AP – PHILADELPHIA

President Donald Trump met by phone with many US pro sports leaders yesterday to discuss how that industry has been affected by the global coronavirus pandemic, saying he was looking forward to the resumption of competitions “as soon as we can.”

The NBA, NHL, NFL and Major League Baseball were all represented on the call by their commissioners - Adam Silver, Gary Bettman, Roger Goodell and Rob Manfred, respectively.

“I want fans back in the arenas,” Trump said later in a briefing at the White House.

“I think it’s... whenever we’re ready. As soon as we can, obvi-ously. And the fans want to be back, too. They want to see bas-ketball and baseball and football and hockey. They want to see their sports. They want to go out onto the golf courses and breathe nice, clean, beautiful fresh air.”

A person with direct knowledge of what was dis-cussed on the call said Trump believes the NFL season - scheduled to begin September 10 - will start on time with fans in seats.

A second person with knowledge of the call said that some commissioners, Silver among them, stressed to Trump that they are working on mul-tiple plans to resume their seasons but cautioned that none of those plans can be enacted

without clearance from public health officials. The people spoke to AP on condition of ano-nymity because no discussion points from the call were to be revealed publicly.

Others on the call included PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske, UFC President Dana White, World Wrestling Entertainment’s Vince McMahon, MLS Commis-sioner Don Garber, WNBA Com-missioner Cathy Englebert, LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan and Breeders’ Cup President Drew Fleming.

The NBA was the first of the major US sports leagues to shut down on March 11, doing so after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the COVID-19

virus. Other leagues quickly fol-lowed, and hundreds of games have already been lost. The NCAA men’s and women’s bas-ketball tournaments were can-celed along with virtually every other college athletic event for the remainder of the academic year; major events like the Masters Tournament, the Ken-tucky Derby and the Indiana-polis 500 have been postponed; and thousands of arena employees have lost work because of the shutdown of the sports and entertainment industries.

NASCAR gave teams a ten-tative schedule to resume racing on May 24 with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. North Carolina’s stay-at-home order is through April 30. The next race on NAS-CAR’s schedule is May 9 at Mar-tinsville Speedway in Virginia, which is under a stay-at-home order through June 10. NASCAR has so far declined to publicly address the schedule and said it had no comment on the call with Trump.

Trump even addressed Little League players on Saturday, tweeting to tell them, “hang in there! We will get you back out on the fields, and know that you will be playing baseball soon. We will get through this together, and bats will be swinging before you know it. In the meantime, take care of mom and dad, and know that this will not be forever!”

I think it’s... whenever we’re ready. As soon as we can, obviously. And the fans want to be back, too. They want to see basketball and baseball and football and hockey. They want to see their sports. They want to go out onto the golf courses and breathe nice, clean, beautiful fresh air: US President Donald Trump

SPORT | 02

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MONDAY 6 APRIL 2020

President Trump wants fansback in the arenas soon

A general view of the Yankee Stadium during the opening game of the MLB American League baseball season between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in New York in this April 1, 2013 file photo.

FIFA to tackle pay-cut complaintsREUTERS – MANCHESTER

FIFA is getting ready to deal with complaints and appeals over wage cuts for players, producing guidelines for clubs and football bodies looking to cut costs during the stoppage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, an internal document seen by Reuters showed.

The issue of pay cuts for players has exploded as a major controversy in England while in other countries, such as Germany and Spain, players have accepted temporary reduc-tions in earnings.

With football halted across the globe, however, FIFA is aware that it may well have to deal with a series of different agreements and possible com-plaints, and its guidelines urge a n y c u t s t o b e “proportionate”.

FIFA’s Coronavirus working group met last week and agreed on a wide range of issues, sum-marised in the document, including that player contracts due to run out in June should be extended to the end of any resumed season.

The internal paper notes that such decisions will inevitably

reflect national law and specific agreements in each country but says it is keen to avoid large dis-crepancies between similar leagues and clubs. It also urges clubs, leagues and players to reach “appropriate collective agreements”.

The guiding principles behind such deals should be to “guarantee some form of salary payment to players and coaches, avoid litigation, protect contractual stability, and ensure clubs do not go bankrupt, while considering the financial impact of COVID-19 on clubs”.

Crucially, the document

states that where clubs and employees cannot reach agreement and where “national law does not address the situ-ation or collective agreements are not applicable”, unilateral decisions to change contracts “will only be recognised when they are otherwise deemed rea-sonable” by FIFA’s Dispute Res-olutions Chamber or Players Status Committee.

A “reasonable” contractual change will take into account the economic situation of a club, the proportionality of any salary amendment and the net income of the employee after that

amendment, FIFA writes in the document.

FIFA will also take into account whether the decision applies to the entire squad or only specific employees, and whether the club attempted in good faith to reach a mutual agreement with its employees.

The FIFA document sum-marising the working group’s views will be submitted to the Bureau of the FIFA Council for approval.

