08THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2020Sport Tour de France: Roglic retains overall lead, Bennett keeps green jersey

Ewan wins stage 11 in thrilling photo finishAFP — POITIERS

Australia’s Caleb Ewan won stage 11 of the Tour de France yesterday by the narrowest of margins after a frantic bunch sprint was decided on a photo finish, as Primoz Roglic retained the overall lead.

The diminutive Lotto Soudal rider who visualises various sprint scenarios on the morning of the race edged Tuesday’s stage winner Sam Bennett, who retains the green jersey and peloton superstar Peter Sagan.

Ewan won three stages in 2019 and now says he will go for a third on this Tour too by crossing the Alps to try his luck on the iconic Tour de France climax on the cobbles of the Champs Elysees.

“Once you get one you want two, and now I have two I want a third on the Champs Elysees in Paris,” said the diminutive sprinter who also won stage three at Sisteron.

Ewan is a wily sprinter, known for cool-headed analysis in the heat of the action, and he now has five Tour wins in total.

“I was really close to the front, I was more forward than I wanted to be, but I dropped back into the bunch to watch,” the 26-year-old said.

“I just kept calm and waited for the right gap to open. I didn’t know if I’d won because I threw the bike and was looking down.

“But sometimes you can just feel it,” he added.

His win is doubly impressive as his team have already lost three riders.

“We no longer have the men

to protect me, but I don’t mind, they got me there,” said the affable and popular rider.

The finish line at the Tour de France is equiped by cameras in either corner that can take thousands of images per second, as with motor cycling’s Grand Prix while each bike is equipped with a micro-chip, delivering the instant results.

Teams race on a knife edge amid confusion over COVID-19 exclusion rules

Four Tour de France teams, including that of defending champion Egan Bernal, are racing on a knife edge after one of their members tested positive for the coronavirus amid con-fusion over how exclusion rules will apply.

The rules state that should

two members of a team test positive within a seven-day period, the whole outfit will be excluded from the race.

Yet a source with direct knowledge of the matter said that organisers may backtrack and reset the day-count after consultation with the French government.

Apart from Bernal’s Ineos-Grenadiers, the other teams

who had one staff member test positive for the coronavirus are AG2R-La Mondiale, Cofidis and Mitchelton-Scott.

Half of each team was tested last Sunday and the other half last Monday and they will be tested again next Sunday and Monday in the same way.

This means that if any of the positive tests were from last Monday then the team risks

exclusion should they have another positive test on Sunday.

The race’s interim director Francois Lemarchand said before the start of the 11th stage yesterday that teams who had received one positive test would be excluded if there was another from “the next battery of tests”.

“But before there will be a discussion between the health authorities, the Tour race man-agement and the International Cycling Union to make the decision,” he added.

Lemarchand has been in charge since Tuesday, when race director Christian Prud-homme left the event after testing positive for the corona-virus. The affected teams remained tight-lipped over who had failed tests and over when exactly the positive staff member had been tested.

The situation has left the teams on edge.

Cofidis team manager Cedric Vasseur did not answer questions shortly before the start of the 11th stage, waving reporters away because he was outside of the race bubble on his way to pick up his car.

AG2R-La Mondiale manager Vincent Lavenu was fuming at “those who would like to see a team go”.

He said the team’s staff member who tested positive had gone home to isolate and his room mate was also sent packing despite testing neg-ative. “We don’t plan further testing before the battery of tests in Grenoble,” Lavenu added.

Lotto Soudal rider Caleb Ewan of Australia and Deceuninck-Quick Step rider Sam Bennett of Ireland, wearing the green jersey, sprint toward the line, yesterday.

Heat oust Bucks to reach East finals; Lakers down RocketsAFP — MIAMI

The Miami Heat punched their ticket to the NBA Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday, beating top-seeded Milwaukee 103-94 as injured Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo watched from the bench.

Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic finished with 17 points apiece as six Heat players scored in double figures and Miami completed a 4-1 series victory in a bruising encounter against the league’s top defensive team.

Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 23 points.

Antetokounmpo -- tipped to scoop a second straight NBA Most Valuable Player award this season -- aggravated his sprained right ankle in the first half of the Bucks’ game-four overtime victory over the Heat.

The Bucks declared him inactive less than an hour before tipoff on Tuesday.

The loss of Antetokounmpo, who averaged career highs of 29.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game this season, was a huge blow for the Bucks, as they tried to do what no NBA team has done before: come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a seven-game playoff series.

It’s the second straight

campaign that the Bucks built the best regular-season record only to come up short in the playoffs.

In 2019 they fell to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in six games in the Eastern Conference finals.

The fifth-seeded Heat will face either the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors for a place in the NBA Finals.

The Celtics lead their series

against the defending NBA champion Raptors three games to two.

In Western Conference action, LeBron James scored 36 points and Anthony Davis added 26 as the Los Angeles Lakers powered to the finish in a 112-102 victory over the Houston Rockets.

The Lakers grabbed a 2-1 series lead and James notched an NBA record 162nd career play-off win.

“It says that I’ve played with a lot of great teams,” said James, who won two NBA titles with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James Harden scored 33 points with nine rebounds and nine assists and Russell West-brook added 30 points for Houston in a back and forth battle that saw 16 lead changes.

The Lakers’ reserves scored 42 points, with Houston’s only points off the bench the 16 of Jeff Green.

Rajon Rondo, who scored 21 off the bench for Los Angeles, hit back-to-back three-pointers and came up with a steal and layup as the Lakers surged ahead with a 17-5 scoring run to start the fourth quarter.

Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat drives the ball against Wesley Matthews of the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Five.

Eastern Conference (Semi-finals)Miami Heat 103 Milwaukee Bucks 94

(Miami win series 4-1)Western Conference (Semi-finals)

LA Lakers 112 Houston Rockets 102(Lakers lead series 2-1)

NBA PLAY-OFF RESULTS

Knights blank Stars to level NHL seriesAFP — LOS ANGELES

Robin Lehner made 24 saves as the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights shut out the Dallas Stars 3-0 to level their NHL Western Conference final at one game apiece on Tuesday.

