AFP MANCHESTER

Manchester United sacked manager Jose Mourinho yesterday after the club’s worst start to a season in nearly three decades.

Mourinho, 55, became increasingly spiky in his last few months at Old Trafford, lashing out at the board’s transfer policy and turning his fire on his squad, especially record signing Paul Pogba.

His constant complaints about the players’ lack of desire had an impact on the pitch, culminating in the 3-1 defeat by Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday which left United 19 points behind their opponents.

Mourinho’s sacking comes just two-and-a-half years into his tenure and three years and a day since Chelsea sacked him just months after he had guided them to the title.

The club’s worst start in the league since 1990 means even Mourinho’s ambition of finishing in the top four and a Champions League qualification spot is in danger.

Despite United reaching the Cham-pions League knockout stages, where they face an intimidating last-16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain, a combination of poor results, dressing-room discord and crit-icism of the board proved potent factors in the decision to dismiss the Portuguese manager.

A United source said that Mourinho had been supported in his efforts to sign players and described reports of player power at the club as being key to the sacking as wide of the mark.

United will reportedly have to pay Mourinho £22.5m ($28.5m) -- as the club are still in the Champions League -- to sever the ties.

“Manchester United announces that manager Jose Mourinho has left the club with immediate effect,” a club statement said.

“The club would like to thank Jose for his work during his time at Manchester United and to wish him success in the future.

“A new caretaker manager will be appointed until the end of the current season, while the club conducts a thorough recruitment process for a new, full-time manager.”

In the longer term former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has been linked to the club as has his fellow 1998 World Cup-winning team-mate Laurent Blanc, who played for United. Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is also strongly tipped.

One bookmaker makes Pochettino the early favourite and the 46-year-old

Argentinian is also former Manchester United midfielder Gary Neville’s favoured option.

“They need someone who meets the three key principles of that football club: the promotion of youth, entertaining football and to win football matches,” Neville told Sky Sports News.

“People suggest he (Pochettino) hasn’t won a trophy yet at Tottenham but with a net spend of minus £29m or something over the last four years, I’m not sure he could have done more.

“I do think he is the person who is the outstanding candidate.”

Mourinho’s reign had started well enough with the League Cup and the Europa League trophies but for a club that

has been cham-pions of England 20 times, neighbours Man-chester City’s dominance over them in the league has hurt.

The wound went even deeper for Mourinho as City are managed by Pep Guardiola, who got the better of him when he was in charge at Barcelona and Mourinho was at Real Madrid.

Despite his protestations to the con-trary, the United board gave Mourinho plenty of money to compete.

Top-quality players such as Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku -- who he per-suaded to snub Chelsea and come to United for £75m in 2017 -- and Pogba for a then

world record fee of £89m in 2016 have floundered under his authoritarian stew-ardship. Indeed it was his deteriorating relationship with World Cup-winning mid-fielder Pogba -- one of many to feel the lash of his tongue in public -- that sym-bolised the decline at the club under him.

Mourinho questioned his attitude while the player hit back with open crit-icism of the tactics, culminating in him kicking his heels on the bench during the Liverpool debacle on Sunday.

The manager’s overall Premier League points haul of 176 since his appointment by United lagged behind City, Liv-erpool, Tottenham and Chelsea during the same period.

SPORTWednesday 19 December 2018

PAGE | 07 PAGE | 09‘Stronger, faster’

Pacquiao turns 40 with lavish birthday bash

Mendis, Mathews defy New Zealand with epic stand on day four

Qatar’s national football team players in action during a preparatory camp at the Al Sadd Sutadium on Monday. Coach Felix Sanchez is finalising the team’s preparations for the AFC Asian Cup, which will be held from January 5 to February 1 in the UAE. The Al Annabi will play friendlies against Jordan (December 23), Kyrgyzstan (December 25), Algeria (December 27) and Iran (December 31) in Doha before they leave for UAE for the Continental showpiece. RIGHT: Coach Sanchez gestures during the training session.

Team Qatar gear up for

friendlies, Asian Cup

Man United sack MourinhoBirth date: January 26, 1963Birth place: Setubal, PortugalNationality: PortugueseCoaching careerSporting Portugal (POR) 1992-1994*, FC Porto (POR) 1994-1996*, FC Barcelona (ESP) 1996-2000**, Benfica (POR) 2000-2001, Uniao Leiria (POR) 2001-2002, FC Porto (POR) Jan 2002-2004), Chelsea (ENG) 2004-Sept 2007, Inter Milan (ITA) 2008-2010), Real Madrid (ESP) 2010-2013, Chelsea (2013-Dec 2015), Manchester United (ENG) 2016-Dec 2018* deputy to Bobby Robson** deputy to Robson for first season (until 1997) then deputy to Louis van Gaal (until 2000)

COACHING HONOURS:With FC Porto: Portuguese champions 2003, 2004; Portuguese Cup 2003, UEFA Cup (2003), Champions League 2004With Chelsea (first spell as manager): English champions 2005, 2006, FA Cup 2007, League Cup 2005, 2007With Inter Milan: Italian champions 2009, 2010, Italian Cup 2010, Champions League 2010With Real Madrid:Spanish champions 2012. Copa del Rey Cup 2011With Chelsea (2nd spell): English champions 2015, League Cup 2015With Manchester United: Europa League 2017, League Cup 2017

JOSE MOURINHO FACTFILE

His constant complaints about the players’ lack of desire had an impact on the pitch, culminating in the 3-1 defeat by Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday which left United 19 points behind their opponents.

Mourinho’s sacking comes just two-and-a-half years into his tenure and three years and a day since Chelsea sacked him just months after he had guided them to the title.

A new caretaker manager will be appointed until the end of the current season, while the club conducts a thorough recruitment process for a new, full-time manager, a club statement

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08 WEDNESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc takes a selfie with fans

during day five of the second cricket match against India in

Perth yesterday.

AP PERTH

Australia cleaned up India’s lower order with a barrage of hostile bowling before lunch on the fifth day to secure a series-levelling, confidence-boosting 146-run victory in the second test yesterday.

Having set India a daunting 287 runs to win on a menacing Perth Stadium pitch, Australia dis-missed the tourists for 140 midway through the first session to win an engrossing, low-scoring contest.

Australia’s wickets were shared around with Man of the Match Nathan Lyon (3-39), who is fast becoming something of a national hero, and quick Mitchell Starc (3-46) the pick of the

bowlers. It was sweet revenge for hosts Australia after a nail-biting 31-run defeat in the series-opener played at Adelaide Oval and ensured captain Tim Paine his first win in five tests as skipper.

“As a group we’re relieved, it’s been hard work,” Paine told reporters.

“The first two Tests in this series have been tough. It’s been a bruising Test match.

“To get a win like that against the number one test team is going to give us a huge boost of confidence.”

India, looking for a first Test series win in Australia, had pinned their faint hopes on Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant when they resumed on 112-5 but they all but evaporated when the former fell for 28 in the sixth over of the morning.

