SPORT | 10

Too early to

compare Babar

and Kohli, feels

Younus Khan

SPORTAll league teams

cleared to start

group training in

Spain

SPORT | 11

MONDAY 18 MAY 2020

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Qatar's football season to resume on July 24THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The 2019-20 season football season in Qatar, which includes the prestigious Amir Cup and the elite QNB Stars League (QSL), will resume on July 24, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced yesterday.

The season came to a halt due to the coronavirus pan-demic and it was confirmed yesterday that the season will be completed during the July 24 to August 26 window.

The season involves matches resuming from the 18th week of the QSL, which is led by Al Duhail with Al Rayyan and Al Sadd occupying the second and th ird pos i t ions respectively.

Amir Cup - country's most popular football tournament, will resume from thesemi-final stage.

Qatar’s football giants Al Sadd and Al Duhail will square off in a mouth-watering semi-final while Al Markhiya will meet Al Arabi in the other semi-

final of the prestigious event. The QFA confirmed that the

selection of this period for the resumption of football activity has been carried out after detailed consultations with offi-cials in the Ministry of Health in order to maintain the safety of all those involved in the matches, including players, technical and administrative equipment and referees.

QSL announces players’ annual leave

The QSL issued a circular yesterday regarding the annual leave for players, the date for the start of training and resumption of 2019-20 season QNB Stars League, based on the circular issued by the Qatar Football Associ-ation (16-113-2020).

In this regard, QSL decided that he annual leave for players started on May 17, and will end on June 7, 2020.

According to the circular, coronavirus (COVID-19) tests will be conducted for all tech-nical as well as administrative

s t a f f a n d players on June 8 and 9, 2020, and the training

sessions will start on

June 10.

Sports activities to return after July 20: QOCTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) yesterday extended the suspension of all local sports activities till July 20, 2020 after which the sports activities from the 2019-2020 calendar will be resumed.

In a statement yesterday, QOC said that the decision came in line with the pro-tective measures taken by the country to limit the spread of the novel corona-virus (COVID-19), and in coordination with the Min-istry of Public Health.

Last week, QOC announced extending the suspension of all local sporting events till May 31.

The season came to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic and it was confirmed yesterday that the season will be completed during the July 24 to August 26 window.

The season involves matches resuming from the 18th week of the QSL, which is led by Al Duhail with Al Rayyan and Al Sadd occupying the second and third positions respectively. Amir Cup - country's most popular football tournament - will resume from the semi-final stage.

QFA confirms that the selection of this period for the resumption of football activity has been carried out after detailed consultations with officials in the Ministry of Health in order to maintain the safety of all those involved in the matches.

QSL announces playeannual leave

The QSL issued a circyesterday regarding annual leave for playersdate for the start of trainand resumption of 2019season QNB Stars Leagbased on the circular issby the Qatar Football Assation (16-113-2020).

In this regard, QSL decthat he annual leave players started on May 17,will end on June 7, 2020.

According to the circucoronavirus (COVID-19) twill be conducted for all tenical as well as administra

s t a f f aplayers on J8 and 9, 20and the trai

sessions start

June

to the coronavirus d yesterday that the ng the July 24 to

esuming from the 18th by Al Duhail with Al

the second and third up - country's mostwill resume from the

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Qatar's star Akram Afif

Premier League clubs set to vote on group trainingREUTERS — LONDON

The Premier League hopes “Project Restart” will move a step closer to becoming reality today when clubs hold an emergency meeting to vote on a return to group training amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Should at least 14 of the 20 clubs agree that safety pro-tocols are sufficient, players are likely to return to a limited first phase of group training tomorrow.

Yesterday should have been the final day of the Premier League season but the coronavirus outbreak meant the league was suspended in March with 92 fixtures remaining.

The Government last week

opened the door for the return of elite sport, but several hurdles remain before the

Premier League can resume behind closed doors.

Clubs will have been

encouraged, however, by the return of the Bundesliga this weekend -- the first major soccer league in the world to resume after the lockdown.

Today’s conference call is the first hurdle.

Clubs need to agree the conditions for players to return to training under strict rules.

Safety measures will include tents where temper-ature checks will be con-ducted, strict hygiene criteria, no canteens and no showers. A maximum of five players will be allowed per pitch with tackling forbidden.

Players will be tested twice per week and are being asked to provide written approval that they have received and understood the club’s

COVID-19 policy. The prospect of clubs playing their remaining matches at neutral venues has receded with more than half speaking out against such a proposal.

Project Restart was origi-nally looking at a June 12 resumption date but should the clubs agree and, if there is no rise in infections in the country, a return date of June 19 or June 26 appears the most likely.

Although the majority of players are said to be sup-portive, there have been dis-senting voices over the decision , including Man-chester City’s Raheem Sterling, Tottenham Hotspur’s Danny Rose and Watford’s Troy Deeney.

Sky Germany attracts record audience for Bundesliga matches

AFP — BERLIN

The restart of the Bundesliga behind locked doors on Saturday attracted over six million viewers watching in Germany, a new record for broadcasters Sky, according to specialist website DWDL.de. When the German league resumed on Saturday afternoon after a two-month break due to the coronavirus, Sky had 3.68 million viewers watching the matches on its subscription TV channels in Germany.

