THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014 SPORTS Kiwis push Pakistan hard in second Test

DUBAI: New Zealand bowled with disci- first slip. Misbah’s 28 had two boundaries pline and, despite Azhar Ali and Younis and a six. Ali drove spinner Mark Craig Khan’s half-centuries, looked set for a lead through point for three to complete his in the second Test against Pakistan in Dubai 18th half-century. yesterday. But he too fell soon, trying to cut Sodhi Pakistan lost Asad Shafiq in seamer Tim and was bowled. He hit six boundaries and Southee’s penultimate over for 44 to close a six during his patient five-hour 22-minute the third day on 281-6, still trailing by 122 vigil. Shafiq was lucky to survive at 26 when runs on New Zealand’s first innings total of Boult bowled him with a sharp incoming 403. Sarfraz Ahmed was unbeaten on 28 but much to New Zealand’s dismay and Yasir Shah on one in a day when the it turned out to be a no-ball. He too failed Pakistani batsmen failed to score big after to bat for long and was caught off a loose getting good starts. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi shot in the end, adding 59 for the sixth led the New Zealand with 2-65. with Sarfraz. Pakistan, resuming at 34-2 saw off the In the morning Pakistan’s in-form bats- first session without losing any wicket as men were under pressure after a big New Younis Khan (72) and Azhar Ali (75) shared Zealand total and, more so, after losing a 113-run stand for the third wicket. But both the openers cheaply on Tuesday. New Zealand got four in the next But Younis and Ali showed no sign of two sessions to press home their claims for pressure as they started the day solidly. a useful lead and in turn improve their Younis reached his half-century with a chances for a series-levelling win. Pakistan sweetly-timed boundary off Craig. won the first Test by 248 runs in Abu Dhabi. Younis hit seven fours and two sixes- Azhar added another 50 runs with skip- both off Craig-during his 160-ball knock per Misbah-ul Haq, but New Zealand hit but fell to a casual shot, spoiling a good back with the second new ball taken after chance of scoring another hundred. He also 83 overs with the score at 194-3. amassed 468 runs with three hundreds in Trent Boult claimed his first wicket in the the 2-0 white-wash of Australia in the pre- series when he produced a beautiful deliv- ceding series, also played in United Arab ery which got the edge of Misbah’s bat and Emirates. The third and final Test begins in landed in the safe hands of Ross Taylor at Sharjah from November 26. — AFP

SCOREBOARD CANBERRA: of South Africa puts his bat behind the crease during the third One-Day International cricket match against Australia. — AFP DUBAI: Scoreboard at close on the third day of the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand at Dubai stadium yesterday: New Zealand Ist innings 403 (T. Latham Sarfraz Ahmed not out 28 Aussies coast to big 137, M. Craig 43; Zulfiqar Babar Yasir Shah not out 1 4-137) Extras: (b1, lb2, nb1) 4 Total: (for six wkts; 109 overs) 281 Pakistan Ist innings (overnight 34-2) Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Masood), 2-32 win over South Africa Shan Masood b Sodhi 13 (Taufeeq), 3-145 (Younis), 4-195 (Misbah), Taufeeq Umar st Watling b Craig 16 Azhar Ali b Sodhi 75 5-220 (Ali), 6-279 (Shafiq) CANBERRA: Australia cruised to a 73-run vic- Younis Khan c Craig b Neesham 72 Bowling: Boult 22-8-46-1 (1nb), Southee tory over South Africa in their third one-day SCOREBOARD Misbah-ul Haq c Taylor b Boult 28 21-3-41-1, Craig 24-5-94-1, Sodhi 30-7-65- international yesterday on the back of big-hit- Asad Shafiq c Taylor b Southee 44 1, Anderson 7-0-26-0, Neesham 5-1-6-1. ting innings by Aaron Finch and Steve Smith. CANBERRA: Scoreboard in the third one-day international against Australia and South Africa at Opener Finch cracked 109 off 127 balls and Manuka Oval in Canberra yesterday: Smith hit a swashbuckling unbeaten 73 off 55 balls as Australia amassed a formidable 329 Australia innings Q. de Kock c Marsh b Hazlewood 47 for five off their 50 overs in Canberra. D. Warner c de Villiers b Philander 53 F. du Plessis c Warner b Marsh 17 The Proteas were always up against it and A. Finchb de Villiers 109 R. Rossouw c Wade b Starc 2 were dismissed for 256 in the 45th over, with S. Watson c Miller b Behardien 40 A.B. de Villiers lbw b Richardson 52 last man unable to bat because of S. Smithnot out 73 F. Behardien c Finch b Hazlewood 12 G. Bailey c du Plessis b Morkel 12 D. Miller lbw b Starc 3 a knee he injured while . M. Marsh c de Villiers b Morkel 22 V. Philander c Finch b Starc 1 The Australians now lead the five-match M. Wade not out 8 D. Steync Marsh b Starc 12 series 2-1 ahead of the final games in Extras (lb1, w7, nb4) 12 M. Morkel not out 0 Melbourne on Friday and Sydney on Sunday. Total (5 wickets; 50 overs) 329 