THE MIZORAM POST AIZAWL 6 SPORTS TUESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2020

Virat Kohli wins ICC Male Cricketer of Decade Award, MS Dhoni picks Bayern Munich reach zenith, Liverpool Spirit of Award end drought in the time of coronavirus MANCHESTER, DEC 28 the inclusion of two of the oldest What started off like any other clubs of the country — ATK run-of-the-mill year, ended with Mohun Bagan and SC East Bengal. a bag-load of narratives — Confined in just three intertwined with the themes of the stadiums in — Jawaharlal coronavirus pandemic and the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, GMC quest for social justice — in the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim, world of football. and Tilak Maidan Stadium in The tale of 2020 began with Vasco — the ISL season will play the same old title races in each of itself out entirely in a bio-secure NEW DELHI, DEC 28 “ICC Awards” period. “My only Europe’s top-five leagues and environment in the wake of the was announced the intention was to make winning evolved into so much more where pandemic. Although the rusty winner of two awards by the contributions for the team and players, coaches, and players struggled with their match International Cricket Council on I just strive to do that in every organisations were forced to adapt fitness initially, the league has Monday – ICC ODI Men’s game. Stats just become the and sacrifice. After coming to a finally found its groove after five Cricketer of the Decade and ICC byproduct of what you want to halt in early March, the beautiful weeks of continuous action. Male Cricketer of the Decade – do on the field,” Virat Kohli said game returned to the pitches To say that 2020 has been while MS Dhoni won the ICC after winning the award. around the world in a fashion rather sorrowful would be Spirit of Cricket Award of the Former India captain Dhoni never witnessed before. Ranging criminally underselling it. Decade. was chosen for the ICC Spirit of from fanless stadiums to virtually- Right after the lockdown, PK The Indian cricket captain Cricket Award of the Decade by generated crowd noises to Banerjee breathed his last at the earned the ODI Cricketer of the fans unanimously for his gesture exhaustive COVID-19 testing, the though the very thought of football Bundesliga but proved to be forward ultimately stayed claiming During the restart that age of 83 on March 20 after Decade award for his prolific of calling back England batsman year pioneered in shattering the sans fans is rather uncomfortable, ruthless after Hansi Flick replaced he could never take the club he followed the suspension of succumbing to major respiratory record in 50-over format. The Ian Bell after a bizarre run out norms. the conclusion of the domestic Niko Kovac in the dugout. Aided loves to court. With Josep Maria football owing to the pandemic, problems. After that tragic Indian cricket captain pipped in the Nottingham Test in 2011. Belarus, Tajikistan, and the seasons behind closed doors was by Robert Lewandowski’s 55 goals Bartomeu out and a new president Premier League players wore incident, Chuni Goswami passed former skipper MS Dhoni, Meanwhile, Australia batsman Faroe Islands were the first of the deemed necessary by the across all competitions, they won set to be elected in January, Messi’s badges endorsing Black Lives away aged 82 on April 30 due to Ravichandran Ashwin, Joe Root Steve Smith was named as the blocks, but the majority of Europe authorities because of the 42 out of 48 matches this calendar future still hangs in balance. Matter for the rest of the season. a fatal cardiac arrest. and Steve Smith, among others Test player of the decade. During was reawakened with the potentially crippling financial year, losing just once. Apart from Meanwhile, on home shores, Elsewhere, players like Jadon On the other side of the to win the award. the tenure Steve Smith scored resumption of the Bundesliga on impact from the broadcasting last season’s treble, they have won ATK lifted the Indian Super League Sancho, Weston McKennie, and world, the passing of Diego Having hit more than 20,000 7040 Test runs at an average of May 16. Battling a surfeit of deals. the DFL Super Cup and are eyeing (ISL) trophy for a record third- Mario Balotelli called attention to Maradona on November 24 sent runs in the qualification period, 65.79. He smashed 26 hundreds government decisions and After enduring three decades the FIFA Club World Cup next time and FC Goa sealed a historic injustice, with clubs regularly shockwaves around the world. Virat Kohli also won the Sir and 28 fifties. conference calls, the German of hurt, Liverpool finally achieved February. berth in the AFC Champions kneeling in unison at the opening Two other FIFA World Cup legends Garfield Sobers ICC Male The winners of all the Football League (DFL) set up a the impossible last season in a The Bavarians’ dominance League group stages. Mohun whistle. Using his platform beyond — Paolo Rossi and Papa Bouba Cricketer of the Decade Award. individual awards will receive a model for those that would follow. manner befitting the Premier peaked in August when they Bagan, before its merger with racism, Marcus Rashford became Diop — also died within two The 32-year-old amassed 20,396 