A FIFA spokesman said it was not in a position to comment as a proposal was being made to the Council, and

“we cannot pre-empt that decision”.

The coronavirus working group is composed of represent-atives from across the game including the FIFA adminis-tration, confederations, national federations, the European Club Association (ECA), players union FIFPRO and the World Leagues Forum.

The group also offered an alternative approach in which “all agreements between clubs and employees should be ‘sus-pended’ during any suspension of competitions provided proper insurance coverage is main-tained, and adequate alternative income support arrangements can be found for employees during the period in question.”

The group agreed that transfer windows should be adjusted to reflect the changed dates of seasons, with priority given to teams finishing the current season with their existing squad.

FIFA has also ruled that planned new restrictions on loan deals will not come into effect until the end of the current period of uncertainty sur-rounding the game due to the pandemic.

Ronaldo on course to $1bn mark in career earningsIANS – LISBON

Cristiano Ronaldo is en route to becoming first football player and third sportsman overall to cross $1bn in career earnings. This is despite the fact that Ronaldo has reportedly agreed to a wage cut of nearly €4m with his club Juventus so as to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Forbes, the cut hardly puts a dent on the Portuguese cap-tain’s annual earnings and he had earned a staggering $109m last year.

A further 30 percent wage cut is on the cards with the Serie A frozen due to the pandemic but Ronaldo could still earn an estimated $46m annual paycheck.

The earnings he receives from his spon-sorship deals and his CR7 underwear line could help take his earnings this year close to the $100m mark again.

This would help take him past the $1bn in total earnings over an 18-year career. Ronaldo made his professional debut in 2002.

The 35-year-old is currently in his hometown of Madeira as the f o o t b a l l season in Italy and a r o u n d the world grinded to a halt

due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Three of Ronaldo’s team-mates at Juventus -- Argentine star Paulo

Dybala , I ta l ian defender Daniele Rugani and France’s World Cup winning

m i d f i e l d e r B l a i s e Matuidi have all tested positive for the novel virus that has taken n e a r l y

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O’Keefe quits first class cricket after NSW snubREUTERS – SYDNEY

Australia’s Steve O’Keefe, whose 12 wickets for 70 runs against India in a 2017 Test remains the best figures by a visiting spinner, quit first class cricket yesterday after New South Wales opted not to retain him.

O’Keefe was the leading wicket-taker among spinners in the recent Sheffield Shield season, which triggered spec-ulation about a possible Test recall for the 35-year-old.

“I was disappointed when I was told that I wasn’t getting a contract but I respect and accept the decision, so I have decided to retire from first class cricket,” the left-arm spinner said in a statement.

O’Keefe said it had been a “privilege” to play for his country and to captain his state. He would miss the camaraderie the most, he added.

“When I think about my time playing cricket, that’s what I’ll miss most,” added O’Keefe, who will continue to play for Sydney Sixers in the T20 Big Bash League.

One of the 13 spinners Aus-tralia have employed to fill the void left by Shane Warne’s 2007 exit, O’Keefe played nine Tests between 2014-17, claiming 35 wickets.

The earnings he receives from his sponsorship deals and his CR7 clothing line could help take his earnings this year close to the $100m mark again. This would help take him past the $1bn in total earnings over an 18-year career.

Thanks to his sky-high pay-packet and endorsement deals, Ronaldo is still expected to join Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather Jr in breaching the milestone figure in 2019-20.

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The issue of pay cuts for players has exploded as a major controversy in England while in other countries, such as Germany and Spain, players have accepted temporary reductions in earnings.

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Italian union urges pay deal for lower league players

AFP – MILAN

The head of the Italian foot-ballers’ association (AIC) yesterday urged football authorities in the country to strike a deal to safeguard lower league players, who risk losing their livelihoods due to the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

“In Lega Pro (which manages the third-tier Serie C), Serie D and women’s football there are players who provide for their families with very low earnings,” AIC Pres-ident Damiano Tommasi told Rainews24.

“We’re looking to see if the resources we can get our hands on can help give them some security... 70 percent of players in the Lega Pro have gross earnings of less than €50,000 ($54,000) a year.”

On Saturday, the Pres-ident of the Lega Pro Francesco Ghirelli said sides in the division could dis-appear in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which appeared yesterday to be slowly abating in Italy but has s t i l l k i l led thousands.

02 MONDAY 6 APRIL 2020SPORT

UEFA denies August 3 deadline to complete CL

REUTERS — LONDON

UEFA has denied there is an August 3 deadline to complete this season’s Champions League (CL) after a report by German broadcaster ZDF quoted the body’s President Aleksander Ceferin as saying the compe-tition had to be finished by that date.

“It has been reported that UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin told ZDF in Germany that the UEFA Champions League must finish by 3 August.

This is not true,” said a statement from European soc-cer’s governing body.

“The President was very clear not to set exact dates for the end of the season.” Soccer leagues across Europe and beyond have been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Champions League has stalled with the round of 16 yet to be completed.