When Pant miscued a slog off Lyon to be brilliant caught by a diving Peter Handscomb at mid-wicket for 30, India simply imploded, losing their last four

wickets for just three runs.It was Australia’s first win

since March 5 in Durban - before the damaging ball-tampering scandal in South Africa that rocked the nation.

Without suspended former captain and vice-captain, Steve Smith and David Warner, Aus-tralia’s shallow batting depth has been laid bare.

This, though, was a much improved effort on a troublesome drop-in wicket and the 326 the hosts made in the first innings after Paine had won the toss and decided to bat first was instru-mental in the victory.

Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch and Travis Head each compiled half-centuries in the first innings and Usman Khawaja grabbed another as Australia tallied 243 in the second.

India, by contrast, looked reliant on their talismanic captain Virat Kohli, who contributed 123 of India’s 283 runs in the first innings with the only century of

the match.The tourists will regret their gamble at the selection table, playing without a specialist spinner in the absence of the injured Ravichandran Ashwin.

Speedster Umesh Yadav was preferred over spinning all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, but struggled with match figures of 2-139. India’s lengthy tail was also exposed on the grassy wicket with the four tailenders mustering just 11 runs between them for the match.

Kohli defended the selection of Yadav, who claimed 10 wickets in his last Test against the West Indies in October, even though off-spinner Lyon dominated for Aus-tralia with 8-106 through his tar-geting of the expansive rough patches.

“If you see the rough, it didn’t have much assistance. Just the pace on the ball that Lyon bowled with... that’s how he got the wickets,” Kohli said.

“We thought a fast bowler was going to be more productive

and more helpful.”It was a tempestuous contest

at times with both skippers at the centre of the tension with several heated exchanges conjuring images of ill-feeling from previous series between the cricketing superpowers.

“Nothing compared to 2014,” said Kohli, who was part of a bitter feud with former quick Mitchell Johnson during the 2014-15 series.

“As long as there is no swearing and personal attacks then the line doesn’t get crossed. Australia played better cricket than us and deserved to win.”

The Test was the first at the new 60,000-seat stadium located in Burswood after a 47-year run at the WACA but crowds were dis-appointing especially when fierce heat blighted the early part of the match.

The series shifts to the tradi-tional Boxing Day Test at the Mel-bourne Cricket Ground followed by the finale in Sydney.

Australia’s paceman Mitchell Starc takes a

catch to dismiss India’s batsman Umesh Yadav

off his own bowling during day five of the second cricket match against India in Perth

yesterday.

Captain Paine is happy with Australia’s hard-nosed style

REUTERS PERTH

Australia captain Tim Paine believes his emerging team found a hard-nosed identity appropriate for their reformed demeanour after a 146-run victory against India in the “bruising” second Test yesterday.

Having set the tourists a daunting 287 runs to win on a menacing Perth Stadium pitch, Australia dismissed top-ranked India for 140 midway through the first session on the final day to level the four-match series.

After losing the series-opener in Adelaide by 31 runs, a purposeful Australia held the upper-hand throughout to secure Paine’s first win as skipper in his fifth match at the helm.

“Really happy with the com-petitive, hard style we played. I think we’re slowly building into our style of cricket,” Paine told reporters.

“We stuck to our guns and delivered skill under pressure and managed to keep ahead in the game.”

Australia’s on-field behaviour was under the micro-scope in the aftermath of the damaging Newlands ball-tam-pering scandal and they have opted for a staid approach ever since.

In a tension-filled second test, Paine heatedly clashed with counterpart Virat Kohli on several occasions conjuring images of previous fiery contests

between the teams.The wicketkeeper-captain

said Australia had struck the right balance with their on-field behaviour in Perth.

“We talk about playing on skill and not emotion,” he said. “We know our best cricket is played when we put emotion aside. “(But) at times you’ve got to draw a line and stick up for yourself and team mates. We aren’t going to sit back and be walked all over.”

Paine praised Australia’s well-rounded performance, which started with an 112-run opening stand between Marcus Harris and Aaron Finch on the opening morning laying the

platform for a first innings total of 326 - the highest of a low-scoring match.

“I think the way Finchy and Harris started was critical. From that moment we were always just ahead of the game,” said Paine.

“As a group we’re relieved, it’s been hard work. It’s been a bruising test match.

“To get a win like that against the number one test team is going to give us a huge boost of confidence.” The series shifts to the traditional Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground followed by the final Test match to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Australia’s captain Tim Paine shakes hand with Indian

captain Virat Kohli after winning the

second Test in Perth.

Australia name unchanged squad for last two India TestsREUTERS MELBOURNE

Australia have retained the same 13-man squad for the remaining two matches in Mel-bourne and Sydney after beating India in the second Test in Perth, the country’s cricket board said yesterday.

The hosts beat the world’s top-ranked test side by 146 runs at the Perth Stadium to level the series at 1-1 after the opening loss in Adelaide.

Uncapped paceman Chris Tremain will continue to remain out of the squad after being released before the Perth match, Cricket Australia (CA) said in a statement.

“With Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle in the squad we believe we have enough fast bowlers to choose from, so we’ve made the decision to stick with the 13 person squad for the remaining two Test matches against India,” national selector Trevor Hohns said.

“We believe it’s important to keep this group together to build on the momentum we have established in Perth,” Hohns said in the statement released yesterday.

Squad: Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch,

Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc

AUSTRALIA, 1st innings 326 INDIA, 1st innings 283AUSTRALIA, 2nd innings 243INDIA, 2nd inningsKL Rahul b Starc ...............................................0M. Vijay b Lyon ...............................................20C. Pujara c Paine b Hazlewood ...................... 4V. Kohli c Khawaja b Lyon ..............................17A. Rahane c Head b Hazlewood .................. 30H. Vihari c Harris b Starc ...............................28R. Pant c Handscomb b Lyon .......................30U. Yadav c and b Starc ..................................... 2I. Sharma c Paine b Cummins ........................ 0M. Shami not out ..............................................0J. Bumrah c and b Cummins ........................... 0Extras (b6, w3) ............................................... 9Total (all out, 56 overs) ..................... 140Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Rahul), 2-13 (Pujara), 3-48 (Kohli), 4-55 (Vijay), 5-98 (Rahane), 6-119 (Vi-hari), 7-137 (Pant), 8-139 (Yadav), 9-140 (Shar-ma), 10-140 (Bumrah)Bowling: Starc 17-3-46-3 (1w), Hazlewood 11-3-24-2, Cummins 9-0-25-2 (2w), Lyon 19-3-39-3Australia won by 146 runsSeries level 1-1

SCOREBOARD

I’m relieved per-

sonally. It’s been

hard work -- the

first two Tests of

this series have

been really tough.

We’ve got some

inexperienced

players in terms

of Test matches

played. To get

a win like that

against the best

Test team in the

world is going to

give them a huge

boost of confi-

dence.”

