26 Sports Wednesday, November 13, 2019 Seahawks edge previously unbeaten 49ers 27-24 in NFL thriller ‘That was a team win and that’s what championship teams do’ LOS ANGELES: Seattle’s Jason Myers kicked a 42-yard they trailed by 10 or more points. “Our defensive unit had field goal as overtime expired to give the Seahawks a 27- a great game,” Wilson said. They made some incredible 24 victory over previously unbeaten San Francisco in an plays when they needed to. NFL thriller on Monday. “That was a team win. That’s what championship teams In a wild drama filled with stellar defensive plays and do.” Only reigning Super Bowl champion New England (8- each team missing a chance to win in overtime, the 1) has as many wins as the 49ers and Seahawks. Seahawks improved to 8-2 while dropping the 49ers to 8- 1, still a half-game atop Seattle in the NFC West division. TO THE LAST SECOND “I don’t ever remember playing in a game that was so Myers hit a 46-yard field goal to give the Seahawks a crazy, back and forth and back and forth,” Seahawks quar- 24-21 lead with 1:45 remaining but McLaughlin’s 47-yard terback Russell Wilson said. “It was an incredible game.” field goal equalized with one second remaining to force Deadlocked 24-24 after regulation time, the epic over-time. McLaughlin had only been signed last Thursday matchup needed the full 10 extra minutes to decide a win- after veteran 49er kicker Robbie Gould suffered a quad ner. Wilson completed 24-of-34 passes for 232 yards and a injury last week in practice. touchdown but delivered his first interception in 119 The Seahawks had a 21-10 lead when San Francisco throws to nearly doom Seattle. struck back on a key defensive play. San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo completed 24-of-46 Wilson was sacked and lost a fumble that 49ers’ defen- passes for 248 yards, also with a touchdown and an inter- sive tackle DeForest Buckner returned 12 yards for a ception. The drama intensified in overtime as Wilson drove touchdown. Seattle deep into 49ers territory but was intercepted to Garoppolo flipped a pass to Kendrick Bourne for a 2- Dre Greenlaw at the San Francisco 4-yard line to thwart point conversion that lifted the hosts within 21-18 and the threat. McLaughlin lifted them level on a 39-yard field goal with The 49ers marched to the Seahawks 29 before being 6:21 remaining in regulation. stopped, but rookie kicker Chase McLaughlin, signed only Wilson threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jacob four days ago as an injury fill-in, was wide left on a 47- Hollister and, after Jadeveon Clowney sacked Garoppolo yard field goal attempt with 3:06 remaining. and recovered a fumble at the 49ers’ 24, Cris Carson After an exchange of punts, Seattle took over with 85 scored on a 1-yard run for a 21-10 Seattle edge. seconds remaining at their 36. Wilson scrambled for 21 Clowney had returned a Garoppolo fumble 10 yards for yards on third down to put the Seahawks in field goal a touchdown with 2:51 remaining in the second quarter to range, setting up the winning kick by Myers. pull Seattle within 10-7 at half-time. “We knew this game was going to come down to the San Francisco seized a 10-0 lead on Garoppolo’s 10- wire,” Wilson said. “Any time there’s a chance, we think yard touchdown pass to Bourne late in the first quarter SANTA CLARA: Chase McLaughlin #5 of the San Francisco 49ers misses a field goal attempt in overtime against we’ll find a way.” after McLaughlin kicked a 43-yard field goal to cap the the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. — AFP It was Seattle’s third win this season in games where opening drive. — AFP India go into the first match in Indore boosted by a 2-1 not part of the T20 squad. “I never considered captaincy India look to Twenty20 series win over Bangladesh. Kohli, who opted as pressure or responsibility. If I keep thinking that as a out of the T20 matches, returns to lead the side that captain I have to take extra responsibility to carry the recently won their record 11th straight series at home. team forward then I will be in some pressure,” Mominul consolidate Rohit Sharma has been on hot form, hitting two cen- said after being named captain. Australia primed to turies and a double ton in his debut series as opener “But if I play my natural game, and think that I am a top spot against against South Africa. The pace department also looks set- batsman who needs to score for his team, then it will not end T20 World Cup tled despite the absence of injured Jasprit Bumrah and have any effect.” The second match of the