SPORTThursday 27 December 2018

PAGE | 05 PAGE | 06‘New’ Tiger

Woods is still the man to

watch

Lakmal heroics leave Black Caps reeling before Southee strikes

Wawrinka, Berdych arrive ahead of Qatar ExxonMobil OpenTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland and Czech Tomas Berdych arrived in Doha yesterday to participate in the Qatar ExxonMobil Tennis Open 2019 which begins at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex next Monday.

The two star players are among the early arrivals for the ATP World Tour 250 series tour-nament which will be held until January 5, 2019.

Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion and a runner-up at the 2008 tour-nament, came in from Geneva while Berdych, a finalist at the 2015 edition, flew in from Prague.

The players were received at the airport by top officials of the Qatar Tennis Federation Led by Tournament Director Karim Alami.

Qatar ExxonMobil Open, which has featured some of the biggest name in tennis down the years, is seen as the curtain raiser for the ATP tour.

Tickets for the event are currently on sale online at www.qatartennis.org or onsite at the City Centre, Landmark, Villaggio malls and Khalifa Complex.

Czech tennis player Tomas Berdych (left) is greeted by Karim Alami, Tournament Director of Qatar ExxonMobil Open, upon his arrival at the Hamad International Airport, in Doha, yesterday. The 27th edition of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open will take place at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex from December 31 to January 5, 2019. RIGHT: Alami poses for a photograph with Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka (centre) who also arrived in Doha yesterday.

Qatar drew with Belarus 26-26 in their friendly handball match which was played at Al Duhail Sports Hall yesterday. The match was a part of Qatar’s preparations for the upcoming 2019 IHF World Men’s Handball Championship, which will be held in Denmark and Germany from January 10 to 27, 2019. The two teams will meet again in their second friendly match which will be played at the same venue tomorrow.

Bayern Munich to hold winter training camp in QatarQNA DOHA

Bayern Munich are set to start their winter training camp in Doha on January 4, as part of their prepara-tions for the second part of the football season of the Bundesliga.

For the ninth time, Bayern Munich will hold their training camp in Doha, which will run till January 10.

On January 18, Bayern Munich will start with the Bundesliga game in Hoffenheim, part of the 18th round of the league, which is currently led by the traditional rival Borussia Dortmund heading Bayern Munich with six points.

It is no surprise that over the past few years, top international clubs have come to Doha, especially from Europe, during the winter break to enjoy the unique climate that Qatar has to offer at such a time of year at Aspire Zone.

As usual, Bayern Munich will be a guest of Doha, which hosts the next edition of the 2022 World Cup. The star studded squad will include Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Thiago Alcantara and others.

In July 2018, Qatar Airways became Platinum Partner with Bayern Munich, with the airline’s logo appearing on the team’s shirts.

Bayern Munich’s

James Rodriguez takes part

in a training session

during last year's winter

camp at the Aspire

Academy in this January 3 file photo.

Man City’s title bid hit by shock defeat as Liverpool extend leadREUTERS LONDON

Manchester City suffered their second straight Premier League defeat as they were stunned by a late strike from Leicester City’s Ricardo Pereira in a 2-1 loss yesterday.

City were looking to bounce back from their 3-2 defeat by Crystal Palace and were in front after 14 minutes when Bernardo Silva finished with his left foot after being played through by Sergio Aguero.

But four minutes later Leicester were back on level terms after Marc Albrighton met Jamie Vardy’s cross with his head from close range.

Ricardo unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top left corner beyond Ederson with less than 10 minutes from the end.

Things went from bad to worse as Delph was shown a straight red for fol-lowing through in a challenge on Ricardo, capping a miserable afternoon for City who slipped to third in the league.

Elsewhere, at Anfield, Liverpool treated their fans to some Christmas cheer with a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle United yesterday, extending their lead at the top of the table.

The win put Liverpool on 51 points at the halfway point in the season, six

ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who ham-mered Bournemouth 5-0, and seven ahead of champions Manchester City who lost 2-1 at Leicester City.

