2nd Test: Younus, Misbah keep Pakistan afloat

DUBAI: 

Seasoned batsmen Younus Khan and Misbahul Haq hit resolute half-centuries to take the fight to Sri Lanka in the second Test in Dubai on Friday.

Younus was unbeaten on 62 and Misbah scored 52 not out to help Pakistan reach 132 for three at close on the third day at the Dubai stadium pitch which is likely to help spinners on the last two days.

Pakistan still need another 91 runs to avoid an innings defeat and going down 0-1 in the three Test series after the first Test ended in a draw in Abu Dhabi.

Younus and Misbah came together with Pakistan in dire straits at 19 for three in the second innings.

Sri Lanka earlier gained a big 223-run lead by scoring 388 in their first knock.

Younus said the fight back will continue.

“It’s nice to fight back,” said Younus. “I had a good partnership with Misbah when the team needed it and our first target on Saturday will be to erase the lead and then bat on.”

It was pace man Nuwan Pradeep (two for 28) who gave Pakistan early wobbles.

Pradeep had Mohammad Hafeez caught behind in his second over and in his fourth swung one across Manzoor for wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene to catch a simple offer.

Pakistan had lost opener Ahmed Shehzad in the last over before lunch, caught behind for nine off spinner Rangana Herath.

It was left to Younus and Misbah to fight one more time for Pakistan.

Younus reached his 28th half-century with a single off Herath and continued to bat solidly, hitting four boundaries. Misbah completed his 3,000th Test run when on 10, becoming Pakistan’s 15th batsmen to achieve the milestone. 

PPFL: Mehmood leads WAPDA to 2-0 victory

KARACHI: 

Wapda consolidated their second position in the Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) after defeating PIA 2-0 at the Model Town Ground on Friday.

PIA defied Wapda in the first-half, but their defence fell short when Arif Mehmood scored the opening goal in the first minute of injury-time as Wapda led 1-0 at the interval.

Mehmood went on to seal victory for his team in the 63rd minute. So far, Wapda have 45 points and are in second position after their 12th win of the season.

In another match, KPT thrashed Pak-Afghan Clearing Agency (Paca) 7-2.

KPT striker Mohammad scored the first goal in the sixth minute and doubled the lead in the 16th. Junaid Qadir also netted two goals, while Zafar Majeed, Obaidullah and Naveed Ahmed contributed with one goal each.

Paca only managed to restore some semblance of pride with goals from Abdul Salam and Muhammad Yasir.

KPT replaced HBL in ninth position with 30 points while Paca remain on the 14th spot.

Meanwhile, NBP were held by PAF in a goalless draw.

English Premier League: Fading United plot swift Swansea payback

LONDON: 

Manchester United will look for immediate revenge against Swansea City on Saturday, a week after the Welsh club pulled off a shock victory at Old Trafford in the FA Cup.

Having lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the league and Sunderland in the League Cup – either side of last Sunday’s defeat by Swansea – United have lost their first three games of the year for the first time since 1932.

The New Year’s Day defeat by Spurs left David Moyes’ side 11 points behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League and striker Danny Welbeck has admitted that the defending champions face a struggle even to finish in the top four.

“Being a Manchester lad and being a United fan, there is extra passion inside me and it does hurt me when I see the team losing,” said Welbeck. “It hurts a lot to see United not winning.

 photo 2_zps58671c88.jpg

“I can understand why fans are concerned. We are not around the Champions League spots at the moment. We need to get our form back and just win the next matches.”

Chelsea eye top spot in Premier League

With leaders Arsenal not in action until Monday when they visit Aston Villa, third-placed Chelsea can take over at the top of the standings by winning at Hull City in Saturday’s early fixture.

Last season’s Europa League winners are yet to capture the imagination in this campaign, but midfielder John Mikel Obi believes that manager Jose Mourinho’s exacting methods are beginning to bear fruit.