It was Lehner’s second straight shutout and fourth in his past seven starts.

He had backed up Marc-Andre Fleury in a 1-0 defeat in game one on Sunday after making 14 saves in a series-clinching 3-0 win over Van-couver on Friday.

Paul Stastny, William Karlsson and Tomas Nosek scored for the Golden Knights.

Stastny opened the scoring at 4:53 of the second off a pass

from Max Pacioretty and Karlsson made it 2-0 with a power-play goal from the left face-off circle at 8:24. Nosek

finished off an exchange with Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy to make it 3-0 at 14:32 of the second.

“We didn’t play our game in game one,” Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer said of the 1-0 defeat in the series opener.

“Tonight, we got our game back, and once we got that first goal, I thought we looked like we normally do, which is making plays and sticking pucks in the net.”

Anton Khudobin allowed three goals on 27 shots for Dallas. He was replaced to start the third period by Jake Oet-tinger, who made his NHL debut and saved all five shots he faced.

Game three will be played today in Edmonton, the NHL’s hub city for both the Eastern and Western conference finals and the Stanley Cup Final.

Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner (right) makes a save during game two.

IOC confident of safe Tokyo Games, too early for deadlines: BachREUTERS — LONDON

The International Olympic Committee has confidence in its preparations and in Japanese government support for next year’s Tokyo Olympics, but said all scenarios would be discussed in the coming weeks amid the ongoing pandemic.

IOC President Thomas Bach (pictured) said yes-terday that his organisation was committed to delivering a safe Games and had the full support of the Japanese gov-ernment following the resig-nation of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but the look of next year’s Games was still unclear.

“In the coming weeks you will see important and intensive discussions taking place with regard to different scenarios to COVID-19 counter measures,” Bach told a news conference following an executive board meeting.

“We remain focused on delivering safe and suc-cessful Games next year.”

The Tokyo 2020 Games were postponed to next year in an u n p r e c e d e n t e d decision in

March as the COVID-19 pan-demic swept across the globe. Bach said while several aspects of the Games’ organisation, such as inter-national spectators or qual-ifications processes, needed to be finalised months in advance, no deadline for those had yet been set.

“At some stage before the Games we will have to take these relevant decisions but right now I am not in a position to give you a con-crete answer. We don’t know how the world looks like tomorrow.”

Qualification for the Games starts months before the event while international travel for the Olympics is also usually booked months or even years in advance.

“The situations are changing day by day when you look at different travel restrictions around the world,” Bach said. “But I do

not know about a deadline for the

reason that we don’t really know the environment

we will be in next year,” Bach

said. “It is too early to set the

deadline.”

The giant Olympic rings are seen behind Japan’s national flag in Tokyo in this August 6, 2020 file photo.

counter measures, Bach told a news conference following an executive board meeting.

“We remain focused on delivering safe and suc-cessful Games next year.”

The Tokyo 2020 Games were postponed to next year in an u n p r e c e d e n t e d decision in

restrictions around thworld,” Bach said. “BuB t I d

not know aboutdeadline for th

reason that wdon’t realknow thenvironme

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09THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2020 SPORT

Barty wants virus-stranded coach back for Australian Open build-up

AFP - BRISBANE

World number one Ashleigh Barty said she hoped to be reunited with her coach for her build-up to the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam after coronavirus restrictions kept them separated for months.

Australia’s Barty, a day after withdrawing from her French Open title defence because of Covid-19 concerns and a lack of preparation, said it was “really tough” to be without her coach Craig Tyzzer.

Barty is based in Brisbane but Tyzzer is in hard-hit Mel-bourne, which is under strict lockdown. Travel across Aus-tralia’s state borders is also tightly controlled, to prevent outbreaks.

“To not have him up here in Queensland, it’s been really tough,” said Barty, who hasn’t seen Tyzzer since March.

“We tried to go through all the right (travel) applications, tried to do all the right things, but unfortunately we were rejected,” she said.

“We’ll try again for pre-season and hopefully he can come up here and we can prepare as best we can for the Australian summer,” added Barty.

Barty said she spent “many months” considering whether to play the French Open, where she won her maiden Grand Slam title last year.

The fate of Barty’s home Grand Slam, the Australian Open in January, is yet to be determined, with the possi-bility it could be moved out of Melbourne if the city’s out-break has not eased.

Barty announced in late July that she would sit out the US Open, currently underway in New York, while world number two Simona Halep and defending men’s champion Rafael Nadal also opted out because of the pandemic.

The French Open is due to start on September 27, with daily crowd numbers reduced to 11,500 from 20,000 and the Roland Garros complex divided into three independent zones to aid social distancing.

Alexander Zverev of Germany returns the ball to Borna Coric of Croatia during their quarter-final match of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens Borough, New York City, on Tuesday.

Osaka, Zverev into

US Open last four

AFP - NEW YORK

Japan’s Naomi Osaka sailed into the semi-finals of the US Open on Tuesday as Alexander Zverev of Germany booked his spot in the last four of the men’s draw.

Osaka, the tournament’s fourth seed, swept aside unseeded Shelby Rogers in straight sets to set up a match with Jennifer Brady for a place in Saturday’s final.

The 22-year-old Osaka required just 1hr 20 min inside an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium to defeat the 27-year-old Rogers 6-3, 6-4.

Osaka, the world number 9, said her victory was payback for three previous defeats to the 93rd-ranked Rogers.

They included a 2017 loss on clay in Charleston that Osaka said had left “a really bad aftertaste in my mouth.”

“Honestly, I just felt like she had the upper hand because I’ve never beaten her,” Osaka said. “And those memories are stuck in my head so I consider this a little bit of revenge,” she added.

