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CricketFootball Tennis Exclusive Exclusive Christian Eriksen in French Open: ICC Hall of Fame New Zealand Thrash Olympians to Receive ‘Good Spirits’, Remains Djokovic Beats Special Inductions England to Take Financial Assistance Under Observation... Tsitsipas to win 19th Announced... Test Series... from Sports Ministry... Grand Slam...

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today England’s dismal second-Test defeat was con- Sri Lankan Olympians will be rewarded with fi- ROME: The agent of Christian Eriksen says the announced a special edition intake of 10 cricket firmed inside an hour on the fourth morning at nancial benefits and other incentives when they Danish player is in “good spirits” but anxious icons into the ICC Hall of Fame to celebrate the Edgbaston, giving New Zealand a 1-0 series win. participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games in Ja- to find out the cause of his cardiac arrest during prestigious history of , and to coin- pan from July 23. Already four athletes have his country’s opening Euro 2020 game in Co- cide with the first ever ICC World Test Cham- The home side lost their last to the first qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and another 3 penhagen. pionship Final. ball of the day, with Olly Stone edging behind to 4 athletes are expected to join the Sri Lankan off Trent Boult. That meant New Zealand had contingent through the wildcard system. “We spoke this morning (Sunday). He was jok- This was the first major final for Tsitsipas and The 10 legends of the game to be inducted have only 38 runs to chase, which they did inside 11 ing, and in good spirits, I found him well,” Mar- 29th for Djokovic, who also won the French all made a significant contribution to the history overs to win by eight . It is England’s “We have decided to grant an allowance of US tin Schoots told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Open in 2016 along with nine titles at the Aus- of Test cricket, and join an illustrious list of ICC first home series defeat since 2014, when Sri $10,000 for each Olympian with a further sum Sport on Monday. tralian Open, five at Wimbledon and three at the Hall of Famers, taking the total number to 103 Lanka won a two-match series 1-0. And it is of US $40 as a daily allowance,” Sports Min- US Open. as a result of this intake. The special inductions New Zealand’s first success in England in 22 ister Namal Rajapaksa said during a television “We all want to find out what happened, him of the ICC Hall of Fame from the following five years, and leaves them in fine fettle heading into interview yesterday. “We have also decided to included. The doctors are conducting detailed Talented and tenacious as they come, Novak eras join the ranks of the world’s greatest play- the World Test Championship final against In- grant an allowance of US $5000 for each coach tests, it’ll take time.” Denmark’s team doctor on Djokovic was not about to concede a thing after ers. The special edition ICC Hall of Fame show dia at the Ageas Bowl that starts on Friday. En- in addition to a sum of US $40 day allowance,” Sunday confirmed the 29-year-old Inter Milan dropping the first two sets of the French Open was streamed LIVE on ICC digital channels and gland move on to limited-overs matches against the Minister emphasised. midfielder had suffered a cardiac arrest. final against his younger, fresher foe, Stefanos was hosted by Alan Wilkins. The show featured Sri Lanka and Pakistan before a five-Test series Tsitsipas. interviews with some of the inductees and in- against India begins in August. While England’s “This is the first time that we have decided to “He was gone, and we did cardiac resuscita- sights from a specialist panel of guests including players have rested, a number of the New Zea- reward the Olympians financially while recog- tion,” doctor Morten Boesen told a press confer- Djokovic looked diminished and depleted at the Lisa Sthalekar and Lawrence Booth of Wisden. landers came straight from the abandoned Indian nising their high value and the dedication to the ence. “How close were we? I don’t know. We outset Sunday. By the end, he was at his impe- Kumar Sangakkara and Andy Flower also made Premier League into this series. sport,” added the Sports Minister. got him back after one defib (defibrillation), so rious best. an appearance on the show, giving their reac- that’s quite fast,” Boesen added. Schoots said tions to their entry into this league of legends. When New Zealand rotated - they made six “Obtaining Olympic qualification is the greatest Eriksen had been lifted by “all the love around The top-seeded Djokovic came all the way back changes for the second Test - their collective achievement for an athlete and we want to value him”. to beat the fifth-seeded Tsitsipas 6-7 (6), 2-6, The ICC’s independent statistician compiles a strength was not diminished. Their reward was their performances in this way,” the Minister ex- 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 for his second championship at Ro- longlist of ex-players or other significant crick- a first Test win in five attempts at Edgbaston, plained. “I have already instructed the Ministry “Messages have arrived from all over the land Garros and 19th Grand Slam title overall. eting figures for each era (based on the period having first visited this ground in 1958. to provide more facilities for all those athletes world,” the player’s agent told the paper. “And during which they had their most significant im- who have qualified for the Olympics,” he noted. he was especially touched by those from Inter, Djokovic is now just one major trophy away pact) and these are presented to the Hall of Fame not only from his teammates, but also the fans.” from tying the men’s record of 20 shared by Nominations Committee, together with relevant “We must realise