FAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

Spanish legend Xavi Hernandez is confident Qatar will host an ‘amazing’ FIFA 2022 World Cup, saying the country is ready to give a unique experience to football fans from all over the globe.

The former Barcelona captain, who is the brand ambas-sador of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the design unveiling ceremony for Lusail Stadium, which will host the opening and final matches of the 2022 World Cup, on Saturday night in Lusail City.

“I am very excited as an ambassador of the Supreme Committee. Qatar is preparing everything well. I think they (Qatar) are ready. These stadiums are amazing. Everybody will be surprised a lot that how Qatar will organise the World Cup. I think the country is ready in eve-rything,” said Xavi.

The Al Sadd midfielder said preparations of team Qatar, which will make World Cup debut on home soil, were also on the right track.

“I think they are preparing very well. The team is doing very well. They have a very good coach in Felix Sanchez. He is a brilliant coach, so they can compete. Let’s see at the Asian Cup in January.

“They have a culture of football. They are ready to compete. Everybody can see that in the last games they won against Switzerland and drew with Iceland. So they are ready and they have time, four years more,” he said.

The current Al Sadd captain, who has earlier showed his desire to coach Qatar, hinted to retire as a footballer next year to start his coaching career.

“I am preparing as a coach, maybe next season I will start as a coach. At the moment, I am still a player at Al Sadd,” said the 38-year-old.

Commenting on Spain’s chances at Qatar 2022, Xavi, backed his national side to bounce back from heartbreak in Russia 2018 where they were stunned by the hosts in the last-16 stage.

“Spain are doing well. Luis Enrique is the best coach. I know him very well that he can do best in the national team, but it’s still early to predict something,” he said.

World Cup in Qatar a big ‘advantage’ for fans: Sneijder

Meanwhile, Dutch star Wesley Sneijder said Qatar 2022 will offer huge advantage to fans who will visit the country for the World Cup.

“It (the World Cup in Qatar)

won’t be different. The only dif-ference is that you can now watch three games in the same day. So all these kind of things are an advantage. Let’s take for example Brazil, South Africa and Russia, it was impossible to travel to watch all the games in three days. Now you have this advantage and for sure the organisation will be perfect.

“The changes that I have seen over one year, it’s amazing. The roads, the parks that they are building, they are really making

Qatar better and ready for the 2022 World Cup,” Sneijder, who captains Al Gharafa, said.

No problem with Qatar weather: De Boer

Dutch great Frank de Boer, while backing Qatar to deliver a successful World Cup, assured fans that the weather in Qatar will not affect the mega tournament.

“I don’t see any problem with the weather,” he said.

“Right now outside it is 18-25

degrees (Celsius), which is perfect for playing football. So I am not worried about it. The most beau-tiful thing is it is so compact. You can see three games in one day. The most important thing is that you can feel that there is a World Cup going on,” he added.

“In Russia, they did a great job but it is so spread out that you don’t really feel that a World Cup is going on. A World Cup should be for the fans. What I experi-enced in South Africa, in Johan-nesburg where so many teams were together. The fans together celebrating the World Cup. We are going to experience this even more,” said De Boer.

SPORTMonday 17 December 2018

PAGE | 08 PAGE | 09Kohli joins

Tendulkar withsix centuries in

Australia

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon looms as Australia’s Test hero

I am very excited as

an ambassador of the

Supreme Committee.

Qatar is preparing

everything well. I think

they (Qatar) are ready.

These stadiums are

amazing. Everybody

will be surprised a

lot that how Qatar

will organise the

World Cup. I think the

country is ready in

everything: Xavi

Qatar will ‘surprise’ everybody at 2022 World Cup, says Xavi

FROM LEFT: Barcelona’s French defender Samuel Umtiti, former Dutch player Ronald de Boer, Al Sadd’s Spanish legend Xavi Hernandez, Mainz’s Dutch midfielder Nigel De Jong and former Dutch star Ruud Gullit during the Lusail Stadium’s design unveiling ceremony.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Expressing his delight on unveiling of the design for Lusail Stadium, Hassan Al Thawadi Secretary-General, Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, termed the development as ‘very important’.

Lusail Stadium, the 80,000-capacity venue will play host to opening and final games of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It is the eighth venue for the 2022 World Cup.

“The announcement of the design of the stadium is very important. It’s the last stadium and the main stadium as well. Off course, having the honour of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attending the gathering is absolutely

fantastic as well, having Secretary General of the UN (Antonio Guterre), President of Ecuador (Lenín Moreno), and high level of delegation attending the dinner is no doubt for us a moment of pride,” Al Thawadi said.

Commenting on the matter of expanding the World Cup to 48 teams, Al Thawadi, said: ”FIFA President (Gianni Infantino) has commended the great work that he has seen on the ground. The great progress that has been made so we focus on that. In relation to the issue of 48 teams, he has also men-tioned that there is a feasibility study that is being undertaken and ultimately the decision will be made by FIFA and Qatar. So until the feasibility happens and finalised there is not much to comment about that.”

Moment of ‘pride’: Al Thawadi

Yazeed wins Qatar National Day Trophy

Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, with the team-members of Yazeed who won the Qatar National Day Trophy (Gr2 PA, Purebred Arabian horses) during the presentation ceremony held at the Al Rayyan Park, yesterday. Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) General Manager Nasser bin Sherida Al Kaabi (right), Turkish actor Camal Hunal (third, right) and QREC officials are also seen.

Southampton end Arsenal’s unbeaten run AGENCIES

Arsenal’s 22-game unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end with a 3-2 loss at Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday, with Charlie Austin’s 85th-minute goal sealing a first win for new Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuettl.

Arsenal twice came from behind through goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and looked like pre-serving an undefeated streak in the league stretching back to August 18 - a stretch of 14 games.

But Shane Long got free down the right and sent in a cross that went over Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno and was headed in at the far post by Austin. It was a winning goal that lifted South-ampton out of the relegation zone with 17 of 38 matches gone.

Danny Ings had earlier put Southampton ahead on two occa-sions with headers.

Chelsea hold on against Brighton

Chelsea consolidated fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion yesterday that became harder work than had seemed likely in the first half.

Having won 4-0 at the Amex Stadium last season, they were on course for a repeat after taking a 2-0 lead at the interval.

Eden Hazard set up the first goal for Pedro after 17 minutes and scored the second himself before halftime following a defensive error. Brighton came back into con-tention through Solly March’s goal midway through the second half and Lewis Dunk went close to an equaliser.

