Joel Embiid continued his torrid stretch with a season-high 51 points and 12 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers bounced back with a 127-113 victory over the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves.
Embiid notched his 12th straight game with at least 30 points and 10-plus rebounds for the NBA’s longest such streak since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 16-game run for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971-72.
The only other players to have 12 or more games of 30-10 in league history besides Embiid and Abdul-Jabbar are Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Walt Bellamy.
Embiid is averaging a whopping 41.4 points on 61.5 percent shooting and 12.9 rebounds in his last eight games.
Tyrese Maxey scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, most of those coming during a five-minute stretch at the start of the period when Embiid was on the bench.
Philadelphia won for the seventh time in eight games, bouncing back from a 108-104 loss to Chicago on Monday.
Anthony Edwards had 27 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 for Minnesota, which began the day with the league’s best record.
Clippers defeat Mavericks for 9th straight win
Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points and the Los Angeles Clippers held off the Dallas Mavericks, 120-111 for their ninth consecutive win.
Normal Powell had 21 points off the bench and James Harden had 17 and 11 assists for the Clippers, who nearly blew a 22-point lead before holding on for their longest winning streak since a 10-game run in 2015-16.
Amir Coffey scored 12 points in his second start of the season in place of Paul George, who sat out with an illness.
Luka Dončić’s franchise record of 11 consecutive games with at least 30 points ended with 28. He recorded his sixth triple-double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Herro leads Heat past Magic
Tyler Herro had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Bam Adebayo added 18 points to lift the Miami Heat to a 115-106 win over the Orlando Magic in a matchup of the top teams in the Southeast Division.
Herro was 10 of 17 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and Haywood Highsmith, one of four Miami reserves in double figures, made four of the Heat’s 15 3s and finished with a season-high 15 points.
Cole Anthony scored 20 points and Franz Wagner added 15 as the Magic lost their third straight.
Jurgen Klopp told Liverpool fans to give their tickets away if they are not prepared to get behind the side in Saturday’s clash against Arsenal.
The Reds manager was unimpressed with the atmosphere at Anfield as Liverpool cruised into a the Carabao Cup semi-finals by thrashing West Ham 5-1 on Wednesday.
Klopp felt the crowd, coming off the back of last weekend’s frustrating Premier League draw against Manchester United, were flat and wants more for the upcoming top-of-the-table date with Arsenal.
The German said: “I thought in the first half when the boys played really exceptionally, I was not overly happy with the atmosphere behind me.
“I asked people what do they want? We changed a lot of things and we dominated West Ham like crazy and missed chances.
“If I was in the stands I would be on my toes, 1,000 per cent. I don’t know, if the Man United game was that bad that we have to say sorry we didn’t smash them?
“We need Anfield on Saturday. Arsenal didn’t play this week. They’ve prepared for this game and anyone who knows anything about them knows they will be prepared.
“So we need Anfield on their toes from the first second, without me having an argument with the opposition coach.
“If it is too much football in December, if you are not in the right shape, give your ticket to somebody else.
“It was just not the excitement I felt. There were so many good performances but we were only 1-0 up.”
Liverpool led through a stunning Dominik Szoboszlai goal at the interval before going on to win comfortably against a limp Hammers side with a double from Curtis Jones and further efforts from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool, who are bidding to win the competition for a record-extending 10th time, will now play Fulham for a place in the final.
Klopp said: “Wembley is a great stadium and yes we want to go there again. I was happy we could show a performance like we did tonight.
“We had a lot of really good performances. It was is one of those nights where we could enjoy the game.”
West Ham boss David Moyes believes he is battling raised expectations following last season’s Europa Conference League win even after a sequence of seven wins and just one defeat before their Anfield humbling.
“We’ve had an unbelievable run,” said Moyes, whose side managed only a Jarrod Bowen consolation. “What would West Ham’s expectations be?
“Would you expect us to win a European trophy? Would you expect us to be challenging for the Champions League? Not many nodding their head in here so that’s the facts.
“We’re doing well for what we’re doing. We’ll keep trying to win as many games as we can, we’ll keep trying to challenge top teams and challenge in cup competitions when we get the opportunity to do so.
“The facts are we’ve been doing pretty well. We had to beat Arsenal at home to get to this game – maybe you expected us to beat Arsenal.
