SPORT Friday 21 December 2018 PAGE | 18 PAGE | 19 NBA: Houston Disgraced Aussie Rockets make Smith barred from record 26 Bangladesh 3-pointers T20 League 5th International Qatar Cup weightlifting championship begins IR Iran top Asia Norway’s Rebekka Tao Jacobsen in action during the opening day of the 5th in FIFA rankings International Qatar Cup weightlifting championship THE PENINSULA at the InterContinental Doha. DOHA Jacobsen won the Women’s 55kg category. As many as 130 Islamic Republic of Iran ended their weightlifters from 35 countries 2018 season as Asia’s best, according including 64 male contenders to the latest FIFA Rankings released are taking part in the event that yesterday. is being hosted by the Qatar The Iranians retained their Weightlifting Federation (QWF). position in 29th spot, with Australia, Qatari star Fares Ibrahim Japan, Korea Republic and Saudi Hassouna will be the cynosure Arabia’s positions also unchanged of all eyes today when he at 29th, 41st, 50th, 53rd, and 69th competes in the 96kg category. respectively to complete Asia’s top PICTURE: SYED OMAR five. Team Qatar’s position also remains unchanged at 93 ahead of the AFC Asian Cup which will kick off in the UAE on January 5 next year Preparations for all teams have Al Rayyan rout Al Sailiyah as gathered pace with a series of friendly matches taking place over the next two weeks, before the Con- tinental showpiece kicks off. Qatar head coach Felix Sanchez Al Sadd, Al Khor share points has already announced a 27-player training squad for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. THE PENINSULA Abdraman Mahamat Aziz for Ahmed in the 7th minute. After The Al Annabi will play friendlies DOHA his side’s second goal. receiving a cross from the against Jordan (December 23), Kyr- In the 67th minute, flank, Ahmed beat two gyzstan (December 25), Algeria Football giants Al Rayyan Mohamed Alawi deflected defenders to the ball and then (December 27) and Iran (December yesterday went on a goal- from close range to scored Al Al Rayyan’s easily deflected it into the net 31) in Doha before they leave for scoring spree to post a 4-0 win Rayyan’s third goal. Lucca Borges from close range with Al Khor UAE. over Al Sailiyah in their QNB In the 75th minute, Abdul- Brito (left) keeper Yousef Hassan Awad Stars League (QSL) Cup Round rahman Mohammed Al Harazi vies for the in no position to stop the ball. TOP 15 ASIAN NATIONS IN FIFA four clash yesterday. fired a long-range bullet to ball with an In the 31st minute, Al Khor MEN'S RANKINGS The win at the Grand score Al Rayyan’s fourth goal Al Sailiyah equalised off a penalty kick. Hamad Stadium was Al of the match. player during Ahmed Hassan Al Mohannadi Rayyan’s fourth consecutive Earlier, at the Al Sadd their QSL Cup converted from the spot after win. Stadium, a goal in each half Group B match Al Sadd keeper brought down In the 32nd minute, feared powered Al Ahli yesterday to yesterday. an Al Khor attacker with a striker Rodrigo Tabata gave Al a convincing 2-0 win over Al reckless tackle. Rayyan the lead with a goal on Shahaniya. Referee Abdulhadi a direct free-kick that sailed It was Al Ahli’s second win Alasmar Al Ruaile pointed to above the wall and crashed in QSL Cup while Al Shahaniya the spot and Al Mohannadi into the net. are yet to register their first scored easily. Tabata, the former Qatar victory. Al Khor jumped to a 2-1 national team player, doubled In the 36th minute, Ali Fer- lead when Salem Khalifa the lead just into the first eydoun easily converted a found the net on a penalty in minute of the second half. penalty after he was brought In the dying second of the The ball beat Al Shahaniya the 38th minute. Lucca Borges Brito spotted down by Al Shahaniya keeper second half, Al Ahli put a 2-0 keeper Al Amri before crashing In the 84th minute, Tabata unmarked on the edge Amer Ahmad Al Amri. ring to their performances into the net. Aladeen Suleiman Younes of the Al Sailiyah box and Al Amri dived to his right when U-23 player Mohamed Later, hosts Al Sadd fought headed home in spectacular slipped in a neat short cross. and Fereydoun drove the ball Yasseen charged into the Al for a 2-2 draw against Al Khor. fashion as Al Sadd found the Tabata surjed ahead with the to the left for his side’s opening Shahaniya box and drove the The home team opened equaliser late in the second ball and slotted it past keeper goal. ball with his left foot. the scoring through Hassan half. Filler dethrones Biado to win World 9-Ball title in Doha