“UEFA is currently ana-lysing all options to complete domestic and European seasons with the European Club

Association and the European Leagues in the working group set up on 17 March,” the UEFA statement said.

“The primary priority of all the members of the working group is to preserve public health.

“Following on from that, it is to find calendar solutions to com-plete all competitions. Options are currently being studied to play matches in July and in August if needed, depending on restart dates and the permission of national authorities.”

Rooney says handling of PL pay row ‘a disgrace’AFP — LONDON

Wayne Rooney (pictured) has criticised the government and the Premier League (PL) for placing footballers in a “no-win situation” over proposed pay cuts after players were urged to make sacrifices during the coronavirus crisis.

The former England captain, now playing with Championship side Derby, penned an impassioned column in the Sunday Times saying his fellow professionals were “easy targets” in the wider response to the pandemic.

It came after the Profes-sional Footballers’ Association (PFA) said a proposed 30 percent pay cut could hurt the National Health Service because it would hit tax receipts.

Rooney said he had both the means and the will to make financial contributions, either in the form of salary reductions or direct donations to the NHS, but felt the public pressure

being exerted on players was unhelpful.

The Premier League’s sug-gested strategy involving a combination of pay cuts and deferrals amounting to 30 percent of wages, was discussed in a conference call with players’ and managers’ repre-sentatives on Saturday.

Initial talks were already taking place before key political figures, including Health Sec-retary Matt Hancock, called for action.

“If the government approached me to help support nurses financially or buy ven-tilators I’d be proud to do so -- as long as I knew where the money was going,” wrote Rooney.

The 34-year-old added: “I’m in a place where I could give something up. Not every footballer is in the same position. Yet suddenly the whole profession has been put on the spot with a demand for 30 percent pay cuts across the board. Why are footballers sud-denly the scapegoats?

“How the past few days have played out is a disgrace.”

The Premier League has been seen as lagging b e h i n d o t h e r European leagues in its response to coro-navirus and was accused by one British lawmaker of operating in a “moral vacuum”.

But Rooney questioned the wisdom of the Premier League in preempting behind-the-scenes talks involving players with its own proposals for sweeping reductions.

“In my opinion it is now a no-win situation,” he said. “Whatever way you look at it, we’re easy targets.”

He said the Premier League’s contribution of £20m to the NHS was “a drop in the ocean” compared with the

amount clubs would save with wage cuts.And he questioned why stars from other sports were not the focus of similar attention.

Former England striker Gary Lineker echoed Rooney’s sentiments, telling the BBC that footballers he had spoken to were “desperately keen” to offer help but were an easy target.

“Why not call on all the wealthy to try and help if they possibly can rather than just pick on footballers?” he said.

“Nobody seems to talk about the bankers, the CEOs, huge millionaires. Are they standing up? Are they being asked to stand up? We don’t know.”

The PFA said its members wanted to play their part but warned that a proposed 30 percent salary reduction would cost the country £200m ($245m) in lost tax receipts.

England manager Gareth Southgate has reportedly taken a 30 percent pay cut, although the Football Association is yet to confirm the move.

A

handful of top-flight clubs, including last year’s Champions League finalists Liverpool and Tottenham, have opted to furlough non-playing staff using the safety net of the govern-ment’s job retention scheme.

But former Liverpool players Jamie Carragher and Stan Collymore strongly criticised the move by the European

champions, who in February announced pre-tax profits of £42m ($51m) for 2018/19.

Rooney’s former England and Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville, now a leading broadcaster, was highly critical of the Premier League.

“The PL are handling the CV (coronavirus) crisis terribly,” he wrote on Twitter, before out-lining a checklist of perceived mis-steps including their slowness in imposing a lockdown and the “PR disaster” of furloughing.

Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said he was concerned about the way the talks had progressed.

“Football must play its part to show that the sport under-stands the pressures its lower-paid staff, communities and

fans face,” he tweeted.

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handfulof top-flight clubs, including last year’sChampions League finalists Liverpool and Tottenham, have opted to furlough non-playing staff using the safety net of the govern-ment’s job retention scheme.

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I’m in a place where I could give something up. Not every footballer is in the same position. Yet suddenly the whole profession has been put on the spot with a demand for 30 percent pay cuts across the board. Why are footballers suddenly the scapegoats? Wayne Rooney

Manchester City will not ask government to pay staffREUTERS — LONDON

Manchester City will not seek to use the government job retention scheme and furlough staff during the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Premier League club has told its employees.

Several clubs, including Premier League leaders Liv-erpool and Tottenham Hotspur, have drawn fire for taking advantage of the gov-ernment’s scheme which pays 80% of the wages of staff furloughed by their companies due to the global health crisis.

City, owned by Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group, are the first Premier League club to state that they will not be going down that route.

Employees were sent emails this weekend reas-suring them that their jobs would be protected.

