TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 SPORTS ‘Pakistan wins today’ as final passes off peacefully LAHORE: Pakistan yesterday hailed the hand injury. “My good friend Lala (Afridi) successful staging of the Pakistan Super said: ‘If we get to the final you should come League final as a step towards restoring to Lahore’,” Sammy told the crowd. international cricket in the country after a “I am glad I came to experience the deadly attack on the Sri Lankan team in atmosphere here. Even though Peshawar 2009. With nerves jangling after a recent came out on top, cricket was the real win- resurgence of militant violence, tight secu- ner in Lahore,” he added. rity blanketed Lahore’s sold-out Gaddafi Stadium but the game went off peacefully #CRICKETCOMESHOME with Peshawar Zalmi beating Quetta Fans around the country watched the Gladiators by 58 runs. match on giant screens placed in market- Fans held up banners proclaiming places, while many tweeted under the “Pakistan wins today”, reflecting a mood of hashtag #CricketComesHome. defiance. The rest of the Twenty20 tourna- Legendary paceman Wasim Akram ment was played in the United Arab called it a “momentous occasion for Emirates for safety reasons. Pakistan”, while fans at the ground said “Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday may have they had sent the militants a message. won the Pakistan Super League (PSL) but “I felt no fear and I just came to give a the real victory was that of the country, message to terrorists that Pakistanis are which after years of terrorism and turmoil not afraid of their cowardly acts,” said was able to stage a landmark international Mohammad Nauman, who paid $40 for his event in Lahore,” the Express Tribune said. ticket. Peshawar Zalmi rode on a 32-ball 40 Thousands of police and troops by the in-form Kamran Akmal, who clob- patrolled the area around the Gaddafi bered six fours and a six to reach 148 for Stadium and military helicopters whirred six off their 20 overs. overhead in heavy security more common- Skipper Sammy hit two sixes in his 28 ly associated with visiting heads of state. not out, while fellow West Indian paceman It was outside the same ground almost Rayad Emrit took 3-31 for Quetta. exactly eight years ago that Pakistan crick- In reply, Quetta were shot out for 90 et suffered its worst blow when Islamist after being rocked by left-arm spinner militants opened fire on a bus carrying Sri Mohammad Asghar, who finished with Lankan cricketers, killing eight people and three for 16 in his four overs. wounding nine, including six visiting play- Eight security experts attended the BANGALORE: Indian batsman Cheteshwara Pujara plays a shot on the third day of the second Test match between India and Australia at The M. ers. The attack effectively snuffed out game, including officials from the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore yesterday. — AFP Pakistan’s home international sporting fix- International Cricket Council. tures, with no major teams visiting the Delegates from Sri Lanka and country since. Bangladesh, who are rumoured as possible CRICKET Holding the final in Pakistan had drawn candidates to tour Pakistan, were also at criticism from some quarters, after a series the ground. “We will give good news to of militant attacks in February left 130 peo- fans soon that an international team will ple dead and broke a long lull in violence come to Pakistan,” said tournament chair- that had encouraged authorities. man Najam Sethi, although similar state- Pujara Leads India’s Fears of a fresh incident threatened to ments in the past have gone unfulfilled. overshadow Sunday’s final, as top players The final of the Super League’s second such as Quetta’s Kevin Pietersen and Luke edition brings a successful conclusion to a Wright pulled out ahead of the clash over tournament which began inauspiciously security concerns. with two players suspended and more revival in 2nd Test But the West Indies’ Darren Sammy questioned over alleged spot-fixing. Afridi bucked the trend to captain Peshawar tweeted: “truly appreciate the Zalmi to victory, after replacing Pakistan’s arrangemts&security. It was a BANGALORE: Australian seamer Josh Shahid Afridi who was forced out with a success4Pakistan!” —AFP Hazlewood yesterday acknowledged the sec- SCOREBOARD ond Test hung in the balance after India’s Cheteshwar Pujara hit an unbeaten half-cen- BANGALORE, India: Scoreboard at stumps on the third day of the second Test between India and Australia in tury to lead the hosts’ fightback on day three Bangalore