There’s less than a month to go for the IPL to roll over but there still isn’t any details about the schedule of the tournament which will see 60 games. The delay reportedly is because of Covid-19-related travel restrictions between the emirates.
A report in Cricinfo states, the plan is to host 21 of the 56 group-stage games each in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and 14 in Sharjah, with the playoffs in the first two emirates.
Kolkata Knight Riders and defending champions Mumbai Indians are in Abu Dhabi which means they will have to cross the border multiple times, adding to the headaches related to travel restrictions between the emirates.
Mandatory checks have been ramped up at the border after there was a spike in the number of cases, making travel into Abu Dhabi more time-consuming than before.
The report stated that the IPL Governing Council members are in touch with the Emirates Cricket Board – headed by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE’s minister of culture, youth and social development, to try and get the matter resolved at the earliest.
Matt Boucher, the CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket, believes that the matter is not as grave as it seems and can be resolved soon.
“At the border, it’s either a DPI test or a PCR test, and it’s purely to protect the population of Abu Dhabi. Many hundreds of people are using the border every day, and it’s certainly not a hassle or an issue,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “It just has to be, of course, tailored into the event schedule with rotational testing. But the teams need to be tested in accordance with the protocols of the event, the UAE government, and the BCCI protocols for the event. And if those are in line with the testing procedures at the border, then the facilitation will take place.”
Royal Challengers Bangalore reached Dubai on Friday ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, slated to begin on September 19. The team will head straight to isolation at their hotel before beginning a three-week training camp in the UAE from August 29.
While the majority of the team flew in from Bangalore, skipper Virat Kohli underwent his final testing in Mumbai before jetting into Dubai on a private flight. He was soon united with his RCB teammates and gave the thumbs up from his balcony at the Waldorf Astoria.
In RCB statement read: “RCB team will start a 3-week camp with Indian and International Players in collaboration with Director of Cricket, Mike Hesson, and Head Coach, Simon Katich from August 29 onwards.” Initially scheduled to start in March, the 2020 edition of the IPL was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the 13th edition of the IPL will be played from September 19 to November 10, across three venues in the UAE – Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai.
Lahore: Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has heaped praise on fast-bowler Wahab Riaz who has made himself available for the team’s tour of England. Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and and as many T20Is in England after the conclusion of Windies tour.
In September last year, Wahab took an indefinite break from first-class cricket to focus on limited-overs formats. However, he was recently named in the 29-member Pakistan squad (combined Tests and T20Is) for their tour of England.
Akhtar on Tuesday took to social media to praise Wahab and wrote on Twitter: “Really appreciate your decision Wahab Riaz to make yourself available for Test cricket. Keeping Pakistan first. You will do well in English conditions InshAllah.”
Wahab took note of Akhtar’s post and replied: “Means a lot coming from you chief.
The 34-year-old last made a Test appearance against Australia in October 2018. Having made his Test debut in 2010, Riaz has scalped 83 wickets in 27 matches so far in the longest format.
Following his inclusion in the team, Wahab had expressed his happiness and revealed that when he was asked about his availability for the Test series, he answered in affirmative without thinking twice.
“I am very excited to be a part of this England tour,” Wahab said in a video conference. “As you know this tour is being carried on in very unusual circumstances.
“I was called by the PCB to enquire if I am available to play Test cricket if required on a replacement basis. I straightaway said yes because my priority ultimately is to play for Pakistan.”
Dubai: Faiq Huseynov has never looked past sports. After spending the past 22 years as a humble masseur in varied capacities at a number of UAE football clubs, Husenyov knows the nation’s soccer scene better than most.
From attending to the likes of former Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro and Portugal’s Ricardo Quaresma to Asian Footballer of the Year Ahmad Khalil, Huseynov is left nostalgic recalling all the “friends” that he has made over more than two decades in the country.
“Honestly, I don’t like to think past football,” he recalls, while narrating his treasure trove of experiences in the UAE.
“One of the most humbling experiences is to have a former player coming up to me and wish me well while recalling how much I have been of assistance to him during his career. That’s when I realise that my presence here is not just about football, but something more personal and dear.”