The domestic figure is more than double the usual audience for a typical round of Saturday matches.

In addition, 2.45 million viewers watched the ‘Kon-ferenz’ - a simultaneous live broadcast of the five afternoon games, where coverage moved from stadium to stadium.

In the day’s main game, Erling Braut Haaland scored the first Bundesliga goal since mid-March to help Borussia Dortmund rout rivals Schalke 4-0 and stay in the title race with Bayern Munich yesterday.

A spokesman for the German Football League (DFL) said the matches were televised by more than 70 broadcasters worldwide, all on previously-agreed deals.With Bundesliga matches played behind closed doors in near-empty stadiums, Sky Germany broadcast the ‘Konferenz’ on its free-to-view Sports News Channel.

The idea was to discourage fans in Germany from meeting up to watch matches in places with a Sky subscription.

When Saturday afternoon’s games kicked-off, Sky Germany had a market share of 27.4 percent on their pay-to-view channels and 18.2 percent on their free channel.

There are hopes the top leagues in Italy, Spain and England can restart next month while the French league season has already been scrapped.

People play football outside the stadium at the time the final match of season between Arsenal and Watford was due to take place yesterday at Emirates Stadium in London.

Cologne 2 (Uth 6-pen, Kainz 53) Mainz 2 (Awoniyi

61, Kunde 72)

Union Berlin 0 Bayern Munich 2 (Lewandowski

40-pen, Pavard 80)

Playing today

Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (1830 GMT)

Played on Saturday

Borussia Dortmund 4 (Haaland 29, Guerreiro 45,

63, Hazard 48) Schalke 0

RB Leipzig 1 (Poulsen 77) Freiburg 1 (Gulde 34)

Hoffenheim 0 Hertha Berlin 3 (Akpoguma 58-og,

Ibisevic 60, Cunha 74)

Fortuna Dusseldorf 0 Paderborn 0

Augsburg 1 (Brooks 54-og) VfL Wolfsburg 2 (Stef-

fen 43, Ginczek 90+1)

Eintracht Frankfurt 1 (Silva 81) Bor. Moenchengla-

dbach 3 (Plea 1, Thuram 7, Bensebaini 73-pen)

BUNDESLIGA RESULTS

Bayern Munich are now on

58 points, with Borussia

Dortmund in second place

on 54 following their 4-0

demolition of Schalke 04

on Saturday. There are

eight matchdays left in the

season.

A set of strict health regulations are governing the matches, including a ban on spectators, limited staff inside and outside the stadium and regular testing.

The Bundesliga is the first major sports league in the world to restart amid the pandemic but games are played without fans.

Leaders Bayern Munich win as Bundesliga restart continuesAP — BERLIN

Defending champions Bayern Munich returned to action yesterday with a 2-0 win at Union Berlin as the restart of German soccer continued in empty stadiums.

Players’ shouts echoed off the empty rows of concrete terracing around Union’s stadium as leaders Bayern moved closer to an eighth straight league title.

As at all games in the Bun-desliga this weekend, players wore masks when not on the field and substitutes sat apart from one another in the stands.

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said it was “a question of motivation of attitude” to succeed without fans in the stadium and that the game seemed to take longer than usual.

“The minutes are always very long at a game without fans,” Neuer said.

Robert Lewandowski gave Bayern the lead with a penalty in the 30th minute following a mistimed challenge by Union’s Neven Subotic. It was Lewandowski’s 40th goal of the season in all club compe-titions. Union held off Bayern for most of the second half but

Benjamin Pavard scored a second in the 80th.

Union played without head coach Urs Fischer, who had traveled to be with his family following the death of his father-in-law. The club said Fischer would only take charge of training again after he tests negative for the coro-navirus twice.

Earlier, more than 1,000 Cologne fans lent shirts and scarves to a “lucky charm” support display in the stands for their team’s 2-2 draw with Mainz. Elsewhere in the city, posters were displayed attacking the restart, which

some Cologne fan groups have strongly criticized.

Not everyone followed advice on “socially distanced” celebrations.

Cologne and Mainz’s players marked their goals with restrained elbow bumps, but second-division Osna-brück’s players and substitutes hugged in jubilation after scoring a stoppage-time goal to earn a draw.

It was the first home Bun-desliga game in 12 years for Cologne without its traditional live goat mascot. Game regu-lations bar mascots so Hennes IX was kept at his pen in the

zoo, though he was briefly shown on a video screen before kickoff.

Fan groups are split over the restart, much like German society in general. Many clubs have allowed fans to put banners in the empty stands for games. Some groups have taken the opportunity to call for changes in how German soccer is run.

St. Pauli, a second-division team with a largely left-wing fan base, played Sunday with a large banner along one side of the field reading, “Soccer lives through its fans. Reforms now.”

Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard (not seen in picture) scores their second goal against FC Union Berlin, yesterday.

09MONDAY 18 MAY 2020 SPORT

MLB projects $640,000 loss per game in empty ballparks

AP — NEW YORK

Major League Baseball told players their prorated salaries would contribute to an average loss of $640,000 for each game over an 82-game season in empty ballparks, according to a presentation from the commissioner’s office to the union that was obtained by The Associated Press.

