14 Established 1961 Sports Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Photo of the day Warner hails nemesis Stuart Broad SYDNEY: Australian batsman David Warner yesterday heaped praise on his Ashes nemesis Stuart Broad, who is on the brink of 500 Test , joking selectors should drop the paceman more often. Broad, who has 499 wickets going into Tuesday’s fifth day of the third Test against the West Indies at Old Trafford, dismissed Warner cheaply seven times in 10 innings during last year’s drawn Ashes series in England. Broad’s future was questioned when England left him out of the first Test against the West Indies, only for the bowler to roar back to form in the second Test, then propel his team toward victory in the third with six wickets and a swashbuckling half-century in the first innings. “I think they should drop him again,” said left-handed batsman Warner, who had a torrid time against Broad and scored just 95 runs at an average of 9.5 during the 2019 series. “I don’t know why they dropped him for that first game but it’d be nice if I was to play there again and he wasn’t playing,” he told reporters. Warner said Broad, 34, had been “outstanding” in the past year and a half and he could not understand his omission from the first Test. “I think he’s a world-class bowler. In the past 18 months he’s really worked hard on pitching the ball up,” he said. “He’s obviously got a hell of a record against left-handers and his capability to bring the ball back off the into the right-hander is another string to his bow.” Warner said Broad and long-time new-ball partner Jimmy Anderson, who have bagged more than 1,000 Test wickets combined, created a high-pressure environment at the crease. “You just can’t go after them, they don’t take their foot off the pedal,” he said. “These guys have the ability to restrict runs,” he said. “In England, they bowl a length where if you drive, you’re probably going to nick, (but) they Kaito Toba, motorcycle racer, competes at the Qatar Stop of the MotoGP World Championship. — Photo taken from www.redbullcontentpool.com can also hit the stumps, so you can’t just leave it. “In English conditions, they know how to get wickets.” —AFP Scots to meet World Cup conquerors Japan in eight nation tournament Tournament will be divided into two pools of four teams

LONDON: Scotland will get the chance to avenge Italy in Rome. their defeat by 2019 hosts The matches will be played over four consecu- Japan when the Six Nations countries along with tive weekends with finals day on December 5, the Japanese and crowd-pleasing Fiji compete in when the winner of Pool A would face the winner an eight nation tournament from November 14 to of Pool B, second in Pool A would meet second in December 5 British media reported yesterday. Pool B, and third playing third and fourth against The final matches of the Six Nations — Italy v fourth. Official confirmation of the schedule and Ireland and the full round of final games which the venues is expected in August. were postponed due to the lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic in March — will be played ‘FURTHER IMPACT’ on October 24 and 31 according to a proposed England’s Premiership Rugby have already plan by . voiced their discontent with the dates and the The usual tours by southern hemisphere heavy- French League (LNR) are sure to follow suit. weights to the northern Both have been critical hemisphere will not take of the way in which the place as the Rugby talks about the resched- Championship is likely to uled calendar have been take place after the Six conducted and the Nations finishes. Temporary Premiership say seven The Six Nations and amendment weekends of international Championship dates are matches is too many. TOKYO: File photo shows Japan players celebrate after beating Ireland 19-12 in a huge upset at the Rugby due to be voted on by “Premiership Rugby World Cup tournament in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture. World Rugby Council and its clubs have already tomorrow. The eight offered compromises and nation tournament in agreed to stretch the allow the campaign to be completed before next from at — 1000 members only Europe will be divided into two pools of four international window from four weekends to six, summer’s Lions tour (of South Africa). were permitted — to the final day of Glorious teams. offering a solution that would allow the completion “So a further temporary amendment to regula- Goodwood racing Festival this Saturday where According to the reports, England will face of the Six Nations tournament, accommodate an tion nine, which governs player release for Test 4000 will be allowed in but a maximum of 500 in , Ireland and Fiji in one group, with the latter extra game with England v Barbarians, and allow matches, for weekends in December, would have a eight enclosures. two fixtures at Twickenham and the venue of the for the four international matches in the November further impact on the Premiership and needs to be The chief executive Bill first game still to be decided. window,” it said in a statement. avoided.” Sweeney has said he hoped 40,000 fans could be Wales are believed to want to play their autumn “The Premiership has also agreed to start the Whether spectators will be allowed to attend allowed in to Twickenham, which has a capacity of Tests in London. In the other pool, Scotland will 2020-21 Premiership Rugby season during the the internationals has yet to be decided. There are 82,000, but The Times suggests the limit will be host Japan and France at Murrayfield and face 2020 international window, on November 20, to several pilot schemes being hosted at the moment 28,000. —AFP

