SPORT | 06

QORC: Dominant

Abdulla

registers another

victory

SPORTShutdown may

help Serena's

Grand Slam

quest: Coach

SPORT | 07

THURDAY 11 JUNE 2020

Federer to miss rest of season after knee opAFP — PARIS

Twenty-time Grand Slam singles champion Roger Federer said yesterday he will be side-lined until 2021 after under-going his second knee operation in a matter of months.

The 38-year-old Swiss said he underwent follow-up arthro-scopic surgery “a few weeks ago” after undergoing a similar keyhole procedure in February.

Federer, whose last Grand Slam win was the 2018 Aus-tralian Open, said he “experi-enced a setback during (his) initial rehabilitation”.

“I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season.”

The announcement is likely to renew speculation about

retirement for Federer, who holds the record for men’s Grand Slam singles titles and last month topped Forbes’ list of the world’s highest earning athletes.

Federer, who won his first major trophy in 2003, lies just

ahead of his longtime rivals Rafael Nadal (19) and Novak Djokovic (17) on the all-time list.

The biggest title he has yet to win is an Olympic singles gold medal.

The Tokyo Games -- seen as Federer’s final opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam -- have been post-poned until next year because of the pandemic, and Federer will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony.

After the initial operation, Federer had originally planned to return for the now cancelled grass-court season this month. His last tournament match was on January 30 in the Australian Open semi-finals, where he lost to eventual champion Djokovic.

His last appearance on court was in front of 51,954 fans -- touted by organisers as a world record for tennis -- at a charity match against

Nadal in Cape Town in early February.

Tennis ground to a halt in March because of the corona-virus, and the globetrotting sport faces an uncertain route to recovery given crippling travel restrictions.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon, where he has won a record eight titles, was cancelled for the first time since World War II.

Federer, known for his elegant style of play,

has got off lightly with

injuries during

a

career in which he has won 103 singles titles, including all four majors.

He had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee -- the first oper-ation of his career -- in early 2016 after suffering a freak injury while running a bath for his daughters.

But after failing to win a title that year Federer returned strongly in 2017, winning seven tournaments including the Aus-tralian Open and Wimbledon -- his most prolific season in a decade.

He is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors’ all-time record of 109.

Tour-level tennis has been suspended until the end of July at the earliest, with the US Open scheduled to start on August 24 and the rescheduled French Open on September 20.

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I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level. I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season: Roger Federer

Pakistan legend Akram warns saliva ban will make bowlers ‘robots’AFP — KARACHI

Legendary Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram warned yesterday that bowlers would become “robots” after cricket officials temporarily banned shining the ball with saliva as a coronavirus precaution.

Bowlers traditionally get the ball to move or swing in the air by applying shine to one side using sweat or saliva.

The International Cricket Council, however, has temporarily banned the practise over virus transmission fears as teams prepare to return to the pitch in the coming weeks. Players can still apply sweat to the ball.

“It will make bowlers robots, coming and bowling without swing,” Akram said, adding they would have to be patient and wait for the ball to age naturally. “It’s a quizzical situation for me as I grew up using saliva to shine the ball and to swing it,” he added.

“I am all for precautions in these tough times, so bowlers have to wait for the ball to get old and rough for them to get swing. Sweat alone was unlikely to generate swing as in some countries it was too cold," said Akram.

“Sweat is just something of an add-on, a top-up. Too much use of sweat will leave the cricket ball too wet,” he said.

Akram, who took 414 Test and 502 one-day international wickets in a storied career, believes artificial substance could potentially help as he encouraged officials to keep searching for alternatives.

“I believe that they will need to find a rea-sonable solution. Artificial substances like vaseline could be used to swing the ball but how much of it? “Let’s see, we have this England versus the West Indies series to judge how it goes, because I have never experienced this thing.”

International cricket resumes with England hosting the West Indies in a Test series later this month . Akram said suggestions that limited ball-tampering be allowed should also be considered by officials.

“When can you tamper the ball? Right from the first over or after 20-25 overs? They will need to sit down and do brainstorming,” he added.

