Pakistan 191 (Shafiq 63, Babar 60, Kumara 4-49, Embuldeniya 4-71, Vishwa 2-31) and 395 for 2 (Abid 174, Masood 135, Azhar 57*, Kumara 2-88) lead Sri Lanka 271 (Chandimal 74, Afridi 5-77, Abbas 4-55) by 315 runs

This is what you're supposed to do to an opposition at home. In Rawalpindi, Pakistan had had a day of batting dominance, but that was in an innings that had no bearing on the result.

In Karachi, Pakistan have imposed themselves emphatically on Sri Lanka, subjecting them to day-long toil and dragging them to a near-hopeless match situation, while they expand their own batting averages and put up feel-good performances after a harrowing away tour.

It was Abid Ali who drove the Pakistan cause most relentlessly, through the course of his 174 off 281 balls, never letting the visitors settle against him. His chief sidekick was Shan Masood, who struck 135 himself - his second Test hundred, the first having also been against Sri Lanka. Together, the pair put on 278 for the first wicket, which is the second-highest opening stand in Pakistan's history. Their partnership formed the spine of a 338-run day. They lost only two wickets, and now have a lead of 315.

In the early morning, there was a little movement, but not for long. Left-armer Vishwa Fernando bowled a probing spell first up, but once Abid and Masood fought their way through that, they did not have to contend much with lateral movement. The bounce that had envenomed the seamers in the first innings was in short supply as well. But the skill with which Abid, in particular, attacked loose balls after the first 30 minutes helped set the tone for the day. He pounced on a full delivery on his pads from Fernando and sent it whistling through midwicket in the seventh over of the day. Soon after, he dropped back and latched on to a short ball from Lasith Embuldeniya, sending it down to third man for four. Two balls later, he slog swept him for another boundary for good measure.

Masood was less confident, at least twice getting thick edges to fall in the gap between the slips and gully, and repeatedly having himself beaten outside the off stump. The momentum Abid was creating, however, helped pave Masood's own path and eventually he started playing big shots as well. The first six of the day came when he stepped out to Dilruwan Perera and launched him over long-on. Together they struck 12 fours and three sixes in the morning. Pakistan's total skipped along at 4.54 per over in that session.

After lunch, the pitch seemed even flatter, and the two batsmen progressed smoothly to their centuries. Abid tickled Embuldeniya to fine leg - the spinners having now switched to a leg-stump line - to move to his second triple-figure score in as many matches. Only eight batsmen had previously hit hundreds in each of their first two games. Masood reached the milestone a few overs after that, off the 148th delivery he faced. Neither changed their approach after getting to their tons. They were just as watchful in their defense, and just as happy to wait for the hittable balls.

It helped that by this stage, it had become clear that both Sri Lanka's spinners were struggling. Dilruwan, who came into this Test with a 2019 average of 89.4, was unable to get significant turn, and seemed the least threatening of all the visiting bowlers. Embuldeniya could not quite replicate the turn and bounce that had enabled him to take four wickets in the first innings. With no seam movement on offer, Vishwa was modest as well. It was effectively down to Lahiru Kumara to produce all the opportunities.

As the day wore on, it felt as if the bowlers were tiring at a faster rate than the batsmen, but Kumara did manage to eke out the wicket of Masood just before tea, having him caught on the legside boundary with a bouncer that rose more sharply than the batsman had expected. Abid, though, batted on unconcerned, crossing 150 and putting on a further 77-run stand with Azhar Ali. He had survived one lbw in the day, but was eventually trapped in front by an angled Kumara delivery that would have crashed into middle and leg. He had hit 21 boundaries and a six in his innings. After three Test innings, his average sits up at 160.5.

Late in the day, Azhar took advantage of an excellent surface and exhausted bowlers to make a half-century - his first in 2019, after 11 innings. He had Babar Azam for company at stumps. Although both Abid and Masood had outstanding ovations from a Karachi crowd roughly 8000-strong, they saved their loudest chants for Babar's entry to the field.

Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad and Jack Leach, the three England bowlers who were struck down by the sickness bug that has done the rounds in the England camp, have returned to training for their first nets session in nearly a week.

The trio were unable to feature in the opening two-day warm-up against a South Africa Invitational XI, and looked set to miss the entirety of the ongoing three-day fixture against South Africa A in Benoni as well - England's final practice match ahead of next week's Boxing Day Test at Centurion.

However, that match was downgraded from first-class status to a "three-day friendly match with only 11 players batting or fielding at any point in time", to give the players a chance of featuring at some stage.

Whether that comes to pass remains to be seen, with England currently in the field on what is the second day of the match. On Friday, Joe Denly - another player who was afflicted by the bug, albeit not to the same extent - described battling with "flu-ey" symptoms after producing his first century in England colours.

Broad and Archer each had a ten-minute bowl in the nets at Benoni after arriving early in the afternoon, with Leach - the spinner - having a longer session.

