AFP – LONDON

The British government plans to hold talks with major sports during the next week in a move designed to see a return of action as soon as possible amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The pandemic has led to the suspension of established sport in Britain.

But it is understood the government accept the potential boost to national morale that could come with a resumption of sport after months of Britain being in state of lockdown.

This week saw Culture Sec-retary Oliver Dowden tell MPs he had been having “pro-ductive talks” with governing bodies from across British sport on restarting following the coronavirus shutdown.

Meanwhile, England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison said

his organisation had been asked by Dowden’s department to lead a cross-sport group also including football, horse racing, tennis and rugby.

A source told the BBC that the upcoming meeting, the first of a regular series, represented a “quickening of the pace” and was intended to help sport resume “within weeks”, if progress was made.

The meetings, however, are regarded as “preparatory”, and meant to avoid a further delay to seasons being resumed once approval is granted, rather than indicate an imminent resumption of normal sporting activity.

Sports will be looked at on an individual basis, meaning some could resume sooner than others, although there is an acceptance any fixtures would have to be behind closed doors as things stand.

Any return of live action

would also have to pass gov-ernment guidance on hygiene, virus testing, and the mainte-nance of social distancing.

They will also likely involve strict limits on the numbers of people allowed into venues.

The coronavirus, which has killed more than 19,000 people in the UK, has led to the suspension of the 2019/20

seasons in both English foot-ball’s Premier League and Football League.

Meanwhile, Scottish offi-cials have already ended their lower league seasons, although English rugby union’s Premiership are aiming for a possible resumption of their campaign in July.

The start of the cricket season in England and Wales has been delayed until July, while this year’s London Mar-athon, due to be run yesterday, has been pushed back until October.

But the 2020 British Open golf and Wimbledon tennis championships have been can-celled completely, with the first nine races of the Formula One season called off.

Meanwhile, both this year’s Tokyo Olympics and football’s European Championships have been held over until 2021.

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MONDAY 27 APRIL 2020

UK government to hold restart talks with sports bodies

Paris 2024 plans ‘obsolete’: IOC memberAFP – PARIS

Plans for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are “obsolete and outdated” in light of the coronavirus pandemic, IOC member and former French Sports Minister Guy Drut said yesterday.

F o r m e r O l y m p i c champion Drut, who won gold in the 110m hurdles in 1976 and took silver four years before, added in a column for franceinfo that the Olympic Games needed to be “reinvented” to put them more in touch with reality.

“The crisis we’re going through has a lasting impact on our daily lives, our way of life, our economy, our social pact, our choice of society,” wrote Drut.

“It cannot and must not remain without effect on the imperative necessity which is to reinvent ourselves.

“The Olympic and Paral-ympic Games are no exception to this new context. They too must reinvent themselves.”

The International Olympic Committee, jointly with local

organisers, has been forced into delaying the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by one year to 2021 because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

But Drut, an IOC member since 1996, argued that

postponement of dates was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Can the response to this crisis be translated by simply postponing dates, without the Games model -- both eco-nomic and organisational

-- also being deeply rethought?” asked the 69-year-old, who served as sports minister in France between 1995-7 under Jacques Chirac.

“The beautiful project that we built and carried in the bid

phase for Paris 2024 is now obsolete, outdated, out of touch with reality.

“If the project is to remain unchanged, we must review its means and refocus on the essential. The first necessity is to make a budgetary reas-sessment of what Paris 2024 Olympics will cost.

“The Games of yesterday will not be the Games of tomorrow. We have to accept that and together imagine a new model.

“We have to rethink them to adapt them, to keep them relevant to the changing world. They will not be able to take place at any cost, disconnected from reality, on the ‘margins’ of the world.”

In that context, Drut sug-gested hosting certain events on a single site “whatever the organising country”, citing as an example Tahiti or Hawaii for surfing.

He also proposed limiting the number of additional sports.

“It is very expensive to build new equipment for an event that lasts only three, four days,” Drut argued.

A computer-generated image of a Paris 2024 Olimpic Games venue, the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Plans for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are “obsolete and outdated” in light of the coronavirus pandemic, IOC member and former French Sports Minister Guy Drut said yesterday.

The crisis we’re going through has a lasting impact on our daily lives, our way of life, our economy, our social pact, our choice of society. It cannot and must not remain without effect on the imperative necessity which is to reinvent ourselves. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are no exception to this new context. They too must reinvent themselves: IOC member and former French Sports Minister Guy Drut

Athletes run across Tower Bridge as they compete in the 2019 London Marathon in central London in this file photo taken on April 28, 2019. The British government plans to hold talks with major sports during the next week in a move designed to see a return of action as soon as possible.