“The game is already tilted more in favour of the batsmen.”the batsmen.

Wasim Akram

Italian MotoGP at Mugello cancelledAFP — PARIS

The MotoGP Italian Grand Prix, originally scheduled for May 31 at Mugello and then post-poned, has been cancelled, the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) announced yesterday.

“Despite the communal effort made to find a practical solution, the impossibility of staging an event that is open to spectators, as well as the difficulties that have arisen from this exceptional situation, have not allowed us to find a new date for the Italian Grand Prix,” said Paulo Poli, CEO of Mugello Circuit in an FIM statement.

The FIM said this will be the first time in nearly 30 years that the Tuscan circuit will not host the Italian motorcycling Grand Prix.

The season was originally scheduled to start on March 8 in Qatar, but only the Moto2 and Moto3 events were raced.

The FIM and the promoter of the MotoGP championship, the Spanish group Dorna, have yet to present a revised cal-endar for the World Champi-onship, which has been put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Italian MotoGP is the eighth race to be cancelled.

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta indicated in early June that he expected to present a new calendar soon.

“If all goes well, we will start on July 19th in Jerez and the last races will take place in November, from 12 to 13 races,” he said.

Dorna has asked the Spanish government for per-mission to hold two races behind closed doors on July 19 and 26 at the Jerez circuit in Andalusia, but has not yet received an answer.

The FIM said this will be

the first time in nearly

30 years that the Tuscan

circuit will not host the

Italian motorcycling

Grand Prix. The Italian

MotoGP is the eighth

race to be cancelled.

QNB Stars League teams resume training

Al Shahania team’s players attend a training session as QNB Stars League (QSL) sides returned to training pitches yesterday ahead of the July 24 restart. Teams are training at the Khalifa International Stadium, Indoor stadium in Aspire, Training grounds for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup and Clubs’ training grounds. INSET: Umm Salal players leave team's hotel for a training session. QSL was halted due to coronavirus pandemic in March.

Roger Federer

Virtual crowds and stadium noise greet return of La Liga

REUTERS — BARCELONA

The usually scorching derby between Sevilla and Real Betis kicks the La Liga season back into action today but while the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium will be eerily quiet without spectators, the television broadcast will offer a far livelier experience.

With virtual crowd visuals and noise, La Liga hopes to compensate for the enforced empty sta-diums when the season resumes after a three-month break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

La Liga’s partnership with Norwegian broad-casting technology firm Vizrt means viewers will see to-scale images of seated fans wearing the home club’s colours in “virtualised” stands.

They will also hear simulated noise created by video game developer EA Sports FIFA, drawn from a back catalogue of chants from actual sta-diums which will adapt to game events such as goals,

chances and fouls.“Our aim was to

reproduce the same entertainment experience that viewers had before so we developed and selected technologies to create the same atmos-phere,” La Liga’s audio-visual director Melcior Soler said.

“This is something which is not so strange in the entertainment

industry. Sitcoms and late night shows add applause and laughter and we think the audience will under-stand that this will give a better atmosphere to the games.”

Yet not everyone is pleased by the prospect of a s imulated fan experience.

“The use of virtual images and sounds in the television broadcasts of

what they are trying to sell as the return of football feels to us like a lack of respect to the fans they want to replace,” said Emilio Abejon of fans group FASFE.

“We’ve spent years protesting against the fact that La Liga wants to make us the props for their broadcasts but with this move they have gone one step further. Now all they need to do is replace the players and they’ll have reinvented video games.”

La Liga responded by saying: “We want to give viewers a good experience and that’s why during this unusual time we have opted for virtualisation of the stands. Everyone watching it will know it isn’t real, but it will enhance the viewing experience.

“We want fans back into the stadiums as soon as that can be done responsibly. Fans are key to the atmosphere around football, both in the stadium and on TV.”

Barcelona’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi (centre) attending a training session in Sant Joan Despi.

