CRICKET PAKISTAN SUPER LEAGUE, FINAL: Karachi Kings beat Lahore Qalandars by five wickets to clinch maiden title.

WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2020

Bach urges Olympians to get vaccinatedIt’s a protection for the entire community. And there I think each and everyone of us has a responsibility in this crisis, a responsibility not just for us individually but for all of the people who surround us and who are our fellow team members, who are fellow Olympians.

Sport |09Thomas BachIOC President

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FAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

The long wait is finally over as the AFC Champions League East Zone campaign begins today with Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua taking on Australia's Perth Glory in the opening match today.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venue - the Education City Stadium, equipped with state-of-the-art cooling technology - will play host to the first game of the East Zone after it was sus-pended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Qatar, in September-October, hosted the West Zone matches successfully with Iran's Persepolis FC reaching the final, awaiting the winner of the East Zone for the title-deciding match on December 19.

Qatari organisers are once again ensuring strict

bubble-to-bubble protocols, regular testing, and cohesive health and safety measures for the East Zone event to prevent any potential spread of COVID-19.

A total of 16 teams from six countries including China, Korea Republic, Australia, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand are competing the spot for the final.

In all, Qatar will host 44 matches till December 13 during the East Zone tournament.

SHANGHAI, PERTH HOPE FOR WINNING START Despite being hit by injuries,

Shanghai Shenhua are hoping to collect points in their first game in Qatar. The match will kick off at 1:00pm.

Shanghai Shenhua head coach Choi Kang-hee said yes-terday that several of his players are facing injury problems. “We just finished our Chinese Super League season and we have some problems with injuries,” said Choi yesterday.

“For us, our team selection is incomplete. It’s a pity, but our first target is still to advance to the knockout stage and we need to work hard together to achieve our target," he added.

Shenhua's injured players include veteran Colombian playmaker Giovanni Moren and Korean national team striker Kim Shin-wook who has been on the sidelines since August.

Choi said at a press con-ference his team will aim to

overcome the challenges to attain their target of winning the title.

“Our target is definitely winning the championship, but we are currently experiencing a lot of problems with injuries,” Choi said.

Meanwhile, Perth Glory, embarking on only their second ever match in the competition, are targeting to give a tough challenge to their Chinese opponents.

Perth Glory will be led by A-League coach Richard Garcia, and Cristian Ola, who will serve as the team’s head coach during their time in Qatar.

Ola yesterday conceded his side’s preparation hasn’t been ideal but believed Perth’s youth can be a strength rather than a weakness.

“It’s definitely a different approach for each of the teams,” Ola said at a press conference.

“Yes, we had a very short pre-season preparation period which we need to accelerate in some ways, but on the other hand we are aware of the national competitions and fix-tures of the other teams in our group, but also we count on

capitalising on the fact that we have a number of youngsters that will take this opportunity and challenge, and we’ll try to make the most out of that,” he said.

“We are aware about the elements that are probably not ideal to start with, but we’ll try to look into transforming that into more of an opportunity for us rather than playing victims or being the underdogs from the start.

“We are aware they (Shanghai Shenhua) have a number of quality individual players and we will take them very seriously. However, in saying that, we will try our best from not only the tactical point of view, but on the youngsters’ motivation to step up to the standard of the competition and of the opponent. We want to believe that we will compete quite well.”

Shanghai Shenhua and Perth Glory eye win as East Zone battle begins

Education City Stadium set to stage opener

Perth Glory players having a first look to the Education City Stadium on the eve of their match against Shanghai Shenhua. @PERTHGLORYFC

Shanghai Shenhua head coach Choi Kang-hee

For us, our team selection is incomplete. It’s a pity, but our first target is still to advance to the knockout stage and we need to work hard together to achieve our target.

Choi Kang-heeShanghai Shenhua Head

Perth Glory Head Coach Cristian Ola

VIENNA — AFC

South Korea scored after just 16 seconds en route to a 2-1 win over Qatar in their friendly match in Vienna, Austria yesterday.