THE PENINSULA At the Al Arabi Sports Club, The champion, 21-year-old He rallied to take tthehe nnextext DOHA the 35-year-old from The Philip- Filler won his first major title as four racks to cut the deficit,cit, 11-1011-10.. pines, Biado settled for the he took home the top prize of But after that, Fillerr ran the Carlo Biado lost his World 9-Ball runner-up prize of $20,000 as he $40,000. next racks to topple thee FiliFilipinopino title yesterday when he lost to failed to become the second back- Biado lost steam in the final star. German rival Joshua Filler in the to-back world 9-ball champion match and found himself trailing The tournamentt wwasas final of the 2018 World 9-Ball since Earl Strickland did it in 1990 against Filler in the race-to-13 organised by the Qatarr Billiard Championship in Doha. and 1991. finals, 9-7, after 16 racks. and Snooker Federation ((QBSF)QBSF)

The champion, Joshua Filler (rear, centre) and runner-up Carlo Biado, pose for a photograph with the officials of Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation and World Pool Billiard Association at the conclusion of the 2018 World 9-Ball Championship at the Al Arabi Sports Club in Doha yesterday. 18 SPORT FRIDAY 21 DECEMBER 2018 Wolff hints Bottas has to justify his seat at Mercedes

REUTERS to be ready to return to racing in 2020. LONDON Whether that is with Mercedes, or another team using the same engines, remains to Valtteri Bottas has what it takes to succeed be seen. with Formula One champions Mercedes Bottas said at the end of the season but he will also have to show next season that he just wanted to go home, recharge that he deserves to be there, according to and come back strong again next year. team boss Toto Wolff. Wolff expected the 29-year-old to do The Finn failed to win a Grand Prix that. this year and ended up fifth overall while “Valtteri is a fierce warrior and he British team mate Lewis Hamilton took 11 wouldn’t be where he is today if he was wins and became only the third driver to not an outstanding racing driver. I think win five world championships. he absolutely embraces the challenge of “Every racing driver in a Formula One being team mate and competitor to Lewis car has to look over his shoulder. It is a Hamilton,” the Austrian said. very brutal sport where only the best ones “I think where things have gone wrong survive and they are very well aware. They with Valtteri in 2018 was that he was very have made the selection of the top 20 unlucky. He could have, should have -- racing drivers in the world and every single but that doesn’t count - won three races.” year they have to justify that they deserve The Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku was the place. It is not only valid for Valtteri a big blow, with Bottas robbed of victory but all the others as well,” Wolff said. by a puncture three laps from the end. Had Aspire Academy felicitates champion athletes Mercedes have 22-year-old he won there, instead of Hamilton, he Aspire Academy student athletes, including shooters Abdulaziz Al Turki, Nasser Al Naemi and Saoud Al Yafei, who Frenchman Esteban Ocon as their reserve would have led the championship. won eight medals at the recently concluded 14th Arab Championships, pose for a photograph during a felicitation driver for 2019 after he lost his race seat “All points go back to zero and he has ceremony held yesterday. The youngsters played a major role in the host nation’s rise to the top during the eight- at Force India, now renamed Racing Point, the same opportunity like he has in the day event which saw over 200 shooters from 10 countries in action. Qatar bagged 47 medals, including 18 gold, to Canadian Lance Stroll. last year to win the driver’s title. He cer- 14 silver and 15 bronze. Wolff said last month that Ocon would tainly has the talent and the intelligence,” be doing simulator work and some testing said Wolff. New US bill Rockets make record 26 3-pointers; to criminalise doping Raptors fight back for 6th straight win conspiracies

