RRUGBYUGBY | Page 4 GGOLFOLF | Page 6 Ireland win Day and to end Welsh Mickelson hopes of Grand chasing Taylor Slam repeat at Pebble Beach Sunday, February 9, 2020 CRICKET Jumada II 15, 1441 AH Taylor’s ‘simple’ GULF TIMES approach leads NZ to series win over India SPORT Page 2 RALLYING Qatar’s al-Attiyah romps to sixth victory in Oman rally Oman’s Abdullah al-Rawahi takes second place behind Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah; Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah third By Our Correspondent Muscat, Oman asser Saleh al-Attiyah began the defence of his FIA Middle East Rally Championship in Nemphatic style with a convinc- ing start-to-fi nish victory in the Oman International Rally yester- day. The Qatari and French co- driver Matthieu Baumel won each of the 12 special stages (SS9 was cancelled) in their Volkswa- gen Polo GTI R5 and romped to a winning margin of 5min 04.1sec on the Sultanate of Oman’s re- turn to the regional series for the fi rst time since 2015. The success was al-Attiyah’s sixth in Oman as he tries to break Mohamed Ben Sulayem’s record of seven wins in the Sultanate. Baumel has now won the event twice (2015 and 2020). Al-Attiyah said: “Thanks to the Oman Automobile Associa- tion for organising the fi rst round of the Middle East Champion- ship. Now I have won six times here. I always like what I see here. I love the stages and the people.” Oman’s Abdullah al-Rawahi delivered a solid performance on his R5 debut to secure sec- ond position with Jordanian co- driver Ata al-Hmoud in a Ford Fiesta. Al-Rawahi said: “It was a really good result for us and we fi nished, despite a power steering pace and I take third position. I the special. Al-Ofi moved ahead gap to two minutes so the strat- al-Mazrui after late problems. problem on the last two stages. I am glad to start the season with a again and continued to lead from egy worked quite well. I thank my Hamid al-Qasim and Haitham would like to thank the team and good result. We have time now to al-Thefi ri through SS11, despite team from Swab Performance for al-Zadjali were second and third. everyone at the Oman Automo- plan for the next round in Qatar.” the Kuwaiti setting the fastest all their support this weekend.” Yaqhdan al-Rashdi and Wa- bile Association for bringing this The Omani pairing of Zakariya time in the category. The Lebanese duo of Henry heeb al-Khamsi both retired Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (also left) and French co-driver Matthieu rally back.” al-Ofi and Ammar al-Balooshi Both al-Zubair and Jarah al- Kahy and Rony Maroun rejoined early on and Zakariya al-Amri Baumel in action during the Oman International Rally yesterday. Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa al-At- held the advantage in the MERC Tauqi retired on the second loop under the Rally 2 regulation and succumbed to mechanical issues tiyah and Italian co-driver Gio- 2 category at the start of the day, with technical issues and that reached the fi nish in eighth to on stage 10. 2. Abdullah al-Rawahi (OMN)/ Lancer Evo X 2hr 22min 55.2sec vanni Bernacchini rounded off but were overhauled by Abdul- paved the way for fourth-placed claim valuable MERC 3 points. The FIA Middle East Rally Ata Hmoud (JOR) Ford Fiesta R5 6. Khalid al-Manji (OMN)/Rony the podium places in the third of lah al-Zubair and Emad Juma on al-Ofi to pip al-Thefi ri, fi fth, to Faisal al-Rashdi retired his Sub- Championship resumes with 2hr 09min 36.4sec Bou Abdo (LEB) Subaru Impreza the Ford Fiesta R5s. The Qatari the fi rst stage of the opening loop MERC 2 honours. Omani drivers aru Impreza STi on the opening the Manateq Qatar International 3. Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah STi 2hr 30min 02.4sec said: “The rally was good, the – the 21.57km of the Khoud Old Khalid al-Manji and Jassim al- stage. Rally on April 9th-11th. (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) 7. Jassim al-Muqahwi (KWT)/ stages, the parc ferme and the Village special. Muqahwi reached the fi nish sixth Ghaith al-Qassimi took a com- Ford Fiesta R5 2hr 18min 47.6sec Thamer al-Mutairi (KWT) Mit- service area. Al-Zubair slipping to third be- and seventh overall. fortable advantage of 6in 23.5sec OVERALL STANDINGS 4. Zakariya al-Ofi (OMN)/Am- subishi Lancer Evo X 2hr 32min “We really enjoyed the stages. hind Kuwait’s defending regional MERC 2 winner al-Ofi said: “It in the fi nal six stages of the Oman 1. Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (QAT)/ mar al-Balooshi (OMN) Mitsubishi 56.1sec Some of them are a bit tough. champion Meshari al-Thefi ri and was a tough race. Yesterday we National Rally but the Mitsubishi Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Volkswa- Lancer Evo IX 2hr 20min 33.8sec 8. Henry Kahy (LEB)/Rony Ma- After 28 years, coming back to his Irish navigator Derek O’Brien started building up the pace. That Lancer Evo driver lost out on the gen Polo GTI R5 2hr 04min 5. Meshari al-Thefiri (KWT)/ roun (LEB) Skoda Fabia 3hr 27min Oman to do the rally, I keep my after dropping 1min 40sec on was our strategy. We opened the National Rally win to Mohamed 32.3sec Derek O’Brien (IRL) Mitsubishi 46.1sec CRICKET Upstarts Bangladesh target India upset in U19 World Cup fi nal AFP by 10 wickets in the semi-fi nals. that we have to play.” have to do the best in all three de- Potchefstroom, South Africa Defending champions India Bangladesh have gone one step partments. have won 11 consecutive match- further than their run to the 2016 “Bangladeshi cricket fans are es at the age-level competition semi-fi nals, as Mahmudul Hasan crazy, and I hope we will contin- irst-time fi nalists Bang- since their defeat against West Joy’s hundred against New Zea- ue to get the same support that ladesh will try to deny Indies in the fi nal of the 2016 land laid the basis for a six-wick- we’ve been getting.” neighbours and cricket- edition. et win. For all the players at this World ing giants India a record- In opening batsman Yashasvi “This is the fi rst time that Cup, there remains the dream not Fextending fi fth Under-19 World Jaiswal, India boast the tourna- Bangladesh have got to the fi nal just of winning but doing enough Cup title in today’s champion- ment’s leading runscorer. The and we are all very happy,” said to start forging a professional ca- ship match in Potchefstroom. attacking left-hander has com- Mahmudul, who models his bat- reer in the game. Bangladesh are a win away piled 312 runs at an astonishing ting on Shakib Al Hasan and In- Some big names have trodden from captain Akbar Ali’s bold average of 156 — having been dian great Rahul Dravid. this path before: current interna- pre-tournament prediction that dismissed just twice in five in- Bangladesh’s triumph set up tional captains Virat Kohli, Eoin they could lift the trophy, but nings. a third all-Asian fi nal in the U19 Morgan and Kane Williamson standing between them and glory His century against Pakistan, World Cup, but this is the fi rst to all fi gured at the tournament in is a formidable India side that achieved with a match-clinching be played outside the sub-conti- the past along with some of the blew away arch-rivals Pakistan six, powered India into a seventh nent. greats of the recent past, players fi nal, and captain Priyam Garg “We will play it as a normal such as Brian Lara, Yuvraj Singh, India’s batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal urged his team to stick to what game. We can’t take the pressure Chris Gayle and Steve Smith. is the leading runscorer in the has proved a successful formula. of thinking that this is our fi rst The stage in Potchefstroom is tournament with 312 runs at an “I would want us to follow the fi nal,” said Bangladesh skipper set to see who if any young Indi- astonishing average of 156 — same process as we have done,” Akbar. ans or Bangladeshis are likely to having been dismissed just twice said Garg. “We have to approach “India is a very good side, and join this elite band in the decade in five innings. (AFP) the fi nal just as another game we have to play our ‘A’ game. We ahead. Gulf Times 2 Sunday, February 9, 2020 CRICKET FIRST TEST Sublime Babar, Masood help Pakistan dominate Bangladesh Opener Masood scores 100, while Azam is unbeaten on 143 as hosts end day on 342 for a lead of 109 runs AFP That lapse cost Bangladesh Rawalpindi, Pakistan Scorecard dearly as Azam added an invalu- able 112 for the third wicket with BANGLADESH 1st innings 233 Masood, who also knocked his parkling hundreds from PAKISTAN 1st innings third Test century — second in Babar Azam and Shan S Masood b Islam 100 successive Tests. Masood put Pakistan in Masood — who was fi nally command against Bang- Abid Ali c Das b Jayed 0bowled out by Islam — reached Sladesh on the second day of the Azhar Ali c Shanto b Jayed 34 his hundred by hooking pac- fi rst Test at Rawalpindi yester- B.