Australia Test

captain Tim Paine

Australia level series against India with 146-run victory

09WEDNESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT

Spinner Patel is optimistic despite NZ’s wicketless toil in field

REUTERS WELLINGTON

New Zealand’s rare wick-etless day could not rob left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel (pic-tured below) of his optimism about a positive result in the opening test against Sri Lanka yesterday.

The Sri Lankan duo of Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis struck unbeaten cen-turies in an epic 246-run stand for the unbroken fourth wicket to give their side a chance of saving the match on what is likely to be a rain-affected final day.

“Nothing is expected in cricket,” Patel told reporters after enduring a day of toiling without success. We know it’s a funny game. It can bite you in the back if you expect too many things.”

Before the fourth day started, New Zealand had been expected by many who filed through the Basin Reserve gates to have wrapped up the game and take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series possibly by tea.

Sri Lanka resumed 20 for three, still 276 runs from forcing New Zealand to bat again and facing a well-rested pace bowling duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee with a ball just 12 overs old.

Instead, the crowd, as well as the New Zealand team, was made to wait and eventually left frustrated as Mendis and Mathews ground out unbeaten centuries to guide their side to 259 for three at stumps.

While still 37 runs in deficit, with rain forecast for today the visitors are well placed to survive what had looked to be a crushing defeat after the hosts dominated the first three days.

“They batted well,” Patel said.

“We really put the ball in good areas and tried to come hard at them, but they rode those waves and adapted to those conditions quite well and the way we were bowling at them.

“They soaked up pressure when they needed to and then they applied pressure when they needed to.

“So credit goes to them with the way they applied themselves throughout the day.”

Patel only made his Test debut against Pakistan on the recent tour in the United Arab Emirates and said the rarity of a wicketless day was sinking in for the entire team.

However, based on his limited experience, nothing was expected in the game.

“There were long periods where nothing happened (in the UAE) and then all of a sudden it went ‘bang, bang, bang’,” he said.

“I think the boys realise there is still a lot of cricket to be played with another day left.

“The positive thing for us is that we are the only team in a position to win the game.

“That’s a great position for us to be in.”

Mystery Indian spinner stuns at IPL auctionAFP JAIPUR

Little-known Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy hit the jackpot at the Indian Premier League auction yesterday after he was snared for $1.2m by Kings XI Punjab.

The price tag surprised pundits gathered at Jaipur for the 2019 Twenty20 tournament auction, where the 27-year-old only had a base price of Rs2m ($28,400).

After a fierce bidding war, the bowler emerged as the most expensive player in this year’s sell-off along with Indian left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat, bagged by Rajasthan Royals for the same price.

“What a bid! Varun Chakar-avarthy joins us for the new season of IPL!” the Punjab fran-chise tweeted.

Chakravarthy began playing cricket when he was 13 but took up architecture after several

rejections in age-group cricket.He later returned to the

game, honing his skills as a spinner able to bowl both off and leg breaks, with quite a few tricks under his hat.

More than 350 players went under the hammer yesterday, including 120 international cricketers, in what is the world’s wealthiest cricket league.

West Indies players proved to be the top draw among the foreigners, with big-hitter Carlos Brathwaite going for $707,150 to the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

“What a fantastic buy. We all know what Carlos did at Eden back in 2016! Everyone remembers the name!” KKR said on Twitter.

That year, Brathwaite slammed four consecutive sixes to help West Indies win the World T20 final against England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

KKR, led by India’s Dinesh

Karthik, finished third in the IPL 2018. They have won the lucrative championship twice, in 2012 and 2014.

Another West Indies heavy hitter Shimron Hetmyer was lapped up for $594,195 by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The 21-year-old, who impressed during the recent West Indies tour of India, will be

making his IPL debut.England’s rising star Sam

Curran was sold for one million dollars to Kings XI Punjab. His base price was $283,460.

Fellow Brit Jonny Bairstow won his first IPL contract, picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for $311,982. The wicketkeeper-batsman had gone unsold in last year’s auction.

“Delighted to be joining @SunRisers for #IPL2019! Can’t wait to get started for the #OrangeArmy,” he wrote on Twitter.

There were no takers though for New Zealand stars Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill as well as impact all-rounder Chris Woakes of England in the first round.

A view of the IPL auction taking place in Jaipur yesterday. Pic: Twitter@IPL

Sri Lanka’s batsman Angelo Mathews celebrates reaching his century during day four of the first Test match against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington yesterday.

Mendis, Mathews defy NZ with epic stand on day fourAFP WELLINGTON

Angelo Mathews celebrated with push-ups on the pitch after joining Kusal Mendis in passing 100 yesterday as Sri Lanka batted the whole day without losing a wicket to give them-selves hope of an unlikely first Test draw in Wellington.

Mendis was 116 not out at stumps on day four and Mathews 117, with their record-breaking unbroken 246-run partnership setting a Sri Lankan record against New Zealand.

It was also the first time in New Zealand that a full day’s play has been completed without a Test wicket falling and the first time anywhere since South Africa achieved the feat against Bangladesh in Chit-tagong in 2008.

The pair’s epic vigil meant the tourists ended the day at 259 for three after starting in a seemingly hopeless position with three wickets down for just 20 in their second innings after conceding a first-innings deficit of 296 to New Zealand.

Sri Lanka still need a further 37 to avoid an innings defeat but with a flat pitch offering nothing to New Zealand’s seam attack and rain threatening on the final day, a draw is now a real prospect.

“Even tough it’s a belter of a wicket, the concentration and commitment they had was unbelievable,” bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake said.

“We couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

New Zealand had hoped to wrap up the match early on the fourth day after posting an imposing 578 in the first innings, anchored by Tom Latham’s unbeaten 264 -- which eclipsed former England captain Alastair Cook’s 244 as the highest score by an opener carrying their bat in Test history. But the home bowlers grew increasingly frus-trated by the stubborn rearguard action, resorting to a barrage of bouncers that failed to rattle the batsmen.

Spinner Ajaz Patel said the Black Caps had not played poorly and were still upbeat about claiming victory on the final day.

“The positive thing for us is that we are the only team in a position to win the game. That’s great position for us to be in,” he

said. Mathews sent the New Zea-landers a defiant message with his push-up celebration late in the final session that he still has plenty in the tank and is ready to bat on.

Mendis, who made only two in the first innings, was also pumped up, saying he would bat for another entire day if his team required it. The 23-year-old ini-tially took a positive approach and went after short-ball spe-cialist Neil Wagner.

He blasted four boundaries off Wagner in an entertaining period that saw the paceman concede 35 runs in four overs before captain Kane Williamson ended his spell.

After the brief flourish with the bat, Mendis was content to put up the shutters and slow the scoring to a crawl.

“The plan was to bat out a lot of balls, rather than focus on run-scoring,” he said through an interpreter.

Mathews, 31, who top-scored for Sri Lanka with 83 in the first innings, eked out his ninth Test century off 248 balls, while Mendis brought up his sixth Test ton off 215 deliveries.