“We can confirm, fol-lowing a decision by the Chairman (Khaldoon Al Mubarak) and Board last week, that Manchester City will not be utilising the UK Govern-ment’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme,” a spokes-person said.

“We remain determined to protect our people, their jobs and our business whilst at the same time doing what we can to support our wider community at this most chal-l e n g i n g t i m e f o r everybody.”

With the issue of players’ wages during the shutdown rumbling on across Europe and England’s rich top-flight clubs being closely scrutinised, Liverpool’s announcement that it will furlough many employees is looking like a PR own goal.

In this file photo, Atalanta players celebrate in front of their fans after the Champions League Round of 16 first leg match against Valencia in San Siro, Milan, on February 19, 2020.

India shows interest to host Asian Cup 2027IANS — KOLKATA

India has submitted its expression of interest to host the AFC Asian Cup in 2027, All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das said.

“We have submitted the expression of interest to AFC (Asian Football Confeder-ation),” Das said.

It will be the first time India will host the continental event if the interest sees the light of the day.

The AFC had extended the deadline to lodge expression of interest by three months from March 31 to June 30 in view of the COVID-19 pan-demic. Saudi Arabia is the other nation which has pub-licly expressed its interest to

launch a bid for 2027 Asian Cup. India have also been awarded hosting rights for the 2022 Women’s AFC Asian Cup in 2022.

Previously, India have hosted the Men’s U-17 World Cup and were slated to host the Women’s U-17 World Cup in November. But it got post-poned due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With ‘no competition’ due to virus, golfers play waiting game

AFP — PARIS

From honing their short games in the garden to giving their children dubious haircuts and chatting to foot-ballers, golfers have been finding ways to fill the time without competitive sport.

The world’s major golf tours have all been sus-pended until late May at the earliest due to the corona-virus pandemic, with the Masters and PGA Champi-onship suspended indefi-nitely and three of the five w o m e n ’ s m a j o r s rescheduled.

Former Ryder Cup winner Edoardo Molinari is in his native Italy, which has been one of the hardest-hit countries by the COVID-19 outbreak, with the virus causing over 15,000 deaths in the European nation.

“Golf is not a priority. The most important thing right now is to make sure we all behave in a way that can help this situation get under control,” Molinari wrote in his blog for the European Tour website.

Top golfers find it easier to get through the lockdown than most people, with many having personal gyms, practice facilities and swimming pools at their homes.

Major champions Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer have joined fundraising efforts to help those suf-fering from the disease.

Molinari has been doing a daily quiz on Instagram to help give fans something to do and raise money for his local hospitals in Turin.

“The only thing we ask is that in order to be able to participate, you have to make a donation on our gofundme page, which goes to help hospitals in Turin,” he said.

On a lighter note, English Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter used his spare time to cut his son’s hair “like Ronaldo’s”.

Unfortunately for his son, the end result, shown in an Instagram video, was a copy of Brazilian star Ron-aldo’s infamous trim from the 2002 World Cup, not the style worn by five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

He isn’t the only golfer keeping busy on social media, with numerous Tour pros taking part in the ‘bounce’ golf ball keepy-uppy challenge, while others have been answering ques-tions from fans, or doing interviews with other famous sportspeople.

“I love golf, but I think I love the competition more. If there’s no competition and there’s nothing to look forward to, I don’t really see the point in going out and practising,” world number one Rory McIlroy told former England interna-tional footballer Jamie Redknapp.

The players don’t know when the tours will resume, with the potential for a packed schedule later in the year.

“Potentially you’re looking at four majors, the Ryder Cup and the FedEx Cup in the space of 12 weeks,” said McIlroy.

But some professional players are still competing, with several ‘mini-tours’ continuing behind closed doors in the US, where golf is allowed in most states as a designated activity despite the lockdowns.

LPGA Tour rookie Haley Moore collected $2,500 for winning on the Cactus Tour in Arizona yesterday.

“I just want to stay competitive and stay sharp with my game,” Moore told the Golf Channel after winning the event played under special rules, with players in twosomes, no bunker rakes and one player to a cart.

“It’s very safe what they’re doing.”

Sergio Garcia

Pulev to donate half of Joshua fight money to coronavirus medicsREUTERS — NEW YORK

The IBF’s mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev said he will donate half of his purse from the world heavyweight title fight against Briton Anthony Joshua to help medical workers fight the “devilish” coronavirus.

The 38-year-old Bulgarian is expected to earn around $5m from the fight, which has been postponed due to the pandemic, having originally been scheduled for June 20 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

“I will donate 50% of the money I earn from the match with Joshua to the tireless heroes in the fight against the coronavirus,” Pulev told G e r m a n d a i l y B i l d yesterday.

“I will give doctors, nurses and hospitals the necessary equipment to deal with this devilish virus.”

Last month Pulev said the fight would take place “towards the end of the year” due to the outbreak and that he would have no problem fighting without spectators in attendance.

Pulev, one of Bulgaria’s most popular sportsmen, had previously challenged for the IBF world heavyweight title in 2014 but lost to Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg when he was knocked out in the fifth round.