“Tonight was a really tough tie for anyone coming to Anfield.”
West Indies captain Rovman Powell is backing his team to bounce back from back-to-back defeats and secure a Twenty20 series victory over England, as they head into the decisive contest of the five-match affair in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.
Powell's side which was on a high after they opened up an early two-nil series lead with four-wicket and 10-run victories, was brought down to earth in the third and fourth encounters that England won by seven wickets and 75 runs respectively.
On both losing occasions, England's opening batsman Phil Salt hammered centuries, while West Indies batting was sub-par, as they lost wickets at regular intervals when gathering some semblance of momentum.
Still, Powell saw some positives, particularly in the most recent contest on Tuesday when Andre Russell made a brisk 51, as they were bowled out for 192 chasing 267.
“I think the way Andre Russell played, I think he give us some impetus at the back end of the innings, and it showed us that if we had batted properly, or if they had scored just a little bit less runs, we would have been able to get it," Powell said.
“I think the intensity at which we start was very low, and you know in a T20 game when you start with such low intensity it's very difficult to find a rhythm, and I think that's cost us. They posted 260 which was a very, very big total. If you're going to chase 260, everything has to go right and it's not it's not very often you see those things happen, so it was it was always going to be uphill task," he added.
With things now squared at 2-2, Powell is well aware that his regional side will not only have to learn from the defeats, but more importantly, reproduce performances from the top of the series.
In fact, he believes the situation requires some serious introspection, as it is imperative that they improve, both individually and collectively.
“We have to do some introspection. You know, as individuals, we have to look into ourselves and see if we have done ourselves justice, and if we haven't done ourselves justice, then it's obvious that we haven't done the team justice. So, some introspection and see if we can come up with some better plans to fix what's happening," Powell reasoned.
“I think in all the games the batting has stand up, hopefully the batting can stand up for the final game, but the bowlers have to come to the party. It has been disappointing for the last few games how we have executed as bowling group, so this final game provides an opportunity for us to get that right," he noted.
That said, the Jamaican expressed confidence that whichever 11 players take the field at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium for the day/night clash scheduled for 3:00pm, will represent with much gusto.
“, we always feel as if when we put guys on the park, it's the best combination for that game. We'll sit down, revise the plan, see if we can come up with different plans and if we come up with different plans, we'll find the players who can execute that plan," Powell declared.
"It's a final, and when it comes to final situation West Indies normally triumph so hopefully, we can pull it off," he ended.
Inter Milan conceded twice in the last eight minutes of extra-time as their grip on the Coppa Italia came to an end with a 2-1 defeat to Bologna.
Lautaro Martinez had a penalty saved as normal time ended goalless, before Carlos Augusto headed hosts Inter into a 92nd-minute lead.
But Sam Beukema and Dan Ndoye struck in a dramatic turnaround as the back-to-back cup winners were dumped out at the quarter-final stage for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Inter’s Marko Arnautovic tried his luck from range but his sixth-minute effort went wide in a cagey start.
Bologna responded with a chance of their own in the 18th minute when Giovanni Fabbian’s shot grazed the outside of the post.
Inter pushed for an opening but were being held off by a stubborn Bologna.
The closest they got in the first half was when Davide Frattesi went down under a challenge but his penalty appeals were waved off.
Inter came out fast after the break and came close in the 49th minute through the dangerous Fratessi.
The goalscoring midfielder lost his marker and met Alessandro Bastoni’s cross, but he failed to connect with the ball properly.
Simone Inzaghi’s side had kept four successive clean sheets prior to this match and their quality showed as their tight back three and hard working midfield stifled any Bologna attack.
But at the other end Martinez missed a golden opportunity to give Inter the lead in the 65th minute.
Bologna’s Tommaso Corazza was deemed to have handled the ball in the box following a corner but Martinez’s placed effort was saved by Federico Ravaglia.
The striker had scored 17 in all competitions up to that point and failed to add to his tally as Inter’s frustrations grew.
The Argentina international was keen to make up for his miss when he drove with the ball before shooting from range, but his shot sailed just over the Bologna crossbar.
The stalemate remained at full-time, but Inter finally broke the deadlock just two minutes into extra-time.
Federico Dimarco’s corner picked out Augusto who rose highest and nodded his effort home.
