18/12/2025

SPORTS THURSDAY | DEC 18, 2025

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Carey goes from villain to hero

“Based on the allocations publicly available, this would mean that at best a few hundred fans per match and team would be lucky enough to take advantage of the US$60 prices, while the vast majority would still have to pay extortionate prices, way higher than at any tournament before.” Windies hope Xmas comes early CAPTAIN Roston Chase hopes that a bonding session over an early Christmas dinner will give the West Indies the festive spirit to beat New Zealand in the must-win third and final Test starting today at Mount Maunganui. The visitors trail 1-0 after being thrashed by nine wickets last week in Wellington and have not won in their previous seven Tests. The first Test at Christchurch was drawn. “Guys had some time to reflect,” Chase said yesterday of the heavy defeat at the Basin Reserve. “We had a bit of a chat and we had a team bonding session, a Christmas dinner. Just enjoying each other’s company.” The weather has not been quite in keeping with the buoyant mood. Heavy rain has battered the ground in recent days, hampering preparation of a pitch that usually suits spinners. Chase called the unusually green Mount Maunganui wicket “a bit shocking” after an initial assessment. “Looking at it I don’t think there will be much spin,“ Chase said. “I think seam will be more dangerous on this wicket.”

SHORTS

Climbdown after ticket price uproar FIFA has started a climbdown on the scandal of 2026 World Cup ticket prices, as 10% of all allocations for qualified nations will now involve tickets fixed at just US$60 (RM252) for every game. The announcement was nevertheless made without any consultation with fan groups, who didn’t know it was coming and feel the numbers are still divisively low. England, for example, have 610 supporters with “top caps” – the fans who have hit a certain number of appearances to warrant priority treatment – but such a number is unlikely to be fully covered by the “newly introduced Supporter Entry Tier” at any individual match. It could mean one fan pays US$480 (RM2,016) if England go all the way to the final, and another – with identical caps – pays around US$7,000 (RM29,400). What’s more, over 98% of tickets for the tournament remain unchanged. Football Supporters Europe say: “Following significant pressure from supporters, Fifa has partially relented on its ticket price structuring. “This shows that Fifa’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation – including with Fifa’s own member associations. “While we welcome Fifa’s seeming recognition of the damage its original plans were to cause, the revisions do not go far enough to reconcile.

HOMETOWN HERO Alex Carey (pic) scored his first Ashes century to rescue Australia from a batting meltdown as England’s bowlers toiled in an Adelaide Oval cauldron on a scorching opening day of the third Test yesterday. Wicketkeeper Carey’s 106 helped drive Australia to 326 for eight at stumps, with Mitchell Starc

hovering around 35°C, England’s pros pects appeared bleak after Carey and Starc pushed the hosts past 300. With day two expected to hit 39°C, the tourists will be desperate for quick wickets in the morning to avert another punishing day in the field. Yet again, England had moments of ascendancy but they were unable to take their chances.

(33 not out) and Nathan Lyon, scoreless off 18 balls, having provided stubborn tail-end resistance. Batting at No. 4, Usman Khawaja capi talised on his late inclusion in place of an unwell Steve Smith, scoring 82 off 126 balls.

Khawaja was the chief beneficiary, being dropped on three by Harry Brook at second slip with a thick edge off the bowling of recalled paceman Josh Tongue. A diving Brydon

Carse put down a tougher chance to remove Carey for 52 when he smashed Archer into the covers.

He and Carey com bined in a crucial 91-run stand that pulled the hosts from peril after they were reduced to 94 for four straight after lunch. Trailing 2-0 in the series, England’s hopes of keeping the Ashes alive suffered an early blow when home captain Pat Cummins won the toss and put his team in to bat on a firm wicket begging for a big score. By stumps, with the temperature still

Captain Ben Stokes burned two of England’s reviews trying to dislodge Carey, first for lbw when he was on 52 and later for a caught-behind appeal on 72. But he held on stubbornly to raise his third test century from 135 balls and soak up chants of “Carey! Carey!” from the sell out crowd of 56,298 at his home stadium. – Reuters

