Cricket: Pakistan Bowls Over Australia.
Mohammed Abbas
helped himself to a 10-wicket match-haul as Pakistan completed a
series-clinching win over Australia in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan currently uses the Mideastern Emirates as their "home"
territory. The seam bowler took five
wickets in all on Friday, as the hosts made light work of the Australians at
Zayed Cricket Stadium. The beleaguered
tourists were bowled out for 164, meaning they fell to a 373-run defeat.
To make matters
worse for Australia, they have confirmed Usman Khawaja has suffered a torn
meniscus, and may require surgery. The
left-handed opener has been arguably Australia’s only success story on this
tour, after his heroics in saving the first Test in Dubai. His injury means he is now a doubt for the
start of their home series against India.
After Australia's
scandal of a few months ago, they are struggling to rebuild, playing as they
are without a few of their recent standouts.
Their losses in the UAE to a clearly superior Pakistan mean they have
some distance to go before they are ready to host India's tour of Australia
next month.
In the United
States the Baseball season is coming to a thrilling conclusion. The Boston Red Sox clinched the American
League Penant on Thursday night, advancing to the World Series after defeating
the defending champion Houston Astros 4-1.
David Price shut out Houston on the mound, while the Boston offense
delivered a pair of homers as the Red Sox locked up a berth in the World Series
for the first time since 2013. That year
they bested the St. Louis Cardinals in six games, taking the World
Championship.
The Red Sox will
face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Milwaukee Brewers in Major League
Baseball's championship showcase, which begins on Tuesday. Late Friday the
Brewers tied their series 3-3 at home, leading to their sudden death, winner
take all game on Saturday in Milwaukee. The
Brewers played well, and dominated, winning 7-2.
In European
Soccer, the international break is coming to an end, as players leave behind
their national teams and return to their pro teams. Two of last season’s champions are not faring
well, Germany's Bayern Munich and Spain's Barcelona are not on top this
year. The Bavarians are mired in
controversy as they faced sharp criticism for losing two games in a row,
unheard of from these southern dominators.
In England, Manchester United,
winner of a record 13 Premier League titles, is struggling simply to stay in
the top half of the standings. Arsenal, on the other hand, whom have sunk to
the depths in recent years, have now won nine straight games, which has their
fans saying that they "have our Arsenal back." Gunners fans everywhere rejoice.
Oddly enough, FC
Barcelona have insisted they have no
plans to re-sign Neymar from Paris St Germain, the club's vice-president Jordi
Cardoner said on Friday, knocking down media reports the La Liga champions were
ready to tempt the Brazilian forward back.
Neymar won two La
Liga titles and the 2015 Champions League in four years with Barca and formed a
lethal partnership with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, departing in July 2017
after the Paris giants exercised his release clause, and offered him lots of
money. "No-one on the Barca board
has talked about the possibility of bringing back Neymar, right now we can't
give an answer because no-one has even mentioned it," Cardoner told radio
station SER Catalunya on Friday.
Bayern Munich,
which has lost two in a row for the first time since May 2015, heads to
Volkswagen Arena to play Wolfsburg, a team that hasn’t beaten the six-time
defending champs in eight games. Bayern will start the day in fifth place, four
points back of league-leading Borussia Dortmund, the league’s only unbeaten
team. Dortmund will play at last-place Stuttgart. Dortmund has 23 goals in
seven games, seven more than anyone else in the Bundesliga, and has the
league’s top scorer in Paco Alcacer, who has six goals, and the leader in
assists, Jadon Sancho, who has six.
In the Premier League Manchester United has
won just half its first eight matches this season and has a negative goal
differential, a start that has put Jose Mourinho’s future as coach in danger.
The Reds head to Stamford Bridge on Saturday to play unbeaten Chelsea, a team
that hasn’t lost in 12 matches dating to last season. Chelsea’s Eden Hazard
leads the league with seven goals.
The Spanish
standings look strange with anyone other than Barcelona or either of the two
Madrid teams at the top. But after two months it’s dominant Sevilla — a team
that won its only league title in 1946 — leading the way. On Saturday, Sevilla
travels to Camp Nou to play struggling Barcelona, which hasn’t won in more than
a month. Real Madrid, which hasn’t won or scored in three games, will try to
end both streaks at home against Levante. Whither CR?
