Graeme McDowell won the Saudi International by two shots Sunday at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. Here's everything you need to know:

Leaderboard: McDowell (-12), Dustin Johnson (-10), Thomas Pieters (-9), Phil Mickelson (-9), Gavin Green (-9)

What it means: McDowell’s victory snapped a nearly-six-year drought on the European Tour. While the 40-year-old Northern Irishman won on the PGA Tour last season in the Dominican Republic, his last triumph in Europe had been the 2014 French Open. Sunday’s win marked McDowell’s 11^th European Tour title and 16^th worldwide professional win as McDowell has now won in three different decades on the European Tour. He also figured to jump back inside the world top 50 for the first time since mid-2015.

How it happened: Speaking of France, McDowell’s biggest challenger entering the final round was Victor Dubuisson, the 29-year-old Frenchman who was McDowell’s Ryder Cup teammate in 2014 at Gleneagles (they combined to win two foursomes points for the victorious European team). But while Dubuisson, who is still trying to rediscover the form that saw him crack the top 15 in the world six years ago, drew even with McDowell after McDowell bogeyed the opening hole, he fell apart on the back nine. Dubuisson was just a shot back of McDowell, who played the front nine in even par, when he arrived at the par-4 10^th. He bogeyed the hole, and then followed with a double and two more bogeys in the next three holes to end his chances of winning. McDowell, who was just one up on Pieters after a bogey at No. 13, birdied Nos. 14 and 15 and was never challenged after that as he shot even-par 70 and ended up a couple shots clear of runner-up Johnson, who closed in 67, a final round that included an eagle on the par-5 18th.

Round of the day: Thanks to five back-nine birdies, Pablo Larrazabal shot 6-under 64 to finish T-13 with Martin Kaymer, Shane Lowry and Ashun Wu.

Best of the rest: The first page of the final leaderboard was filled with big names. In addition to McDowell and Johnson, Pieters and Mickelson each also cracked the top 5. Pieters carded seven birdies while shooting 65 to finish at 9 under alongside Mickelson, who birdied three of his first four holes, shot 67 and recorded his best finish since winning at Pebble Beach nearly a year ago. Sergio Garcia (66) now has three top-10s in his last five starts after tying for sixth with Ross Fisher, Abe Ancer, Thomas Detry and Dubuisson.

Biggest disappointment: Dubuisson should improve on his No. 478 ranking in the Official World Golf Ranking, but he certainly could’ve done more Sunday. He failed to take advantage of McDowell’s slow start on the front and then completely collapsed on the back. Still, for a guy that missed 32 weeks in 2018 while recovering from ear surgery, Dubuisson has reason to celebrate; his T-6 finish was his first top-10 since he placed solo third at the 2017 Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Shots of the day: Dubuisson's hybrid out of the thick rough to set up birdie at the sixth was mighty impressive.

But so was this par save by Green.

Quote of the day: "The game of golf is in such great shape, so many great players in the world, it’s so exciting to be a top player in the world, and I want to be back up there again. I’ve got young kids at home, and I want them to see me out there, you know, I want to show them that dad’s tough and dad can do it. I don’t wanna have to pull up YouTube videos." – McDowell

After watching Liverpool add another sweeping brush stroke to their masterpiece of a season, even manager Jurgen Klopp had to concede that he had never seen anything like the relentless, consistent excellence of his record breakers.

The 4-0 win over a Southampton side who had made life hard for Liverpool, until being swamped in the second half saw Klopp's European champions pass yet more milestones in what increasingly promises to be one of English football's landmark campaigns.

After agreeing that Liverpool's 22-point lead in the Premier League -- the biggest at the end of a day in the history of England's top-flight -- was "astonishing," Klopp was also asked by reporters if he had seen such consistency from any team.

"I have never seen it, to be honest," he said. "If I was asking from the outside, I would ask the same questions.

"It's not that I feel stronger and stronger and stronger after each win, it's not like this. It is just one great celebration, then it's relief, settle and go again.

"We are not perfect, not even close to being perfect; we just try to make the best of our skills in the best possible way.