The 30-year-old Joshua reclaimed the WBA, WBO and IBF belts with a unanimous points win over Andy Ruiz Jr in December.

03MONDAY 6 APRIL 2020 SPORT

Coach Arthur says Sri Lanka T20 team needs fine-tuningREUTERS – COLOMBO

Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 squad needs some adjustments, said coach Mickey Arthur, who will be over-seeing the team’s bid for a second 20-overs World Cup title later this year.

In home fixtures last month, Sri Lanka swept a three-match one-day series against West Indies but lost two Twenty20 Internationals.

“Our T20 side is still going to take some fine-tuning and this was amplified against a very strong West Indies team that simply had too much power for us,” Arthur said in a chat with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) media unit.

“I think the most important thing is building a method to win games based on the resources that you have at your disposal and then making sure that the players are under no illusion as to what that method is based on our strengths,” he said.

The 2014 champions will be chasing their second 20-overs world title in Australia in October-November.

Since Arthur took over in December, Sri Lanka have lost a Test series in Pakistan but prevailed in Zimbabwe earlier this year.

A sterner test had awaited them in a two-match home series against England, but that was can-celled last month owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was really disappointing not playing the Test series against England although this will be played at a later date,” said Arthur, who has also coached South Africa, Australia and Pakistan.

“We had just worked out a brand that we knew would be suc-cessful against all teams, and I just hope that the momentum that we had built up will not be lost with our Test team when we start up again,” he said.

“We have some very realistic goals with our Test team and

believe that we have now the players and gameplans to have success both at home and abroad in the future.”

Bangalore burdened by title pressure: KohliREUTERS – NEW DELHI

Royal Challengers Bangalore need to rediscover the joy of cricket if they are to end their Indian Premier League (IPL) title drought, captain Virat Kohli (pictured) has said.

Star-studded Bangalore have reached three finals of the Twenty20 league but are one of only three existing fran-chises -- along with Delhi and Punjab -- not to have won the title.

“You go after something so badly, and it keeps running away from you,” Kohli told former England batsman and ex-RCB team mate Kevin Pietersen in an Instagram chat.

“It has just that added pressure in recent years. We’ve just thought, ‘this is the season, this is the season’, and that’s blown us all over the place.

The India captain acknowledged that expec-tations were bound to be high from a team fea-turing some of the most destructive Twenty20 batsmen in cricket.

“When you have some of the biggest names to play for RCB, obviously there’s going to be much more attention on the team. Even with this team -- myself, AB (de Villiers) and (Chris) Gayle has played recently for us as well -- we’re always going to be more in focus. We’ve spoken about it,” Kohli said.

“We’ve reached three finals ... but those things are irrelevant till the time you don’t win that title."

Their bid for a maiden IPL title will have to wait though, as the start of this year’s tour-nament has been put back to April 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with another postponement seemingly inevitable.

Pressure grows for a shortened version of IPL behind closed doorsAFP – NEW DELHI

Players are putting pressure on cricket authorities to plan a shortened Twenty20 Indian Premier League later in the year to “kickstart” the sports economy after the coronavirus lockdown.

The world’s richest cricket tournament has been postponed until April 15, which coincides with the end of India’s 21 day nationwide shutdown to halt the spread of the pandemic.

But with the number of cases and deaths rising and India iso-lated from international travel, few believe any sport will be pos-sible in the sub-continent for at least three months.

“Let’s say July-August is the earliest,” said Kevin Pietersen, the former England batsman.

“I do truly believe the IPL should happen. I think every single player around the world is desperate to play the IPL,” he said on Indian broadcaster Star Sports.

Pietersen suggested the eight-team tournament be shortened from its normal eight-week duration and played behind closed doors.

“There could be a way in which to get some money into the fran-chises, into the economy by having a situation where you use maybe three venues which are completely

closed to fans,” said Pietersen.“And the players can still go

out and play the tournament in three weeks or in four weeks.

“I think the fans need to understand they can’t watch a live game at the moment and they might not be able to watch a live game for the foreseeable future.”

The league is a huge revenue earner for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is estimated to generate more than $11bn for the Indian economy.

Chinese mobile phone-maker Vivo paid $330m to be the league’s top sponsor for 2018-2022.

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said the league, which involves stars such as England’s Ben Stokes, David Warner and Pat Cummins of Australia, and India captain Virat Kohli, will inject life into the virus-ravaged economy.

“The moment we get clear-ances from all the authorities that matter, the IPL should happen, only because it will kickstart the e c o n o m y , ” s a i d t h e cricketer-turned-commentator.

“Because when you talk about the IPL it’s not just about the Mumbai Indians, or a (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni or a Virat Kohli, there are a lot of people who are making their livelihood through the IPL.”

Stokes and Cummins have already voiced their eagerness to participate in the IPL.