unique artwork created in a Although France’s Ligue 1 and the League champions. Although handed Barcelona a humiliating RPSG-owned ATK, pocketed their a hero to the children of the weeks of each other. Among the runs at an average of 56.97, the collaboration between the ICC, Netherlands’ Eredivisie did not Jurgen Klopp’s ‘mentality 8-2 loss in the UEFA Champions second I-League title in March United Kingdom this year for many other former players and highest among players with Mumbai-based studio Kulture resume their domestic seasons, monsters’ lost its run at League quarter-finals — a defeat itself with four matches to spare. helping raise $25 million for managers to lose their lives this more than 70-plus innings. He Shop and Indian artist Pratap the Goliaths — Premier League, invincibility just before the so indomitable that it sent the La Following the death of George charity and leading a campaign year were four players from smashed 66 hundreds and 94 Chalke. The Rachel Heyhoe-Flint La Liga, and Serie A — did soon pandemic’s onset, their feat of Liga club into crisis mode. Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis for free school meals. England’s 1966 FIFA World Cup- fifties during the period. and Sir Garfield Sobers winners after. ending Manchester City’s reign Following his club’s capitulation police in May, protests sparked in In a coming-of-age season winning team [Jack Charlton, The International Cricket get a spectacular hand-painted The UEFA too finished its with an 18-point gap over them in both the domestic and the United States that ignited a unlike any other, the Indian Super Nobby Stiles, Peter Bonetti, and Council (ICC) made the artwork bat, while the other continental competitions — is nothing short of remarkable. continental arena, Lionel Messi global movement uniting athletes League kicked off its 2020/21 Norman Hunter], Argentina’s announcement via twitter, individual award winners will Champions League and Europa Even this season, they are top of handed in an official transfer around the world. Black Lives season in mid-November with a 2014 FIFA World Cup manager bestowing the honour on Kohli, receive a limited-edition canvas League — by resorting to single- the table now. request at Barcelona. After a few Matter gestures on the NBA courts whole new avatar. After a long Alejandro Sabella, and treble- who scored 66 out of his 70 painting that captures their elimination sprints in one country Bayern Munich, on the other days of uncertainty regarding his and NFL fields spilled over in the eight-month layoff, the winning former Liverpool international hundreds, in the unique passion and spirit. from the quarterfinals on. Even hand, struggled initially in •700 million release clause, the world of top-level football too. competition resumed action with manager Gerard Houllier. ISL 2020-21 window cleared as AFC Champions League set to be postponed Lockdown increased chess’ NEW DELHI, DEC 28 Indian club to feature in the international break, where India Confederation’s decision to hold The window for the ISL 2020- group stage of Asian Champions is set to host Qatar in the World all club competitions post April popularity: Vishwanathan Anand 21 has been cleared as the start League this season. 2022 FIFA Cup qualifiers. comes as a relief to ISL as the date of the group stage round Their Indian Super League While the AFC Cup, involving league is being played under a of AFC Champions League is set campaign will not be hampered ATK Mohun Bagan and bio-secure bubble in Goa, and to be postponed from February as feared before with the Bengaluru FC, is set to be hosted FC Goa’s involvement in the 15 to April. imminent postponement of the in a centralised venue in April, competition will not create AFC member nations have top continental event. FC Goa might have to play their complications regarding already been notified about the The ISL announced its of the remaining league fixtures group stage games in the ACL in scheduling and the team exiting same. fixtures until January 11 and is soon. ISL season 7 is expected a home and away basis. and re-entering the bubble FC Goa will become the first expected to release the schedule to end mid-March before the The Asian Football again. Roger Federer has decided not to play 2021 Australian Open, says agent SYDNEY, DEC 28 strict border rules to for him, in the long run, Melbourne in 2021,” Tiley Six-times champion Roger curb the spread of the is to return to competitive said in a statement. “We wish Federer has withdrawn from the novel coronavirus. tennis after the Australian him all the best as he prepares NEW DELHI, DEC 28 chess.com declared that it’s unknown facets of his reticent Australian Open as he continues Federer, who had Open.” for his comeback later in the “Cruel as it may sound” but the subscriber base shot up personality. However, he to work his way back to fitness been training at his off- Godsick added that year and look forward to seeing COVID-19 lockdown was a boon significantly after the series’s doesn’t want to say who should from two knee operations season base in Dubai, he was looking to build a him in Melbourne in 2022.” for chess, feels five-time world release. Anand said he has liked play him. earlier this year, his agent said. had told