AGENCIES Houston Rockets guard James Harden (centre) makes a three AFP HOUSTON WASHINGTON point basket during their NBA game against Los Angeles Lakers at the Toyota Center in Houston. James Harden continued his Two US senators introduced torrid scoring but received plenty legislation that would crimi- of help as the Houston Rockets nalise international sports set an NBA single-game record doping conspiracies that affect by sinking 26 3-pointers in a major international competi- 136-118 victory over the visiting tions. Washington Wizards on The bill introduced by sen- Wednesday. ators Orrin Hatch of Utah and Harden scored 35 points on Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode 10-of-18 shooting, including Island is named after Grigory 6-of-11 success on 3-point Rodchenkov -- the Moscow lab- attempts, to lead the Rockets to oratory director who blew the their fifth consecutive victory. whistle on a Russian doping Houston shot 55.3 percent campaign at the 2014 Sochi overall, drilling 26 of 55 3-point Winter Olympics. tries. With the outcome well in In announcing the measure, hand and Houston reserves on Whitehouse said the United the floor, the partisan crowd States “must hold the crooked begged for 3-pointers in the and corrupt accountable waning moments until Michael whenever we can. That means Carter-Williams sank the forcefully confronting Russia’s record-breaker with 31.1 seconds use of corruption as a tool of remaining. foreign policy.” With nine assists, Harden It would establish criminal finished just shy of posting a penalties for participating in a double-double, a feat accom- scheme in commerce to plished by teammates Clint influence a major international Capela (20 points, 12 rebounds) sport competition through pro- and P.J. Tucker (11 points, 11 hibited substances or methods. rebounds). Chris Paul added 21 Penalties will include fines points and eight assists. Bradley of up to $1m or imprisonment Beal led Washington with 28 of up to 10 years, depending points. on the violation. Jazz 108, Warriors 103 Rudy Gobert stopped a Mitchell added 17 apiece for the points and seven rebounds, Greg and Raymond Felton earlier in as six inNBA the second RESULTS quarter and Golden State run with a late Jazz, who won their fourth Monroe added 13 points and the day. Russell Westbrook had US gymnast dunk, and Utah used superior straight at home. Stephen Curry eight rebounds and VanVleet had his eighth triple-double of the Charlotte 110, Cleveland 90 3-point shooting to record a put up a game-high 32 points 11 points. Victor Oladipo scored season (19 points, 11 rebounds, Orlando 90, San Antonio 129 victory in Salt Lake City. and Durant added 30 for the 20 points for the Pacers, who 17 assists). Boston 103, Phoenix 111 Zeng handed Jae Crowder, Joe Ingles and Warriors, who had won their have lost two in a row after Buddy Hield scored a career- Toronto 99, Indiana 96 Kyle Korver combined for 13 previous four road games. winning seven straight. high 37 points for Sacramento, Portland 99, Memphis 92 doping ban 3-pointers, helping the Jazz out- Raptors 99, Pacers 96 Thunder 132, Kings 113 hitting seven 3-pointers. Sacramento 113, Oklahoma City 132 score the Warriors 48-30 from Fred VanVleet made a Forced into an expanded role De’Aaron Fox added 28 points Utah 108, Golden State 103 REUTERS beyond the arc en route to a win 3-pointer with 25.9 seconds to thanks to a pair of suspensions, and 12 assists in the loss. Chicago 93, Brooklyn 96 WASHINGTON that evened the season series at play to give injury-depleted Paul George turned in yet Suns 111, Celtics 103 Houston 136, Washington 118 a win apiece. The Jazz held the Toronto a one-point lead against another big-time performance Kelly Oubre Jr. bombed in a Milwaukee 123, New Orleans 115 Laura Zeng, the United States top- Warriors scoreless over the final the visiting Indiana Pacers for for Oklahoma City by scoring 43 3-pointer with 49.9 seconds left Minnesota 123, Detroit 129 (OT) ranked rhythmic gymnast and winner 1:13, including a missed 3-point their 6th straight win. points in a win at Sacramento. in his Phoenix debut, helping the Philadelphia 131, New York 109 of five Pan Am Games gold medals, was attempt by Kevin Durant that Kawhi Leonard had 28 While George started in his Suns hold on to beat host Boston. handed a six-month ban on Wednesday could have tied the score. points, 10 rebounds, six assists typical spot, he also served as the In running their winning by the United States Anti-Doping Ingles finished with a team- and four steals for the Raptors, Thunder’s backup point guard streak to four games, the Suns eight in the third. The win at Agency (USADA). high 20 points, Crowder had 18, who had lost their two previous after the NBA levied one-game