Kolkata Knight Riders-con-tracted Cummins said “everyone’s still really keen for it (IPL) to all go ahead”.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has conceded the IPL will be a “truncated” affair if it happens at all.

Aussie legend Ponting shares his ‘favourite piece of memorabilia’IANS – SYDNEY

Ricky Ponting yesterday shared a photograph of the Australian baggy green that he wore throughout his Test career and the new one that he had received from his wife Rianna Jennifer Cantor and Cricket Australia when he retired in 2012.

“This is my favourite piece of memorabilia gifted to me by Rianna and Cricket Australia when I retired. A brand new cap on the left and my pride and joy on the right, looking a bit worse for wear after about 140odd Tests,” he said in his tweet.

Widely rated as one of the greatest Australian cap-tains and batsmen of all time, Ponting played 168 Tests and scored 13,378 runs at an average of 51.85. He also has 41 Test tons under his kitty. Additionally, Ponting also turned out for Australia in 375 ODIs and scored 13,704 runs which includes 30 centuries. He won three back to back World Cups in 1999, 2003 and 2007 and the latter two victories came under his captaincy.

He is also the only captain apart from West Indies’ Clive Lloyd to have scored a century in a final of a World Cup. With a win ratio of 67.91%, Ponting is rated as one of the most successful captains of all time, leading the dominant Australian team that starred the likes of Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and so on.

The ICC Cricket World Cup final match between Australia and New Zealand being played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in this March 29, 2015 file photo. The MCG will host theTwenty20 World Cup final later this year.

World T20 organisers hopeful despite potential clash with other sport events

REUTERS – MELBOURNE

Organisers expect this year’s Twenty20 World Cup to be a success even if it has to vie with Australian rules football and rugby league for viewers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of the organising committee said yesterday.

The October 18-November 15 tournament was slotted into Australia’s sports calendar between the end of the football season and the

beginning of summer cricket to draw maximum attention.

With both the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (AFL) seasons suspended due to the pandemic, they may now clash with the Twenty20 World Cup when they resume.

“In the event they have extended seasons...we still think the World Cup is a really strong proposition that might not come here again for 10 or 20 years,” Nick Hockley, CEO of the organising committee,

told Australian Associated Press (AAP).

“People love a World Cup. Cricket is Australia’s national sport ... and T20 is the format that appeals to the broadest possible demographic,” he said.

“We’re very encouraged already by the take up in terms of ticket sales.”

The women’s tournament proved a big success, with hosts Australia beating India in the March 8 final to defend their title.

The organisers expect the men’s tournament to replicate that success despite uncer-tainty around it. The governing International Cricket Council

(ICC) has maintained there is no change in its plans, and Hockley hoped they would not require any either.

“We’re wanting to give ourselves the best possible chance of going ahead as planned, so there’s no imminent or quick decision,” he said.

“Hopefully it’s all resolved and we go ahead. In the event that it isn’t completely resolved, we are looking at all the different scenarios. Which is only prudent,” he added.

“We had just workedout a brand that we knew would be suc-cessful against all teams, and I justhope that the momentum that we had built upwill not be lostwith our Test team when we start up again,” he said.

“We have some very realistic goals with our Test team and

We have some very realistic goals with our Test team and believe

that we have now the players and

gameplans to have success both at home

and abroad in the future:

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With both the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (AFL) seasons suspended due to the pandemic, they may now clash with the Twenty20 World Cup when they resume.

Badminton Worlds to be rescheduled amid Olympic clash

IANS – LONDON

The Badminton World Championships next year are set to be rescheduled because of a clash with the new dates for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said it was working with organ-isers in Spain’s Huelva to find a new time slot, after the 2020 Olympics were postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pan-demic, Xinhua news a g e n c y r e p o r t e d yesterday.

It is not yet clear whether the World Cham-pionships will be held in 2021 or delayed until 2022.

“The BWF is aware of the need to reschedule the 2021 World Champion-ships normally staged in August, with suitable alter-natives being discussed with hosts Spain,” the BWF said in a statement.

The postponement of the Olympic Games has caused widespread dis-ruption to the sporting cal-endar in 2021. World Ath-letics has already con-firmed it will push back its World Championships to 2022, while the World Aquatics Championships could also be delayed by a year.

Earlier in the week, the Badminton World Feder-ation froze the world rankings, saying standings as on March 17 will be the basis for entry and seedings when it begins as the international calendar has been thrown in choppy waters due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fiji rugby players arrested for breaching virus isolation

AFP – SUVA, FIJI

Two Fiji rugby players have been arrested for ignoring the Pacific nation’s coro-navirus self-isolation rules, with local authorities saying their “irresponsible behaviour” would be reported to rugby’s world governing body.

The two men have not been publically identified but the Fiji Rugby Union confirmed they were pro-fessionals and media reported them variously to be sevens players and internationals.

The news brought an emotional response from Simon Raiwalui, who works for Fiji Rugby with the title of high-per-f o r m a n c e g e n e r a l manager.