"I suppose it's not ideal for those guys not to have taken part, but hopefully they've rested up well," said Denly after the first day's play. "They've all played enough cricket to hopefully come back stronger over the next few days. They are on the mend, getting better each day, so we'll see."

While the trio have been recovering, England have summoned reinforcements, with Somerset's Craig Overton and Dom Bess flying into Johannesburg on Saturday morning to provide cover.

The reinforcements swell the numbers in England's tour party to 19, and underpin the concern in the camp going into an arduous four-Test campaign - particularly in their pace-bowling ranks, where James Anderson is still feeling his way back to match fitness after a long-term calf problem, and where Mark Wood, who picked up a side strain during the World Cup final, is not expected to be match-fit until the third Test in mid-January at the earliest.

In addition, Ben Stokes is managing a long-term knee problem, although he did pick up a wicket in an initial five-over spell during the South Africa A fixture.

Leach's situation is further complicated by the bout of gastroenteritis that he suffered during last month's New Zealand tour - he was struck down midway through the second Test, although he had not been selected for that game.

Legspinner Matt Parkinson is with the squad in South Africa, but he has yet to play a Test and only appeared in four Championship games for Lancashire in 2019. He endured some rough treatment in England's first warm-up match, and it might be seen as a gamble for England to take the field with him on Boxing Day.

That means that Bess could well have a strong chance of adding to the two Test caps that he picked up against Pakistan in 2018 - when he again stepped in for his Somerset team-mate Leach, who was out of action after suffering a broken thumb, and impressed with his attitude, particularly with the bat, even if his bowling was a touch raw.

Overton, meanwhile, featured as recently as the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford in September, having featured in three Tests on England's tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2017-18.

Chan Sung Jung had not competed on South Korean soil in more than 11 years. He made a triumphant homecoming Saturday.

The featherweight from Seoul known as "The Korean Zombie" put Frankie Edgar in trouble right from the get-go, dropping him with a left hand in one of their first boxing exchanges, then pounded out the former UFC lightweight champion on the canvas to get the TKO at 3 minutes, 18 seconds in the featherweight main event of UFC Fight Night early Saturday in Busan, South Korea.

"When I first came out, I was ready to fight all five [rounds], 25 minutes," Jung (16-5) said. "But my coaches and team said to me, 'That's not gonna happen.'"

They know their fighter. Jung is an aggressor. He earned his nickname with a zombie-like ability to survive and keep moving forward despite any damage his opponents could dish out. But he walked away from this fight without a mark on his face.

The damage was all on the face of Edgar (22-8-1), who was booked for this fight as a late replacement just two weeks ago. Jung's original opponent, Brian Ortega, pulled out after partially tearing his ACL in training.

The damage Edgar sustained puts in jeopardy his Jan. 25 date with Cory Sandhagen in Raleigh, North Carolina. He already was booked for that fight, his bantamweight debut, when he agreed to step in as a replacement for Ortega. But he ended this short fight with his face bloodied and his right eye badly swollen.

This actually was the second time Jung and Edgar were booked for a main event. They were scheduled to meet in November 2018 in Denver, but Edgar had to pull out after tearing his left biceps in training. He was replaced by Yair Rodriguez, who pulled off one of the most spectacular knockouts in UFC history, finishing Jung with a no-look elbow with just one second to go in a fight the Korean Zombie was winning.

Jung rebounded from that stunning defeat by scoring an impressive KO of his own, taking out Renato Moicano in just 58 seconds in July.

Edgar, who became 155-pound champion in 2010 and reigned for nearly two years, had last fought in July, failing in his attempt to capture the featherweight belt from Max Holloway. It was Edgar's ninth UFC title shot; he is 0-5 in championship fights since 2012.

Former Manchester United forward Diego Forlan has been named manager of Uruguayan side Club Atletico Penarol, marking his first coaching role.

Forlan, 40, represented United between 2002 and 2004, while his playing career also included spells at Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Villarreal. The former Uruguay international played for Penarol between 2015 and 2016, winning a Primera Division title with the club.

"It gives me great happiness," Forlan said after his appointment.

"A huge honour to have been chosen to lead this institutional project at such an important club I care so much about."

? Presentación de @DiegoForlan7 como Director Técnico de @OficialCAP pic.twitter.com/pOeGLjIh5K

— PEÑAROL (@OficialCAP) December 20, 2019

With United, Forlan won a Premier League title, FA Cup and Community Shield. He won the Europa League while at Atletico, and received the Golden Ball at the 2010 World Cup as he captained Uruguay to a fourth-place finish.

Carlo Ancelotti has been named the new manager of Everton, the club confirmed on Saturday.

Ancelotti moves to Goodison Park on a deal until the 2023-24 season.

"This is a great club with a rich history and a very passionate fan base," Ancelotti said. "There is a clear vision from the Owner and the Board to deliver success and trophies.