“He always wants us to play in a certain way and give 110%,” said Mikel. “If you don’t, you’re out.

“You can see by the way we press up the pitch. That is important for the team and we’re doing well.”

Meanwhile, West Ham, who have conceded 11 goals in two games, having previously lost 5-0 at Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, will find themselves second from bottom in the league table ahead of Saturday’s trip to Cardiff City.

In another fixture, Sunderland will hope to bridge the four-point gap that separates them from safety when they visit fifth-bottom Fulham.

On the other hand, third-bottom Crystal Palace, meanwhile, face Tottenham, who have climbed to sixth on the back of a four-game unbeaten run under rookie manager Tim Sherwood.

And another club with a new boss are West Bromwich Albion, who have appointed Spaniard Pepe Mel as head coach, although caretaker Keith Downing will remain in charge for Saturday’s trip to Southampton.

Nadal to battle local hope Tomic in first round

MELBOURNE:
World number one Rafael Nadal will battle the bad boy of Australian tennis Bernard Tomic in the first round at Melbourne Park as he bids for a 14th grand slam title.
The Spaniard dumped Tomic from the 2011 tournament but will be wary of the opponent, who raises his game in front of home fans and has returned to form by making the semi-finals in this week’s Sydney International warm-up.
“I think it’s safe to say that’s a night match,” said Boris Becker, now coaching men’s title-holder Novak Djokovic.
“Obviously it’s [one of] the toughest first rounds … [Tomic’s] playing well in Australia.”

The local hope’s horror draw with Nadal drew groans and rueful laughs from Australian media and fans.
Fifth seed and 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, the only player to break the stranglehold of the ‘Big Four’ over the grand slams in recent years, looms as a quarter-final opponent.
Second seed Djokovic has been drawn in the much kinder lower half of the draw and will face Slovakia’s 90th-ranked Lukas Lacko first up.
Djokovic’s first major test is likely to be in the quarter-finals with the eighth seed Stanislas Wawrinka, who pushed him in a five-set marathon in last year’s tournament.
Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has been given no favours as he battles back from a back injury, drawn in the same quarter as 17-times grand slam champion Roger Federer.
The Briton will play 112th-ranked Japanese Go Soeda in the first round but big-serving American John Isner, seeded 13th, shapes as fourth round clash ahead of a quarter-final blockbuster with former world number one Federer.
Meanwhile, Swiss Federer faces Australian wildcard James Duckworth first with 10th seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga a likely tough fourth-round encounter.
Further groans in women’s draws
The women’s draw elicited further groans for local fans, with world number one Serena Williams drawing rising Australian talent Ashleigh Barty in the first round as the American bids for her 18th grand slam title.
Serena’s draw lines her up for a potential fourth-round clash with Australia’s Sam Stosur, who beat her in the final of the US Open in 2011.
Double defending champion Victoria Azarenka, seeded second, will take on Swede Johanna Larsson with the prospect of a fourth round match against rising American Sloane Stephens, seeded 13th.
Third seed Maria Sharapova kicks off her bid for a fifth grand slam title against American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
The Russian enjoys a relatively smooth run to the quarter-finals where eighth seed and former world number one Jelena Jankovic may wait.
Fourth seed Li Na, runner-up at Melbourne Park last year, will play a qualifier ahead of a possible quarter-final clash with former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

Aisam-Bopanna sail into final round

KARACHI:
Aisamul Haq Qureshi and India’s Rohan Bopanna will play their first final of the year on Saturday against Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic at the doubles event of the Sydney International.