Defender Jamaal Lascelles inadvert-ently teed Dejan Lovren up for the opening goal, carelessly heading an attempted clearance into the path of the Liverpool centre back, who cracked home a fine half-volley in the 11th minute.

Newcastle managed to hold firm until halftime but within minutes of the restart they were two down as Mohamed Salah scored his 13th league goal of the season from the penalty spot following an innocuous foul on him by Paul Dummett.

Liverpool’s enormous pressure threatened to give them a third goal at any moment, and it came when Xherdan

Shaqiri stabbed home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low cross from close range in the 79th minute. Fabinho made it 4-0 by heading home Salah’s corner.

Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continued his dream start as Manchester United caretaker manager with a 3-1 win over Huddersfield on his Old Trafford debut in the dugout yesterday.

Paul Pogba scored two superb goals in the second half after Nemanja Matic fired United ahead in the 28th minute to continue United’s revival under their former striker Solskjaer, who hit the ground running in Saturday’s 5-1 win at Cardiff City.

Serbian enforcer Matic swept in a rebound from two metres after visiting keeper Jonas Lossl parried a glancing Victor Lindelof header from a corner to fire United ahead after the home side had suffered an early scare.

Defender Terence Kongolo blazed his 10th-minute shot over the bar for Huddersfield but United never looked back after taking the lead and their incessant pressure produced two sublime Pogba strikes after the break.

The France World Cup winner drilled in a fierce low shot from 13 metres in the 64th minute and sealed United’s win with a rasping long-range effort in the 78th before Mathias Jorgensen netted a late consolation for Huddersfield.

Manchester United’s French midfielder Paul Pogba

(right)scores their second goal against Huddersfield

Town yesterday.

Qatar and Belarus settle for a 26-26 draw in friendly

REUTERS CHRISTCHURCH

Tim Southee rescued New Zealand with the bat and then dragged his side back into the match with the ball after Sri lanka’s Suranga Lakmal’s career-best f igures had threatened to dominate the first day of the second Test in Christchurch yesterday.

Southee counter-attacked with wicketkeeper BJ Watling to blast 68 from 65 balls and take New Zealand from the depths of despair on 64 for six after Lakmal had destroyed the top order on a green wicket at Hagley Oval.

The 30-year-old Southee and Watling (46) combined for 108-runs as New Zealand were dis-missed for 178 with Lakmal finishing with five for 54.

First Test centurion Angelo Mathews was on 27 with Roshen Silva (15) as the visitors were 88 for four at stumps, with neither team holding the advantage as both seek to win the two-match series with victory in Christchurch.

The first Test in Wel-lington ended last week in a damp draw after vir-tually all of the final day’s play was washed out.

The 31-year-old

Lakmal, utilising the overcast, cool conditions and green pitch, had reduced the hosts to 36 for four after Dinesh Chan-dimal had won the toss and wasted little time in choosing to field.

Lakmal went to lunch

having bowled 12 suc-cessive overs with figures of four for 18.

Southee, whose innings of 77 not out in his debut in 2008 remains his highest score, then decided attack was the best form of defence and belted six fours and three sixes to resurrect his side’s fortunes.

His dismissal, to a bril-liant, one-handed leaping catch by Danushka Gunathilaka at short mid-wicket, sparked another collapse with the last three wickets adding just six runs.

Southee then took the first three Sri lankan wickets to reduce them to 21 for three inside 10 overs.

The second victim -- Chandimal for six -- moved him to 234 Test wickets and third on New Zealand’s all-time list.

Chris Martin had been in third on 233, although Southee is still a long way away from Daniel Vettori’s 361 and Richard Hadlee’s New Zealand-leading mark of 431 wickets.

After his initial spell, Southee continued to be a threat towards the end of the day’s play as Silva and Mathews played and missed several times but saw their side through to stumps.