"That is something that appeals to me as a manager and I am thrilled at the prospect of being able to work with everybody at the Club to help make that vision a reality.

"I have seen from the performances in the last two weeks that the players are capable of so much. The work Duncan has done is a great credit to him. Strong organisation, strong discipline and the right motivation are some of the key ingredients in football and I'm pleased that he will be part of my backroom team moving forward."

? | Introducing the new manager of Everton Football Club, @MrAncelotti! #WelcomeMrAncelotti pic.twitter.com/zNNoix8H5R

— Everton (@Everton) December 21, 2019

Sources had told ESPN how the three-time Champions League winner had an offer from Everton and he will be in stands against Arsenal on Saturday with his role officially starting on Sunday.

Ancelotti was sacked by Napoli earlier this month after a high-profile falling out with club chairman Aurelio de Laurentiis.

His new club are 16th in the Premier League, three points above the relegation zone, having sacked Portuguese coach Marco Silva after a 5-2 defeat by Liverpool on Dec. 4.

Former Everton striker Duncan Ferguson beat Chelsea 3-1 and drew with Manchester United 1-1 at Old Trafford during his two matches in charge.

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Ancelotti's arrival is a coup for Everton. In his previous roles at AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, he won four league titles and the Champions League on three occasions -- twice with Milan and once with Real Madrid, ending their 12-year wait for a coveted tenth European Cup.

Big Picture

This is the second successive bilateral series at home in which India have come to the deciding ODI with the series still even. The last time it happened, against Australia, India ended up losing.

Is a repeat likely? Perhaps not, given India's strength in the 50-overs format, but it's not out of the question. West Indies showed in the first ODI that when their batting and bowling come together, they are a side that's hard to stop too.

India have had injury issues with their bowling attack, but the batting wears an extremely powerful look. Shreyas Iyer has settled in as a No. 4 who can explode if coming in late, or rebuild if early wickets have fallen. With Rishabh Pant and Kedar Jadhav to follow, Iyer has become the link between an irresistible top three and a power-packed finish.

West Indies also have most bases covered with their batting, but their bowling has the tendency to fall apart under pressure. To be fair, when a batting line-up like India's gets going in familiar conditions, any attack will be under pressure. The best way to counter that for West Indies will be early wickets.

Form guide

India WLWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LWWWW

In the spotlight

Two matches, four runs, five balls, two dismissals. This is alien territory for Virat Kohli, especially in ODIs, and especially against West Indies. He set the scene on fire in the T20Is, but he has barely given spectators enough time to settle down from applauding him into the crease when he has been walking back. Cricket odds don't work in this fashion but it will take a brave, possibly foolhardy person to bet against Kohli making a big score in this match. Despite the two failures in this series, he is still averaging 71.66 at a strike rate of 97.06 against West Indies.

Coming into this match on the back of becoming an IPL millionaire, Sheldon Cottrell had a below-par outing in the second ODI, but he was quite irresistible in the opening game. His first spell there read 5-3-12-2, the wickets being of KL Rahul and Kohli. His left-arm angle, changes of pace and ability to move the ball off the pitch make him a consistent threat.

Team news

India lost Bhuvneshwar Kumar to injury, and are now without Deepak Chahar too. Their replacements are Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini. India's choice of playing XI will depend on whether they want to go with three seamers or three spinners. If they pick only two seamers, Saini will have to beat Thakur to make it to the XI. He was impressive for Delhi in the recent second round of the Ranji Trophy, while Thakur wasn't particularly penetrative in the second ODI.

India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Shardul Thakur/Yuzvendra Chahal

West Indies need a lift in their bowling, but they might want to keep faith in the same attack that did duty in the second ODI. One of the swaps possible is bringing back the legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr for left-arm spinner Khary Pierre, but Walsh Jr didn't seem to have his captain's confidence in the first ODI, when he bowled only five overs. And considering India plundered 387 in the second ODI, Pierre's economy rate of 6.88 across nine overs was commendable.

West Indies (probable) 1 Ewin Lewis, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Khary Pierre, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Pitch and conditions

The last ODI at this ground was played nearly three years ago, and it was a very high scoring one. India made 381 for 6 and England responded with 366 for 8. There haven't been List A matches at the ground since March 2017, though in the domestic T20s earlier this year, the scoring rates, in general, weren't high.

Iyer said on the eve of the match that the pitch will be "really fast" in the second innings and the dew factor will play a "massive role".

Stats and trivia

• The last time India lost two consecutive multi-game bilateral series at home was back in April 2005, when Pakistan beat them 4-2, with West Indies having won 4-3 in November 2002 in the bilateral series before that.

• India haven't played Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav together in a game in a while, but the stats when they do play together are pretty good, with India having a win-loss ratio of 2.66. They have won 24 games and lost just nine, with one no result.

