Sports Friday, August 13, 2021 11 Liverpool midfielder Fabinho believes he can get even better DPA “I think if I have good con- LONDON ditions for the rest of my ca- reer, I believe I can be the best MIDFIELDER Fabinho con- player in my position. siders himself one of the best “That’s what I will try, in the world at the job he does to do my best for Liverpool. for Liverpool but feels he still Hopefully it will be my best has more to offer. season for the club.” The 27-year-old last week An encouraging pre-sea- signed a new contract which son, coupled with the return will keep him at Anfield until of Liverpool’s trio of injured 2026, meaning the club should centre-backs Virgil Van Dijk, reap the benefits of him at the Joe Gomez and Joel Matip - peak of his career. plus the early form of summer Despite a shortened pre- signing Ibrahima Konate to season because of his involve- strengthen that area - means ment in the Copa America the players head into the Car- with Brazil, Fabinho looks set row Road clash confident. to start in the Premier League The return of Van Dijk, opener at Norwich on Saturday. who did not play again after And he is keen to kick off cruciate ligament surgery in what he hopes will be his best October, could be key to Liver- year yet in a red shirt after the pool’s chances of overhauling disappointment of the previ- Manchester City and beating ous campaign which was deci- off competition from Man- mated by injuries. chester United and Chelsea, “I think I can still improve. all of whom have strengthened I feel important, I feel I am considerably more than Juer- one of the best players in my gen Klopp’s side. position,” he said. “You always “We have the confidence in feel you can be better, that you the other players in this squad have room to improve. I don’t but, of course, Virgil is the best India openers Rohit Sharma (centre) and KL Rahul (right) take a run during their opening partnership of 126 runs as England bowler Ollie Robinson looks on, on the first day of the want to stop; I want to always defender in the world,” said first Test between India and England at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on Thursday. grow, to try to be better. Fabinho. Atletico defender Savic signs Ton-up Rahul and Rohit provide new deal with La Liga champs DPA ti’s 38 league games as Diego BERLIN Simeone’s squad won the title for the second time in seven India with a solid start at Lord’s ATLETICO Madrid centre- years. Atletico kept a clean back Stefan Savic has signed sheet in 16 of those matches Anderson. At the tea break, hit (35*) and Rahul (10*) un- a new deal with the Spanish and won 24 of them for a win Visitors 276-3 India’s score read 157/2. Af- beaten at the crease. The first champions, agreeing to extend rate of 72.7 per cent, compared ter the lunch break, Rohit and session saw few interruptions his stay with the club until to 40 per cent in the five games after being put Rahul continued from where due to rain and only 18.4 overs June 2024. Montenegro inter- Savic did not play a part in. they left and brought up the were bowled in the session. national Savic has spent the Since making his La Liga into bat 100-run opening stand in the Earlier, Joe Root-led Eng- past six seasons with Atletico debut in August 2015, no de- ANI 33rd over of the innings. Rohit land won the toss and opted to and played a big part in last fender has helped their side to LONDON was the aggressor of the two bowl and the home team skip- term’s La Liga title triumph. more clean sheets in the divi- and was marching ahead to per made no bones about the The defender featured 42 sion than the 30-year-old (72), KL Rahul’s unbeaten ton and another century in the longest fact that he wanted to make times in all competitions in with Barcelona’s Jordi Alba Rohit Sharma’s gutsy 83-knock format. use of the overcast conditions 2020-21 and started 33 of Atle- (68) next on the list. helped India take the upper However, he was not able to put pressure on India. But hand against England on the to register a century as he was Rohit and Rahul ensured In- opening day of the ongoing sent back to the pavilion by dia has a solid foundation. second Test here at the Lord’s James Anderson in the 44th SCOREBOARD Cricket Ground on Thursday. over and this brought an