20 Friday, January 5, 2018 SPORTS Ferrari’s final step will be the hardest Root falls London “What we have to do is take errari’s final step back to that final step. If you look back becoming a Formula 1 it’s always that final step that’s Fworld champion again will be the hardest. the hardest, admits Sebastian “There’s a lot of work going Vettel. on already and for the last short as Though Ferrari made a huge couple of months focusing on improvement in 2017 to go next year, trying to make the from a winless ‘16 F1 season car faster, with more power to challenging Mercedes for into the power unit, and then the title, it has still not taken we’ll see where we are.” a driver to the championship Prior to 2017, Ferrari had Aussies since Kimi Raikkonen’s 2007 not been in a championship success or won a constructors’ fight since Fernando Alonso’s crown since ‘08. 2010 near-miss and his shock Vettel believes Ferrari title shot in ‘12 (above) in a car can carry its momentum that was rarely a match for the from last year into 2018, but frontrunners. fight back acknowledged going from It was the first time Vettel underdog title challenger had been a title contender since to being capable of ending the last of his four straight Mercedes’ four-season run of successes with Red Bull in championship doubles was 2013. another step. “In the end as a driver you BRIEF SCORE “Obviously the regulations want to win, and obviously England 5 for 233 (Root 83, Malan stay roughly the same. I think when you are competitive at 55*) v Australia we have a good and healthy the beginning you don’t know platform to build on at the if it will be enough to fight England’s Dawid Malan plays a shot (Picture courtesy: theguardian) beginning of the year so I hope for the championship,” he said. we can continue,” said Vettel. (autosport) Sydney England’s first innings with not to be run out two balls unbeaten double century. ngland skipper Joe Root a 133-run stand after the later. Cook, who carried his bat again missed out on an tourists had slumped to 95 Malan, on 28, cut towards through the England first elusiveE first century in the for three following the loss of backward point and there innings in the fourth Test for series as Australia fought Melbourne double-centurion was confusion over the run an unbeaten 244, looked on back with two late wickets on Alastair Cook. with Root steaming down the his way to another big score the opening day of the fifth Malan lived a charmed life pitch and Malan stuttering until Josh Hazlewood struck Test yesterday. in his half-century, surviving and then setting off for the in the 33rd over. Root was out to a superb a run out attempt and a non-striker’s end. Hazlewood’s leg before diving catch by Mitchell dropped Steve Smith catch to But the throw from wicket appeal was turned Marsh at square leg for 83 provide stoic support for his wicketkeeper Tim Paine was down on-field, but on review in the day’s penultimate over skipper. off target and bowler Nathan the ball was found to be just before Jonny Bairstow was At the close, England were Lyon was unable to effect the pitching in line with the caught behind in the final 233 for five with Malan left run out with Malan well out left-hander’s leg stump and over. unbeaten on 55 off 160 balls of his ground. hitting middle and Cook was Root slumped to his when Bairstow was caught Malan had another life on given out for 39 off 104 balls. haunches in dismay behind off Josh Hazlewood 34 when Smith dropped a It was the third time in the after missing out on a for five. sharp ankle-high chance at series Cook has fallen lbw hundred following his Root reached his half- slip off Lyon. and it left him just five runs fourth half-century of the century off 82 balls cover Only last week in short of 12,000 career Test series. driving Mitchell Marsh for Melbourne Smith put down runs in his 152nd Test match. Root and Malan recovered four, but Malan was fortunate two catches in Alastair Cook’s (AFP) Sebastian Vettel (file pic) De Villiers hungry for big test runs Cape Town and he wants to put in big outh Africa are backing AB de performances, so I think that’s Villiers to show his class and half the battle already. When you Sscore heavily as he continues his have a high-quality player like return to the test arena, captain him, if you get the mental side Faf du Plessis said ahead of their of things right, he can be a good three-test series against India. asset.” Former world No.1 batsman De Villiers scored a quick-fire De Villiers took almost two half century -- his 40th in test years out of first-class cricket cricket -- on his test return in to concentrate on the shorter the brief Boxing Day test against formats and spend more time Zimbabwe in Port Elizabeth last with his young family. But the week, but this will be a much 33-year-old is now back for South tougher examination. Africa as they begin a busy home “I don’t know when the next schedule with the opening test test series against India is, but it’s against India at Newlands today. probably the last time a lot of us “What’s important with AB is play against India and there’s no that he is fresh and hungry to better way than playing a series in score big runs. He has had a good South Africa,” Du Plessis said of break,” said Du Plessis yesterday. South Africa’s experienced line- AB de Villiers (file pic) “He feels mentally strong up. (Reuters)