I. Tahirabsent injured 0 Left-armer Mitchell Starc troubled the Fall of wickets: 1-118 (Warner), 2-189 (Watson), Extras (lb5, w2, nb1) 8 South Africans with his late swing and fin- 3-242 (Finch), 4-264 (Bailey), 5-295 (Marsh) Total (all out; 44.3 overs) 256 ished with four for 32 off eight overs, while Did not bat: M. Starc, K. Richardson, X. Doherty, Fall of wickets: 1-108 (de Kock), 2-143 (du fellow opening bowler Josh Hazlewood J. Hazlewood Plessis), 3-148 (Rossouw), 4-224 (de Villiers), 5- claimed three for 51. Bowling: M. Morkel 10-0-84-2 (2nb, 5w), V. 226 (Amla), 6-231 (Miller), 7-238 (Philander), 8- Hashim Amla hit 102 off 115 balls and skip- Philander 10-0-70-1 (2nb, 1w), D. Steyn 10-0- 252 (Steyn), 9-256 (Behardien) per AB de Villiers cracked a belligerent 52 off 53-0 (1w), F. Behardien 8-0-39-1, I. Tahir 6-0-40- Bowling: M. Starc 8-1-32-4 (1nb), J. Hazlewood 34 balls to briefly threaten Australia’s bowlers. 0, De Villiers 6-0-42-1 9.3-0-51-3 (1w), S. Watson 6-0-47-0, K. Smith was named man-of-the-match for Richardson 8-0-49-1, X. Doherty 6-0-31-0, M. his innings which was full of improvised shots, South Africa Innings Marsh 7-0-41-1 (1w) including one boundary cheekily hit through H. Amla b Hazlewood 102 Result: Australia won by 73 runs. his legs. “It was a free hit, so I had pretty free rein to do what I wanted. I was lucky enough missed by part-time bowler de Villiers in the wicket each. it came off and went to the boundary,” Smith 41st over. South Africa’s hopes were pinned on the said. “Aaron was able to lay the foundation Fellow opener David Warner pounded 53 fourth-wicket stand of 76 between Amla and and I was able to close it out. “You always feel off 50 balls, with six fours and two sixes, in a de Villiers, but once the skipper fell leg before more comfortable when AB (de Villiers) is first-wicket stand of 118 in 20 overs. Warner wicket to Kane Richardson in the 38th over, back in the sheds, he’s an unbelievable player looked set for a big score before he found de the tourists were unable to keep pace with and it was good to see the back of him. Villiers, who took a leaping catch at mid-wick- the Australian total. “It was a hard wicket to start on so we et. Smith crashed eight fours in a majestic Amla followed five balls later when he was thought we were a great chance when we got knock, while Shane Watson took a more con- bowled as he tried to slog Hazlewood him out. “The boys hit their lengths well and trolled 40 off 38 balls before he miscued and through the leg-side. “It’s disappointing. I DUBAI: Pakistani batsman Azhar Ali (right) hits a six as New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ bowled really well, we got the ball quite soft was caught in the deep by David Miller off the thought we were in the game and I got out at Watling looks on during the third day of the second Test match. — AFP and it started reversing.” medium pacers of Farhaan Behardien. Watson a bad time,” de Villiers said. Finch was in blistering form as the holds the highest ODI score at Manuka Oval David Miller looked unlucky to be given Australians made full use of the slow Manuka with 122 against the West Indies in 2013. out leg before wicket to Starc on three when Ramiz questions Pakistan’s Oval pitch after winning the toss. Finch hit Morne Morkel was the best of the Proteas replays showed the ball was sliding down leg. nine fours and three sixes to spearhead the bowlers with two for 84, while Vernon But the team had no more reviews left to chal- support for sullied Aamer Australian run plunder before he was dis- Philander, de Villiers and Behardien took a lenge the decision. — AFP

DUBAI: Former Pakistan severance, Misbah-ul-Haq and his men turned commentator Ramiz Raja yes- have been able to salvage Pakistan Legend Hunt to watch terday criticised the lobbying for the cricket and its image,” said Raja of the return of paceman Mohammad current Pakistan captain. Aamer, banned for spot-fixing, saying “Should they be exposed to a virus his return would expose the team to now? How unjust would it be to the attempt on his record the “virus”. Aamer, along with Salman performers who have toiled long and Butt and Mohammad Asif, was banned hard to make way for a man whose in a spot-fixing scandal on Pakistan’s integrity is still suspect,” said Aamer. DOHA: Geoff Hunt, who was at the forefront of inadvertently contributed to his own unwanted No player today would deny his body the tour of England in 2010. Raja, who played 57 Tests and 158 world squash longer than any other man, has retirement. need to recover and rehabilitate, which is partly The International Cricket Council one-day internationals, refused to buy praised the sport’s progress which has given two “When I was young I didn’t really know what I why Shabana has survived so long at a very high (ICC), at the request of Pakistan Cricket the argument that Aamer