"The boys have done that now for a while pretty good and that's why we have these kind of numbers -- but it doesn't feel a second like it's really special. It just feels the hardest work."

Neymar's birthday party in a Paris club on Sunday has been called a "distraction" by Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel.

The event will take place in Paris nightclub Yoyo just two days ahead of a Ligue 1 trip to Nantes.

PSG players and a few members of the staff had been invited by the Brazilian, who turns 28 on Wednesday.

"Sunday is not good [for Neymar's birthday party]," Tuchel said. "However, I am neither his father, nor handler, nor agent -- I am just his coach.

"I will not say if I am going [to Neymar's party] or not. You can wait until Sunday. It is off-topic.

"Neymar's night is a distraction, obviously, and I always protect my players. I love them lots and prefer to talk internally. If there are hard truths to be said, I prefer to do it internally."

On Saturday, France striker Kylian Mbappe showed his frustration when he was replaced in the 70th minute of a 5-0 win against nine-man Montpellier.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

Umar Akmal is likely to find himself in hot water with the PCB once more after he is said to have misbehaved with staff during a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The junior Akmal is believed to have exposed himself in frustration during one test, and now finds himself facing the prospect of being kicked out of the next domestic tournament.

Akmal's elder brother Kamran is also expected to land in trouble after both brothers failed their fitness tests by significant margins. Salman Butt, too, could be in trouble with the authorities, after he stormed out of a fitness test when his request to have it rescheduled was denied.

The shortcomings of the Akmal brothers around their fitness regimes has been a talking point for several years now, with Umar last falling foul of the PCB management on this count under former head coach Mickey Arthur; he was sent home on the eve of the Champions Trophy in 2017 after a failed fitness test. Kamran, meanwhile, has not played for Pakistan since 2017, with his lack of athleticism in the outfield a major reason for his prolonged exclusion.

The perception that the Akmal brothers have never quite bought into the importance of maintaining rigorous fitness standards hasn't helped their chances, and for all the changes that Misbah-ul-Haq has sought to bring since taking over from Arthur, the management's commitment to high fitness standards remains undiluted. Misbah has sought to impose the same high standards in domestic cricket, with each provincial side required to regulate fitness tests on a quarterly basis.

ESPNcricinfo understands Umar's behavior fell short of the mark during the skin-fold test, when he exposed himself completely in front of the trainer and is said to have asked him "Where is the fat?" According to Kamran, Umar did it in mischief and said it was simply a "misunderstanding". The PCB confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that they were fully aware of the matter, and looking at potential punishments in the context of bringing the game into disrepute. Umar could potentially be axed from the upcoming domestic one-day cup.

Kamran, meanwhile, skipped two fitness tests, before ending up failing in nearly all departments when he finally did take one. Central Punjab's squad was called up at the NCA in batches, with Kamran scheduled to appear for his test on January 11. He skipped that test, purportedly because he had a photoshoot with Peshawar Zalmi. His test was then pushed back to January 20, only for him to opt out, informing the management he was suffering from a bout of fever. He would undertake his test on January 28, alongside his brother, with both falling well short of the required benchmarks.

"I had informed the management each time I didn't come," Kamran told ESPNcricinfo. "I had reasons and I came on January 28 for the test. As far result is concerned, you will see an improvement in the next test after the PSL."

Misbah has been repeatedly asked about Kamran's absence from the national side, most recently for the Test squad to face Bangladesh in the first Test at Rawalpindi Stadium on Saturday. "Both of our openers have scored runs, and obviously you only recall a player when there is a place for him," Misbah had responded. "Certain players are performing so you have to wait."

Both Akmal brothers and Butt have not signed any contracts with their provincial teams, nor with the PCB, and were playing domestic cricket without any contractual obligation.

India A 448 for 3 (Gill 204*, Panchal 115, Vihari 100*, Patel 2-145) and 216 drew with New Zealand A 562 for 7 dec

Shubman Gill hit an unbeaten double-century while Priyank Panchal and Hanuma Vihari got centuries of their own as India A, under pressure somewhat when play started on the final day, dominated the day's play to draw their first four-day match against New Zealand A at Christchurch's Hagley Oval.

