CHENNAI: Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq will channel the spirit of record-setting compatriot Saeed Anwar and his country’s winning relationship with Chennai on Monday in an effort to revive the team’s World Cup campaign.
Pakistan tackle Afghanistan at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium where in 1997, flamboyant left-handed opener Anwar hit a monumental 194 against India.
At the time it was the highest individual ODI score while Anwar’s heroics also gave Pakistan a 35-run win over their arch-rivals.
Pakistan maintained their two-game undefeated run at the stadium with a six-wicket win over India in 2012.
“We have a great record at this venue, so I am sure that will be a motivation,” said Haq, who was only two when Anwar blitzed the India team which featured the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in 1997.
“Although I don’t have any memory of Saeed Anwar’s record, that too will be a motivation.”
Pakistan started the World Cup with wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka but the 1992 champions then suffered back-to-back losses to India and Australia.
They have slipped to fifth in the 10-nation table with the top four going through to the semifinals.
“We have to admit we did not play well in those games,” said Haq on Sunday.
“We were not up to the mark, did not get the execution right and defeat always lowers morale.”
Haq scored 36 against India in Ahmedabad but Pakistan collapsed from 155-2 to 191 all out, losing by seven wickets.
The 27-year-old then scored 70 against Australia in a daunting chase of a 368-run target in Bengaluru where Pakistan slipped to a 62-run defeat.
“We dropped crucial catches and that hurt,” said Haq.
David Warner was on 10 when he was dropped by Usama Mir off Shaheen Shah Afridi — he went on to make 163 and share a record Australian World Cup opening stand of 259 with Mitchell Marsh who compiled 121.
“You will see a new thing tomorrow. We want to go to Kolkata with four wins in six games,” said Haq, whose team will also face South Africa in Chennai on Friday.
Haq also played down the threat posed by Afghanistan’s spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi at a venue renowned as a slow bowlers paradise.
“We know this ground favors spinners and they have quality spin bowlers but we have beaten them 3-0 recently in a one-day series in Sri Lanka under the same conditions,” said Haq.
“We all know Afghanistan is a good team and in these conditions they will be tough but we are ready for that and will execute our plans.”
Pakistan inspired by Anwar’s Chennai magic at World Cup
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Pakistan inspired by Anwar’s Chennai magic at World Cup
- Pakistani opener Saeed Anwar scored 194 runs against India at same venue in 1997
- Pakistan take on Afghanistan on spin-friendly track in Chennai on Monday for World Cup clash
NBA ‘basketbrawl’: 5 players, 2 coaches ejected after Pistons-Timberwolves clash
- The game featured 12 technical fouls, the most in an NBA game since March 23, 2005, per OptaSTATS
- The Timberwolves rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat the Pistons 123-104
MINNEAPOLIS: Five players and two coaches were ejected after a wild brawl broke out during the Minnesota Timberwolves’ clash with the Detroit Pistons in the NBA on Sunday.
Detroit lost head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser. Minnesota forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo also were tossed, along with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.
“Obviously things went too far,” Bickerstaff said. “But what you see is guys looking out for one another, guys trying to protect one another, guys trying to have each other’s backs. ... Those are non-negotiables in our locker room.”
The skirmish began with 8:36 left in the half with the Pistons up 39-30. Stewart had received a technical foul just moments earlier when he bumped DiVincenzo hard after the whistle. Then Holland was called for a foul as he slapped the ball out of Reid’s hands near the baseline.
The two exchanged words, DiVincenzo stepped between them and grabbed Holland’s jersey, and soon all 10 players on the court and multiple coaches and trainers were part of the scrum.
As the players were being separated, Bickerstaff and Prigioni were screaming at each other and had to be separated by team personnel.
The whole scene played out just 20 feet from new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, who walked over from his courtside seat in the aftermath and appeared to call for assistance for a young fan who got caught in the middle of the melee.
The game featured 12 technical fouls, the most in an NBA game since March 23, 2005, per OptaSTATS.
“I thought leading up to that the game was way too physical,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “It’s unfortunate, but we knew they were a super physical team. They hit you, they hold you, all the stuff that you want your physical teams to do. But I just thought it got to a point where players were going to take matters into their own hands. You don’t ever want that.”
The Timberwolves rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat the Pistons 123-104.
Serie A title race down to Inter and Napoli after Atalanta lose again
- It’s developing into a two-team title race after third-placed Atalanta lost their second straight game, falling 1-0 at Fiorentina to drop nine points back
- Cagliari beat last-placed Monza 3-0
ROME: Victor Osimhen left in September. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia departed in January.
Now it’s almost April and Antonio Conte’s Napoli — somehow — are still in contention for the Serie A title.
Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku scored first-half goals, Alex Meret saved a second-half penalty kick from Santiago Gimenez, and Napoli beat visiting AC Milan 2-1 on Sunday for a statement victory.
Luka Jovic pulled one back for Milan in the 84th to set up a tense finale during which Milan came close to equalizing.
The result kept Napoli within three points of Serie A leader Inter Milan, who edged Udinese 2-1 earlier.
It’s developing into a two-team title race after third-placed Atalanta lost their second straight game, falling 1-0 at Fiorentina to drop nine points back.
While Lukaku has filled the void left by Osimhen after the Nigeria striker left to sign a loan deal with Galatasaray, it has taken a group effort to replace Kvaratskhelia’s output after the winger signed with Paris Saint-Germain.
One player picking up playing time in Kvaratskhelia’s absence has been Politano. He seized upon a ball over the top from Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and evaded three defenders to blast in a long-range shot 63 seconds in at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Then Billy Gilmour set up Lukaku all alone in front of the goal to double the advantage after less than 20 minutes – helped by poor positioning from Milan defender Kyle Walker.
It was Lukaku’s 400th goal for club and country.
Milan remained ninth.
Sommer’s saves help Inter preserve a victory
Goalkeeper Yann Sommer made two clutch saves in Inter’s win.
Marko Arnautovic took advantage of a rare start at center forward, opening the scoring early in the first half by redirecting in a cross from Federico Dimarco with one touch.
Davide Frattesi quickly doubled the lead with a nearly identical goal.
Center back Oumar Solet pulled one back for Udinese midway through the second half with a long, curling shot for his first Serie A goal.
Sommer then palmed away a dangerous effort from Lorenzo Lucca to preserve the lead.
Sommer also made a save on a close-range effort from Solet in stoppage time, after which vehement protests from Simone Inzaghi resulted in the Inter coach being sent off.
Arnautovic replaced Lautaro Martinez, who picked up a knock with Argentina.
Inter, which faces Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, also sorely missed injured center back Alessandro Bastoni.
Atalanta’s fading title hopes take another hit
Atalanta were also beatwn 2-0 by Inter before the international break.
Fiorentina striker Moise Kean scored his 16th goal of the season at the end of the first half with a solo action.
“In terms of the title race, I would say we’re done,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said. “It was an impossible dream that I think had already faded away during the match with Inter.”
Also, Cagliari beat last-placed Monza 3-0.
Lewandowski leads the way as Barcelona regains 3-point lead over Real Madrid
- Lewandowski has scored nine goals in his last nine league games and has 25 goals in total in the competition, three more than Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé
MADRID: Barcelona reestablished its three-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish league after beating Catalan rival Girona 4-1 on Sunday.
Robert Lewandowski added to his league-leading tally with two second-half goals.
Lewandowski has scored nine goals in his last nine league games and has 25 goals in total in the competition, three more than Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé.
“For me the most important thing is what I can do to help the team,” Lewandowski said. “I know that if I score two goals, I’ll be helping my team. As a striker it’s important to have confidence for when the ball comes to me.”
Barcelona went in front with an own-goal by Girona defender Ladislav Krejci in the first half. Ferran Torres added the fourth goal for Barcelona in the final minutes at Montjuic stadium.
On Saturday, Madrid had moved level on points with Barcelona with a 3-2 victory over Leganes at home and third-placed Atletico Madrid dropped nine points off the lead following a 1-1 draw at Espanyol.
It was Barcelona’s sixth win in a row in all competitions, and 11th in its last 12 matches. Hansi Flick’s team is yet to lose in 20 games this year, with its last loss coming against Atletico in December.
“We are in great form at the moment and we are creating a lot of chances when we have the ball. What I take from today is our ability to react after the break,” Flick said. “The great thing about my team is that we always want to score goals and everyone likes to see that.”
Barcelona has scored four or more goals in 20 of its 45 matches in all competitions this season.
“When you score four times it means you played a great match,” Lewandowski said. “We’ve been scoring a lot, and it’s important that when we can’t score early we have been patient and not changing our game plan.”
Flick praised the “special” Poland striker.
“Lewandowski is really important,” Flick said. “I don’t like to pick out individuals but he is special inside the box.”
Arnaut Danjuma scored early in the second half for Girona, which is winless in seven consecutive matches and stayed in 13th place.
Barcelona forward Raphinha stayed on the bench to get some rest following his matches with Brazil in South American World Cup qualifying.
Barcelona visits Atletico in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Wednesday. The first match ended 4-4.
Other results
Fifth-placed Villarreal won 2-1 at Getafe to gain ground on fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao, which couldn’t manage more than a 0-0 home draw with 14th-placed Osasuna. Villarreal trails Athletic by six points with a game in hand.