Liverpool beat United 3-1Substitute Xherdan Shaqiri

scored two goals from deflected shots to help Liverpool beat fierce rival Manchester United 3-1 and lift his team back atop the Premier League on Sunday.

Shaqiri put Liverpool back in front in the 73rd - within three minutes of coming on as a sub-stitute - with a low strike that deflected off United defender Ashley Young and went in off the crossbar. Shaqiri’s second goal clinched Liverpool victory and again came via a ricochet, this time off Eric Bailly, to deceive United goalkeeper David De Gea in the 80th.

Sadio Mane had given Liv-erpool the lead in the 24th.

Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) addressing the gathering during the unveiling of the Lusail Stadium’s design on Saturday.

Masterful Kohli joins Tendulkar with 6 centuries in AustraliaAFP PERTH

Master batsman Virat Kohli smacked his 25th century yesterday and his sixth in Australia, joining the elite company of boyhood hero Sachin Tendulkar.

Playing in his 75th Test, the Indian run-machine did it in style with a classic straight

drive off Mitchell Starc to reach triple figures on day three of the second Test in Perth.

He hit 11 fours in the battling 214-ball ton after coming to the crease on a fast

and bouncy pitch with his team in trouble at eight for two in reply to

Australia’s first innings total of 326. He was eventually out for

123, caught at slip by a diving Peter Handscomb off Pat Cummins.

In bringing up 100, he become the second-

fastest batsman to 25 Test centuries in

terms of innings,

with 127. Countryman Tendulkar is third with 130, while Don Bradman managed it in just 68.

The often expressive Indian captain imme-diately took off his helmet, pointed to his bat and gestured with his glove that he was letting it do the talking for him. Kohli had resumed on 82 and barely gave the Australians a glimmer of a chance in reaching the ton, playing an array of strokes all around the wicket. It was his sixth century in Australia, matching the feat of Tendulkar and motoring him past Alastair Cook, David Gower and Clive Lloyd.

While Tendulkar took 20 Tests to get his six centuries, Kohli only needed 10, further cementing his place as one of the all-time greats. Only Eng-land’s Jack Hobbs (nine) and Wally Hammond (seven) have more. Speaking at the end of day two, Australia’s Mark Waugh, who scored 20 Test centuries, said if Kohli brought up three figures it would rate as one of his finest ever.

“We know Kohli is a great player and but given the calibre of Australia’s attack and how foreign these conditions are for the Indians, if Kohli does turn this into a hundred it will be one of the best of his career given the factors at play.”

08 MONDAY 17 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

Australia build lead of 175 after late India collapseAFP PERTH

Australia were confident yes-terday that they can overcome a deteriorating pitch to build a match-winning lead in the second Test in Perth.

At stumps on the third day, Australia were 132 for four, with Usman Khawaja on 41 and Tim Paine on eight, an overall advantage of 175 after leading by 43 runs on the first innings despite a stellar Virat Kohli century.

Although they still had six wickets in hand, opener Aaron Finch was taken to hospital for scans after retiring hurt with an injured right hand on 25.

Australian coach Justin Langer said Finch had been cleared of serious damage, but was uncertain if he would return to the crease.

The cracks in the pitch were starting to become a significant factor, with Finch’s opening partner, Marcus Harris, also struck flush on the helmet by a rising delivery in making 20.

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon, who claimed five wickets in the Indian first innings to move into the top 25 of Test wicket-takers, conceded the pitch was getting harder to bat on.

He believed Australia was set to post a total its attack could defend to level the series. “The wicket is starting to play a few more tricks,” he said.

“We know we have the

bowlers to make sure we can defend what we have to.

“Whatever we get to is just going to have to be enough.”

Indian paceman Jasprit Bumrah (1-25), who was almost unplayable at times, said India’s batsmen would not be deterred by a tough fourth-innings chase.

“We want early wickets tomorrow to reduce the total,” he said. “I am confident our team is capable of chasing any total but we will try to minimise it as much as possible.

The Australians found batting extremely challenging in their second innings, playing and missing time and again as they battled to extend their lead.

Shaun Marsh (5) and Peter Handscomb (13) again fell cheaply, doing little to ease the pressure on their pair to retain their spots in the side.

Marsh played a loose shot to a short ball from Mohammed Shami (2-23) and was caught behind, while Handscomb’s shaky defence was highlighted when he was trapped lbw by Ishant Sharma (1-33).

The struggles of the Aus-tralian batsmen were a far cry from the command of Kohli as he anchored his team’s first innings until a contentious dismissal.

In reply to Australia’s 326 after winning the toss and batting, India were bowled out for 283 despite Kohli’s 123.

Kohli reached his century with a classic straight drive off paceman Mitchell Starc, having

been at the crease for 310 minutes and faced 214 balls.

Two overs later he produced the shot of the match when he lifted Josh Hazlewood over third man for six.

In reaching triple figures, Kohli became the second-fastest player to reach 25 Test centuries in terms of innings with 127, behind only Don Bradman (68) and ahead of his countryman Tendulkar (130).

He also joined Tendulkar as the only Indian batsmen to have scored six Test centuries in Aus-tralia, and became the first Test centurion at the new venue.

The Indian captain’s innings came to a controversial end when he was caught at second slip by a diving Handscomb from the bowling of Pat Cummins.

Kohli was given out by the on-field umpires but clearly believed it had not carried.

However, the decision stood after it was reviewed by third umpire Nigel Llong.

B u m r a h said the Indians were “a little sur-prised” by the on-field decision, while Lyon said the Australians believed it was a “great catch”.

The Indians lost their last five wickets for just 35 runs to hand Australia a small but valuable lead.

Australia’s batsman Usman Khawaja pulls a ball away from the Indian bowling on the third day of the second Test match in Perth yesterday.

The Indian captain makes it look so easy with 123REUTERS PERTH

Virat Kohli has proved time and again he can be pretty vocal but yesterday the Indian captain let his bat do the talking with a sublime century on day three of the second Test against Australia.

The Indian run-machine hit his 25th Test century, injecting fresh life into India’s reply to Australia’s first-innings total of 326.

While frontline batsmen from both sides struggled on Perth’s new stadium track, the feisty Indian joined compatriot Sachin Tendulkar as the only visiting batsmen to have scored six test hun-dreds in Australia in the last seven decades.

And when it came to celebrating the hundred, actions spoke louder than words as Kohli placed his helmet on the ground, pointed to his bat and made a yapping gesture with his gloved hand.

“I really have no idea what he meant but he’s

always very animated with his celebration,” India quick Jasprit Bumrah told reporters. “It’s always fun to watch it from the dressing room.”