fell immediately behind 11-2 Boston was Phoenix’s first since Zeng, who also represented the and Gobert and Donovan games. Pascal Siakam had 17 suspensions to Dennis Schroder before pulling ahead by as many November 2014. United States at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, tested positive for the banned diuretic and masking agent acetazolamide in an out-of-competition test on Oct. 18, USADA said in a statement. Mumbai to host NBA preseason games Zeng provided evidence to a USADA investigation that the prohibited REUTERS the visits of 35 current and former NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum country where I was raised,” Ranadive substance was from an altitude sickness NEW DELHI and WNBA players since 2006 and and India Managing Director Yannick said in a statement. medication, which was prescribed to opened an office in Mumbai in 2011. Colaco said that NBA would also conduct “The sport is experiencing tre- her parent and given to her in response Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings will “Our inaugural NBA India Games will outreach programmes during the matches mendous growth in India and we are to an illness. play two preseason games in Mumbai help (unleash) the enormous basketball on Oct. 4 and 5. excited about continuing to expand the USADA said the 19-year-old next year, the first National Basketball potential in a country with a thriving Fittingly, one of the teams playing the NBA’s reach to fans across the globe. believed she was being given ibuprofen Association games to take place in India, sports culture and a growing, young and games will be the Kings, which has the “The world wants to watch bas- and therefore did not have to apply for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said engaged population,” Silver said in a NBA’s first Indian-born majority owner ketball and India is a fast-growing new a Therapeutic Use Exemption, which is yesterday. statement. and Mumbai-native Vivek Ranadive as frontier.” required to authorise the use of a pro- Cricket-mad India has been on the “We thank the Kings and Pacers its chairman. More than 350 live NBA games are hibited substance in sport. radar of the NBA. The association runs an organisations for participating in this his- “As an Indian-American, it is an honor shown in India each season, including 78 Zeng’s ban began on Oct. 18, the academy near New Delhi, has arranged toric event.” to help bring this historic moment to the with Hindi commentary. date her positive sample was collected. FRIDAY 21 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT 19

Tennis Photograph of the Year 2018 Tennis faces ‘serious integrity problem’, Aerial view of a Mariachi band says review panel performing during an exhibition tennis REUTERS match between LONDON Austrian player Dominic Thiem Scrapping official live scoring data at the lowest level and German player of professional tennis and taking a harder line on Alexander Zverev “tanking” are among the recommendations made by at “Sinfonia del an International Review Panel in a report published Mar” forum, before yesterday. the start of the The panel was formed in 2016 by the sport’s four Mexico ATP 500 main professional governing bodies to address betting- Tennis Open in related and other integrity issues. Acapulco, Guerrero “Today, tennis faces a serious integrity problem,” state, Mexico in this the panel said. “There are several reasons for this: The February 26, 2018, nature of the game lends itself to manipulation for file photo. betting purposes. “There are many contingencies. There is only one player who must act. Detection is difficult, not least because at many lower level matches there are no spectators and inadequate facilities to protect players from potential corrupters. “Moreover, under-performance is often attributed to ‘tanking’, which too often has been tolerated.” The panel said there was no simple solution to the problem with a package of measures required, including banning tournaments from accepting spon- sorship by the betting industry and reorganising the Tennis Integrity Unit with independent oversight. The panel said players in the lowest tiers were susceptible to being corrupted because of the diffi- culty of making a living, with only 250-350 players earning enough money to break even. “The player incentive structure creates a fertile breeding ground for breaches of integrity,” the panel said.

