AFP – BERLIN

Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich resisted a second-half fightback by Eintracht Frankfurt to claim a 5-2 win behind closed doors ahead of Tuesday’s top-of-the-table clash at Dortmund.

Bayern cruised into a 3-0 lead with goals by Leon Goretzka, the league’s top-scorer Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller at the Allianz Arena before Frankfurt rattled the hosts.

Defender Martin Hinteregger bagged two quick goals from successive corners when he vol-leyed home, then headed in to make it 3-2 on 55 minutes.

Canadian teenager Alphonso Davies settled Bayern’s nerves by reclaiming a ball he lost in the area to fire home the hosts’ fourth goal with an hour gone.

Hinteregger then claimed an unwanted hat-trick when he turned a Serge Gnabry shot into his own net to make it 5-2 on 74 minutes.

The win re-establishes Bay-ern’s four-point lead before travelling to second-placed Dortmund.

This was the second weekend of the Bundesliga’s restart, following a two-month

hiatus, as the first top European league to resume during the pandemic.

A minute’s silence was held before the day’s five matches to remember the victims of COVID-19, which has so far claimed 8,216 lives in Germany.

Dortmund claimed a 2-0 win at Wolfsburg with goals by Raphael Guerreiro and Achraf Hakimi. Dortmund coach Lucien Favre said the lack of fans’ noise in the stadium helped him give instructions.

Dortmund winger Guerreiro

opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when he tapped home a cross.

The visitors had a let-off early in the second-half when Wolfsburg winger Renato Steffen clipped the crossbar.

England winger Jadon Sancho helped sealed the win when he dribbled at the Wolfsburg defence, then laid a pass off to Hakimi, who fired home 12 minutes from time.

Wolfsburg had replacement Felix Klaus sent off for fouling Hakimi.

Bayer Leverkusen built on

Monday’s drubbing of Werder Bremen by moving up to third place with a 3-1 win at Borussia Moenchengladbach, who dropped to fourth.

With the terraces at Borussia Park decked with 13,000 card-board cut-outs of home fans, Leverkusen’s rising star Kai Havertz, who scored twice in the 4-1 rout of Bremen, again netted a brace.

With seven minutes gone, Havertz, 20, darted onto Karim Bellarabi’s pass into the area and fired home.

French forward Marcus

Thuram levelled for Gladbach just after the break.

Havertz netted a penalty soon after when the video assistant referee spotted a foul on Bellarabi in the area.

Defender Sven Bender unwittingly sealed the win when a free-kick struck his shoulder and flew into the net nine minutes from time.

S e c o n d - f r o m - b o t t o m Werder Bremen claimed their first victory in eight league game with a 1-0 win at Freiburg.

Midfielder Leon Bittencourt hit the winner in the 19th minute with a long-range shot.

In the dying stages, Bremen had defender Philipp Bargfrede sent off for a second yellow card and Freiburg had a goal ruled offside.

The result leaves Bremen two points from 16th -- which carries a relegation play-off at the end of the season -- but six points from 15th, which guar-antees safety.

Bottom side Paderborn are now nine points from safety with seven games left after their 1-1 draw at home to Hoffenheim.

On Friday, Hertha Berlin drubbed neighbours Union Berlin 4-0 at the Olympic Stadium in the derby to go 10th.

SPORT | 07

Tiger Woods

vows victory in

star-studded

charity showdown

SPORTWe’ll be ready

for Kohli's

India this time:

Pat Cummins

SPORT | 08

SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020

Formula One teams agree cost-cutting measures: ReportREUTERS – LONDON

Formula One’s 10 teams have agreed cost-cutting measures including a budget cap of $145m for 2021, the BBC reported.

The measures have yet to be approved offi-cially by the governing FIA’s World Motor Sport Council, by an e-vote due to the COVID-19 pan-demic. Formula One’s managing director for mot-orsport Ross Brawn said this month that the $145m figure had been agreed and the sport would look for further reductions in future seasons.

The BBC and motorsport.com, citing multiple sources, said teams had agreed to reduce the cap to $140m in 2022 and $135m for the period 2023-25. Formula One’s season has yet to start, with the first 10 races postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget cap, which does not include driver salaries, had been set ini-tially at $175m but some teams had wanted a more drastic limit closer to $100m to ensure the sport survives the crisis.

Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller scores their second goal against Eintracht Frankfurt during their Bundesliga match played at the Allianz Arena in Munich, yesterday, as play resumes behind closed doors following the COVID-19 outbreak.

La Liga gets green light for restartAFP – MADRID

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced yesterday that La Liga can resume from its coronavirus lockdown on the week of June 8.

“The resumption of major profes-sional sporting competitions and in par-ticular La Liga will be allowed from the week of June 8,” Sanchez told a press conference.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has said the preferred date for games to resume is Friday, June 12 and Sanchez’s announcement means that plan has been given the green light from the government.

“We are very happy with the decision. It is the result of the great work of clubs, players, coaches,” wrote Tebas on Twitter.

“But it is very important to follow the health protocol and respect the trajectory of the pandemic. We cannot lower our guard.” More than two months after the COVID-19 pandemic halted the season in Spain, players have begun training in small groups as they aim to be as ready as possible for the planned reboot next month.

Barcelona sit top of the table, two points ahead of Real Madrid.

Clubs have 11 games left to play to finish the season, with the proposed final round to be completed by the end of July.

