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LONDON — Gareth Southgate hopes England will feel the benefit of being put under intense pressure in recent days at the World Cup after fighting back from 2-0 down to salvage a 3-3 draw against Germany on Monday.

The Three Lions had already been relegated from the top tier of the Nations League and will head to Qatar on a six-game winless run.

The knives were being sharpened for Southgate after his faith in Harry Maguire backfired for two German goals early in the second half.

Centre-back Maguire has been publicly backed by the England boss despite being dropped at club level by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

Ilkay Gundogan slotted home the opener from the penalty spot after Maguire gifted possession to Jamal Musiala and then chopped down the Bayern Munich midfielder.

Kai Havertz then curled brilliantly into the top corner after Maguire was disposed in the German half.

England had failed to score from open play in any of their opening five games in Group A3.

But two goals in three minutes transformed the atmosphere around Wembley and the scrutiny on Southgate’s position heading to Qatar.

Luke Shaw was also restored to the starting line-up despite his lack of game time at United and started the fightback by volleying in at the back post.

Moments later, two of Southgate’s substitutes combined to deadly effect as Bukayo Saka set up Mason Mount to curl home.

Harry Kane looked to have completed the turnaround from the penalty spot seven minutes from time after Nico Schlotterbeck’s challenge on Jude Bellingham was punished following a VAR review.

Yet, there was more drama to come as Nick Pope spilled Serge Gnabry’s shot and Havertz pounced on the rebound to snatch Germany a point.

Despite the disappointment of a late equaliser, there was relief for Southgate that England’s attack finally came to life after accusations that his conservative tactics were to blame for a lack of goals.

“The whole experience has been what we needed,” said Southgate, who had been booed by England fans after a 1-0 defeat to Italy in Milan on Friday.

“You are going to have pressure in a World Cup. You can try to avoid pressure, but it’s coming.

“It’s better that we feel it and know how we deal with it. The players reacted in the right way — we showed character but a lot of quality.”

The home side had plenty of chances to end their goal drought even in a scoreless first half.

Raheem Sterling twice shot too close to Marc-Andre ter Stegen with just the German goalkeeper to beat, while Kane would have had a tap in but for a poor cross from Phil Foden.

Germany was seeking to bounce back from their first defeat under Hansi Flick after their hopes of reaching the Nations League final four were ended by losing 1-0 at home to Hungary on Friday.

“We made individual mistakes — it can’t happen that we give away a lead like that,” said a frustrated Flick. “But we came back, that’s the positive. There’s some work for us to do, but we’re optimistic.”

Germany came alive after the break with Musiala, who played for England at youth level, particularly impressive.

Dutch referee Danny Makkelie needed the assistance of VAR to see Maguire’s mistimed challenge on Musiala as he tried to atone for his error in giving the ball away.

Gundogan coolly slotted into the bottom corner and it seemed game over when Havertz arrowed home his shot from outside the box with 23 minutes to go.

However, three goals in 11 minutes got the England support back on side and gave the team some impetus to build on heading to Qatar.

Any doubt over who Southgate will start in goal against Iran on November 21 appears to over though, as long as Jordan Pickford has recovered from a thigh injury that kept him out of this squad.

Pope has impressed in his early weeks as Newcastle’s new number one, but would have done much better to palm Gnabry’s shot to safety and Havertz took full advantage.

LONDON — Frances Tiafoe led Team World to their first Laver Cup title as the American saved four match points in a dramatic victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas that denied Roger Federer a farewell trophy on Sunday.

Tiafoe staged a superb fightback to win 1-6,7-6 (13/11), 10/8 in the penultimate match of the tournament at London’s O2 Arena.

That was enough to give John McEnroe’s Team World a 13-8 overall margin of victory with a match to spare, sealing their maiden triumph in the competition after Team Europe won the first four editions.

While Federer had hoped to mark the end of his career by lifting the trophy in a tournament he helped create, the Swiss legend was left to salute Tiafoe and the rest of the Team World squad.

“Congratulations to Team World, amazing comeback,” Federer said.

“It’s been emotional at times but I had a great time. I can’t thank you enough for that. I enjoyed every minute.”