injuries. England’s group contains eight players who matter of whether or not we could were members of the World Cup squad, with Golf’s 2020 co-ordinate any international stars joined by experienced white-ball cam- to visit,” Brookhouse said. “The paigners , , and Adil uncertainty of the quarantine relishing England Rashid. Australian Open requirements for any players coming Kent batsman , who was dropped from the from outside Australia needed to be ‘second chance’ Test side after the series opener against the West Indies, postponed considered,” he said, noting that the has now joined the England one-day “bubble”. The restrictions would also impact MANCHESTER: David Willey said he was determined to Ireland series, which starts on Thursday, will be played SYDNEY: This year’s Australian Australian players currently over- make the most of a “second chance” with England after under similar bio-secure regulations to the Tests, with Open Golf Championship was post- seas. being recalled Monday into the squad for an upcoming all the matches taking place behind closed doors. poned yesterday because of the “These are very challenging times one-day international series at home to Ireland. Left- England’s red and white-ball fixtures are overlapping coronavirus pandemic but officials for all Australians and the uncertain- arm paceman Willey, 30, missed out on England’s tri- in a season cut short by the coronavirus outbreak and said they were hoping to restage the ty the global pandemic has caused umphant World Cup campaign last year after a change they are maintaining two separate squads, with a Test event early in 2021. makes it very difficult to be defini- in qualification rules saw him make way for Barbados- series against Pakistan to follow the ongoing West Melbourne’s Kingston Heath Golf tive in relation to future dates at this born fast bowler . Indies series. That means Test skipper and fel- Club had been due to host the 105th time,” Brookhouse said. Having long been a part of the England white-ball low World Cup-winners , , Chris edition of the historic championship, Australia closed its borders to set-up, Willey could only watch as Archer bowled the Woakes and Archer will not feature against Ireland. “We the world’s fifth oldest professional most international travellers in Super Over that sealed a thrilling victory against New are developing excellent strength in depth in white-ball golf tournament, in November. March to curb the spread of COVID- Zealand in a dramatic final at Lord’s. cricket,” said England selector James Taylor. “Even But with the country battling a 19, although exceptions have been “I’d love to have played in the World Cup for England though a number of Test players are unavailable, there is surge in COVID-19 cases and the made for some professional athletes and I don’t think anything is going to make up for being great competition for places.” Thursday’s opening ODI game’s stars facing major tourna- who agree to quarantine for 14 days. dropped at the 11th hour, but that’s the nature of the will be the first match of the ICC’s new World Cup ments moved to later in 2020, Golf While most of the country has beast,” Willey told Britain’s Press Association. Super League, which will determine qualification for the Australia operations manager Simon successfully contained the epidemic, “Somebody had to miss out and it was me.” 2023 50-over World Cup in India. Brookhouse said they would instead Melbourne is struggling to control a look at a “January to March 2021 second wave of the virus, closing ‘FREE HIT’ England squad window”. nearly all travel into the city and sur- Willey, the son of former England batsman and Test Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, capt), Moeen Ali The US Masters, originally sched- rounding Victoria state. , added: “Now I have a second (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire, wkt), Tom uled for April, will now be played in Last year’s Australian Open in chance and it almost feels like a free hit for me. “If it Banton (Somerset), Sam Billings (Kent, wkt), Augusta from November 12-15. Sydney was plagued by smoke from goes well, that’s great, but if it doesn’t then I’ll enjoy it (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Joe Denly (Kent), Coupled with COVID-19 travel unprecedented bushfires. It was won while it lasts.” England’s 14-man squad for a three-match Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), (Yorkshire), restrictions and quarantine meas- by Australia’s Matt Jones. The post- series at the Ageas Bowl, Hampshire’s headquarters, also Jason Roy (Surrey), Reece Topley (Surrey), ures, that means it would be almost ponement means 2020 will be the includes another recalled left-arm seamer in Reece (Hampshire), David Willey (Yorkshire) Reserves: Richard impossible to assemble a world-class first year since World War II in Topley. The 26-year-old last played international cricket Gleeson (Lancashire), (Somerset), Liam field in Melbourne. which the Australian Open will not in 2016 but has since suffered several major back Livingstone (Lancashire). —AFP “Unfortunately, it is not a simple be held. —AFP