But the visitors responded eight minutes from time when Joshua Zirkzee flicked on a corner to the charging Beukema who smashed home from close range to make it 1-1.
And Bologna grabbed another in the 116th minute.
Zirkzee produced another moment of brilliance to beat his man in midfield before he threaded a pass through to Ndoye, who casually chipped Emil Audero to give his side a 2-1 win.
Raging Rangers boss Philippe Clement claimed John Lundstram was “kicked off the pitch” in the 2-0 cinch Premiership win over St Johnstone at Ibrox.
The Belgian watched luckless striker Kemar Roofe go off after just 16 minutes with another injury but replacement Cyriel Dessers fired the Light Blues ahead in the 28th minute before Diallang Jaiyesimi was soon sent off for a hefty challenge on Lundstram after a VAR intervention saw referee Alan Muir upgrade a yellow to a red with the Rangers midfielder kept in at the break.
Rangers doubled their lead in the 84th minute with a penalty from skipper James Tavernier to go within two points of leaders Celtic with a game in hand.
But Clement was unhappy with the tackle on Lundstram who is a doubt for the fixtures before the January break, including the Old Firm game at Parkhead on December 30, while Roofe will also be “assessed” on Thursday.
Clement said: “It’s another player who is kicked off the pitch, so I am really frustrated with that. It’s his ankle so we will see in the next couple of days what will happen.
“This for me is my main concern after the game – again a player kicked off the pitch. I’m not sure we can get him back before the winter break so that’s not a good situation.
“I don’t want to go in on emotions after the game, I am a little boiling so it’s better to cool down and make opinions about leagues or whatever.
“But it clearly wasn’t a good challenge with your studs forward like that. We had an even worse one later in the game when the guy luckily hit the ball and not my player (Dan Phillips on Kieran Dowell), the intensity there was to break a leg.
“Those things are not good for football.”
Asked why he took off Tavernier in the closing stages, Clement said: “It was more to see I don’t lose any more important players for the next couple of weeks and not to take risks that another one was kicked off.”
On the game, Clement said: “We did a lot of things well. We had control of the game from the start until the end. It is not easy to play against 10 men when they are so deep, with no space.
“We kept our organisation, my defenders stayed focused. We could have had more goals, a few good saves also.
“We were waiting for that second goal, it came late. But we kept on pushing to get the goal and we had enough chances to do that.”
St Johnstone boss Craig Levein had no complaints about the red card.
He said: “I thought it was a red card. I thought the referee was right. In the modern day that’s a red – certainly if it had happened to one of our players I’d be calling for a red card so I am not going to sit here and say anything different.
“He has gone in with force and hasn’t got the ball. It is a red card.”
On the Dan Phillips challenge, however, he said: “I thought that was a good tackle.”
Two-time winner Peter Wright crashed out of the PDC World Darts Championship in the second round after a 3-0 defeat to Jim Williams at Alexandra Palace.
The 53-year-old, who was dressed as the Grinch complete with lime-green hair, ensured a miserable Christmas after posting a dismal three-dart average of less than 84.
Williams, a BDO runner-up in 2020, was also far from his best in a poor quality clash, admitting afterwards: “I was fighting myself all the way and it’s a little bit frustrating – but hopefully we’ll get there.”
A star was born earlier as 16-year-old Luke Littler marked his World Championship debut with a blistering 3-0 win over experienced Dutchman Christian Kist.
Littler showed no nerves as he hit seven 180s and finished with an extraordinary average of 110 to mark himself out as a genuine contender for the crown.
The teenager told Sky Sports: “I can’t believe how quickly I settled in. I was a bit nervous going to the stage but as soon as I found my rhythm I was in.”
Also in the Wednesday evening session, Richard Veenstra eased past Ben Robb 3-0 while Ryan Joyce was a 3-1 winner over Alex Spellman.
In the afternoon, 16th seed Ross Smith eased to a 3-1 victory over Niels Zonneveld before being stung by a wasp on stage.
“There’s the wasp,” Smith said in his post-match TV interview as he noticed the insect.
The Englishman then recoiled in pain and said: “He’s just stung me like a good one. Little bugger.”
Smith, a prolific maximum hitter, was below his best but still produced seven 180s and the second 170 checkout of the tournament to see off plucky Dutchman Zonnevald.