Valencia moved to 15th place by beating eighth-placed Mallorca 1-0 with Diego López scoring the winner in the 50th. Valencia has won twice in its last six league matches. It was Mallorca’s first loss after six matches.
Rana, Hasaranga help Rajasthan Royals to first season win in IPL
- Rana reached his fifty in 21 balls and bludgeoned the bowlers with 10 fours and five sixes
GUWAHATI, India: Nitish Rana’s batting blitz combined with a four-wicket haul by Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga led Rajasthan Royals to their first victory of this IPL season against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
Rajasthan depended on a 36-ball 81 by Rana to post 182-9 after being invited to bat first at their second home in Guwahati.
Hasaranga then turned on the heat with his leg-spin to help restrict Chennai to 176-6 and a six-run win to bounce back from two losses in the T20 tournament.
The left-handed Rana put on 82 for the second wicket with Sanju Samson to lay the foundations.
Afghanistan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad once again proved his worth as he broke the stand with the wicket of Samson, who is Rajasthan’s regular captain but playing only as a batsman due to an injury.
Rana reached his fifty in 21 balls and bludgeoned the bowlers with 10 fours and five sixes in his stay at the crease.
Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin cut short Rana’s knock as he had the batsman stumped to check Rajasthan’s surge.
Stand-in-skipper Riyan Parag hit 37 off 28 balls before being bowled by Sri Lankan pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana.
Pace spearhead Khaleel Ahmed dismissed Jofra Archer for a duck for his second wicket.
Noor and Pathirana both returned figures of 2-28.
In Chennai’s reply, Archer struck in the first over to have Rachin Ravindra caught behind for a duck as he celebrated his first wicket this IPL season.
Archer had a disastrous start to the tournament when he went for 76 in his four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad for the league’s most expensive bowling figures ever.
Hasaranga struck with his first ball to send back Rahul Tripathi before skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad attempted to put the chase on track in his 63 off 44 balls.
Hasaranga claimed a wicket each in his next two overs including impact player Shivam Dube to dent the opposition chase but Gaikwad stood strong to reach his fifty.
Hasaranga dismissed Gaikwad in his last over to return figures of 4-35.
M.S. Dhoni attempted to see his team over the line in his late blitz of 16 but fell to a stunning catch in the deep by Shimron Hetmyer off Sandeep Sharma who defended 20 runs in the final over.
Ravindra Jadeja hit a valiant 32 not out as Chennai suffered their second straight loss after they started the season with a win over Mumbai Indians.
Rashford double fires Villa into FA Cup semifinals
- Club have an outside chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League
PRESTON: Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa inspired a 3-0 win against Preston that sent his side into the FA Cup semifinals for the first time in 10 years on Sunday.
Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four.
Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that made him one of England’s brightest stars prior to his steep decline over the last two years.
Amid concerns over his attitude and off-field behavior, Rashford was deemed expendable by United manager Ruben Amorim, after also clashing with former Old Trafford boss Erik ten Hag.
The 27-year-old hadn’t scored since netting for United against Everton on Dec. 1.
Deployed in the central striker’s role that often seemed to dent his confidence at United, Rashford was too dynamic for second-tier Preston to handle in the latest sign that his career might not be destined to end in disappointment after all.
While struggling United have been mired in turmoil, Rashford has benefited from moving to upwardly mobile Villa.
Emery’s side have enjoyed a memorable run to the Champions League quarterfinals, where they face Paris Saint-Germain in April.
They also have an outside chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Rashford could be part of a memorable climax to the campaign for Villa, who haven’t won the FA Cup since 1957, with their last final ending in defeat against Arsenal in 2015. Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace booked their places in the Wembley semifinals on Saturday.
Sitting 14th in the Championship, Preston were playing in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1966.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side were unbeaten in their previous 15 home games in all competitions, but the 1889 and 1938 FA Cup winners were no match for ruthless Villa.
Rashford’s free kick forced Preston goalkeeper David Cornell into action before Ezri Konsa’s glancing header whistled just wide from Marco Asensio’s cross.
Stefan Thordarson wasted a golden opportunity to give Preston a shock lead when he poked wide.
Rashford was equally profligate after half time, shooting straight at Cornell from inside the area.
But Villa broke the deadlock in the 58th minute as Rashford timed his run perfectly to meet Lucas Digne’s low cross with a clinical finish from 12 yards.
Morgan Rogers was denied by Cornell moments later as Villa went for the kill.
And it was Rogers who earned Villa’s penalty in the 63rd minute when the England midfielder was tripped by Andrew Hughes.
Rashford stepped up to send Cornell the wrong way with a nerveless spot kick.
Ramsey put the result beyond doubt eight minutes later, surging toward the Preston area and drilling a powerful strike past Cornell for his fourth goal this season.