Kohli had walked in on Saturday with his team on a precarious eight for two and by the time Pat Cummins dismissed him for 123, he had forged three significant partnerships of 50 or more to guide the India to a respectable 251-6.

“We were in trouble but he carried the team with that knock,” Bumrah said. “He’s been doing it for a while. He’s an inspiring leader, who leads from the front. It’s a great thing for us.”

Kohli needed 127 innings to register 25 test cen-turies, second only to Australian great Don Bradman, who required 68. His dismissal was not without drama either. Kohli edged Cummins to second slip where Peter Handscomb took a low catch. Debate will rage on as to whether it was a clean catch, but third umpire Nigel Long did not have conclusive evidence to overturn it.

Australia (I innings) .......................... 326 India (I innings)K Rahul b Hazlewood ...................................... 2M Vijay b Starc ..................................................0C Pujara c Paine b Starc .................................24V Kohli c Handscomb b Cummins .............. 123A Rahane c Paine b Lyon ............................... 51H Vihari c Paine b Hazlewood .....................20R Pant c Starc b Lyon .....................................36M Shami c Paine b Lyon ..................................0I Sharma c and b Lyon ......................................1U Yadav (not out).............................................. 4J Bumrah c Khawaja b Lyon ........................... 4Extras (B4, LB7, NB2, W5) .......................... 18Total (all out) ..................................... 283Fall: 1-6, 2-8, 3-82, 4-173, 5-223, 6-251, 7-252, 8-254, 9-279, 10-283Bowling: Starc 24-4-79-2 (2nb), Hazlewood 21-8-66-2, Cummins 26-4-60-1 (1w), Lyon 34.5-7-67-5Australia (II innings)M Harris b Bumrah .........................................20A Finch retired hurt ........................................ 25U Khawaja(batting) ........................................ 41S Marsh c Pant b Shami ....................................5P Handscomb lbw Sharma ............................13T Head c Sharma b Shami ............................. 19T Paine (batting) ............................................... 8Extras (lb1) .......................................................1Total (4 wickets) ................................ 132Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-64, 3-85, 4-120 Bowling: Sharma 9-0-33-1, Bumrah 13-5-25-1, Shami 10-3-23-2, Yadav 8-0-39-0, Vihar 8-4-11-0

SCOREBOARD

Symonds reveals Singh’s emotional apology over ‘monkeygate’AFP PERTH

Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh “broke down crying” when he finally made up with Andrew Symonds after the infamous “monkeygate” scandal had sent the Australian all-rounder into a downward spiral, he revealed yesterday.

A decade on from the ugly incident in the 2008 Sydney Test, where Singh was accused of calling Symonds a “monkey”, the Australian said they emo-tionally called a truce three years later.

It happened when the pair were awkwardly reunited by the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

“We go to a very wealthy man’s place for a barbecue, drinks and dinner one night and the whole team’s there and he had guests there, and Harbhajan said ‘mate, can I speak to you for a minute out in the garden out the front’,” Symonds told Fox Sports.

“He goes, ‘look, I’ve got to say sorry to you for what I did to you in Sydney. I apologise, I hope I didn’t cause you, your family, your friends too much harm and I really apologise for what I said, I shouldn’t have said it’.

“And he actually broke down crying, and I could just see that was a huge weight off his shoulders, he had to get rid of it. We shook hands and I gave him a hug and said: ‘Mate, it’s all good. It’s dealt with’.”

Singh, who at time denied any wrongdoing, was charged with racial abuse and suspended for three matches. But the ban was overturned when India threatened to quit the tour in what was an all-time low in India-Australia relations.

It left Symonds feeling let down by the system while the need for teammates and close friends Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke to step up as wit-nesses weighed on his con-science. Symonds has previ-ously recounted how his life went downhill after the incident.

He started drinking heavily and in June 2009 his Cricket Australia contract was with-drawn after he was sent home from the World Twenty20 fol-lowing the latest in a series of alcohol-related indiscretions.

“I suppose this would be the moment where my whole persona to cricket changed,” Symonds said of “monkeygate”. “I didn’t realise how powerful one player, one incident, how much money was at stake and the ramifications.”

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India’s captain Virat Kohli gestures to the crowd on day three of the second Test against Australia at Perth Stadium in Perth yesterday.

09MONDAY 17 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT

Australia’s Mitchell Starc

inspects his boot while bowling

against India in Perth yesterday. Starc, one of the world’s premier fast bowlers, is

appearing in his 47th Test in the on-going match

against India. He has picked up 193 wickets to

date.

Lyon looms as Australia’s Test heroREUTERS PERTH

Nathan Lyon hopes to provide a desperately-needed tonic for Australia’s beleaguered sup-porters after the veteran off-spinner’s five-wicket haul helped his side build an ominous lead in an enthralling second Test against India.

On a grassy Perth Stadium pitch, dubbed a ‘paceman’s par-adise’, Lyon stole the show to be the pick of Australia’s bowlers with 5-67 from 34.5 overs in India’s first innings of 283.

Australia were 132 for four in their second innings, a lead of 175 runs at stumps on day three.

The 31-year-old conjured menacing bounce off the expansive rough patches to clean up India’s tail and ensure Aus-tralia snared a crucial 43-run first-innings lead.

Lyon has claimed 13 wickets in the series to continue his stranglehold over India as a des-perate Australia seek a series-levelling victory after a narrow first-Test defeat in Adelaide.

Only James Anderson, Muttiah Muralitharan and Imran Khan have taken more Test wickets against India, earning Lyon significant praise from Indian great Sachin Tendulkar who said on social media that the Australian was a “very special spinner”.

“He’s one of the greatest of all time to ever play the game and to get recognised from him is a massive honour,” Lyon told reporters.

Lyon also moved past South Africa great Allan Donald and into 25th place on the all-time test wicket-takers list with 331.

“It’s a bit surreal. Those mile-stones haven’t really sunk in,”

said Lyon. “I don’t think I’m at the top of my game yet. I believe there is a lot more around the corner for me.”

A cult hero in Australia, Lyon has been nicknamed the “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time) and has an opportunity to provide cheer for a nation still reeling after the damaging Newlands ball-tam-pering fiasco.

“Playing Test cricket for Aus-tralia, we have an opportunity to become heroes,” he said.

“That is something that sits very special to me that you can go out there and make a lot of people happy if you stand up.”

Lyon remained confident that Australia would snap a run of six Tests without victory.

“I would rather be in Aus-tralia’s change rooms than India’s,” he said. “We know we have the bowlers that can defend (the total).”