Promising to attend next year’s Laver Cup in Canada, Federer said: “I’m looking forward to next year. I’ll be there too, supporting both teams from a different position.”

Federer had played the last match of his glittering career on Friday when he and Rafael Nadal were beaten by Tiafoe and Jack Sock in the doubles.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion’s tearful farewell was the tournament’s headline moment, but Federer — unable to play further matches due to the knee problems that forced his retirement — stayed around to cheer on his Team Europe colleagues.

Despite the presence of Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic and former World No. 1 Andy Murray on the Team Europe roster, it was fitting that Tiafoe and Canadian rising star Felix Auger-Aliassime powered Team World’s comeback from a 8-4 overnight deficit.

Tiafoe, 24, and Auger-Aliassime, 22, are part of a generation expected to stage centre-stage now Federer has retired, with Nadal and Murray also in the twilight of their careers.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling. Our captain Jonny Mac was tired of losing, he was dropping F-bombs all week. I kept saying that this is our year. It wasn’t just me, we all showed up,” Tiafoe said.

“It looks like I have that clutch game right now. I’m happy I get to hold the Laver Cup trophy, that’s all that mattered.”

Needing to win three of Sunday’s four matches, Team World were dragged back into contention by Auger-Aliassime.

Auger-Aliassime handed Djokovic his first defeat since May as the Canadian powered to a 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) victory.

Djokovic, who missed the recent US Open due to his unvaccinated status, had won his first match for two months on Saturday when the 21-time Grand Slam champion defeated Tiafoe in straight sets.

“It’s one of the best performances of my career. I’ve been close a few times against these great champions, so it feels to great to get a win like this,” Auger-Aliassime said.

Auger-Aliassime’s first ever win over Djokovic was especially impressive as he had already partnered Sock to a 2-6, 6-3, 10/8 doubles victory over Matteo Berrettini and Murray earlier on Sunday.

Auger-Aliassime’s heroics set the stage for Tiafoe who didn’t disappoint.

Tsitsipas blazed through the first set in just 21 minutes, but the Greek’s fast start was halted by the defiant Tiafoe.

Tsitsipas squandered four match points in the second set tie-break as Tiafoe showed why he reached this year’s US Open semifinals, staving off defeat in nerveless fashion.

On his third set point, Tiafoe delivered a perfectly placed volley to trigger a first to 10 points “Laver Breaker”.

Tiafoe tipped the match in his favour with an astonishing cross-court winner after sprinting to the net to reach the disbelieving Tsitsipas’s drop-shot.

It was a moment of magic that recalled Federer at his finest and the Swiss great couldn’t resist a wry grin as he soaked up his last taste of big-time tennis before riding into the sunset.

ZARAGOZA, Spain — Switzerland earned a 2-1 win over Spain in the Nations League on Saturday in Zaragoza to drag Luis Enrique’s side off top spot in the group.

Portugal thrashed the Czech Republic 4-0 in the other League A Group 2 clash to move two points clear of Spain, whom they host on Tuesday in the final group match.

It was Spain’s first defeat in the group in five games, and one which exposed their defensive frailty from set-pieces.

Manuel Akanji and Breel Embolo both scored from Switzerland corners, either side of Jordi Alba’s strike.

“In two set-piece situations, which will be important at the World Cup, their goals arrived,” said Villarreal defender Pau Torres. 

“We have to improve on that.”

Spain never looked comfortable in the game, a far cry from the team which reached the Euro 2020 semifinals and were defeated on penalties by Italy.

As a result, they stumbled to their first loss on home soil since 2018, after 22 matches unbeaten.

Luis Enrique selected six Barcelona players in his starting line-up, including the regular midfield trio Xavi Hernandez utilises at Camp Nou, in Pedri, Gavi and Sergio Busquets.

Ferran Torres was another of the Barca clan, part of a three-pronged attack alongside Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio and Paris Saint-Germain’s Pablo Sarabia.

None of the three have enjoyed regular football with their clubs this season but were given Luis Enrique’s trust. 

They did not repay it in the first half, with Spain anaemic in attack and asleep at the back when it mattered most.