Some call it bullish, others call it bullying and Mark Boucher had been labelled both throughout his playing career. On the field, he was the man up for a fight. Off it, he was one of the toughest fines' masters around: if he ordered it, you drank it. He was the ultimate boytjie. And then came that day in July 2012.

When Boucher's career was ended by that freak eye injury, three Tests before he planned it would, he was forced to turn his focus inwards. Initially, it took him completely away from cricket and into nature conservation, and then it brought him back as a coach. At the Titans, Boucher was open to running his dressing room differently to the ones he played in. He let go of the schoolboy style ideas of hierarchy and embraced modern methods of man-management which are less dictatorial and more focused on individualism.

Under Boucher, the Titans won five trophies, produced Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi and Heinrich Klaasen for the national side, gave Dean Elgar and Theunis de Bruyn a franchise to find and re-find form and harnessed the talents of players such as Farhaan Behardien and Junior Dala to form a competitive unit. Just read those names and you can see differences of culture, background and experience. That Boucher was able to impact them all speaks to the biggest lesson he has learnt as a coach, and presents a softer and more considered side to a man we all thought we knew as uncompromisingly hard.

"My way is not always the right way," Boucher said, at the South African team's training camp in Pretoria. "There were times in my career where I used to go out there and be quite aggressive and try and impose myself on team-mates and this is what I have learnt about diversity within a set-up. Sometimes you won't get the best out of the players if you are trying to get them to be like you. My biggest lesson is to let people be who they are and let them be natural. I played at my best when I was natural but my natural wasn't the same as AB's natural or JK's natural. That's a big lesson I have learnt with regards to leading individuals."

"Sometimes you won't get the best out of the players if you are trying to get them to be like you. My biggest lesson is to let people be who they are" Mark Boucher on his coaching philosophy

Boucher's observations about difference are essential at a time when the South African team risks appearing as if it is returning to the monotone days of the past. Although seven of the national side's support staff were not part of the famed "clique", as Herschelle Gibbs dubbed it, four most definitely were, and two of them are in the most influential positions. Graeme Smith is the acting director of cricket and Boucher is the head coach until 2023.

In addition, Jacques Kallis is the batting consultant for this summer and Paul Harris' role as spin consultant is ad-hoc but, considering that Boucher was appointed above Enoch Nkwe, who is now his assistant, and taking into account the racial dynamics in South Africa, there are already accusations of a whitewash. While Gibbs has congratulated Boucher, he has also hinted that there is a concentration of power in certain peoples' hands and so Boucher's message of inclusivity and humility is even more important.

"If you look at every team, they've got different characters and I want those different characters to come out because I think they add value to team unity," Boucher said. "The other thing is understanding that we don't know everything and there's certain players in there that have played a lot of Test cricket. Sometimes you've just got to be a man manager to them. Other individuals coming in maybe need a little bit more coaching and knowledge passed on to them to try and speed up the learning process."

To apply that approach, not only does Boucher have to be perceptive enough to know which players need him more than others, but he also has to able to get his own personality out of the way. And that already seems to have happened.

"It's important that you don't have guys with egos," Faf du Plessis, the captain, said. "That's the most important thing when it comes to leadership groups, especially if there's a few names thrown into the mix. For someone like Mark Boucher who has been coaching for the last three or four years with the Titans, seeing what it is like on the other side, because coaching and playing are two different roles, and you can see his development from a personality point of view.

ALSO READ: Explainer: How and why Cricket South Africa's crisis unfolded

"He also understands that it's give-and-take. He will come in sometimes and I'll pull away and vice versa and I think that only comes when you are mature enough to understand what a leadership group looks like and are secure in your own position. If you are insecure, then you are going to feel like you need to talk all the time because there is another big voice in the team but I don't feel like that at all."

Boucher still talks tough and is quick to remind anyone who asks that South Africa have recovered from tough times before, citing the 2-1 win in an ODI series against Australia after the Hansie Cronje scandal as his example. He needn't go that far back, though. South Africa pulled themselves together after losing Boucher in the first warm-up match in 2012, which could have put their plans in disarray that summer, to beat England 2-0 and claim the ICC Test mace.

So perhaps it's only fitting that now, seven years later, with another crisis at their door, Boucher is back to try and fix things. But this time, it's both the same and a different Boucher. It's still a Boucher who is willing to roll his sleeves up and do the "dirty work" of preparation and a Boucher who is willing to push others to their limits, but it also a Boucher who is content to sit back and watch what happens rather than bamboozle his way through.

"Our role as coaches is about trying to create an environment for these guys to go out there and play their best cricket. It's been hard work on the coaches, we have thrown a lot and my shoulder is a bit sore but we want to get the dirty work done. And the dirty work is sometimes a bit uncomfortable for the players in the nets but we spoke about being adaptable and open to change and to try and break the ceiling a bit and see how far we can push ourselves as individuals and as a team."