‘Catastrophic mismatch’ Safety fears as Paul faces Joshua in Netflix-backed spectacle

IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT SHAH ALAM IN THE STATE OF SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN OF MALAYSIA (COMMERCIAL DIVISION) COMPANIES WINDING-UP NO.: BA-28NCC-849-12/2025 In the matter of Section 466 of the Companies Act, 2016 And In the matter of HUSSEIN KHAMIS SDN BHD (Company No. 199401014722 [300402-X]) BETWEEN

Notices

322

IN THE HIGH COURT OF MALAYA AT JOHOR BAHRU IN THE STATE OF JOHOR DARUL TAKZIM, MALAYSIA COMPANIES (WINDING-UP) NO.: JA-28NCC-187-10/2025 In the Matter of Section 465(1) (e) and Section 466(1)(a) of the Companies Act, 2016 And In the matter of SKL Piling & Construction Sdn. Bhd. (Company No.: 200101017330 [553087-X]) And In the Matter of Companies (Winding-Up) Rules 1972 BETWEEN SANY CAPITAL MALAYSIA SDN. BHD. [COMPANY NO.: 202101040099 (1440399-D)] … PETITIONER AND SKL PILING & CONSTRUCTION SDN. BHD.[COMPANY NO.: 200101017330 (553087-X)] … RESPONDENT ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a Petition for the winding-up of the abovenamed Company by the High Court at Johor Bahru was,on the 14th day of October, 2025 presented to the said Court by SANY CAPITAL MALAYSIA SDN. BHD. of 3rd Floor, Batu 9,Jalan Klang Lama,Seri Setia,46000 Petaling Jaya,Selangor Darul Ehsan. And that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the Court sitting at the High Court,Johor Bahru at 9.00 o’clock in the forenoon on the 4th February 2026 ; and any creditor or contributory of the said Company desiring to support or oppose the making of an Order on the said Petition may appear at the time of hearing by himself for his Counsel for that purpose; and a copy of the Petition will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the said Company requiring the same by the undersigned on payment of the regulated charge for the same. The Petitioner’s address is 3rd Floor, Batu 9,Jalan Klang Lama,Seri Setia,46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. The Petitioner’s Solicitors is Messrs. Ben Lee & Sharen of The Hive, No. 9, Jalan 3/109E, Desa Business Park, Taman Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur. Dated this 12th December 2025. t.t. ……………………………… Messrs Ben Lee & Sharen, Solicitors for the Petitioner abovenamed NOTE: Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the said Petition must serve on or send by post to the abovenamed Messrs.Ben Lee & Sharen of The Hive, No. 9, Jalan 3/109E, Desa Business Park, Taman Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur, a Notice in writing of his intention so to do. The Notice must state the name and address of the person,or if a firm,the name and address of the firm,and must be signed by the person or firm or his or their Solicitors (if any) and must be served,or if posted,must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the abovenamed not later than twelve o’clock noon on 3rd February 2026. [REF: LIT.012.25.BL.A(wup)]

PETRONAS DAGANGAN BERHAD (Company No. 198201008499 [88222-D])

vs

PETITIONER

AND HUSSEIN KHAMIS SDN BHD (Company No.

199401014722

[300402-X])

RESPONDENT

ADVERTISEMENT OF PETITION NOTICE is hereby given that a Petition for the Winding-Up of the abovenamed Company by the High Court, was on 3rd December 2025 presented by PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad (Company No:198201008499 [88222-D]) of Tower 1, PETRONAS Twin Towers,Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, the above said Petitioning Company and that the said Petition is directed to be heard before the Court sitting at the High Court of Malaya at Shah Alam at 9.30 a.m, on the 4th March 2026; and any creditor or contributory of the said Company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the said Petition may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his Counsel for that purpose and a copy of the Petition will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the said Company requiring the same by the undersigned on payment to the regulated charge for the same. The Petitioner’s address is at Tower 1, PETRONAS Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur. The Petitioner’s solicitors are Messrs Ghazi & Lim of 12th Floor, Unit 8, Wisma New Asia, Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur. Dated 12th December 2025. SGD ………………………………. Messrs. Ghazi & Lim Solicitors for the Petitioner NOTE: Any person who intends to appear on the hearing of the said Petition must serve on or send by post to the abovenamed Solicitors for the Petitioner notice in writing of his intention to do so. The notice must state the name and address of the person, or, if a firm, the name and address of the firm and must be signed by the person or firm,or his or their Solicitors (if any) and must be served, or, if posted, must be sent by post in sufficient time to reach the abovenamed not later than twelve o’clock (12.00) noon of the 3rd March 2026 (the day before the day appointed for the hearing of the Petition) [Ref: P7/24/MRG/PVK/arz]