India had conceded a 346-run first-innings lead when New Zealand piled on 562 for 7 declared after bowling the visiting side out for 216. India were in early trouble in their second innings too, losing openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Mayank Agarwal cheaply to be 59 for 2, though Panchal and Gill had taken the score to 127 at stumps. They stretched that to 226 on the final morning before New Zealand got their first - and only - breakthrough of the day, Panchal falling to Ajaz Patel for 115.

At that stage with India still 120 runs in arrears, New Zealand had a brief opening, but Gill was joined by Vihari and the duo ensured there were no further wickets lost.

Gill and Vihari batted on for the next two-and-a-half hours, Gill converting his sixth first-class century into a double and remaining unbeaten on 204, with 22 fours and four sixes. Vihari scored 100 not out, with 11 fours and three sixes, before the teams agreed to call it off after 64.1 overs, immediately after Vihari got to his 20th first-class century.

The two teams next play the series-ending second four-day fixture in Lincoln from February 7.

Virat Kohli has endorsed Kane Williamson as the "perfect leader" for New Zealand, despite the hosts suffering a 5-0 T20I whitewash against India on the back of a 3-0 Test whitewash against Australia.

"Very similar mindsets, very similar philosophies. He's just a really nice guy, and we got along well, we've known each other for a while. It's amazing to know that in different parts of the world you are thinking the same things, talking the same language and heading in the right direction," Kohli told the host broadcaster on Sunday. "Although the scoreline looks very different for New Zealand, I truly believe that New Zealand cricket is in the best hands with Kane. He is the right guy to lead this team, and lay out that vision for them which he has in the past as well."

New Zealand were World Cup finalists and ranked No. 2 in Tests under Williamson not too long ago. But their form has plummeted since a horrid tour of Australia where they went as the higher ranked team but returned with their confidence shattered after suffering their worst-ever defeat in the country.

Williamson's own form was worrisome, with only 57 runs in four innings. He sat out the final match of that series in Sydney due to illness. And although he seemed to have rediscovered his best against India in the third T20I, where he toyed with no less a bowler than Jasprit Bumrah to make 95, it wasn't enough to take his team over the line as they succumbed to a third Super-Over defeat across formats in seven months. New Zealand have since squandered two more opportunities to get across the line, with Williamson out injured.

Kohli, however, stressed that there was more to leadership than results reflected. "As I said, results always can't determine your leadership. I spoke to him today, and the way he thinks about life and the game, he is just the perfect, perfect man to lead this side. I wish them all the luck and all the power to come back stronger, and they are a side everyone loves to watch and play against as well. Just had a very nice conversation, something that I will remember."

Reflecting on India's series win, Kohli said the most heartening aspect was the youngsters standing up, particularly in the last final T20I where he himself was resting and stand-in captain Rohit Sharma couldn't take the field after suffering an injury when he was batting.

"Really proud of the way we played this series. The conversation we had in the change room was always looking to find a way to win. That's something we have been working on as a team. When it comes together nicely, it feels really good, and especially today, I mean, you don't want to see what happened to Rohit, but the fact that in the field, there were all these young guys playing together, and handling pressure situations was something I was very happy to watch from the outside. Obviously gives you a lot of satisfaction as a senior player, because you know the team is in good hands, and there are people who are thinking in the right manner about the game and who are going to take this momentum for the team forward in many years to come."

When Tamim Iqbal reached 298 while batting for East Zone against Central Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League, a meeting inside the BCB headquarters broke up. Those attending climbed out of the window, and waited in the balcony overlooking the Shere Bangla National Stadium's grandstand. In attendance were BCB's chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury, cricket operations chairman Akram Khan and chief selector Minhajul Abedin.

As soon as Tamim scampered to take the single, the loudest cheer came from these three men, as well as from inside their meeting room where Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo and Habibul Bashar, selector and former captain, stood to give him an ovation.