Painting a picture of a $10bn industry shuttered by the con-tagion, the 12-page document titled “Economics of Playing Without Fans in Attendance” and dated May 12 was an initial step in negotiations aimed at starting the delayed season around the Fourth of July.

Teams say the proposed method of salvaging a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic would still cause a $4bn loss and would give major league players 89% of revenue.

They contend they lose more money with each addi-tional game played. The players’ union, however, believes clubs would lose less money with more games. In addition, many teams and/or their owners have stakes in their regional sports network that would benefit from additional games.

Owners voted on Monday to propose salaries be based on a 50-50 split of revenue, a framework players say is tan-tamount to the kind of salary cap they will never accept. Teams gave the players’ asso-ciation their virus-testing plan Friday and have waited to make their economic proposal.

The New York Yankees alone would have $312m in local losses when calculating their earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amor-tisation. New York’s figure includes about $100m toward the bonds that financed new Yankee Stadium, money that already has been paid for 2020.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were at $232m in local losses, followed by the New York Mets at $214m, Chicago Cubs at $199m and Boston Red Sox at $188m.

Detroit would have the lowest negative EBIDTA - an accounting measure used to assess profitability - at $84 million, with Baltimore at $90m, and Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay at $91m each.

Figures exclude distributions from the central office, which projects to collect $1.34bn in media revenue.

The figures were calculated by MLB and its clubs, and the frequently skeptical union already has requested a slew of documents from MLB.

MLB said 2019 revenue was 39% local gate and other in-park sources, followed by 25% central revenue, 22% local media, 11% sponsorship and 4% other.

Teams fears a second wave of the coronavirus would dev-astate finances if renewed gov-ernment restrictions cause can-cellation of the postseason, which brings in $787m in media money. The document details who pays what: $370m by Fox, $310m by Turner, $27m by ESPN, $30m by the MLB Network and $50m from inter-national and other.

Teams project to increase their debt from $5.2bn last year to $7.3bn in 2020, leaving most clubs out of compliance with the labor contract’s debt service rule. MLB’s central office increased debt by $550m to support clubs and is seeking $650m more credit. MLB said many teams do not have the capacity to add more debt to fund losses in 2021.

MLB and the union agreed to a March 26 deal in which players would get a prorated share of their salaries during a shortened season. As part of the agreement, $170m in salaries are being advanced through May 24. If the season is scrapped, players are guar-anteed service time equal to what they accrued in 2019, a key to gaining eligibility for salary arbitration and free agency.

Now that plans have been formulated to possibly start the season in early July in

disinfected stadiums with no gate revenue, at least at the start, MLB says the current eco-nomics are not feasible. Players have said they already made a deal and see no need for change.

But that deal is contingent on playing in front of fans at regular-season ballparks. The agreement committed both sides to “discuss in good faith the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators or at appropriate neutral sites.”

Players traditionally have questioned team accounting on what counts as a baseball revenue or expense. Cincinnati pitcher Trevor Bauer speculated this week over whether an owner could increase prices of a parking garage near the ballpark the owner also controls and generate money that would not be included in the club accounts.

Since the start of revenue sharing 25 years ago, MLB repeatedly has said team accounting is monitored and follows strict rules. Still, for all the questions, the presentation does detail the pandemic’s financial destruction.

Revenue from regional sports networks drops in pro-portion to the lost games, from $2.3bn to $1.2bn and an average of $980,000 per game for both teams, according to the pro-jection. Teams fear some addi-tional losses because the regional networks will have to give up games to Fox and ESPN to fulfill national contracts. MLB said rights holders have already reserved rights to stop pay-ments or demand refunds if agreed to inventory is not delivered.

Player salaries under the March 26 deal average $1.67m per game for both clubs. MLB projects overall local revenue

at $1.23m a game for both teams and cost at $1.87m.

MLB headed into the season projecting $9.967bn in revenue, including $7.548bn at the local level, according to the presentation.

Expenses totaled $10.234bn: $4.366bn for major league player compensation, $198m for pensions and benefits, $537m to sign amateurs, $4.73bn in local expenses and $403m for the central office.

That left MLB with a pro-jected EBIDTA of $143m after stadium depreciation and noncash add backs. Free cash flow was predicted at negative $95m after interest expenses, mandatory principal payments and non-baseball income and losses, but excluding capital improvements. MLB says EBIDTA has been within $250m of break-even annually since 2010. Under the newly developed plan, MLB projects revenue at $2.87bn, including $1.522bn at the local level.

Expenses drop to $6.819bn: $2.36bn for major league player compensation, including sal-aries, prorated shares of signing bonuses, termination pay and buyouts of declined options.

Pension and benefits stay the same, and money to sign amateurs decreases to $440m as part of changes that cut the amateur draft from 40 rounds to five, caps the bonuses of undrafted players at $20,000 and allows most of the money to be deferred through July 2022.

Local expenses drop to $3.46bn and central office expenses to $360m.

That leaves a $3.58bn EBIDTA loss and negative $4.016bn in free cash flow. If fans could be in ballparks, MLB projects a $1.626bn EBIDTA loss and negative $2.076bn in free cash flow.