Australia’s Nathan Lyon shows the ball after taking five wickets on day three of the second Test against India in Perth yesterday.

Australia cricket chief open to four-day Tests

Latham ton puts New Zealand in charge of first Sri Lanka TestAFP WELLINGTON

Opener Tom Latham’s unbeaten century put New Zealand in charge of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Wellington yes-terday, as the Black Caps raced past the tourists’ first-innings total and looked to build an imposing lead.

Latham was 121 not out at stumps on day two with New Zealand cruising at 311 for two in reply to Sri Lanka’s modest 282.

It was a frustrating day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers on a Basin Reserve pitch that transformed into a batters’ paradise after wreaking havoc during the tourists’ innings on day one.

Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson narrowly missed out on his own century, falling for 91, and all New Zealand’s batsmen got good starts, with Jeet Raval making 43 and Ross Taylor not out on 50.

While the Sri Lanka attack worked hard, they could not build pressure and the two New Zealand wickets that fell were the result of rash shots from Raval and Williamson.

That was not an issue for Latham, who

meticulously crafted his seventh Test century from 219 balls and never looked rattled at the crease. He combined with Wil-liamson for a 162-run part-nership, laying the foundation for a huge total from a line-up that has eight wickets in hand and has plenty of batting to

come.Coach Gary Stead New

Zealand would look to turn the screws on day three.

“Hopefully we can bat for a big chunk of tomorrow and we’ll just bat once in the game, that’s the plan,” he said. “We’ll try and make the most of these

conditions as long as we can, then we’ll see where we get to tomorrow afternoon and maybe have a wee bowl at them.

“There’s a lot of game to be played before then.”

Despite failing to reach triple figures, Williamson still has a remarkable record against Sri

Lanka, with three cen-turies in seven Tests against them. That includes an unbeaten 242 at Wellington’s Basin Reserve in 2015.

Sri Lanka will be hoping for a dramatic New Zealand collapse on day three to salvage any hopes of a win.

Earlier, they added just seven to their over-night total before Tim Southee coaxed an inside edge off Kumara to claim a six-wicket innings haul.

K u m a r a ’ s departure for a duck left Dickwella stranded on 80 not out after he led a rearguard action for Sri Lanka.

Angelo Mathews and Dimuth Karu-naratne were the only other batsmen to offer any meaningful resistance, notching 83 and 79 respectively.

Indian teenager takes perfect 10

AFP NEW DELHI

Indian teenage fast bowler Rex Singh wrote his name in the record books by becoming one of a select band of bowlers to take all 10 wickets in an innings.

The 18-year-old Singh, playing for the north eastern state of Manipur, unleashed a devastating spell of left-arm pace and swing bowling to return the remarkable figures of 10-11 in 9.5 overs. Singh, who made his domestic debut in the Ranji Trophy this season, took a match haul of 15 wickets in the under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy four-day match played in the north eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Singh’s feat helped skittle out Arunachal Pradesh for 36 runs in their second innings as Manipur won comfortably. He splattered the stumps of five batsmen who were out bowled, trapped two leg before and had three caught. Social media was abuzz at the weekend over the youngster’s feat with the video of his amazing spell going viral as news of his exploits earlier in the week spread. “This Manipur boy claimed 10 wickets with his smooth action and beautiful inswingers,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tweeted.

Singh became the second player in the current season to accomplish the feat after Sidak Singh, Puduch-erry’s left-arm spinner, took all the 10 wickets against Manipur in the U23 CK Nayudu Trophy. Only two bowlers have taken all 10 wickets in a Test innings. India’s Anil Kumble took 10-74 in 1999 against Pakistan and Jim Laker of England who took 10-53 in 1956.

New Zealand’s Tom Latham celebrates 100 runs during day two of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve in Wellington yesterday.

BD coach cautious ahead of Windies T20 showdownAFP SYLHET

Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes yes-terday said was reluctant to consider his men favourites for the Twenty20 series against West Indies, despite a streak of hot form against the Car-ibbean visitors.

The three-match T20 contest gets underway today with Bangladesh riding high after beating the West Indies in the preceding Test and one-day international series.

The last time the two sides faced off in a T20 series was in the USA in July, when Bangladesh won 2-1. But Rhodes urged his men against hubris, warning they would be coming up against a better-ranked side in the opener in Sylhet.

“We played well in the one-dayers and we should take a lot of confidence from that. We played well in the Test series, and that was fantastic,” Rhodes told reporters. “But we are asking for more. We want the players to beat the West Indies in Twenty20. They’re ranked above us. They are world champions.

“We surprised them in Florida and surprised ourselves as well. But the plan is to go out there and win the series. We desperately want to do it

and it’s going to be a lot tougher than the other two series because this is the format West Indies excel at.”

Bangladesh suffered an injury scare before the series even got underway, with skipper Shakib Al Hasan struck by a ball on his toe during yesterday’s training session.

Rhodes confirmed Shakib was unharmed and should lead Bangladesh into Monday’s match.

“He is fine... He is smiling and happy,” said Rhodes. “He is icing his foot at the moment. I’d be very sur-prised if he wakes up tomorrow and there’s any issue, to be perfectly honest,” he said.

West Indies Twenty20 captain Carlos Brathwaite said the series was a perfect opportunity to give their fans something to celebrate before Christmas after losing the Tests and ODIs.

“The people back home deserve a Christmas gift. We hope to close out the year with a win,” he said. “We still think T20 is our premier format. We obviously haven’t had the results in the recent past to be proud of. But here’s a chance to turn things around and end 2018 in a good way.” The West Indies will wrap up their tour of Bangladesh with the final T20 matches of the series in Dhaka on December 20 and 22.

Sri Lanka (I innings)M Gunathilaka lbw Southee ............................1F Karunaratne c Watling b Wagner ............ 79D de Silva c Watling b Southee ...................... 1K Mendis c Patel b Southee ............................ 2A Mathews c Watling b Southee .................83D Chandimal c Patel b Southee ..................... 6N Dickwella not out .......................................80D Perera c Watling b de Grandhomme ...... 16S Lakmal c Nicholls b Wagner .........................3K Rajitha c Watling b Boult ............................ 2L Kumara c de Grandhomme b Southee ...... 0Extras (LB7, NB2) ........................................... 9Total (all out) .....................................282Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-7, 3-9, 4-142, 5-167, 6-187, 7-223, 8-240, 9-275, 10-282Bowling: Boult 27-6-83-1, Southee 27-7-68-8, de Grandhomme 13-2-35-1 (nb1), Wagner 20-2-75-2 (nb1), Patel 3-0-14-0New Zealand (I innings)J Raval c Dickwella b Kumara .......................43T Latham (batting).........................................121K Williamson c Rajitha b de Silva ................ 91R Taylor (batting) ............................................50Extras (LB4, NB1, W1) ................................... 6Total (2 wkts) .....................................311Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-221Bowling: Lakmal 18-2-60-0, Rajitha 21-5-78-0 (1w, 1nb), Mathews 4-3-1-0, Perera 13-0-59-0, Kumara 20-1-79-1, de Silva 8-0-30-1

SCOREBOARD

AFP PERTH

Australia’s new cricket chief says he is open to the idea of trialling four-day Test matches to boost waning popularity of the red ball game.