Jacques Kallis, the player, was a man of few words and most of them were dry. "Well, I guess the bowlers have done their job," he said after South Africa conceded 434 in what became the greatest ODI of all time.

Jacques Kallis, the coach, has little more to say but the tone hasn't changed.

"I'm not a big one for changing too many things. Dean Elgar won't come out batting right-handed or anything like that," he said at South Africa's training camp in Pretoria, where he has joined the national men's coaching staff for the summer, a job he claims to enjoy more than he did his 166 Tests, 328 ODIs and 25 T20s.

"I am probably more passionate about talking about batting than I was about batting," Kallis said. "Towards the end of my career, you become almost like a coach, as a senior player trying to pass on knowledge. And I really enjoy it."

Kallis went into coaching at the first opportunity he got after his retirement in December 2013. In early 2014, he was appointed as Kolkata Knight Riders' batting consultant and mentor, a job he did for two seasons before becoming their head coach from the 2016 season. He has since parted ways with the franchise and is keen to sink his teeth into something that he can spend more time on, which may bode well for South Africa in the long-term.

"I enjoyed the IPL side of it but that's only T20 cricket where you can't do too much technical work because you've only got two months. Test cricket is nice. You can get stuck into the nitty-gritty," Kallis said. I will have more time to work with the guys over a longer period and lay out some goals with the players. I think we have got some really talented players that we can turn into world-class players for South Africa."

Before South Africa can even think about dominating on the world stage, they have to start by rebuilding their confidence which was blown away in India, by pace, not spin. Although the technical flaws in the line-up were exposed, especially among some of the younger players, for Kallis, a more important starting point is their headspace. Specifically, he aims to empower players with the knowledge they need to bat in any situation.

"I'm trying to get a relationship with the players and see how they are thinking and trying to give them game-plans," Kallis said. "I'm trying to give the guys options and ideas and make them realise you can't bat the same way every time you walk out to bat, You have to adapt your game. I want to get them to know their game-plan a lot better so they can try and adapt while they are batting. It's not the spoon-feeding of coaching, it's trying to educate themselves so they can educate themselves while they are out in the middle. It's a lot of off-the-field stuff, the mind stuff, along with the technical stuff."

It's also the conditions stuff. South Africa have spent the last few summers preparing seamer-friendly surfaces aimed at scaring subcontinent sides. The revenge pitches of the summer of 2017-18 against India were payback for the 2015 series that South Africa lost 3-0 and though those tracks delivered a series win, they also earned the Wanderers an official warning.

Incidentally, the uneven bounce of the Johannesburg wicket was also best utilised by India, who won the final Test. In 2018-19, South Africa had visits from Pakistan and Sri Lanka and wanted to bounce them out too. It worked against the former but the slower surfaces in Durban and Port Elizabeth and the lack of form of South Africa's batsmen (who had not needed to or been able to construct proper innings at home for two years) meant Sri Lanka schooled the hosts and won a first-ever series in the country.

All those series were played under Ottis Gibson, who preferred an all-pace attack. Now, things are expected to normalise, with head coach Mark Boucher asking only for "good cricket wickets", and Kallis is sure that the batsmen will remember how to score runs on them.

ALSO READ: 'My way is not always the right way' - Boucher's bid for team unity

"Our batsmen have got confidence in South Africa," he said. "We will have more knowledge of the wickets, more than what England have. Unlike Indian conditions that change a bit from day one and two, to day three, four and five, here the wicket stays the same pretty much throughout so if it's tough on day one, it's going to be tough all the way through.

"So we know that if it's tough on day one, it is going to be tough for the opposition. Hopefully we get some good wickets, we all want to see that because we've got some very talented batters here and we need to give them the chance to bat on good wickets."

The weather may have the final say in pitch preparation where recent heavy rains on the Highveld could add some extra spice to the surfaces. But that's where Kallis' expertise will come in as he seeks to cover all the bases. He has likened the process to preparing for an exam: "If you have prepared properly, you have studied all the chapters, then you go into the exam a little bit calmer. We are trying to make sure we have all the points covered."

And the players have no problem studying as hard as they've been instructed to, as the captain, Faf du Plessis, pointed out.

"Guys are working with greats, so they are feeding off that positive energy" he said. "You are trying to impress your batting coach because it's Jacques Kallis so you can't look like a guy that doesn't play good cricket, you are trying to impress him all the time because he is the best batsman that ever lived. That's already a step in the right direction.

"Then, you start preparing better because there is some guidance for the young guys in how to prepare in the right way and then through that, you get confidence because all of a sudden you feel that your game is in a better place, you are more confident. We are doing things very well in terms of making sure we give ourselves the best opportunity to get our confidence back."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

‘Best match I have seen for years’ says Welsh coach David Evans 
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent

After two riveting semi-finals which went to the wire, the top two seeds Egypt, the defending champions, and England, the second seeds, will contest the 2019 final of the WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship in Washington DC. It will be the two powerhouse nations’ fourth successive final clash.