Jamshed Australia’s Border defends Kohli after criticism charged over AFP frosty handshake with Paine at “Aggression on the field, in Border added. “The professional mp/arb/dh bribery MELBOURNE the end of the game. terms of play, is no bad thing. But era has sort of beaten that out to Facebook Kohli’s animated wicket cel- unwarranted aggression in per- a certain degree. It’s good to see offences Former Australia captain Allan ebrations have also been widely sonal conduct goes by another guys with that passion, drive and Border has come to the defence frowned upon while India legend term: loutishness,” it said. a bit of character.” AFP of Virat Kohli (pictured), saying Sunil Gavaskar hit out at his “It is also, in Kohli’s case, Border, who played 156 LONDON his antics might be over the top “selection blunders”. exacerbated by a sense of arro- Tests, including 93 as captain, but the game needs more “char- And in a stunning rebuke, gance that he exhibits.” said he believed Kohli was pas- Banned former Pakistan acters” who show “passion”. veteran Bollywood star Naseer- But Border leapt to the sionate by nature, but also moti- batsman Nasir Jamshed has The Indian skipper has come uddin Shah described him as Indian Captain’s defence, saying vated by a “quiet” squad and the been charged in Britain with under criticism for his sledging “not only the world’s best the game needed players like desire to win India’s first ever bribery offences as part of an and heated exchanges with Aus- batsman but also the world’s Kohli. series in Australia. investigation into spot-fixing tralian counterpart Tim Paine worst behaved player”. “I haven’t seen anyone sort “To drive the team to be in cricket, the National Crime during the tense second Test in “Kohli’s cricketing brilliance of carry on so much as a captain number one, which he’s Agency said yesterday. Perth, which at one point needed pales beside his arrogance and when his side takes a wicket,” achieved, but to win away from Jamshed and two British the umpire to intervene. bad manners,” added Shah on he said in a Fox Sports podcast home is one of those important nationals -- Yousaf Anwar and Bowling great Mitchell Facebook. yesterday. “It’s really over the things you notice as a captain,” Mohammed Ijaz -- were Johnson also slammed Kohli for An opinion piece in the top but it’s good in a way. You he said. “I think he’s feeling that served with written sum- failing to acknowledge the mass-circulation Hindustan can see some passion about what pinch.” monses, charging them each crowd’s applause after he was Times yesterday said Shah had he’s trying to do. The four Test series is tied 1-1 with two counts of bribery, controversially given out in the articulated what many Indian “There’s not many characters with the next one starting in Mel- said a spokesman for the NCA. first innings for 123, and for his cricket fans had been thinking. in our game at the moment,” bourne on Boxing Day. The three men were arrested in February 2017 as part of an investigation that Bangladesh beat West Indies related to tournaments organised by national cricket boards from Pakistan and to level the Twenty20 series Bangladesh. The three men AFP will appear at Manchester DHAKA magistrates’ court on January 15 each charged with bribery Shakib Al Hasan claimed his maiden five-wicket haul as Bang- and conspiracy to commit ladesh beat West Indies by 36 runs in their second Twenty20 inter- bribery. national in Dhaka yesterday. An NCA spokesman said Shakib finished with 5-20, helping Bangladesh bowl out West all of the alleged offences Indies for 175 runs and draw the series level after the hosts made related to tournaments that 211-4 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. took place overseas, including Rovman Powell hit 50 off 34 balls but succumbed to pressure the Pakistan Super League in as West Indies folded their innings in 19.2 overs. 