Hwang Hee-chan struck the opener for Korea Republic’s fastest ever goal as the East Asians bounced back from the defeat to Mexico on Saturday.

Korea Republic, seeking their 500th inter-national victory, enjoyed a dream start as Hwang capitalised on an early Qatar miscue at the BSFZ Arena Admiral Stadium in Maria Enzersdorf, near Vienna, Austria.

AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 winners Qatar regrouped and Almoez Ali leveled the score in the ninth minute, after receiving a pass from Tarek Salman that split the Korea Republic defence.

Korea Republic then had to withstand

incessant pressure from Qatar before Hwang Ui-jo made it 2-1 in the 36th minute as he fin-ished a cross from Son Heung-min.

Korea will be pleased with the win after six players tested positive for COVID-19 while Qatar will now look towards their Asian Qual-ifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Group E tie against Bangladesh on December 4. Qatar also drew with Costa Rica 1-1 in Vienna last week.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh couldn't make it two wins out of two after they were held 0-0 by Nepal in an international friendly played at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Bangladesh, who defeated Nepal 2-0 at the same venue on Friday, took to the match without head coach Jamie Day who was in quarantine after having tested positive for COVID-19.

South Korea edge Qatar in ViennaQatar's Karim Boudiaf (right) in action against a South Korean opponent during their friendly match in Vienna, yesterday.

2020 AFC Champions League, East Zone: Ones to Watch

Andres IniestaIt will come as little sur-

prise that we kick things off with arguably the biggest name in the tournament. Bar-celona and Spain legend Andres Iniesta needs little introduction with his achieve-ments and honours ranging from FIFA World Cup-winning goals to multiple UEFA Champions League and La Liga titles and numerous individual accolades.

At 36-years-old it goes without saying that Vissel Kobe’s midfield maestro has lost some of the physical attributes he once had, but in terms of the technical and mental footballing skills that propelled him to the very highest level there are very few in Doha who can come close to matching him.

Theerathon Bunmathan

Arguably the 2020 AFC Champions League’s most dangerous man in a deadball situation, set-piece specialist Theerathon Bunmathan will certainly be one to keep an eye on whenever Yokohama F. Marinos earn a free-kick within shooting range as he looks to add to his tally of Continental rockets. Having impressed on the Asian stage with both Buriram United and Muangthong, the Thailand left-back was one of the initial signings Yokohama made under coach Ange Postec-oglou last year and he hasn’t look back since, helping the side to the 2019 J.League title.

LeandroOur third and final repre-

sentative from the J1 League, Brazilian winger Leandro was among the most impressive performers in the 2020 AFC Champions League prior to the COVID-19 enforced sus-pension of the tournament.

Topping the statistics in chances created with 11 from just two games, the 27-year-old’s most visible impact was his stunning strike with eight minutes remaining on Matchday Two to secure all three points for FC Tokyo against Australia’s Perth Glory. Whilst normally found on the left flank, Leandro is equally comfortable playing on either wing and, as the stats demonstrate, is an important creative outlet for his side.

OscarNow set to step out into his

fourth AFC Champions League tournament for Shanghai SIPG, former Chelsea star Oscar has consistently brought his star quality and samba skills to the Continental competition, and there’s no reason to believe the 2020 edition will see anything less from the magical midfield maestro. For much of Oscar’s time at SIPG he has enjoyed the company of his countrymen in the attack with the likes of Elkeson and Hulk forming a tantalising trio upfront.

Andres Iniesta

11WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2020 SPORT

FIFA hoping to develop ‘affordable’ VARAFP – PARIS

FIFA announced yesterday that it was reviewing use of video referee assistance (VAR) across the game with a view to simplifying it and making it more affordable for “all levels of football”.

The “Innovation and Excellence” working group of the world football body will present a “recommendation” for the implementation of this reform -- dubbed the “VAR ‘light’ concept” -- to FIFA and IFAB, the International Football Association Board which is the guarantor of the laws of the game.