The International Cricket Council approved the exper-imental concept last year in a bid to ensure the future via-bility of Tests in the face of an explosion in the fast-paced Twenty20 format.

South Africa played Zim-babwe in the inaugural four-day Test last December in Port Elizabeth, winning inside two. A minimum 98 overs had to be bowled each day, as opposed to the regulation 90 in a five-day game.

Another match is scheduled for July next year when England take on Ireland at Lords.

“There’s a bit to be said for it,” Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts told commercial sports radio station SEN late Saturday. “It’s certainly something we need to be open minded to down the track.”

Roberts assumed the reins at CA in October from James Sutherland, who stood down after 17 years in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.

He pointed out that the average duration of a Test match “is a shade over four days”.

“We know there’s been timeless Tests over the years, we know there were even three-day Tests. So Test cricket hasn’t been five days in duration forever,” he said.

“And I think the concept of four days going forward is something we need to be open to, without jumping to conclusions.”

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has been a long-time advocate of tri-alling shorter matches to try and rejuvenate Test cricket.

“Test match cricket has been on the decline for many years, that’s been a worldwide problem, although not particularly in the UK, but give it a try and see how it goes,” he told reporters earlier this year.

“People said day-night Tests would be ridiculous, that they would finish in two days, but they’ve been a great spectacle and worked in the right parts of the world.”

Australia have been at the forefront of playing Test matches under lights, hailing them as a great success.

They hosted the first ever, against New Zealand in 2015, and have won all four they have played.

10 MONDAY 17 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

Young racing talent on the rise: LCSC Vice-PresidentTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Young racing talent in Qatar is rising through the ranks at events held at Losail Interna-tional Circuit (LIC), a top motoring official said.

Khalid Al Remaihi (pic-tured), Vice-President of the Losail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC) and General Manager of LIC, said young riders fea-turing in the Qatar 600 Series Superstock Championship is a perfect platform to nurture riders for the future.

Al Remaihi said young Qatari rider Hassan Mansoori was the surprise pick of the second round of the QTSK where he managed to occupy the third place in both of the races. He said Mansoori is showing good talent at a young age.

The LCSC official said he was impressed to see the improvement in Abdullah Al Qubaisi’s performances over the last two years.

Al Remaihi said the young-sters are also learning by competing against experi-enced riders like Saeed Al Sulaiti and Mashel Al Naimi who also happen to be

arch-rivals in the fiercely contested championship.

“We are also happy to see riders from neighbouring countries flocking to our cham-pionship. We regularly host Kuwaiti riders and one of the big names is Mohammed Al Zaidan,” Al Remaihi said after round two of the QTSK held over the weekend at LIC.

Qatar’s Jassim Al Thani dominated the races of the second round.

Al Remaihi said that the second round of the

tournament witnessed great competition and high technical levels from the riders.

“Improvement from the riders shows that they are rising in the technical sense and that’s important for them and good to see,” Al Remaihi said.

He also said the champi-onship is witnessing great cooperation among all stakeholders including the riders, technical staff, the sponsors and the volunteers at the LIC.

The LCSC official praised Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) under the chairmanship of Abdulrahman Al Mannai for their support of the event.

Al Sulaiti, Jassim win again at Losail CircuitTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Saeed Al Sulaiti and Jassim Al Thani repeated victories again in the second round of Qatar Superstock 600 held this weekend at Losail International Circuit.

In the first race of the round, the poleman of the weekend, Al Sulaiti, managed to take the lead from the start until the checkered flag. Al Sulaiti clocked a total time of 23:13.147 to complete the 12 laps. Abdulla Al Qubaisi finished second and Mishal Al Naimi came third.

Al Qubaisi, who started in second place at the grid, stayed in this position during the first two laps but Al Naimi overtook him and was in the second place for five laps. In the last part of the race, Al Qubaisi gained again the second position and kept it until the end.

Nasser Al Malki and Balint Kovacs finished fourth and fifth respectively.

In the QSTK Trophy cat-egory, the win was again for Jassim Al Thani who finished sixth overall. Kuwaiti Mohammad Al Zaidan and Hassan Al Mansoori completed the QSTK Trophy podium.

In the second race of the day, Al Sulaiti won again but this time, the second position was for Al Naimi and Al Qubaisi came third.

For QSTK Trophy, the winners in the second race were exactly the same as the first one, Al Thani stepped on top of the podium with Mohammad Al Zaidan second and Hassan Al Mansoori in third place.

Al Sulaiti was very happy with his double win.

“In race one, Mishal was very close to me and I tried to create a gap as I am not ready to fight with the last injuries I have, so I tried to push at the beginning and at the middle of the race I had a comfortable gap. In race 2, also I did the same strategy and I overtook Mishal at the beginning of the second lap in the main straight and then I did my best lap time and create a gap. Unfortu-nately, in the last four laps, I burnt the clutch and it was really difficult to go back in gears but the gap was safe so I

tried to be smooth with the gear and not do anything wrong,” Al Sulaiti said.

The winner in the Trophy category, Al Thani, is improving in each race and managed to do his personal lap time in this round.

“This victory came after a long and hard training and today I did my personal best lap time 2:07.6 which is really good and really looking forward next round to push even harder,” Al Thani commented.

Kuwaiti rider Mohammad Al Zaidan had a crash yesterday during the Superpole 2 but fin-ished second in both races.

“Great races, I pushed hard to go to the first place but I couldn’t. Yesterday I had a big crash during the Superpole 2 and I have pain in my hand, so it was a bit difficult but we are improving each round and hopefully next round will be better,” Al Zaidan said.

Hassan Al Mansoori was delighted with his first double podium in a weekend.

“I am very happy with today results as it is the first time I am in the podium in both races. I have done my personal lap time record and managed to overtake Nawaf Al Shuaibi in the last corner of last race,” Al Mansoori said.