end India (1st innings) Quick read At stumps, India’s score to the 126-run opening part- Rohit Sharma b Anderson 83 Rehm criticizes CAS after missing Paralympics reads 276/3 with Rahul (127*) India’s KL Rahul celebrates hs fifth Test century at Lord’s cricket nership. Rohit got out after KL Rahul batting 127 and Ajinkya Rahane (1*) cur- ground in London on Thursday. (AFP) scoring 83 runs. This brought C Pujara c Bairstow b Anderson 9 TOKYO: German para long jumper Markus Rehm has criticized the rently unbeaten at the crease. Cheteshwar Pujara (9) to the V Kohli c Root b Robinson 42 lack of explanation from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after Earlier, Rohit Sharma and sion at 157/2, Kohli and Rahul struck as Ollie Robinson re- middle and he once again failed A Rahane batting 1 his participation in the Tokyo Olympics was ruled out.“They said there Virat Kohli had also played mixed caution with aggres- moved Kohli (42), bringing an to get going and was dismissed Extras: (b8, lb5, nb1) 14 would be a decision by August 5. Today is August 11 and I haven’t knocks of 83 and 42 respec- sion and they kept on moving end to the 117-run stand for by Anderson. In the end, Kohli Total: (3 wkts, 90 overs) 276 heard anything since. That’s pretty disappointing,” the three-time Para- tively to put the hosts onto the the scoreboard, piling on the the third wicket. and Rahul ensured that In- Yet to bat: Rishabh Pant , lympic champion told a news conference on Wednesday. Rehm had back foot. pressure on the hosts. Rahul In the end, Rahul and Ra- dia entered the tea break with Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, fulfilled the qualification standard for the Tokyo Games this year after This is the first time that In- brought up his century in the hane ensured that India does eight wickets in hand. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed he bettered his para world record to 8.62 metres. However, it was dia’s opening batsmen have put 78th over of the innings and he not lose more wickets before Earlier, Rohit Sharma and Shami, Mohammed Siraj debated whether his carbon-fibre bladed prosthesis on his amputated on more than 100 runs in a Test along with the skipper kept the the close of play on the open- KL Rahul brought out their Fall of wickets: 1-126 (Sharma), right leg gave him an advantage. The German Olympic sport confeder- played outside Asia since 2011. hosts at bay. ing day. A-game to the middle as the 2-150 (Pujara), 3-267 (Kohli). ation (DOSB) listed Rehm as a member of the German Olympic team. This is also the highest first-in- England’s hopes of taking Earlier, Rohit was not able visitors went into the lunch Bowling: J Anderson 20-4-52-2, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) then passed the case on nings opening partnership for a wicket relied heavily on the to get to the three-figure mark break without losing a single O Robinson 23-7-47-1, S Curran to the World Athletics, which declared him ineligible to compete. The India at Lord’s since 1952. new ball, and in the fifth over as he was sent back to the pa- wicket. At the lunch break, In- 18-1-58-0, M Wood 16-1-66-0, CAS appeal later was also not successful. “I would have expected Resuming the final ses- with the new ball, the hosts vilion by England pacer James dia’s score read 46/0 with Ro- M Ali 13-1-40-0. something different from an authority like the CAS,” Rehm said. (DPA) Pakistan sent reeling on rain-hit opening day at Sabina Park AGENCIES Azhar Ali with the visitors al- turns to the team in place of KINGSTON (JAMAICA) ready in trouble at 21 for two. Shai Hope in the middle order They played with exagger- after he suffered a concus- KEMAR Roach and Jayden ated care in coping with the sion and was ruled out of the Seales struck early with two first-change pair of bowlers — remainder of the South Africa wickets for the West Indies as Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers series after being struck on the Pakistan were reduced 123 for — before the rain which was helmet by a bouncer from fast 5 at tea after they were put in forecast arrived to take the bowler Anrich Nortje. to bat on the opening day of players off the field 40 minutes Pakistan’s line-up shows the first Test of the two-match before the scheduled interval.