At the end of the third day's play, Chowdhury and other board officials greeted Tamim and cut a cake with him to celebrate the left-hander becoming the holder of the country's highest individual score, an unbeaten 334 that had 42 fours and three sixes, spanning a gargantuan nine hours and 45 minutes. Tamim's triple hundred was only the second by a Bangladeshi, after Raqibul Hasan's 313, nearly thirteen years ago.

Raqibul, who played nine Tests between 2008 and 2011, coincidentally was in the opposition when Tamim was batting in this game. Later, he was specially called to cut the cake with Tamim as one of the two triple centurions in Bangladesh's first-class scene, apart from Tamim's East Zone teammates and BCB officials.

Tamim said that the nine-hour essay will remain an innings that is close to his heart.

"It is a special feeling to score a triple hundred," Tamim said. "I think everyone dreams of such an innings but I didn't think it would come in this game. The most important thing for me was how I batted. I hope I can continue with the same form. It is a special innings; three hundred runs is tough against any opposition or at any level. If it was easy, you would have seen a 300 every month. It will have a special place in my heart."

What stood out in Tamim's knock was his perseverance while playing a low-key domestic match. Often in the past he has gotten out after scoring a big hundred, but this time, with the need of getting in the groove ahead of his comeback Test next week in Rawalpindi, Tamim dug deep.

"I felt that I was very determined. The wicket was playing well. It wasn't spinning or doing that much. I kept it simple. After completing the triple-hundred, I took some chances. Otherwise, I kept on playing cricketing shots. I was looking for boundary options, rather than sixes.

"When I touched 280 was the first time I started to think about the triple hundred. I felt that if I thought about the milestone for too long, it would change my overall plan which was to bat in a plain and simple manner," he said.

Tamim scored more than fifty runs in each of the sessions since the second day, but he said that as the innings wore on, on the third day, batting became tougher. From being unbeaten on 222 at the start of the third morning, Tamim played patiently to reach 300 after lunch, and only then did he open up to attack the Central Zone bowlers.

"Compared to the second day, the wicket was tougher on day three. I had to settle on singles and doubles, rather than boundaries," he said. "I was always on the lookout for runs just like a Test match where there are many fielders behind the wicket.

"We always wondered how Raqibul made that triple hundred all those years ago. It is not easy. Wickets used to be slower and take spin. We always talked about his innings in the Bangladesh dressing room, how he managed to do it. I think he faced around 600 balls too."

Ross Taylor had made his T20I debut in December 2006 in Wellington along with the likes of Peter McGlashan, Chaminda Vaas, and Muttiah Muralitharan. Nearly 14 years later, in Mount Maunganui, Taylor became only the second New Zealander, after Suzie Bates, to feature in 100 T20Is. After receiving a special cap from his good mate Martin Guptill, the 35-year old marked the occasion with a half-century, studded by three successive signature hockey-swiped boundaries in a 34-run over off allrounder Shivam Dube. Some of those blows had his family, who were at the Bay Oval, up on their feet.

ALSO READ: New Zealand cricket is in the best hands with Williamson - Kohli

However, Taylor himself was at the heart of a dramatic collapse - 6 for 25 - as New Zealand lost another game from a seemingly winning position. He admitted that the defeat indeed soured the landmark and looked back at how T20 cricket has evolved from being a bit hit-and-giggle to a "pretty serious competition".

"It's still sinking in," Taylor said at the post-match press conference. "Disappointing with the series [loss] and the way things have gone, but nice to be the first one [NZ men's cricketer] to get there [100 T20Is]. Hopefully, in time, Guppy and co. will surpass me and will set the benchmark. When I first played Twenty20 cricket, we used to play one game and think it would be a warm-up for the one-dayers whereas it has turned into a pretty serious competition. But, no, it was evolved greatly and it's a honour and privilege to be the first one for New Zealand."

In 2017, after the T20 World Cup in India, where Taylor had managed just 91 runs in five innings, he had been dropped from the side. The then-coach Mike Hesson explained that the players on the fringe were putting too much pressure on Taylor.

Taylor has been largely out of favour in various T20 leagues around the world since the previous T20 World Cup, but is now back in the New Zealand middle order as they search for some stability. While Taylor did hit a brace of fifties against India, he was dismissed in the last over in regulation time before both the Super-Over finishes in Hamilton and Wellington.