The Andalusian derby between Real Betis and Sevilla is likely to be the first

game back. A compressed calendar would mean teams playing matches both in midweek and at weekends while fixtures will be held behind closed doors, with only 197 people allowed to attend, according to a protocol prepared by La Liga. Players will also undergo tests for coronavirus the day before games and will have their temperatures taken before being allowed to enter stadiums.

“When you leave the house the risk is already there,” Barcelona captain Lionel Messi told Mundo Deportivo earlier this month.

“So I think you can’t think about it too much because otherwise you’ll not want

to go out anywhere.” La Liga’s staggered training programme meant players began working individually at training grounds on May 4 and were able to expand into groups of up to 10 players this week.

The top flight was first suspended on March 12, the same day Real Madrid went into quarantine following the positive test of one of the club’s basketball players.

But Tebas has been adamant the league must restart, having estimated that a cancellation of the season would cost clubs around €1bn ($1.09bn).

France’s Ligue 1 has been cut short, with Paris Saint-Germain declared cham-pions, while the Bundesliga in Germany

became the first major European league to resume behind closed doors last weekend.

Tebas has said the chance is low of players infecting each other during games.

“In the match environment, infection is practically impossible because we have carried out a study that we will present that shows the smallest risk is in matches if everyone respects the medical pro-tocol,” Tebas said earlier this month.

Spain has been in lockdown since March 12 and is one of the worst-affected countries by coronavirus, with 28,628 deaths according to the Ministry of Health.

THEN.. NOW..

Bayern see off Frankfurt to stay on title track

When will football action return again?AFP – PARIS

Sport’s big ticket events, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, European football champi-onships, Wimbledon and the British Open golf tour-nament have either been postponed or cancelled because of the coronavirus.

Here is how football worldwide make tentative plans to return to action:

��The Bundesliga became the first major European league to resume last week under strict conditions. Matches are being played behind closed doors with players elbow-bumping to celebrate goals.

The league wants to complete the last nine rounds of matches before June 30 to secure around €300m in television money.

�� The English Premier League’s Chief Executive Richard Masters expressed confidence on Friday the top-flight season will resume in June, with the remaining 92 fixtures com-pleted by August.

Matches will be played behind closed doors, but Masters said the Premier League want games to be staged at clubs’ normal stadiums rather than neutral venues, which was the original suggestion.

��Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced yesterday that La Liga could resume “on the week of June 8”. La Liga Pres-ident Javier Tebas had already set a tentative return date of June 12 and clubs are back in training.

��In Italy, Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora has said that a decision will be made on May 28 on whether the Serie A season can resume.

�� In France, the season has been declared over and Paris Saint-Germain were awarded the Ligue 1 title.

�� South Korea had the honour of being the first elite league back in action on May 8 but there were no crowds or wild goal cele-brations -- even talking was discouraged.

Atletico Madrid players in action during a training session at Ciudad Deportiva Wanda Atletico de Madrid training ground in Madrid, Spain.

This combo shows two construction stages of Al Thumama Stadium, a host venue for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The 40,000- seat stadium, inspired by the ‘gahfiya’ headpiece worn by men in Qatar and across the MENA region, is the first venue designed solely by a Qatari architect, Ibrahim Mohammed Jaidah. PIC: TWITTER / @ROADTO2022

Athletics takes a leap in the

dark in search of spotlight

REUTERS – LONDON

Ferrari-bound Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr (pictured) has said he is determined to leave McLaren on a high at the end of the Formula One season.

In an interview with the Formula One website (www.formula1.com), the 25-year-old driver thanked team bosses for their understanding and not standing in the way of his move to Maranello.

“The moment I felt like there was an interest from Ferrari in hiring me for 2021, I went straight to (McLaren boss) Zak (Brown),” he said.

“And he had a positive feedback in terms of ‘OK, this opportunity is coming to you, we’ll let you talk to Ferrari and let’s stay in touch to see how eve-rything develops’.”

“The key of this process has been the clarity and the openness of all parties involved to make it happen,” added the Spaniard.

“That makes me incredibly proud, and the way it has all b e e n m a n a g e d

makes me feel very happy and very thankful to Zak and his team.”

Sainz joined McLaren from Renault at the end of 2018, replacing double world champion Fernando Alonso, and took the team’s first podium since 2014 with third place in Brazil.

He finished sixth overall in the 2019 championship, the highest driver from outside the top three teams, with McLaren ending the

year fourth.The move to Ferrari,

replacing four times world champion Sebastian Vettel, was

announced on May 14 and Sainz said

McLaren, who have signed Aus-tralian Daniel Ricciardo, congrat-ulated him.

“They said: ‘You deserve it and I’m sure you will do great there’,

and that confidence boost is always nice to hear from

your bosses,” said the Spaniard.

“ T h e r e ’ s nothing that I would love more than saying goodbye

to McLaren on a high.”

07SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020 SPORT

The key of this process has been the clarity and the openness of all parties involved to make it happen. That makes me incredibly proud, and the way it has all been managed makes me feel very happy and very thankful to Zak and his team: Carlos Sainz Jr.

Amyr Du Soleil - a champion in the making for Al ShahaniaTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Starting as the hot favourite, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani’s champion colt Amyr Du Soleil (GB) (Amer) landed his fourth consec-utive Group victory in the Prix Nefta-Dormane (Gr2 PA) at Bordeaux, France.

He was last seen winning the Qatar Arabian Trophy des Poulains (Gr1 PA) at Saint Cloud, in October. Named Champion 3-year-old Purebred Arabian colt in 2019, Amyr Du Soleil is probably the best colt that has been seen in France for years.

