Friday 43 Sports Friday, May 25, 2018 Amir removes England cornerstone Alastair Cook in first Test Cook equals Australian great Border’s all-time record LONDON: Mohammad Amir captured the cerns over their batting so it was a particularly prise wicket of Alastair Cook after the England bold decision by Root. opener led a fightback on the first day of the It certainly looked a good toss for Pakistan first Test against Pakistan at Lord’s yesterday. to lose as three members of an England top- At tea England were 165 for five, having order that repeatedly failed during winless slumped to 43 for three before lunch after winter Test tours of Australia and New Zealand home captain Joe Root had won the toss and all fell for single-figure scores. Mohammad batted. Cook, in his 153rd consecutive Test, Abbas made the breakthrough when he which equalled Australia great Allan Border’s bowled Mark Stoneman (four) with a late all-time record for successive appearances at swinging delivery to leave England 12 for one this level, revived England with a fine 70. in the fourth over. Root, promoted up the But shortly before tea he was bowled by order to number three, also fell for four when Amir, a team-mate he drove at a wide ball when Essex won the from Hasan and edged County Championship behind to opposing last season, as the left- captain Sarfraz Ahmed. arm quick produced a Mohd Abbas Cook got into gear brilliant delivery that made the with a cover-driven four cut away late off the off Amir, but he could pitch late to clip the top breakthrough only watch as fellow of the opener’s off left-hander Dawid stump. Malan (six) became Cook faced 148 balls, Hasan’s second wicket including 14 fours Ben Stokes was unbeaten on of the morning, with wicket-keeper Sarfraz 36, having hoisted leg-spinner Shadab Khan again making no mistake with the catch. At LONDON: England’s Alastair Cook watches the ball after playing a shot on the first day of the first international for the first six of this match. Jos Buttler, re- that stage, England were 43 for three. Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord’s cricket ground in London yesterday. —AFP called as a specialist number seven, was un- Just before Malan’s dismissal, Faheem beaten on 13. Ashraf rapped the pad of Cook, then on 23, Root opted to bat first in the opening match with ‘umpire’s call’ going against Pakistan after order at number five, unbeaten on 10. Cook, attacking game that makes him such a danger- of this two-Test series, despite the overcast they reviewed former Australia seam bowler England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer, ous white-ball batsman, was quickly into his conditions and a green-tinged pitch offering Paul Reiffel’s original decision of not out. Eng- went to fifty with a four to third man off Amir stride with two fours in three balls off Shadab- the promise of assistance for Pakistan’s pace- land were 72 for three at lunch, with Cook 46 before Bairstow was bowled by Ashraf for 27. a whip through midwicket followed by a cover- men. Both England and Pakistan’s have con- not out and Jonny Bairstow, batting up the Buttler, having been encouraged to play the driven boundary. —AFP Kohli to skip Surrey stint two children, Ivy Mae, 3, and Indi Rae, 2, and Warner wife Warner said she discovered she was pregnant again in Cape Town. “We were overwhelmed, after injury knowing another little Warner was on the way,” she miscarried after said. “I don’t think either of us realised how much MUMBAI: India cricket captain Virat Kohli has we longed for this baby.” suffered a neck injury during an Indian Pre- ball-tampering Australia’s tour of South Africa had started mier League (IPL) match and will not play for badly, with Warner charged with bringing the game English county championship side Surrey next into disrepute during the first Test for an altercation month, the country’s cricket board (BCCI) said scandal with Quinton de Kock. yesterday. Batsman Kohli had signed a one- Warner claimed de Kock made a “vile and dis- month deal to represent Surrey in June to pre- SYDNEY: The wife of disgraced cricketer David gusting” remark about his wife. pare for a test series against England this year, Warner revealed yesterday she suffered a miscar- “That attack during the first Test in Durban but injured his neck while fielding for Royal riage in the aftermath of her husband’s part in a when Quinton called me names — I should’ve Challengers Bangalore against Sunrisers Hy- ball-tampering scandal that rocked the game. known it wasn’t going to end well,” said Candice derabad last week. Candice Warner said the couple lost the baby a Warner. “Kohli, who was scheduled to play for Sur- week after his tearful press conference in Sydney She said she was watching on TV with her two rey in the month of June, has been ruled out in late March after he was sent home from Aus- children when the ball-tampering incident flared up from participating,” the Board of Control for tralia’s tour of South Africa and banned for a year. during the third Test and “I sat slumped on the bed She attributed the loss to stress and an arduous and wondered if I could take any more.” Cricket in India said in a statement. “This de- Virat Kohli cision was taken following assessments by the flight home, describing the couple’s devastation at In the aftermath, her husband wanted to return BCCI medical team, subsequent scans and a realising she was miscarrying. “I called Dave to the to Australia with Steve Smith and Cameron Ban- bathroom and told him I was bleeding. We knew I specialist visit. The Team India captain will Twenty20 internationals and three one-day croft, who were also involved in the scandal, but was miscarrying. We held one another and cried,” now undergo a period of rehabilitation under internationals. They then take on the hosts in they were put on separate flights with the Warner she told the Australian Women’s Weekly magazine. family handed the longest route back. the supervision of the BCCI medical team.” a five-test series starting in August. “The miscarriage was a heartbreaking end to a “We got the longest and tough route. No one Kohli is scheduled to undergo a fitness test Ajinkya Rahane was earlier this month horror tour. “The ordeal from the public humilia- knew I was pregnant and Dave did everything to at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru picked to lead India against Afghanistan, tions to the ball-tampering had taken its toll and, get me home safely, fearing any more strain could on June 15 and the BCCI expects him to be who play their maiden test in Bengaluru in from that moment, we decided nothing will impact affect our unborn child,” she said, adding that she fully fit for the tour of England. India begin June, keeping in mind Kohli’s county com- our lives like that again.” The couple already have was in “a bad state”. —AFP their tour of England in July with three mitments. —Reuters.