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SPORTS Monday 7 January 2019

South Africa wins 2nd test, seals series against Pakistan

By GERALD IMRAY The final test in Johannes-
Associated Press burg starts on Friday and
CAPE TOWN, South Africa there’s likely to be no letup
(AP) — Armed with a four- from South Africa’s bowlers
man fast-bowling attack there, with Johannesburg’s
that has a strong claim to Wanderers traditionally
be the best in the world, one of the country’s quick-
South Africa won the sec- est pitches.
ond test and the series “We have nothing to lose.
against Pakistan by making We just have to play a posi-
the 41 runs it needed on tive game,” Sarfraz said.
the morning of the fourth The victory at Newlands
day on Sunday. also took South Africa’s re-
South Africa’s batsmen cord to 10 victories in 14
completed a nine-wicket tests and 10 wins out of 12
win and a seventh straight at home since coach Ot-
series success at home, a tis Gibson — a man who
comfortable victory set up appreciates fast bowling
once again by the Proteas’ more than any other facet
pacemen, who very nearly — was appointed in late
made both of the opening 2017.
two tests of the series three- “Not too long ago we were
day affairs. South African Captain Faf du Plessis in action on day four of the second cricket test match between (ranked) No. 7 in the world
The match at Newlands South Africa and Pakistan at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Jan. and we lost a few test
only went 47 minutes into 6, 2019. matches and weren’t play-
the fourth day, when South Associated Press ing as well as we liked and
Africa cruised to 43-1 in its even further in Cape Town has a promising group of reached the modest tar- we said home matches
second innings to finish the by adding Vernon Philan- fast bowlers, Sarfraz said get. and home series, we need
job. der and making it an all-out they couldn’t match the De Bruyn was opening in to take care of them,”
Pakistan has failed to reach pace attack, with spinner out-and-out speed of the place of Aiden Markram, South Africa captain du
200 in three of its four in- Keshav Maharaj not need- South Africans. who was injured fielding on Plessis said.
nings so far in the series ed for the second test and It wasn’t quite as simple the third day. Gibson has taken South Af-
with South Africa’s attack, left out. with the bat as South Africa Still, South Africa got there, rica on just one overseas
boasting top-ranked test “I think if you talk about our was hoping for on Sunday with opener Dean Elgar 24 test tour, though, where the
bowler Kagiso Rabada, a bowling and their bowling, morning. The Proteas lost not out and captain Faf du Proteas were whitewashed
fit-again Dale Steyn, and there’s a big difference,” stand-in opener Theunis Plessis — man of the match 2-0 on slow, turning surfac-
newcomer Duanne Olivier, Pakistan captain Sarfraz de Bruyn for 4 and Hashim for a first-innings century — es in Sri Lanka.
bullying the Pakistan bats- Ahmed said. “There’s a dif- Amla retired hurt on 2 after 3 not out. It gave South Af- “There lies the challenge in
men. ference in pace.” being hit on the right arm rica a 2-0 lead in the three- being better at touring,” du
South Africa cranked it up Even though Pakistan also by a bouncer before they test contest. Plessis said.q

Austrian Hirscher gets 30th career World Cup slalom win

By ERIC WILLEMSEN the city event in Oslo, he hard to find the right set-up
Associated Press spoke of “a mini-crisis.” for each terrain and for ev-
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — His focus on winning is so ery condition.”
Marcel Hirscher returned big, that he calls finishing Alexis Pinturault of France
to winning ways Sunday, 26th or even seventh a was 0.60 seconds behind
triumphing in the first men’s “DNF,” a did-not-finish. Hirscher in second, and
World Cup slalom of 2019 “After finishing two races Manuel Feller of Austria was
after he had missed the po- with a DNF, it is nice to be another 0.02 further behind
dium in the last two races. back in the finish area with in third for his first career sla-
The seven-time overall another 100 points. The lom podium.
champion trailed Austrian last two races not scoring Pinturault returned to a sla-
teammate Marco Schwarz points was not fun, it was lom podium for the first time
after the opening leg but making me nervous, even since winning in Wengen,
posted the fastest time in after all those years,” he Switzerland, five years ago.
the final run before Schwarz said, adding that “the peo- “I had troubles finding my
straddled a gate and failed Austria’s Marco Schwarz competes during an alpine ski, men’s ple in Austria want to see best level and with my skis
to finish. World Cup slalom in Zagreb, Croatia, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019. me winning, or at least on and the setup. These were
“It was today definitely not Associated Press the podium.” really hard years,” said the
the easiest victory I have reer win and 30th in the tive races. The last time he And Hirscher was fast to ac- Frenchman, adding he had
made so far,” said Hirscher, discipline. Only Sweden’s didn’t make the podium in knowledge that Sunday’s put more focus on slalom
who has won 10 of the last Ingemar Stenmark (40) and three straight races was in win had “not really” ended training again last summer.
12 slaloms. “But in the end Italy’s Alberto Tomba (35) February 2016. his doubts. Schwarz’s half-time lead
of the day I am super, super have won more men’s sla- After placing 26th in the last “The feeling is a little bit and Feller’s third-place fin-
happy. It was quite a hard lom races. slalom of 2018 in Italy and weird with the changing ish underlined the depth
day of work.” Hirscher rarely misses out starting the new calendar conditions we have this of the Austrian technical
It was Hirscher’s 64th ca- on a podium in consecu- year by placing seventh in year,” Hirscher said. “It is team. q