In the hands of Julien Augé, he went straight to the lead in this 6-runner race for 4-year-old Purebred Arabians over 1,900m and there he stayed. The race was a walkover. Amyr Du Soleil won by a four and a

half-length margin. In second was Artemis (Azadi), also carrying the blue and white stars of H E Sheikh

Mohammed, trained by Elisabeth Bernard and ridden by Olivier Peslier.

This was a display of dominance

that bodes well for Amyr Du Soleil’ 2020 campaign, when he takes on his elders, as noted by trainer Thomas Fourcy.

"He is a very high-class colt”, said Fourcy, “and he was ready for the race today. He will have to compete with the older horses this year, a category where his owner has other first-class competitors, such as Ebraz.”

Amyr Du Soleil is by the champion sire Amer. He began his racing career in the colours of his breeder, Lisa and Pierre Deymonaz, before transferring to those of H E Sheikh Mohammed, following his maiden debut when he finished second.

He then promptly went on to win his first Group race, the Prix Tidjani (Gr.3 PA).

He is out of Balladore (Dormane), a full sister to Dormah de Brugère, a seven-time winner including the Jumeirah International Stakes (Gr2 PA) and the Arabian International Stakes (Gr2 PA).

Woods vows victoryin charity showdownAFP – MIAMI

Tiger Woods couldn’t resist a little last-minute needling before today’s charity showdown with Phil Mickelson, with a deadpan prediction that he and partner Peyton Manning would dominate.

“At the end of the day, our team’s going to win, it’s just a matter of how much we’re going to win by,” 15-time major champion Woods said in an interview posted on Golf Digest’s YouTube channel.

“Do we keep it close, do we blow them out ... we don’t want to have viewers turn off if we’re 9-up through nine, that’s probably not going to be good. So we’ll just be 8-up through nine -- something like that.”

Reigning Masters champion Woods will team with Manning, a superstar NFL quarterback who retired in 2016 after winning his second Super Bowl title.

Five-time major winner Mick-elson will team with Tom Brady, who recently signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after winning six Super Bowl titles in 20 years with the New England Patriots.

The 18-hole match will include nine holes of four-ball and nine holes of modified alternate shot, with on-course challenges for charitable funds in addition to the $10m pledged.

With the US PGA Tour and European Tour on hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic, the made-for-TV event will be a welcome glimpse of live sports action, and the long rivalries among the players promise a little intensity even if it’s only a battle for bragging rights.

Television commentators include major winners Trevor Immelman and Jordan Spieth, along with Charles Barkley, the NBA great turned outspoken broadcaster who is the owner of a famously disjointed golf swing.

Woods and Manning look to have the edge going in.

Woods is a regular at Medalist golf course in Hobe Sound, Florida, and Manning boasts a slightly better handicap than Brady -- who has had less time to focus on his golf game as he adjusts to life with a new team amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the legion of Woods-watchers around the globe, it will be a chance to see just how far the 44-year-old’s fitness has come since he lurched to a 68th-place finish at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles in February.

Continuing trouble with his balky back saw him skip the WGC Mexico Championship, the Honda Classic and the Arnold Palmer Invita-tional, as well as the Players Championship -- which was shut down early by coro-navirus concerns.

Woods said in April he would have been ready for his Masters title defense -- which is now set to come in November.

“Night and day,” he said of the improvement since February.

While the Woods-Mick-elson rivalry may have lost some of its sizzle, Manning and Brady could add intrigue.

“They grew up playing football, not golf, but they’re

going out of their comfort zone on national TV to showcase their golf game,” Mickelson said.

“That’s not an easy thing to do.

“For them to do that and create a fun, entertaining environment that’s helping others, I have a lot of respect for it.”

Ferrari-bound Sainz aims to leave McLaren on a high

F1 drivers fully support ‘ghost races’: GPDA Chairman

REUTERS – LONDON

Formula One drivers fully support plans to start the season with “ghost races” behind closed doors, according to Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) chairman Alex Wurz.

The sport aims to kick off a season delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic with two back-to-back races without spectators at Austria’s Red Bull Ring in July.

More races under similar conditions will then be held in Europe with the sport also hoping some races can happen in Asia, the Middle East and Americas. Wurz, an Austrian, told Sky Sports television the drivers would rather race in front of a crowd but understood why that was not possible in such ‘strange times’.

“I think no one in motor-sport, no driver, and personally me definitely not, is a fan of ‘ghost races’,” added the former Benetton and McLaren driver.

“However all the drivers I have spoken to, and I’m con-stantly in talks with all of them, no one has said ‘No, I don’t want to do it’ or ‘I feel it’s the wrong thing to do’.

He was last seen winning the Qatar Arabian Trophy des Poulains (Gr1 PA) at Saint Cloud, in October.

Named Champion 3-year-old Purebred Arabian colt in 2019, Amyr Du Soleil is probably the best colt that has been seen in France for years.

Amyr Du Soleil in action. PICTURE: ROBERT POLIN

a

o

ist da,

htly who

n his with

D-19

oods-it will

far the s come h-place Club in

with his p the WGC , the

he -

e s

se t to er.

ay,” he said ment since

Woods-Mick-may have lost

zle, Manning d add intrigue.w up playing

f, but they’re

going out of their comfort zone on national TV to showcase their golf game,” Mickelson said.

“That’s not an easy thing to do.

“For them to do that and create a fun, entertaining environment that’s helping others, I have a lot of respect for it.”

he way of his move to aranello.

“The moment I felt like here was an interest from errari in hiring me for 021, I went straight to McLaren boss) Zak Brown),” he said.