06 THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2020SPORT

Dominant Abdulla registers another winTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Adel Abdulla (pictured) once again showed his prowess by prevailing over his Group A opponents to secure an eight-point lead in the overall standings after two rounds of the Q atar Online Racing Championship (QORC) virtual WRC8 French Rally.

On Tuesday, the former FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies T2 champion created a three and half-minute gap between him and his closest rival Mohamad Al Thefiri during the second qualifying round by completing eight stages in 45:27.497.

The popular driver, has now col-lected 40 points with two victories as drivers head for the third and final qualifying round before the final series in which only the top drivers are allowed to compete.

Misfer Al Hajri, the group’s second-place winner of the first round on Sunday, completed the French Rally podium.

Al Hajri is second in the overall Group A standings whereas Al Thefiri stays at the bottom after competing in only one out of two qualifying events.

Mansour Dbeissy (Group B, Zakariya Al Aufi of Oman (Group C) and his compatriot Ammar Bulushi (Group D) were the other group winners on Tuesday.

In Group B, QORC Touring Car series champion Ahmed El Kholay

finished second behind Dbeissy while Nasser Al Kuwari clinched the third spot.

Hamad Al Sulaiti and Ahmed Al Kuwari secured the second and third spot in Group C.

Group D winner Ammar Bulushi was the only other driver apart from Abdulla to win consecutive races in the series.

Khalid Al Maraghi finished second in Tuesday’s event while Kuwaiti Mishari Al Thefiri completed the podium in their group.

The next WRC event takes place today on a virtual QRC Argentina Rally route.

REUTERS — NEW YORK

NASCAR will allow a limited number of spectators to attend two June races in Florida and Alabama amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers of the popular racing series said.

The plan to reintroduce guests at select NASCAR Cup Series races will begin with the June 14 Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

and the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR, which postponed racing in mid-March due to concerns over the novel coronavirus and resumed action in mid-May, said it will welcome up to 1,000 invited military members to the Miami race while Talledega will allow up to 5,000 guests.

Homestead-Miami can nor-mally host up to 46,000 fans while the capacity at Talladega

Superspeedway ranges between 80,000-175,000.

Among the safety measures in place, NASCAR said guests in attendance will be screened before entering, required to wear face coverings and maintain social distance.

“We have tremendous respect and appreciation for the responsibility that comes with integrating guests back into our events,” NASCAR Executive Vice

President Daryl Wolfe said in a statement.

“We believe implementing this methodical process is an important step forward for the sport and the future of live sporting events.

NASCAR was the first major sport in the United States to return to action amid the COVID-19 pandemic when it held a May 17 race in South Carolina without spectators.

Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO Chevrolet, races during the NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 in Hampton, Georgia, in this in this June 07, 2020 file photo.

NASCAR to allow limited spectators at select races

FIFA report rates Australia/NZ bid best for 2023 women’s World CupREUTERS — MANCHESTER

World soccer’s governing body FIFA has rated the joint Australia/New Zealand bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup as the best to host the tour-nament.

FIFA said in a statement yesterday that it had received official ‘bid books’ from three contenders -- Colombia, Japan and the joint Australia-New Zealand bid.

FIFA’s ruling council will decide which of the three con-tenders will host the tour-nament during an online meeting of its ruling council on June 25.

The organisation’s bid eval-uation report gave the Aus-tralia-New Zealand bid an average score of 4.1 out of 5, with Japan on 3.9 and Colombia 2.8.

Brazil withdrew its can-didacy on Monday saying the government did not consider it wise to offer financial guar-antees in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2019 tournament in France broke records in terms of television audiences and was seen as the most high-profile edition so far.

“The quality of the bids is

testimony to the tremendous momentum women’s football has generated and we are looking forward to building on this to take women’s football to the next level at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura.

FIFA’s bid evaluation report said all three proposals met the requirements but questioned

whether the Colombian bid had the necessary financial backing.

The report said Colombia would need “a significant amount of investment and support from both local stakeholders and FIFA in order to elevate organisational conditions to those of the other two bids.

“Based on the documen-tation submitted and the infor-mation provided, it is not clear

if this level of investment will be available”.