Twenty three nations have been competing in the 26th edition of the championships, hosted by US Squash, at Squash On Fire, the new state-of-the-art eight-court facility in the US capital.

Truly the dark horses of the 2019 championship, 11th seeds Wales startled a number of higher-seeded teams to earn their place in the last four for the first time for two decades – and would have been expected to meet their match in top seeds Egypt, the defending champions with a squad made up of four players in the world top ten.

But, to claim their anticipated place in the semis, Egypt were taken to a decider by Germany in the quarter-finals after the fifth seeds won the top string clash when Simon Rösner beat world No.1 Ali Farag.

Mere words will do little justice in describing the opening top string match between Egypt’s world No.4 Tarek Momen, the recently-crowned World Champion, and Welshman Joel Makin, the world No.12 and top-ranked Briton.

Pre-match, Momen led the head-to-head record between the two 2/1, but it was Makin who was the most recent victor, at the Egyptian Cup in November.

The Welshman took the opening game and had two game-balls from 10-9 to open a two-game lead. But the Cairo conqueror drew level after converting his third game-ball, then claimed just two points in the third game as Makin regained the lead.

It was short-lived however as Momen drew level for the second time before the pair demonstrated squash of the very highest quality in the decider, cheered on by a packed and appreciative Squash on Fire crowd.

But, remarkably, from a position of three points behind, underdog Makin slowly climbed closer and closer to the winning line until his jubilant Welsh team-mates erupted with joy when he sealed the match 11-9, 13-15, 11-2, 4-11, 11-9 after 76 minutes.

Makin himself (pictured above in one of his numerous dives during the match) later described the final stages: “In the fifth I just had to get back to that solid base that I had at the start of the match. I let him go way too easily in that fourth game and he got a really quick lead. I needed to get back to basics and get the middle back off him and then take it in when I wanted to and not be so reactive.”

“It was a game packed with amazing extreme retrieval,” said renowned photographer Steve Line. “I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life!”

Some semblance of normality followed when Egypt’s world No.3 Karim Abdel Gawad took the next match, beating Peter Creed 12-10, 11-3, 11-7 before Mohamed Abouelghar, the world No.8 ranked more than 100 place above his opponent, defeated Emyr Evans 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7 in 51 minutes to put Egypt through to the final for the fifth time in a row.

“I’m feeling great,” said the victorious Abouelghar (seen above with Evans). “It was an incredible first match from both Tarek and Joel, so I thought I have to get ready and I knew they were going to be on fire today with nothing to lose. I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders, but I’m very happy with how I dealt with it and very happy to get us through to the final.

“After the third game I thought I would have to get back to basics and not rush. He was going for everything and it was all paying off, I just had to be accurate and stay with him.”

Welsh coach David Evans, himself a veteran of eight world team championships, was delighted with the third place finish the team has now earned.

“We’ve got a medal now in a world team championships, which is unbelievable. But that performance by the boys tonight – and Joel winning that match – just rounds it off.

“I think that was the best game of squash I’ve seen in many years – from Tarek and Joel. We ran Egypt so close. We knew we were going to struggle in the lower order as they’re top quality players. But it showed the team spirit and the effort they put in.”

James clinches England victory after Gaultier beats Willstrop

England and France have been battling each other for supremacy in the championships since 1985 and this year are marking their fifth semi-final clash in 16 years.

A packed crowd at Squash on Fire saw new top string Adrian Waller put second seeds England ahead after a tight straight games victory over Frenchman Gregoire Marche.

The next match saw event giants James Willstrop and Gregory Gaultier lock horns in what was their 44th international confrontation between the former world number ones since first meeting in the British Junior U16 Open semi-finals 21 years ago!

Former World Champion Gaultier was making a return to the international stage after a 14-month injury lay-off – and had only had the benefit of two weeks on-court action before arriving in Washington.

To the sheer delight of his French team-mates, Gaultier ground out an 11-8, 11-5, 11-5 victory – his career 28th against the Englishman – to level the tie for France.

Then, in a remarkable turnaround, squad No.4 Declan James produced the goods for England, reversing the result of just a month ago to beat Mathieu Castagnet 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 to put England into the final for the fourth time in a row.

An ecstatic James told the crowd: “I’m lost for words, it’s one of those moments that you maybe get a couple of times a season. My mindset was what helped me to win, before I went onto the court I didn’t put pressure on myself – the team didn’t put pressure on me, they just told me to go out there and put a performance in.

“When I started my warm-up it just flicked a switch and I wasn’t even myself. I just became this other person and I just said no matter what happens I’m going to go through my process and see what happens.

“Tomorrow is a new day and this tournament has shown you that it’s never straightforward in a team event with three people playing. We’re going to enjoy this tonight and we’ll worry about tomorrow in the morning.”