REUTERS PRETORIA

Dale Steyn become South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker and Duanne Olivier took career-best figures as Pakistan were bowled out for 181 on the stroke of tea on the opening day of the first Test yesterday.

The hosts ripped through Pakistan after being asked to bowl by visiting captain Sarfraz Ahmed and openers Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram will start their reply hoping to drive home the advantage with rain pre-dicted later in the Test.

Olivier, in the side for the injured Vernon Philander, claimed 6-37 as Pakistan struggled to cope with his pace and accuracy on a wicket already showing variable bounce.

But the headlines will

revolve around Steyn, who had opener Fakhar Zaman (12) caught at slip by Elgar to move to 422 Test wickets, taking out-right top spot on South Africa’s all-time list ahead of Shaun Pollock.

He was hoisted on the shoulders of fast bowling partner Kagiso Rabada as the healthy Boxing Day crowd at Centurion Park gave him a standing ovation.

The visitors were in early trouble when Rabada (3-59) had Imam-ul-Haq trapped lbw for a duck.

After Steyn (1-66) had removed Zaman with the score on 17, Pakistan moved past 50 before Shan Masood (19) played the ball on to his own stumps off the impressive Olivier.

Asad Shafiq (seven) never looked comfortable at the crease and became Olivier’s

second victim when he was hit in front of the stumps by a ball that was clipping to the top of leg stump as Pakistan went to lunch on 76 for four.

The fast bowler ripped through the middle order after the break, removing Azhar Ali (36), Sarfraz (0) and Mohammad Amir (1) in quick succession.

Pakistan were reduced to 111 for eight but mounted an excellent fightback through Babar Azam (71 from 79 balls) as he put on 67 for the ninth wicket with Hasan Ali (21 not out) before being caught at second slip by Faf du Plessis off Rabada.

Olivier wrapped up the innings when he picked up the wicket of Shaheen Afridi for nought to end a poor start to the tour with the bat for the touring side.

Pakistan have won only one

of their previous Test series home and away against the Proteas, losing 3-0 on their last visit to the country in 2013.

06 THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

NEW ZEALAND (I innings)J Raval c Chandimal b Lakmal ................ 6T Latham c Mendis b Lakmal ................ 10K Williamson c Dickwella b Lakmal .......2R Taylor run out (Kumara) ..................... 27H Nicholls b Lakmal ...................................1B Watling c Perera b Kumara ...............46C de Grandhomme c Chameera b Kumara ...1T Southee c Gunathilaka b Perera .......68N Wagner c Mendis b Lakmal ................ 0A Patel c Lakmal b Kumara ......................2T Boult (not out) ..........................................1Extras: (B6, LB7, NB1) .......................... 14Total: (all out, 50 overs) ..............178Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-17, 3-22, 4-36, 5-57, 6-64, 7-172, 8-175, 9-177, 10-178Bowling: Lakmal 19-5-54-5, Kumara 14-4-49-3 (1nb), Mathews 4-1-6-0, Cha-meera 8-1-43-0, Perera 5-1-13-1SRI LANKA (I innings)D Karunaratne c Williamson b Southee 7D Gunathilaka c Raval b Southee .......... 8D Chandimal c Watling b Southee ........ 6K Mendis c Watling b de Grandhomme 15A Mathews (batting) .............................. 27R Silva (batting).........................................15Extras: (B 5, LB 5).................................. 10Total: (for 4 wkts) ..........................88Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-20, 3-21, 4-51Bowling: Boult 10-5-20-0, Southee 11-3-29-3, de Grandhomme 6-0-19-1, Wag-ner 5-0-10-0