The report “aims to create more affordable VAR systems to enable the use of VAR at all levels of the game”.

VAR is currently only in place in major competitions and leagues and has not been used for the group stage of the UEFA Nations League.

FIFA also said it was considering “the development of semi-automated offside technology to make the review process for offside incidents as efficient as possible”.

Top moments of Doha and 3x3FIBA – DOHA

Doha is one of the jewels of the Arabian Gulf and, fittingly, there have been many sparkling 3x3 performances in Qatar and also by its players over the years.

Ahead of the upcoming Doha Masters, let’s take a look back at the top 10 moments in this dazzling desert locale and also from Qatari players.

Doha wins Beijing Masters 2015Team Doha made their mark on the FIBA 3x3 World

Tour in style with a triumph that is still fondly remembered five years later. In a thrilling final in Beijing, Doha edged the experienced Ljubljana 22-20 in overtime punctuated by diminutive Dominic James’ spectacular game-winning 2-pointer off the glass.

It followed Doha’s memorable upset over 3x3 power-house Novi Sad in the semis in a game made notable for Sammy Monroe’s acrobatic game winner.

The Qataris emerged as the crowd favourite by thrilling locals with their spectacular plays above the rim and high energy. There might have never been such a popular champion than Team Doha at the Beijing Masters.

Qatar wins the FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2014This was a historic moment for tiny Qatar, which in

2014 had a population of less than 2.5 million. Up to that point, Qatar had never won an international team sports tournament but their 3x3 men’s team spectacularly broke the drought with a triumph in Moscow at the World Cup.

A title seemed unlikely after Qatar only just survived the group stage but found their best when it mattered most. They edged a powerful Lithuania in the semis to set up a daunting decider against mighty Serbia.

Qatar did what few teams have been able to against the scintillating Serbs – lock them up with stifling defense. The usually free-flowing Serbia scored a tournament low 13 points as Erfan Ali Saeed dominated down low and Boney Watson produced the type of menacing moves usually reserved for Serbian star Dusan Bulut.

Team Kaunas U18 defeats Saskatoon (All Stars 2014)These teenagers were not meant to spoil the party at

the FIBA 3x3 All Stars in Doha – the highly prestigious tour-nament bringing together all the number ones in the 3x3 Individual World Rankings worldwide.

In-form Team Kaunas U18 featured four players aged 18 who all won gold in 3x3 at the 2014 Youth Olympics rep-resenting Lithuania. Despite this impressive achievement, they were not expected to upstage the cream of 3x3’s crop but the Lithuanians stunned the field to finish third.

Their best result was when they stunned World Tour runners-ups Saskatoon 17-14. Led by the No.1 U18 player at the time Martynas Sajus, the underdogs kept it close throughout but Saskatoon’s experience appeared likely to prevail as the game went down to the wire.

But it was the newbies who showed the greater poise as they scored the last four points punctuated by an emphatic dunk from Sajus to clinch a memorable victory for the ages.

Novi Sad’s winning streak ends (Doha Masters 2019)Novi Sad finished 2018 with a perfect 32-0 record on

the World Tour but 2019 was instantly different with the Serbs falling to compatriots Liman at the Doha Masters.

In the Serbian Showdown in the desert, Liman were big underdogs without ace Stefan Stojacic but their tough defense limited Novi Sad who somehow went cold in the oppressive conditions.

A layup from Aleksandar Ratkov with 18 seconds left sealed Liman’s sweet 20-17 victory and ended Novi Sad’s streak at 35.

But that’s a record that might never be toppled.

Riga win first ever Masters (Doha Masters 2019)Riga made a statement in 2018 with three second placed

finishes but agonizingly couldn’t breakthrough for the ultimate. They stewed all off-season and arrived in Doha for 2019’s first Masters determined like Bruce Wayne climbing out of the pit.

Riga made it through to another final and a matchup with Liman. Sick of being second, the Latvians were led by Karlis Lasmanis who dominated the decider with 8 points to trigger memorable celebrations at the buzzer.