that all officials go on foreign Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. And reigning statistics and brief commentary. The Hall of tours, thanks to these athletes. But it has been He added: “Half the planet has been in touch Australian Open champion Djokovic now stands Fame Nominations Committee subsequently con- brought to my notice that some officials travel with us, everyone is worried. Now, he must sim- halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam, some- vene to select six names to be shortlisted in each in business class, while the athletes travel on ply rest. His wife and parents are with him.” thing no man has accomplished since Rod Laver of the five eras noted above. The ICC Hall of economy class. This time we want to change this Schoots said the player would remain under ob- in 1969. Fame Voting Academy, comprising active Hall system,” the Minister added. servation in hospital until at least Tuesday. of Fame members, a FICA representative, prom- The 34-year-old Djokovic eliminated 13-time inent cricket journalists and senior ICC figures, “As a former sportsman, I know this system. But “But in any event he wants to support his team- French Open champion Nadal, a challenge the vote online to identify their selections for induc- this time we have already planned to give spe- mates against Belgium” in Denmark’s second Serb likened to scaling Mt Everest in a semifinal tion in each of the five eras. Results produced a cial benefits for the Olympians. We will make Euro match on Thursday. A spokesman for the that lasted more than four hours on Friday night. weighted score, against which the top two indi- arrangements for the Olympians and coaches to Denmark Football Union reported Eriksen’s con- viduals in each era are inducted into the ICC Hall travel on business class,” he concluded. dition as “stable, good”. “He’s still in the hos- That was only Nadal’s third career loss in his of Fame. In the event of a tie, the players with pital, and there are examinations throughout the 108 matches at the clay-court major tournament. the most first choice votes take priority. Show-jumper Mathilda Karlsson was the first to day. So there is no different status,” the spokes- qualify for the Olympics followed by gymnast man added. Djokovic also defeated Nadal in Paris in 2015 Milka Gehani, shooter Tehani Egodawela and before losing that year’s final, and it appeared as veteran shuttler Niluka Karunaratne. (Daily News) Cricket if the same fate was waiting Sunday. Djokovic looked drained early and the 22-year-old Tsitsip- ICC Looking at Same as had the upper hand for two sets.

Points per Test Win “It was not easy for me, both physically and mentally,” Djokovic said, “Especially over the from Next WTC Cycle: past two or three days.” ICC Interim CEO Eventually, though, Djokovic started making fewer mistakes, got his best-in-the-game re- turning on track and served so flawlessly down the stretch that he did not face a single break point over the last three sets. That enabled him to complete his sixth career comeback from two sets down and second of the past week. Indeed, the International Tennis Federation said Djokov- ic who trailed 19-year-old Lorenzo Musetti two sets to none in the fourth round is the first man in the professional era to win a Grand Slam tour- nament after twice facing a 2-0 deficit in sets. Experience could have been a factor too.

This was the first major final for Tsitsipas and 29th for Djokovic, who also won the French The much-debated World Test Championship Open in 2016 along with nine titles at the Austra- points system is set to undergo a change during lian Open, five at Wimbledon and three at the US the second edition where all teams will get Open. Of just as much, if not more, significance “same standardised number of points” for win- to the ultimate outcome Sunday: Djokovic en- ning a game rather than the 120 allocated per tered the day with a 34-10 record in five-setters series, ICC interim CEO Geoff Allardice said including a men’s-record 31 wins in Grand Slam on Monday. matches of that length while Tsitsipas was 5-4.

During the last cycle, the value for each series On a sunny, breezy afternoon with the tempera- was 120 points where a two-match India-Bangla- ture approaching 80°F (over 25°C), Tsitsipas desh series had 60 points for a win while a four- needed just over 100 minutes to grab a big lead match India-Australia Test series had 30 points on Sunday. A supreme returner and imposer of Advertise with Us...! in store per victory. However, during the last his will, Djokovic grabbed early breaks of serve phase with lot of series cancelled, ICC reverted in each of the third, fourth and fifth sets. to the percentage points system where a team’s ranking was calculated on the basis points divid- Shadows were spreading across the court as the ed by the number of matches played. sun descended in the early evening and though Djokovic complained that the artificial lights “One of the things that happened during this cy- were switched on, he shined when it mattered cle was that it became evident that not everyone the most. This was another match that lasted was going to complete their six series as a result more than four hours, and Djokovic was up to of postponements due to COVID,” he reasoned. the task again. Call Now 0717 797997 / 0776 797997 Local Promotion Partner | SPORTSINFO CALL US NOW: 0766906873 (If you live in Sri Lanka)

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Cricket Cricket Football Cricket Cricket Mushfiqur Rahim, Kagiso Rabada’s Danish Players Criticise Winner to Take Home SLC Doing Everything Kathryn Bryce voted Five-wicket Haul Helps Decision to Resume Purse of $1.6 Million Possible to Reduce ICC players of the South Africa to Trash Game after Eriksen along with ICC Test National Players’ Month for May... West Indies... Collapse... Championship Mace... Mental Stress...