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN (I innings)Imam-ul-Haq lbw b Rabada .............................0Fakhar Zaman c Elgar b Steyn ........................ 12Shan Masood b Olivier ...................................... 19Azhar Ali c De Bruyn b Olivier ..........................36Asad Shafiq lbw b Olivier ................................... 7Babar Azam c Du Plessis b Rabada ............... 71Sarfraz Ahmed b Olivier .....................................0Mohammad Amir b Olivier .................................1Yasir Shah lbw b Rabada ...................................4Hasan Ali not out ...............................................21Shaheen Afridi c De Kock b Olivier ...................0Extras (b7, lb2, w1) ..........................................10Total (47 overs) .....................................181Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Imam), 2-17 (Zaman), 3-54 (Masood), 4-62 (Shafiq), 5-86 (Azhar), 6-86 (Sarfraz), 7-96 (Amir), 8-111 (Yasir), 9-178 (Azam)Bowling: Steyn 13-1-66-1, Rabada 17-4-59-3 (1w), Olivier 14-3-37-6, Maharaj 3-1-10-0SOUTH AFRICA: F. du Plessis, D. Elgar, A. Markram, H. Amla, T. Bavuma, T. de Bruyn, Q. de Kock, K. Maharaj, K. Rabada, D. Steyn, D Olivier

SCOREBOARD

Olivier takes six wickets to overshadow Steyn’s record

Lakmal heroics leave Black Caps reeling before Southee strikes

Sri Lanka’s Suranga Lakmal bowls during day one of the second Test cricket match against New Zealand at Hagley Park Oval in Christchurch, yesterday.

South Africa’s Dale Steyn (top) celebrates with team-mates after getting Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman’s wicket during day one of theit 1st Test cricket match at SuperSport

Park cricket stadium, in Pretoria yesterday.

AFP CENTURION

Dale Steyn became South Africa’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker when Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman became his 422nd victim on the first day of the first Test at SuperSport Park yesterday.

Zaman’s dismissal brought to an end more than three years of frustration during which the fast bowler missed no fewer than 27 Test matches because of injury.

Steyn was mobbed by his teammates after Zaman (12) edged the ball to Dean Elgar at third slip, reducing Pakistan to 17 for two after winning the toss and batting first.

Shaun Pollock, the previous holder of the record, was quick to praise his successor, describing him during a television commentary as “an absolutely brilliant performer, an absolute champion and a true leader of the attack”.

Slightly built, with a lithe, athletic action, Steyn at his best was capable of bowling at 150kmh, with late away swing accounting for many of the world’s leading batsmen. When conditions did not suit express pace he developed an impressive array of cutters and became a master of reverse swing with the old ball.

Ironically, before a groin strain ruled him out of action midway through a Test in India, Steyn had been remarkably durable for a fast bowler, playing in 48 consecutive Tests from December 2009 to November 2015, during which he took 232 wickets at an average of 21.72 and dominated the International Cricket Council Test rankings for bowlers. He spent a record 263 weeks in the top spot.

Steyn took his 400th Test wicket in his 80th Test in July 2015 -- the second-fastest in the world to reach the milestone -- and it seemed Pollock’s record was about to fall.

But four serious injuries delayed what had seemed imminently inevitable.

The groin injury in India was followed by a shoulder injury during the first Test against England in December 2015 and, after a brief comeback, a more serious shoulder injury against Australia in November 2016 caused him to miss 15 Tests.

Just when it seemed he had made a full recovery, he suffered a freak heel injury in the first Test against India in January this year, which caused him to miss the remaining Tests against India and a series against Australia.

After a slow recovery, Steyn, 35, spent time with English county Hampshire and returned to Test cricket in an unproductive series in Sri Lanka during which he took only two wickets in two Tests to be stuck level with Pollock.

Steyn is now 11th on his own on the all-time world list, needing to match New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee on 431 to claim a place in the top ten.

Steyn has had success in all Test-playing countries in taking five wickets in an innings on 26 occasions, with five ten-wicket match hauls.

Paceman Steyn is South Africa’s leading wicket-taker

Dale Steyn’s Test milestonesAFP CENTURION

Milestones on Dale Steyn’s progress to become South Africa’s

leading Test wicket-taker:

DECEMBER 2004: Test debut against England in Port Eliz-

abeth. A fast late-swinging delivery to bowl Michael Vaughan

shows his potential but it takes him another two years to become

an established member of the Test team.