Osaka’s dominant service game contributed to a comfortable runout for the 2018 US Open champion.

She won 83 percent of points on her first serve and 70 percent on her second.

In contrast, Rogers managed only 66 percent and 33 percent respectively. Rogers hit 29 unforced errors compared to just eight committed by Osaka.

Brady conquered some serious nerves to defeat Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva and reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time.

The American 28th seed needed just 1hr 9 min to blow away her 23rd-seeded opponent 6-3, 6-2.

“Coming into the match today, honestly I was feeling like I was going to poop my pants. I was very nervous,” said the 25-year-old Brady.

“I just tried to really stay calm and keep it cool as a cucumber out there,” she added.

Brady is yet to drop a set and has lost only 24 games during her march to the semis, the fewest of anyone left in the draw.

Osaka said Brady would be a formidable opponent.“I think she’s a really amazing player she has the

variety that I wish I had, so I’m a bit jealous,” said the Japanese.

Zverev bounced back from a shocking start to oust 27th-seeded Croatian Borna Coric in four sets.

The 23-year-old German prevailed 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 in 3hr 25min.

He began playing more aggressively after finding himself a set down, and 4-2 behind in the second set.

“I thought to myself I’m down 6-1, 4-2, I have nothing to lose at the moment,” Zverev.

The German will play Spain’s 20th seed Pablo Carreno Busta for a place in Sunday’s final.

The Spaniard defeated 12th-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4), 0-6, 6-3 in an epic five-setter that ended in the early hours of Wednesday.

The disqualification of top seed Novak Djokovic on Sunday has blown the men’s competition at Flushing Meadows wide open.

His departure means the US Open will crown a first-time Grand Slam winner on Sunday.

“I know that all the young guys are hungry for it. It’s going to be inter-esting,” said Zverev, who will play either 12th-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov or Spain’s Pablo Carrena Busta in the last four.

Zverev, who is in his second-con-secutive Grand Slam semi-final after reaching the last four at the Australian Open this year, said he was yet to kick into fifth gear.

“I feel like I can still improve a few more things and that only gives me confidence,” he told reporters.

Yesterday, second seed Dominic Thiem faces Australian Alex de Minaur and third seed Daniil Medvedev plays compatriot Andrey Rublev for the other semi-final spot.

Naomi Osaka of Japan reacts against Shelby Rogers of the United States in the singles quarter-finals match on day nine of the 2020 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Carreno Busta tames erratic Shapovalov to reach semisREUTERS - NEW YORK

Pablo Carreno Busta outlasted an erratic Denis Shapovalov 3-6 7-6(5) 7-6(4) 0-6 6-3 on Tuesday in a seesaw battle lasting over four hours to advance to his second US Open semi-final.

The 29-year-old Spaniard, the oldest of the men’s quarter-finalists at Flushing Meadows, looked to be heading for his first loss on hard-courts to his Canadian opponent after Shapovalov served him a bagel in the fourth set.

However, after getting some treatment to his lower back, 2017 semi-finalist Carreno Busta fought back gamely to seal the deciding set in a match that went past 1 am in New York.

After spending just an hour on court in his previous round when world number one Novak Djokovic was disqualified, Carreno Busta was understandably drained.

“I’m destroyed, but you know I’m very, very happy,” he said in his on-court interview. “After this fight, this battle, it’s hard to say, but it is incredible to be back in the semi-finals again.”

Carreno Busta had won three of his previous four meetings with Shapovalov, including a win over the Canadian at Flushing Meadows in 2017 when the Spaniard made the semi-finals.

The 20th seed had not lost a set to Shapovalov in his three hardcourt wins but that changed quickly on Tuesday as the 21-year-old broke his serve a second time before taking the opener.

Shapovalov’s serve began to falter, though, as a dogged Carreno Busta rallied to take the next two sets via tiebreakers.

The Canadian hit 26 aces but also committed 11 double faults -- many of them at crucial moments.

Shapovalov, who has now lost in five sets in his last three visits to Flushing Meadows, struck 76 winners but it was the same number of unforced errors that proved his undoing.

The crucial break in the decider came in the sixth game for Carreno Busta, who could convert only five of his 21 breakpoint opportunities, and he sealed the contest on his first match point when Shapovalov found the net on his return.

“I think I’m very comfortable on these courts,” said Carreno Busta. “I think the last few months during quarantine were very, very tough for everybody. But I worked very hard with my coach. When you work hard, normally the results arrive.

“Maybe not always in the first tour-nament or on the second, and I was a bit lucky and now I am in the semi-final.”

ABOVE: Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain hits the ball against Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the quarter-finals.

** Carreno Busta beat Shapovalov in five sets to reach the US Open semi-finals for a second time.** The 20th-seeded Carreno Busta expended a lot more energy and outlasted Shapovalov 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), 0-6, 6-3 in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.** The match lasted more than four hours.** Carreno Busta also made it to the final four in New York in 2017.** He will face A Zverev in the semi-finals.

Return of fans at French Open will be weird: RogersREUTERS - NEW YORK

Shelby Rogers (pictured) said it was “quite an expe-rience” to play at Arthur Ashe Stadium without fans on Tuesday and the American feels it will be “weird” to have spectators in the stands at the French Open later this month.

The US Open is taking place without fans and with strict protocols in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus but the Sept 27-Oct 11 French Open will allow up to 11,500 spectators per day.

“My first match on Ashe without fans, so that was quite an experience. Check that off the bucket list,” said Rogers after her 6-3 6-4 quarter-final defeat to Naomi Osaka. “I played there before with a packed stadium, and it was very, very different.”

The American, who was unseeded at Flushing Meadows, was excited about getting back to the red clay at Roland Garros, where she reached the quarter-finals in 2016. It will be nice to go back, train on clay, get ready for Paris where I’ve had a lot of good memories,” she added. “On the flip side, I think it will be really weird to have fans. Maybe a little standoffish from players not used to being around people. We’ve been scolded, if you will, for doing the wrong things. It will be just another adjustment.”