DUBAI: Former Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Kagiso Rabada’s first five-wicket haul in three HELSINGØR (Denmark): Denmark’s goal- DUBAI (UAE): The winners of the much-await- (SLC) are aware of the mental Rahim and Scottish all-rounder Kathryn Bryce years has helped South Africa to a convincing keeper Kasper Schmeichel and striker Martin ed ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final health of its cricketers staying in bio-secure bub- were on Monday adjudged the ICC Players of innings and 63 run win over the West Indies in Braithwaite on Monday lamented that they had to between India and New Zealand will take home bles for long periods of time and said that it was the Month for May in the men’s and women’s the first Test. choose whether to restart the Denmark-Finland a purse of $1.6 million along with the ICC Test doing everything possible to reduce the stress. categories respectively. Euro 2020 match while they were reeling from Championship Mace, the International Cricket The Proteas wrapped up victory before the lunch Christian Eriksen’s mid-game collapse. Council announced on Monday. Sri Lanka’s white ball cricketers currently in En- The winners were announced by the ICC in a break on day three in St Lucia, taking a 1-0 lead gland for a six-match tour (3 T20Is and 3 ODIs) press release. in the two-match series. “We were put in a position that I personally feel The losing team will get $800,000 for finishing have been in a bubble prior to the commence- that we shouldn’t have been put in,” Schmeichel second in the nine-team competition, which was ment of their three-match ODI tour to Bangla- Diminutive wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur It was a welcome return to form in Test cricket told Danish media at a press event in Helsingor played over a near two-year cycle, adding con- desh last month, and according to SLC CEO played one Test and three ODIs against Sri for the South Africans, who registered their first north of Copenhagen. “We had two options,” text to Test cricket and to crown the first offi- Ashley de Silva, they will continue staying in Lanka in the month of May, where he helped victory away from home in the format since 2017 Schmeichel explained. “Either come back cial world champions in the longest format of the bubble upon their return from England in the Bangladesh win their first ODI series against Sri to climb to sixth on the ICC World Test Cham- the day after (Sunday) at noon or continue the the game. The prize money for the team finish- first week of July as they are due to commence Lanka by scoring 125 in the second game. pionship standings. game.” ing third in the ICC World Test Championship another six-match white ball series (3 ODIs and Standings is $450,000. The team fourth on the 3 T20Is) against India at home from 13-25 July. Commenting on Mushfiqur’s performance in Fittingly, it was a result that saw key players end The Leicester City goalkeeper said he wished table will be awarded $350,000, the one that May, former India batsman VVS Laxman, rep- their own lean spells as well. In the West Indies’ someone more senior would’ve said “that it finishes fifth gets $200,000 while the remaining Thus, by the end of the Indian series, the white resenting the ICC Voting Academy, said: “Even first innings of 97, Lungi Ngidi claimed his first wasn’t the time to take that decision, and that we four teams will get $100,000 each. ball cricketers would have remained in a bubble after 15 years at the highest level, Mushfiqur has five-wicket haul since taking six wickets on de- should maybe wait until the day after to decide”. for over two months. not lost his appetite for run-making. but against India in 2018. “What has happened has happened, and hopeful- The Test Mace, previously given to teams top- ly they’ll learn from this,” Schmeichel said, as ping the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings will “The bubble will continue after the England “What made his feat even more notable was that In South Africa’s first innings total of 322, Player he praised what he considered the real “heroes” now be given to the WTC winners. In case the tour. The players who get selected to play in the it was Bangladesh’s first-ever ODI series tri- of the Match Quinton de Kock scored an unbeat- of the game, the medics. final ends in a draw or a tie, the finalists will split Indian series will remain in the bubble, the rest umph against the 1996 World Cup champions. en 141, notching his first Test ton since 2019. the prize money for the first and second places will check out after completing their quarantine “To shore up the middle order and don the wick- Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite said the and share possession of the Mace during the time period,” said de Silva. “The players are not al- et-keeping gloves speaks volumes of his fitness And in the match’s final chapter, where the West players would have “wanted a third option, be- they remain champions. lowed to go anywhere but they will remain in and skills.” Indies were knocked over for 162, Rabada (5/34) cause we didn’t want to play,” noting that the the hotel itself once they return from England.” collected his first Test five-for since March 2018. decision to resume the game was “not a wish”. The Mace, designed by English luxury brand Bryce, on the other hand, is the first player from Thomas Lyte, is based around the global