Thiem says struggling playersdon’t deserve his hard-won money

AFP – VIENNA

Tennis world number three Dominic Thiem expressed scep-ticism yesterday about plans to set up a fund to help lower-ranked players struggling

because of the shutdown of the sport.

In an interview with Austria’s Krone newspaper, Thiem was asked about last

week’s announcement by world number one Novak Djokovic that he was working with Roger Federer

and Rafael Nadal to organise aid for

players strug-gling with the paralysis of the game due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“ Q u i t e honestly I have to say that no tennis player will be fighting to survive, even those

who are much lower-ranked,” Thiem said, adding: “None of them are going to starve.”

He said that his experience competing on the sport’s Futures circuit had shown him that there are “many, many players who don’t put the sport above every-thing else and don’t live in a pro-fessional manner.”

“I wouldn’t really see why I should give such players money,” he went on.

“I would rather give money to people or organisations that really need it,” Thiem said.

The plan proposed by Djokovic would involve raising between $3m and $4.5m, with the cash coming from the prize money for the season-ending World Tour Finals or the final bonus pools for top players.

“None of us top players got anything handed to us, we all had to fight our way up,” Thiem said. “I don’t have the guarantee in any job that I will do well and earn lots of money, that’s my opinion on the matter,” he said.

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Kipchoge, Cheruiyot urge fans to remain hopeful

IANS – NAIROBI

Olympic champions Eliud Kipchoge and Vivian Cheruiyot have urged their fans to remain hopeful even as the world battles the effect of coro-navirus globally.

The two were due to compete yesterday in London marathon, but the race has been postponed.

Organisers have picked on October 4 as the new dates if the health situation allows, reports Xinhua news agency. Cheruiyot, who has recovered from a tendon injury, which ruled her out of the Berlin marathon last year, says despite there being no competition across the sports spectrum, she was happy to be healthy and said she will live to compete again soon.

“Today, there will be no London marathon, but we will be back in action soon. Stay positive and stay healthy,” said Cheruiyot yesterday from Eldoret.

On his side, Kipchoge,

who is unable to train with his team-mates, says the virus will be defeated and sports will flourish yet again.

“We will return to action stronger and with a lot of hope,” he said.

“The important thing is to remain focused and disciplined. We have a war to fight against the coronavirus, but we have a responsibility to remain healthy and safe.”

The two were also named in the Kenya team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics before it was pushed back to 2021. But with no guarantees, Cheruiyot hopes to remain injury free and will always honour a call to rep-resent the country in the Olympics.

“One year is a long time and we want to be in our best shape and compete. But we will be patient and see how the season unfolds. The important thing for now is to remain

safe, there are no immediate plans on sports and we have to live with that. Until then, we just train as often as we can under the health

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09MONDAY 27 APRIL 2020 SPORT

F1 driver Lando Norris wins on IndyCar iRacing debutAP — NEW YORK

Formula One driver Lando Norris embarrassed the field in his IndyCar iRacing debut by dominating race at virtual Circuit of the Americas in Texas.

Norris was poised to begin his second F1 season with McLaren in March when a team member tested positive for the new coronavirus at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and the series immediately suspended competition.

The 20-year-old British driver is a skilled iRacer and competed in the virtual event for Arrow McLaren SP, an IndyCar team that McLaren partnered with for this season to enter the American series.

Norris dominated quali-fying to start from the pole and relinquished the lead during a pit stop. He then picked his way back through the 33-driver field on the virtual road course in Austin,

Texas, and regained the lead with four laps remaining when Felix Rosenqvist spun.

His victory snapped a three-race iRacing winning streak for Team Penske that included consecutive victories by Simon Pagenaud.

Norris overcame a spin after his pit stops, then a chal-lenge from Arrow McLaren rookie Patricio O’Ward.

“It was a tough race espe-cially Pato chasing me down on new tires at the end,” Norris said. “I didn’t think I’d get back to the front after that spin.”

Norris had more than 20,000 viewers streaming his race on the gaming app Twitch as he crossed the finish line - numbers that dwarf any of the regular IndyCar competitors.

O’Ward gave Arrow McLaren a 1-2 finish, followed by Rosenqvist of Chip Ganassi Racing.

“It was good, but man, Lando is quick in the SIM,”

said O’Ward, who turns 21 in May and is re-adjusting to racing on a simulator after letting it sit idle during real competition.

“I just got it back up and running ever since we started this iRacing challenge in IndyCar. But I’m proud that we got 1-2, I was pushing hard at the end to get to him and couldn’t get him.”

Norris, who competed via an invitation from IndyCar, said he uses the simulator as a tool to sharpen his skills. He said his rig “is the best stuff you can get, which is important because I really see using SIM to help my driving and work with my engineer.

“I don’t just use it for fun, I use it for a lot of work. To replicate things in real life.”