Filipino teams stun 3x3 powerhouses (2019 Doha Masters)

There might not have been a better opening to a World Tour season than last year in Doha when Filipino teams Pasig Chooks and Balanga Chooks stole the show.

On day 1, No.8 seed Pasig Chooks were the major underdogs against world No.1 Liman and in a game with more twists than Inception, Taylor Statham had ice in his veins to start the biggest Filipino party since Manny Pac-quaio was doing his thing.

Not to be outdone by their rivals, Balanga Chooks also made the pro-Filipino crowd hyped with a stunning upset over eventual champion Riga with Travis Franklin in beast mode on both ends.

But it didn’t end there with Balanga defeating Moscow Inanomo after an incredible ending in overtime where Alvin Pasaol called game as Doha turned into downtown Manila for the night.

An Al Arabi player returns the ball to Police during yesterday's Senior Men's Volleyball League match played at the Qatar Volleyball Association Hall. Police beat Al Arabi 3-0 with a 25-22, 25-22, 25-23 scoreline. LEFT: An Al Khor player smashes the ball to score against Al Gharafa during their match. Al Khor beat Al Gharafa 3-0 (25-23, 35-23, 26-24).

An honour to have Ronaldo break my record: Ali Daei

Messi, Neymar and Xavi celebrate retired ex-team-mate MascheranoAP – BUENOS AIRES

Lionel Messi paid tribute to Javier Mascherano on Monday after his former Argentina and Barcelona team-mate retired.

Mess i p layed wi th Mascherano for 14 of his 16 years in the national team, and for nine years together at Bar-celona. Messi succeeded Mascherano as Argentina captain, and they went to the last four World Cups, reaching the final in 2014.

At Barcelona, they won two Champions Leagues, two Club World Cups, and seven La Liga.

“It was so many years together, seeing each other every day and sharing so much,”

Messi said on his Instagram account.

“We lived very happy moments and also some very hard for Argentina and Bar-celona. We have missed you since you left.”

Xavi Hernández, another Barça great, said he was honored to have played with Mascherano.

“An outstanding profes-sional, humble as few others and with a unique capacity to lead,” Xavi said.

Brazil striker Neymar, who played with and against Mascherano, called the Argentine “a phenomenon as a player and as a person.”

Mascherano surprisingly

announced his playing retirement on Sunday after his Estudiantes de La Plata club lost to Argentinos Juniors 1-0 in the Argentine

championship.“Out of respect

for everyone it is time to take a step to the side and end this career,” the 36-year-old

defensive midfielder said.Mascherano won 21 major

trophies in his career, including the 2004 and 2008 Olympic gold medals.

From Argentina, he played for Brazil’s Corinthians, West Ham, Liverpool, Barcelona, and China’s Hebei Fortune before returning home last year.

He has the most appearances for Argentina, 147.

Ali Daei

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It was so many years together, seeing each other every day and sharing so much: Messi

An outstanding professional, humble as few others and with a unique capacity to lead: Xavi

A phenomenon as a player and as a person: Neymar

Al Gharafa, Al Khor record Senior League wins

Javier Mascherano

Director of Sports Affairs at Qatar Olympic Committee, Khalil Al Jaber, and officials reviewing the preparations at Al Gharafa Beach Courts ahead of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Doha Masters which will take place on November 20 and 21.

Keeping Messi critical to Barca future: FontREUTERS – BARCELONA

Lionel Messi must stay at Barcelona so he can lead the team for the remainder of his career and play a strategic role when he retires, the club’s presidential candidate Victor Font told Reuters.

The six-times World Player of the Year and Barca’s all-time top scorer came close to leaving the Catalans in August after his relationship with then president Josep Maria Bartomeu turned sour.

But the Argentine can leave the club, where he has spent his entire career, for free at the end of this season unless he pens a new contract before the end of

June. Font, who formed part of a campaign against Bartomeu which led to him resigning in October, is the front-runner to win the Jan. 24 election and believes the world’s best paid player can be convinced to stay at Camp Nou.