The trend continued in Mount Maunganui. After New Zealand had lost Guptill and Colin Munro cheaply in pursuit of 164, Taylor and Tim Seifert teed up 99 together off 56 balls. When New Zealand needed 66 off 60 balls, with eight wickets in hand, the game was within their grasp. However, Saini took down both the set batsmen while Jasprit Bumrah yorked Daryl Mitchell and Tim Southee to seal a 5-0 whitewash.

"It's one of those things where we've been there to Bangladesh a couple of times and you lose a couple of times… Different players deal with it in different ways and in saying that it's probably a good thing that this series is over and we move onto a different format," Taylor said.

One of the positives for New Zealand in an otherwise horror series has been Seifert's form in front of the stumps and also behind it. After struggling to finish the innings in the early half of the series, he moved up the order in the injury-enforced absence of Kane Williamson and struck back-to-back half-centuries.

On Sunday, he unveiled a variety of strokes, including the slog-sweep and his favourite scoop over the shoulder. He had also briefly looked good against Bumrah when he took a blameless back-of-a-length ball from middle stump and swatted it away, bisecting wide long-on and deep midwicket in the 12th over of the chase. Taylor was pleased with Seifert's progress and said that he will have to learn to adapt to batting outside the top three once Williamson returns from injury.

"For him, he has taken his opportunity with Kane not going," Taylor said of Seifert. "When Kane does come back, him batting at No.4 or wherever he ends up batting, he has got to learn that role and put pressure on the incumbents. I thought he batted well and it would've been nice if we had held in a little bit longer, but I've played 100 games and there have been what-ifs throughout my career. Not only with the bat, but with the gloves, and the way he patrols the outfield with the angles, he's getting better and better each day."

Since the innings victory in the Mount Maunganui Test against England last November, New Zealand have been winless in nine matches across formats. Taylor, though, hoped that a switch in format to one-day cricket could switch up New Zealand's fortunes. Taylor himself has been in stellar form in 50-overs, averaging 63.56 since the 2015 World Cup. Only India captain Virat Kohli has better figures among batsmen with more than 1000 runs in this period.

New Zealand will also welcome back allrounders Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme for the three-match ODI series, which begins in Hamilton on February 5. Neesham, in particular, has been in excellent domestic form, having won the 20-over Super Smash with Wellington Firebirds and bagged career-best List A figures of 5 for 29 in the Ford Trophy.

"Even though it's a different format, it [losing] still does hurt," Taylor said. "Winning is a habit…and losing all those tight games. We're going into a format that's probably one of strengths and when we do come back to play Twenty20 cricket and Test cricket, those wounds would be addressed. Now, one-day cricket, hopefully Kane's shoulder is alright, new personnel and some world-class to come back and we look forward to have them back in the squad."

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Novak Djokovic was looking weary and worn down. He trailed Dominic Thiem in the Australian Open final -- miscues mounting, deficit growing.

Djokovic did what he does, though. He refused to lose, waited for a chance to pounce and found his best tennis when absolutely necessary.

Regaining his stamina and strokes, Djokovic came back to beat Thiem 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 Sunday night for his eighth Australian Open title (second in a row) and 17th Grand Slam trophy overall.

"Definitely my favorite court, my favorite stadium in the world," Djokovic told the crowd at Rod Laver Arena during the trophy presentation.

This victory improved Djokovic's combined record in semifinals and finals in that stadium to 16-0 and means he will return to No. 1 in the rankings, replacing Rafael Nadal in that spot.

No other man in the history of tennis has won this hard-court tournament more than six times. Only Roger Federer, with 20, and Nadal, with 19, have won more men's Grand Slam singles trophies than Djokovic.

"Amazing achievement. Unreal what you're doing throughout all these years," said the fifth-seeded Thiem, who is 0-3 in major finals. "You and also two other guys, I think you brought men's tennis to a complete new level. I'm proud and happy I can compete in these times and this period of tennis. I fell a little bit short today, but I hope I can get, soon, revenge."