The partnership will be a huge boost for Sri Lanka, who are ranked sixth in the world and have won only one Test in Wellington in five attempts.

They have also lost their last five Tests against New Zealand and suffered a 3-0 Test series whitewash against England last month.

SRI LANKA, 1st innings 282NEW ZEALAND, 1st innings 578SRI LANKA, 2nd innings (overnight 20-3)M. Gunathilaka lbw Boult ................................3F. Karunaratne c Boult b Southee ............... 10D. de Silva b Southee ......................................0K. Mendis not out ..........................................116A. Mathews not out ......................................117Extras (lb2, nb3, w8) ....................................13Total (for 3 wkts, 102 overs) ............ 259Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Gunathilaka), 2-10 (de Sil-va), 3-13 (Karunaratne)To bat: D. Chandimal, N. Dickwella, D. Perera, S. Lakmal, K. Rajitha, L. KumaraBowling: Southee 20-6-36-2, Boult 21-3-50-1, Wagner 21-2-100-0 (4w, 2nb), de Grandhom-me 13-4-24-0 (1nb), Patel 26-8-46-0, Raval 1-0-1-0

SCOREBOARD

We were convinced of all-pace attack: KohliAFP PERTH

India captain Virat Kohli effec-tively admitted to misreading the pitch at Perth’s new stadium after not picking a frontline spinner in a Test match in which off-spinner Nathan Lyon emerged as Australia’s trump card.

On the green-tinged pitch the touring side opted for an all-pace attack, drafting in quick Umesh Yadav for injured off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. All-rounder Hanuma Vihari, who replaced Rohit Sharma, was India’s only slow bowling option.

Kohli said India would have considered playing Ashwin if the spin ace had been fit but was keener to laud Lyon’s brilliance for his match-winning figures of 8-106 rather than credit the assistance from the surface.

“It was the pace on the ball Lyon bowled with that got him the wickets,” Kohli said after the hosts squared the four-Test

series at 1-1 with a 146-run victory.

“We didn’t think that we def-initely wanted to consider a spinning option on this pitch, especially having a look at the pitch on day one and how we thought it would play on the first three days.

“We thought a fast bowler is going to be more productive and more helpful for us.”

India have left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav as the other slow bowling options in the squad but preferred speedster Umesh Yadav, who struggled with match figures of 2-139.

Not picking Jadeja, who averages over 32 with the bat from 39 Tests, also robbed India of balance and lengthened their tail with their last four batsmen totalling just 11 runs between them for the match.

“We all know Ashwin or Jadeja have more ability with the bat,” Kohli said.

“It’s a very tricky decision to make what kind of a bowling option you want to go with or you want to think whether that guy can contribute with the bat as well or not.

“Eventually you come to one decision and we backed that decision and we went ahead with it. Whether it comes off or not is a different thing. But we were totally convinced as a team that is our best combination to go with and the batsmen have to take responsibility.”

India will have to address their problems at the top of the order with the opening partner-ships from Lokesh Rahul and Murali Vijay of three, 63, six and zero in the first two tests.

First choice opening batsman Prithvi Shaw injured his ankle while fielding during a tour match against a Cricket Australia XI in Sydney last month and has been ruled out of the rest of the series.

Fellow opener Mayank Agarwal, who has yet to make

his Test debut, was named as Shaw’s replacement and could replace either Rahul or Vijay in Melbourne.

“You have to keep backing them and telling them they belong and they are good enough to perform,” Kohli said.

“It’s not even giving someone individual goals, it’s just telling them that this is what we require as a team from the openers and this is the role that needs to be fulfilled. There’s not much to say to be honest.”

Meanwhile rival captains Tim Paine and Kohli yesterday played down their heated exchanges which prompted intervention from the umpire during the second Test between Australia and India.

Much attention centred on exchanges between Kohli and Paine on the third and fourth days, which were picked up by stump microphones and prompted umpire Chris Gaffaney to warn the pair to “play the game”.

But Kohli, one of the most animated players in world cricket, said there was nothing to worry about in what was said during the match.

“As long as there is no swearing the line doesn’t get crossed,” he said. “And no per-sonal attacks.”

The Indian captain described the exchanges as competitive “banter”.

He added that the remarks in Perth were nothing compared to their Australian tour in 2014, when he claimed to have been called a “spoilt brat”.

Paine also said his sparring with Kohli did not get out of hand, adding that he admired his opposite number’s passion for Test cricket.

“It was a highly competitive Test match from both teams and there was a lot on the line, with both teams desperately wanting to win,” Paine said.

“It (Kohli’s behaviour) was not (worrying) to me, I love it and I’m sure it was great to watch.”

10 WEDNESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

This is a really good first step and we

are using it as a base to continue to look

for ways to improve and highlight the

importance of mothers working and being

on Tour: Victoria Azarenka

Victoria Azarenka

‘Good step’: WTA increases rankings protection for returning mothersREUTERS LONDON

The Women’s Tennis Association

(WTA) will offer greater rankings

protection to mothers returning

to the tour after giving birth and

introduce a modernised dress

rule as part of new rules

announced on Monday for next

season.

The changes address issues

that came up in 2018 when

former world number one

Serena Williams, who returned

to action after giving birth, was

unseeded for some events and

caused an uproar with a black,

skin-tight bodysuit she wore at

the French Open.

But after gathering feedback

from players, the WTA said its

board of directors approved changes that will allow players out

of competition for 52 weeks or longer to use their Special

Ranking in 12 tournaments.

A player returning from pregnancy will have a three-year

period to use her Special Ranking, which will now begin at the

birth of the child.

For players who would qualify for a seeded position in the

draw, the updated rule will ensure they will not face a seed in

the opening rounds whether returning from pregnancy or injury.

Williams’s world ranking had fallen to 451 when she was

not seeded at the French Open. The American was, however,

seeded 25th at this year’s Wimbledon despite being ranked

outside the world’s top 32 players.

Former world number one Victoria Azarenka, who returned

to tennis in mid-2017 following the birth of her son, welcomed

the rule change.

“Our players should feel comfortable and confident to take

time away from the courts to have a family or recover from

injury and I think these new rules support that,” Azarenka, who

is on the a WTA Players’ Council, said in a statement.

“This is a really good first step and we are using it as a base

to continue to look for ways to improve and highlight the impor-

tance of mothers working and being on Tour.”

The board of directors also agreed that players at WTA tour-

naments would not be prohibited from wearing leggings or

compression shorts without a skirt, dress or shorts over them.

The WTA had no rule explicitly banning a player from wearing

such outfits but adjusted the language of its rule to be more

clear.

The black catsuit worn by Williams at Roland Garros sparked

plenty of debate and attracted the ire of the French Tennis Fed-

eration President Bernard Giudicelli.

“While this has not been an issue to date, we wanted to

make it clear that there is no prohibition on these items,” WTA

chief executive Steve Simon said in a statement.