“It wasn’t a great game and I didn’t play nowhere near what I can,” said Smith. “But I can enjoy my turkey and pigs in blankets now.
“I tried to get some fire in my belly, but it was really difficult. I was a bit nervy the last couple of days, everyone is because you just want to get through.
“I will relax now and hopefully be better after Christmas.”
Exeter debutant Owen Bates lost a two-set lead as Ireland’s Steve Lennon fought back to win 3-2.
Lennon won nine of the last 11 legs against the 21-year-old crowd favourite to claim the win needed to retain his PDC Tour card.
“I don’t know how I won that,” said Lennon. “I was panicking deep down, it’s a massive win.”
Bates had qualified through the PDC Challenge Tour and emerged with huge credit from a pulsating contest, hitting five 180s and producing 101 and 108 second-set checkouts.
But Bates missed five doubles for a 2-1 lead in the fourth set as Lennon, who hit six maximums, grew stronger and booked a second-round meeting with Welshman Jonny Clayton.
Lennon’s compatriot William O’Connor had a far more comfortable time with a 3-0 victory over Bhav Patel.
Meanwhile Poland’s Cork-based Radek Szaganski overcame Finland’s Marko Kantele 3-2 with a final set 142 checkout helping him through to a second-round clash with five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld.
Aberdeen boss Barry Robson was in bullish mood after his side came from behind to overcome Livingston 2-1 in the cinch Premiership.
The Dons had to do it the hard way after falling behind to Kurtis Guthrie’s close-range finish – a strike that ended a seven-game goalless streak for the rock-bottom visitors.
Bojan Miovski headed in an equaliser before the interval and, after seeing another strike chalked off for offside, the North Macedonia striker turned home a low cross from Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes to earn his side a second successive league win.
Aberdeen’s response after Sunday’s League Cup final defeat to Rangers impressed their manager, who has seen his side win three of their last four matches in all competitions having previously endured a six-game winless run.
Robson said: “It’s difficult to come out after a game of the magnitude of the Viaplay Cup final and I was a wee bit concerned, but it shows that the boys are together.
“I think we started probably a bit slowly, and there wasn’t much in the first half. We showed resilience after going behind, and grew into the game.
“Bojan scored two great goals and I think he could have scored one or two more in the end.
“We always knew November and December would be tough months. We need to get our heads down and pick up the points to get us up the table.
“We look at every game as being really difficult. We’ve come through a lot of tough games and it’s not easy at any Scottish Premier League ground.”
Livingston manager David Martindale felt Aberdeen’s quality in attack was the difference between the two sides.
“The top end of the park is the difference tonight,” he said.
“We’ve got to do better at both of his goals, but I don’t think there was anything in the game.
“We felt pretty comfortable and the game plan was working. Aberdeen changed their shape which hurt us, but we’ve got to do better with those goals.
“They’re cracking finishes, and for me he’s one of the best strikers in the league.
“Kurtis Guthrie was very, very good tonight, but the ones in and around him need to take a bit more responsibility.
“Unfortunately I can’t afford players like Miovski.”
Kylian Mbappe marked his 25th birthday with a brace as Paris St Germain returned to winning ways in Ligue 1 with a 3-1 home victory over struggling Metz.
Mbappe had been a virtual passenger for long periods before he rifled home his first on the hour mark, and he added a second seven minutes from time to make sure of the points.
It was a welcome response from the shock of conceding a stoppage-time equaliser against Lille at the weekend and maintained PSG’s five-point lead at the top of the table.
But Metz gave them problems and briefly threatened to force their way back into the game after Matthieu Udol headed home their only goal to reduce the deficit in the 72nd minute.
PSG struggled to turn their near-constant possession into chances early in the opening period with Vitinha coming closest during a frantic spell in the visitors’ box.
Mbappe would almost certainly have won a penalty after 15 minutes when he was brought down by Metz goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja in the box, but he strayed marginally offside in the process.
Metz almost grabbed a shock lead 10 minutes later when the persistently dangerous Kevin Van Den Kerkhof crossed into the box and Danilo bounced a header against his own crossbar.
Mbappe drilled his only chance of a frustrating first period into the Metz wall, before PSG finally got on the scoresheet five minutes after half-time.
Lee Kang-in cut inside and found Vitinha whose volley from close-range put the home side 1-0 in front.