was naive. players a chance to better one of his most was doing,” he admitted. “As a consequence I standard, and why Matthew has played his best Board (PCB), earlier this month revised “The argument put across in Aamer’s famous achievements at the World Open this had a few physical problems but players now squash after the age of 30. These two men were its anti-corruption code, paving the favour is that his talent was compro- week. The legendary Australian’s record as the have a much better chance of avoiding that.” due to play their World Open quarter-final way for all the banned players to fea- mised at a young age due to poor oldest male winner of the world title has lasted a He added: “At one point I played every single Wednesday with the winner likely to have a ture in first-class cricket a few months judgement and his naivete, and remarkable 34 years, but modern sports science day for three years, even on Christmas day when semi-final Thursday with Mohamed El Shorbagy, before their bans expire. because he comes from a poor family. has now helped give two men, Nick Matthew of my father got the courts opened up for me - and the 23-year-old world number one from Egypt The PCB said it would launch an “If that is the case, there are millions England and Amr Shabana of Egypt, a chance of I couldn’t get enough,” he said. “I was fanatical who is seeking his first world title. And Hunt will appeal for Aamer later this month and of other Pakistani youth who have had superseding it. Hunt, a leading player for a about the game and I realised later that it was be there right till the end to see whether his a final decision on when he can return a tough start in life, and less than ideal decade and a half, was 33 years and six months about more than just hitting the ball.” record survives. —AFP to domestic cricket is expected at the upbringings. old when he won the last of his four World Open next ICC meeting in January. “Does that give them a licence to titles in 1980. Ramiz questioned why Aamer’s use underhanded means and cheat to Matthew is 34 and Shabana 35, and their return was fast-tracked. “Why is the make a living? In fact, to quote an inci- enduring excellence is an important attribute at world so keen to see Amer back? The dent, I was approached to find out a time when squash still has hopes of getting managers of the game, who for what- why Aamer had turned down a more- into the Olympics. ever reason are trying to fast-track him than-decent offer made to him by an “The sports science behind squash has devel- into the very system that he had English county just a day before he oped enormously,” said Hunt, who retired as a wronged, have obviously not experi- was caught,” said Raja. coach in Qatar a year ago but has returned this enced the pangs of betrayal and “During my conversation with him week as a consultant coach during the World cheating that fixing causes,” wrote Raja regarding the offer, I realised that Open. “The ability to be able to film people play- in his cricinfo column. because the offer was a few thousand ing and watch them in slow motion to use as a Raja revealed he had experienced pounds short of what he expected, he coaching tool, and the progress in sports medi- how fixing can damage the game dur- was willing to let go of an opportunity cine and injury treatment have all developed,” ing the 1990s with a scandal which to play and establish himself at a he said. “The strength and conditioning staff can ultimately led to a life ban on then renowned and historic county. “I came all create better programmes now so you get captain Salim Malik and fines on six to the conclusion that he was not, players that are stronger, fitter and faster and leading players, including former cap- after all, so gullible and naive about that avoid injuries better.” tains Wasim Akran and current money matters. “It is the most awful It is these advances which have helped give Pakistan coach Waqar Younis in 2000. and sickening feeling. When a bunch modern squash speedier rallies, a greater Raja said the current players need- of rogues you share the dressing room emphasis on stroke-play, and more tactical vari- ed to be asked would they like to play with are fighting tooth and nail to lose ety, making it a better spectacle than it has ever alongside Aamer. “Someone needs to a match, it kills your desire to play the been. It has also helped players like Shabana ask the Pakistan players if they at all game, and whips up a desire to kill and Matthew. Hunt might well have remained at COLOMBO: England’s wicketkeeper Jos Buttler catches a ball during a practice session in want Aamer back. After years of per- them.” — AFP the top for a year or two longer had not a hip Colombo yesterday. England will play a seven match One-Day International series with Sri injury ended his career, and he suggests he Lanka starting Nov. 26. — AP