APRIL 2006: First five-wicket haul, 5-47 v New Zealand,

Centurion.

NOVEMBER 2007: First ten-wicket match haul, 10-93 v New

Zealand, Johannesburg.

JANUARY 2008: 100th wicket in 20th Test, Junaid Siddique

(Bangladesh), Chittagong.

FEBRUARY 2010: Career-best innings figures, 7-51 v India,

Nagpur.

JUNE 2010: 200th wicket in 39th Test, Sulaiman Benn (West

Indies), Port-of-Spain.

JANUARY 2013: 300th wicket in 61st Test, Doug Bracewell

(New Zealand), Cape Town.

FEBRUARY 2013: Career-best match figures, 11-60 v

Pakistan, Johannesburg.

JULY 2015: 400th wicket in 80th Test, Tamim Iqbal (Bang-

ladesh), Mirpur.

DECEMBER 2018: 422nd wicket in 89th Test, Fakhar Zaman

(Pakistan), Centurion.

07THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT

Australia’s captain Tim Paine reacts after dropping a catch from India’s captain Virat Kohli off the bowling of Mitchell Starc on day one of the third Test match between Australia and India at the MCG in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday.

India (I innings)M Agarwal c Paine b Cummins .................... 76H Vihari c Finch b Cummins ............................ 8C Pujara (batting) ...........................................68V Kohli (batting) .............................................47Extras (LB6, B10) ......................................... 16Total (two wkts) ................................ 215To bat: Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit BumrahFall of wickets: 1-40, 2-123Bowling: Starc 16-6-32-0, Hazlewood 18-6-45-0, Cummins 19-6-40-2, Lyon 21-4-59-0, Marsh 15-3-23-0Australia: Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cum-mins, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc

SCOREBOARD

Boxing Day Test: Aussies toil after India bat firstAFP MELBOURNE

Powerhouse Indian pair Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli built on an impressive 76 from debutant Mayank Agarwal to pile pain on Australia in the crunch third Test yesterday.

On a docile, batsman-friendly Melbourne Cricket Ground wicket, India ground their way to 215 for two at stumps on day one with the rock-like Pujara not out 68 and superstar Kohli unbeaten on 47 as the bowlers toiled in hot con-ditions for little reward.

Pat Cummins was the pick of the attack, taking two for 40.

India came into the Boxing Day clash with a new pair of inexperienced openers after the misfiring Murali Vijay and KL Rahul were axed, suggesting a hint of panic as Kohli’s men look to win their first-ever series in Australia.

But the exciting Agarwal rose to the challenge in front of

73,500 fans after India won an important toss and opted to bat on a pitch that is expected to deteriorate as the match wears on.

He stroked 76 -- the highest score by an Indian on debut in Australia -- and was looking impregnable before Cummins had him caught behind by Tim Paine as he gloved the last ball before tea down the legside.

It brought Kohli to the crease to a huge roar from the large Indian contingent at the MCG, and he set about building an unbroken 92-run partnership with the ever-reliable Pujara.

“I’m happy, I would defi-nitely take a 76 rather than something less than that. Saying that, I would have liked to have gone on and be there at the end of the day,” said Agarwal.

“Honestly, I thought they bowled extremely well and didn’t give us many loose balls. They kept it tight and they were attacking,” he added.

“We need to now try and post

up a big score. The bigger the score the more pressure we can put on them.”

The four-Test series is tied 1-1 after India won the opening clash in Adelaide by 31 runs and Australia drew level with a 146-run victory in Perth, making Melbourne a crunch encounter.

Australia’s Travis Head said today’s play would be critical.

“It was a tough day at the office, grinding Test cricket. They batted well and we created pressure,” he said. “We need to make sure we come back tomorrow morning and bowl the way we did today.” Things can change, momentum can change and I don’t think we’re far away,” he added.

Agarwal, who has been in fine domestic form, scored his first Test runs with a three through the covers off Josh Hazlewood and had plundered 17 before the more cagey Hanuma Vihari, promoted to open from number six in Perth, troubled the scorers.