yesterday: in Bangalore. India 1st innings 189 (Rahul 90; Lyon 8-50) Bowling: Sharma 27-8-48-1 (3nb), Yadav 24-7-57-1 (1nb), The hosts were 213 for four at stumps, Australia 1st innings (overnight 237-6; Wade 25 not Ashwin 49-13-84-2, leading Australia by 126 runs in their second out, Starc 14 not out) Jadeja 21.4-1-63-6, Nair 1-0-7-0 innings after the tourists’ hopes of building a D. Warner b Ashwin 33 M. Renshaw st Saha b Jadeja 60 India 2nd innnings big lead were undermined by an oustanding S. Smith c Saha b Jadeja 8 L. Rahul c Smith b O’Keefe 51 bowling performance from Ravindra Jadeja. S. Marsh c Nair b Yadav 66 A. Mukund b Hazlewood 16 Pujara on 79 and Ajinkya Rahane on 40 were P. Handscomb c Ashwin b Jadeja 16 C. Pujara not out 79 batting at close of play. Hazlewood claimed M. Marsh lbw b Sharma 0 V. Kohli lbw b Hazlewood 15 three wickets. M. Wade lbw b Jadeja 40 R. Jadeja b Hazlewood 2 The pair put together a stubborn 93-run M. Starc c Jadeja b Ashwin 26 A. Rahane not out 40 S. O’Keefe not out 4 Extras (b10) 10 partnership for the fifth wicket to lift India N. Lyon lbw b Jadeja 0 Total (4 wickets; 72 overs) 213 from a wobbly 120-4 at Bangalore’s M J. Hazlewood c Rahul b Jadeja 1 Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Mukund), 2-84 (Rahul), 3-112 Chinnaswamy Stadium. “It feels pretty level at Extras (b14, lb3, nb5) 22 (Kohli), 4-120 (Jadeja) the moment. They fought back really well in Total (all out, 122.4 overs) 276 Bolwing: Starc 10-0-45-0, Hazlewood 16-0-57-3, Lyon 27- that last session,” Hazlewood told reporters. Fall of wickets: 1-52 (Warner), 2-82 (Smith), 3-134 2-69-0, O’Keefe “Credit to the two guys out there. They (Renshaw), 4-160 (Handscomb), 5-163 (M. Marsh), 6-220 16-3-28-1, M. Marsh 3-0-4-0 stuck to their plans and scratched away for (S. Marsh), 7-269 (Starc), 8-274 (Wade), Still to bat: K. Nair, R. Ashwin, W. Saha, I. Sharma, U. 9-274 (Lyon), 10-276 (Hazlewood) Yadav. quite a bit of amount of runs,” Hazlewood said after India scored 91 runs in the last session without losing a wicket. Pujara led the way with his controlled knock as he kept a persist- ent Australian attack at bay, prompting skip- Root hails England’s per Steve Smith to rotate his bowling options. Rahane was equally resolute in his resolve to give the visitors a daunting fourth innings strength in Windies win chase. He hardly played a loose shot during his 105-ball stay. The 29-year-old Pujara, who ST JOHN’S: Joe Root smashed an undefeated 90 England were on the verge of victory. recorded his 14th Test fifty in his 46th Test, as England claimed a four-wicket win over the Root struck just three boundaries in a con- capitalised on a dropped chance by Smith at West Indies on Sunday but he was quick to salute trolled innings, his only blemish being an edge off LAHORE: Cricketers of Peshawar Zalmi celebrate their victory over Quetta Gladiators first slip off Nathan Lyon when he was on four. Chris Woakes and Jason Roy who also hit impres- Bishoo between the wicketkeeper and slip. “It was in the final cricket match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at The Gaddafi Cricket Off-spinner Lyon, who had grabbed a sive half centuries. just about staying calm because we were so far Stadium in Lahore on Sunday. — AFP career-best Test haul of 8-50 in the first All-rounder Woakes was not out on 68 while ahead of the required rate,” added Root. “Chris opener Roy made 52 to help England chase (Woakes) took a lot of the pressure off me with his innings, went wicketless on a day when down a 226-run target and claim the second one- aggression.” Indian spinner Jadeja claimed six wickets. PREVIEW day international and the three-match series hav- Fresh from claiming career-best ODI figures (4 Hazlewood though praised his team’s spin- ing won the opener by 45 runs at the same venue for 40) in the first match, seamer Liam Plunkett ners after Lyon gave away just 69 runs in his on Friday. “Jason set the tone, and got us miles played a key role in stifling West Indies’ quest to 27 overs and Steve O’Keefe got the key wicket ahead of the rate,” said man of the match Root. “I accelerate on a bright morning. He removed top- SA attack bolstered of opener Lokesh Rahul (51). “I think the spin- just told Chris to take his time to get in, and build scorer Jason Mohammed (50) and Jonathan Carter ners bowled really well again,” he said. together. He played exceptionally well, and it’s a (39) before adding the scalp of Nurse to finish with Hazlewood rattled the Indian top-order with sign of a good team that we don’t rely on one or three for 32.