Fakhar Zaman out of NZ tour with fever

KARACHI: Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman was on Sunday ruled out of the forthcoming tour of New Zealand just a few hours before the team’s departure after failing to recover from fever.

The 30-year-old left-hander tested negative along with 34 other players and 20 members of the squad but suffered fever, forcing Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to withdraw him.

“The decision to withdraw Fakhar from the tour was made keeping the health of the rest of the squad members as a top priority,” said a PCB release ahead of team’s departure early Monday morning.

It added: “Fakhar was isolated in the team hotel in Lahore as soon as his condition was detected; the PCB medical panel is in touch with him.” “Fakhar’s Covid-19 test report was received on Saturday which came out negative but today he picked up fever. We are constantly monitoring his condition and remain hopeful of his quick recovery; however he is not fit to travel with the squad,” team doctor Sohail Salim said in the release.

Since the squad is already larger than usual to counter Covid-19, no replacement will be announced.

Fakhar has so far played three Tests, 47 One-day Internationals and 40 Twenty20 Internationals.

Pakistan will complete 14-day mandatory quarantine after arrival and start the three-match Twenty20 International series on Dec 18. They also play two Tests on the tour.—AFP

Djokovic, Nadal fall as Thiem, Medvedev reach final

LONDON: Rafa Nadal’s dream of a first ATP Finals title and Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record-equalling sixth vanished in defeats by Daniil Medvedev and US Open champion Dominic Thiem in two seismic semi-finals on Saturday.

As the curtain comes down on London’s 12 years as host of the ATP Tour’s prestigious season-ender, it would have been fitting for Nadal and Djokovic to face off for the 57th time in their glittering careers.

But times are a changing, or so it seems, and Medvedev and Thiem had not read the script.

Nadal, seeking the one major pot missing from his vast collection of silverware, must have seen the door creaking open when Thiem produced a staggering fightback to beat Djokovic 7-5, 6-7 (10-12), 7-6 (7-5) in a classic contest lasting almost three hours.

It seemed like he had exhausted the wily Russian’s box of tricks when he served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but Medvedev, 10 years his junior at 24, stormed back to win 3-6, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.

Earlier in the empty arena, the 27-year-old Thiem saw four match points vanish in the second set tiebreak against Djokovic, one with a nervy double-fault, and it seemed he would pay a heavy price.

Djokovic, who is one short of Roger Federer’s titles record at the ATP Finals, led 4-0 in the deciding set tiebreak.

But Thiem unleashed a counter-attack to reel off six points, reaching match point with a crosscourt backhand. —Reuters

Root, Tom Curran shine in warm-up tie

CAPE TOWN: Joe Root hit 77 and Tom Curran produced a good all-round performance as the England touring party warmed up for its white ball matches against South Africa with an intra-squad match at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.

Root was the top scorer with 77 as Team Buttler defeated Team Morgan by 50 runs in a 40-overs-a-side contest.

Curran took four for 25 for England captain Eoin Morgan’s side before making second-highest score of 31 for the losers.

The match was a warm-up ahead of three Twenty20 Internationals and three One-day Internationals against South Africa, starting with the first T20 at Newlands on Friday.

England will play two T20 intra-squad matches in Paarl on Monday. Four of the six tour matches will be at Newlands and two at Paarl.

South Africa cancelled a planned warm-up match on Saturday after a second squad member tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) last Friday.

Root made his 77 off 77 balls and shared a fourth wicket partnership of 103 with Sam Billings (52).

Team Buttler were bowled out for 255 in 39.1 overs, losing their last five wickets for 28 runs, three of which fell to medium-pacer Curran.

Each of the Team Morgan specialist batsmen reached double figures but no one scored more than the captain’s 20. His side slipped to 102 for six before Chris Woakes (55) and Curran put on 79 for the seventh wicket. All-rounder Lewis Gregory took 3-18 for the winning team. —AFP

Saint-Etienne suffer seventh straight loss

PARIS: Struggling Saint-Etienne lost 4-1 at Brest on Saturday for a seventh straight Ligue 1 defeat under coach Claude Puel.

After notching 10 points from the first four games, Saint-Etienne are now hovering just above the relegation zone in 15th place ahead of Sunday’s games.

With Marseilles home game against Nice called off because of an outbreak of coronavirus cases in the visitors’ squad, Saturday’s only game saw all the goals come in the first half.

Midfielder Franck Honorat, center back Jean-Kevin Duverne, and strikers Irvin Cardona and Steve Mounie scored for the home side, while right back Mahdi Camara replied for the visitors.

Lille need only a draw at home to struggling Lorient on Sunday to overtake Monaco and reclaim second place. A win would move Lille only two points behind league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

Also on Sunday, Lyon are at Angers and Montpellier face Strasbourg.

PSG threw away a 2-0 lead and lost 3-2 at Monaco on Friday for their third defeat of the season. PSG’s shaky defence is a concern with a crucial match in the Champions League against Leipzig on Tuesday.

Osasuna, meanwhile, came from behind to draw with Huesca 1-1 on Friday, keeping the visitors winless since their return to the La Liga.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2020