nature Being in the bio-secular bubble is not easy it Scotland, male or female, to make it to the top 10 Cricket “It was one of the only possibilities we had, of Test cricket and the competing nations. The could affect the players’ mental health and to a of the batting or bowling lists in the MRF Tyres and we were told we should make a decision,” focal point of the Mace is the cricket ball since it great extent, their performances as well. ICC Player Rankings released recently. Mohammed Amir Says Braithwaite said. is at the core of the game whether being bowled, hit or fielded. Encircling the ball is the globe, When asked what effect it will have on the play- Bryce played four T20Is against Ireland where He is Ready to Come The comments mark the first time since Eriksen’s referencing the global reach of Test cricket and ers’ mental health to be away from their fam- she scored 96 runs and took five wickets with an dramatic collapse and cardiac arrest on Saturday one can see the silver gilt cricket ball through ilies and be confined only to their hotel rooms economy rate of 4.76 in the month of May. Out of Retirement... in the game against Finland that his teammates the oceans of the map, the ICC said in a release. apart from the training and match days, de Sil- have spoken to the press. va replied: “It does affect the players, it is very Hockey The countries of the world are supported on the stressful and we all know that, but there is no Eriksen’s condition is still “stable” and “good”, longitude lines you see on a globe this allows for choice. All the countries are going through this Pakistan Hockey Jakob Hoyer, the Danish Football Union’s com- an interesting interplay of light on the different phase and it all depends on each individual how munications director said, adding that the player surfaces, especially as the mace is moved and they can cope up with it. This is the only way Federation Planning remained in hospital. The players were able to catches that light. The world is surrounded by a we can do to make the players as comfortable talk to Eriksen via a video call on Sunday, and central belt carrying the insignia of all 12 com- as possible.” International Event... he was also visited in the hospital by Schmeichel. peting Test nations, with space to add others in the future. “We allow the players’ wives to join them but “He said in his own way that we should look only after going through the proper health pro- forward to the game on Thursday (against Bel- A silver gilt laurel band spirals up the shaft of tocols. For example, prior to the team’s arriv- gium). It meant a lot,” midfielder Pierre-Emile the mace the shaft itself styled as a stump a ref- al, the wives will do the PCR testing and check Hojbjerg, who missed a penalty against Finland erence to the all-important wicket. into the hotel four days before. After the players after the restart, told Danish media. check into the hotel and after the fifth day, the wives will do another testing and if it is negative, Tokyo Olympics Tokyo Olympics only then will they join the players,” explained de Silva. Biden Reaffirms Mo Farah Given Mohammad Amir had earlier announced that he “If the wives want to stay with the players in the would be willing to play international cricket Support for Tokyo Lifeline for Tokyo hotel room, they can as long as they are in the again if his concerns are addressed and attend- bubble. They are not allowed to go back home ed to. Mohammad Amir donning the Pakistan Olympics to Japan’s Olympics after and come and meet the players again. If they go jersey again does not look like a distant reality out of the hotel, they cannot come back. anymore. According to recent developments, Suga... Special Race Added... as stated by a report in the Pakistan media, Pa- “We have all the security in the hotel and they kistan Cricket Board (PCB) CEO Wasim Khan are very strict, they won’t allow anyone to step confirmed that he visited the fast bowler’s house out of the hotel. Once you create the bubble and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) plans to or- for a ‘detailed discussion’ on his retirement. when everybody is negative, there is a dining ganise a four- or five-nation tournament in Paki- area where the wives can move around with the stan to resume international action in the coun- This comes after 29-year-old Amir announced players. The food will not be served into the try, sources said. that he would be willing to play international room, they can go into that area and have their cricket again if his concerns are addressed and meals and all that,” he said. PHF wants teams of Japan, Malaysia, Korea and attended to. Bangladesh to take part in the event. Sources Speaking on the mental factor that could affect said that PHF wanted to organise this tournament As quoted by ARY Sports, Amir said his case the players the Indian captain said: “With the before senior and junior Asian events as Pakistan was ‘portrayed in a wrong way’ by the manage- current structure and the structure that we are players have been away from international com- ment, adding that Wasim Khan assured him of competing inside it, to be very honest for a long petitions for a long time. addressing these concerns. period of time it is very difficult for the players to stay motivated and find the right kind of men- It was learnt that PHF president Brig (rtd) Khalid “Wasim Khan visited my house before PSL 6’s tal space just