IndyCar had planned to compete next race at “a dream track” not currently on the circuit for what is supposed to be the series’ iRacing finale. Instead, the series announced after the race it will compete

next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a 175-mile event for a 33-driver field.

The league will give guar-anteed spots to all full-time IndyCar entrants, as well as any winner of a previous iRacing event, which makes Norris, Australian V8 SuperCars champion Scott McLaughlin and part-time IndyCar driver Sage Karam eligible.

The remaining slots in the field will be determined by a Wednesday qualifying session that mimics actual Indy 500 qualifying - drivers will earn their starting position based on their average speed over four laps.

IndyCar suspended its season two days before the March 15 opening race and the Indianapolis 500 has been moved to August. The series is hoping to start its season June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway, the next race on the schedule that has yet to be canceled or postponed.

The computer generated image shows Lando Norris, driver of the Arrow McLaren SP Dallara, races during the IndyCar Auto Nation iRacing Challenge at virtual Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

It was a tough race especially Pato chasing me down on new tires at the end. I didn’t think I’d get back to the front after that spin: Formula One driver Lando Norris

Five-star recruit Maker entering NBA draftAGENCIES — NEW YORK

Five-star prospect Makur Maker (pictured) is entering the 2020 NBA Draft, ESPN reported Saturday.

The 6-foot-11 center was born in Kenya and raised in Australia before moving to California in 2015. His cousin is Detroit Pistons forward Thon Maker. Maker is ranked as the No. 12 recruit in the Class of 2020 by both ESPN and the 247Sports composite.

Earlier this year, the NBA determined that the 19-year-old Maker was eligible for the draft after he had fallen two credits shy of graduating with his original 2019 high school class in Irvine, Calif.

The draft is scheduled for June 25 in Brooklyn, NY, although the date and location are uncertain.

Snell clinches play-off berth in MLB The Show

Guenther wins Formula E ‘Race at Home’ opener

REUTERS — WASHINGTON

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell posted a 2-1 record on Saturday to clinch a play-off spot in the MLB The Show Players League.

Snell moved to 21-4, while second-place Joey Gallo (19-4) of the Texas Rangers was idle.

The 2018 American League Cy Young winner continued his dominance, beating Colorado Rockies outfielder David Dahl 13-0 and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ty Buttrey 6-0. Only Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto got the best of Snell, winning 2-0.

Gallo’s magic number fell to one to clinch one of eight spots in the playoffs.

The online tournament uti-lizing the “MLB The Show 20” game features one player from each of the 30 major league teams. The charity event is helping fill some time for players and fans with the baseball season shut down indefinitely due to the coro-navirus pandemic.

All players will square off once in a 29-game round robin over three weeks. Each reg-ular-season game lasts three innings, and there are extra innings when needed.

The postseason will cul-minate in a May 3 World Series. The play-offs will utilize a best-of-three format until the World Series, which will be best-of-five.

Among the other top players, San Diego Padres infielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was 2-3 on the day to fall from sixth place into a tie for eighth with pitcher Amir Garrett (2-1 on Saturday) of the Cincinnati Reds. Garrett and Tatis have 17-10 records.

Fights resume in Nicaragua because ‘boxers have to eat’

AP — MANAGUA, NICARAGUA

With the world pretty much devoid of sports events because of the coronavirus pandemic, boxing resumed in Nicaragua on Saturday night with a tele-vised eight-fight card in front of a live, though sparse audience in Managua.

Promoter Rosendo Álvarez, a former two-time world champion, had dismissed the threat of the virus,

“Here we don’t fear the coronavirus, and there is no quarantine. The three deaths (reported so far by the Ministry of Health) came from outside and nobody within the country has been contaminated,” Álvarez, known as “El Búfalo,” said before the event.

But his offer of free tickets appeared to fill only about a tenth of the 8,000 seats in the Alexis Argoello gym. Officials did not announce attendance figures.

The fights were broadcast by Nicaragua’s state-owned Canal 6 and ESPN Latin America through its ESPN KnockOut program.

Alvarez said he signed up the 16 local boxers for the card because they needed to work.

“Nicaragua is a poor

country and the boxers have to eat. They can’t stay shut up in their house,” he said.

The government insists Nic-aragua has been barely touched by COVID-19. The Ministry of Health reports only 11 positive cases and the three deaths. Meanwhile, in neighbouring or nearby coun-tries the regional Central American Integration System has reported roughly 13,000

cases and about 500 deaths. The Nicaraguan baseball and soccer leagues are still playing, and Saturday’s local sports pages included stories on a triathlon and school wrestling tournaments.

President Daniel Ortega recently ordered 1.8 million stu-dents back to school and 170,000 state employees back to work following a 15-day vacation.