Aisam and Bopanna, who reunited after two year at the beginning of this year, defeated Czech republic’s Lukas Rosol and Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-1, 6-2 in the semi-final on Friday.
On the other hand, the Indo-Pak Express’ final-round opponents Nestor and Zimonjic defeated Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 1-6, 10-6 in their last-four match.
It will be a big opportunity for Aisam and Bopanna to set the tone before the Australian Open that will begin on January 13.
“The Australian Open will be the biggest event for us this month of course,” Aisam told The Express Tribune. “That is why we are taking these tournaments as warm-ups for the big thing.
“We are sharing one coach this year, Scott Davidoff so this will help us improve.”
Aisam currently occupies 15th place in the ATP doubles individual rankings while Bopanna holds 13th position.
“We would need to work from the scratch when it comes to team ranking,” said Aisam, who finished last year on the fifth position with Jean-Julien Rojer in the doubles team rankings.
“But right now time we’ll be focusing on more practice and winning the events.”
Meanwhile, Bopanna said that an American coach will bring new ideas to the training, which will help both the players.
“It’s going to be beneficial for us because it will give us an outsider’s perspective,” said Bopanna.
The duo practiced for a couple of days with their new coach before competing in the ongoing tournament.
Earlier, Aisam and Bopanna played the Chennai Open where they lost in the quarter-finals.

Goals galore for Rasool in PPFL

RSSToday's Paper Subscribe BETA 2.1

 The Express Tribune

HOME
PAKISTAN
BUSINESS
WORLD
SPORTS
LIFE & STYLE
MULTIMEDIA
OPINION

MAGAZINE
BLOGS
URDU NEWS
S ALERTS
 The story that moved even the cynics... 4:02 PM PST
<  >
Goals galore for Rasool in PPFL
By Our CorrespondentPublished: January 4, 2014
 Share this articlePrint this page Email

Muhammad Rasool stole the show as he scored five goals for KESC in the second-half. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
KESC crushed Pak-Afghan Clearing Agency (Paca) 6-2 in the Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) at the Faisal Town Ground on Saturday in Lahore.
Kesc took the lead with Muhammad Riaz’s goal in the 17th minute of the match.
However, striker Muhammad Rasool stole the show as he scored five goals for KESC in the second-half. Paca only managed to reply with goals from Muhammad Moaz and Muhammad Walid.
Kesc regained their top spot with a slim margin away from Wapda. Both teams have 42 points and have the same goal-difference on the table.
However, this was KESC’s 20th match. They have won 12 matches, lost two and drawn six so far. Meanwhile, Wapda have recorded 11 wins, drawn nine and lost one out of the 21 matches played
In another match, PIA defeated Baloch FC 2-0. Zeeshan Ali scored in the first minute of injury-time in the second-half and Shakir Lashari sealed the win three minutes later.
With the win, PIA replaced Muslim FC in fourth position with 39 points.

Moyes vows to end United’s barren FA Cup run

MANCHESTER:
David Moyes heads into Sunday’s Football Association (FA) Cup third-round clash against Swansea desperate to end Manchester United’s 10-year wait for FA Cup glory.

United have been struggling in the Premier League and Wednesday’s defeat against Tottenham left them 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.
With their hopes of defending the title looking all but over, the FA Cup is a potential opportunity for Moyes to win his first major silverware as a manager and also ensure he does not end his first season at United without a trophy.
But after a heavy fixture schedule over Christmas left United with a mounting injury list, boss Moyes admits it is a difficult time for his side to be facing another Premier League club in the third round at Old Traffford this weekend.
“I’m sure there is frustration among the players because if you’re at a club like Manchester United you want to be involved in trophy winning opportunities,” said Moyes.
“To not win an FA Cup for 10 years is something which is a bit of a surprise, but it is something we will try and do. As far as I’m concerned, we will do everything we possibly can to get through.”
I will not go easy on my son: Rodgers
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will come up against his own son, Anton, on Sunday when his side host third-tier Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup third round.
However, with Oldham having stunned Liverpool 3-2 in the fourth round last season, Brendan Rodgers says he will not allow his players to go easy on his son.
“I have to get the team to keep an eye on him because he’s a good player,” said Rogers.
“He’s got quality, he has a great view of the game. So I can’t skip over it because it’s Anton. This is business.”