“And he had a positive edback in terms of ‘OK, this

pportunity is coming to you,we’ll let you talk to Ferrari and

t’s stay in touch to see how eve-ything develops’.”

“The key of this rocess has been the arity and the opennessf all parties involved to

make it happen,” added he Spaniard.

“That makes me ncredibly proud, andhe way it has all

e e n m a n a g e d

year fourth.The move to Ferrari,

replacing four times world champion Sebastian Vettel, was

announced on May 14 and Sainz said

McLaren, who have sigtralian Daniel Ricciardo,ulated him.

“They said: ‘You deseI’m sure you will do gr

and that confidencealways nice to h

your bosses,Spaniard.

“ Tnothiwoumorsaying

to McLhigh.”

proud, and the wahas all been manamakes me feel verhappy and very thto Zak and his teaCarlos Sainz Jr.

NBA: Bash’sbuzzer-beater lifts Kingsto 2K sweep

AGENCIES – LOS ANGELES

Rookie Matthew “Bash” Robles sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to seal Kings Guard Gaming’s two-game sweep of Grizz Gaming in NBA 2K League action yesterday.

After winning the opener 82-68, the Kings trailed 53-40 heading to the fourth quarter of the second game, but they rallied to trail by one point with 1.1 seconds remaining. Yusuf “Yusuf_Scarbz” Abdulla fired the inbounds pass to Bash at the top of the key, and Bash hit the decisive shot to give the Kings a 60-58 win.

In other matches as Week 3 concluded, Knicks Gaming spoiled Celtics Crossover Gaming’s season debut, posting a 2-1 series win, and Wizards District Gaming dumped Hornets Venom GT 2-0.

The scheduled match between Heat Check Gaming and Jazz Gaming was post-poned due to technical diffi-culties. No make-up date was announced.

Originally due to begin its season March 24, the NBA 2K League postponed play because of the coronavirus pandemic. On April 27, the league announced an initial six-week, online-only schedule, with all 23 teams playing eight total matches from their home markets. Action finally began May 5.

Each match is a best-of-three, with the outcome of each three-game series counting as one win or one loss in the standings.

AFP – PARIS

With traditional competition shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, athletics has begun exper-imenting with imaginative and unusual ways to ensure that, somehow, the show goes on.

The Olympics and European Championships have been postponed and there no traditional meetings are scheduled until the Diamond League in Monaco on August 14, yet there has been a steady stream of creative initiatives to allow competition.

There have been long-distance pole-vault showdowns and solo races against the clock.

Micro meetings are planned and, in a sport built on direct competition, promoters of tradi-tional meetings are looking at ways to stage mean-ingful one-runner races in arenas where no hands are clapping.

“In this period when nothing is happening, there is no bad idea, apart from taking health risks,” Remy Charpentier, the organiser of the Monaco meeting, told AFP.

The postponed London Marathon launched the 2.6 Challenge in which participants

attempted solo events based on that number.

Some sat in cornflakes, Mo Farah swung from a climbing frame but others ran or rolled.

Three of the world’s leading pole vaulters managed to compete while staying at home with the Ultimate Garden Challenge on May 3 as Swede Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, the world record holder, took on Frenchman

Renaud Lavillenie, and two-time US world champion Sam Kendricks.

Watched, World Athletics estimated, by more than a million people worldwide,

Duplantis, jumping in his back garden in his native Louisiana and Lavillenie, in Clermont-

Ferrand, both cleared a bar set at 5 metres 36 times in 30 minutes while Kendricks, in Missis-

sippi, managed 26.“It’s already huge even to be able to do exhi-

bitions again,” Lavillenie told AFP, adding that he was surprised to have felt “a little bit of adren-aline” with this ersatz competition.

The format was duplicated by three of the world’s top women vaulters jumping at their training grounds with Greek Olympic champion Ekaterini Stefanidi beating American Katie Nageotte and Canadian Alysha Newman.

As the lockdown eases in some parts of Europe, ‘Flight Night’ involving four German pole vaulters, is planned at a drive-in cinema in Dusseldorf on June 12 while six micro-meetings have been scheduled in the Czech Republic.

Those will start in Kladno on June 1 with three events -- women’s javelin, men’s shot put and men’s 300m -- on the announced schedule.

In addition to “private” initiatives, the big meetings are looking for a way to keep the show going, which is a problem in events where ath-letes compete at the same time.

The Oslo Diamond League event, on June 11, has been renamed “the Impossible Games” and will operate “in full observation of Norway’s coro-navirus regulations and social distancing rules.”

The hour-long made-for-TV event will again feature Duplantis who will be at the Bislett stadium as will Norwegian Sondre Guttormsen while Lavil-lenie will vault in his French garden.

Two Norwegians will make solo attempts at records in little-run distances.

Double 400m hurdles world champion Karsten Warholm will try to break the world 300m hurdles mark and Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal attempt a 3,000m record with her pace set by a lights embedded in the side of the track.

There is also a plan for two hurdlers to race each other over 200m.

Meanwhile, Monaco is hoping to run a normal event.

“We hope to stay with a traditional meeting, we still have three months left,” said Charpentier.

“You don’t have to be innovative at all costs but you have to do what works for you. If 22 players can play football in the Bundesliga, then 10 runners should be able to compete together.”

Tiger Woods

08 SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020SPORT

Hales deserves ‘second chance’: WoakesAFP - LONDON

Alex Hales deserves a “second chance” with England after being sent into international exile as a result of recreational drug use, according to Chris Woakes.