Anthony Joshua (left) and Jake Paul during open workouts at the Fontainebleau Hotel, Florida ahead of Saturday’s fight. – REUTERSPIC

Y OUTUBER turned prizefighter Jake Paul faces former heavyweight cham pion Anthony Joshua on Saturday in a money-spinning made-for-streaming bout that has triggered alarm across the box ing world. Just over a year after his much-derided victory over a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, the 28 year-old American Paul will climb into the ring at Miami’s Kaseya Centre to confront a far younger – and vastly more dangerous – opponent in the 36-year-old Joshua. The Netflix -backed spectacle, which reportedly will see the fighters split a staggering US$184 million (RM773m) purse, has drawn fierce criticism, with many questioning why it was sanctioned. The British Board of Control has said it would not have approved the fight on safety grounds. Other fighters have warned that given the gulf in class, physical size and talent, Paul risks serious injury. For his most recent fight in June, the 1.85m Paul tipped the scales at 90.4kg. Britain’s Joshua, who at 2.01m towers above Paul, weighed in at 114.5kg for his last outing in 2024. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s long-time promoter, described Saturday’s fight as a “catastrophic mismatch” before the contracts had even been signed.

insists he is ready to shock the world while acknowledging his ambitions are “delusional.” “I like to challenge myself against the best. We’re going to go to war and the best man will win,” Paul said last month. “I have gotten to where I am today because of delusional optimism. It’s delusion until it’s not. It’s got me to where I am today.” Joshua insists he is tackling the fight as seriously as any other. “If I’m gonna be honest, I’m gonna break his face, I’m gonna break his body up, I’m gonna stomp all over him,” Joshua said. That gruesome scenario is precisely what some analysts fear. Michael Bisping, the UFC hall-of-famer and combat sports commentator, has dismissed any chance of Paul springing a David vs Goliath type upset. “Jake Paul is not going to go out there and turn this into a real life David and Goliath. That ain’t going to happen, and everybody knows that. “If this is a real fight – and apparently it is, so we’ll go with that – there’s a very good chance that somebody gets hurt, and I’m sorry to say it ain’t going to be Anthony Joshua,” Bisping said. “Joshua has been in there with the best of the best. (In) boxing, people die. This is not a game. You don’t play at boxing.” – AFP

Other voices in the boxing world though have painted a darker picture, with former world heavyweight champion David Haye warning that the fight could be Paul’s “last day on earth.” Amir Khan, Britain’s former light welterweight champion, said a crushing victory for Joshua may even have lasting implications for boxing, turning viewers off the recent trend of crossover fights involving internet celebrities like Paul. “I think this could be the end of YouTubers jumping in with real active fighters,” Amir told the Daily Mail . “Because it only takes one shot. “One bad night, one clean shot, and someone can get seriously hurt. We’ve seen the way someone’s whole life can be altered.” Amir believes Paul will have no chance if Joshua makes full use of his physical advantages and superior ringcraft, as he did when inflicting a devastating second-round knockout of novice boxer Francis Ngannou last year. “AJ can bang,” Amir said. “He’s a former world champion. He’s got power, size, everything. If he lands clean, the damage he can do is scary. Especially when he is landing it on someone like Jake Paul. He’s not capable of taking that sort of power.” Paul, whose limited ring record includes 12 wins and one defeat with seven knockouts,