THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2016 SPORTS Djokovic, Murray seeded for Wimbledon final showdown LONDON: Novak Djokovic and Andy Slam. Murray is aiming to win his third between them. Djokovic has defeated Wimbledon semi-finals last year, while Roland Garros, Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, Murray are on course for a Wimbledon Grand Slam title and his first since he beat Roger Federer in the last two Wimbledon 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic is lift- is seeded second with Poland’s Agnieszka final showdown after being confirmed as Djokovic in the 2013 Wimbledon final to finals and the Swiss legend will be seeded ed from a world ranking of 13 to a seed- Radwanska, the 2012 Wimbledon runner- the top two seeds for the grass-court become the first British male singles third in his bid for a record eighth ing of ninth. Defending champion Serena up, named as the third seed. Johanna Grand Slam. champion at the All England Club for 77 Wimbledon title. Federer, a 17-time Grand Williams will be top seed in the women’s Konta is the first British female to be seed- World number one Djokovic and sec- years. The Scot has lost 13 of his last 15 Slam winner, hasn’t won a major title since draw as the American looks to equal Steffi ed at Wimbledon since Jo Durie in 1984. ond ranked Murray will be seeded in matches against Djokovic, including this lifting the Wimbledon trophy in 2012 and Graf’s Open era record by sealing a 22nd The 25-year-old’s ranking has shot up those positions, All England Club officials year’s Australian and French Open finals, has endured an injury-plagued year that Grand Slam triumph. from 146th to 18th and she was named as announced yesterday, meaning they can’t but he has won their last two meetings on saw him miss the French Open. Williams, who has won Wimbledon six the 17th seed following her shock run to meet until the final as they will be placed grass and is in fine form after lifting the Federer’s compatriot Stan Wawrinka is times, has failed at the last hurdle in her the Australian Open semi-finals in January. at opposite ends of Friday’s draw. Queen’s Club title for a record fifth time seeded fourth and Japan’s Kei Nishikori is last two major tournaments, enduring Seedings at Wimbledon, which starts on Djokovic is bidding to win Wimbledon last week. If the world’s top two make the the fifth seed. World number 10 Richard surprise defeats at the Australian and Monday, are determined using a combina- for the fourth time and third year in a row Wimbledon title match it would be a Gasquet has been moved up to the sev- French Open finals this year. tion of a player’s ranking points and their as the Serb chases a rare calendar Grand record-equalling eighth Grand Slam final enth seeding after reaching the The world number one’s conqueror at results in grass-court matches. — AFP HARARE: India’s players pose with the Prayag Series Trophy after winning the third and final T20 cricket match in a series of three games between India and Zimbabwe in the Prayag Cup at Harare Sports Club, in Harare, yesterday. — AFP India win series with 3-run victory HARARE: India’s Kedar Jadhav blasted his high- When the first two balls of the over went fours and a six. India’s opening bowlers est score in Twenty20 internationals as they beat for 12 runs a sensational victory looked on the restricted the run-rate well as Zimbabwe SCOREBOARD Zimbabwe by three runs in a tense finish to claim cards, but Sran came back well and bowled reached 59-2 at the halfway mark of their the three-match series 2-1 at the Harare Sports Elton Chigumbura (16) off the last delivery of innings, with Sran going for just 14 in his first HARARE: Scoreboard for the third Twenty20 international between Zimbabwe and India Club yesterday. Zimbabwe won the toss and the innings to leave Zimbabwe agonisingly three overs and Dhawal Kulkarni ending with yesterday: chose to bowl first, restricting the tourists to 138 short of a series victory. figures of 2-23 in his allotted four. Vusi Sibanda for six in their 20 overs on a slow wicket as Jadhav It was the first time on India’s six-match lim- (28 from 23 balls) top scored for the hosts as India Zimbabwe top-scored with 58 from 42 balls. But the hosts ited overs tour that they batted first and, after sevral batsmen made starts but could not KL Rahul b Madziva 22 C. Chibhabha c Chahal b Sran 5 battled to keep up with the scoring rate and went starts for Lokesh Rahul (22) and Ambati match Jadhav’s half-century heroics. India also Mandeep Singh c Maruma b Tiripano 4 H. Masakadza lbw b Patel 15 into the final over of the match, bowled by Rayudu (20), Jadhav provided