“We were sluggish, no, worse than sluggish,” said Luis Enrique.

“We had the most imprecise first half of my reign as coach.

“[However] this defeat does not condition anything ahead of the World Cup, at all. It’s always good to arrive in form to a World Cup, but I have total faith in the team.”

Set piece woes

Switzerland took the lead when Manchester City summer signing Akanji got the better of Cesar Azpilicueta in the air at a corner and nodded past Unai Simon in the 21st minute.

Spain struggled to create at the other end and Switzerland almost doubled their lead when veteran midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri cut through the defence and forced Simon into a smart save shortly before the interval.

The crowd grumbled, unimpressed at a drenched La Romareda Stadium, in a city where Spain had not played since 2003.

Asensio had them out of their seats early in the second half when he created the Spain equaliser with an electric burst forward, before playing in Alba to finish clinically.

However, three minutes later Spain defended another corner poorly and Akanji’s flick-on was nudged over the line by Embolo to restore the Swiss lead.

Defending set-plays was a serious issue for La Roja at Euro 2020 and it clearly remains one as the World Cup approaches.

Luis Enrique replaced his entire forward line, with debutant Borja Iglesias drawing huge applause at his former hunting ground, while Nico Williams also earned his first cap, a day after his older brother Inaki Williams made his debut for Ghana.

Athletic Bilbao forward Williams almost forced the equaliser when his cross was turned towards his own goal by Silvan Widmer, but Yann Sommer reacted quickly to keep the ball out.

The goalkeeper produced another solid save, punching away substitute Marcos Llorente’s fierce drive as Spain began to threaten more.

Villarreal winger Yeremy Pino was bright on the right flank but even his spark fizzled out in the rain, and Sommer stayed alert until the end to deny Carlos Soler. 

Luis Enrique’s side, the 2021 Nations League runners-up, must now overcome Portugal in Braga to reach next year’s finals.

“We have to beat Portugal now and make it to the final four,” said Spain’s goalscorer Alba, who has dropped behind Alejandro Balde and Marcos Alonso in the pecking order at Barcelona.

“I am grateful to the coach for keeping his confidence in me, and I just have to show that on the pitch.”

ROME — Francesco Bagnaia is not interested in comparisons with Valentino Rossi as he makes his bid to become the first Italian since the motorcycling legend to win the sport’s biggest prize.

Ducati rider Bagnaia is 10 points behind MotoGP leader Fabio Quartararo with five Grands Prix remaining after winning four of the last five races and coming second in the most recent Aragon GP.

The 25-year-old is in a strong position to win Italy’s first title since Rossi in 2009 and Ducati’s first since Casey Stoner two years before, as French reigning champion Quartararo has struggled in recent races, crashing out in two of the last five.

“There can never be an heir to Valentino Rossi. Everyone needs to walk their own path,” said Bagnaia in an interview with AFP.

“The most important thing for Ducati is to win, and it’s no different whether it’s an Italian, Frenchman or Spaniard doing it.”

After winning the San Marino MotoGP — his fourth straight win — earlier this month Bagnaia said that he would only think about winning the championship once he was “10 or five points away”.

Now he can’t avoid the title talk after slashing a points gap between him and Quartararo which five GPs ago stood at 91.

“We’re all starting from scratch as of now. We know that in general the coming tracks are good for us,” says Bagnaia.

“The important thing is to continue doing a good job, everything else will follow from that... We know we are good, but we still have 10 points to recover and it needs to be done as intelligently as possible.”

A first title for Bagnaia would also give Ducati just their second crown in the MotoGP class in a year in which they have dominated.

The Italian constructor has won 10 of this season’s 15 race and all of the last five, with Enea Bastianini from satellite team Gresini pipping Bagnaia on the final lap in Aragon.

“If you ask me Ducati’s supremacy come from the riders. The bike is fast but the riders are all very good,” says Bagnaia.

“In reality the difference in speed isn’t even that big, we’re only talking about two or three kilometres an hour. But at Yamaha the situation is very different as Fabio is the only one capable of riding their bike.”

Bastianini’s win at the weekend hushed rumours that he had been ordered to let Bagnaia win at Misano three weeks ago, when the pair were almost alongside each other when they crossed the line.