confined in one area and just doing Khokhar has got the permission from the federal second leg and we had a detailed discussion on the stuff day in day out and even dealing with government to organise this international tour- my retirement. I shared all my concerns with White House says Biden met Suga at the side- Mo Farah has been given a last-ditch chance to high-pressure situations. nament in Pakistan and the federal government him, and to be honest, he listened to them very lines of the G7 summit and affirmed his support reach the Tokyo Olympics in a hastily arranged would provide all facilities to PHF including se- seriously. My case was portrayed in a wrong for the Tokyo Olympic Games moving forward. invitational 10,000m race at the British Athlet- “This will definitely become the norm of the fu- curity arrangements and creation of a bio-secure way by the current management,” Amir was ics’ Championships in Manchester on 25 June. ture where apart from the workloads, the mental bubble for the visiting hockey teams. quoted saying by ARY Sports. US President Joe Biden has reaffirmed his sup- health side of things will also come into the pic- port for the Tokyo Olympics at a meeting with Farah, who won 5,000m and 10,000m gold at ture big time because you don’t have an outlet at The PHF president and secretary Asif Bajwa are Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, high- the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games, struggled all in today’s day and age. likely to meet in a couple of days to discuss do- lighting the necessity of imposing public health desperately at the UK trials in Birmingham last mestic events and foreign tours. measures ensuring the safety of those involved. week where he finished more than 22 seconds “You are literally going to the grounds and com- outside the qualifying time of 27m 28:00sec. ing back to the room and you have no space at Sources said that the PHF has planned a 5-a-side At a meeting with Suga on Saturday on the side- It looked like time had finally caught up with all where you can just disconnect from the team tournament in June and July as the federal gov- lines of the Group of Seven summit in the British the 38-year-old, whose loss was his first over and go out for a walk, for a meal or a coffee and ernment has softened the restrictions imposed seaside resort of Carbis Bay, Biden also raised 10,000m for nearly 10 years. But he said he had say ‘okay, I am going to refresh myself and let because of coronavirus. They said that 5-a-side a range of other issues including COVID-19, been impeded by a minor ankle niggle and prom- me get away from the game a little bit’. This is tournaments were viable in the current situation North Korea, China and climate change, the ised that he would not only qualify for Tokyo but a huge factor that should not be neglected. We because of the fewer number of competitors on White House said in a statement. could recover in time to win another gold. don’t want players falling out because of the the field. mental pressures and not having the capacity or The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which were That appears an impossible task but given Far- the space to express themselves.” It is pertinent to mention here that 5-a-side World postponed last year due to the global spread of ah’s stature in the sport, UK Athletics have Cup will be held in Oman in 2023 in which 16 the coronavirus, are scheduled to start on July agreed to put on an extra race in Manchester The mental health side of things can affect not teams will participate. Sources said that the 23, in the face of opposition from most of the on the first day of the British Athletics Cham- only the Indian team but all countries across the PHF president would also visit Sindh in com- public, many Japanese companies and medical pionships. To further aid his chances of making world playing international cricket, who, due to ing days for the re-construction of Abdul Satter staff. Tokyo, Farah will be provided with a team of the current COVID-19 pandemic, have no other Edhi hockey stadium. The PHF president would pacemakers and an international field. Because alternative if they are to continue to play cricket. meet Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah, as the “President Biden affirmed his support for the he finished as the second British athlete home Sindh government is providing financial help to Tokyo Olympic Games moving forward with in Birmingham he will be selected if he runs the PHF for this project. All modern facilities neces- all public health measures necessary to protect qualifying time. sary for international contests would be included athletes, staff and spectators,” the White House “I am obviously disappointed with the result but in the project, the sources said. statement said. it is what it is,” said Farah after his disappoint- ing run in Birmingham. “Without making any It may be recalled here that Pakistan slipped one “President Biden expressed pride in the US ath- excuses, the last 10 days haven’t been great as place in the latest rankling released by the FIH, letes who have trained for the Tokyo Games and I’ve been carrying a niggle since I got back from to 18th from 17th as Wales replaced Pakistan. will be competing in the best traditions of the training. But it won’t take me long in terms of Call Now 0717 797997 Call Now 0717 797997 Olympic spirit,” it said. my fitness.”