Both finalists spoke about the devastating wildfires that have killed dozens of people and millions of animals in Australia. Djokovic also mentioned the recent deaths of NBA star Kobe Bryant and one of his daughters in a helicopter crash.

Addressing Thiem, Djokovic told him: "It wasn't meant to be tonight. Tough luck. .. You were very close to win it and you definitely have a lot more time in your career. I am sure you will definitely get one of the Grand Slam trophies. More than one."

A little more than six months after saving a pair of championship points against Federer en route to winning a five-set Wimbledon final, Djokovic again showed that he can't ever be counted out.

It did not come easily this time for Djokovic, of Serbia. He lost six games in a row in one stretch to Thiem, who plays a similar game and eliminated Nadal in the quarterfinals.

Djokovic, 32, was down two sets to one. He was visited by a doctor and trainer in the third set and, desperate to hydrate, guzzled bottles of water and an energy drink. He lectured the chair umpire about time violations.

This was not the dominant Djokovic who made a hard-to-believe total of nine unforced errors during his straight-set triumph over Nadal in the final a year ago. Djokovic eclipsed that total in the first set alone Sunday and finished with 57.

It was a physical test offering plenty of entertaining exchanges, with 61 points lasting at least nine shots apiece.

Suddenly making a charge as his less-experienced foe faltered, Djokovic broke to lead 5-3 in the fourth set, helped by a sloppy volley into the net tape, a double-fault and a bad forehand by Thiem.

In the fifth set, another missed forehand by Thiem let Djokovic break to go up 2-1. Djokovic faced a challenge in the next game, when Thiem held a pair of break points but couldn't convert. The spectacle would continue for another 30 minutes, approaching four hours, but that was pretty much that.

Soon, Djokovic would get to clutch the silver Australian Open trophy he also won in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019.

He adds that haul to his five titles from Wimbledon, three from the US Open and one from the French Open.

Thiem, an Austrian who is 26, was the runner-up to Nadal at Roland Garros each of the past two years and was again trying to become the first man born in the 1990s to win a major singles title.

Instead, the Big 3 have won 13 consecutive Slams and 56 of the last 67.

In addition, Djokovic is the first man in the Open era to win a major in three different decades -- the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.

He keeps gaining on rivals Federer and Nadal: This was his fifth trophy from the past seven Slams, going 5-0 in finals.

That streak appeared in peril in the third set, when Djokovic merely watched and shook his head as a lob by Thiem curled over him and in. Djokovic didn't chase it. Wasn't entirely clear what the issue was, but perhaps he knew he needed to save some strength.

Heat, so often a factor in Melbourne, was not an issue. The crisp, cool conditions were pretty much ideal at the start, with a light breeze and the temperature around 70 degrees. That dropped as the natural light faded, first leaving a violet ceiling of sky before nightfall arrived, accompanied by alarmingly loud squawks from a flock of seagulls perched on steel railings atop the arena.

Not surprisingly, given his experience and expertise, Djokovic came out loose, limber and locked in. Of the initial half-dozen points lasting at least nine strokes, he won all six. Within 13 minutes, he was ahead 3-0, as a chorus of his nickname -- "No-le! No-le! No-le!" -- rang out.

Undaunted, Thiem displayed praiseworthy patience, and when Djokovic's aim and focus betrayed him, this became an intriguing contest.

At 4-all in the second set, Djokovic was warned by chair umpire Damien Dumusois for taking too much time before a serve. A poor drop shot found the net to set up break point, and Dumusois again cited Djokovic for letting the 25-second clock expire; the penalty was a fault. A tepid 85 mph second serve followed, and Djokovic flubbed a forehand to give Thiem a 5-4 lead.

As Djokovic walked to the changeover, he tapped Dumusois on the left shoe, gave him a thumbs-up, then sat down and told him, "You made yourself famous."

That was part of a six-game run that gave Thiem the second set -- Djokovic had taken 16 in a row since the opening round -- and control of the third.

Just as it seemed Thiem might be on his way, Djokovic made a stand.