“Right now we’re in the situation where the best rider wins. The people on the paddock know this,” says Bagnaia.

“It doesn’t affect me very much because people like to open their mouths even when they don’t know anything.”

Bastianini sits fourth in the standings having won four races this season and is making the step up to the Ducati factory team next year, replacing Australia’s Jack Miller.

“We managed to get good results with Jack because we did a great job together. I don’t see why that would change with Enea,” says Bagnaia.

“It won’t change anything in the races — the best man wins.”

Marquez takes Japanese pole

Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez grabbed pole position for the first time in three years as he defied wild weather at the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday.

On a badly disrupted day of heavy rain and lightning at Motegi, the world title contenders struggled to master the conditions.

Spanish great Marquez had no such trouble, however, on his Honda with his leading time of one minute and 55.214 seconds, ahead of France›s Johann Zarco, 0.208 seconds behind, and South Africa›s Brad Binder (0.323sec).

Of the trio of title challengers, Spain’s Aleix Espargaro was best-placed at sixth on the grid for Aprilia, with reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo ninth on his Yamaha.

Francesco Bagnaia, who has closed Quartararo’s championship lead to 10 points with five races left in the season, was a disappointing 12th on his Ducati.

There are just 17 points separating the top three in the title race but prior to this all the momentum had been with the Italian.

LONDON — Roger Federer described his tennis career as a “perfect journey” despite being denied a fairytale ending with a doubles defeat at the Laver Cup early on Saturday alongside Rafael Nadal.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion has not played since the 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinals because of a knee injury and last week announced his retirement aged 41.

The Swiss showed glimpses of his old silky self in the match against Team World’s Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock at London’s O2 arena despite his long period of enforced inaction.

Playing with long-time friend and rival Nadal, the two former World No. 1s won the first set to the delight of a feverish, partisan crowd, but the Americans rallied to win 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 11-9.

The result meant Team Europe were locked at 2-2 with Team World at the end of the opening day of the Ryder Cup-style event.

“We’ll get through this somehow, will we? Right?” Federer said with a cracked voice during an emotional post-match farewell on court.

“I’m happy, I’m not sad. It feels great to be here and I enjoyed tying my shoes one more time. Everything was the last time. The match was great, I couldn’t be happier. It’s been wonderful.”

‘Thank you’

Federer has enjoyed a storied rivalry with Spain’s Nadal, 36, over nearly two decades — together they have won 42 Grand Slam singles titles in a golden era for the men’s game.

But in a match that started late Friday they were on the same side of the net in a fitting farewell for Federer, who turned professional nearly a quarter of a century ago.

There was a huge roar and standing ovation as the Swiss great and Nadal came onto the black court, dressed in blue shirts and white shorts, both wearing white headbands.

Both doubles pairings held serve fairly comfortably at the start of the match, with cries of “Let’s go Roger, let’s go” breaking out at 3-3.

Federer and Nadal seized on their first break point in the 10th game, winning the first set when Sock netted with a backhand to huge cheers.

The Americans levelled the match by taking the second set tie-break with ease.

In a nerve-shredding match tie-break, Federer was unable to serve out for the match at 9-8, with Tiafoe and Sock winning the next three points to emerge victorious.

The Swiss was overcome with emotion afterwards, hugging teammate Nadal and waving to the crowd.

“Playing with Rafa on the same team, and having the guys, everybody here, all the legends... thank you,” said Federer, who was joined by his parents, wife Mirka and their four children.

“It does feel like a celebration to me,” he added. “I wanted to feel like this at the end and it is exactly what I hoped for, so thank you. It has been a perfect journey and I would do it all over again.”

Nadal, who was also visibly emotional, said it had been difficult to handle the intensity of the occasion.

“For me, it has been a huge honour to be a part of this amazing moment of the history of our sport, and at the same time a lot of years sharing a lot of things together,” said the Spaniard.

“When Roger leaves the tour an important part of my life is leaving too.”

The six-strong Team Europe also includes Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — the other two members of the so-called “Big Four” who have dominated the men’s game for so many years.