series will be Bangladesh played a key part in the three convincing Test wins over the first day-night Test to be staged in India. Kolkata’s drought: Gilchrist South Africa. Eden Gardens will host the spectacle. Bangladesh, under new captain Mominul Haque, had a INDORE: Virat Kohli’s India will be aiming to strength- troubled build-up to a series after star all-rounder Shakib Squads MUMBAI: The Twenty20 World Cup is the only en their number one position in the world Test champi- Al Hasan was banned for two years, with one year sus- India: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Mayank major piece of silverware missing from Australia’s onship when they start a two-match series against pended, by the International Cricket Council. Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma trophy cabinet but the hosts are gearing up per- Bangladesh tomorrow. India start as favourites to pick He admitted failing to declare illegal approaches by Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, fectly to end the drought next year, former wick- up 120 points from the two games against a Bangladesh bookies and the ban ruled Shakib out of the tour and next Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, etkeeper Adam Gilchrist has told Reuters. side missing key players. year’s World T20 in Australia. Earlier a player revolt put Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant Australia are the most successful side in the The hosts have recorded two sweeps in the five-day the India tour in doubt before the national board gave in Bangladesh: Mominul Haque (capt), Shadman Islam, 50-over World Cup with five titles but are yet to format since the start of the Test championship in and increased match payments. The touring side is also Imrul Kayes, Saif Hasan, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, taste success in the shortest format’s showpiece August, beating South Africa and the West Indies. New missing prolific opener Tamim Iqbal who took a break due Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mosaddek event, which has been held six times since its Zealand and Sri Lanka are second and third, already to family reasons. Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, inaugural edition in 2007. 180 points behind though they have played only one Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad Mustafizur Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain, Abu Jayed, Ebadat Aaron Finch’s side beat Sri Lanka and Pakistan series each. will lead the team’s batting alongside Mominul who was Hossain. — AFP in recent back-to-back T20 series to go unbeaten in the format in 2019 and Gilchrist said home con- ditions would make Australia hard to beat when the World Cup starts next October. “I think they are really well-placed seeing how Torfaera, Iceland’s they’ve started the summer,” Gilchrist said in an interview. “They’ll love the conditions, they love off-road mania the grounds, they’re bigger grounds, they’ll play them well. “We got everyone available now, which is AKRANES: After more than half a century, revving great. I think Australia is, probably for the first engines in the tough off-road sport known locally as time ever, focusing on picking their best team “torfaera” still draw crowds who love the noise and dar- regularly and not just for the World Cups. “ ing drivers. t’s late summer and Akrafjall mountain, which Australia won 2-0 in India in February before looms over the small town of Akranes, has been turned blanking Sri Lanka and the world’s top-ranked into a temporary race track. T20 side Pakistan at home recently and they have Instead of asphalt, rocky terrain dotted with tufts of scheduled plenty of matches in the shortest for- grass serves as proving grounds for the drivers of 19 mat before next year’s tournament. purpose-built 4x4 vehicles. Known internationally as Gilchrist, who retired in 2008 after a glittering “Formula Offroad,” a more direct translation of the career spanning almost 12 years, said Australia Icelandic torfaera is “difficult driving” or “difficult road”. Ahead of the fourth of five rounds of the Icelandic had enough time to pin down their perfect combi- championship, the vehicles, which look like a cross nations for the shortest format. between a jeep and a dune buggy, are being prepared “I think they’re probably still working out for the challenge. At the wheel of “Bomban” (The bomb), whether to use two spin bowlers or one spin 30-year-old Olafur Ingjaldsson is a bag of nerves before bowler and a batting all-rounder like Mitch his first race.