Opening batsman Hales was dropped from the World Cup squad shortly before last year’s tournament after it emerged he had tested positive for drugs.

England went on to win the event on home soil in dramatic fashion without him and he has not played international cricket since.

Despite his months in the wilderness, there is speculation Hales could be in line for a white-ball recall.

England are set to announce separate Test and one-day squads as they bid to complete a full international home programme against the West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Ireland despite the coro-navirus pandemic.

And the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia is still scheduled to take place later this year.

Warwickshire all-rounder

Woakes, asked a b o u t t h e prospect of Hales playing for England again, told reporters yes-terday: “I don’t know 100 percent if it’s t h e r i g h t decision, it’s not my call.

“ I ’ m a believer that people serve their time, so to speak. He’s gone through a tough time being left out of the World Cup and going on to see that team lift the trophy must have been difficult for him.

“I think if people have gone away for a time and worked on their weaknesses they should be allowed a second chance.”

Nottinghamshire’s Hales was the second-highest run-scorer in Australia’s most recent Big Bash and has three of the five highest scores in

England’s T20 history, including the highest of 116 not out against Sri Lanka.

His 171 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in 2018 is second only to Jason Roy’s 180 as Eng-land’s highest individual score in one-day internationals.

It was only earlier this month that England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan said Hales’ behaviour had been “extremely harmful”.

Nevertheless, Woakes said there was no questioning the 31-year-old’s talent, adding that Hales could be re-inte-grated into the England squad.

“Alex is a world-class player,” Woakes said. “I have played a lot of cricket with him from a young age actually.

“In a way I felt sorry for him but I understand the decision from the man-agement, captain and rest of

the team. I don’t 100 percent know what will happen but I’d be happy to see Alex back in England colours.”

He added: “We have a culture and an environment in the England squad where we all try to pull in the right direction.

“If Alex is willing to do that, then I imagine everyone would be happy to see him back playing for England.”

We’ll be ready for Kohli'sIndia this time: Cummins

IANS - MELBOURNE

Australia pacer Pat Cummins feels his team is far better

prepared and equipped to face Team India than last time when Virat Kohli and men travel Down Under later in the year.

India, under Kohli in the 2018/19 series, became the

first Asian side to beat Aus-tralia in a Test series in

their own den. The series featured stellar perform-ances from b a t s m e n

Cheteshwar P u j a r a , R i s h a b h Pant and Kohli and the fast b o w l i n g

battery fea-turing Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.

“I think we’ll be ready for them this time,” Cummins told cricket.com.au

Australia were

without the services of Steve Smith a n d David Warner in the last series as both were serving their bans handed over to them by Cricket Australia for their involvement in the Sandpaper Gate controversy. However, the duo would, in all likelihood, in the squad, thus providing strength to the batting unit of Australia.

“Everyone’s a little more expe-rienced this time because obviously we’ve got a couple of class batters back in the side and someone like Marnus (Labuschagne) has played a bit more and done brilliantly,” Cummins said

“So I feel like we’re in a better position,” he added.

The World No. 1 Test bowler also said that the Australia bowling unit will need to “take their medicine” to outlast Pujara in the home series this summer.

Pujara was one of the defining factors of India’s historic win over Australia in 2018/19. He was the top scorer in the series with 521 runs and faced a whopping 1258 balls.

“He (Pujara) had a mammoth

series for them (in 2018-19). He’s one of those

players that’ll take his time, he’s in his own little bubble and he doesn’t get disturbed by too much,” Cummins said.

“We’ve got to find a way to outlast him if he bats the way he did last time. There wasn’t too much

in the pitch so you couldn’t manu-

facture any-

thing. So I think (we need to) take our medicine a bit more and try and outlast him,” he added.

The right-arm pacer is also hoping that unlike last time, Australian pitches will assist the hosts pacers so that they can disrupt the concentration of the Indian middle-order batting mainstay.

“But we’ll wait and see. Hopefully the wickets are a bit bouncier (and) we’ve got a few more options,” he said.

“They (India) showed us what you have to be, what level you have to be at, to be the best team in the world,” he added.

Everyone’s a little more experienced this time because obviously we’ve got a couple of class batters back in the side and someone like Marnus (Labuschagne) has played a bit more and done brilliantly. So I feel like we’re in a better position: Pat Cummins

Buttler says he was desperate to play the IPL

IANS - LONDON

England batsman Jos Buttler feels Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped in the growth of English cricket and that’s why for him, the T20 league is the second-best tournament after the World Cups.

“There’s no doubt that it (IPL) has helped English cricket grow and the numbers of players who were involved in the last few years,” Buttler said in the BBC Podcast ‘The Doosra’.

“It was something I was desperate to play. For me it’s the best tournament in the world, taking out the World Cups,” he added.

Buttler has been a part of two franchises in the IPL. He played for Mumbai Indians in the 2016-17 season and then moved to Rajasthan Royals in 2018.According to the World Cup winner, the league is like the fantasy cricket he aspired to play as kid, with top crick-eters playing against each other.

“Some of the match ups you get to see in the IPL are great. Bangalore has been

amongst the top three teams with (Virat) Kohli, AB (de

Villiers) and (Chris) Gayle coming up and then to see them up against a (Jasprit) Bumrah or a Dale Steyn or (Lasith) Malinga. As a kid growing up that is what you want to play -- fantasy cricket.

Mix all the teams together what it will be like if Kohli and de Vil-

l i e r s p l a y together,” he said. Buttler has so far played 45 IPL matches in

which he has scored 1386 runs

at a strike rate of over 150.