MLB anticipates $1.788bn central office revenue for an 82-game schedule with empty ballparks and a $1.345bn net after expenses for MLB Advanced Media and Major League Baseball Properties.

Revenue includes $155m from sponsors (excluding the MLB Network); $112m from consumer products, $93m from digital such as MLB.tv and At Bat and $89m in non-media revenue.

Jones, Nurse sweep Seattle’s Willson in Gaming ChallengeREUTERS — LOS ANGELES

The Edmonton Oilers defencemen pairing of Caleb Jones and Darnell Nurse swept Seattle Seahawks tight end Luke Willson 3-0 to wrap up Week 3 of the NHL Player Gaming Challenge.

The online event is in the middle of a four-week run, with games streamed on Thursdays and Saturdays. All 31 NHL teams will have rep-resentation, with Willson will represent the pending NHL Seattle expansion team.

No standings are being compiled, as the games are designed strictly for enter-tainment with the NHL season shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Willson, who played as various All-Star teams, is a 30-year-old from La Salle, Ontario. Primarily a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, he said he also roots for the Oilers because Edmonton winger Zack Kassian was one of Willson’s hockey team-mates as a kid and remains a friend.

“So to be honest with you, I root for Edmonton,” Willson said before the games started.

“Wherever he goes is kind of the team I go for, so I got no bad blood here.”

Willson came out firing, taking a 4-0 lead with 15:54 still to play in the second period of the first game. But Jones and Nurse slowly

chipped away before tying it with 3:43 to play.

Willson had two shots from in close in the final seconds of regulation, but both were saved.

The Oilers’ Andreas Atha-nasiou then picked up an errant pass for a breakaway and scored the winner 31 seconds into overtime.

In the second game, Willson trailed 4-3 in the final minute before a pair of golden opportunities, but both were saved. Edmonton’s Ethan Bear then scored with 30.6 seconds left to ice it.

“I am about to punch a hole in my monitor,” Willson said after missing out on the chance to tie.

“I mean, bro, what more did you want to score there?” The third game was a race to 10 goals with 3-on-3 play on the ice. The sides see-sawed back and forth until an Oilers one-timer clinched a 10-8 victory. The virtual scorer of the final goal? Kassian, of course.

“If someone had to beat me, in the final goal today, I’m glad it was Zack,” Willson said.

“Technically it wasn’t Zack, it was like the video-game version of Zack, but you get what I’m saying.”

The unveiling of the Seattle team name is expected sometime soon, but no date has been announced.

Edmonton Oilers Darnell Nurse (left) celebrates with team-mate Alex Chiasson after a goal against the Colorado Avalanche in this file photo.

Park grabs maiden pro win at ‘virus-proofed’ event in KoreaAFP — SEOUL

The world’s first big-purse post-coronavirus golf tour-nament wrapped up in South Korea yesterday, marked by a ban on spectators and stringent safety measures that saw competitors having to sit apart while eating.

The Korean LPGA Cham-pionship -- featuring three of the world’s top ten women players -- grabbed global attention, with broadcasting rights sold to countries including the US, Canada and Australia.

Normally overlooked outside South Korea, the tournament is the first high-level women’s golf event to be played since the US-based LPGA suspended its season in February.

Park Hyun-kyung pre-vailed at Lakewood Country Club in Yangju, scoring her first victory since turning pro in 2018 to claim $180,000 of the $2.5m purse.

She shot a final-round five-under-par 67 to finish 17 under for the tournament -- a shot ahead of Bae Seon-woo (68) and third-round

leader Lim Hee-Jeong (71).“The moment I had

always dreamt of finally has come true,” a tearful Park told cable channel SBS Golf.

World number three and double-major winner Park Sung-hyun missed the cut, sixth-ranked Kim Sei-young finished two under for the tournament for joint 46th,

while world number ten Lee Jeong-eun finished 15th at nine under.

To avoid the risk of coro-navirus infection, players were advised to keep two metres (six feet) apart on the course and minimise physical contact, while touching the pin without gloves was prohibited.

Players also had to wear masks before and after their rounds, but could choose whether or not to do so during play -- with most deciding against.

The 2 0- ye ar- ol d champion was congratulated by her mask-wearing peers with elbow-bumps, and held up the trophy at the prize-giving ceremony while also wearing a mask.

South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside mainland China but brought it under control with a wide-spread “trace, test and treat” programme.

Professional football and baseball both resumed this month -- albeit behind closed doors.

Only four LPGA Tour events have been completed this year -- the last in Adelaide in February -- but the tour has outlined plans to resume in mid-July in Michigan.

The men’s US PGA Tour, which came to a juddering halt when the Players Cham-pionship was abandoned after the first round in March, has pencilled in a restart behind closed doors at the Charles Schwab Challenge beginning June 11 at Fort Worth, Texas.

Park Hyun-kyung poses with her trophy.

The moment I had always dreamt of finally has come true: Korean LPGA Championship winner Park Hyun-kyung

‘Joke’ shuts out Dcroft to win Madden Bowl

REUTERS — NEW YORK

Top-seeded Raidel “Joke” Brito shut out Daniel “Dcroft” Mycroft for a 17-0 victory on Saturday to win the title at the Madden NFL 20 Bowl.

