07-02-2021

SUnDAY, FEBrUArY 7, 2021
9
The Black Caps won't let past agonies at England's famed Lord's cricket ground hamper their quest to
win the inaugural World Test Championship final later this year.
Photo: AP
Black Caps aim to purge Lord’s
pain in world Test final
SporTS DESk:
The Black Caps won't let past agonies
at England's famed Lord's cricket
ground hamper their quest to win the
inaugural World Test Championship
final later this year, coach Gary Stead
said Wednesday, reports BSS.
New Zealand earned a place in the
decider - to be held at Lord's from June
18 - after Australia withdrew from a
Test tour to South Africa this week due
to Covid-19 fears.
The London venue was the scene of
the Black Caps' cruellest defeat, the
one-day World Cup final against
England in 2019.
With scores tied after a nail-biting
Super over, an obscure tie-break rule -
which has since been scrapped - meant
the hosts were awarded the trophy
because they had scored more
boundaries than the Black Caps.
New Zealand have also managed
only four wins from 23 completed
Irving, Harden
shine as Nets
outpower Clippers
SporTS DESk:
kyrie Irving rattled in 39
points and James Harden
bagged the 50th regular
season triple double of his
career as the Brooklyn Nets
outgunned the Los Angeles
Clippers 124-120 on Tuesday,
reports BSS.
The potential NBA finals
sneak preview at the Barclays
Center saw the Nets' big three
of Irving, Harden and kevin
Durant combine for a total of
90 points to halt the Clippers'
three-game unbeaten streak.
kawhi Leonard led the
Clippers scoring with 33
points while paul George
added 26 and French
international Nicolas Batum
chipping in with 21.
Irving said the Nets had
been determined to lay down
a marker against the Clippers,
who led the Western
Conference with the league's
best record heading into the
game. "We knew they were
going to come out aggressive
and they've got two wonderful
players (Leonard and George)
and a great collection of guys,"
Irving said.
"We know they're in
contention for meeting us
down the line so we wanted to
come out and make an
impression. I felt like we did
that. It was a total team effort
and that's what it's going to
take every single night."
The Nets, who had blown a
10-point fourth-quarter lead
in a late collapse to the
Washington Wizards on
Sunday, were given a scare
late in the game when a 118-
108 advantage shrank to a
single point with five seconds
remaining. But a length-ofthe
court pass from Harden to
Jeff Green set up a lay-up that
made it 122-119, and the Nets
eventually made the game
safe with two closing free
throws from Irving with 1.9
seconds on the clock.
matches at the ground in all formats,
with only a single Test victory.
Stead insisted history would not
weigh on his players as they seek to
become the first Test team to be
crowned world champions under the
new International Cricket Council
format.
"What's happened back in 2019 has
been and gone. We can't change it, we
can't do anything about it," Stead told
reporters.
"Now it's about us moving to what's
in front of us. I think our guys are
professional enough and skilful
enough that they'll be able to do that."
While denying 2019 was on the Black
Caps' minds, Stead did admit to having
a peek at the rule book to see what
would happen if the World Test
Championship final was tied.
"There's definitely no Super over,"
he said. "If the match is a draw or a tie
there are joint winners."
New Zealand's opponent in the final
has not been decided, with India,
Australia and England all possibilities
under the ICC's complex qualification
criteria.
Stead refused to nominate a
preferred opponent, saying they were
all great Test-playing nations.
"I just think it's magnificent we get
the opportunity to play one of them,"
he said.
New Zealand currently top the Test
rankings but Stead said his veteran
players remembered when they
tumbled to eighth in the world after a
humbling loss to South Africa in 2018,
after being all out in the first innings
for just 45.
He said winning the Test
championship would be a fitting
testament to their improvement.
"They've seen some dark days but
turned that around," he said.
"(It) would rank up there with some
of the best achievements of their
career."
Zverev battles to ATp Cup win over
Shapovalov, Italy reach semis
SporTS DESk:
Alexander Zverev rallied from a set down
to beat dangerous Canadian Denis
Shapovalov and open his season with a
fighting victory in the ATp Cup, while inform
Matteo Berrettini steered Italy into the
semi-finals on Wednesday, reports BSS.
The seventh-ranked German had to dig
deep for his 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win
to seal the tie, but gained valuable court
time ahead of another crack at a first
Grand Slam trophy at the Australian
open starting next week.
Zverev, who fell agonisingly short in the
US open final last year to Dominic
Thiem, said having his brother Mischa as
team captain had helped him. "All the
players enjoy having him as captain, he's
been fantastic in training as well. It's just
great to have him here," he said.
Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff upset
Milos raonic 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2) in the
opening match and Canada are now out
after a second narrow loss for
Shapovalov, who pushed Novak Djokovic
hard in their Group A clash on Tuesday.
Djokovic's defending champions beat
Canada 2-1 in their opener on Tuesday
and will play Germany on Thursday for a
place in the semis.
Italy became the first nation into the
last four by beating France to follow their
opening win against Austria in Group C.
Fabio Fognini won just five games in
his ATp Cup opener on Tuesday against
Denis Novak, but bounced back to battle
past Benoit paire 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) and give
Italy a 1-0 lead.
Berrettini, tipped by Djokovic as among
the new generation capable of winning a
Grand Slam, clinched the tie with a
comfortable 6-4, 6-2 victory over Gael
Monfils, ranked a place below him at 11.
"I was ready for any score. I kept
going," said Berrettini, who recovered
from going down an early break in the
first set. "I thought about my weapons
and that's how I won the match.
"It's a great team, great guys. We are
enjoying on court, but off court as well,"
he added. "I think when you're playing
for your country, for your team, it's
something special."
russia, the only nation playing with
two top 10 stars in Daniil Medvedev and
Andrey rublev, could also make the
semis if they beat kei Nishikori's Japan
in their evening clash in Group D.
Hosts Australia, who lost to rafael
Nadal's Spain in their opening Group B
tie, face a Greek team spearheaded by
Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday
evening.
Serbia overcame Spain in the final of
the inaugural and hugely popular
tournament last year in Sydney -
launched as a rival to the Davis Cup.
Alexander Zverev rallied from a set down to beat dangerous Canadian
Denis Shapovalov and open his season with a fighting victory in the
ATP Cup.
Photo: AP
Merciless Man Utd equal record in
9-0 thrashing of Southampton
SporTS DESk:
Manchester United matched the
premier League record win with a 9-0
demolition of nine-man Southampton
on Tuesday to move level on points
with Manchester City at the top of the
table, reports BSS.
It is the second consecutive campaign
Saints have suffered a 9-0 thrashing
after Leicester last season at St Mary's
equalled the record set by United
against Ipswich in 1995.
The visitors were punished for
Alexandre Jankewitz's second-minute
red card on his premier League debut.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Marcus
rashford, Edinson Cavani and Jan
Bednarek's own goal made it 4-0 before
half-time.
Anthony Martial came off the bench
to score twice in the second half, while
Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes
and Daniel James also netted either
side of Bednarek's late dismissal.
City have two games in hand on
United to reassert their advantage in
the title race, the first of which comes at
Burnley on Wednesday. But United
boss ole Gunnar Solskjaer evoked
memories of the 2011/12 title race that
City snatched on goal difference from
their local rivals as the reason why his
side had to show no mercy.
"We know better than anyone what
osaka, Barty struggle but
reach Melbourne quarters
SporTS DESk:
goal difference can do to you because
we have lost the league on goal
difference," said the Norwegian.
Solskjaer had called on his forward
players to be more clinical after a
number of missed chances cost United
in a shock 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United
and 0-0 draw at Arsenal over the past
week. rashford, Martial and Fernandes
had all seen goals dry up in 2021, but
Solskjaer is hoping they will now have
the perfect confidence boost heading
into the second half of the season.
"We've been waiting for them to show
the magic and it was a night for them to
go and enjoy it," he added. "We've not
had many times where we could just
enjoy the second half."
ralph Hasenhuttl survived the 9-0
thrashing by Leicester to turn his time
in charge of Southampton around.
But after a bright start to the season,
the Saints have lost four consecutive
leagues games to slip to 12th.
Southampton were already
decimated by an injury crisis that led to
Jankewitz getting his chance before the
19-year-old lunged into McTominay
after just 79 seconds. "He punished the
guys who were on the pitch. They were
helpless after he is sent off," said
Hasenhuttl.
"You know the 90 minutes can be
very long against a team of this quality.
World number three
Naomi osaka and top-ranked
Ashleigh Barty were pushed
to the brink Wednesday, but
both survived early exits at
Melbourne park, reports BSS.
Japan's osaka was made to
work hard against in-form
katie Boulter, but fought back
for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory to
reach the quarter-finals in the
Gippsland Trophy.
She next meets British
world number 14 Johanna
konta or Irina-Camelia Begu
from romania as she ramps
up preparations for the
Australian open starting
Monday.