“For those of you that have chosen not to respect the mandatory 14 day self isolation, shame on you and each of you will have your day of reckoning,” the former Fiji interna-tional lock posted on Facebook late on Saturday.

Fiji are the Olympic sevens champions and were third in the current world series before it was put on hold because of t h e c o r o n a v i r u s pandemic.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama accused the players of putting “the whole of Fiji at risk”.

He said one player, who arrived from Sin-gapore, “had a high risk of exposure to the virus while overseas” and then escaped from isolation in a Fiji hospital.

04 MONDAY 6 APRIL 2020SPORT

2020 Formula One Championship should be cancelled: EcclestoneAFP — LONDON

Bernie Ecclestone says this season’s Formula One Cham-pionship should be cancelled because it appears unlikely that enough races can be completed for it to be valid due to the coro-navirus crisis.

The opening eight rounds of the 2020 season have been either cancelled or postponed, with doubts over a number of the other 14 races as t h e

pandemic continues to over-shadow the sporting calendar.

A minimum of eight races are required for the champi-onship to be valid, but former F1 chief executive Ecclestone believes that will not be possible.

“We should stop the cham-pionship this year and start again next year, hopefully,

because I can’t see it’s going to be possible to get the right

amount of races in that count for a championship,” the

89-year-old told BBC Radio.“There’s got to be eight

from memory, and I can’t see them getting that in. It’s a dif-

ficult situation,” he added.Lewis Hamilton was this

year aiming to match Michael Schumacher’s record of seven drivers’ titles, though there have been suggestions a truncated season would diminish the achievement.

But Ecclestone, set to

become a father for the fourth time, said: “I don’t think it will make a lot of difference to Lewis. He would win whatever the race number, whether it be eight, 16 or 20.

“If it’s a world champi-onship and he wins, it would go on his record and say he has won a world championship. The terrible thing is he would win all eight races. It wouldn’t be a s u p e r championship.”

Meanwhile, R o b e r t W i c k e n s will be b a c k b e h i n d t h e wheel for

the first time since a near fatal crash two years ago and while it will be a virtual IndyCar race the Canadian sees it is another step towards the real thing.

“I’m just excited to drive something. Last night was the first time I’ve driven any form of race car since the accident at Pocono Speedway,” Wickens told reporters during a con-ference call on Friday, after

getting in his first few practice laps at Barber

Motorsport Park.“Even though it

was virtual it still felt pretty good.”

Lewis Hamilton this year is aiming to match Michael Schumacher’s record of seven drivers’ titles, though there have been suggestions a truncated season would diminish the achievement.

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Lewis Hamilton Bernie Ecclestone

Detroit Pistons scout Hanks survives virus battle

REUTERS — NEW YORK

Detroit Pistons scout Maury Hanks has returned home after a fierce battle with the coronavirus, his wife Susan told CBS Sports on Saturday.

Hanks spent nine days on a ventilator while in intensive care at Uni-versity of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. He is now slated to spend two weeks in self-quarantine at home.

Hanks, 57, was reportedly taken to the medical center by ambu-lance on March 23. He reportedly felt fatigued the previous day and then symptoms rapidly increased on the 23rd.

As word of the severity of Hanks’ illness circulated throughout the NBA, a slew of messages arrived, and Susan Hanks would ask nurses to put a phone up to her husband’s ear so she could read the messages. She also did it while Maury Hanks was unconscious.

“I know (Maury’s) worked in the basketball business a long time, but I really had no idea how many friends that we have,” Susan Hanks said.

“The number of people that have been reaching out is honestly mind-blowing.... I don’t think he’ll ever be able to thank everyone that has called and checked up on him. It’s just been unbe-lievable. The NBA family has shown up for Maury like I never could’ve imagined.”

Hanks isn’t the lone person in the Pistons’ organisation who was diagnosed with COVID-19. Forward Christian Wood also tested positive and has since recovered.

Detroit’s final game before the season was suspended was on March 11 against the Philadelphia 76ers. Four nights earlier, the Pistons played the Utah Jazz, and Wood had 30 points and 11 rebounds while going up against Utah’s Rudy Gobert, who was the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus.

NFL teams to conduct draft from homes: ReportREUTERS — NEW YORK

The 2020 NFL Draft now will be a stay-at-home affair as top team officials will participate in the April 23-25 event from their individual residences, ESPN reported.

With coronavirus cases and deaths still on the rise, the NFL will set an example for extreme social distancing during the most popular weekend of the

offseason as the living room becomes the war room.

Team facilities have closed, and the league called off plans to hold a splashy

draft in its newest market, Las Vegas. Players will participate virtually from their own homes instead.

NFL commissioner Roger

Goodell said last month that the draft would take place on its regularly scheduled dates. The initial plan, before Saturday’s report, was to conduct the event

with as few people on hand as possible.

There were recommenda-tions to delay the draft as physical, intellectual and psy-chological testing of top college talent reportedly has been interrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Cincinnati Bengals have the No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft after finishing the 2019 season with a 2-14 record.