Faiq Huseynov with former Al Wasl coach Diego MaradonaImage Credit: Supplied
Huseynov’s journey began back home in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he first played basketball and then earned a Diploma in Sports Medicine in 1988. After shuttling between some top clubs such as Spartak Moscow and Dinamo Kiev and the national football team, Huseynov made his way to the UAE on the invitation of the newly formed Dubai Club on the Dubai-Hatta road.
“Dubai Club was in Division 2 that time and I came to the UAE on the invitation of an Azerbaijani defender, Deni Gaisumov. That was in 1998, and I can still remember my first match as Dubai Club and Hatta played out a goalless draw,” he says.
Dubai Club worked their way up to the top division of the UAE Football League and Huseynov very soon began experiencing bigger challenges. His calm nature helped him come to terms with these, and by 2006, the Azerbaijan national found himself working with a succession of top-class players and coaches after moving to Al Ahli Club.
“Quique Sanchez Flores, Cosmin Olaroiu, Fabio [Cannavaro], Ricardo [Quaresma], Grafite and, of course, our own UAE stars like Faisal and Ahmad Khalil, Bashir Saeed and Esmail Al Hammadi. It has been one big journey for me over the years,” Huseynov says.
“I feel so lucky and blessed to work with all these top world-famous personalities in football. I have developed some good friendships over the years with so many of them. And when one of them calls me and inquires about me, I feel truly honoured and blessed.”
Faiq Huseynov with former Al Ahli coach Cosmin OlaroiuImage Credit: Supplied
Being at one club for so many years has had its advantages as Huseynov found Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, Chairman of the Higher Committee that oversaw the merger of three Dubai clubs — Al Shabab, Dubai Club and Al Ahli Club — as one of his biggest supporters. “He has always backed me and I feel obligated to give my best for this club,” Huseynov says.
Football in the UAE adopted a professional model from the start of the 2008-09 season and Huseynov was part of the celebrations as Al Ahli celebrated their first league title of the new era. “For anyone outside it’s just football. But for those involved with the team, it’s all about teamwork. Perhaps, spectators and fans do not realise this aspect of sport,” Huseynov says.
“Be it during training sessions or during matches, everyone is an important part of the team. It’s not just about the 25 players who are in the squad, but it’s also about each and everyone, including the coach, his assistants, the medical personnel and even the administrative staff. This is the entire team that is ultimately responsible for the success of a club.
“But for me who has been blessed to work with some of the biggest and best names in sport, I feel that we are all part of the team that will eventually win the match. Each one does his own job, fulfils his own duties to the best of his abilities and the end result is the success.”
Dubai: Tennis coaches from the Arab and Middle East regions have agreed on the launch of a ‘Tennis Carnival Series,’ possibly starting with the UAE, in near future.
The unique project is the brainchild of former UAE Tennis Federation (UAE TF) board member and general secretary Khalid Al Ali and a handful of coaches – including Ons Jabeur’s coach Essam Jellali and Elena Rybakina’s coach following a Zoom webinar earlier this week with close to 100 coaches attending from across the Arab world.
“We just thought we had to do something different for our sport after being kept away from the courts for nearly two months now. And then came this idea that we could all meet – coaches and players of various age groups in one location – and have a carnival series through a season,” Al Ali told Gulf News.
“The past few weeks have been challenging in more ways than one and as we all put our minds together, we came up with this idea of having a tennis series that would be a true testimony for everyone involved, be it the juniors or the veterans and coaches,” he added.
Dubai: The UAE national Jiu-Jitsu team has returned to active training to prepare for resumption of international competitions with a closed training camp at the Armed Forces Officers Club and Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF), the governing body for jiu-jitsu in the country, is ensuring that players, coaches and training camp support staff are subject to stringent medical examinations in line with local and international guidelines on containing the spread of COVID-19.
The camp was approved by UAE authorities after the UAEJJF board of directors devised a robust health screening plan for all participants at a recent board meeting. With strict public health and safety measures in place, the camp consists of two daily training sessions – a light training session before Iftar and a two-hour session from 10 pm till midnight.