Mbappe might have hardly been in the game but he still rose to the occasion when it mattered, unleashing a 25-yard rocket on the hour that gave Oukidja no chance.
Just when the hosts looked set to cruise to victory, Metz gave them something to think about as Udol headed home to reduce the deficit, then the buoyant visitors forced a succession of corners.
But PSG were still carrying plenty of threat and they effectively sealed the win in the 83rd minute when Mbappe pounced on a poor back pass to lift the ball over the Metz keeper.
To round off a memorable night for Mbappe, his 16-year-old brother Ethan made his debut from the substitutes’ bench in the final moments.
Rangers moved to within two points of cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a comfortable 2-0 win over 10-man St Johnstone at Ibrox.
Philippe Clement, who had picked up his first trophy as Rangers boss on Sunday after the 1-0 Viaplay Cup final win over Aberdeen at Hampden Park, watched helplessly as luckless striker Kemar Roofe went off after just 16 minutes with another injury.
However, replacement Cyriel Dessers fired the Light Blues ahead in the 28th minute before Saints forward Diallang Jaiyesimi was almost immediately sent off for a hefty challenge on midfielder John Lundstram following a VAR intervention.
The dominant Light Blues doubled their lead in the 84th minute with a penalty from skipper James Tavernier, who had scored the winner at Hampden, and Rangers moved tantalisingly closer to the Hoops with a game in hand.
As expected Clement shuffled his pack again.
Kieran Dowell made just his third start of the season in midfield as John Souttar, Ridvan Yilmaz, Sam Lammers and Roofe made up the five changes from the starting line-up at Hampden while Saints boss Craig Levein brought back Andy Considine, Oludare Olufunwa and Sven Sprangler.
After barely a minute of a strangely low-key start to the match, Souttar required a lengthy spell of treatment for a facial injury after clashing with Max Kucheriavyi but there was more distressing injury news soon on its way for the home side.
Roofe, making his first start since October 8, had a couple of attempts on goal before he had to go off and the striker looked distraught, with Dessers taking over.
Rangers had the bulk of possession with the game played in the Perth side’s half but the Saints defence looked organised and disciplined until Olufunwa missed a cross from Tavernier which allowed Dessers to knock the ball past goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov and a VAR check confirmed there was no offside.
Almost straight from kick-off Jaiyesimi crunched Lundstram and VAR checked for serious foul play after referee Alan Muir gave the Englishman, on loan from Charlton, a yellow card.
The official checked the pitchside monitor and upgraded the yellow to a red, with Chris Kane soon coming on for Sprangler as Levein reshuffled.
Mitov saved a decent drive from Dessers in the 36th minute and Tavernier fired wide of the far post in added time but there was no sustained pressure on the Saints goal.
Lundstram stayed inside at the interval – where Santa got cheered from the Light Blues fans when he came out with the Viaplay Cup – with Dujon Sterling taking over and within minutes Rangers attacker Abdallah Sima volleyed a Tavernier corner just past the post before Mitov made a series of fine saves from Lammers, twice, and Dessers.
Sima missed the target with another effort in the 66th minute before being replaced by Scott Wright with Todd Cantwell on for Lammers.
There were further efforts from Cantwell and Tavernier before Mitov clearly brought down Dessers inside the box with the Rangers captain slamming the spot-kick low into the corner.
Curtis Jones’ double and strikes from Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah eased Liverpool into a record 19th League Cup semi-final with a 5-1 win over West Ham.
After Sunday’s disappointing goalless draw against Manchester United, the first time Jurgen Klopp’s side had failed to win at home this season, ended a run of 34 successive matches with a goal the Hammers provided less stubborn resistance.
West Ham manager David Moyes departed after a 21st unsuccessful attempt to win at Anfield as his club’s woeful record at the ground extended to one win in the last 56.
Bojan Miovski scored twice as Aberdeen came from behind to beat Livingston 2-1 and pick up a valuable three points in the cinch Premiership.
Livingston had failed to score in their previous seven matches, but ended that run as Kurtis Guthrie turned home from close range.
But Miovski netted either a goal in each half to earn the hosts a second successive league win, which moved them eight points clear of their rock-bottom opponents.