Their selection will be fol-lowed by the Washington Red-skins, Detroit Lions, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns. The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will draft last in the first round, 32nd overall.

With coronavirus cases and deaths still on the rise, the NFL will set an example for extreme social distancing during the most popular weekend of the offseason as the living room becomes the war room.

The Cincinnati Bengals have the No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft after finishing the 2019 season with a 2-14 record.

Hanks isn’t the lone person in the Pistons’ organisation who was diagnosed with COVID-19. Forward Christian Wood also tested positive and has since recovered.

NHL: New York Islanders’ Greene plans to continue playing careerREUTERS — NEW YORK

Veteran Andy Greene says he isn’t putting away the sticks and skates, but he has no idea where he’ll play his next NHL game.

T h e 3 7 - y e a r - o l d defenceman was with the New York Islanders for just 3 1/2 weeks before the coronavirus outbreak led to the suspension of the NHL campaign. He said he has enjoyed his time with the organization but told Newsday he will keep all his options open.

“It’s one of those things in terms of what’s going to happen next year, we’ve got to figure out what’s going to finish this year off and then worry about that when we get there,” Greene told Newsday earlier this week.

“I’m not going to worry about it. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Greene is in the final season

of a five-year, $25m deal, so he will become a free agent once the season is either finished or canceled. He has three assists in 10 games since being acquired by the Islanders via trade, after having 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 53 games with the New Jersey

Devils. Not being with the Devils after 13 1/2 seasons was enough of a change, but the pandemic has caused a high level of uncertainty for every NHL player, including Greene.

“You can’t sit there right now and go, ‘We’re done, I’m not going to train or do this,’”

Greene said. “Then, all of a sudden, in three weeks, this is where we’re at and we’re going to try something. All of a sudden, you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, what have I been doing?’ “I’ve been getting up every morning, training, doing pretty good workouts and trying, I think, to mentally stay sharp,” Greene added.

“It’s a good release and a good focus to get dialed in there for an hour or two or however long your workout is.” Greene said he has had no discussions about his playing future with Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello, who formerly served as GM of the Devils for Greene’s first nine NHL seasons. Lamoriello declined comment to Newsday when asked if he would attempt to retain Greene.

Overall, Greene has 246 points (49 goals, 197 assists) in 923 career games.

Andy Greene

Olympics delay ‘could boost Britain’s cycling medal haul’

AFP — LONDON

B r i t i s h C y c l i n g performance director Stephen Park says the nation’s elite riders are “gutted” about the post-ponement of the Tokyo Olympics but believes the extra year can help them bring home more medals.

The decision to move the Games back 12 months due to the coronavirus came as riders were ramping up their final preparations for an event they have spent the past three years focusing on.

But Park said despite the upheaval, it was an opportunity for the team who have dominated Olympic cycling events since the Beijing Games in 2008.

“Of course our riders are gutted about Tokyo,” Park told Britain’s Press Association, saying most riders would have pre-ferred to compete this year.

“But there is a little bit of relief that we’ve now got one more year so we’ve got a real oppor-tunity to be even better in 2021 than we were in 2020,” he added.

Britain came back from the UCI Track World Championships in Berlin last month with only one gold medal and Park admitted at the time their era of dominance in the velodrome could be over.

Britain have won the men’s team pursuit at the past three Olympics but in Berlin they saw Denmark break the world record three times to win in a time of three minutes 44.672 seconds, more than five seconds better than Brit-ain’s fastest-ever time.

But Park said there was no sense of panic and they would use the extra time to reset.

“We’re not going to strip it down and rebuild it because we don’t think it’s broken,” said Park.

“Despite what others might think looking in at the results, we weren’t a million miles away.

“We’re not starting again with a blank piece of paper. We’ve got good history, good process in the men’s endurance.”

Verlander to donate pay during MLB shutdownREUTERS — NEW YORK

Veteran Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander (pictured) said he will donate his adjusted paycheck during MLB’s coro-navirus shutdown to multiple organisations providing assistance during the crisis.

Verlander made the announcement via Instagram on Saturday along with his wife, Kate Upton.

“Everyone around the world is affected by this virus, and we hope to contribute to the

families and jobs affected, the healthcare workers and first responders on the front lines and the many others in need of basic necessities, medical sup-plies and support at home,” Verlander wrote on his post. “As soon as the first paycheck is received we will be highlighting the first organization.”

MLB players are receiving up-front pay while baseball is on hiatus. Verlander is scheduled to receive $286,500 over the course of 60 days, with players obligated to pay back the up-front sum if

the season is played. The 37-year old was scheduled to make $33m this season.

“We know everyone is impacted by this crisis, but for those who are able, we encourage you to stay home to help flatten the curve and look to those around you who need a helping hand,” Verlander wrote.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner and 2011 AL MVP is 225-129 over 453 starts during a 15-year career with the Detroit Tigers and Astros.