Joke claimed the first prize of $65,000 along with the 12-pound, gold-plated cham-pionship belt, which was presented virtually by Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James.

The $220,000 event, which began last week with 16 players competing in a round-robin group stage, was forced online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Joke, a 26-year-old from West New York, NJ, dedicated the victory to Taylor “SpotMePlzzz” Robertson, one of two victims of a shooting at a Madden tour-nament in Jacksonville, Fla., in August of 2018.

“I dedicated this tournament to him, and it’s just like -- the fact that I won it, the tour-nament I was dedicating to him, I’m just happy, very happy,” an emotional Joke said afterward.

“I’m not crying because I finally won, I’m crying because we miss him.”

It was Joke’s first title in his 11th EA major appearance. He entered the day having earned $195,525 in his career in the Madden Championship Series.

“It feels like I have the monkey off my back,” he said. “I finally won.”

Playing with the Tennessee Titans and broadcast live on ESPN2, Joke’s run to the title was fueled by defense and the run game, as he never attempted a pass.

A day after he ousted defending Madden Bowl champion Drini “Drini” Djoka 12-7, Joke held off Pavan “Pavan” Lakhat 17-9 before shutting down Dcroft in the final.

10 MONDAY 18 MAY 2020SPORT

ON THIS DAY: May 18, 1909: Fred Perry, British tennis player, is born

REUTERS - LONDON

When Fred Perry crushed the unfortunate Gottfried von Cramm to win the 1936 Wimbledon title little did he know he would be the last Briton to get his hands on the men’s trophy for 77 years.

Perry’s feats -- eight Grand Slam titles -- weighed heavily on those trying to emulate him, and the administrators tasked with trying to reverse Britain’s decline as a tennis power.

It was not until 1984, however, that an elegant statue of Perry, forehand at the ready, was placed in the All England Club grounds as a reminder of his 1934, 1935 and 1936 triumphs.

Eventually, Scotland’s Andy Murray broke the spell, beating Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final, having a year earlier become the first British male to win a Grand Slam title since Perry when also beating Djokovic to land the US Open.

Had they ever met (Perry died in 1995) they would have gotten along -- both sharing a stubborn, rebellious streak. Perry, whose name is synonymous with the iconic clothing label, may have teased Murray over his appearance though, especially his shabby, floppy-haired early days.

Apart from a razor-sharp game and his devotion to athlet-icism, Perry cut a dashing figure in his pristine long white trousers, linen shirts and slicked back hair.

“There was never a champion that looked more like a champion than Fred Perry,” American great Jack Kramer once said.

Perry broke the mould at time when tennis was for the privileged few. Born in 1909 in a working class neighbourhood in Stockport, his father was a cotton spinner turned Labour MP.

Having moved to Ealing in London in 1919, Perry’s initial sporting prowess was in table tennis.

He won a world title in 1929 bit it was tennis that fasci-nated him, both as a sport and a way of life.

During a family trip to Eastbourne in 1923 he was trans-fixed by the suave, wealthy, players on the Devonshire Park lawns.

“I asked dad if all those big Daimlers and MGs belonged to the players and he said they did. ‘Then that’s for me,’ I said,” Perry later recalled.

He reached the third round of Wimbledon in 1929 as a qual-ifier with a backhand likened to a table tennis stroke.

A year later he went a round further, beating Italian aris-tocrat Baron Umberto de Morpugo -- a victory Perry described as “the beginning of my tennis career”.

Perry’s 1933 US Open triumph against Jack Crawford began a period of domination. In 1934 he became the first British man to Wimbledon for 25 years, beating Crawford again.

But praise for a player regarded as something of a brash upstart from the wrong side of the tracks was muted.

After his victory, with Perry still in the bath, a club tie was left draped over his chair rather than presented in person.

“Some elements in the All England Club and the Lawn Tennis Association looked down on me as a hot-headed, outspoken tearaway rebel, not quite the class of chap they really wanted to see winning Wimbledon,” he later wrote in his autobiography.

Perry also won the Australian Open and a second US Open in 1934 and in 1935 he won at Roland Garros to become the first player to complete a career Grand Slam.

With no money in an amateur sport, by the time Perry thrashed Von Cramm in the 1936 Wimbledon final -- the shortest in the 20th Century -- Perry’s sights were set on turning pro in the US -- a move that saw him shunned by the establishment.

Away from the stuffiness of British elitism, he lived the showbiz lifestyle, mixing with Hollywood’s finest. After three divorces his fourth marriage, to Barbara Riese in 1952, lasted until he died in Melbourne, in 1995. They had two children.

Perry was regularly returned to Wimbledon, as part of the BBC radio team during the championships, but it was 50 years after his first title that he finally felt accepted.

“I never thought I’d live to see the day when a statue was put up to the son of a Labour MP inside the manicured grounds of Wimbledon,” he wrote later.

SL tour close to impossible at present: BCCI officialIANS - NEW DELHI

At a time when cricket boards across the globe have been postponing tours with an eye on the coronavirus pandemic and health directives from their respective governments, the Sri Lankan board has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to go ahead and play the limited-over series against the Island Nation in mid-July.