David last series as ing their bans to them by

alia for their the Sandpaper

sy. However, the all likelihood, in providing strength

unit of Australia.s a little more expe-

me because obviously uple of class batterse and someone like chagne) has played d done brilliantly,”

ke we’re in a betterdded.No. 1 Test bowler also ustralia bowling unit ake their medicine” a in the home series

one of the defining a’s historic win over 18/19. He was the top ries with 521 runs and ing 1258 balls.a) had a mammoth

series for them (in 2018-19). He’s one of those

players that’ll take his time, he’s in his own little bubble and he doesn’t get disturbed by too much,” Cummins said.

“We’ve got to find a way to outlast him if he bats theway he did last time. There wasn’t too much

in the pitch so you coc uldn’t manu-

fafafafafffafaffaffafafffffffffffffffffffffaaaacture any-

thing. So I think (we need to) take our medicine a bit more and try and outlast him,” he added.

The right-armpacer is also hoping that unlike last time, Australian pitches will assist the hosts pacers so that they can disrupt the concentration of the Indian middle-order batting mainstay.

“But we’ll wait and see. Hopefully the wickets are a bitbouncier (and) we’ve got a few more options,” he said.

“They (India)showed us what you have to be, what level you have to be at, to be the best team in the world,” he added.

nced this time couple of classomeone like ayed a bit more ike we’re in a

you get to see in the IPL are great. Bangalore has been

amongst the top three teams with (Virat) Kohli, AB (de

Villiers) and (Chris) Gayle coming up and then to see them up against a (Jasprit) Bumrah or a Dale Steyn or (Lasith) Malinga. As a kid

growing up that is what you want to play -- fantasy cricket.

Mix all the teams together what it will be like if Kohli and de Vil-

l i e r s p l a y together,” he

said. Buttler has so far played 45 IPL matches in

which he has scored 1386 runs

at a strike rate of over 150.

Bowlers require minimum two months’ preparation to play Tests: ICC

REUTERS - MUMBAI

Bowlers looking at resuming Test cricket after the novel coronavirus lockdown will require two to three months of preparation to avoid injuring themselves, the Inter-national Cricket Council (ICC) has said.

Cricket, like other global sports, has been suspended since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but some countries are plotting guidelines for the return of the game as governments start eas ing lockdown restrictions.

England players returned to individual skill-based training this week with the country hoping to begin their delayed summer of cricket with a Test series against West Indies in July.

Pakistan are scheduled to tour England to play three Tests in August followed by an equal number of Twenty20 Internationals, with the matches taking place behind closed doors as part of measures to combat COVID-19.

“Bowlers are at a par-ticularly high risk of injury on return to play after a period of enforced time-out,” the world governing body ICC said in its back-to-cricket guidelines released late on Friday.

The ICC advised teams to use larger squads and exercise caution over bowlers’ work-loads, saying Test cricket would require a minimum of eight to 12 week preparation with the final four-five weeks involving match intensity bowling.

Preparation time of six weeks was recommended for bowlers returning to the shorter 50-over and Twenty20 internationals.

The ICC advised its member boards to consider appointing a medical advisor or bio-safety official to help with planning for a safe return to training and competition.

The Dubai-based ICC this week announced a ban on using saliva to shine a cricket ball to try and achieve the fabled ‘reverse swing’.

Players and umpires would need to maintain social dis-tancing and cricketers must avoid unnecessary body contact and not hand over items like cap, towels, sun-glasses to umpires or team mates, the ICC said.

IANS - MELBOURNE

Australia pacer Patfeels his team is

prepared and equippTeam India than last tVirat Kohli and men trUnder later in the year.

India, under K2018/19 series, b

first Asian side ttralia in a Te

their own seriesstellaanceb a t

ChPR

baturing JaspriMohammed Ishant Sharm

“I thinkready for themCummins tocom.au

Australi

EveryonebecausebattersMarnusand dobetter

ICC

esuminghe novel wn will months

o avoidhe Inter-ncil (ICC)

er ne e c e

orme art wn

yers l skill-

week ping to summer st series n July.

duled to three ed byr of nals, king oors s to

par-injury

after a time-

erningack-to-

Coach has responsibility for success of team and not only individuals, says Gary KirstenIANS - LONDON

Former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten believes coaching is a leadership position which requires an in-depth under-standing of how teams and indi-viduals thrive and what sort of environment is needed for this.

Kirsten has served as the head coach of the Indian team as well as South Africa.

It was under his tenure that the Men in Blue won the 2011 World Cup, when they defeated Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai.

“Coaches require a variety of skillsets which allow them to have oversight in every segment of running a professional cricket team,” Kirsten told daily The Sun in an interview.

“This includes season and tournament preparation, man-management, building a team culture, managing relationships,

recruitment, contracting, strategy, recruitment and man-agement of support staff, practice and training facilities, media commitments, team logistics, team feedback loops and debriefs, consultants and all other services linked to a high performance professional sports team,” he added.

The 52-year-old also believes that a coach must be able to suc-cessfully manage different types of personalities within a team.

“Coaches need to be able to successfully manage all different types of personalities so that each player has an opportunity to thrive. The coach is also trying to set a high performing team envi-ronment and has a responsibility for the success of the team and not only individuals. Every new coach needs support from players who can drive the new culture or way of doing things.

This can take time and to win these players over, requires trust, transparency and good connec-tions. We expect too much from coaches in a short time,” he said.