In the standings, Al Sulaiti is leading the championship with 100 points and Al Naimi is second with 72. Al Qubaisi is in the third place with 69 points and Hungarian rider Kovacs is fourth with 55.

Al Thani is leading the QSTK Trophy standings with 100 points and Al Zaidan, with 80 points stands in the second position. Al Mansoori is third with 59 points.

Trophies were presented by Abdulrahmam Al Mannai, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Feder-ation (QMMF) President, and Khalid Al Remaihi, Losail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC) Vice Pres-ident and General Manager.

The third round of Qatar Superstock Championship will be held on January 25 and 26, 2019.

Saeed Al Sulaiti (right), Abdullah Al Qubaisi (centre) and Mishal Al Naimi in action during the second round of Qatar Superstock 600 held this weekend at Losail International Circuit.

Improvement from

the riders shows that

they are rising in the

technical sense and

that’s important for

them and good to

see: Al Remaihi

The podium winners of the Qatar Superstock 600 Race 2, Saeed Al Sulaiti (winner, centre), second placed Mishal Al Naimi and Abdulla Al Qubaisi pose for a photograph during the presentation ceremony held at the Losail International Circuit. RIGHT: The podium winners of the QSTK Trophy race 1 and 2, Qatari riders Jassim Al Thani, Hassan Al Mansoori and Kuwait’s Mohammad Alzaidan celebrate with their trophies.

QSTK RACE 1 1: Saeed Al Sulaiti (QAT)2: Abdulla Al Qubaisi (QAT)3: Misal Al Naimi (QAT)4: Nasser Al Malki (QAT)5: Balint Kovacs (HUN)

QSTK TROPHY - RACE 1 1: Jassim Al Thani (QAT)2: Mohammad Alzaidan (KWT)3: Hassan Al Mansoori (QAT)

QSTK RACE 21: Saeed Al Sulaiti (QAT)2: Misal Al Naimi (QAT)3: Abdulla Al Qubaisi (QAT)4: Balint Kovacs (HUN)5: Nasser Al Malki (QAT)

QSTK TROPHY - RACE 2 1: Jassim Al Thani (QAT)2: Mohammad Alzaidan (KWT)3: Hassan Al Mansoori (QAT)

11MONDAY 17 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT

PV Sindhu of India poses with her trophy after the women’s singles final match at the 2018 BWF World Tour Finals badminton competition in Guangzhou, yesterday.

Gold at last for ‘proud’ Sindhu; Shi stuns Momota AFP SHANGHAI

An emotional PV Sindhu finally got her hands on gold at badminton’s season-ending World Tour Finals yesterday while in the men’s decider China’s Shi Yuqi exacted stunning revenge over number one Kento Momota.

The 23-year-old Indian Sindhu has suffered a series of near-misses in recent years, winning silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and again at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games this year.

The world number six, renowned for her never-say-die attitude, has also twice lost in the final of the World Championships and was runner-up in last year’s season finale.

But she put all that heartbreak behind her in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, beating the fifth-ranked Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 21-19, 21-17 in the women’s final in just over an hour.

Sindhu, who was always in control of the match, sealed the champi-onship with a forehand smash, before collapsing to the court floor on her hands and knees, physically and emotionally exhausted.

“I’m really proud, the year has ended on a beau-tiful note,” said Sindhu.

“People have been asking me the same question, I think the question won’t come again -- asking why I always lose in the final.

“It was good that people were asking me about losing so many finals because I had to ask myself why I was losing.

“Finally I got the answer.”

The men’s final, a mouthwatering showdown between the two top-ranked players in the world, was a re-run of the world championship decider in August.

On that occasion, the 22-year-old Shi -- the new star of Chinese men’s bad-minton -- was well beaten by Momota.

But roared on by the crowd in Guangzhou, Shi got revenge in emphatic fashion, beating the tour-nament favourite 21-12, 21-11 in a surprisingly one-sided encounter for the biggest win of his young career.

Significantly, it was the first time Shi has beaten Momota, 24, the out-standing player this year.

“I’m thrilled as I’d never beaten Momota and to do it on this stage is very special,” said Shi, who has overtaken Olympic champions Chen Long and Lin Dan to become China’s leading male player.

Alvarez overwhelms Fielding

for super-middleweight titleAFP NEW YORK

Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez brutally overpowered England’s Rocky Fielding with a dominant display on his New York City debut on Saturday to become a three-weight world champion.

Alvarez, who is the reigning World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association middle-weight world champion fol-lowing his thrilling victory over Gennady Golovkin in September, had little trouble in moving up in weight class and defeating Fielding, who held a second tier version of the WBA’s super-mid-dleweight title.

Alvarez sent Fielding to the canvas in the very first round with a crunching body shot and remained in complete control. He delivered a similar punch in the second which was also too much for the Englishman to take before the fight was stopped towards the end of the third fol-l o w i n g t w o f u r t h e r knock-downs.

“I thought he would use his distance but luckily he didn’t,” Alvarez said in the ring after becoming the ninth Mexican fighter to be a champion in three different weight divisions.

“He came to attack and I did my thing. The plan was to hit the body. That was the result.”

It was, ultimately, a total mismatch. Fielding just didn’t have the power to compete, and when he went down twice in the third, referee Ricky Gonzalez correctly stopped the fight with 22 seconds left of the round.

It was a brave effort from the 31-year-old from Liverpool, who deserves great credit for accepting the task of entering the ring against the brilliant flame-haired Mexican, who extended his record to 51-1-2 with 35 knockouts in his first appearance since signing a record-breaking 11-fight, $365m contract with sports streaming service DAZN.

This was Alvarez’s first bout at super-middleweight. He fought Julio Chavez junior at a 164-pound catch-weight in a non-title match-up in 2017, and although he is set to move back down to 160 pounds for his next fight in 2019, his performance in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd was evi-dence of his ability to perform whatever the weight class.

“I felt good and strong. I

want the best fights, and to make sure my name is held up high,” Alvarez said. Fielding, coming into the bout with just one defeat from 28, had won his previous six fights, including a memorable victory over Germany’s Tyron Zeuge in July which brought him world title glory.

Yet the proud and rangy Liv-erpudlian, who possessed a five-inch height and reach advantage, was unable to cope with his

opponent’s supreme speed and punch power.

Fighting in the famed New York City arena for the first time in front of a vocal pro-Mexican crowd, Alvarez didn’t disappoint.