But the Indian board feels it will be near impossible to go ahead with it.

Speaking to IANS, a BCCI official said that while it is still some time away, it looks almost impossible that the Indian team can travel to Sri Lanka for a lim-ited-overs series as early as July.

“I would say it is close to impossible at present. Firstly, we need to take one step at a time in the current scenario and you do realise that some of our players are stuck in Mumbai and Bengaluru -- two zones which are highly affected by the pandemic,” the official said.

“Without even going into the question on whether the Indian team would travel without the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma among others, I would say will international

travel be permissible? So, we all need to wait and watch how things unfold.

“But keeping in mind how efficiently the government has looked to fight the battle against the pandemic, I doubt we will be in a position to travel outside the country by mid-July.

“The BCCI will obviously try to honour all its commitments, if not now, then at a later date which suits both boards involved.

“But looking at the current scenarios, safety is priority. Also, to get cricketers in the red zone to come out and travel to

a green zone is currently not allowed.

“So, if the government does in the near future allow that, we will have to see what happens from there on and if we can then start domestic cricket. Domestic cricket is the way forward at present,” he explained.

As per a report published in ‘The Island’, Sri Lanka Cricket has sent an e-mail to BCCI, requesting the possibility of resuming bilateral cricket later in July. Virat Kohli-led India are slated to tour the Island Nation in mid-July for three ODIs and

t h r e e T 2 0 internationals.

The report further said that “when contacted by The Island, an official said that they would have to follow strict quarantine rules and the series might take place behind closed doors considering the safety of fans.”

Interestingly, SLC has also shown interest to host the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, a move

that was supported by Australia legend Mathew Hayden during an interview with IANS.

He said that if it’s not pos-sible to stage the tournament in India, it can be held in a nation like Sri Lanka where a city like Colombo has three or four inter-national venues -- provided all necessary health precautions are taken care of and there’s no risk to the players, support staff and the broadcasting team that would be travelling.

But an IPL now seems likely only in the October-November window with the World T20 almost set to be postponed.

A statue of Fred Perry at Wimbledon.

India's World Cup star Yuvraj says he is interested in coachingIANS - MUMBAI

Ace former India batsman Yuvraj Singh (pictured) yesterday expressed his desire to coach, saying he can work on players’ mindset especially in limited-overs cricket which he bossed for close to two decades.

“I will probably start with that (coaching). I am more keen on coaching than doing commentary,” Yuvraj told former England batsman Kevin Pietersen during an Instagram Live chat.

“I have more insight in limited-overs cricket and I can share my knowledge with players coming to bat at No.4, 5, 6 as to what sort of mindset they should have,” said the 38-year old who has helped India win the 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cups with stellar performances.

Yuvraj called time on his illustrious career last year. The dashing left-hander had previously said the current Indian team needs a psychologist who can take care of the mental side of players.

“ I w i l l probably start by being a mentor and then if it goes well maybe full time coaching,” said Yuvraj.

Pietersen, who is now

into commentary, asked Yuvraj to join him.“I thought I will take a break for a year.

Play certain tournaments which makes sense. I will join you guys and learn com-mentary first. Not sure how I will do as a commentator. So I will learn from you guys,” said Yuvraj, smiling.

He said he is happily spending time with family at the moment and hopefully will become a father soon.

“I am now spending time with family. I spent a lot of time on the park. Hopefully become a father and then come back on the park (coaching or commentary).”

Yuvraj also spoke about how it is dif-ferent for a player who has played limited

number of ODIs to sud-denly go and

perform at the World Cup, referring to young wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant during the 2019 showpiece tournament.

“You need experience. There is expe-rience of playing in front of big crowds in the IPL...but when you’re playing a 20-over game and then 50-over game...mindset is different.”

Pietersen also asked about the phase when Yuvraj was diagnosed with cancer.

“It’s something that you can’t really always express in words. Unfortunately the moment came when I was at the peak on my career. We had just won the World Cup (2011),” Yuvraj said.

“I was looking forward to play Tests, Sourav (Ganguly) had just retired,” added Yuvraj who despite playing 304 ODIs for India, has only featured in 40 Tests.

“I was young so I could get through it. My family went through a tough time. My mother was very supportive. My body was not the same when I came back. But even-tually I came back and scored my highest ODI score (150) ever,” he said.

Yuvraj signed off by revealing that he has not trained so much in his entire career like he is doing during this COVID-19 induced lockdown period.

“I have not trained so much my entire career, the way I am training in these last two months. I feel this is the best time to get fit.”

A man is seen playing cricket in the nets at Clapham Common, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain.

Too early to compare Babar and Kohli, feels retired Younis KhanIANS - KARACHI

Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan feels Babar Azam cannot be compared to Virat Kohli just yet as he still has a long way to go.

Babar, 25, was recently appointed as Pakistan ODI captain. He was already the T20 skipper of the side.

While 31-year-old Kohli is widely regarded as the current best batsmen in the world across formats, Babar has been hailed by commentators and experts as the next big thing in batting.