The 27-year-old said there were plenty of positives she could take away from her campaign at her home Grand Slam.

“One is that I am able to adapt to these new conditions, the new normal,” she said. “I know I can handle it and make the most out of that, w h i c h i s encouraging.

“I feel healthy. I’m happy with where my game is. The confidence is just building with each match.”

US OPEN RESULTS - COLLATED

Results from US Open tennis championship in New York on Tuesday (x-denotes seed)

MEN’S SINGLES QUARTER-FINALSPablo Carreno Busta (ESP x20) bt Denis Shapo-

valov (CAN x12) 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4), 0-6, 6-3Alexander Zverev (GER x5) bt Borna Coric

(CRO x27) 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 WOMEN’S SINGLES QUARTER-FINALSJennifer Brady (USA x28) bt Yulia Putintseva

(KAZ x23) 6-3, 6-2Naomi Osaka (JPN x4) bt Shelby Rogers (USA)

6-3, 6-4

10 THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2020SPORT

England’s Dawid Malan in action during the first T20 against Australia in Southampton, in this September 4, 2020 file photo.

Malan replaces Azam at top of T20 rankingsAFP — SOUTHAMPTON

England’s Dawid Malan has replaced Pakistan’s Babar Azam as the world’s top-ranked Twenty20 batsman after a fine series against Australia, the International Cricket Council announced yesterday.

The 33-year-old left-hander is not a high-profile figure in the world game but has burnished his record after scores of 66, 42 and 21 against Australia saw him jump four places in the ICC standings.

Malan now has eight scores of fifty or more in just 16 career T20 internationals, with an average of 48.71 and an equally impressive strike rate of 146.66.

Pakistan captain Babar dropped down to number two, while Australia captain Aaron Finch remained third in the batting standings.

“Obviously his form in

T20 as it stands is phe-nomenal and it seems to keep getting better the more he bats,” said England coach Chris Silverwood of Malan.

“It’s good to watch him. He’s worked hard to get into the team and when he’s got his opportunity he’s taken it, which is superb. His record is brilliant at the moment, good on him.”

There was more good news for Malan yesterday when he was added as a reserve for the three-match one-day international series against Australia in Man-chester starting tomorrow.

Malan replaces Joe Denly in the 50-over world cham-pions’ three-man standby list.

But with opener Jason Roy passed fit after a side strain and the promising Phil Salt also selected as a batting reserve, Malan will do well to force his way into England’s ODI team.

England leg-spinner Adil Rashid has climbed two places to seventh in the global T20 rankings.

Rashid took an impressive 3-21 against Australia at Southampton on Tuesday but could not prevent England losing by five wickets, although they still won the series 2-1.

The victory saw Australia regain their status as the number one ranked side in the format after England briefly claimed top spot, with left-arm spinner Ashton Agar remaining third in the bowling standings and paceman Kane Richardson breaking into the top 10 rankings.

Pakistan captain

Babar dropped down

to number two, while

Australia captain Aaron

Finch remained third in

the batting standings.

Hazlewood looks to take momentum into England one-dayersAFP — SOUTHAMPTON

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood hopes Australia can take their winning momentum into the one-day series against world champions England after victory in the final Twenty20 international against their arch-rivals.

Hazlewood, playing his first T20 international in more than four years, took 1-23 from his four overs, including the wicket of dangerman Tom Banton, as Australia beat England by five wickets in Southampton on Tuesday.

Victory could not prevent England winning the three-match series 2-1 but it meant Australia leapfrogged the hosts as the world’s top-ranked T20 side.

“It feels great to get a win after such a long break,” Hazlewood said yesterday.

“Being the number one T20 side is always a great feeling and yes, the win will give us momentum heading into the ODI series.” The 29-year-old paceman added: “It was good to be playing T20 cricket again for Australia. It’s been a long time.”

Once Australia’s three-match one-day international series against England is com-pleted, Hazlewood is set to play in the Indian Premier League for the Chennai Super Kings. The IPL could give Hazlewood an early glimpse of future opponents ahead of Australia’s home Test series with India.

“It is going to be interesting playing with a few of the guys who we will come up against this (Australian) summer,” said Hazlewood.

England play Australia in the first of the three ODIs at Old Trafford tomorrow.

Teams continue to prepare ahead of IPL

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni (right) takes part in the team's training session yesterday. RIGHT: A glimpse of Mumbai Indian's net session. The teams are preparing for the Indian Premier League (IPL) which will be played in the UAE from September 19.

Marsh relishing T20 finisher roleAFP — SOUTHAMPTON

Mitchell Marsh (pictured) said he had “loved finishing off the game for the boys” as he marked his return to compet-itive cricket by seeing Australia to a five-wicket win over England in the third Twenty20 international at Southampton on Tuesday.

Australia still lost the three-match series 2-1 but this victory ensured they regained top spot in the global T20 rankings from arch-rivals England.

Set just 146 to win, Australia were cruising at 86-2.

But having suffered a dra-matic collapse in the series opener, Australia then saw leg-spinner Adil Rashid remove Glenn Maxwell, skipper Aaron Finch and star batsman Steve

Smith in 11 balls. But Marsh, with a career-best 39 not out at this level, and Western Australia team-mate Ashton Agar (16 not out) shared an unbroken part-nership of 47 as the tourists won with three balls to spare.

Finishing a T20 innings has proved a problem for an Aus-tralia side packed with top-order talent. But all-rounder

Marsh could be the man to fill that role ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in India.

“I’ve played in this role for most of my career even though for the (Perth) Scorchers I bat a bit higher up the order and have a bit more time to get in,” player of the match Marsh told reporters.

It was his first senior appearance since a one-day international against New Zealand at Sydney in March after the coronavirus pandemic upended the global cricket calendar.