After two lively pitches in Adelaide and Perth produced results, the track in Melbourne was not bowler-friendly and skipper Paine brought on spinner Nathan Lyon in only the seventh over to see if he could weave some magic.

But it was Cummins who got the breakthrough.

Vihari had already taken a nasty blow on the helmet in the 12th over, with the physio needed to check he was okay.

The right-hander continued but when he tried to avoid another brutal Cummins bouncer the ball pinged off his glove. Aaron Finch took an easy catch in the slips and he was gone for eight. All-rounder Mitch Marsh was then brought into the attack only to be met with boos from a section of the crowd, having been recalled in place of local boy Peter Handscomb.

But Agarwal was unflappable and glided to his maiden Test 50 off 95 balls by effortlessly drilling a Lyon delivery past the

non-striker for four. At the other end, the patient Pujara deployed his usual blocking technique, picking off runs from loose balls.

He rarely looked threatened although he got an inside edge on 33 that just failed to carry to Usman Khawaja at gully before bringing up his 21st Test 50 from 152 balls.

Kohli quickly got into a rhythm when he arrived at the crease, accelerating the run rate as he rattled off a string of boundaries, with the signs ominous for Australia going into day two.

Pujara scored a century in Adelaide and Kohli matched the feat in Perth.

Australia’s paceman Mitchell Starc reacts after a catch of India’s batsman Virat Kohli was dropped off his bowling in Melbourne.

Warner asked me to tamper with the ball, says BancroftAFP MELBOURNE

Banned Australian player Cameron Bancroft (pictured right) yesterday confirmed David Warner asked him to alter the ball during the tampering scandal in South Africa and said he went along with it “to fit in”.

Bancroft was seen using sandpaper to try to rough up the ball in the Cape Town Test in March, receiving a nine-month ban from international and domestic cricket for his part in an incident that rocked the sport.

Warner and then captain Steve Smith were exiled for a year after all three were found

to be involved. A Cricket Aus-tralia investigation pointed to Warner as the mastermind and Bancroft revealed more details in an interview with former Aus-tralia wicketkeeper Adam Gil-christ on Fox Sports.

“Dave suggested to me to carry the action out on the ball given the situation we were in the game and I didn’t know any better,” said Bancroft, whose ban runs out this weekend.

“I didn’t know any better because I just wanted to fit in and feel valued really. As simple as that.

“The decision was based around my values, what I valued at the time, and I valued fitting

in... you hope that fitting in earns you respect and with that, I guess, there came a pretty big cost for the mistake.”

At the time, Bancroft had been forging a new Australian Test opening partnership with the more experienced Warner. But he made clear he did not consider himself a victim.

“I had a choice and I made a massive mistake and that is what is in my control,” said Bancroft, who admitted he often pondered what would have happened if he had said no, and concluded it was a no-win situation.

“I would have gone to bed and I would have felt like I had let everybody down. I would have felt like I had let the team down. I would have left like I had hurt our chances to win the game of cricket.”

Last week Smith also opened up as he begins to re-emerge into public life, distancing himself from the plot while admitting he failed as a captain by turning a blind eye.

Asked what happened in the changing rooms at Cape Town before Bancroft attempted to cheat, he said: “For me in the room, I walked past something and had the opportunity to stop it and I didn’t do it and that was my leadership failure.

“It was the potential for something to happen and it went on and happened out in the field,” he added.

“I had the opportunity to stop it at that point rather than say, ‘I don’t want to know any-thing about it’.”

A scathing independent review into the incident blamed Cricket Australia’s “arrogant and controlling” culture as partly contributing to players bending the rules.

In an interview with Gilchrist yesterday, Smith pinpointed a downward slide in the team’s culture to a defeat against South Africa in Hobart in 2016 -- their fifth loss in a row.