Federer leaves ‘void’

Italy’s Matteo Berrettini will take Federer’s place over the weekend as an alternate, with the Swiss great opting not to play singles matches.

Europe have won all four previous editions of the Laver Cup and took a 2-0 lead after the opening session in London, courtesy of wins for Norway’s Casper Ruud and Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas shrugged off a dramatic on-court protest by a demonstrator who set his own arm ablaze to protest the use of private jets to beat Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-1.

In the evening session Murray lost a gruelling encounter to Alex de Minaur 5-7, 6-3, 10-7 before all eyes turned to Federer.

The Swiss is leaving the stage 19 years after winning his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003.

He retires with a men’s record of eight Wimbledon crowns, 103 titles overall and more than $130 million in prize money, all won with a game defined by a rare elegance and precision.

Nadal (22) and Djokovic (21) have both surpassed Federer’s tally of Grand Slam titles but Team World captain John McEnroe said Federer’s retirement would leave “a void that will never be filled”.

LONDON — Roger Federer wants to bring the curtain down on his glittering career by teaming up with long-time rival Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup in London on Friday.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced last week he intended to retire after the three-day tournament at London’s 02 arena, which starts on Friday.

Federer, whose most recent competitive match was a loss to Hubert Hurkacz in last year’s Wimbledon quarterfinals, has been struggling with a knee problem.

The Swiss great confirmed on Wednesday that the final match of his long and illustrious career will be in the doubles on Friday evening.

Italian Matteo Berrettini, the first alternate for the tournament that pits Team Europe against Team World, will then take Federer’s place over the weekend.

The Swiss great does not yet know whether he will be able to link up with Nadal but said it would be the dream scenario.

“Of course, no doubt,” he told a packed press conference at the O2. “I mean, I think it could be quite a unique situation, you know, that if it were to happen.”

Federer said he and Nadal, 36, had always maintained a respect for each other even as they vied for the biggest trophies in the sport.

“For us as well to go through a career that we both have had and to come out on the other side and being able to have a nice relationship I think is maybe a great message as well to not just tennis but sports and maybe even beyond,” he said.

“For that reason I think it would be great. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I think it could be obviously a special moment.”

Nadal, who holds the record for Grand Slam titles in men’s tennis with 22, Novak Djokovic, who has won 21, and three-time major winner Andy Murray are all part of the six-man Team Europe, captained by Bjorn Borg.

Their opponents, Team World, skippered by John McEnroe, include Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Diego Schwartzman.

‘Bittersweet’

Federer said he was happy to step away from tennis at the age of 41 but admitted it was a “bittersweet decision”.

“You always want to play forever,” he said. “I love being out on court, I love playing against the guys, I love travelling. 

“I never really felt like it was that hard for me to do, of winning, learn from losing, it was all perfect. I love my career from every angle.”

The Swiss said he was happy with his place in the debate over who is the greatest of all time in the men’s game even though his tally of Grand Slam titles has been eclipsed by Nadal and Djokovic.

“I’m definitely very proud and very happy where I sit,” he said. 

“One of my big moments of course was winning my 15th slam at Wimbledon, you know, when Pete [Sampras, who had won a then-record 14] was sitting there. Anything after that was a bonus.”

Federer said it was fitting that he would finish his career in London, where he has enjoyed so much success.

“This city has been special to me, maybe the most special place with Wimbledon down the road and here at the O2. Having played here and qualified for so many years and won here as well [in the ATP Finals], I just thought it was very fitting.”

He said he said he had no intention of disappearing off the radar despite his looming retirement.

“I just wanted to let the fans know I won’t be a ghost, you know. It’s funny, you know, I talked about Bjorn Borg just before. 

“I don’t think he returned to Wimbledon for 25 years. That, in a way, hurts every tennis fan. Totally acceptable, his life, his reasons. 

“But I don’t think I’ll be that guy and I feel tennis has given me too much. I have been around the game for too long, have fallen in love with too many things.”

SAINT-DENIS, France — Just two months before France begin its defence of the World Cup, the mood around the team is in stark contrast to the celebrations that followed their win over Croatia in the 2018 final.