“I loved tonight, loved fin-ishing off the game for the boys and contributing to a great win,” the 28-year-old added.

“It’s a hard spot to bat. Fin-ishing the game you find yourself in different situations.

“I was thinking about it tonight, just loving the experience of that again, getting out there and having that feeling of being under pressure -- that’s why we play.”

Marsh, who might have been twice out for under 10, said starting his innings against Rashid -- who took an impressive 3-21, had been tough.

“Adil Rashid’s a great bowler. He’s got great numbers over a long period of time for England and he’s one of the best spinners in the world in white-ball cricket.

Marsh’s view was endorsed by stand-in England captain Moeen Ali, who said: “Adil is an amazing bowler for us. When he is bowling like that he is the best in the world.”

Mercedes take the blame for Hamilton’s error at Italian GP

REUTERS — LONDON

Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton (pictured) should not have blamed himself for an error that denied him a 90th career victory at last Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, Mercedes said yesterday.

The six-times world champion entered a closed pitlane at Monza after Kevin Magnussen’s Haas was stranded nearby, a mistake that changed the race.

Hamilton, who had led from pole, finished seventh after a penalty dropped him to last and AlphaTauri’s French driver Pierre Gasly took a shock win instead.

The Briton told reporters he had not seen electronic warning boards but Mercedes said that was to be expected.

Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said Hamilton, who leads team mate Valtteri Bottas by 47 points after eight races, had not been best placed to spot something that should have been picked up by the team.

“The team takes responsi-bility for it. We’ll put systems in place to make sure we don’t do this again,” said Shovlin.

“He (Ham-ilton) will always want to improve and to put it right himself and that w a s probably why he took the blame for this but really we need to put it on our shoulders.”

Vowles said the closed pit lane message came 11

seconds after the safety car was deployed. Hamilton, com-fortably ahead, entered the pitlane 10 seconds later. The strategy director said the key message was not noticed by the team, who had only seconds to react, until it was too late.

“We can hear from other team radio that it took them about 10 seconds to notice it as well,” said Vowles.

“And that 10 seconds was the crucial period where because Lewis was so far in the lead of the race he was just able to come in.”

Vowles said M e r c e d e s would make s o f t w a r e changes to e n s u r e c r i t i c a l

m e s s a g e s were seen

faster.

Hamilton will always want

to improve and to put it

right himself and that was

probably why he took

the blame for this but

really we need to put it on

our shoulders: Trackside

engineering director

Andrew Shovlin

d have been picked eam.am takes responsi-. We’ll put systems make sure we don’t gain,” said

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faster.

Rugby: Farrell gets five-game ban after high tackle red cardREUTERS — LONDON

England captain Owen Farrell (pictured) was given a five-match ban following his red card for a dangerous high tackle playing for Saracens on Saturday -- leaving him free to feature for his country in their October and November inter-nationals.

The suspension means he will miss Saracens’ European Cup quarter-final at Ireland’s Leinster, further potential games in that competition and several matches in the Pre-miership, from which the club will be automatically relegated this season after breaching salary cap rules.

Farrell was sent off after 61 minutes of Saturday’s defeat by Wasps after a wild, high tackle that caught 18-year-old replacement flyhalf Charlie Atkinson in the face as the England captain tried to react to the teenager’s side-step.

After a four-hour hearing on Tuesday, Independent panel chair Mike Hamlin said: “It was accepted by the RFU, the player and the Panel that the offending was reckless and not intentional.

“This was a totally unac-ceptable contact with the neck/head of Charlie Atkinson as a result of a reckless tackle which had the consequences of him being knocked unconscious and sustaining a concussion.

“This resulted in the Panel concluding that this was a top end offence with an entry point of 10 matches. There were no aggravating features.

“Testimonials provided by Mark McCall, Eddie Jones and the founders of a charity with which the player works very closely were of the highest quality.

“The Panel concluded that applying the off-field mitigating factors, notwithstanding his suspension four and a half years ago, the player was entitled to a reduction from 10 matches to five meaningful matches. The player is free to play again on 5 October.”

England travel to Italy in their rearranged Six Nations game at the end of October and then play a “mini” Six Nations, probably also including Georgia, in November.

England have a game against the Barbarians before the Italy match, though Farrell would have been unlikely to feature.

The suspension means he will miss Saracens’

European Cup quarter-final at Ireland’s Leinster,

further potential games in that competition and

several matches in the Premiership, from which the

club will be automatically relegated this season after

breaching salary cap rules.

Scores of 66, 42 and 21 against Australia help Malan jump four places in the ICC standings.

11THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2020 SPORT

Qatar Stars League signs MoU with Qatar SportsTechTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

The Qatar Stars League (QSL) has announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Qatar SportsTech (QST), the region’s first startup accel-erator and hub for innovative sportstech companies.

As part of this exclusive partnership, QSL will support upcoming sportstech startups by offering mentoring sessions and running proof of concepts. QSL’s support will allow entre-preneurs with innovative sportstech ideas to test their concepts and compatibilities in the Qatari market.

QSL will be joining QST’s myriad of partners, leading the

growth of sports industry in Qatar. QST is initiated by Qatar Development Bank (QDB), powered by Startupbootcamp, and supported by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, beIN Media Group, Aspire Zone Foundation, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

QSL and QST will be col-laborating closely to attract sportstech startups from Qatar and around the world who can revolutionize the football industry and contribute to the growth of global sports industry. Moreover, the new partners will co-host a series of community events, with the main aim to flourish the local

sports entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Commenting on the signing of MoU, Ahmed Khellil Abbassi, Executive Director of Compe-tition and Football Devel-opment at QSL, said, “I would like to extend my appreciation to Qatar SportsTech for their active role in promoting and developing the sportstech industry in Qatar. I am pleased to announce this partnership, as this initiative originates from QSL’s keenness towards serving the sports community by

continuing to drive innovation in football with the main aim for QNB Stars League to become the top league in Asia.”

Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al Mannai, Executive Director of Advisory & Incubation at QDB, commented, “QDB has always been a frontrunner in bringing the best local and international expertise to help promote innovators and entrepreneurs to support their ideas and enhance their skills. With Qatar gearing up to be regional leaders in entrepreneurship in

sports technology as well as the wider business scene, we believe that Qatar SportsTech is paving the way for a new generation of innovators, whilst creating the perfect eco-system to enhance entrepre-neurship in the sports sector regionally and beyond.”

Heba Q. Al Masri, Managing Director at QST, commented, “We are honoured to collab-orate with QSL and are excited to help drive forward their vision to be innovative. We’re positive that this partnership

will offer great benefits to the sportstech community in Qatar and globally. QST aims to con-tribute to the positioning of Qatar as a global sports hub.”

QSL was also part of the Selection Committee dedicated to selecting the top 10 startups who will be invited to join QST’s Accelerator Program. Held in Aspire Zone, QST’s intensive three-month Accel-erator programme will run from mid-September, 2020. The programme is designed to help innovative startups accel-erate their growth and further develop their solutions in the industry, in line with QST’s vision to be a catalyst for reshaping sports technology in the region and beyond.

Liverpool, City face tough battle from Premier League challengersAFP – LONDON

Liverpool and Manchester City remain the teams to beat after three seasons of total dominance but a rejuvenated Manchester United and free-spending Chelsea could force themselves into a four-way race for the title.

Here is a look at how last season’s top four are shaping up ahead of the new season.

LIVERPOOL After a first league title in 30

years, Liverpool’s challenge will change radically. The club have freed themselves from the burden of history but must ensure the 2020/21 season does not become a huge anti-climax.

A lack of fresh blood for the second consecutive season is a risk for Jurgen Klopp’s men, who have amassed 196 points over the past two seasons.

Left-back Kostas Tsimikas is the only addition so far, as back up to Andy Robertson.

The financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic meant the arrival of Timo Werner never transpired as the German instead headed for Chelsea, again leaving Liverpool with little as back-up for the front three of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

However, ahead of a season that will offer precious little time for respite, Klopp has at least had longer to prepare his squad, with his three major title rivals involved in European action in August.

MANCHESTER CITY City will not have Lionel

Messi to take the title fight to Liv-erpool after the Argentine opted to remain in Barcelona, but it is at the other end of the pitch that Pep Guardiola’s men needed to improve anyway to bounce back

from a disappointing campaign. Despite scoring 17 more goals than Liverpool, the dethroned champions finished 18 points behind in second last season.

One addition to the defence has already been made, with the £40m ($52m) signing of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth to provide cover at centre-back and left-back.

A marquee central defender is expected to arrive at the Etihad before the window closes in October, with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly top of their wishlist.

Spanish international Ferran Torres had been added to a stellar cast of attacking talent to replace Leroy Sane, while David Silva’s departure opens the door for 20-year-old Phil Foden to build on his impressive perform-ances in the final stretch of last season. City could be distracted

by their desire to finally claim the Champions League in what could be Guardiola’s final season in charge.

The Catalan is entering the final year of his contract and has been heavily criticised for failing to get City beyond the quarter-finals of Europe’s top club com-petition over the past four years.

MANCHESTER UNITED United shot up to third in the

second half of last season on the back of a 14-game unbeaten run in the Premier League after the January signing of Bruno Fernandes.

A flourishing young front three of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood and more midfield depth with the signing of Donny van de Beek offers United some hope that they will not be left in the shade of their two biggest

rivals, Liverpool and City, for much longer.

However, the manner in which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men ended the season in mid-August, physically exhausted after a Europa League semi-final defeat to Sevilla, raises questions over whether they can maintain a title challenge in a crammed calendar over the next nine months. An ambitious attempt to land Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund has stalled, leaving Solskjaer short on options beyond his preferred front three, while there is also a lack of cover in defence.

CHELSEA By far the biggest spenders

of the transfer window across Europe, the Blues have splashed out nearly £200m on Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell and bolstered a

leaky defence with the signing of former PSG and Brazil captain Thiago Silva on a free transfer.

More could still be to come with Rennes’ Edouard Mendy reportedly top of Chelsea’s list in their hunt for a new goal-keeper. Frank Lampard achieved his main goal during his first season in charge by securing a place in the Cham-pions League despite a transfer ban and the loss of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid.

But expectations on the former England international will be far higher this season as owner Roman Abramovich will demand to see a return on his investment.

Lampard cannot afford for the attacking talents of Werner, Havertz and Ziyech to take their time to adjust to the Premier League.

Camavinga breaks France record in repeat of WC final AFP – PARIS

Eduardo Camavinga said he was “proud for his family” after becaming France’s youngest international in 96 years as les Bleus won a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final in a 4-2 Nations League victory over Croatia on Tuesday.

Midfielder Camavinga, aged 17 years and nine months, replaced Ngolo Kante at the Stade de France in the second half and is only sur-passed by Julien Verbrugghe, aged 16 years and 10 months in 1906, and Maurice Gastiger, at 17 years and 4 months in 1914.

“Firstly I feel joy and pride for my family and all the French population,” said Camavinga, who was born in Angola to Congolese parents, but who moved to France at the age of two and only received French nationality in November.

Didier Deschamps’ World Cup winners are second on goal difference in Group A behind Portugal who beat Sweden 2-0 as Cristiano Ronaldo crossed the 100-goal mark for his country.

Deschamps made seven changes from Sat-urday’s win in Solna with Wissam Ben Yedder and Anthony Martial leading the attack after Kylian Mbappe contracted Covid-19.

Antoine Griezmann, Dayot Upamecano, Olivier Giroud as well as an own goal from the visitors’ goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic secured a repeat result from Russia two years ago.