“You see, Kohli - who is now 31 and at the peak of his career - has been in interna-tional cricket for over a decade and has proved himself in all conditions. The 70 international centuries that he has scored is a testimony to his class and abilities,” Younis was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

“Babar, on the other hand,

made his international debut barely five years back. He already has 16 centuries under his belt and shows very good averages in both Tests and ODIs, but it will be unfair to start comparing the two right now. If you have to, compare Babar five years (from now) with the dominance that Kohli is showing in his game today,” he added.

Younis further said Babar’s eagerness to learn will take him far.

“Babar made his debut during the last two to three years of my career and I was really impressed by his humility. I have always felt that the more humble you are, you can achieve bigger goals in your life,” he said.

“It’s a young team that he has to lead, though there could be a few players senior in age to him. He has to be protective about the team and take it forward,” he advised.

Meanwhile Pakistan have agreed on principle to tour England in July after a lengthy teleconference and briefing by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive Wasim Khan said yesterday.

“We had a detailed and comprehensive discussion with the ECB on Friday and after that briefing, the PCB has agreed on principle to send the Pakistan cricket team to England in July for three Tests and three T20I series,” Khan was quoted as saying by Dawn.

“The detailed presentation was impressive and we are

happy with the plans. But we will brief the players next week and a final decision will be made after getting consent from the players and with the per-mission of the Government.”

Khan said that it is ‘abso-lutely important to resume cricket’ but the board will not compromise on the health and safety of the players.

“These are very tough and extraordinary times to decide about Pakistan team’s tour to England. But we are satisfied with the briefing of the ECB. There’s still a lot to be done in terms of planning and execution of this series and tour.”

Pakistan’s Babar Azam celebrates his century during a 2019 World Cup match against New Zealand at Edgbaston, Birmingham, Britian, in this June 26, 2019, file photo.

Murray surprises Scottish nurse to honour healthcare workers

WWW.ATPTOUR.COM

Andy Murray and Manchester United football star Marcus Rashford recently teamed up on Zoom to surprise Debbie Thorberg, a community nurse from Scotland who works the night shift with the out-of-hours district nursing service.

Thorberg joined what she thought was a Zoom call to discuss tennis with ATP staff, but was surprised to find Murray and Rashford thanking the nurse for her work as part of episode six of Tennis United.

The former World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings may not have been her first choice for a dream Zoom call, though. Murray said he “was told you’re a big a Rafael Nadal fan” and she admit-ted to closely following the Spaniard.

“I’m so sorry. My husband does like you,” Thorberg said, laughing. “I love to watch you too, but I’m afraid it’s always been Rafa for

me and it always will be.”Thorberg also discussed the important and challenging work

she’s currently engaged in during the pandemic. The United Kingdom has more than 236,000 confirmed cases

of COVID-19 and 33,998 related deaths as of 15 May, according to the BBC.

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Team buses of FC Union Berlin and Bayern Munich arrive at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, in Berlin, Germany. Bundesliga matches have resumed after a break of more than two months.

All league teams cleared to start group training in SpainAP - MADRID

All Spanish league clubs can begin group training sessions this week despite stricter lockdown restrictions remaining in place in parts of Spain because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cities like Madrid and Barcelona have not been allowed to loosen con-finement measures like most of the country, but teams such as Real Madrid and Barcelona have been given the go-ahead to move into the second phase of training.

The league has told clubs that today all players can start small group sessions regardless of the lockdown phase in their regions. Players had only been allowed to train individually across Spain until now.

The Spanish government has been gradually easing lockdown restrictions that had been in place since mid-March because of the pandemic, with different levels of clearances from region to region.

Teams in Madrid and Barcelona the-oretically would not be allowed to start training in groups if the government hadn’t created exceptions.

Teams in regions with tighter restric-tions will be allowed to practice with 10 players in the same session, while clubs in areas with fewer restrictions can use up to 14 players.

Teams in the latter regions also can make greater use of their facilities, reaching up to 50% of their capacity. The rest of the clubs can only use up to 30% of the facilities.

Group meetings between players and the coaching staff are also now allowed

in some regions if distancing guidelines remain in place, and referees are now being allowed to train in sports facilities.

The next training phase will allow for clubs to start full squad sessions.

Clubs and players have been asked to follow strict health safety guidelines during training.

Players, club employees and

everyone else involved in the training sessions have to be tested daily for COVID-19. Five players from teams in the first and second divisions tested pos-itive before the individual practice ses-sions resumed.

The league wants to resume on June 12 with games in empty stadiums, though the media is expected to be allowed to cover the matches on site. The media

has not been able to attend the practice sessions.

The Bundesliga this weekend became the first main soccer league to resume.

More than 27,000 people have died with COVID-19 in hard-hit Spain. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Saturday said he will ask Parliament for what he hopes will be the last extension of the state of emergency.

Members of the media are seen outside the match venue before the Bundesliga match between FC Union Berlin and Bayern Munich at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, Berlin, Germany, yesterday.

Premier League players won’t be fit until late June: Manager BruceREUTERS - LONDON

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has warned that players will not be ready for competitive action until the end of June as the Premier League looks to restart the season next month.

The league has been suspended since mid-March but its plans to resume received a boost when the government last week said it was “opening the door” for the sport to return.