Harold Ardon (left) and Angel Blass fight during the boxing evening at the Alexis Arguello Sports Center, in Managua.

Some NBA clubs can reopen facilities on Friday, says reportAFP — LOS ANGELES

NBA team practice facilities will reportedly reopen on Friday in states and cities where coronavirus pandemic stay-at-home requirements have been loosened, allowing players to conduct individual workouts.

ESPN reported that teams will remain banned from conducting group workouts or other activities, citing unnamed sources.

The May 1 move would allow players to return to team facilities in such states as Georgia, home of the Atlanta Hawks, and Oklahoma, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder, for fitness workouts in a safe and controlled environment.

The move, according to the report, does not reflect a new t imetable for resumption of the 2019-20 season, which was halted March 12 when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was diagnosed with the deadly virus.

But it would mark a small first step on the road back to

a possible completion of the regular season and playoffs, which typically last two months.

Most areas with NBA teams have more restrictive confinement measures remaining in place, so the league is telling clubs they will work to find alternative workout arrangements for players not in areas where they could report to team facilities.

With many NBA players not hunkered down in their club’s home markets, it could happen that NBA franchises with open facilities allow players from opposing clubs to use gyms on a limited basis for solo workouts.

Some general managers, according to ESPN, expressed concerns about the safety of reopening facilities given that medical officials have been against the idea of reopening businesses.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said he will not begin to consider a timetable for resumption until May.

The NBA play-offs were to have started on April 18.

49ers trade receiver Goodwin to Eagles on final day of NFL draftAFP — LOS ANGELES

The Philadelphia Eagles acquired wide receiver Marquise Goodwin and a sixth-round pick from the San Fran-cisco 49ers, the final day of the NFL entry draft.

The Eagles used their sixth round draft pick from the 49ers to take Nigerian offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho, who played last season at Auburn University.

In return, the 49ers received the 190th pick in the draft which they used to take tight end Charlie Woerner of University

of Georgia. This was the NFL’s first-ever virtual draft as the league’s 32 GMs were forced to make their selections from locations across the United States. A planned Las Vegas gala event had to be scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 29-year-old Goodwin spent the past three seasons with the 49ers, catching 91 passes for 1,543 yards and seven touchdowns in 36 games.

The Texan’s best season came in his first in San Fran-cisco in 2017, with career bests of 56 catches for 962 yards. He is due to earn almost $4m in

salary next season. The 1.96 metre Wanogho started 32 games for Auburn after winning the starting left tackle role in 2017.

Wanogho was born in Delta State, Nigeria and moved to the United States to pursue a bas-ketball career. Wanogho switched to American football and won a scholarship despite having played just one year of the sport.

The 49ers also traded running back Matt Breida to the Miami Dolphins for a fifth-round draft pick. The 49ers used the pick to select West Virginia tackle Colton McKivitz.

Meanwhile, the New England Patriots selected Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round, making the Marshall product the first kicker selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Rohrwasser, 23, will be looked upon to fill the shoes of long-time kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who was released last month by the Patriots.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Rohrwasser converted 18-of-21 field-goal attempts for Marshall this past season, including 7-of-8 from 40-plus yards with two from at least 50 yards.

Marquise Goodwin

REUTERS — LONDON

BMW i Andretti driver Maxi-milian Guenther won the first round of the Formula E “Race at Home Challenge” around a virtual Hong Kong circuit as the all-electric series gave motorsport-starved fans some esports action.

It was the 22-year-old German driver's second suc-cessive virtual victory after he registered victory in the test race around the Monaco street circuit layout a week earlier.

New Zealander Nick Cassidy, a stand-in for Brit-ain’s Sam Bird at Envision Virgin Racing, was second with German former F1 racer Pascal Wehrlein third for Mahindra.

Formula E is following other championships, such as Formula One and MotoGP, in using virtual racing between the drivers to fill the void left by the COVID-19 pandemic which has brought sport to a standstill.

The all-electric series’ version, run over nine con-secutive weekends and with all drivers competing from home, is also raising funds for the UN children’s fund UNICEF’s global coronavirus appeal.

“We are all competitors and we want to win so even though it’s not the real world we want to be in the very top,” said Guenther.

“I hope the fans really enjoyed what we are doing here.”

Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne started the race on pole position for Mer-cedes but ended up in fifth position.

10 MONDAY 27 APRIL 2020SPORT

Tough for Murray to win another Grand Slam, says RusedskiREUTERS - LONDON

The extended lockdown of tennis will help Andy Murray’s return from injury but it will be “a big ask” for him to add to his three Grand Slam titles, according to former British number one Greg Rusedski.

Murray underwent hip re-surfacing surgery at the start of 2019 and resumed playing doubles in June before returning to singles action in August.