the impetus the won 3-0 in the one-day international series A. Rayudu c Chigumbura b Cremer 20 V. Sibanda lbw b Kulkarni 28 Barinder Sran (2-31), needing 21 for victory. innings desperately needed as he blazed seven that preceded the 20-over games. — Reuters M. Pandey run out 0 P. Moor c Mandeep Singh b Chahal 26 K. Jadhav c Chigumbura b Tiripano 58 M. Waller c Bumrah b Kulkarni 10 MS Dhoni b Tiripano 9 E. Chigumbura c Chahal b Sran 16 A. Patel not out 20 T. Maruma not out 23 Morgan says England ‘out of D. Kulkarni not out 1 Extras (8lb, 3w, 1nb) 12 Extras (1lb, 3w) 4 Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 135 Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 138 Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Chibhabha), 2-57 Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Mandeep Singh), 2-27 (Masakadza), 3-60 (Sibanda), 4-86 a hole’ with Sri Lanka tie (Rahul), 3-27 (Pandey), 4-76 (Rayudu), 5-93 (Moor), 5-104 (Waller), 6-135 (Chigumbura). (Dhoni), 6-122 (Jadhav). Did not bat: Graeme Cremer, Neville Madziva, NOTTINGHAM: England captain Eoin Morgan Did not bat: Jasprit Bumrah, Barinder Sran, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara. praised Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler and Liam Yuzvendra Chahal. Bowling: Sran 4-1-31-2, Kulkarni 4-0-23-2, Plunkett for getting his side “out of a hole” as the Bowling: Chatara 4-1-34-0, Tiripano 4-0-20-3, Bumrah 4-0-23-0, Patel 4-0-18-1, first one-day international against Sri Lanka end- Madziva 4-0-32-1, Chibhabha 4-0-19-0, Cremer Chahal 4-0-32-1. ed in a thrilling tie. 4-0-32-1. Result: India win by three runs. Set 287 to win, England collapsed to 30 for four and 82 for six in Nottingham on Tuesday. But a stand of 138 between Buttler (93) and Australia beat Windies to man-of-the-match Woakes, who made 95 not out-the highest ODI score by any number eight batsman-revived the innings. England’s hopes of reach ODI tri-series final victory disappeared in a final over where they needed 14 to win in front of a capacity crowd at BARBADOS: Australia qualified for the final of the ODI half-century, the batting form of team mates a floodlit Trent Bridge. However, with six triangular one-day international series (ODI) with a Mitchell Marsh (79 not out) and Maxwell pleased required to tie off the last ball, tailender Plunkett six-wicket win over West Indies in Barbados on the skipper. Maxwell’s innings included a magnifi- drove Nuwan Pradeep over long-off to seal the Tuesday. West Indies were sent in to bat and com- cent switch-hit sweep for six over cover-point off tie, in what was a stunning start to the five- piled 282 for eight off their 50 overs, with Marlon spinner Sunil Narine in the 46th over. match series. Samuels scoring 125 off 134 balls for his maiden In the next over he bludgeoned 14 runs off three This was Plunkett’s first match at this level ODI century against Australia. Wicketkeeper-bats- balls off Carlos Brathwaite to effectively seal victory. since September, but the fast bowler said he was man Denesh Ramdin chipped in with a brisk 91 in a “An innings like that, I was speechless at the other confident his reputation as a big hitter in county 192-run fourth wicket stand as the hosts roared end,” said Marsh in an on-field interview. “Maxie has a cricket would be maintained on the internation- back after losing three early wickets. Australia made lot of doubters but an innings like today shows why al stage. “I was telling myself I have been hitting a wobbly start to their reply, with openers Aaron he’s such a pivotal part of the team.”Smith, who it well for Yorkshire-’stay still and hope I get Finch (16) and Usman Khawaja (17) going early, but downplayed a question about apparent on-field settled to chase down the target with eight balls to sledging, had plenty of praise to share around. “I enough on it to get it out of the ground’,” said spare, Glenn Maxwell (46 not out) securing victory thought Mitchell Marsh played a very mature innings NOTTINGHAM: England’s Liam Plunkett (L) celebrates with England’s Chris Woakes after Plunkett. “You know when you have nailed the with a devastating late burst. and Glenn Maxwell finished off nicely with a few of Plunkett hits a six off the final ball to draw the first one day international (ODI) cricket ball, it’s like on a golf course off the tee, a similar The result means the winner of Friday’s match his trademark reverse slog sweeps, or whatever match between England and Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge cricket ground in Nottingham, cen- feeling.” Morgan added: “You can always win the between West Indies and South Africa will advance they’re called,” he said.