GB beat Iran to reach World Championship final

Phil Pratt has been a key figure for GB all tournament

Holders Great Britain put in a strong second-half display to beat Iran 64-44 and reach the men's final at the Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Dubai.

They will face Paralympic champions the USA in Tuesday's decider in a repeat of the 2018 final.

Gregg Warburton top-scored for GB with 22 points as Lee Manning added 19.

GB had defeated Iran at this stage of the last Worlds in 2018 and also beat them 90-59 in their opening pool game.

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But the Iranians have improved as the tournament has gone on and they scored the opening six points of the game before Simon Brown got GB on the board.

The rest of the GB starting five - Lee Manning, Phil Pratt, Harry Brown and Gregg Warburton - ensured they quickly recovered and they held a 12-10 lead after the first quarter before extending their advantage after an equally tight second quarter.

But GB upped their defensive game after the break and piled the pressure on the Iranians, forcing them into errors while Pratt, Manning and Warburton dominated the boards and also kept the scoreboard ticking over.

They built up a double-digit lead for the first time (40-30) thanks to a Harry Brown free-throw with four minutes and 37 seconds remaining in the third and were in control after that.

There has been a keen rivalry between GB and the USA for many years.

The USA won the play-off for bronze at the London 2012 Paralympics, but GB emerged victorious when they met in the final at the last Worlds in Germany, and were 65-56 winners in the pool game this time.

The tournament was due to be held in November 2022, but was delayed because of the Fifa World Cup.

Although no Paris Paralympic quota places are up for grabs at this event, GB and the Netherlands, who lost 52-41 to the US in the other semi-final, both reaching the last four, meaning that the finalists at next month's European Championships in Rotterdam will qualify for the 2024 Games.