The report said the Aus-tralia/New Zealand bid appeared to “present the most commercially favourable proposition”.

Japan’s bid was praised for the quality of venues and infra-structure along with the ability to attract television audiences across Asia.

US players celebrate after winning the Women’s World Cup with the trophy in Lyon, France, in this July 7, 2019 file photo.

Manchester City to learn fate on European ban next month

AFP — LAUSANNE

Manchester City will learn whether their appeal against a two-season ban from European competition has been successful “during the first half of July”, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced yesterday.

City were banned by UEFA and handed a €30m ($34m, £27m) fine for allegedly over-stating sponsorship revenue to hide that they had not complied with financial fair play (FFP) rules between 2012 and 2016.

The reigning English cham-pions have steadfastly refuted UEFA’s allegations.

A three-day hearing on the case was held via videocon-ference due to coronavirus restrictions.

“The decision is expected to be issued during the first half of July 2020. The exact date will be communicated in advance,” CAS said in a statement.

“At the end of the hearing, both parties expressed their satisfaction with respect to the conduct of the procedure.”

The verdict should be known before the end of the delayed Premier League

season, which is due to restart on June 17. City have a 12-point lead over fifth-placed Man-chester United and seem certain to secure qualification for next season’s Champions League on the field.

However, if they are excluded, whoever finishes fifth will take their place in the Champions League. Just six points separate United from Crystal Palace in 11th.

No matter the outcome of the appeal, City will be able to complete their campaign in the 2019/20 Champions League.

Pep Guardiola’s men won 2-1 at Real Madrid in the first leg of their last 16 tie before the competition was halted by COVID-19.

UEFA are planning to com-plete this season’s European competitions in August.

City were banned by UEFA and handed a €30m ($34m, £27m) fine for allegedly overstating sponsorship revenue to hide that they had not complied with financial fair play (FFP) rules between 2012 and 2016.

Manfred close to ‘nuclear’ option, shortened season, says reportREUTERS — NEW YORK

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is close to using his “nuclear option” to end the acrimonious negotiations between players and owners, USA Today reported.Manfred wields the option of shortening the 2020 season without good faith negotia-tions with the MLB Players Association and plans to use that power if the sides can’t close on an agreement within a week, USA Today said,

citing three Major League Baseball executives. MLBPA has the latest proposal on the table -- 89 games, full prorated salaries and playoff expansion for this season and next -- but ESPN reported owners considered the length of the season a “nonstarter.” The 89-game plan was a counter to the 114-game schedule which drew harsh criticism from players. The deal was formally rejected.

Coe gets Olympic membership nod after waitREUTERS — BERLIN

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (pictured) yesterday was nominated for membership to the Interna-tional Olympic Committee pending proof he has stepped down from an active role in a consultancy firm, the IOC Pres-ident said.

Coe’s membership is linked to the two-time Olympic cham-pion’s role as president of the federation and ends a five-year wait for one of the Games’ most popular sports.

The athletics body has not had any representation within

the IOC since the departure of Coe’s predecessor Lamine Diack in 2015 amid a cor-ruption scandal and subsequent trial.

The IOC had repeatedly snubbed Coe, a federation vice-president under Diack and British s p o r t i n g g r e a t , s a y i n g t h e r e w a s

potential

conflict of interest with other posts he holds.

“Seb Coe has committed himself to changing his

s tatus within the company he is currently running as managing director to a passive position and the nec-

essary documen-tation will be provided to t h e I O C ethics com-mission by the first of July,” IOC President

Thomas Bach told a

virtual news conference. Apart from his role at World Athletics, Coe, who won 1,500m gold in 1980 and 1984, is also Group Chairman of consultancy firm CSM which also works with the IOC.

“Because the executive board has full confidence in our friend Seb Coe they have decided to put the candidature forward subject to the delivery of such documentation with which the concerns of the ethics commission would be gone,” Bach said.

For decades, membership of the IOC for the head athletics was almost automatic.

Diack in 2015 amid a cor-ruption scandal and subsequent trial.