The 28-year-old wasted no time in making his mark and when Fielding fell to his knees following a left to the body in the first there only looked like being one winner.

Fielding enjoyed some success but wasn’t using his height to his advantage. Alvarez soaked everything up before sending his opponent down once more in the second with another crunching blow to the ribs.

Towards the end of the third, Fielding was back on his knees and when he returned there once again soon after there was no way back as crowd of 20,112 roared its approval.

The Mexican, competing in his second fight since completing a six-month ban for testing pos-itive for a banned substance in March, has vowed to drop back down to middleweight next year, which could see a potential third fight with Golovkin become an exciting reality. “I felt that it (his rivalry with Golovkin) ended on September 15 and I showed that I was best,” Alvarez said.

“But they were two great fights that’s no secret, and if the people want it, we can make it.”

On the undercard, Ireland’s Katie Taylor, the IBF and WBA lightweight champion, moved to 12-0 after winning on points against Finland’s Eva Wahlstrom who suffered her first defeat.

Canelo Alvarez celebrates his win against Rocky Fielding in their WBA super-middleweight title fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday.

I felt good and strong.

I want the best fights,

and to make sure my

name is held up high:

Alvarez

Golf: Lipsky survives scare to claim titleREUTERS MALELANE

American David Lipsky survived a double-bogey on his third last hole to hang on for a two-shot victory at the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Championship after shooting a final round 68 at Leopard Creek Country Club yesterday.

Lipsky, 30, completed a second win on tour and a first

success since he claimed the Omega European Masters in 2014, finishing two shots ahead of Scotland’s David Drysdale (67), who carded the joint lowest score of the round but is still seeking a first win on tour after three runner-up finishes.

“I didn’t make too many mistakes, my putting and wedge play was probably the best it’s ever been,” Lipsky said

at the trophy presentation.“It’s a very difficult course

but I toughed it out. This is my first time here so I hadn’t seen the course before.”

He admitted the double-bogey on 16 had left him with some jitters. “It was a little stressful for me, I wish I hadn’t done that! But I finished strong and that is all that matters.”

Lipsky started his final round a shot behind overnight

leader Scott Jamieson (72) but surged ahead as he birdied three of his first five holes, while his playing partner had dropped two shots by the end of the fifth.

The American led by five strokes at one stage, but a run of birdies from home golfer Zander Lombard (69) and Drysdale cut his lead to one before a birdie on the last made the win more comfortable.

Sevilla put pressure on Barca with Girona winREUTERS LONDON

Sevilla overcame a dangerous Girona side to win 2-0 at home in an enter-taining game yesterday, climbing up to second place in La Liga to breathe down the necks of leaders Barcelona.

Girona had made an impressive start against their former coach Pablo Machin’s side and La Liga top scorer Cristhian Stuani spurned a great chance to give them the lead.

Yet it was the home side who even-tually broke the deadlock early in the second half.

Argentine playmaker Ever Banega scored from the penalty spot in the 55th minute, after Andre Silva had been brought down, and Banega was also at the heart of a splendid team move from which Pablo Sarabia stretched Sevilla’s lead 10 minutes later.

Girona continued to threaten, and almost got a consolation goal in stoppage time when midfielder Borja Garcia whipped in a shot that looked

destined for the top corner but Sevilla goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik managed to tip it away.

Sevilla are second in the standings, locked on 31 points with leaders Barca, who visit Levante later on Sunday as well as third-placed Atletico Madrid, who beat Real Valladolid 3-2 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Real midfielder Marcos Llorente said he and his team-mates were satisfied with their recent per-formances, while adding that there was room for improvement. He urged fans to show their support rather than getting on the players’ backs.

“Of course we can improve but inside the dressing room we’re happy,” he said.

“I don’t agree with booing, it makes us weaker, I’d prefer them to cheer us on. This is Real Madrid, people are used to us winning all the time, and when things don’t go well they put us under pressure, that can sometimes help but it’d be better if they cheered us instead.”

Sevilla’s Portuguese forward Andre Silva reacts during a La Liga match against Girona at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Sevilla, yesterday.

Sevilla climb to second place in La Liga to breathe down the necks of leaders Barcelona.

Tottenham’s Dier ruled out until 2019REUTERS LONDON

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier will miss their festive fixtures after under-going surgery to remove his appendix, the Premier League club said yesterday. Dier, who was an unused substitute in Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Barcelona, missed Spurs’ 1-0 league victory over Burnley on Saturday, with what was initially described as a “virus” by manager Mauricio Pochettino.

“The England international midfielder was diagnosed with appendicitis after con-tacting our medical staff due to acute Abdominal pain,” Spurs said in a statement.

“He received immediate treatment to assess and then remove the appendix. He will now undergo a period of recovery before commencing rehabilitation and it is expected he will return to training with the squad in January.”

SPORT La Liga: Alaves vs

Athletic Bilbao2nd Test, Australia vs India, 4th day in Perth

FOOTBALL CRICKET

07MONDAY 17 DECEMBER 2018

The changes that I have seen over

one year, it’s amazing. The roads, the

parks that they are building, they are

really making Qatar better and ready

for the 2022 World Cup.

Star Wesley Sneijder

says Qatar will offer huge advantage to fans who will visit the country for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. T

ODA

Y’S

ACT

ION

QU wins 6th successive University League titleTHE PENINSULA DOHA

For the sixth consecutive time, Qatar University (QU) won the University League 2018-19 title after beating Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) 6-1 in the final at Qatar Foundation’s (QF’s) Recreation Center Pitch 1 this weekend.

Additionally, College of the North Atlantic – Qatar (CNA-Q) beat Qatar Aeronautical College (QAC) in the league’s third-place playoff which took place earlier in the night, with a final score of 6-3.

The four teams qualified to the semi-finals stage last week after securing first and second place in the group stage matches. In Group A, CMU-Q secured first place and QAC secured the second place after they obtained 10 and 9 points respectively.

As for Group B, Qatar Uni-versity and CNA- Q were level on points but Qatar University secured the first place through their goal difference.

The ceremony was attended by Hilal Al Mohannadi, Chairman of the Sub-Leagues Committee, QFA; Ibrahim Shaheen Al Sulaiti, Vice Chairman of the

Sub-Leagues Committee, QFA, Yousef Al Suqairi, member of the Sub-Leagues Committee, QFA; and Fahad Al Darwish, Recre-ation Service Supervisor at Qatar Foundation.

An award ceremony was held to honor the first, second,

and third place teams, along with the Qatar Football Association (QFA) referees.

