Page 29 - Pakistan Link - October 20, 2017

SPORTS OCTOBER 20, 2017 – PAKISTAN LINK – P29
sports
october 19, 2017 - Pakistan Link
second oDI: Azam, shadab lift Sri Lanka confirms to play

pakistan to 32-run victory final T20 in Lahore

LAHorE: Sri Lanka’s cricket au-
the weekend when some players ex-
thority said on Monday it will go would take place were raised over
in to score 52 not out to lift Pakistan’s ahead with its tour of Pakistan lat- pressed concerns for their safety and
total to 219-9. er this month for the third and final the board said it would review securi-
Captain Upul Tharanga scored an Twenty20 match despite security ty reports, making a final determina-
unbeaten 112 and became the first Sri concerns expressed by several play- tion on Monday.
Lanka batsman to carry his bat in an ers. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said its Lahore will host the T20 series
ODI, before his team was bowled out executive committee agreed unani- finale following several matches
for 187 in 48 overs. mously that the October 29 match in played in the United Arab Emirates
Shadab outfoxed batsmen with Lahore should go ahead as scheduled (UAE), where Pakistan have played
his leg-spin to finish with 3-47 in yet following reassurances of the best their “home” internationals since the
another Sri Lanka top-order batting possible security. ambush.
collapse. Azam and Shadab featured The board said it “confirmed its Since 2009, the only international
in a century stand after Pakistan commitment to play the third T20” in team to visit Pakistan is Zimbabwe,
slipped to 101-6 against seamers Lahore following assessments made who played five limited-overs games
Lahiru Gamage (4-57) and Thisara by both Sri Lankan and Pakistan in Lahore in 2015. But after Pakistan
Perera (2-34). government authorities, independent successfully staged the final of its do-
Earlier, Imad Wasim followed security experts and the International mestic Pakistan Super League tour-
Shoaib Malik and skipper Sarfaraz Cricket Council (ICC). nament in Lahore under heavy se-
Ahmed to the pavilion after being “Accordingly, the selection com- curity this March, the country hoped
judged lbw on Jeffrey Vandersay’s mittee of the SLC will finalise a squad international games could once again
ball. He scored 10 runs. of 22 by Tuesday and announce the resume. A successful series against a
Mohammad Hafeez was caught final 15 on Friday,” the SLC said in World XI team featuring top foreign
behind on the last ball of the first a statement. players in Lahore last month further
power play for eight, right after he hit SLC chief Thilanga Sumathipala boosted calls for cricket to return to
Gamage for a straight six. will accompany the team to Lahore, Pakistan.
Zaman was out for 11, caught the statement added. PCB Chairman Sri Lanka Cricket chief Sumathi-
Babar Azam celebrates after scoring century. in the slips facing Lahiru Gam- Najam Sethi called it a historic mo- pala in August appealed for an end to
age, bringing in the in-form Babar ment and expressed his gratitude for Pakistan’s isolation — a statement
DUBAI: Babar Azam hit a second Lanka in the second one-day interna- Azam. Ahmed Shehzad was able to the SLC president. welcomed by Pakistani cricket offi-
successive century and Shadab Khan tional on Monday. Azam scored 101 make only eight runs before being The October 29 match will be the cials — and urged countries to come
put up a strong all-round performance off 133 balls a day after celebrating caught trying to hit Suranga Lakmal first played in Pakistan by Sri Lan- to play. He recalled that several Test
in Pakistan’s 32-run victory over Sri his 23rd birthday while Shadab dug for a four. ka — or any other top international nations did not want to visit Sri Lan-
ka at the height of the Tamil separatist
team — since militants ambushed its
Federer brushes aside Nadal for team bus en route to the Lahore stadi- conflict, when bombs were exploding
in the capital in the mid-1990s, but
um in 2009, wounding at least seven
shanghai title players. Pakistan and India had toured Sri
Lanka at the time.
Doubts over whether the match
sHANGHAI: Roger Federer the year. “I don’t know what my of injuries, so it’s just so, so nice to Warner fires salvo to spark
brushed aside world number one Ra- expectations were going in,” Feder- be back in Shanghai,” Federer said.
fael Nadal 6-4, 6-3 to win the Shang- er said. “I thought I might struggle “It’s a wonderful moment for me to Aussies for Ashes battle
hai Masters on Sunday and register early on because it was a late finish be back here playing against my good
his fourth victory of the year over his last night. friend and rival, Rafa... We didn’t sYDNEY: Australia opener David behaviour that led to the all-rounder