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STANDINGS (AFTER TWO QUALIFYING ROUNDS)GROUP A# Driver R1 R2 Pts1 Adel Abdulla 40 40 802 Misfer Al Hajri 36 33 693 Patrick Roux 33 31 64GROUP B1 Mansour Dbeissy 36 40 762 Ahmed El Khouly 40 36 763 Nasser Al Kuwari 31 33 64GROUP C1 Zakariya Al Aufi 36 40 762 Hamad Al Sulaiti 40 36 763 Ahmed Al Kuwari 30 33 63GROUP D1 Ammar Bulushi 40 40 802 Khalid Al Maraghi 36 36 72 3 Mishari Al Thefiri 31 33 64

GROUP A1. Adel Abdulla 45:27.497, 2. Mohamad Al Thefiri +3:32.487, 3. Misfer Al Hajri +4:44.672GROUP B1. Mansour Dbeissy 44:48.203, 2. Ahmed El Khouly +42.996, 3. Nasser Saadoun Al Kuwari +4:39.797GROUP C1. Zakariya Al Aufi/ Oman 45:11.647, 2. Hamad Al Sulaiti +1:12.795, 3. Ahmed Al Kuwari +3:33.081GROUP D 1. Ammar Bulushi 44:32.110, 2. Khalid Al Maraghi +1:04.469, 3. Mishari Al Thefir +1:40.210

QORC WRC8 FRENCH RALLY: RESULTS

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2020

)

07THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2020 SPORT

Australia’s ‘Super Rugby AU’ competition confirmed for July 3 restartREUTERS - MELBOURNE

Australia’s domestic “Super Rugby AU” schedule has been confirmed for July 3 to September 19 after getting approval from broadcasters, Rugby Australia said yesterday.

The competition, featuring the country’s four Super Rugby teams and Perth-based Western Force, will have 10 weeks of round robin play before a two-week playoff series.

“Our focus is now back where it should be, getting... Super Rugby AU up and running next month and watching our five Australian teams go head-to-head in week after week of Aussie derby action,” RA interim CEO Rob Clarke said in a statement.

Australia will become the second nation to resume professional rugby after the coro-navirus shutdown, with New Zealand set to open “Super Rugby Aotearoa” this weekend. The broader Super Rugby season, which fea-tured teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan, was suspended in March after seven rounds following the instalment of travel restrictions and border controls to curb the spread of COVID-19.

RA confirmed Super Rugby had been “abandoned for 2020”. South Africa’s Super Rugby teams are expected to play in a home-based competition but Argentina’s Jaguares and the Tokyo-based Sunwolves face an uncertain future.

“The decision around the Jaguares was largely taken out of our hands with the coun-try’s travel ban being extended until 1st Sep-tember 2020,” Super Rugby’s governing body SANZAAR said in a statement yesterday.

Super Rugby AU will kick off with the Queensland Reds hosting the New South Wales Waratahs in Brisbane on July 3. The competition, which will take place at closed venues pending government advice on allowing spec-tators, will be a welcome boost for RA, which has battled to stave off a financial crisis exacerbated by the coro-navirus shutdown.

English players’ union warns of ‘legal dispute’ in rugby pay rowAFP - LONDON

The English Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) warned yesterday of a “significant legal dispute” if pay cuts introduced in response to the coro-navirus became a permanent feature in the English Premiership.

Many players accepted a temporary 25 percent pay cut after professional rugby union ground to a halt in March because of the pandemic.

But with the season now set to resume on August 15, well beyond its original finish date and at a time when a number of contracts have expired, the RPA said it was “unequivocally” opposed to making the cuts permanent.

England’s 12 top-flight clubs met earlier this week and the RPA said yesterday they had “unan-imously agreed to reduce unilaterally the salary cap”, even though there has been no announcement to that effect from Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL).

The salary cap currently stands at £7m ($9m).“Most of the players have already had tem-

porary 25 percent pay cuts since March and April as a result of the unprecedented financial chal-lenges exposed by COVID-19,” RPA chairman Mark Lambert said in a statement.