England coach David Campion summed it up: “That was a world-class performance at any level. We showed faith in him. Daryl (Selby) is the captain and we had a chat this morning. It was a 50/50 thing between Daryl and Declan – and we decided to go with Declan.

“He’s going to be around in two years time and we wanted to give him this experience, win or lose. It was a tough situation for him, a one-all situation, playing in the world teams and he produced an unbelievable level.

“By any standards, that was absolutely world class. It was testament to his character – we showed faith in him and he repaid that just now. We are absolutely delighted, for him and the team.

“On another note, although it wasn’t great for us when James lost, for Greg it was absolutely fantastic. It’s so important for the game. The fact that he’s come back and produced an unbelievable performance like that is remarkable. It’s fantastic for the game, even though it hurt us at the time!”

Earlier in the day, hosts and 12th seeds USA earned themselves the chance to fight for 13th place after beating Argentina 2/1 in the two nations’ first ever meeting in the championships.

The team’s third string Christopher Gordon, who clinched the tie after beating Gonzalo Miranda in the decider said: “I was really excited to play today. I’m feeling really fresh and I’ve been making sure that I’m prepared all week for these moments. I love playing for the US and being able to play a deciding match, I was really happy to get out there and play today.

“I’ve played Gonzalo before and the last time I actually lost to him. I knew how dangerous he was and knew he deserved a lot of respect. I prepared really well and I enjoyed every moment of it.”

The 15th seeds Switzerland grabbed the headlines earlier in the week after securing a place in the top 12 for the first time in the event’s history following an upset win over higher-seeded USA. Today the team went down 3/0 to Hong Kong in the battle for 11th place, thus confirming an historic 12th place finish.

The Swiss team manager and coach Pascal Bruhin was delighted with the outcome: “I always ask our players, when they’re playing for the national team, to compete at the highest level – and we achieved that. That’s all I could ask for.

“There is a little tear in my eyes about yesterday’s match, however. Yesterday we had a sniff, we had a chance – after Reiko (Peter) played an absolutely sensational match we just lost in the fifth against Australia. But we shouldn’t cry – everything has been so good.

“We’re so happy with what we’ve done and I’m so proud of the team. You want to win but you also have to be realistic. We are not one of the top five nations, but considering what we had to offer we did really well.”

After losing a place in the top eight for the first time in their history in the event, record eight-time champions Australia today went down 2/0 to Malaysia in the play-off for ninth place – a far cry from the podium finish two years ago.

Long-time Australian number one Cameron Pilley, a three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist competing in his sixth and last world team champion, was not unhappy with his team’s outcome in the event.

“It’s been tough – I haven’t been playing as much high level squash as usual,” said the 37-year-old former world No.11 who lost in five games to young Malaysian Eain Yow Ng (both pictured above). “We had our second child almost three weeks ago, I’ve been pretty busy at home with the family and I’ve just started a new coaching job in New York. Exciting times: a new chapter in my life.

“It was tough when Cusk (Ryan Cuskelly) hurt himself mid-event and as soon as that happened, I knew I’d have to play every match. We knew we had to stick in there and do the best we could. It’s been a good event though, it’s been fun. It’s exactly what you know it’s going to be – a hard week of tough squash!”

On Australia’s lowest ever finish, Pilley added: “It’s not been in my mind at all – we’ve got no players in the top 20 in the world at the moment – so it’s completely different to what it has been in the past. We’ve all done the best we could.

“It would have been nice to have snuck through New Zealand – it would have been nice personally to have brought that one home. We were in the same situation two years ago, with New Zealand in the quarter-finals and it came down to me and Campbell (Grayson). I got him 3/0 and that put us in the semis – but this time he’s playing well – he’s just reached his highest world ranking. It was probably the best he’s ever played against me.

“In two years’ time, this event will look a lot different – there’s a bunch of guys around my age who will definitely not be around at the next team event – and our Australian team will look very different in two years as well.

“These events are so much fun – you’re playing squash with your mates. It’s such an honour and privilege to play for your country.”

After claiming ninth place, Malaysian team coach Andrew Cross was upbeat about his team’s future in the event: “Germany were a bit too good for us but we were pleased with our win yesterday, a local one over Hong Kong. We’ve got the Asian Championships in four months, in KL, so that was a good one to win, it gives us a bit more confidence going forward.

“Today was always going to be tough – Pilley has been a great competitor for all those years – he runs down every ball and is a typical Aussie who never gives up.

“Most of our team should be there in two years in New Zealand. Yow is developing into a real leader for the team, which is good. I’m happy with the boys this week, they’ve worked well together as a team. Let’s see what we can do in two years.”