“We understand the importance of modernising the dress

code and ensuring that our players have flexibility in choosing

the clothing they wear. Our rules should not prohibit that.”

Among other rule changes is the rollout of a 25-second shot

clock between points at premier events in 2019, with a full

rollout for all WTA tournaments in 2020, in a bid to speed up

the pace of play.

Players will also only be allowed one toilet/change of attire

break per match, down from the previous two.

A player returning from pregnancy will have a three-year period to use her Special Ranking, which will now begin at the birth of the child.

For players who would qualify for a seeded position in the draw, the updated rule will ensure they will not face a seed in the opening rounds whether returning from pregnancy or injury.

Racing Point are the second team to set a launch date, with 2018 championship runners-up Ferrari announcing they would present their new car on February 15.

Quintana to lead Movistar bid for Tour de France titleAFP MADRID

Colombian climber Nairo Quintana will lead the Movistar team at the 2019 Tour de France, Movistar’s team director Eusebio Unzue revealed yesterday at a team presentation in Madrid.

During the 2018 Tour Quintana, who has won both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana, was co-leader of Mov-istar along with world champion Alejandro Valverde and the Spanish climber Mikal Landa, but in 2019 will spearhead the team’s tilt at the Tour de France title.

Quintana was runner-up to Chris Froome in the Tour de France in 2013 and 2015.

Now at his peak, the 28-year-old remains a true con-tender for a win in the sport’s greatest Tour.

“We will continue dreaming (of the Tour de France win), and we will continue to work for it,” said Quintana.

Unzue admitted last season’s tactics had failed and that backing the Colombian was the key to 2019.

“We want to concentrate our focus on Nairo on the Tour de France and the Vuelta too,” Unzue said at a presentation of the 2019 lineup in Madrid.

“The key objective for the team this year is to win a Grand Tour.

The 38-year-old Valverde, w h o w o n a

thrilling, mountainous world championships in Innsbruck in 2018, will race the Giro in May and the Vuelta in September, Unzue revealed.

Landa, recruited from Team Sky will race the Giro in May and then back up Quintana in the Tour de France.

“We were always in there with a chance last season but somehow the strategy (of three leaders) fell short and we failed to meet our objectives.

“We had wonderful moments though with 27 wins, but had bad luck with Quintana and Landa not quite as good as

we’d been hoping for,” said the team director.

“But that will all change this year.”

Movistar, the second most powerful team in professional cycling after Team Sky, renewed a deal to sponsor the Spanish outfit until 2021 just two days ago.

Meanwhile, Italian road racer Filippo Pozzato, who won stages on the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana, announced his retirement yesterday.

The powerfully built Italian won the Milan-San Remo classic

in 2006 and was a regular con-tender in the Spring one-day classics.

He last won a Grand Tour stage on the Giro in 2010, a year after winning the Italian national championships.

“I can say today that my childhood dreams have been achieved,” said Pozzato, who won the Tirreno-Adriatico at just 21.

“And without having seen the time fly by, it’s all over now. I didn’t always achieve what I could have but I made most of my dreams come true,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Team Movistar’s Colombian cyclist Nairo Quintana waves during the presentation of Spain’s Movistar Team 2019 in Madrid, yesterday.

Tenshin looks for real fight with Mayweather not entertainmentAP MATSUDO, JAPAN

To Floyd Mayweather, his three-round match on New Year’s Eve in Japan is for entertainment only.

To opponent Tenshin Nas-ukawa, the “exhibition” is as serious as a kick to the head.

Which is what he wishes he could do to Mayweather.

But the rules of their match prohibit the unheralded kick-boxer from kicking. So he’s taken a crash course in boxing. Among his advisers was three-weight world champion Jorge Linares.

“I can change the world with my fist,” Nasukawa said in his quiet voice yesterday after a demonstration workout at his family’s Teppen Gym in the Tokyo suburb of Matsudo.

Except, he really can’t change the world. There will be no judges and no official result.

When 20-year-old Nasu-kawa’s people were last month touting a real bout, the 41-year-old Mayweather walked away. He hasn’t fought since beating

Conor McGregor more than a year ago for his 50th win from 50 fights.

He returned to this matchup only after getting the rules clar-ified to make his first bout in J a p a n m o r e a b o u t “entertainment.”

The Rizin Fighting Feder-ation organizers are even willing to placate Mayweather by undertaking the weigh-in in his hotel room.

Despite everything, VIP seats are going for 100,000 yen ($1,000) each at Saitama Super Arena, on the northern outskirts of Tokyo.

There’s little Nasukawa has in common with Mayweather,

apart from both being unbeaten. Nasukawa is undefeated as a kickboxer at 27-0 and unde-feated in mixed martial arts at 4-0.

He said he never was much of a Mayweather fan, usually cheering for his opponents, such as Manny Pacquiao.

And when he met him in person, Nasukawa said he was a little disappointed that May-weather wasn’t as charismatic as he thought he was.

“I sensed no aura about him,” he said.

“He says such provocative stuff I feel like kicking him.”

Nasukawa said he can’t allow the taller and heavier Mayweather to land a single punch in their three rounds. He plans to use his kickboxing nous to avoid getting hit.

“He is the best so I can’t let my guard down. I’m sure his punches are fast but I’m sure I can see them.

“I feel excited, although some days I still feel afraid,” Nasukawa added.

“But when the day comes, I want to fight with confidence,” he said.

F1: Racing Point to hold 2019 launch in TorontoREUTERS LONDON

Racing Point, the Canadian-owned Formula One team that emerged from now-disappeared Force India, will hold their 2019 pre-season launch in Toronto on February 13, they announced on Monday.

The British-based team, now owned by a consortium of investors led by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, said on Twitter that the pres-entation would be at the Canadian International AutoShow. Stroll’s son Lance is one of the drivers for next year, along with Mexican Sergio Perez. The Mercedes-powered team finished the 2018 season in seventh place.

Force India went into administration in July before being rescued by Stroll.

The team’s new name and look could also be revealed at the event, with principal Otmar Szafnauer saying this month that Racing Point was “just something we stuck on to the entry until we go for a permanent name change”.

Racing Point are the second team to set a launch date, with 2018 championship r u n n e r s - u p F e r r a r i announcing they would present their new car on Feb-ruary 15. Pre-season testing starts three days later at Bar-celona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa (right) works out during a training session, in front of the media, at his boxing gym in Matsuda, Chiba prefecture, yesterday.

He is the best so I

can’t let my guard

down. I’m sure his

punches are fast

but I’m sure I can

see them: Tenshin

Nasukawa

11WEDNESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT

Who says what on sacking of MourinhoREUTERS

Following is reaction to the sacking of Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, who was dismissed by the Premier League club yesterday.

FORMER UNITED CAPTAIN GARY NEVILLE

“I’ve been fortunate to spend time at Tottenham’s training ground, and for me he (Mauricio Pochettino) feels like the ideal candidate. United have tried managers who have won European cups, they’ve tried managers who have won multiple leagues.