“I remember James Suth-erland and Pat Howard coming into the (changing) rooms there and saying ‘we don’t pay you to play, we pay you to win’,” he said, referring to the former CA chief executive and high per-formance manager.

“For me that was a little bit disappointing, we don’t go out there to try lose games of cricket, we go out there to try and win and play the best way we can.”

Current CA chief Kevin Roberts said yesterday it was time to move on.

Bancroft is expected to make his return for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League on Sunday.

But Smith and Warner will be available from late March.

A file photo of David Warner (right) and Cameron Bancroft during one of the Ashes Tests last year in December.

Ponting inducted into ICC Cricket Hall of FameIANS |MELBOURNE

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting (pictured) was formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame yesterday. To mark the occasion, Ponting received his commemorative cap from compatriot ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Glenn McGrath during the tea break on the opening day of the third Test against India here.

Ponting was named in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame along with former India captain Rahul Dravid and England woman wicketkeeper-batter Claire Taylor during the ICC Annual Conference in Dublin in July, which Ponting could not attend.

“It’s an incredible feeling, I think for it to happen here at the MCG is what makes the whole thing a little bit more special. I found out today I am one of 25 Australians to be inducted. When you play one Test for Australia, you join a very elite group of players but now to be part of the ICC Hall of Fame, you join an even more elite group of cricketers, so it’s a pretty special day today,” Ponting said after receiving the cap.

“I have lots of great memories with Glenn. I went to the cricket academy with Glenn in about 1990, so I have known Glenn for a long time. It’s a really cool thing that they do to have a fellow inductee actually hand over your cap and induct you in, so to have someone like Glenn do it, with whom I’m working with now and have played with for 10 or 12 years, makes the whole thing a little bit better, he added.

“It’s great recognition. I thank the ICC for what they have done in making this possible. To be here in the MCG with 75,000 people, it makes it an awesome day.”

Ponting, a three-time ICC Cricket World Cup winner including two times as captain, is the 25th Australia cricketer to be formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

The 44-year-old retired from interna-tional cricket in 2012 after scoring 13,378 runs in 168 Tests with 41 centuries, 13,704 runs in 375 ODIs with 30 centuries and 401 runs in 17 T20Is with two half-centuries. Ponting was named the ICC Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007 while also being named the ICC Test Player of the Year in 2006.

SPORT 05THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2018

It’s great recognition. I thank the

ICC for what they have done in

making this possible. To be here

in the MCG with 75,000 people, it

makes it an awesome day.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting

who was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame yesterday.

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‘New’ Tiger is still the man to watch

REUTERS LONDON

The most memorable scene in golf in 2018 was not the conclusion to a major championship, but rather the sight of a frenzied gallery swarming over the final fairway as a familiar figure stood on the brink of a win some doubted would ever come.

Tiger Woods had gone more than five years without a victory when he rolled into Atlanta for the Tour Champi-onship, the September season-ender on the PGA Tour that often ranks as one of the most boring events on the schedule.

Not this time, though, thanks to the game’s transcendent figure. As the saying goes, Tiger doesn’t just move the needle, he is the needle.

It had already been a successful year for 14-times major winner Woods, simply by being able to compete without pain again after a successful April 2017 spinal fusion that rectified a potentially career-ending back injury.

Woods had already threatened to win several times, including at the final two majors, dispensing any doubts as to whether he could be competitive again after being stricken with back pain from 2014 to 2017.

It seemed every fan at East Lake was willing him to victory, and when he hit his approach to the final green it was all but a done deal. As thousands of fans flooded the fairway in a scene reminiscent of British Opens of yesteryear, Woods almost disap-peared into the sea of humanity, only a half dozen security officers keeping him from being mobbed.

He was clearly moved by all the love, at 42 almost coming over as a man of the people.

Well, maybe not quite an Arnold Palmer-like man of the people, but, nonetheless, here was a remarkable transformation, fashioned, no doubt, by the humility that comes from dealing with adversity.

