The China Mail - Sports (English)

Pakistan dig in as Lyon edges closer to 500 Test wickets

Australian spin king Nathan Lyon moved to within three wickets of joining the elite 500 club Friday as Pakistan dug deep to stay in touch on day two of the opening Test in Perth.

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Pakistan dig in after Australia dismissed for 487

Pakistan weathered a fiery Australian bowling blitz Friday to survive unscathed by tea on day two of the opening Test in Perth as they chase the hosts' first innings 487.

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Doncic magic but Mavs fall to Timberwolves

Luka Doncic scored 39 points but could not prevent the Dallas Mavericks falling to a 119-101 home defeat against the top of the table Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

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Famine to feast: Raiders romp past sorry Chargers

The Las Vegas Raiders ran in nine touchdowns in a 63-21 thrashing of the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, coming within a whisker of breaking the NFL's all-time scoring record.

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Majestic Marsh nears century as Australia turn screw on Pakistan

Mitchell Marsh plundered a majestic unbeaten 90 as Australia turned the screw on Pakistan on Friday to build a commanding lead on day two of the first Test in Perth.

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Man Utd face daunting test at Premier League leaders Liverpool

Manchester United travel to the home of bitter rivals Liverpool this weekend desperate to avoid another humiliation but with all the signs pointing to a tough afternoon at Anfield.

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Kane, Guirassy face off as Bayern host surprise package Stuttgart

Reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich face a tough task to bounce back from last weekend's humbling at Eintracht Frankfurt when they host surprise title challengers Stuttgart on Sunday.

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PSG take on Lille after Champions League high

Paris Saint-Germain return to domestic action with a trip up north to play fourth-placed Lille on Sunday, days after nail-bitingly securing Champions League progress.

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'Vulnerable' Barcelona under scrutiny as they head to Valencia

Barcelona's trip down the coast to face Valencia in La Liga on Saturday has taken on a new dimension following their midweek Champions League defeat by Royal Antwerp.

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'Crazy for cricket': Young Afghans inspired by national team's success

In a central Kabul street, the sound of kids playing was once mostly the scuff of a football against concrete. Now, it is punctuated with the crack of a cricket bat.

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Top Australian swimmers to skip Doha world championships

Australia's top swimmers have opted out of the world championships in Doha, with the squad announced Friday missing Ariarne Titmus, Mollie O'Callaghan and Kyle Chalmers.

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MLS unveils measures to speed up play in 2024

Major League Soccer's heads on Thursday approved the introduction of new rules for injuries and substitutions next season designed to speed up play.

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Ohtani says he picked Dodgers because he wants a winner

Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani said on Thursday he was excited to join the Los Angeles Dodgers because he hungers to win a Major League Baseball title.

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Cowboys, Eagles, Ravens and Lions target NFL playoff spots

The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles will try to secure playoff berths with road triumphs while Baltimore and Detroit hope to seal NFL post-season spots with weekend help from rivals.

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PSG get first win in Women's Champions League as Chelsea and Haecken draw

Paris Saint-Germain broke their duck in the Women's Champions League with a 2-1 win against Roma on Thursday as Chelsea and Haecken played out a goalless draw in London.

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Rangers down Betis to make Europa League last 16, Brighton see off Marseille

Kemar Roofe's winner sent Rangers into the Europa League last 16 with a 3-2 victory at Real Betis on Thursday, while Joao Pedro's late strike helped Brighton sink Marseille.

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King's 82 powers West Indies to T20 victory over England

Brandon King scored an unbeaten 82 and skipper Rovman Powell blasted a quickfire 50 as West Indies defeated England by 10 runs to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Twenty20 international series in Grenada on Thursday.

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Liverpool lose in Belgium, Villarreal reach Europa League last 16

A youthful Liverpool side lost 2-1 at Union Saint-Gilloise in their final Europa League group game on Thursday, while Villarreal snatched a place in the last 16 from Rennes with a dramatic victory in France.

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King hits 82 as West Indies recover against England

Brandon King scored an unbeaten 82 and skipper Rovman Powell blasted a quickfire 50 as West Indies set England a victory target of 177 in the second Twenty20 international in Grenada on Thursday.

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Suryakumar thrashes century as India level series in South Africa

Suryakumar Yadav hit a dazzling century as India levelled their series against South Africa with a crushing 106-run win in the third and final Twenty20 international at the Wanderers Stadium on Thursday.

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Messi, Bonmati nominated for FIFA best player awards

Lionel Messi and Aitana Bonmati were named as finalists for the FIFA best players of the year awards by world football's governing body on Thursday.

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Suryakumar thrashes century for India against South Africa

Suryakumar Yadav hit a dazzling century as India set South Africa a challenging target in the third and final Twenty20 international at the Wanderers Stadium on Thursday.

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Six shirts worn by Messi at World Cup sell for $7.8 mn

Six football shirts worn by Argentine megastar Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have sold for $7.8 million at auction, the auction house told AFP on Thursday.

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Kompany says Cup of Nations too soon for South Africa's Foster

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany believes it is too early in Lyle Foster's recovery from mental health problems for him to join up with South Africa for the Africa Cup of Nations.

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Rebecca Welch to become Premier League's first female referee

Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee of a Premier League match after being appointed to oversee Fulham's game against Burnley on December 23.

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Juventus boss Allegri plays down title hopes

Juventus can go top of Serie A on Friday but coach Massimiliano Allegri still insists his side are outsiders for this season's Serie A crown.

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Arsenal boss Arteta escapes ban after referee rant

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will face no punishment from England's Football Association following his complaints about refereeing standards after a defeat by Newcastle last month.

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Cooper vows to hold his nerve amid Forest slump

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper insisted on Thursday he has no need for a vote of confidence from the club's owner as he tries to lift the side out of a Premier League slump.

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Dupont recalls shirt-swapping memory with Care before Harlequins reunion

Toulouse's Antoine Dupont said on Thursday he had kept Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care's shirt since the France captain's first Champions Cup start more than eight years ago.

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Postecoglou tells Spurs' Romero to expect tackle scrutiny

Ange Postecoglou said on Thursday he has told Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero his tackling technique will be under the microscope for the rest of the season.

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Reims' Still denies Sunderland meeting

Reims coach Will Still said on Thursday he had not met with bosses at Sunderland despite reports linking him with a move to the Championship club.

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French tennis legend Noah 'super excited' at Paralympics challenge

Former Grand Slam winner Yannick Noah described his appointment Thursday as captain of France's men's wheelchair tennis team at the 2024 Paris Paralympics as "a fantastic adventure".

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