“My view is they need someone who meets the three key principles of the football club, and that is pro-motion of youth, entertaining football, and to win football matches.”TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER

MAURICIO POCHETTINO“I feel so sorry because you know

very well I have a very good rela-tionship with him, so it’s very sad news what happened today. It’s not my business what happened today and only I want to send my best wishes to Jose.

“There are a lot of rumours about my position as manager at Tottenham. I cannot answer this type of question. The business you know very well, a lot of rumours happen. I’m so focused in trying to deliver my best in this football club.”

FORMER ENGLAND INTERNA-TIONAL GARY LINEKER

“With United 19 points behind Liv-erpool after 17 games, with the vast majority of players playing way below their best... and dour football to boot.

“Given Mourinho was allowed to spend hundreds of millions on those players, the split seemed inevitable.

“Would imagine one of the main reasons for sacking Mourinho now would be to stop the attempted mass exodus of their best players next month.”

FORMER LIVERPOOL BOSS GRAEME SOUNESS

“I think he (Mourinho) would have known this was coming. I’m not sur-prised... with the money he has spent and how the players are playing at this present moment in time... I said on Sunday, I couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel for them.

“I was at Bournemouth two weeks ago. I’m a season ticket holder there. My season ticket is 10 rows behind the dugout and I saw a man who didn’t want to be there.”

FORMER UNITED FORWARD BRIAN MCCLAIR

“He is not the only one who should depart.”

FORMER ENGLAND STRIKER MICHAEL OWEN

“Inevitable is the word I’d use. Mourinho had to go in the end. Simply not getting anywhere near enough out of his players.”FORMER LIVERPOOL MIDFIELDER

JAMIE REDKNAPP“If you were looking to go to a club

and do everything wrong and get the sack, you would do what he’s done.

“He stayed in a hotel... as a manager you shouldn’t be going to a hotel every day because it sends the wrong message.

“The style of play wasn’t right, United fans want to see their team play with flair. Falling out with the players and the board. It’s been inevitable since the Brighton game, everything was wrong.

FORMER UNITED DEFENDER PATRICE EVRA

“The thing that is annoying me the most right now is why are people so focused on Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho. Let’s focus on rebuilding something solid instead of being in a playground. Doing this is only disre-specting the badge, from now we only need positivity.”

CHELSEA ASSISTANT COACH GIANFRANCO ZOLA

“It’s never pleasant to see a coach dismissed. It’s not pleasant for anybody but especially for someone like Jose, who has done so much for this game and the club. I’m sure he will have another job.

“Nowadays getting the sack is part of our job. From the small coaches to the big ones. Knowing the character of Jose, he will bounce back very quick.”

REUTERS LONDON

Timeline of the significant low points this year which led to Man-chester United dismissing manager Jose Mourinho:

MAY 19: United lose FA Cup final 1-0 to Chelsea, ending the season without a trophy for first time in three years.

AUGUST 19: Defeat in second game of new Premier League season 3-2 to Brighton & Hove Albion.

AUGUST 27: Mourinho sees his side lose 3-0 to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, the biggest home defeat of his career. Complains about ‘respect’ to media after the game.

SEPTEMBER 22: Midfielder Paul Pogba says United should attack more at home after disappointing 1-1 draw with Wolves. Mourinho strips Frenchman of vice-captaincy in growing rift.

SEPTEMBER 25: United dumped out of the League Cup at home by second-tier Derby County on penalties

SEPTEMBER 29: 3-1 defeat in the league by West Ham United means United suffer their worst start to a new season in 29 years.

OCTOBER 8: Investigated by FA after allegedly swearing in Portuguese to camera after 3-2 comeback win over Newcastle United.

NOVEMBER 11: Comprehensively outplayed and beaten 3-1 by champions Manchester City away.

DECEMBER 16: Another 3-1 defeat, this time by fierce rivals Liverpool which leaves United 19 points behind their league leading opposition.

DECEMBER 18: Mourinho sacked with the club sixth in the Premier League.

Low points of Mourinho’s tenure at Man United

Pochettino perfect fit for the job: NevilleAFP LONDON

Gary Neville says Manchester United should target Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager after sacking Jose Mourinho, describing the Spurs boss as the “ideal candidate”.

Neville, who won multiple Premier League titles during his spell at Old Trafford under Alex

Ferguson, said the departure of the Portuguese boss was a

chance to hit the “reset” button.

United, in sixth place in the league,

are 19 points behind leaders Liverpool after a miserable season.

“I said last season that the

next manager of

Manchester United should be Mau-ricio Pochettino,” Neville told Sky Sports News.

“When I look at the values of Manchester United, you look at Mauricio Pochettino’s belief in young players at (previous club) Southampton and with Tottenham.

“You look at his performance levels and the style of play, the way in which he carries himself at all times, publicly and in private.”

Neville added: “Manchester United have tried managers that have won European Cups, they’ve tried managers that have won mul-tiple leagues, they’ve tried man-agers that have, to be fair, had that solid grounding in the Premier League.

Another name heavily linked with United is former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, who left the Spanish giants after guiding them to a third successive Champions League triumph earlier this year.

Neville said of the Frenchman: “I don’t think anyone could argue with his pedigree. He’s been world-class on the pitch and now been world-class in the dugout at Real Madrid.

“He wouldn’t be my choice in the sense I would choose Mauricio Pochettino, but on the other hand, you couldn’t argue with the intro-duction of Zinedine Zidane because of his record.”

Mourinho in danger of slipping off elite clubREUTERS LONDON

For more than a decade, Jose Mourinho has been one of the select few coaches whose names invariably crop up when a vacancy arises at one of Europe’e elite clubs.

But after his unhappy two years at Manchester United, the Portuguese may have fallen off that privileged merry-go-round.

Until recently Mourinho was regarded as a master tactician and supreme moti-vator and with 20 major trophies as a manager, including two at United, a reliable provider of silverware.

But all that is in danger of being tar-nished by United’s fall from grace and his incessant moaning about his own players.

The man who once labelled himself the Special One and livened up news con-ferences by accusing his opponents of playing 19th century football or of rivals of being “specialists in losing” and similar jibes, now seems more like a grumpy old man.

He leaves Old Trafford with United 19 points off the top of the Premier League and playing a brand of football that has been left behind by the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.

It is hard to imagine his name being in the mix with the likes of Massimiliano Allegri, Diego Simeone, Thomas Tuchel, Juergen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino or Maurizio Sarri next time one of the top jobs come up.

Mourinho’s dogmatically defensive tactics look outdated compared to Pochet-tino’s progressive pressing game at Tot-tenham Hotspur, Klopp’s so-called “heavy

metal football” that has put Liverpool top of the Premier League, Sarri’s intricate passing patterns at Chelsea or Allegri’s versatility at Juventus.

And if a club wants a win-at-all-costs approach, then Atletico Madrid’s Simeone, rather than Mourinho, is probably the man to turn to.

