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Pakistan win toss, bat against India in key Champions Trophy clash

DUBAI: Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and elected to bat in a blockbuster Champions Trophy clash against India on Sunday as his side looks to stay alive in the tournament. A full house was expected for the eagerly awaited Group A match at the 25,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium, India’s home for the 50-over tournament after they refused to tour Pakistan due to political tensions. Defending champions Pakistan lost the tournament opener to New Zealand and another defeat will virtually end their chances of making the semifinals. Imam-ul-Haq comes into the Pakistan side for Fakhar Zaman, who was injured in the opening match and is out of the tournament. India had a hard-fought win in their first match against Bangladesh and come into the key clash unchanged. India captain Rohit Sharma said it “doesn’t really matter, they (Pakistan) won the toss, so we’ll bowl first.” The top two teams from the two groups will make the semifinals. Teams India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav. Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed. Umpires: Paul Reiffel (AUS), Richard Illingworth (ENG) TV Umpire: Michael Gough (ENG) Match Referee: David Boon (AUS)

Doncic dominates as Lakers rout Nuggets, Suns gore Bulls

LOS ANGELES, United States: Luka Doncic delivered a dominant 32-point performance as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Denver Nuggets’ nine-game winning streak on Saturday with an impressive 123-100 victory on the road in Colorado. Doncic, playing only his fourth game for the Lakers since his blockbuster trade from Dallas, was in scintillating form as the Lakers conjured a statement wire-to-wire win over their Western Conference rivals. The Slovenian superstar was the standout performer on a night when the Lakers saw four players finish with 20 points or more for the first time this season. Doncic finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while LeBron James backed him with 25 points. Austin Reaves added 23 points and Rui Hachimura 21. “I’m starting to feel a little bit more like myself — that’s why I was smiling the whole game,” Doncic told ESPN afterward. “There’s still a lot of room for improvement and this is only my fourth game.