Kirtsen, who has also served as a coach in the Indian Premier League as well as the Big Bash League in his coaching career, pointed out the difference between coaching a national side and a franchise team.

“A national team requires extensive travel because of all the touring which makes it difficult for families. A franchise team coaching job is tough in terms of building a culture and a ‘way of doing things’ in an eight-week tournament, with high expectation on short term results,” he said.

In modern-day cricket, tech-nology is playing a huge role. And the former Proteas opener believes vairous aspects of cricket have been affected by it.

“It is becoming more important to decode, especially in T20 cricket. Every team is looking for a com-petitive advantage and the more advanced and relevant the data points, the more the coaches will embrace them.

Kirtsen also opened up about his relationship with Paddy Upton -- who served as the mental health and condi-tioning coach of the Indian team.

Upton was appointed mental conditioning and stra-tegic leadership coach of the team in 2008. Under Kirsten and Upton, the team attained the ICC top Test team ranking for the first time in 2009, and went on to win the 2011 World Cup.

comingant tocially

ricket. am is a com-vantage e advanced and data points, thecoaches will

em.also opened up

relationship with n -- who served as health and condi-

h of the Indian team. was appointed

ditioning and stra-rship coach of the 8. Under Kirsten

n, the team ICC top Test ng for the 2009, and

win the 2011 Gary Kirsten

In this file photo taken on February 07, 2018, England batsman Alex Hales attempts to pull a delivery away against Australia’s bowling during their Twenty20 match at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Hales deserves a “second chance” in the England side according to Chris Woakes if he has put the off-field problems that led to his international exile behind him.

09SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020 SPORT

Tennis: French Open organisers working with authorities to avoid US Open clashREUTERS - PARIS

French Open director Guy Forget said he was working hand in hand with tennis authorities to make sure the dates of the claycourt Grand Slam tournament and those of the US Open do not clash, adding that Flushing Meadows would make an announcement next month.

The French Open had orig-inally been due to start today, but the new coronavirus crisis forced organisers to postpone the start to September 20, one week after the scheduled final of the 2020 US Open, leading to criticism within the tennis world.

Earlier this month, the French tennis federation said it was in talks with the ATP, WTA and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) over a revised calendar for the season.

“The official announcement has not been made yet. It (the French Open) will probably be between the end of September and the beginning of October. We’ve been working closely with the ATP, the WTA and the ITF to make a global announcement on what the circuit will be like until the end of the year,” Forget told French radio Europe 1 yesterday.

“There are so many question marks.

“The city of New York is more affected by the corona-virus than France. They also have a lot of organisation problems, they will make an announcement mid-June to say

how it’s going to be like for the US Open.”

Meanwhile, Forget is con-fident the French Open will be played in good conditions.

“We’ll see how the situation is in a couple of months. We will adapt to what the government will say. We have to be ambi-tious and optimistic,” he said.

France has banned events involving 5,000 or more people until the end of August. )

Meanwhile ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky has hailed Bianca Andreescu as "one of the hardest working athletes" he has ever seen in a glowing tribute to his fellow Canadian.

The NHL icon, along with former NBA superstar Steve Nash, joined co-host Vasek Pos-pisil this week for a Canada-themed episode of Tennis United, which aired on WTA and ATP digital platforms yesterday.

In the three-way interview, Gretzky recalls attending the 2019 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells when Andreescu stormed to her breakthrough title success - before subse-quently beating Serena Wil-liams in the final of the US Open.

“I remember watching her first match (at Indian Wells) and thinking that's one of the hardest working athletes I've ever seen in my life," said Gretzky in a report posted on www.wtatour.com.

“She went on to win the tournament and then, at the US Open, to play in front of all

those fans and everyone cheering the American girl - and one of the greatest athletes of all time - was pretty special.

“My hat goes off to her for how she handled herself and how she handled the pressure,” he said.

Both Gretzky and Nash reveal themselves to be true

tennis fans over the course of the 20-minute discussion with ATP star Pospisil. The segment focused on Andreescu comes around halfway through the video (above).

Gretzky added: "The thing that impressed me most about her - and I've said this to a lot of people - is not how good she

is or how hard she works but how she handles herself with the media. She handled herself with such poise, she was so humble, so appreciative.

“I don't think we could have a better hero in our country for young kids. She's truly remarkable and deserves all the credit she's getting.”

A drone is seen in the air recording Danielle Collins of the US as she walks to the court for her match against compatriot Alison Riske during the UTR Pro Match Series Day 2 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Following new COVID-19 safety guidelines to limit the number of people on the court, drones and remote-controlled cameras were used to broadcast live to the Tennis Channel.

Drone the way forward?

NBA is talking with Disney about resuming seasonAP - NEW YORK

The NBA is in talks with The Walt Disney Company on a single-site scenario for a resumption of play in Central Florida in late July, the clearest sign yet that the league believes the season can continue amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Basketball Players Association is also part of the talks with Disney. Games would be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, a massive campus on the Disney property near Orlando.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the conversations were still “exploratory,” and that the site would be used not only for games but for practices and housing as well.

“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of all involved, and we are working with public health experts and government officials on a compre-hensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and pro-tections are in place,” Bass said.

The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a 255-acre campus with multiple arenas that could host games simultaneously and has been home to, among other things, the Jr NBA World Championship in recent years.

ESPN is primarily owned by Disney, one of the NBA’s broadcast partners.

Space won’t be an issue, even if Major League Soccer - which is also in talks to resume its season at Disney - is there at the same time as the NBA.