So where does Mourinho go next?The 55-year-old could conceivably

follow in the footsteps of Italian Carlo Ancelotti who has carved a new niche for himself.

When Ancelotti was fired by Bayern Munich early last season, he had, like Mourinho, just about done the rounds of Europe’s top clubs, having coached Paris St Germain, Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan.

Ancelotti has now moved on and rein-vented himself at Napoli, a club with big potential and a fanatical following but still trying to make the step from challenging the top sides to actually winning titles.

But even if Mourinho’s pride allowed him to go to a club outside the elite, there are still hurdles to overcome.

Ancelotti is known as one of the game’s gentlemen, an excellent motivator who lives in harmony with his club and can rotate his team without anyone complaining.

Mourinho, on the other hand, has burned bridges with his public criticism of United’s younger players and his fallout with £90m French midfielder Paul Pogba, never mind his constant sniping at match officials.

The first thing Mourinho should probably do is take a break, give himself a rest from a game he no longer seems to enjoy -- and also give the game a rest from him.

After that, he can turn to his agent Jorge Mendes, one of the best-connected men in football, to find him a new challenge.

One option that stands out is Mour-inho’s former club Inter Milan, who have big ambitions under new Chinese own-ership to challenge Juventus’ dominance of Italian football.

Mourinho won a Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia treble in 2010 during his previous stint at the club.

Eleven coaches have been employed since he left and Inter have not won a trophy for seven years.

Other options open to him would include a national team -- although his own Portugal are well-served with Fernando Santos until at least Euro 2020 -- and there is always the temptation of a money-making move to China.

He is still revered in his homeland although that is probably too small for him.

“Portuguese football can’t afford the likes of Leonardo Jardim, Paulo Fonseca or Mourinho,” Jose Pereira, head of the Portuguese coach’s association, told RTP television.

“They don’t have the money to pay these coaches”

AFPLONDON

Gary Neville says MUnited should targePochettino as their neafter sacking Jose describing the Spurs “ideal candidate”.

Neville, who woPremier League titlesspell at Old Trafford

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Gary Neville

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino

The man who once labelled himself the Special One and livened up news conferences by accusing his opponents of playing 19th century football or of rivals of being “specialists in losing” and similar jibes, now seems more like a grumpy old man.

Mourinho’s unhappiness at UnitedAFP LONDON

Jose Mourinho’s unhappiness at the club manifested itself even before the season started.

Here is a look at few quotes that chart the decline in relations between Mourinho, the club and the players:

JULY 24

Mourinho’s relationship with record signing Paul Pogba had already become fraught in the 2017/18 season -- he dropped the Frenchman for the Cham-pions League loss to Sevilla -- but the path to the complete breakdown in rela-tions took root in the wake of comments he made after the 25-year-old’s shining moment in scoring in the World Cup final win over Croatia. Pogba was said to be furious when he read the remarks.

“During a season, you can have a big match then a smaller match, then one even smaller, then you can lose your focus, you can lose your concentration, then comes a big match again.

“In the World Cup, the direction of the emotion, of the responsibility, of the big decisions is always growing up.

“So I think it was the perfect envi-ronment for him.”

JULY 29

Mourinho voices his concerns, fol-lowing a 4-1 pre-season hammering by Liverpool, regarding the transfer policy of the club even though early in the close season he had been quick off the mark and secured Brazilian midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk and full-back Diogo Dalot from FC Porto.

“I gave a list to my club of five names a few months ago and I wait to see if it’s possible to have one of these players. If it’s possible, it’s possible. If it’s not, it’s not. If it’s possible, it’s good. If not then we keep fighting and working and believing in the players that we have.”

AUGUST 31

Just a few weeks into the season Mourinho felt obliged to remind the world of how great a manager he was in terms of his overall record and resorted to citing German philosopher Georg Hegel to support his argument.

“Did you read any philosopher? You spent time reading Hegel. Just as an example Hegel says: ‘The truth is in the whole,’ is always in the whole.”

NOVEMBER 30

By this stage United were 14 points off neighbours Manchester City and seven adrift of the Champions League places but Mourinho returned to his favoured defence strategy of how hard it is now to buy the top players even though over his tenure he spent around £360m.

“You have no chance in the market unless you go to crazy numbers. Instead you go to the second level players where you still have crazy numbers, and where people say, and I agree, that’s not what Manchester United is.”

Jose Mourinho celebrates with the trophy after

winning the Europa League in this May 24, 2017

file photo.

SPORTEFL Cup last-8: Arsenal vs

Tottenham Hotspur;Chelsea vs Bournemouth

Bundesliga: Bayern vs RB Leipzig; FC Schalke 04 vsBayer 04 Leverkusen

FOOTBALL FOOTBALL

07WEDNESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2018

Really happy with the competitive,

hard style we played. I think we’re

slowly building into our style of

cricket.

Australia captain

Tim Paine

after victory over India in the 2nd Test in Perth. T

ODA

Y’S

ACT

ION

Jackets shut out Knights; Bruins blank CanadiensREUTERS COLUMBUS

Sergei Bobrovsky had 28 saves to register his first shutout of the season, and Nick Foligno cele-brated his 800th NHL game with the only goal of the game to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 1-0 victory over the visiting Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.

It was the 25th career shutout for Bobrovsky as Columbus won for just the third time in eight games.

Foligno’s 177th career goal was also the 30th game-winner of his career.

Malcolm Subban, making his first start since a 7-2 loss at Calgary on November 19, fin-ished with 30 saves.

It snapped a streak of 13 consecutive starts by Marc-Andre Fleury, who leads the NHL in wins with 19. Subban

fell to 0-5-0 this NHL season.Bruins 4, Canadiens 0

Jaroslav Halak’s 22 saves and a team-wide defensive effort gave Boston a dominant win at Montreal. Halak recorded his third shutout of the season.

Colby Cave recorded the first multi-point effort of his 16-game NHL career, an effort that included his first NHL goal.

The Bruins also got goals from Joakim Nordstrom, David Krejci and Brad Marchand. Charlie McAvoy and David Pas-trnak each had two assists.

Montreal’s lack of offensive spark included three failed power-play opportunities, making the team 0-for-25 with the extra attacker over its past eight games.Senators 4, Predators 3 (OT)

Thomas Chabot scored 21 seconds into overtime, and Ottawa defeated visiting Nash-ville. The Predators turned the

puck over at their own blue line, Ryan Dzingel got the puck to Chabot, and the defenseman scored on a hard wrist shot to

the top left corner.Ottawa led 3-0 after the

first period, but Nashville got one goal back in the second

period and added two in the third to force overtime.

Maxime Lajoie, Brady Tkachuk and Dzingel also scored for the Senators. Mark Stone added two assists.

Roman Josi scored twice and had an assist, and Craig Smith scored once for Nash-ville. Ryan Johansen was credited with three assists.Ducks 4, Penguins 2

Anaheim erased a two-goal deficit by scoring three times in the second period for a win at Pittsburgh.