The clouds have been gathering over coach Didier Deschamps and his squad as key players struggle with injuries and personal problems.

Meanwhile, the French Football Federation (FFF) is locked in a row over image rights with its biggest star and its president faces accusations of inappropriate behaviour.

It all threatens to derail France’s campaign in Qatar. 

More immediately, they go into their final matches before the World Cup this week against Austria and Denmark in the UEFA Nations League with a depleted squad.

Paul Pogba, a goal-scorer in the 4-2 win over Croatia in 2018, is among the players sidelined.

As the Juventus star battles to recover from knee surgery he has filed a complaint with Italian prosecutors saying he was the target of a 13 million-euro ($13m) blackmail plot.

Pogba’s brother Mathias is one of five people charged and detained in the case.

“It is his word against his brother’s. I am going to trust my teammate,” Mbappe said recently of Pogba and those claims.

“I think it’s in the interests of the national team as well with a big tournament coming up.”

Mbappe dispute

Mbappe himself is involved in a row with the FFF that risks damaging squad morale.

On Monday, their get-together at the chateau of Clairefontaine, an hour’s drive from Paris, was overshadowed by Mbappe’s refusal to participate in a photo shoot because of the FFF’s unwillingness to modify an agreement regarding players’ image rights.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar has boycotted a shoot before, and on Monday the federation responded quickly, promising to “revise as soon as possible the agreement”.

Mbappe’s representatives insisted the matter “obviously does not call into question his total commitment and determination to contribute to the collective success of the national team”.

Meanwhile, the FFF’s veteran 80-year-old president is in the firing line.

Noel Le Graet was last week summoned to a meeting with the country’s Sports Minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera. The government then announced it was launching an audit of the federation.

That came after So Foot magazine published accusations that the FFF suffered from organisational problems and that some former employees had alleged they had been treated inappropriately.

The federation has launched legal action against the magazine.

“It’s not the calmest atmosphere that I have known,” admitted Deschamps. “But it is not unsettling for me. My staff and I are focused on what is happening on the pitch.”

Chance for emerging stars?

Nevertheless, his squad will be without Hugo Lloris, N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema, as well as Pogba, for the upcoming games.

Just five players from the 2018 final are involved, including recalled veteran Olivier Giroud.

Among the other members of the 2018 squad, Benjamin Mendy is on trial in England for multiple alleged sexual offences that could finish his career.

Mendy last played for France in November 2019. Les Bleus went out of Euro 2020 to Switzerland in the last 16, but bounced back to win the Nations League last year.

That latter victory showcased the benefits of recalling Benzema — himself recently given a suspended sentence for complicity in a bid to blackmail a teammate.

The Real Madrid star is missing with a thigh injury but the absences could be no bad thing, forcing Deschamps to play emerging stars such as William Saliba, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Christopher Nkunku.

Whoever features this week, France need results.

They will be relegated from their Nations League group with defeat to Austria on Thursday.

Even if they win, they may need three points against Denmark, one of their upcoming World Cup opponents.

MOHALI, India — Matthew Wade steered Australia to a four wicket victory over India after a blistering knock by Cameron Green in the opening game of the three match Twenty20 series in Mohali on Tuesday.

Wade’s unbeaten 45 off 21 helped the visitors chase down India’s mammoth 209 runs with four balls remaining after Australia had stuttered briefly in the middle overs following quick losses.

But it was the all-rounder Green, who replaced star batsman David Warner for the India tour, who laid the foundation for the high score run chase, smashing 61 off 30 balls.

Green, the man of the match, smashed eight fours and four sixes after the Aussies lost skipper Aaron Finch for 22 in the third over.

The right-hand all-rounder stitched a 70-run partnership with Steve Smith before he was caught by Virat Kohli off Axar Patel. 

Smith with 35 off 25 departed in the next over followed by Glenn Maxwell’s wicket in the same over for one.

However, Wade displayed a powerful batting performance, hitting six fours and two sixes helping the visitors to chase down the target in the 19th over.

Tim David, who made his Twenty20 debut, scored 18 off 14 balls while Josh Inglis made 17 off 10 balls.