“PRL have been seeking agreement to reduce players’ wages permanently by 25 percent across all PRL clubs.

“This was unanimously rejected by the players’ board.”

Lambert called for talks with the PRL.“This latest situation could have been entirely

avoided with a collaborative and transparent approach and we now find ourselves heading

towards a significant legal dispute unless meaningful and genuine dia-logue takes place urgently,” he said.

Lambert added it was “totally unacceptable” that players at some clubs were “being served with ulti-matums” to sign amended contracts through what he called the “manu-factured deadline” of June 18.

“Players should not engage with this approach,” he said.

“The RPA will continue to fight for our members throughout this crisis.”

A Premiership spokesman said they had nothing to say in response to the RPA’s statement “at this stage” and nor was there an announcement regarding any salary cap reductions.

The row takes place against the backdrop of the Saracens scandal, which will see the reigning Premiership champions relegated to the second-tier next season for breaches of the salary cap.

Saracens’ conduct led PRL to commission a review into its rules led by former British gov-ernment finance minister Paul Myners. Among Myners’ suggested reforms was that the

Premiership drop a rule allowing clubs to have two “marquee players”, whose wages are exempt from the current regulations.

Harlequins chief executive Laurie Dalrymple said this week they would be “supportive” of the salary cap being lowered, given “virtually all clubs are losing more money than they are bringing in”.

In this file photo taken on March 7, 2020, France’s flanker Charles Ollivon attends the Captain’s Run training session on the eve of the Six Nations international rugby union match between Scotland and France at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

England’s 12 top-flight clubs

met earlier this week and

the RPA said yesterday they

had “unanimously agreed to

reduce unilaterally the salary

cap”, even though there has

been no announcement to

that effect from Premiership

Rugby Limited (PRL).

The Rugby Australia building in Sydney.

Coronavirus shutdown may help Serena’s Grand Slam quest: Coach

Djokovic may skip US Open for French Open AP - BELGRADE

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic is thinking of skipping the US Open -- if it is played -- and instead returning to competition on clay ahead of the rescheduled French Open. Speaking to Serbia’s state broadcaster RTS on Tuesday, Djokovic said the restrictions that would be in place for the Grand Slam tour-nament in New York because of the coronavirus pandemic would be “extreme” and not “sustainable.”

“Most of the players I have talked to were quite negative on whether they would go there,” Djokovic said. “For me currently, as things stand, most probably the season will con-tinue on clay at the beginning of September.”

Like many sports, tennis went on hiatus in March because of the COVID-19 outbreak. All sanctioned tournaments have been scrapped until at least late July. That includes the French Open, which was supposed to end last weekend but was postponed until September, and Wimbledon, which was can-celed for the first time since 1945.

The US Tennis Association is expected to make a decision as soon as next week about whether to hold the US Open. Main-draw play is scheduled to begin Aug 31. If that tour-nament is played, possible precautions that Djokovic said he wouldn’t appreciate include:

** A 14-day quarantine required for people arriving from outside of the US.

** Restricted access to courts, which he said means players “wouldn’t be able to train.”

** A limit of one person per competitor at matches, instead of the larger entourages some players travel with.

** Limited ability to move around New York, including keeping players at hotels near the tournament site in Queens and not letting them go to Manhattan.

Pakistan’s Babar wants to emulate Indian skipper KohliREUTERS - ISLAMABAD

Pakistan batsman Babar Azam’s sparkling form has earned him comparisons with Virat Kohli but the elegant right-hander says he has a long way to go before he can be considered the Indian skipper’s equal.

Both top-order batsmen score freely and play the cover

drive particularly well. Babar averages above 45

in tests and 50-plus in both o n e - d a y e r s a n d

Twenty20 Interna-tionals, putting him in the top five of all three formats.

“He’s one of the best players. I’m still

behind him,” Babar told the Cricbuzz website.

“I’ll try to be as good as him

and win matches for my country.”

Babar, who is Pakistan’s lim-ited-overs captain, said there were some style similarities.

“Asian batsmen have the same technique and strokeplay. I guess some of our shots look similar,” he added.