Final:
[1] EGYPT v [2] ENGLAND

3rd place:
[3] FRANCE & [11] WALES

5th place play-off:
[5] GERMANY v [4] NEW ZEALAND

7th place play-off:
[9] SCOTLAND v [8] SPAIN

13th place play-off:
[12] USA v [14] CANADA

15th place play-off:
[16] ARGENTINA v [21] KUWAIT

17th place play-off:
[17] JAMAICA v [18] IRELAND

19th place play-off:
[13] COLOMBIA v [19] SOUTH AFRICA

Action from the WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship continues today (December 20) at 11:00 local time (GMT-5) with all matches shown live on the official Facebook page of the Men’s World Team Championship.  

WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship, Squash On Fire, Washington DC, USA.

Semi-finals:
[1] EGYPT bt [11] WALES 2/1
Tarek Momen lost to Joel Makin 9-11, 15-13, 2-11, 11-4, 9-11 (76m)
Karim Abdel Gawad bt Peter Creed 12-10, 11-3, 11-7 (32m)
Mohamed Abouelghar bt Emyr Evans 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7 (51m)
[2] ENGLAND bt [3] FRANCE 2/1
Adrian Waller bt Gregoire Marche 11-9, 11-5, 8-11, 4-11, 11-6 (75m)
James Willstrop lost to Gregory Gaultier 8-11, 5-11, 5-11 (43m)
Declan James bt Mathieu Castagnet 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (48m)

5th – 8th place play-offs:
[5] GERMANY bt [9] SCOTLAND 2/0
Simon Rösner bt Greg Lobban 11-6, 11-9, 11-5 (40m)
Raphael Kandra bt Alan Clyne 8-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-9 (49m)
[4] NEW ZEALAND bt [8] SPAIN 2/0
Paul Coll bt Borja Golan 9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-6 (60m)
Campbell Grayson bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu 11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9 (55m)

13th – 16th place play-offs:
[12] USA bt [16] ARGENTINA 2/1
Todd Harrity bt Robertino Pezzota 11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7 (48m)
Andrew Douglas lost to Leandro Romiglio 6-11, 11-7, 12-14, 4-11 (63m)
Christopher Gordon bt Gonzalo Miranda 11-9, 11-4, 11-3 (33m)
[14] CANADA bt [21] KUWAIT 2/1
Shawn Delierre bt Ammar Altamimi 5-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9 (50m)
Michael McCue lost to Abdullah Al Muzayen 5-11, 8-11, 8-11 (34m)
David Baillargeon bt Ali Alramezi 11-5, 11-4, 11-2 (27m)

17th – 20th place play-offs:
[17] JAMAICA bt [13] COLOMBIA 2/1
Christopher Binnie bt Juan Camilo Vargas 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (34m)
Lewis Walters bt Ronald Palomino 7-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-5 (49m)
Bruce Burrowes lost to Erick Herrera 2-11, 6-11 (11m)
[18] IRELAND bt [19] SOUTH AFRICA 2/0
Sean Conroy bt Jean-Pierre Brits 11-7, 14-12, 9-11, 3-11, 11-4 (54m)
Arthur Gaskin bt Christo Potgieter 13-11, 11-8, 11-0 (30m)

9th place play-off:
[10] MALAYSIA bt [7] AUSTRALIA 2/0
Eain Yow Ng bt Cameron Pilley 12-14, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4 (49m)
Ivan Yuen bt Rex Hedrick 13-11, 11-4, 11-8 (53m)

11th place play-off:
[6] HONG KONG CHINA bt [15] SWITZERLAND 3/0
Leo Au bt Dimitri Steinmann 11-4, 11-9, 11-8 (37m)
Max Lee bt Reiko Peter 7-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-5, 11-9 (47m)
Yip Tsz Fung bt Cédric Kuchen 11-8, 11-6 (15m)

21st – 23rd place play-offs:
[23] NIGERIA bt [20] SINGAPORE 2/1
Babatunde Ajagbe bt Samuel Kang 11-9, 12-10, 0-11, 11-5 (37m)
Sodiq Taiwo bt Chua Man Tong 11-6, 12-10, 11-3 (28m)
Ehimen Ehalen lost to Brandon Tan 4-11, 9-11, 6-11 (22m) 

Pictures courtesy of WSF 

A round-up of the UK courses set to stage an extra event on Christmas Day

For many, nothing says Christmas quite like lacing up and going on a festive run. A number of additional parkrun events are held over the holiday season and here we list those in the UK taking place on Christmas Day.

Our article on the fastest and toughest parkruns in the UK (available here) was among the most read on our website in 2019 and of the events included, Worthing (ranked as the third-fastest parkrun course in the UK earlier this year) and Dulwich (sixth-fastest) are welcoming Christmas parkrunners this year.

Check out the full list of Christmas parkruns below and see parkrun’s full ‘Christmas & New Year Compendium’ at parkrun.org.uk/special-events

List correct at time of publication. Click here for parkrun’s full ‘Christmas & New Year Compendium’.