A total of 43 national team players are participating in the camp, which is led by national team coach, Ramon Limos, with the support of fellow coaches Marcelo Nunes, Eduardo Da Silva, Samuel Araujo, Pablo Desero, Michelle Maya, Mohammad Al Qubaisi and under-18 coach Ebrahim Al Hosani. Training involves minimal contact, while social distancing measures are in place in and around the camp.
All UAE national team players were put through intense physical fitness and body fat composition tests after arriving at the camp, with the UAEJJF set to compare.
Mubarak Saleh Al Menhali, Director of the UAEJJF’s Technical Department, praised the dedication of the players in training and said they would be ready to compete at the highest level of international championships once the sport resumes globally.
“The UAE national team has a challenging path ahead and it’s our responsibility to help them maintain and enhance successes at previous championships. All being well, they are facing a packed calendar, including China’s Beach Games, the JJIF World Championship and the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship. We must prepare now to ensure our players are well-placed to capture the golds and raise the UAE flag high in the coming months.” Al Menhali said.
London: England cricket chief Tom Harrison says the controversial Hundred has become “even more important” due to the economic damage from coronavirus ahead of a meeting that will decide the fate of the new competition.
Last week, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) further delayed the start of the 2020 season until July 1 at the earliest but said the inaugural Hundred would be on the agenda this Wednesday.
The new 100-balls-per-side format, to be played by eight franchises rather than English cricket’s established 18 first-class counties, is meant to start in July.
ECB officials have long insisted it will attract a new audience vital to safeguarding cricket’s future, with some matches set to be broadcast live on terrestrial television.
But public health restrictions, the problems of bringing in overseas stars and the issue of launch costs at a time of economic crisis mean a delay appears inevitable.
“We’ll look at how the situation impacts the Hundred, which was envisaged as being a tournament that enabled us to widen the audience for the game,” said Harrison.
“With an in-stadia environment, with international players, it’s going to be very, very difficult.”
Many voices within English cricket have been opposed to the Hundred from the outset, arguing there is no space for a new format in an already congested calendar.
They say many of the ECB’s aims could be achieved with better support for the existing Twenty20 Blast.
Bundesliga: The top tier of Germany’s football leagues are set to be the first among top European leagues to resume action from May 9, albeit behind closed doors. Most of the clubs started training from mid-April, in small groups of four to seven, for a continuation of the 2019-2020 season. The German Football League (DFL) is planning to play matches behind closed doors to finish the campaign by the end of June, subject to a final clearance by the local authorities.
Premier League: All eyes of course are trained on when the most widely followed football league in the world, as the coronavirus pandemic is still not under control in the United Kindom. A media report says that the league has submitted a ‘Project Restart’ report to the stakeholders which looks at a resumption of June 8 with matches behind closed doors. There are 92 matches still to be played and the authorities have drawn up a blueprint which stipulates a total attendance of 400 people – including players, officials and media who have tested negative for the virus, to be allowed entry.
TOKYO: The postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be cancelled if the coronavirus pandemic isn’t brought under control by next year, the organising committee’s president said in comments published Tuesday.
The pandemic has already forced a year-long delay of the Games, which are now scheduled to open on July 23, 2021, but Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said no further postponement was possible.
In an interview with Japan’s Nikkan Sports daily, Mori was categorical when asked if the Olympics could be delayed until 2022 if the pandemic remains a threat next year, replying: “No.”
If the virus is successfully contained, “we’ll hold the Olympics in peace next summer”, he added. “Mankind is betting on it.”
Under heavy pressure from athletes and sports associations, Japanese organisers and the International Olympic Committee agreed in March to a year-long postponement of the Games.
Organisers and Japanese officials have said the delayed Olympics will be a chance to showcase the world’s triumph over the coronavirus, but questions have arisen about whether even a year’s postponement is sufficient.
On Tuesday, the head of Japan Medical Association warned it would be “exceedingly difficult” to hold the Games next year if a vaccine had not been found.
“I would not say that they should not be held, but it would be exceedingly difficult,” Yoshitake Yokokura told reporters at a briefing.
“In that case, it’s cancelled,” Mori said.
Mori said the Games had been cancelled previously only during wartime and compared the battle against coronavirus to “fighting an invisible enemy”.