He did not compete at the U.S. Open but won the title in Antwerp in October -- his first on the ATP Tour for two years.

Murray, 32, has not played a competitive match this year because of bone bruising near the site of his surgery.

With tennis unlikely to return until at least late July because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Scot has plenty of time to get himself 100 percent fit for when play resumes.

Yet Rusedski says it will be tough for twice Wimbledon champion Murray to regain his former place in the so-called big four of men’s tennis alongside Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

“The good news for him is that he’s had more of a rest at this point,” Rusedski told Sky Sports on Sunday. “Hopefully his body comes back, but to challenge week in week out with Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, (Stefanos) Tsitsipas is going to be hard.

“Can he win matches. Can he possibly win a Tour event, yes he can do so. But to win Slams, that’s three out of five sets, seven matches, that’s a little bit difficult. It’s possible he can get to a quarter-final, fourth round, but to go all the way with the surgeries he’s had, that’s a big ask.

“But I hope he proves me wrong, like he’s done on several occasions.”

Former world number one Murray is now ranked at 129. Next week he will swap his racked for a controller as he plays in the ‘virtual’ Madrid Open, featuring 32 of the world’s best players including Nadal and Dominic Thiem.

Great Britain’s Andy Murray celebrates winning the Wimbledon final against Canada’s Milos Raonic in this July 10, 2016, file photo.

Australian coach Cahill rallies behind ATP/WTA merger ideaREUTERS - MUMBAI

Australian Darren Cahill (pictured), the coach of two-times Grand Slam winner Simona Halep, has backed the idea of merging the men’s and women’s tours, saying it would make tennis simpler for both players and fans.

Roger Federer called for a merger between the two governing bodies on Wednesday on social media with the men’s ATP Tour Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi and his women’s WTA Tour coun-terpart Steve Simon both welcoming the suggestion.

Cahill, who has also previously worked with Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt, said uniformity in rules and rankings will help all stakeholders.

“I think, hypothetically, it would be a pretty good position for a tennis player to be in, because you know that every single decision being made is made in the best interest of the game,” Cahill told the National newspaper.

Governance in tennis remains fractious with as many as seven associations running different parts of the game.

Besides the ATP and the WTA Tours, the sport is also con-trolled by the International Tennis Federation and the boards of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Currently TV viewers need different pay-TV platforms to watch tennis matches and a merger of the Tours would simplify tele-vision contracts and sponsorship deals.

“At the moment, as a fan of tennis, if you want to try to follow tennis, whether it’s Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the WTA, the ATP, smaller events, there are so many different platforms a fan has to sub-scribe to and it’s confusing,” Cahill said.

“Social media becomes much easier as well, if the tours are merged. Instead of competing against each other for a social media space, that becomes all one.”

Issues over equal prize money and equal standing are road-blocks that need to be crossed, Cahill said.

“At the moment the men command a little more at the nego-tiating table when we’re talking about TV rights,” he said.

“I think, to a large extent, everyone will take this. Obviously there would be some resentment from some male players but the majority I think would see the benefits and understand that this is the right thing to do.”

Former world number four Greg Rusedski, now a television pundit, also backs a merger of men’s and women’s tennis.

“I think it would be a good idea because you look at the biggest events in the world right now, the four majors, the Masters Series in Miami and Indian Wells and Rome, they are combined events, and I think it’s good,” he told Sky Sports.

“If you put the men’s and women’s games together it’s a better product and better for the fans.”

Yuvraj recalls 2007 six sixes, reveals chat with Chris Broad IANS - LONDON

Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh recalled how former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff angered him that led to the southpaw hitting six sixes off Stuart Broad during the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 in 2007.

Yuvraj slammed six max-imums in one Broad over during his majestic 14-ball 58 which ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides as India won the match by 18 runs.

“Freddie was just being Freddie - he said a few words and I said a few words back,” Yuvraj said during a BBC podcast.

“I was just happy the six sixes came against England because I got hit for five sixes by Dimitri Mascarenhas a few weeks earlier in an ODI.

“When I hit the sixth six, obviously the first look was at Freddie but the second look was at Dimitri, who gave me a smile.”

Yuvraj also recalled the subsequent conversation with Stuart Broad’s father Chris. He revealed Broad senior asked him for a signed jersey for ‘almost’ finishing his son’s career.

“His dad, Chris Broad, is a match referee and he came up to me the next day and said ‘you almost finished my son’s career and now you need to sign a shirt for him’,” Yuvraj said.

“So I gave my India jersey and wrote a message for Stuart saying, ‘I have been hit for five sixes so I know how it feels. For the future of England cricket, all the best’.

“Stuart is one of the best bowlers in the world now. I don’t think any bowler from India could get hit for six sixes in an over and then have such a fantastic career,” he added.