“When you are lucky enough to have the best player in the world in your team, you need to retain that talent,” Font told Reuters.

“If Messi goes to a competitor we will not find an alternative easily as there is no alternative to Messi. So that’s why retaining him in the short term is critical.

Font has been planning a run at the presidency for seven years and has chosen Barca midfield

great Xavi Hernandez to lead the team as a general manager in the long term as well as being a coach.

Xavi, whose intricate passing fuelled the Argentine’s incredible goal hauls for 11 years and helped the pair win seven La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues with Barca, is part of Font’s strategy to ensure Messi remains.

“Messi needs to be convinced we have a competitive and winning project and Xavi can play a decisive role in us doing that,” Font said.

“Xavi’s credibility and know how about football is the right one to convince someone like Messi. They are friends, they know each other, they trust each other and that’s going to be key.” If he wins

the election, Font will take charge of a club with the highest wage bill in world football. However, the club is in deep financial crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic which has obliterated revenue from ticketing, merchan-dising and tourism.

Barca’s last accounts showed a loss of €97m ($115m), while their overall net debt more than doubled to €488m.

But Font believes Messi’s love for Barcelona, who he joined aged 13, is so deep that he could lower his salary demands in order to stay.

“All clubs are in economic crisis (due to the pandemic) and everyone needs to adjust their expectations,” he added.

REUTERS – TEHRAN

Former Iran striker Ali Daei has said he would be honoured to see Cristiano Ronaldo break his record for the most goals in interna-tional soccer as the Portugal forward moves closer to his tally of 109.

Ronaldo, the only other centurion in the men’s inter-national arena, has scored 102 goals in 168 appearances since his debut in 2003.

“I would congratulate him directly,” Daei was quoted as saying by Tasnim News Agency.

“Ronaldo has scored 102 goals with Portugal so far and will beat my record, I’m sure, but he still has seven goals to go. It would be a real honour for me if a player of his calibre could beat my record. Ronaldo is one of the best

players not only of this era, but ever. He’s an absolute phenomenon.”

Daei, who captained Iran and retired in 2006, reached his mark in 148 appearances. Ronaldo will have a chance to close the gap when Por-tugal play Croatia in their final Nations League group stage match yesterday.

AFP – KARACHI

One of the world’s leading batsman, Babar Azam knocked a commanding half century to help the Karachi Kings win their first Pakistan Super League title with a five-wicket win over the Lahore Qalandars yesterday.

Azam smashed seven boundaries in his 49-ball 63, but it was skipper Imad Wasim who hit the winning boundary to help the Kings overhaul a modest 135-run target in 18.4 overs.

The final -- one of the most anticipated in the PSL’s short history, given the rivalry between Pakistan’s two biggest cities -- failed to live up to the hype as Lahore managed just 134-7 after winning the toss and batting on a flat National Stadium pitch.

With Azam, the world number two batsman in Twenty20 international rankings, on Karachi’s side it proved an easy chase, despite losing three wickets from 110-2 to 124-5.

The Kings will take home a glittering trophy plus a $500,000 purse, while Lahore received $200,000.

The fifth edition of Paki-stan’s inaugural Twenty20 league started on February 20, but was abandoned after 30 of its 34 matches after England player Alex Hales, playing for

Kings, reported symptoms of Covid-19.

It resumed on Saturday behind closed doors, with the Kings beating the Multan Sultans in the qualifier while Lahore downed Peshawar Zalmi and the Sultans in two eliminators to book a place in the final.

Lahore lost their way after a confident 68-run start in ten overs, provided by Bangla-deshi opener Tamim Iqbal (35) and Fakhar Zaman (27).

They lost both of them and Mohammad Hafeez in the space of seven deliveries with the addition of just two runs, spoiling a solid start.

Iqbal struck four bound-aries and a six off 38 balls while Zaman had four boundaries in his 24-ball stay.