QU received a cash prize of QR 20,000 and gold medals, while CMU-Q and CNA-Q received QR15,000 and QR10,000 respectively along

with silver and bronze medals.Hilal Al Mohannadi,

Chairman of the Sub-Leagues Committee at QFA, commented: “I would like to congratulate Qatar University for winning the title of the 2018-19 University League for the sixth time in a

row, as well as Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and College of the North Atlantic – Qatar for earning the second and third place team honours respectively. We look forward to launching the next edition of the University League with Qatar Foundation

and hope to see more colleges and universities be part of the University League.”

“The University League is an example of QFA’s commitment to nurturing a football culture among the youth, and providing a platform for the youth to be able to play organised football,” he added.

The sixth University League was kicked off on October 24 and brought together ten colleges and universities from across Qatar to compete in the competition.

The University League is a joint collaboration between the QFA and QF which started in 2013 and supports both organi-sations’ desire to encourage young people to play more organised football and lead a more active lifestyle.

QU has won the most titles out of all the teams since the league’s launch in 2013, having won six consecutive titles.

The league is sponsored by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy as the official strategic partner, Nike as the official supplier, Al Kass Sports Channels as the official broad-caster and Qatar National Bank as the exclusive financial partner.

Qatar University’s players and officials celebrate with the trophy after winning the final.

James, Ball lift Los Angeles Lakers; Pistons stop CelticsAFP LOS ANGELES

Lonzo Ball joined LeBron James in elite territory on Saturday as their twin triple-doubles lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-100 NBA victory over the Hornets in Charlotte.

James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, scored 24 points with 11 assists and 12 rebounds while Ball, the second overall selection in the 2017 draft, added 16 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.

It was the first time two NBA teammates posted triple-doubles in the same game since Jason Kidd and Vince Carter did it for the Nets in 2007.

James and Ball became the only Lakers teammates to do it besides Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1982.

“We just tried to do a little bit of everything to help our team win,” James said.

“Try to put the ball in the hole, rebound so we could start the break and then get our guys the ball.

“That’s the most important to both of us,” James added, “getting our guys involved. It’s a great feeling when you’re able to get the ball to a teammate and see them make a shot.”

Both James and Ball had completed their triple-doubles with plenty of margin. After helping the Lakers out-score the Hornets 40-17 in the third quarter James sat out all of the fourth quarter and Ball played just five minutes of the final period.

Ball added five steals as the Lakers came back with a vengeance from a 126-111 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

“It was a good win,” Ball said. “We didn’t want to lose two in a row. We came out

strong... got it done.” In Detroit, the Pistons

ended the Boston Celtics’ league-leading eight-game winning streak -- and their own six-game skid -- with a 113-104 victory.

Reggie Bullock, returning from a five-game injury absence, provided a spark for the Pistons. His 15 points included a three-pointer with 3:37 to play.

Blake Griffin scored 27

points, pulled down eight rebounds and handed out six assists for the Pistons, who led by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter but saw Boston cut the deficit to 111-104 with 38 seconds left with the help of a spate of turnovers.

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 26 points and Marcus Smart added 21.

In Memphis, the Houston Rockets jumped to an early lead but had to fight off the Grizzlies down the stretch for a 105-97 victory.

Houston led 61-40 at halftime and were still up by 14 heading into the fourth quarter, but saw their lead sliced to six points with 3:04 to play.

Memphis would get no closer as Houston came up with the stops they needed to

post a third straight victory.James Harden notched a

triple-double of 32 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds. Coming off his monster 50-point triple-double against the Lakers it marked the seventh time in Harden’s career that he has achieved the feat in consecutive games.

Clint Capela added 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who improved to 14-14 for the season.

The Chicago Bulls erased a 21-point first-quarter deficit to beat the Spurs in San Antonio 98-93. Kris Dunn scored 24 points and Lauri Markkanen added 23 for the Bulls, who won for the second time in seven games under new coach Jim Boylen, who replaced Fred Hoiberg on December 3.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts after a play during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Saturday.

Oklahoma City 110, LA Clippers 104 San Antonio 93, Chicago 98 Phoenix 107, Minnesota 99 Memphis 97, Houston 105 Charlotte 100, LA Lakers 128 Detroit 113, Boston 104 Orlando 96, Utah 89

NBA RESULTS

Kessel fires winner for Penguins against KingsAP PITTSBURGH

Phil Kessel scored a power-play goal at 3:59 of overtime to give the Pitts-burgh Penguins a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.

Evgeni Malkin pushed a loose puck from the slot to Kessel, and he finished near the side of the net for the Penguins’ fifth victory in seven games.

Tanner Pearson scored against his former team, and Matt Cullen and Bryan Rust also had goals for the Pen-guins. Matt Murray made 38 saves for his first victory since Oct. 25 at Calgary.

Murray stopped Tyler Toffoli’s breakaway in the first 30 seconds of overtime. The goalie also denied a quality overtime chance from Jake Muzzin in the slot.

Capitals 4, Sabres 3Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-

leading 29th goal of the season to extend his points streak to a career-best 14 games and had the shootout winner for Washington.

Ovechkin has 17 goals and six points during his points streak and has scored in six in a row. The Stanley Cup champion Capitals have won five in a row.

Panthers 4, Maple Leafs 3Aleksander Barkov scored at 3:24

of overtime to complete his first NHL

hat trick and lift Florida past Toronto.Barkov slipped the puck past

goalie Frederik Andersen from the right side of the crease.

Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist, and Roberto Luongo made 29 saves to help the Panthers snap a four-game skid. M

itchell Marner scored twice for Toronto, John Tavares added his team-high 20th goal and Andersen stopped 28 shots. The Maple Leafs have lost four of their past five,

Flames 2, Wild 1Matthew Tkachuk scored the go-

ahead goal midway through the third period for Calgary, and David Rittich made 34 saves against Minnesota.

Mark Giordano scored short-handed in the first period for the Pacific Division-leading Flames. They are 11-2-1 in their last 14 games, with 10 wins in regulation, and lead the NHL with 50 third-period goals. Jordan Greenway scored for the Wild.

Ducks 2, Blue Jackets 1Daniel Sprong scored 1:19 into

overtime to lift Anaheim past Columbus.

Adam Henrique won a face off in the Ducks offensive zone, and Sprong beat Sergei Bobrovsky with his second goal of the night.

John Gibson stopped 36 shots for Anaheim. The Ducks have won four straight and eight of nine.

Markus Nutivaara scored for Columbus.

Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Phil Kessel (left) scores the game winning goal against Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick on Saturday.