Spanish rival. “I had no nerves before the think maybe we were going to have Warner has fired a salvo ahead of being arrested for an altercation out-
The Swiss world number two match, surprisingly. I think I was the year we did.” the Ashes against England, likening side a Bristol nightclub.
beat Nadal in the finals of the Austra- pretty clear about how I wanted to Federer, who won the tournament the series to a ‘war’ and saying the Stokes, 26, is England’s vice cap-
lian Open and Miami Masters and in play the match. I started off very well in 2014, has enjoyed himself on the hosts would work up some ‘hatred’ tain and one of their most important
the last 16 at Indian Wells earlier this and relaxed from then on.” fast courts of Shanghai this year, for their opponents to get in the right players, but his participation in the
year, and never looked like losing to Nadal, who admitted afterwards while Nadal will look back on a suc- frame of mind. Ashes series has been thrown into
his long-time rival in Shanghai, firing that he had been defeated by the bet- cessful stint in Asia after winning last Warner also said he did not re- doubt after he was released under in-
10 aces as he cruised to victory. ter man on the night, was up against week’s China Open. gret comments he made during the vestigation following the incident.
The Swiss 19-time Grand Slam it almost right away. “I want to congratulate Roger first Ashes Test at the Gabba in 2013 Smith would not be drawn, how-
winner, who still trails Nadal 23-15 Federer put the Spaniard under and his team for a great year. Today I about England having ‘scared eyes’, ever, on whether Stokes should be
in their overall head-to-head record, the cosh in breaking him in the first think you played a fantastic match, so adding that he fully expected more banned from playing in the series.
didn’t face a break point and started game, to roars of approval from the many congratulations,” Nadal said. words to be exchanged during the “Whether he comes or not, that’s
and ended the match with service majority inside the arena. “This year has probably been the coming series. out of our control,” Smith told ABC
breaks. Another break to 36-year-old most successful of my career here in “As soon as you step on that Grandstand in his first public com-
Federer, the only man who can Federer in the fifth game of the sec- China... It’s been a great two weeks line it’s war,” Warner said on ABC ments on Stokes’ situation. “You
still stop Nadal ending the year as ond set put him in reach of a second and I feel very happy after a long year Grandstand. “You try and get into a always want to come up against the
number one, took an hour and 12 Shanghai Masters crown. to be able to have the results here. It’s battle as quick as you can. I try and best and test your skills against the
minutes to claim his sixth title of “I wasn’t here last year because very important for me.” look in the opposition’s eyes and try best. That’s what Test cricket is all
and work out ‘how can I dislike this about. There’s no doubt Ben Stokes
player, how can I get on top of him?’ is one of the best players around the
“You have to delve and dig deep world at the moment with the skills
into yourself to actually get some he brings to the game.”
hatred about them to actually get up Smith said he hoped no Austra-
when you’re out there. History is a lian players ever found themselves in
big part in this and that is what carries the same situation as Stokes.
us onto the ground.” “I certainly don’t condone that
The five-Test series starts in Bris- kind of behaviour,” he added. “Hope-
bane on Nov 23 and Warner said the fully it never happens to one of our
battle would begin in earnest on day boys. I don’t condone that type of
one of the first encounter at the Gab- behaviour. Let’s hope we never cross
ba. “Four years ago, during that first paths with that.”
Test I made some statements in the
media and at the time I thought it was
a great thing to come out and speak
what I said,” he added, in reference
to his comments during the last Ash-
es held in Australia, which the hosts
won 5-0.
“I have no regrets about that and
I think that could have played a lit-
tle bit of a role in the back of their
minds.
“At the moment I’m not going
to put any vibes out there or get into
a verbal stoush... but come day one
when we walk out there, there will
definitely be some words exchanged.
I think the subtle approach these days
is how it is and how it goes.”
Meanwhile, Australia captain
Steve Smith says England’s Ben
Stokes is ‘one of the best players’ in
Shanghai: Roger Federer of Switzerland poses with the trophy after winning the Shanghai Masters final. the world but he cannot condone the
www.Pakistanlink.com
www.PakistanLink.com