The victory, Woods’ 80th on the PGA Tour, brought him within two of the all-time record held by Sam Snead, a far more attainable mark than the 18 major titles of Jack Nicklaus.

While Woods fell short in the majors, the inscrutable Brooks Koepka won two -- successfully defending his US Open crown before adding the PGA Championship -- with performances that were greeted with a proverbial yawn in the golf world.

It is not so much that fans dislike Koepka as much as they are generally apathetic about a player whose lack of charisma and outward emotion make him difficult to connect with.

Koepka was joined on the major honour roll by Patrick Reed, whose giant chip on his shoulder did not prevent him from slipping easily into the green jacket awarded to the winner of the Masters.

And 35-year-old Francesco Molinari raised his game to a new level, finally finding a short game and putting stroke to match his long-admired full swing, as he became Italy’s first-ever major winner in the British Open.

Molinari also swept all five of his matches in golf’s premier team event, the Ryder Cup, as Europe again proved invincible in their own backyard, beating the Americans in Paris for their sixth straight home win while extending the US away-day drought to 25 years and counting.

Ariya Jutanugarn cap-tured the biggest women’s event, the US Open, but not before blowing a seven-stroke lead on the back nine at Shoal Creek in Alabama.

The golf world endured several losses in 2018, none more tragic than that of 19-year-old Spanish amateur Celia Barquin Aro-zamena, murdered while playing alone at a course in the US state of Iowa, where she had been on a university golf scholarship.

The sport also mourned the passing of five-times British Open winner Peter Thomson (88), double major winner Hubert Green (71), 13-times PGA Tour winner Bruce Lietzke (67) and Australian Jarrod Lyle, who battled leukaemia for more than half his life before succumbing to the disease at the age of 36.

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Woods had already threatened to win several times, including at the final two majors, dispensing any doubts as to whether he could be competitive again after being stricken with back pain from 2014 to 2017.

WORLD RANKINGS

FIFA MEN'S RANKINGS

1 Belgium 17272 France 1726 3 Brazil 1676 4 Croatia 1634 5 England 1631 6 Portugal 1614 7 Uruguay 1609 8 Switzerland 1599 9 Spain 1591 10 Denmark 1589 11 Argentina 1582 12 Colombia 1575 13 Chile 156514 Sweden 1560 14 Netherlands 1560 93 Qatar 1258

ATP SINGLES RANKINGS

1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) 9,0452 Rafael Nadal (ESP) 7,4803 Roger Federer (SUI) 6,4204 Alexander Zverev (GER) 6,3855 Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) 5,3006 Kevin Anderson (RSA) 4,7107 Marin Cilic (CRO) 4,2508 Dominic Thiem (AUT) 4,0959 Kei Nishikori (JPN) 3,59010 John Isner (USA) 3,15511 Karen Khachanov (RUS) 2,83512 Borna Coric (CRO) 2,48013 Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,31514 Kyle Edmund (GBR) 2,15015 Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 2,095

WTA SINGLES RANKINGS

1 Simona Halep (ROU) 69212 Angelique Kerber (GER) 58753 Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 55864 Elina Svitolina (UKR) 53505 Naomi Osaka (JPN) 51156 Sloane Stephens (USA) 50237 Petra Kvitova (CZE) 46308 Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 44659 Kiki Bertens (NED) 433510 Daria Kasatkina (RUS) 341511 Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 324012 Elise Mertens (BEL) 316513 Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 314514 Julia Goerges (GER) 305515 Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 2985

1 Brooks Koepka 9.922 Justin Rose 9.913 Dustin Johnson 8.634 Justin Thomas 8.215 Bryson DeChambeau 7.086 Jon Rahm 6.717 Francesco Molinari 6.208 Rory McIlroy 6.189 Rickie Fowler 5.6910 Tony Finau 5.6811 Xander Schauffele 5.6312 Tommy Fleetwood 5.5513 Tiger Woods 5.4814 Jason Day 5.4815 Patrick Reed 5.14

MEN’S GOLF RANKINGS

Tiger Woods