The 25-year-old says he closely follows the careers of the top batsmen, watching how they master challenging condi-tions and overcome difficult phases.

“I don’t look to compare myself with the greats,” he said.

“When I’m playing, I’m not trying to show off or prove any point to anyone. For me, it’s about whether I’m satisfied with my performance.

“I’m happy as long as I can help Pakistan win matches.

“I’m rarely satisfied with my performance because I always see room for improvement.”

Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and the same number of Twenty20 Interna-tionals against England in August-September though exact dates and venues are yet to be finalised.

** MEANWHILE former India Test pace bowler Irfan Pathan said he has witnessed players in Indian domestic cricket being racially abused.

Pathan’s comments come the day after former West Indies captain Darren Sammy asked fellow cricketers in the Indian Premier League to clear the air after learning they may have been mocking the color of his skin.

“We need to educate our

people because I’ve seen them (racial jibes) in domestic cricket,” Pathan said yesterday. “Some of our cricketers from the south, especially, have faced that in the northern and western parts of the country.

“What happens is among the crowd, someone tries to act like a jester. It’s not because people are racist, but it’s like someone trying to be popular by saying something seemingly funny that amounts to crossing the line on certain occasions.”

Sammy, who is black, said in a video on Instagram he was frequently called “kalu” by smiling and laughing Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mates while playing in the IPL in 2013 and 2014.

Kalu is Hindi for black, but Sammy said on Monday he

thought it meant “strong stallion,” that it was “uplifting,” and he would gladly tell people that’s his name.

He was enlightened and dis-gusted after watching Hasan Minhaj, a US comedian of Indian descent, reveal in his Patriot Act show on Netflix that kalu was used in a discriminatory way in India.

Pathan said he wasn’t aware of any such racial jibes at Sammy.

“I was there with him (Sammy) in 2014. I feel had this really happened, the matter would definitely have been dis-cussed, so I’m not aware of such things as nothing was discussed in a larger way,” Pathan was quoted in ThePrint, an Indian digital platform for news reports and analysis.

REUTERS - ISL

Pakistan batssparkling forcomparisonbut the elegsays he has before he canIndian skipp

Both topscore freely

drive partiBabar

in tests ao n e -

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bebe

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REUTERS - MUMBAI

Serena Williams is as motivated as ever to add to her 23 Grand Slam singles titles and the COVID-19 shutdown could end up helping her in that quest, the American’s long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou has said.

Williams, who turns 39 in September, has reached four Grand Slam finals since giving birth to daughter Olympia in 2017 but failed to win any of them and remains one major title short of Margaret Court’s record of 24.

The tennis season came to a halt in March when world sport went into lockdown due to the novel coronavirus outbreak and the hiatus will continue at least until the end of July.

Frenchman Mouratoglou said Williams had been able to recharge during the break and that her appetite for titles had not waned.

“First of all it was good for Serena because she had time to rest and her body needed rest,” he said by telephone.

“Second, her motivation hasn’t changed. She’s still as motivated as before to win more Grand Slams.”

Mouratoglou, who has been working with the American since 2012, said experienced players like Williams, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic were best equipped to hit the ground running when tennis restarts.

“For someone like her, and probably the

same for Roger or Rafa or Novak, they have so much experience that being out of compe-tition for a few months doesn’t affect their game so much,” said Mouratoglou.

“And we’ve seen the best, someone like Roger for example, coming back from six months injury and winning a Grand Slam straightaway (in 2017). So, only those guys can do that. So for Serena, it’ll be fine.”

Mouratoglou was less sure about how well other players would cope given the lack of

clarity over the sport’s return. There are con-cerns professional tennis may not be able to return at all this year given the amount of international travel required to get players to tournaments.

“I think that for all the players it’s extremely challenging because it’s a situation that is completely new,” said Mouratoglou, whose Ultimate Tennis Showdown league kicks off at his academy in Nice from Saturday.

Serena Williams of the US hits a shot as her coach Patrick Mouratoglou looks on during a training session at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, in this January 11, 2017 file photo.