The Dons – looking to move on quickly from Sunday’s League Cup final defeat to Rangers – had the first effort of the match, but American midfielder Dante Polvara curled narrowly over the crossbar from 20 yards.
Livi responded strongly, with Jamie Brandon’s deep cross finding the head of Joel Nouble at the back post, but Kelle Roos was untroubled in the Aberdeen goal.
Aberdeen went closer when Graeme Shinnie’s low shot from range seemed to squirt off the Pittodrie turf and came back off the inside of the post before rolling away for a goal-kick.
But they were shocked in the 28th minute when Livingston ended what had been a seven-game scoreless streak.
The Dons defence failed to deal with a deep throw-in, allowing Ayo Obileye to turn the ball back across goal where Guthrie was perfectly placed to turn home from close range.
They could have been 2-0 ahead 10 minutes later as Scott Pittman turned neatly before firing towards goal, but Roos was equal to the effort.
Aberdeen hauled themselves level three minutes from the interval.
A patient move saw them work their way up the right flank, before Nicky Devlin whipped in a cross and Miovski powered a header past Shamal George in the Livi goal.
George was beaten again on the stroke of half-time as Miovski turned home a neat poacher’s effort after a free-kick from the right, but an offside flag ruled the goal out.
Aberdeen started the second period at a greater tempo, and Richard Jensen saw an effort from distance comfortably held by George.
James McGarry was also denied by the Livingston keeper before Miovski netted his second in the 65th minute.
Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes twisted and turned on the left before drilling a low ball to the near post, where Miovski got in front of his man to turn home his 14th goal of the campaign.
Livi threatened to draw level through former Don Bruce Anderson, just two minutes after coming off the bench, but the striker placed his shot narrowly wide of the post with only Roos to beat.
And at the other end, Miovski was unlucky not to add a third for the home side with a neat flick that was well saved by George.
Harry Kane produced a long-range stunner to help Bayern Munich close out 2023 with a 2-1 win at Wolfsburg.
Kane fired home from 25 yards in the 43rd minute for his 21st Bundesliga goal of the season to put Thomas Tuchel’s side in control after Jamal Musiala opened the scoring on his landmark appearance.
Wolfsburg captain Maximilian Arnold reduced the arrears on the stroke of half-time with a fine strike of his own, but Niko Kovac’s men were unable to take points off his former side Bayern, who stayed second and four points behind Bayer Leverkusen going into the mid-season break.
Tuchel could only name six substitutes at Volkswagen Arena and remained without Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich.
It was actually Wolfsburg who made the stronger start with Manuel Neuer forced to deny Mattias Svanberg early on, but it was not a sign of things to come.
Kane got his first sight of goal soon after although failed to connect sufficiently enough with his attempted volley as Bayern tried to stamp their authority on proceedings.
The visitors dominated possession and should have broke the deadlock in the 28th minute, but Thomas Muller failed to find the net with two efforts after Leroy Sane’s centre.
Muller, fresh from signing a new contract on Tuesday, headed against the crossbar minutes later before he turned provider with 33 minutes on the clock.
Bayern’s experienced attacker cut inside and produced a superb cross with his left foot that Musiala headed home to mark his 100th Bundesliga appearance in style.
A second assist followed for Muller 10 minutes later, but it was all about Kane as he curled into the top corner from range for his 25th goal in all competitions this season before he celebrated by sliding towards the corner flag.
It was not a perfect half for Tuchel though after Wolfsburg reduced the deficit in stoppage time when Arnold’s swerving effort beat Neuer from long range.
Wolfsburg pressed for a second after the break and had penalty appeals turned down when Svanberg went down in the area following contact from Kim Min-Jae, but play was waved on.
Tuchel reacted soon after with Matthijs de Ligt introduced for his first appearance since November 1 following a knee injury.
Raphael Guerreiro could have sealed the points with 16 minutes left, but his close-range shot was blocked.
Wolfsburg did fashion one late opportunity and Neuer punched away Arnold’s speculative effort.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel on Wednesday announced the 15-member squad to travel to Australia to play a two-Test series as part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) from 17 to 29 January 2024.
West Indies will again be led by Captain Kraigg Brathwaite, with fast bowler Alzarri Joseph named as the new Vice Captain. The squad will arrive in Australia on 30 December and will hold a preparation camp from 2 – 9 January in Adelaide, followed by a Four (4) Day First Class warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI at the Karen Rolton Oval (KRO) in Adelaide from 10 – 13 January.