Pat Cummins hit the winning shot off Yuzvendra Chahal to reach 211-6.

Patel picked three for 17 while Umesh Yadav took 2 wickets for 27.

It was Australia’s second highest successful chase in the white-ball format and highest against India. 

“At this ground it didn’t worry us too much. Anywhere between 12-14 an over at the back end on a wicket like this and an outfield like this we back ourselves to get them,” Wade said.

In the first half, the visitors won the toss and opted to field, with all-rounder Hardik Pandya smashing a rapid 71 to help the hosts post a challenging total of 208-6. 

Opener KL Rahul also made a half-century while Suryakumar Yadav hit 46 after losing skipper Rohit Sharma for 11 and star batsman Kohli for two in the powerplay.

Rahul compiled 55 off 35 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes before he was caught by Nathan Ellis off Josh Hazlewood at deep square-leg.

Yadav hit four sixes in his 25-ball stay before he was caught behind off Green.

But Pandya increased the scoring rate further, hammering 71 off 30 deliveries.

The 28-year-old all-rounder hit seven fours and five sixes including three back-to-back hits in the last three balls of the innings.

Ellis was the most successful bowler and finished with figures of three for 30.

The three-match series is being used as a warm-up for next month’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

The visitors are playing without pace spearhead Mitchell Starc and all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh due to injuries.

India is looking to bounce back after crashing out of the Asia Cup this month before the knockout stage.

The teams will meet on Friday for the second Twenty20 match in Nagpur.

Meanwhile, a new-look England side took the opening Twenty20 international by six wickets in Karachi on Tuesday, capping their return to Pakistan after 17 years with a memorable victory.

The win gives England a 1-0 lead in the seven-match series.

The remaining matches are in Karachi (September 22, 23, 25) and in Lahore (September 28, 30 and October 2).

AMMAN — Jordan plays Syria on Friday in a friendly tournament that will also group the national teams of Iraq and Oman as Jordan starts its agenda in preparation for the 2023 Asian Cup.

After an early exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the focus of head coach Adnan Hamad is on improving the team’s competitive form, its ranking on the world scene and reaching the quarters of the Asian Cup where Jordan has qualified five times since first taking part in qualifiers in 1972. The highlight was at the 13th Asian Cup in 2004, when it lost to Japan in the quarterfinals and jumped to the best ever FIFA Ranking of 37th. They also reached the Asian Cup in 2011, 2015 and 2019.

Hamad recalled 10 pros playing abroad to join the squad that has underwent changes hoping for overall competitive readiness for the long term and before they host the Spanish national team on November 17 on the latter’s last stop before they head to the World Cup in Qatar.

“We have been steadily improving and following a set plan for the Asian Cup. We have also improved in FIFA Rankings,” Hamad told the media after practice, underlining that the team was making steady progress and had jumped nine spots during the past few months to 86th lately. “The two friendly matches will help us finalise the lineup, which has undergone changes ahead of our friendly against a big team like Spain and further improve our world ranking,” he added.

Hamad is trying to engage players from younger national teams to include a mix of young blood and experience in the lineup. Players were recalled from the U-23 team who won the West Asian championship but were eliminated from Round 1 at the 5th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship in their fifth time at the event.

Earlier this week, Jordan was one of nine nations securing qualification to the AFC U-20 Asian Cup which will be held in Uzbekistan in 2023. The U-17 national team will similarly host their Group A qualifiers for the U-17 Asian Cup in Amman next month. Jordan will play alongside Japan, Syria, Philippines, and Turkmenistan as 44 nations will contest qualifiers in 10 groups with the top team in each group and five second place teams moving to the finals in Bahrain in 2023.

The Jordan Professional League is now on break before restarting Week 8 on September 29 while the Jordan Cup Round of 16 was played with eight teams making it to the quarters. Ramtha eliminated Salt 3-1, Faisali beat Sahab 3-0, Hussein ousted Arabi 3-1, Wihdat beat Sarhan 4-0, Aqaba beat Ittihad Ramtha 1-0 while Mugheer Sarhan, Amman FC and Jazira eliminated Sarih, Baqa’a and Shabab Urdun on penalties.