Karachi pace trio Umaid Asif (2-18), Waqas Maqsood (2-18) and Arshad Iqbal (2-26) bowled nagging line and length to keep the flow of runs down as well as taking wickets.

10 WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2020SPORT

ATP Finals: Defiant Thiem shocks NadalAFP – LONDON

Dominic Thiem held his nerve to claim an impressive 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/4) win against Rafael Nadal at the ATP Finals as the Austrian moved to the brink of a place in the semi-finals yesterday.

Thiem over-powered Nadal behind closed doors at London’s O2 Arena to put a dent in the Spanish star’s bid to win the ATP Finals for the first time.

The world number three, who defeated reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in his opening game, has won his first two matches in this year’s tour-nament as he looks to go one better than last year’s runner-up finish.

Thiem will be guaranteed a semi-final place if Tsitsipas beats Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev.

The 27-year-old has already enjoyed a year to remember, reaching two Grand Slam finals and winning one of the four majors for the first time when he defeated Alexander Zverev in the US Open final in September.

“It was a great match. I was pretty lucky to get that first set after being 5-2 down in the tie-break,” Thiem said.

While Thiem eyes a last four berth, Nadal will have to beat Tsitsipas in his last group match to keep alive his hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

Nadal saw off Andrey Rublev in straight sets in his first match on Sunday, but the 34-year-old was unable to cope with Thiem’s power and poise. Now Nadal has to do it the hard way if he is to land the biggest prize missing from his trophy cabinet after losing the 2010 and 2013 finals at the prestigious season-ending event. Nadal, who last month equalled Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slams by winning the French Open, has won 86 titles but just one of those has come on an indoor hard court.

The world number two has qualified for the ATP Finals for 16 years in a row, but his record at the eight-man elite event pales in comparison with Federer and Novak Djokovic after six injury withdrawals.

Although Nadal had vanquished Thiem in two French Open finals, the Austrian had no reason to fear him, having beaten the Spaniard on his favourite clay surface three times and defeated him at the Australian Open this year. This was their first meeting indoors

and a hard-fought first set went down to a tie-break without either player facing a break point.

Nadal raced into a 5-2 lead in the breaker, but hit back to level at 5-5 before his first double-fault gifted the Spaniard a set point. Nadal drove a backhand into the net to give Thiem a lifeline and the Austrian saved a second set point with a fierce forehand winner.

Matching Nadal blow for blow, Thiem earned his first set point and produced another blistering cross-court winner to clinch an intense 75-minute set.

Nadal responded with the first break of the match, unleashing a thunderous winner down the line at 3-3 in the second set. Even then, Thiem wouldn’t be subdued and, holding his nerve in a brutal baseline duel, he grabbed his own first break in the next game.

Thiem had three match points at 5-4 after a series of Nadal errors, but the Spaniard recovered his focus to save all three, his escapology even drawing rueful applause from Thiem. Once again a tie-break was required and for the second time, Thiem came out on top, bludg-eoning Nadal into submission with his relentless power and accuracy.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Austria’s Dominic Thiem after their group stage match.

REUTERS – LONDON

Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev finally claimed his maiden victory at the ATP Finals with an impressive 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Germany's Alex-ander Zverev to join Novak Djokovic at the top of the Tokyo Group on Monday.

Medvedev went home empty-handed from his debut at the season-ender last year, losing all three matches. But after an error-strewn opening to the match from both players, the 24-year-old dominated the 2018 champion who again struggled with his shaky serve.

Medvedev dumped a second serve in the net to lose the opening game but Zverev served three con-secutive double-faults in the next game on the way to handing the

break back. Some brutal baseline exchanges took their toll on both players and Zverev worked overtime trying to stay level at 2-3, only two throw away the game with consec-utive double-faults.

From then on Medvedev was too solid for the German, taking the first set with an ace and breaking in the seventh game of the second set as Zverev again wavered.

Zverev won only four of 19 second serve points in the match -- a statistic that ultimately proved costly as the wily Medvedev closed out the victory.