"Today was really tough for
me. It just felt like a new
experience playing here again
after such a long while,"
osaka said.
"For me, I thought she
played really well. I sort of had
to raise my level, kind of go
within myself.
"I was actually more calm
after losing the first set
because I felt like for me, I just
wanted to be able to play
well," she added.
British world number 371
Boulter, who has impressed
in Melbourne and knocked
out teenage sensation Coco
Gauff Tuesday with a
comeback three-set victory,
ran her error-strewn
opponent ragged to claim the
first set in 39 minutes.
A refocused osaka lifted her
intensity to run away with the
contest in a one-sided third
set.
The three-time Grand Slam
champion had comfortably
beaten France's Alize Cornet
in straight sets on Tuesday in
her first competitive match
since lifting her second US
open title in September.
World number one Barty
also had a fright in her match
against Marie Bouzkova of the
Czech republic, but
recovered from a second-set
stutter to win 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 in
just over two hours.
"Mid-match I lacked
execution … but happy to get
it on my terms in the end," she
said.
The result is there and we have to live
with the result again. "It doesn't reflect
what we did this season so far. It's hard
to explain. We have to live with this
again."
Wan-Bissaka opened the floodgates
on 18 minutes when he scored just his
second goal for the club by meeting
Luke Shaw's cross at the back post.
rashford then converted Mason
Greenwood's cross and it was from his
driven low ball across the box that
Bednarek turned into his own net.
Cavani powered home a header from
another Shaw cross before the
Uruguayan thought he had won a
penalty. A VAr review gave
Southampton a rare let-off as instead a
free-kick on the edge of the box was
awarded.
However, Hasenhuttl's men were
denied themselves after the break when
Che Adams had a consolation strike
ruled out for a marginal offside.
The goals at the other end kept on
coming as Martial ended his eightgame
goal drought with a thumping
finish from Fernandes's through ball.
McTominay then drilled home a low
effort from long range.
A nightmare night for the visitors
continued when Bednarek was harshly
sent off after another lengthy VAr
review for clipping Martial as he bore
down on goal.
Manchester United matched the Premier League record win with a 9-0 demolition of nine-man
Southampton on Tuesday.
Photo: AP
Australia defend
'heartbreaking'
decision to scrap
S. Africa tour
SporTS DESk:
Cricket Australia denied
Wednesday it was only
interested in lucrative series
against India and England
after scrapping next month's
Test tour to South Africa
over coronavirus fears,
reports BSS.
The withdrawal drew a
sharp response from Cricket
South Africa, which
expressed frustration at the
"eleventh hour" decision
despite extensive work to
establish bio-secure bubbles
for the tourists.
CA interim chief executive
Nick Hockley described the
pull out as "heartbreaking",
insisting the Covid-19
situation in South Africa
gave the Australians no
choice.
"We share their
disappointment, we've all
worked to make this tour
happen," he told reporters.
"At the end of the day, the
weight of medical advice and
our duty of care to players
and staff meant we were
really left with no
alternative."
South Africa is the worsthit
country on the continent,
with 1.5 million detected
infections and more than
44,000 fatalities.
Hockley said CA had
offered to host the series in
Australia, where the virus is
largely contained, but
scheduling clashes and the
need to quarantine meant it
was not feasible for the
South Africans.
It was a quick turnaround
for Barty, who beat Ana
Bogdan in straight sets on
Tuesday night, but she
showed no ill effects to cruise
through the first set in 32
minutes.
Barty's radar went awry
with 13 unforced errors in the
second set and the world
number 52 broke in the fifth
game before levelling the
match.
Barty continued to struggle
on serve in the deciding set
but held on to reach the
quarter-finals of the Yarra
Valley Classic.
Fans to be allowed
into India-England
second Test
SporTS DESk:
India's first Test against England this week will be behind
closed doors but fans will be allowed into the second clash as the
country's coronavirus figures improve, officials said Wednesday,
reports BSS.
The decision to allow 50 percent capacity in sports stadiums
means that up to 16,500 people will be allowed into the second
Test in Chennai which starts February 13.
The Tamil Nadu state cricket association said the first match
in Chennai from Friday would be in an empty stadium "as a
precautionary measure for Covid-19".
The second game will be the first home Test for India with
spectators since they played South Africa at ranchi in october
2019.
India has the world's second highest number of pandemic
cases, more than 10.7 million, but numbers of new infections
and deaths have fallen dramatically in recent weeks.
The government this week eased pandemic restrictions so that
stadiums can operate at 50 percent capacity.