Meanwhile terming World Cups as the pinnacle, India limited overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma has said his wish is to win the coveted trophy.

Ace opener Rohit, who leads Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has been part of two World Cups (2015, 2019).

India crashed out in the semi-finals on both occasions, losing to Australia and New Zealand respectively.

“Every time you go out

there you want to win every game but the World Cup is the pinnacle of everything. I want to win World Cups,” Rohit said in a message posted on Mumbai Indians’ official Twitter handle.

In an Instagram chat with ace off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, Rohit recently said his target is to help the Indian team win two of the three World Cups they are slated to be part of in the near future.

India are scheduled to take part in the 2020 T20 World Cup later this year in Australia fol-lowed by another T20 World Cup in India next year. Then there is the 2023 Fifty-over World Cup.

“We know we have three World Cups coming up. Among the three World Cups, we should win at-least two. That is my goal,” Rohit had said.

Rohit will celebrate his 33rd birthday on April 30.

England's Knight concerned for women’s sport post-virusAFP - LONDON

England women’s cricket captain Heather Knight revealed yesterday her “worry” that all women’s sport could get left behind once the corona-virus pandemic ends.

Sport around the world has been left in limbo by COVID-19 and now there are concerns that cash-strapped governing bodies, desperate to regain lost income, will prioritise money-spinning men’s events over generally less lucrative women’s fixtures when live action resumes.

Asked if she feared women’s cricket might now be less of a concern in the current climate, Knight told Britain’s Press Asso-ciation in an interview: “That’s the worry in women’s sport across the board, not just in cricket. We’ve obviously got to accept that the most commer-cially viable parts of the game will be given priority. But we’re making sure that the women’s game gets a bigger voice and we’re given the same sort of

chance to get back playing as the men are.”

Women’s cricket has made huge strides in recent years, with more than 86,000 spec-tators attending the Melbourne Cricket Ground to see Australia beat India in the Twenty20 World Cup final in March -- a match that took place shortly

before sport was brought to a standstill by the virus.

“I’ve only ever seen it like that for a Test match, that was pretty cool knowing it was for a women’s game,” said Knight. “I just hope it was not just a one-off event and that support continues and the people that came to watch and enjoyed will

continue to do so, not just in Australia but all over the place.”

But with the start of the English cricket season put back until July 1, doubts remain over England women’s limited overs matches at home to India, origi-nally scheduled for June. England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison refused to say Friday that if men’s international cricket was given the go-ahead on health and safety grounds later in the season that women’s matches would be played as well .

However, he did say the ECB were working “very closely” with their Indian counterparts to reschedule the series.

“We are going to, of course, do everything we can to get women’s cricket on,” Harrison insisted. “It’s no less important than the men’s game.”

England's Heather Knight (in red) is seen with captains of other participating teams at a photo session before the start of the T20 Women's World Cup in this file photo taken in Australia in February this year.

Retired players Brian Lara of the West Indies, Adam Gilchrist of Australia and compatriot Matthew Hayden are seen in this February 2020 file photo. India’s Yuvraj Singh (third right) posted this photo on his official Twitter handle @YUVSTRONG12.

You are very annoying on social media: Gayle trolls India's Chahal

IANS - NEW DELHI

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle brutally roasted India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for his social media posts during a live session on popular social media platform Instagram.

With no cricket going due to coronavirus pan-demic, players are engaging with fans these days on social media to keep them-selves busy.

During a recent live session, Chahal’s former Royal Challengers Ban-galore teammate trolled him for the videos that he uploads on social media. Gayle referred to Chahal as ‘annoying’ and went on to the extent of saying that he is going to block him.

“I am going to tell TikTok to block you as well, seriously. You are very annoying on social media man. You need to get off social media right now. We are tired of Chahal. I don’t wanna see you in my life again. I am gonna block you,” Gayle said.

This is not the first time when a fellow cricketer has pointed towards Chahal for his social media activities. Earlier, India skipper Virat Kohli had referred to him as a clown during a live video session with former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers.

“Have you seen his TikTok videos? You should go and check out Yuzvendra Chahal’s TikTok videos,” said Kohli.

“You will not believe this guy is playing international cricket and he is 29-year-old. Just go and look at his videos. He’s an absolute clown.”

A file photo of India's spinner Yuzvendra

Chahal. PIC@CHALLENGERSIPL

England's Archer finds his World Cup medal at lastAFP - LONDON

England’s Jofra Archer said yesterday he’d finally found his World Cup winner’s medal after “going mad” looking for the prized possession following a house move.

The 25-year-old Sussex fast bowler published a photograph of the medal on a bed with the caption: “Randomly searching the guest bedroom and boom.”