Former Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren opened the scoring for the visitors in a near-empty ground due to the coronavirus pandemic with a half-volleyed effort inside the hosts’ box after a quarter of an hour of play.

Griezmann, who missed a penalty in the weekend’s victory, equalised with two minutes of the first half remaining by side-footing home Martial’s low cross. Manchester United’s Martial was involved in the next les Bleus goal a minute into injury time.

Dominik Livakovic fumbled Martial’s attempt into his goal after Ben Yedder’s dan-gerous ball.

The sides were equal once again 10 minutes into the second half as Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic split the home side’s defence in half with a tidy through ball.

Substitute Josip Brekalo held up possession well before sliding his effort past Hugo Lloris.

Camavinga’s historic moment came 27 minutes from time as he substitued Chelsea’s Kante.

Deschamps’ side claimed all three points with two goals in the final 25 minutes.

Upamecano claimed the third goal, and his first in international football, with a header from a Griezmann corner.

Chelsea’s Giroud then converted a 77th-minute penalty for the fourth before France closed out the game.

French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga

(right) heads the ball during the UEFA Nations

League Group C match against Croatia, at the

Stade de France in Saint-Denis, on Tuesday.

Liverpool players taking part in a training session yesterday, ahead of the kick off of the new Premier League Season as coach Jurgen Klopp looks on. PIC: WWW.LIVERPOOLFC.COM

New faces to watch in PL

REUTERS – LONDON

Lionel Messi will not be lighting up the Premier League next season after reluctantly deciding to stay at Barcelona, but some of the world’s most sought-after talent has arrived.

Here are six who could make the biggest impact.

KAI HAVERTZ (Germany)Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea - £72m

($94m)Chelsea have been active

in the market as owner Roman Abramovich backs manager Frank Lampard but the 21-year-old Germany interna-tional Havertz is the most exciting addition.

Scorer of 18 goals in all competitions last season, Havertz gives Lampard several options either as a striker, a winger, a ‘false 9’ or even a deep midfielder.

Along with fellow new signings Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, Havertz could unlock a Chelsea title challenge.

FERRAN TORRES (Spain)Valencia to Manchester City - £20m

Man City fans were sorry to see Leroy Sane sold to Bayern Munich but in 20-year-old right winger Torres they have a player who potentially could make an even bigger impact.

Torres boasts blistering pace and enjoys nothing more than running at full backs, although his dribbling can sometimes frustrate.

DONNY VAN DE BEEK (Netherlands)

Ajax to Manchester United - £35mThe 23-year-old could

prove to be an astute piece of business, giving manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a different midfield option.

He has an ability to find pockets of space either as an advanced playmaker or in a deeper role, predominantly on the right. Not lightning fast, one of his strengths is his decision-making, rarely choosing the wrong option when advancing attacks.

TIMO WERNER (Germany)RB Leipzig to Chelsea - £47mWerner was nothing short

of sensational at Leipzig last season, scoring 34 goals in all competitions.

Strong, agile and boasting great awareness, Werner is also flexible and would likely flourish either as a sole out-and-out striker or in a 4-3-3 formation sometimes employed by Lampard.

JAMES RODRIGUEZ (Colombia)

Real Madrid to Everton - £12mJames won the Golden Boot

award at the 2014 World Cup but his stock has fallen to such an extent that he will try to re-ignite at Everton, rather than a Champions League club.

If anyone can get a tune out of the 29-year-old playmaker it is Carlo Ancelotti who first took him to Real Madrid. After some of the sterile stuff served up by Everton last season, a rejuvenated James linking up with Abdoulaye Doucoure, should he sign from Watford, would at least give the fans something to feel hopeful about.

AFP – NEW YORK

Serena Williams came from a set down to beat fellow mother Tsvetana Pironkova and reach the semi-finals of the US Open yesterday.

The American third seed overcame the unseeded Bulgarian 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in 2hr 12min inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Williams will play either former world number one Victoria Aza-renka or 16th seed Belgian Elise Mertens on Thursday for a place in Saturday's final.

The 38-year-old Williams is chasing a 24th singles Grand Slam title that would equal Margaret Court's record.

But a sluggish start to the match almost saw her hopes dashed as a more energetic Pironkova broke Williams in game five to take an early lead.

"I'm happy to be standing here talking to you because at one point I think I was pretty close to not being here," Williams told an on-court interviewer.

"I keep fighting and that's one thing that I'm super excited about. I never give up and you know I just gotta keep going," she added.

Williams blamed her early struggles on tiredness.

"I was feeling a little in my legs and for whatever reason an hour in I get more energy so I guess that's a good thing," said Williams.

"In the beginning I was a little fatigued for whatever reason so obviously I can't do that if I want to keep winning.

"So I'm going to try to figure that out," she added.

It has been more than three years since Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2017 Aus-tralian Open -- when she was already pregnant with daughter Olympia.

Williams has come close since, reaching four major finals only to come away empty handed.

Pironkova, herself a mother, only returned to tennis this year following a three-year absence from the circuit.

"Whenever you can birth a

baby honestly you can do anything and I think we saw that with Tsvetana today. She played unbe-lievable," said Williams.

Pironkova's last tournament appearance before this year's US Open had been the 2017 Wim-bledon championships when she exited in the second round.

She gave birth to her son during her break from tennis but elected to return in 2020, only to see her comeback plans disrupted by the coronavirus shutdown.

Williams said she was in awe of Pironkova's run to the last eight. "I couldn't even do that. I could barely win a match when I came back so she's incredible. It's like you play a match and you go home and you're still changing diapers. It's like a double life, it's really surreal," she added. Williams smashed 20 aces, taking her tally for the tournament to 64 so far. The record for the most number of aces in a US Open in the women's singles is 70, set by Serena in 1999 when she won for first time.