The selectors have named several uncapped players in the squad. Among them are batter Zachary McCaskie, wicket-keeper Tevin Imlach; allrounders Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge and Kevin Sinclair, as well as fast bowlers Akeem Jordan and Shamar Joseph.
This, as Jayden Seales is unavailable for selection due to a shoulder injury, while Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers are unavailable as both expressed a preference to explore Twenty20 Franchise opportunities in January.
Speaking about the make-up of the squad, CWI Lead Selector, The Most Honourable Dr. Desmond Haynes said: “The squad has been affected by the unavailability of some key players. However, we have had a very strong red-ball program being run over the past year, which has unearthed significant talent throughout the region. The selected players have passed each test given to them and must now be given the opportunity to showcase their skills in the test arena. Australia away is always a challenge, but we are confident in our team.”
The two teams will again compete for the Frank Worrell Trophy – named in honor of the legendary West Indies all-rounder and captain. The first Test will be a red ball fixture at the Adelaide Oval from 17 to 21 January, and the second, a pink ball Day/Night contest at the Gabba in Brisbane from 25 to 29 January.
This is West Indies second Test Series out of a total of six to play in the new 2023-2025 ICC WTC cycle. The Test Series against Australia will be the first of three away series that West Indies will play in the WTC. West Indies drew one Test match and lost one against India in August.
Following the Test Series, West Indies will face Australia in three One-Day International and three T20 Internationals, and these squads will be announced at a later date.
FULL SQUAD
1. Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain)
2. Alzarri Joseph (Vice-Captain)
3. Tagenarine Chanderpaul
4. Kirk McKenzie
5. Alick Athanaze
6. Kavem Hodge
7. Justin Greaves
8. Joshua DaSilva
9. Akeem Jordan
10. Gudakesh Motie
11. Kemar Roach
12. Kevin Sinclair
13. Tevin Imlach
14. Shamar Joseph
15. Zachary McCaskie
Match Schedule (start times in brackets)
17-21 January: 1st Test at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
(Start Time: 15-20 January 7:30pm Eastern Caribbean/6:30pm Jamaica)
25-29 January: 2nd Test at the Gabba, Brisbane
(Start Time: 12 midnight Eastern Caribbean (24-28 January 11pm Jamaica)
Anthony Joshua kept his cards close to his chest with another low-key open workout ahead of Saturday’s fight with Otto Wallin in Riyadh.
Former two-time world heavyweight champion Joshua will step into the ring for 30th time this weekend, but the talk ahead of this latest bout in Saudi Arabia has swirled around a proposed clash with Deontay Wilder in 2024.
Wilder will face Joseph Parker on the same bill as Joshua on Saturday night and both men adopted different approaches for their open workouts on Wednesday, with the British boxer doing barely a minute of shadow boxing before he invited local youngsters into the ring.
Instead of Joshua being put through his paces, it was the aspiring fighters who worked up a sweat before the 34-year-old reiterated his focus is all about claiming the 27th victory of his career on Saturday.
“I do want to hurt him, that’s fact,” Joshua (26-3, 23KOs) told TNT Sports.
“This (workout) ain’t fun for me, this is just work. What will be fun is Saturday night getting my hand raised.
“All of this is really nice, but this ain’t for me. This is for the entertainment, for the viewers, for the people who have come to Saudi to watch a night of boxing. My entertainment is in the ring on Saturday night and I’m not there yet so I’ve got to stay focused.
“I’m here with you guys out of contractual obligations so I will fulfil my obligations but ultimately my true, true obligation is to fight on Saturday night.
“I need to win, I have to win and yeah, if it is destined and meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
Before Joshua stepped in the ring for his non-workout, which has been a feature of other fight weeks, his long-standing rival Wilder discussed the pressure being put on the Watford fighter.
View this post on Instagram
Wilder added: “It’s been so long that people talk about me and him getting in the ring. I think there is a lot more pressure on him than me.
“A lot of people talk about how he responded to media. I had a lot of media come up to me today and ask me about his behaviour. I say you all put a lot of pressure on him. He has got to focus on Otto Wallin.
“You put a lot of pressure on him, I wish everyone would back off him.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