Archer, when previously asked about the whereabouts of his medal, told BBC Radio on Saturday: “I had it hanging off a portrait someone did for me and sent to me, I had my medal hanging on that.

“I moved flat and the picture is on the new wall but there’s no medal. I turned the house upside down for about a week but I still haven’t managed to find it.

“I know it should be in the house so I will keep eyes out for it but I’ve gone mad looking for it already.”

Last year saw the Barbados-born Archer establish himself on

the global stage as he helped England win their first men’s 50-over global title, with his 20 wickets at 23.05 the most taken by any member of the cham-pions’ squad during the tournament.

Archer, who only made his international debut in 2019, was also given the daunting

responsibility of bowling the Super Over in the final at Lord’s.

But he held his nerve bril-liantly as England edged out New Zealand in a thrilling finish decided on boundary countback when the teams’ scores were level after both regulation play and cricket’s answer to ‘extra time’.

IANS – BUENOS AIRES

Diego Maradona said yesterday he is eager to return to work as the head coach of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata and hailed his “beautiful” relationship with the club’s fans.

Argentinian football has been sus-pended since March 16 amid the global COVID-19 pandemic and officials have yet to indicate when local competitions might resume.

“It is a strange situation that we are in here and all over the world,” Maradona said in an interview with newspaper El Dia de La Plata.

“I’m looking forward to returning to Estancia Chica (Gimnasia’s training ground) to work with my boys again. It will be like when you see your girl-friend after a vacation,” the 1986 FIFA World Cup winner added, according to Xinhua news.

Maradona compared Gimnasia’s supporters to those of Napoli, whom he famously represented as a player from 1984 to 1991.

“I have a beautiful relationship with the (Gimnasia) fans. They remind me of Napoli’s supporters because of their passion and loyalty,” added Maradona, who led the club from southern Italy to two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a UEFA Cup, and who is still idolized by their fans.

Maradona took charge of Gimnasia last September when they were mired

at the foot of the Argentinian Superliga standings with just one draw and four losses. However, the club improved markedly under Maradona, jumping five places in the 24-team Superliga standings to finish the season with six wins, six draws and 12 losses.

Despite their recovery, Gimnasia remain in danger of dropping to Argen-tina’s second tier under the country’s complex promotion-relegation system, which considers results over a three-year cycle. The fate of Maradona’s men rests with their performances in the

Superliga Cup, which was halted after just one week.

Maradona said he is in regular contact with his players and declined to comment on reports that the AFA might suspend its promotion-rele-gation system this year.

“With the work we were doing, I had no doubt that we were going to get out of the relegation zone,” the 59-year said. “We still have to wait and see what measures the AFA will take. We will work hard to make sure that we’re prepared for any possible scenario.”

11MONDAY 27 APRIL 2020 SPORT

It is a strange situation that we are in here and all over the world. I’m looking forward to returning to Estancia Chica (Gimnasia’s training ground) to work with my boys again. It will be like when you see your girlfriend after a vacation: Diego Maradona

Maradona eager to get back to work

Virus forces Tajikistan to suspend domestic seasonAFP – DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN

One of the few football leagues in the world still playing will be suspended next week after author-ities in Tajikistan ruled to temporarily ban sports events over coronavirus concerns.

The Tajik football federation said that domestic league matches would go ahead on Sunday before a suspension until at least May 10.

The federation “completely supports” the government’s decision to halt sporting events, it said in a statement yesterday.

Tajikistan’s authoritarian government insists there are no coronavirus cases in the country, despite reports of several suspicious deaths.

Authorities on Saturday also ruled to shutter schools for two weeks and block grain exports.

Tajikistan’s football season began on April 4 after leagues the world over stopped, with matches being played in empty stadiums.

Another Central Asian country that has yet to record any COVID-19 cases, Turkmenistan, restarted its league with fans in attendance on April 19 after a hiatus enforced as a precaution against the virus in late March.

The league in ex-Soviet Belarus has also con-tinued despite 67 COVID-19 deaths in the country, attracting a new soccer-starved global fan base, despite dwindling local spectators.

Arsenal to reopen training groundREUTERS – LONDON

Arsenal will reopen their London Colney training ground to their players next week for individual training but the Premier League club will continue to observe social distancing rules amid the coro-navirus outbreak, they said yesterday.

Soccer in England was suspended indefinitely last month due to the virus and no clubs have been in training.

“Players will be permitted access to the Colney grounds next week,” Arsenal said in a statement.

“Access will be limited, carefully managed and social distancing will be maintained at all times. All Colney buildings remain closed.

“Players will travel alone, do their individual workout and return home,” the club added.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus on March 12, which led to the Premier League postponing the next round of matches and none have been played since.

