CRICKET
Late pair win match
Bangladesh yesterday recovered from an early collapse to defeat Afghanistan by four wickets in the first one-day international of a three-match series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong. Afif Hossain (93 off 115 deliveries) and Mehidy Hasan (81 off 120) shared a 174-run seventh-wicket stand as Bangladesh recovered from 45-6 to reach 219-6 in 48.5 overs after Mustafizur Rahman’s 3-35 helped the hosts bowl out Afghanistan for 215 in 49.1 overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi claimed 4-54 for Afghanistan, taking all of his wickets in his first five overs and seemingly sealing Bangladesh’s fate. However, Hossain and Hasan, who were united in the 11th over, put together the second-highest ODI partnership for the seventh wicket to steal victory. Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid scored 177 for England’s seventh wicket in an ODI against New Zealand in Birmingham in 2015. Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal said he did not believe a win was on the cards after their sixth wicket fell. “I’m very proud and happy for the two for their incredible innings,” he said after the match. Hasan was named player of the match for his effort with the bat and his spell of 0-28. In the first innings, Najibullah Zadran top scored with 67 from 84 deliveries, but was unable to build a big partnership, with a succession of middling scores at the other end. Ibrahim Zadran (19), Rahmat Shah (34), Hashmatullah Shahidi (28), Mohammad Nabi (20) and Gulbadin Naib (17) failed to provide the support needed to reach what would have been considered a defendable score. The second match is to be played tomorrow and the third on Monday next week, both at the same ground. The teams then move to Mirpur for two T20 matches.
SOCCER
Mourinho receives ban
AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho on Tuesday was banned for two games as punishment for an outburst when his team drew 2-2 against Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday. Mourinho, who was red carded, encroached onto the field in the game to argue with the referee and then kicked a ball into the crowd. The Portuguese coach acted in a “threatening” manner, Serie A said in its disciplinary announcement. The league also fined him 20,000 euros (US$22,700). Eighth-place Roma are winless in their past three league games — all draws, including one against relegation-threatened Genoa. The ban means Mourinho will not be on the touchline for Roma’s games against Spezia on Sunday and at home against Atalanta BC on March 5.
TENNIS
Medvedev moves closer
Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday continued his pursuit of the No. 1 ranking with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Benoit Paire to move into the second round at the Mexican Open. The 26-year-old Russian can overtake Novak Djokovic for top spot in the men’s tennis rankings if he wins the title. In the doubles, Germany’s Alexander Zverev was withdrawn from the ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco for “unsportsmanlike conduct” after his round-of-16 match, the men’s tour said. Zverev, partnering Brazilian Marcelo Melo, came perilously close to hitting an umpire when he repeatedly assaulted the umpire’s chair with his racket after their 2-6, 6-4, 6-10 defeat against Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
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