organisers that playing calendar for Federer has been an ever- champion what he has seen of it. “I mean, they are still The 39-year-old Swiss last the delayed start to the Federer from late present at Melbourne Park but he hopes the sport’s “I think it is pretty good. It looking into that. I don’t want played a competitive match at tournament could February. Australian Open since his first appearance when expansion into the online space is one experience of a chess to be commenting on that right the season-opening Grand benefit him. tournament director Craig he lost in qualifying in 1999. does not spell the end of the player. I feel that a lot of the now. Once someone comes we Slam in January before he had However, his agent Tiley said they were He has made 15 trips to the traditional board. tournament scenes are very will announce it,” he said. to undergo surgery on his knee. Tony Godsick said disappointed to lose semi-finals and won the last of In an interview to PTI, the accurate. The portrayal of the How about he playing He later required a second Federer was not quite Federer for next year’s his six Melbourne titles in 51-year-old maestro touched tournament halls and players, a himself instead of an actor operation. ready to return. last couple of months with his event. “In the end, Roger ran 2018. upon a variety of subjects, lot of that is very accurate,” he coming on board. The start of the 2021 “Roger has decided not to knee and his fitness. out of time to get himself ready Federer made the semis including the immense observed. “I haven’t given that a lot Australian Open has been play the 2021 Australian Open,” “However, after for the rigours of a Grand Slam earlier this year, losing to popularity of chess-based Netflix “…it is the biggest series on of thought. Somehow I just delayed for three weeks until Godsick said in a statement. “He consultation with his team, he and he’s very disappointed he eventual winner Novak drama ‘The Queen’s Gambit, his Netflix and that tells you quite assume that we will get February 8 due to the country’s has made strong progress in the decided that the best decision won’t be coming to Djokovic. new role of a mentor to something. Maybe it was the fact someone else but let’s see. It youngsters and an upcoming that people were sitting at home would be very strange to enact,” biopic on his remarkable career and somehow they were waiting he smiled. and life. for something like this. I don’t “I have no idea what it is “Certainly chess is one sport know but it has driven a boom going to look like and how the that has benefited during the in chess. effort is. You know it is like lockdown, cruel as it sounds. “(Actually) the boom had the book, when we started it, I Actually we can build on that started much before but didn’t know what shape it and grow the sport,” Anand said. definitely this has made it much would take As most sporting action shut bigger,” Anand said. “I will go and watch it. It down because of the lockdown The Chennai-based wizard, has to be done well. I hope we when the pandemic spread, who won his first world title in will succeed in making it chess found new life online with 2000 and continues to remain interesting. There are some several tournaments taking among the game’s elite at the things that are well known and place. age of 51, said he missed playing some that are not so well Asked if there was a across the board events. known,” he said. possibility of it going online “I definitely miss that,” he He is also gearing up to be completely, Anand said, “I hope said. a mentor through the not but I don’t know…we will I found that normally when WestBridge-Anand Chess see what happens. It would be you go to a tournament, there Academy and the soft-spoken nice to grow chess online but it are triggers which help make you star said he would prefer call would be a pity to move the serious, make you concentrate. himself a guide. other lines.” You walk to the tournament hall, “It is a new thing…you “We have to see what you meet other players at the know teaching and playing are happens once the situation with hotel. very different things. I am not the virus is under control. “All these things are really going to be a coach. Whether it is a long-term trend triggers that a tournament is “I hope to be more of a or a short-term one I don’t going to happen. When it guide. We are looking at the know.”Not just the lockdown, comes to playing online, you long term, over the next few ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, a drama are sitting at home and years and what progress we can on the life of an orphaned chess suddenly the arbiter says start make…I am looking forward prodigy who rises to the top and you begin playing, I do to that. while struggling with drugs and miss playing across the Anand will be mentoring alcohol, has made chess board…” 15-year old R appealing to a younger On to the biopic to be Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin generation with online searches made by noted film-maker (16), Raunak Sadhwani (15), for the sport and its Aanand L Rai, Anand said he is D Gukesh (14) and practitioners hitting a new high. excited about it as people Praggnanandhaa’s sister R Reputed chess website would get to know some Vaishali (19) to start with.