NBA: PLAY-OFFS (SEMI-FINALS) EC: Miami 103, Bucks 94 (Heat win series 4-1). WC: Lakers 112, Rockets 102 (Lakers lead series 2-1)

SportTHURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2020

Japan’s Naomi Osaka says Brady would be a formidable opponent in semi-finalI think she’s (Jennifer Brady, her opponent in tomorrow's US Open semi-final) a really amazing player she has the variety that I wish I had, so I’m a bit jealous.

Sport |09Naomi Osaka

Pole vault record holders set toface off in Doha

THE PENINSULA – DOHA

The world champion, the Diamond League record champion and the world record holder will all go head to head in the men’s pole vault at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha later this month.

2019 World Championship medallists Sam Ken-dricks (USA), Mondo Duplantis (SWE) and Piotr Lisek (POL), as well as London 2012 Olympic gold med-allist Renaud Lavillenie (FRA), will battle it out in the pole vault at the Wanda Doha Diamond League on September 25.

Two-time world champion Kendricks is the Rio 2016 Olympic Games bronze medallist. He finished second to Duplantis with a 6.02m jump at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on September 2, the second highest vault of his career.

World record holder Duplantis, runner-up to Kendricks in Doha at the World Championships last year and European champion (2018), is in outstanding form.

His exceptional indoor season – which peaked with an incredible 6.18m clearance in Glasgow in February – has continued outdoors, and he jumped a national outdoor record and world lead of 6.07m, the best outdoor vault in the world for 26 years, to take the victory in the fading light of Lausanne.

Lisek was second to Kendricks in London and third behind Kendricks and Duplantis in Doha. He has a season’s best of 5.90m from the Wiesław Maniak Memorial in Szczecin on August 16.

Lavillenie, the most experienced of the quartet, backed up his London triumph with Olympic silver in Rio 2016 and over the last decade has won a mul-titude of global medals, including seven Diamond Trophies.

Duplantis, unbeaten this season to date, said: “After Lausanne I was desperate to get back out and compete, I felt like I was in the zone and it’s hard to take a step back in those situations, but I had to play safe.

Doha’s Qatar Sports Club will host the revised 12-event programme - the fourth and final compet-itive meeting of the truncated 2020 Wanda Diamond League season - which includes sprint hurdles and 800m for both men and women; 100m, 3000m and long jump for women; and 200m, 400m, 1500m and pole vault for men.

Messi back in full training withBarca as departure saga fadesAFP – BARCELONA

Lionel Messi was back in full training with Barcelona yesterday for the first time since conceding defeat in his battle to leave the club.

Unlike Monday, when the 33-year-old Argentine superstar had to train alone under La Liga’s coronavirus protocol, he joined up with the rest of the squad in the session taken by new coach Ronald Koeman.

A club statement reported that others returning to the main group were Philippe Coutinho, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Ansu Fati.

Messi faces another season with the Catalan club after losing his stand-off with Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu over a €700m release clause.

The Argentinian superstar hit out at Bar-tomeu in his bitter announcement last week that he was staying and warned he was expecting to see progress, saying: “There is a new coach and new ideas. That’s good, but then we have to see how the team responds and whether or not it will allow us to compete at the top level.”

Adding to Messi’s discomfort his two

closest friends at Barcelona, Luis Suarez and Arturo Vidal, are expected to join Juventus and Inter Milan respectively. Koeman’s first match in charge since replacing Quique Setien

in the aftermath of last month’s humiliating 8-2 Champions League pounding by Bayern Munich is a friendly against third division opposition on Saturday.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi (centre) during a training session yesterday with team-mates ahead of the kick off of La Liga. PIC: TWITTER/@FCBARCELONA

t month’s humiliating e pounding by Bayern against third divisiony.y.

AP – STOCKHOLM

Cristiano Ronaldo compared empty football stadiums to a circus without clowns.

The Portugal great scored his 100th and 101st goals for his country in a 2-0 win over Sweden on Tuesday in the Nations League.

“It’s like going to a circus without clowns, going to a garden without flowers,” Ronaldo said.

“We don’t like that as players, but I’m already used to it. I do my pre-match med-itation already knowing that the stadium will be empty.” Ronaldo said he even missed opposing fans.

“It’s sad,” the Juventus forward said. “I like when I’m jeered in away matches,

it motivates me. But health has to come first and we need to respect that. But it’s sad.” Ronaldo said he hoped that “within a few

months” fans could be back because they are the “joy” of the game.

With his goals against Sweden, Ronaldo became only the second male player to reach the century mark in international soccer. He trails only former Iran striker Ali Daei, who scored 109 goals for his national team.

AP STOCKHOLM “W d ’ lik h l b I’ ld bh ” f

Empty stadiums are like a circus without clowns, says Ronaldo

Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring the opening goal, his 100th for Portugal, during the UEFA Nations League football match against Sweden in Solna, Sweden, on Tuesday.

PORTUGAL CAREER OF RONALDO:

Makes Portugal debut in 1-0 friendly win over Kazakhstan in August 2003.

Selected for Portugal’s squad at Euro 2004. Scores his first international goal in their

opening game, a 2-1 defeat to Greece.

Makes his World Cup debut at the 2006 finals in Germany.

In March 2014 overtakes Pauleta’s tally of 47 goals to become Portugal’s

record scorer.

Helps Portugal to win Euro 2016, their first major trophy.

Scores a hat-trick in their opening 2018 World Cup game against Spain and becomes the fourth player to score

in four World Cups. Nets his 85th international goal against Morocco

to become Europe’s all-time top international scorer.

Scores a hat-trick against Switzerland as he helps Portugal

win the inaugural Nations League, in 2019.

Scores twice in a 2-0 win away to Sweden in the Nations League group stage to become only the

second male player to score over 100 international goals

after Iran’s Ali Daei (109).

Serena Williams of the United States waves to the Jumbotron as she walks off court after winning her US Open singles quarter-final match against Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, yesterday.

‘Fighting mom’ Williams moves into US Open semis