LONDON: Embarrassed by India in its opening match, Pakistan astonishingly turned the tables on its archrival to win their Champions Trophy final by a crushing 180 runs at The Oval on Sunday.
India was the lopsided 4-9 favorite by English bookmakers to win a record third Trophy in a record fourth final, but Pakistan blew away all predictions and expectations with a win of stunning ease.
Pakistan, made to bat first for the first time in the tournament, racked up a final-record innings of 338-4, founded on a 128-run opening stand between Fakhar Zaman, who earned his maiden one-day international century with 114, and Azhar Ali, whom Fakhar ran out on 59.
India was then routed for 158 in the 31st over.
Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed took the last catch and aeroplaned around the pitch with his arms out before he was swamped by teammates.
India’s top three batsman — Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and captain Virat Kohli — came to the final having combined for 874 runs, more than 80 percent of the team’s tally in the tournament.
But Sharma was out for a duck off the third ball, Kohli went for 5, and Dhawan, the player of the 2013 tournament and a candidate for this one, was out for 21.
Pakistan strike bowler Mohammad Amir, who missed the surprise semifinal victory over England because of a back spasm, took out all three of India’s premier batsmen for figures of 6-2-16-3.
Pakistan wins Champions Trophy, crushes archrival India
Pakistan wins Champions Trophy, crushes archrival India
Paolini races into round two to kickstart Australian Open
MELBOURNE: Jasmine Paolini powered into the Australian Open second round with a straight-sets demolition to kickstart the action in a hot and sunny Melbourne on Sunday.
The seventh-seeded Italian outclassed Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
Paolini faces Poland’s Magdalena Frech or Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia next.
“It was pretty good today, I did not expect that,” she said of her emphatic win in 69 minutes.
“Always tough to play first round. I played pretty good. I was solid, focused, so happy.
“Before the match I was a little nervous, to be honest, but then stepped on court and felt good from the first ball.”
The 30-year-old broke her opponent’s serve immediately and raced into a 3-0 lead in just 10 minutes.
She polished off the first set in 26 minutes and although Sasnovich put up more resistance in the second, Paolini ran out a comfortable winner.
Paolini reached the finals of Wimbledon and the French Open in 2024, but her best result at Melbourne Park is the fourth round in the same year.
