Rutherford c Nabi b Bhuvneshwar ..........9 pace bowling would come good Keemo Paul Not Out ..............................................5 Right balance Amit Mishra Obstructing Field ................................1 in seaming English conditions. Extras: (1b, 5w): ....................................................6 India open their campaign India has the combination of TOTAL: (19.5 overs) .......................................165-8 against South Africa on June youth & experience. They have Fall of Wickets : 1-66 Dhawan, 2-84 Iyer, 3-87 5 in Southampton with an eye Shaw, 4-111 Munro, 5-111 Patel, 6-151 Rutherford, the right balance in four fast 7-158 Pant, 8-161 Mishra. on clinching their third title in bowlers, three spinners and two Bowling: Bhuvneshwar 4-0-42-2 (2w), Nabi 4-0-29- the 50-over showpiece event. 0, Khaleel 2.5-0-24-2 (1w), Rashid Khan 4-1-15-2 “Winning team looks like big names in Virat Kohli and (1w), Basil Thampi 4-0-41-0, Hooda 1-0-13-1 (1w). India, England and Australia (M.S.) Dhoni. and surprise package can be 1983 World Cup winning by paceman Ishant Sharma New Zealand,” the Indian for 28, but Vijay Shankar and World Cup-winning skipper captain Kapil Dev Mohammad Nabi helped ac- told reporters at a promotion- Delhi Capitals’ Parthiv Shaw (centre) and other team members celebrate after winning the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the celerate the scoring in the last al event in New Delhi. “They are fantastic, very Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. (AFP) four overs to take them to a “India has the combina- good. English conditions will challenging total. tion of youth and experience. help them. They can swing Shankar hit two fours and They have the right balance in the ball,” said Dev, known as Shaw, Pant help Capitals set up Qualifier 2 clash with Chennai Super Kings as many sixes in his 11-ball 25 four fast bowlers, three spin- “Haryana Hurricane” during while Nabi made 20 from 13 ners and two big names in Vi- his playing days for his pace. REUTERS Delhi rode on aggressive boundaries and two sixes before dismissed for obstructing the balls. Delhi all-rounder Keemo rat Kohli and (M.S.) Dhoni,” “They have Bumrah and VISAKHAPATNAM knocks by Shaw and Pant to Pant took Delhi close to victory. field by getting in the way of Paul finished with figures of he said. Shami who can bowl 145 edge a thrilling game with a Wicketkeeper-batsman a throw at the stumps, before 3-32 from his four overs, includ- India’s pace battery is led (kmph) plus. So we have swing, PRITHVI Shaw’s half-century ball to spare. Pant, who was left out of they sealed a famous victory. ing two wickets in the final over. by Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s we have pace. That’s a very and Rishabh Pant’s 21-ball 49 Delhi face Chennai Super India’s World Cup squad, Earlier, Hyderabad’s top-or- The West Indian was also top bowler in the one-day for- good combination to have.” helped Delhi Capitals seal a Kings in another playoff on smashed five sixes and two der failed to convert starts into involved in a controversial mat, and includes Mohammed Dev, who led India to their two-wicket win over Sunris- Friday to determine who meets boundaries but missed out on big scores with Martin Guptill run out on the penultimate Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar maiden World Cup in 1983 ers Hyderabad in their Indian three-times champions Mum- a well-deserved half-century dismissed for 36 while Manish ball of the Hyderabad in- and Hardik Pandya. when his side beat two-time Premier League (IPL) playoff bai Indians in Sunday’s final. when he was caught attempt- Pandey perished for 30. nings, after Deepak Hooda Bumrah has been hailed champions West Indies to take on Wednesday to move a step Indian opener Shaw laid ing one too many big shots. Hyderabad were 111 for was caught short of his crease for his ability to bowl yorkers the trophy at Lord’s, said it closer to the final. the platform with a blistering Delhi survived a nervy final the loss of four wickets after having collided with him in at the death, while Shami and was the “belief” which sepa- Chasing 163 for victory, 56 off 38 balls that included six over in which Amit Mishra was Kane Williamson was bowled the middle of the pitch.