Adam Henrique, Kiefer Sherwood and, with a goal that stood as the winner, Ondrej Kase scored in the second for Anaheim.

The Ducks earned their sixth consecutive road win, their ninth victory in 10 games overall, and improved to 7-0-1 when leading after two periods.

Ryan Getzlaf scored an empty-net goal with 49 seconds remaining. He and Henrique also added an assist apiece.

John Gibson, a native of Pittsburgh, made 28 saves for Anaheim, which got goals from Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust.Islanders 4, Avalanche 1

Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist each, and New York beat Colorado in Denver.

Thomas Greiss stopped 30 shots, and Johnny Boychuk and Valtteri Filppula also scored for New York, which won the opener of its four-game road trip. The Islanders are 3-1-1 in their past five games.

Gabe Landeskog had Colo-rado’s lone goal. Mikko Ran-tanen, the NHL’s leading scorer with 56 points, had his 14-game point streak ended as the Avalanche fell to 1-3-1 in their past five games.

Columbus Blue Jackets’ players celebrate after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Monday.

AFP GENERAL SANTOS, PHILIPPINES

Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao said he is “stronger and faster” than ever ahead of his world title defence as he threw a lavish party with thousands of guests and a mass giveaway to mark his 40th birthday.

A car, pickup trucks and appliances were raffled off and President Rodrigo Duterte and celebrities were among the well-wishers at the all-night event, held at a sprawling shopping mall in his home city of General Santos.

“I feel stronger and faster, and by God’s grace I am wiser at 40, feeling 25,” Pacquiao said, making clear he’s looking forward to facing American Adrien Broner next month.

“I believe the best is yet to come. You have not yet seen the best of Manny Pacquiao,” he added.

The Filipino southpaw, 60-7 with two draws and 39 knockouts in a career that began in 1995, is to stake his World Boxing Association’s regular welterweight crown

against Broner on January 19 in Las Vegas. Pacquiao, winner of an unprecedented eight world titles in as many weight classes, has continued fighting after reversing a decision to retire in 2016.

The rags-to-riches Pac-quiao, who quit school and hawked food in the streets and later took up boxing in his teens to support his mother and his younger sib-lings, is also an elected Phil-ippine senator.

“Boxing is my passion and public service is my mission,” he said, wearing a dark suit and fedora hat.

The Filipino won his last

title by stopping Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse in July in Kuala Lumpur. Speculation remains high that the Broner bout could be a warm-up for a sequel to 2015’s “Fight of the Century”, that Pacquiao lost to undefeated Floyd Mayweather on points.

A sedan and two pickup trucks as well as dozens of smaller prizes, like refriger-ators, were raffled off at the party, which included a section that was open to the general public.

Entertainers put on a shadow play recounting the rise of the “people’s champ” from abject poverty to becoming a multi-millionaire who doled out free housing to the poor and visited sick people in hospital.

Rock bands and gospel singers provided the music, children danced, and Pac-quiao’s wife, Jinky, serenaded him with a ballad.

“We are so thankful. He never forgets to help us, his poor constituents,” said Sarah Bagas, a middle-aged street sweeper who lined up for her raffle ticket and food stub in mid-morning.

This photo taken on December 17, 2018 shows Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte (centre) attending the 40th birthday celebration of boxer Manny Pacquiao (third left) in General Santos City on the southern island of Mindanao.

‘Stronger, faster’ Pacquiao turns

40 with lavish birthday bash

I feel stronger and

faster, and by God’s

grace I am wiser

at 40, feeling 25.

I believe the best

is yet to come. You

have not yet seen

the best of Manny

Pacquiao.

NBA: Durant, Curry lead Warriors over GrizzliesAFP LOS ANGELES

Kevin Durant scored 23 points as the Golden State Warriors kept the pressure on the Denver Nuggets with a 110-93 defeat of the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

Durant was one of five War-riors players to make double figures as the depth of the NBA champions proved too much for Memphis at Oakland’s Oracle Arena.

Stephen Curry had 20 points and Klay Thompson 16 in a win which left the Warriors with a record of 21-10, just behind Western Conference leaders Denver who are 20-9.

Curry’s points haul took him past 15,000 for his career, making him the fifth player in Warriors franchise history to reach the milestone.

“It’s a really cool milestone, an unbelievable journey so far,” Curry said.

“But it’s just more moti-vation to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m blessed to play this game, with great team-mates. We can all accomplish great things if we stay in the moment.”

Memphis’s scoring was led from the bench by former Warrior Omri Casspi, who fin-ished with 20 points and was a constant threat to his ex-team-mates.

Elsewhere on Monday, LaMarcus Aldridge bagged a double-double as the San Antonio Spurs handed the Phil-adelphia 76ers a chastening loss in a 123-96 blowout.

Aldridge spearheaded a fine all-round offensive display from San Antonio as the Spurs improved to 16-15 at the ATT Center in Texas.

Rudy Gay had 21 points while DeMar DeRozan also had 20 on a night when the Spurs dominated the Sixers in all departments.

The Sixers slipped to 20-12 following the loss.

Ben Simmons and JJ Redick had 16 points apiece for the Sixers, but Joel Embiid was restricted to 13 points while Jimmy Butler suffered an off-target night, making just three of 13 field goal attempts.

In Houston, James Harden exploded for 47 points as the Rockets overpowered the Utah Jazz 102-97 to extend their winning streak to four games.

Reigning NBA MVP Harden produced a dazzling display of scoring to delight the home fans

at the Toyota Center with a win that took the Rockets above .500 for the season.

Houston are now 15-14 for the season while Utah have slipped to 14-17, one place off the bottom in the Western Conference.

Harden’s virtuoso display included six rebounds and five assists.

Three other Houston players made double figures, with PJ Tucker finishing with 16 points and Eric Gordon adding 12 points.

Clint Capela hauled down 14 rebounds to dominate the boards.

But it was Harden’s eye-catching display that dominated the postgame discussion, with coach Mike D’Antoni leading the plaudits.

Harden has averaged just over 38 points per game in his last five games.

“This level, the last three or four games are as good as he ever played,” D’Antoni said.

Donovan Mitchell led the Utah scoring with 23 points while Rudy Gobert finished with 18 points.

Elsewhere on Monday, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a 32-point haul as the Milwaukee Bucks maintained their pursuit of Toronto at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 107-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Antetokounmpo’s points haul included one spectacular driving dunk in the second quarter that embarrassed the Pistons defense.

Milwaukee 107 Detroit 104 Phoenix 128 New York 110 Houston 102 Utah 97 Minnesota 132 Sacramento 105 O’ City 121 Chicago 96 San Antonio 123 Philadelphia 96Golden State 110 Memphis 93

NBA RESULTS

Curry’s points haul took him past 15,000 for his career, making him the fifth player in Warriors franchise history to reach the milestone.

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (centre) shoots the basketball against

Memphis Grizzlies during their NBA game in Oakland on Monday.