Another meeting is planned for today to discuss safety measures needed for “Project Restart” to happen and Bruce said players need at least six weeks to get back in shape.

“You have to remember that they have had eight weeks off and that is probably the longest break some of these players have had in their careers,” Bruce told the Sunday Telegraph.

“If we were doing pre-season, we would have six weeks and probably have six friendly games to get them ready for the first league match.

“We need enough preparation time to get these players into shape or they are just going to fall down like a pack of cards. Most of the managers have the same concerns... I don’t see how we can play games until the back end of June.”

Newcastle defender Danny Rose also expressed concerns, saying players’ health was more important than restarting the season.

“If a player refuses to come in or play, I have sympathy for that and would understand it. You have to respect everybody’s personal views on it,” he said.

European season will finish in August, says UEFA chief

REUTERS - LONDON

UEFA has a plan to finish the 2019-20 season by August, including the Champions League and Europa League campaigns, the European soccer governing body’s pres-ident Aleksander Ceferin has said.

The majority of European league seasons were sus-pended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but a few leagues have announced plans for a restart in the coming weeks.

The French and Dutch top-flight campaigns have been cancelled but the German Bundesliga restarted on Sat-urday and Ceferin expects at least 80% of national leagues to finish their seasons.

“We have an idea but we have to wait for the executive committee of UEFA to confirm the dates. I can say that the European season will be fin-ished, if everything is as it is now, in August,” Ceferin told beIN Sports.

“As things look now, I’m sure... that we can finish the European season and this means UEFA competition.

“I think the majority of leagues will finish the season. The ones who will not, it’s their decision.

“But they will still have to play qualifiers if they want to participate in the European UEFA competition.”

Both the Champions League and Europa League are yet to complete their last-16 matches.

Paris St Germain, who were declared Ligue 1 cham-pions, are looking to play their Champions League games abroad after the French gov-ernment said professional sports would not be allowed to return before September.

“Paris St Germain and Lyon... will have to organise (matches) in France,” Ceferin added.

“If this is not possible, (they) will have to organise it at a neutral ground.

“If you cannot play in your country, then you have to organise it at a neutral ground... I don’t see the reason why French authorities would not allow them to organise a match without spectators, but let’s see. It’s out of my power.”

Euro 2020, scheduled to be hosted in 12 cities across Europe, has been postponed until next year.

“We’ve had conversations with nine cities and everything is set,” Ceferin said. “With three cities, we have some issues. So we will discuss further. In principle, we will do it in 12 cities but if not, we are ready to do it in 10, nine or eight.”

FSV Mainz 05’s Pierre Kunde Malong celebrates scoring the second goal with team mates at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, yesterday.

Calls for Bundesliga to ‘tighten up’ after player celebrationsAFP - BERLIN

A senior German politician expects the Bundesliga to “tighten up” instructions on how to celebrate goals after some players hugged - breaching strict hygiene protocol - when the league resumed this weekend.

The German season restarted on Saturday after a two-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic with clubs having agreed to draconian hygiene guide-lines in a plan approved by the German government.

“Football has an extreme function to be a role model, so we should stick to our instructions and pay attention to it next week,” Markus Soeder, state minister for Bavaria, told broadcaster Sport1 yesterday.

The Bundesliga is the first top European league to resume during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Players were told to avoid contact whenever pos-sible, especially when celebrating goals - yet that was ignored on a few occasions. Hertha Berlin’s Marko Grujic was kissed on the cheek by team-mate Dedryck Boyata on Saturday after their side took the lead in a 3-0 win against Hoffenheim.

“I didn’t like it,” Soeder said sternly, referring to Hertha’s protocol breach.“The players must also obey the rules,” added Soeder.

Earlier this month, the capital city side had already suspended ex-Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou for posting a video of him shaking hands with team-mates in the dressing room before training.

Also on Saturday, some Borussia Moenchengla-dbach players hugged after their team scored two early goals in the 3-1 victory.

Club coach slams Super Lig restart planANATOLIA - SIVAS, TURKEY

A head coach in Super Lig slammed yesterday the plans to restart the Turkish football league in June, saying the development is “so wrong.”

“Footballers were given a nearly 60-day leave and no clubs could do the essential training. So the players have no preparation [for the matches]... I think the resumption of leagues is so wrong as still there are virus cases and [associated] health risks,” Riza Calimbay, who manages Demir Grup Sivasspor

senior team, said in a statement on the club’s website.

He said football should resume only when we are completely virus-free.

“Health comes first. You can’t play football without physical contact... players contact each other even in trainings,” he said. “If there are risks and cases, football shouldn’t be played.”

Calimbay argued that Turkey suspended the leagues when there were only a handful of cases so why was it resuming when the number has reached thousands.

He praised Turkey’s Health Min-ister Fahrettin Koca, and the science board for their “excellent studies” on the pandemic.

The coach added that most of the players were worried about playing football as the virus was still dangerous.

The suspended top-tier Super Lig competitions will restart on June 12, the football body’s (TFF) chief Nihat Ozdemir announced last week.

Separately, Ozdemir told CNN Turk on Saturday that the TFF had alternative plans to decide the fate of Super Lig this season.