2017. Jamshed was not in the Opener Liton Das struck 60 off 34 balls while Mahmudullah national team at the time of Riyad (43 not out), Shakib (42 not out) and Soumya Sarkar (32) the alleged offences, the chipped in with useful cameos as Bangladesh posted their highest spokesman said. A view of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, popularly known as the ‘MCG’, in this October file photo ever score in a Twenty20 international on home soil. Jamshed played two posted on @MCG, the official Twitter handle of the iconic sports venue in Australia. The MCG will Left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell finished with 2-38 as the most Tests, 48 one-day interna- host the Boxing Day Test between hosts Australia and India starting on December 26 with the successful West Indies bowler. The third and final match of the tionals and 18 T20s for four-match series tie at 1-1. series will be held at the same venue tomorrow. Pakistan until 2015. Australia bowlers hope new MCG Disgraced Aussie Smith barred pitch produces lively encounter from Bangladesh T20 league REUTERS Starc admitted he did not know tried to inject more life into the AFP as a replacement for Pakistani handed a year-long interna- MELBOURNE how the new pitch would ground’s pitches and Siddle was DHAKA cricketer Shoaib Malik. tional bans for their roles in a behave ahead of the third test optimistic that the series against “The rule of the tour- ball-tampering scandal that As Australia prepares to play a of the four-match series against India, currently tied at 1-1, Bangladesh’s Cricket Board nament is that if a franchise rocked Australian cricket in first Test at Melbourne since a India, but team mate Peter would not still be level ahead of said yesterday it has barred takes a replacement, his name March. The BPL was expected docile pitch was given a “poor” Siddle is confident the the final match in Sydney. former Australian captain Steve should be in the list of initial to be Smith’s third T20 league rating a year ago, two of the December 26 test will at least “I played a couple matches Smith from the forthcoming players’ draft. But Smith’s name outing -- after Canada’s Global side’s pacemen are expecting a yield a result. ago when I got back from the Bangladesh Premier League was not there, “ said Bang- T20 and the Caribbean Premier journey into the unknown “I didn’t play last year. I had UAE against South Australia and Twenty20 tournament fol- ladesh Cricket Board chief League -- since the ban was against India but are hopeful it to watch from the side and it it was actually a good cricket lowing an objection raised by Nizamuddin Chowdhury. imposed. can produce a competitive didn’t do a thing for five days, wicket,” the 34-year-old told some franchises. “Some franchises raised He also recently signed for match. so hopefully they’ve sorted it sports radio station SEN. Smith, serving a one-year objection about it. So we have the Pakistan Super League, The Melbourne Cricket out,” Starc told reporters of one “He (Page) knows what he’s ban from international cricket to bar him from playing the which will be played in Feb- Ground (MCG) moved to of cricket’s most iconic venues. got to do now leading into the and Australia’s domestic Shef- BPL,” he said. Australia’s ruary and March. The BPL, improve the playing surface “It sounds like they’ve been test match. field Shield and Big Bash ex-vice captain David Warner which was launched in 2011, after receiving the negative trying a few things with the “It’s going to be a good one League, had signed for Comilla will however play in the BPL was hit by allegations of rating from the International (Sheffield) Shield cricket there and I think the boys should be Victorians to play in the next -- which concludes on Feb- match-fixing in its early years. Cricket Council (ICC) following in the first few rounds. excited and there’s definitely edition of the BPL starting on ruary 8, 2019 -- having signed After a suspension, the last year’s drawn Test against “I think it may be a surprise, going to be a result wicket I January 5. He was expected to for the Sylhet Sixers as one of tournament resumed in 2015 England, when only 24 wickets what they actually dish out next think, going by what’s happened join the team in mid-January their two pre-draft signings. and has since been staged fell in five days. week.” in the first couple of Shield for the second phase of the BPL Smith and Warner were without serious controversy. Pace spearhead Mitchell New curator Matt Page has games this season.”