Arsenal spoke to all their players after Alex-andre Lacazette, David Luiz, Nicolas Pepe and Granit Xhaka were pictured allegedly breaking social distancing guidelines.

Premier League clubs have been working on the basis that the earliest they may be allowed to resume training would be in early May. The British government is expected to review current lockdown restrictions on May 7.

Should teams be allowed to train, it is expected they would need two to three weeks to get pre-pared to play competitive matches, making the earliest possible return in June.

But with the ban on mass public gatherings likely to be one of the last restrictions to be lifted, rescheduled games will almost certainly be held behind closed doors.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has been liaising with a number of sports bodies, led by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on how things might work should the green light be given by the medical experts for sport to resume safely.

Everton’s Moise Kean reacts during a Premier League match against Newcastle United in this file photo.

A woman walks by a graffiti depicting Argentine great Diego Maradona during the lockdown imposed by the government against the spread of the COVID-19, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

FC Istiklol Dushanb and FC Khujand players vie for the ball during a Tajikistan Super Cup match as a banner (top) reads “Stop coronavirus!” in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in this April 4 file photo.

Everton ‘appalled’ by Kean lockdown breachREUTERS – LONDON

Everton say they are “appalled” after images emerged in the media showing Italian striker Moise Kean flouting government lockdown rules by hosting a house party.

The 20-year-old, who joined from Juventus last summer, was reported by British media to have filmed himself at his apartment partying with guests.

“Everton Football Club was appalled to learn of an incident in

which a first team player ignored Gov-ernment guidance and club policy in relation to the coronavirus crisis,”

the Premier League club said in a statement.

“The club has strongly expressed its disappointment to the player and made it

clear that such actions are completely unacceptable.

“Everton has regularly stressed the importance of following all the

Government guidelines -- including rules and advice for inside and outside of the home -- through a series of official communications to all staff members, including players.”

British football has been suspended

since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed at least 20,000 people in the country.

A return is not imminent with the best-case scenario being a re-start in mid June.

Kean is not the only player to flout rules during the lockdown. Manchester City’s Kyle Walker could be disciplined after British media reported he broke lockdown rules by hosting a party involving two sex workers.

Walker apologised for his actions in a statement, saying he had let down his family, friends, club, supporters and the public.

Tottenham’s Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko apologised after a photo emerged of them training together while Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho “accepted his actions were not in line with protocol” after holding a one-on-one training session in a public park with midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

Players and clubs have offered support throughout the crisis though. Premier League players joined forces to start the #PlayersTogether initiative to raise money for the Britain’s National Health Service.

No football ‘before summer’, says Spanish Health MinisterAP – MADRID

Spain’s Health Minister yesterday said that Spaniards should not expect to see profes-sional soccer restart before the summer.

Spain has been without soccer since March 12, two days before the nation went into a strict lockdown under a state of emergency to battle its savage coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 22,000 lives.

“It would be reckless for me to say now that professional football will be back before the summer,” Salvador Illa said. “We will continue to monitor the evolution (of the virus) and the guidelines we will present will indicate how different activities can return to a new normalcy.”

The Spanish league had already said that play would not resume before late May. Madrid’s mayor had said that he does not expect football before the end of the summer. The government’s health officials, led by Illa, have the final say to authorize the return of sporting activities that would bring together groups of people and present a collective contagion risk.

Illa also appeared to dampen expectations that soccer players would be tested for the virus, as the Spanish league wants to happen on a daily basis once training resumes.

“There is a ministerial order in effect for all different groups, including profes-sional football,” Illa said.

There is no timetable for when practice would restart.

Some players had also criticised the league’s plan for testing because tests are scarce among the general public in Spain and not recommended by authorities for people who do not show symptoms of the COVID-19 virus. Hearts owner

fears no more action ‘this year’AFP – GLASGOW

Hearts owner Ann Budge questioned yesterday whether Scottish football can “resume any time this year” even while talks continue over salvaging the country’s top-flight Premiership season from the coronavirus pandemic.

Budge, who has warned her players to accept temporary wage cuts or receive nothing at all, said: “I don’t think any of us genuinely believe we are going to be playing football, especially in front of normal crowds, any time this year so deferring wages is simply pushing the problem further down the line.”

With all major sport in Britain brought to a standstill by the virus, there is a growing reali-sation that any initial resumption of fixtures will likely have to be behind closed doors.

Leann Dempster, the Chief Executive of Hearts’ Edinburgh rivals Hibernian, remains “more hopeful” of finishing the current Scottish Premiership season and suggested the final eight rounds could be played in July and August.

Scottish football’s lower league campaigns for 2019/20 have already been ended and Budge is now also the co-chair of a task force on league reconstruction amid a bitter debate whether Pre-miership promotion and relegation should take place if their season is curtailed as well.