The entire Disney complex is roughly 40 square miles, with nearly 24,000 hotel rooms owned or operated by Disney within the campus.

The NBA suspended its season March 11, becoming the first of the US major pro leagues to do so after it became known that All-Star centre Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19.

The list of NBA players who were known to test positive eventually grew to 10 - not all were identified - and Commissioner Adam Silver said last month that the actual total was even higher. But the league has been working on countless return-to-play scenarios for several weeks, all with the caveat that testing would be an integral part of any resumption of the season.

Teams have been allowed to welcome players back to their training facil-ities for voluntary sessions since May 8, and more than half of the league’s fran-chises have taken advantage of that oppor-tunity. The next steps would likely include a loosening of the government restric-tions for those voluntary workouts - no more than four players are currently allowed inside any facility at a time - and then a plan for when training camps could open.

If the league plans to resume play in late July, then camps conceivably could open around the start of that month. Resched-uling at least some regular season games could be a major perk for players, even though some teams are out of the playoff mix.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Stefan Ilsanker and Gelson Fernandes react after their first goal during a Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany, yesterday.

Thousands of replica fans take over Bundesliga stadiumAP - DÜSSELDORF

Even when German fans are stuck at home, they can still be seen in the stadium.

Around 13,000 cutouts filled the stands yesterday as Borussia Mönchengladbach hosted Bayer Leverkusen in a Bundesliga game which could help decide Champions League qualification.

Gladbach fans took pictures at home in a shirt or scarf and paid 19 euros ($20.70) to be turned into one of the “Pappkam-eraden” or “cardboard companions.” Season-ticket holders have their cutout placed in their usual spot, though some fan groups denounced the idea.

“It’s better to play in front of dolls than nothing at all,” Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz said before the game.

It was Gladbach’s first at home since the Bundesliga restarted without spectators amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The cutouts didn’t do Gladbach much good yesterday. Leverkusen won 3-1 to overtake Gladbach for third in the table, as Gladbach missed good chances to score late on.

“Despite that it still looks really super,” Gladbach right back Stefan Lainer said. “It creates a certain atmosphere.”

Coach Marco Rose and some of his players were also in the stands in two-dimensional form, along with greats of the club’s past. They include Günter Netzer, who won the West German title with Gladbach in 1970 and 1971 and the World Cup in 1974.

There’s even an away end with pictures of supporters from Leverkusen and other clubs. Gladbach said it was a nonprofit ini-tiative with proceeds going to charity.

Gladbach’s form this season has echoed its golden age from the 1970s. The club led the table early in the season and is still fighting for a Champions League spot.

Not all of the real-life fans like their cutout counterparts. Some groups oppose continuing the season without spectators and feel the cutouts legitimize that.

“Football without fans is nothing,” read a large banner placed at one end of the stadium yesterday.

“For Borussia, against ghost games,” read another.“The bleak backdrop of empty stadiums is exactly what these

games represent and deserve,” the Sottocultura group of Gladbach fans said in a statement. “We consider the initiative with the card-board figures to be counterproductive. We understand the well-meaning, charitable idea behind it, but we consider the signal to be the wrong one.”

Gladbach isn’t the first club to try replacing fans with doppel-gangers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Before the Bundesliga restarted, Belarus was the only country in Europe playing league games. Champion club Dynamo Brest printed off photos sent by supporters abroad and attached them to shop mannequins wearing a motley variety of old shirts.

A banner reading “For Borussia, against

ghost matches” is pictured during the German first

division Bundesliga football match

between Borussia Moenchengladbach

and Bayer 04 Leverkusen yesterday in

Moenchengladbach, western Germany.

World Cup winner Goetze to leave Dortmund: ClubAFP - BERLIN

Borussia Dortmund sports director Michael Zorc confirmed yesterday that Mario Goetze, who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final, will leave at the end of the season.

“We will stop working together with Mario Goetze in the summer,” Zorc told Sky before Saturday’s Bundesliga game away to Wolfsburg. “It is a joint decision after a constructive conver-sation. Mario is a really good guy.”

The decision caps a frustrating season for the 27-year-old attacker, who has made only five league starts this term.

Goetze wrote himself into German football folklore by vol-leying home a cross during extra time in the 2014 World Cup final to seal a 1-0 win over Argentina at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium. Six years on, Goetze has struggled to replicate the dis-plays that once prompted former German FA technical director Matthias Sammer to describe him as “one of the best talents we’ve ever had”.

Having come through the academy, Goetze helped Dortmund win the league and cup double in 2011 and 2012 before he left for Bayern Munich in 2013.

However, he failed to hold down a first-team place in Munich and returned to Dortmund in 2016. The following year he was then sidelined for several months by a debilitating metabolic dis-order. Goetze made his 200th appearance for Dortmund on the opening day of this season, but he has featured sparingly since the arrival of Erling Braut Haaland in January.

On Friday, Dortmund coach Lucien Favre admitted it would be “difficult” for Goetze to win a place, while Germany legend Lothar Matthaeus last month urged him to quit the Bundesliga to reboot his career.

“Today, his way of playing football is no longer in demand,” Matthaeus wrote in a column for Sky. “Above all, he lacks the speed to keep up with the football that Dortmund and many other top clubs play. It’s quite possible that Italy would be a suitable league for him,” added Matthaeus.

In this file photo taken on December 20, 2019, Dortmund’s German midfielder Mario Goetze celebrates scoring a goal during a Bundesliga football match against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Dortmund confirmed yesterday that Goetze will leave at the end of the season.