Medvedev will face world number one Djokovic today. Djokovic opened his quest for a sixth ATP Finals title with a crushing straight-sets defeat of Diego Schwartzman.

Karachi crowned PSL kings

Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in action during his group stage match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev.

Nadal vows to keep fightingAFP – LONDON

Rafael Nadal insisted he can still win the ATP Finals for the first time despite a damaging 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/4) defeat against Austria’s Dominic Thiem yesterday.

Thiem overpowered Nadal behind closed doors at London’s O2 Arena to put a dent in the Spanish star’s bid to finally lift the one major prize missing from his packed trophy cabinet.

Nadal had beaten Andrey Rublev in straight sets in his first match, but the 34-year-old was unable to cope with Thiem in a high-quality clash.

Now Nadal, who lost the 2010 and 2013 finals of the event, has to beat reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in his last group match to keep alive his hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the p r e s t i g i o u s s e a s o n - e n d i n g tournament.

Despite his perilous position, Nadal took heart from the way he competed against the inspired Thiem and believes that will stand him in good stead in the do-or-die showdown with Tsitsipas.

“He played I think an amazing match, and I played well too. So my feeling is not negative. I lost, but I had plenty of chances in the first and then I had break up in the second set, Nadal said.

“I’m happy with the way I played. I think my chances are bigger to have a very good result now than five days ago because the level of tennis, even if I lost today, for me is much higher.”

Nadal, who last month equalled Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slams by winning the French Open, has won 86 titles but just one of those has come on an indoor hard court.

The world number two has qualified for the ATP Finals for 16 years in a row, but his record at the eight-man elite event pales in comparison with Federer and Novak Djokovic after six injury withdrawals.

“I don’t know. I think even if I never won here, I don’t want to pretend to be arrogant at all, because I am not. But I really don’t need to show even to myself or to no one that if I am playing my best tennis I think I can win in every surface and against any player,” he said.

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Medvedev notchesmaiden

ATP Finals win

MOST RUNSBabar Azam 473(Karachi Kings)Fakhar Zaman 325(Lahore Qalandars)Mohammad Hafeez 312(Lahore Qalandars)Ben Dunk 300(Lahore Qalandars)Chris Lynn 284(Lahore Qalandars)Shan Masood 283(Multan Sultans)Shoaib Malik 278(Peshawar Zalmi)Alex Hales 272(Karachi Kings)Luke Ronchi 266(Islamabad United)Shadab Khan 263(Islamabad United)

MOST WICKETSShaheen Shah Afridi 17(Lahore Qalandars)Mohammad Hasnain 15(Quetta Gladiators)Sohail Tanvir 14(Multan Sultans)Dilbar Hussain 14(Lahore Qalandars)David Wiese 12(Lahore Qalandars)Imran Tahir 11(Multan Sultans)Wahab Riaz 11(Peshawar Zalmi)Samit Patel 10(Lahore Qalandars)Haris Rauf 10(Lahore Qalandars)Mohammad Amir 10(Karachi Kings)

Austria’s Dominic Thiem after defeating Spain’s Rafael Nadal yesterday.

Players and officials of Karachi Kings celebrate after wining the 2020 Pakistan Super League title at the National Stadium in Karachi, yesterday.

PSL FINAL: BRIEF SCORES:

Lahore Qalandars: 134/7 (Tamim Iqbal 35, Fakhar Zaman 27, Waqas Maqsood 2/18, Umaid Asif 2/18, Arshad Iqbal 2/26)

lost to Karachi Kings: 135/5 in 18.4 overs (Babar Azam 63 not out, Chadwick Walton 22, Dilbar Hussain 2/28, Haris Rauf 2/30) by 5 wickets

REUTERS - LONDON

Mercedes expect to start contract talks with Lewis Hamilton in the next few days now the Briton has clinched a record-equalling seventh Formula One world championship, team boss Toto Wolff has said.

The 35-year-old Ham-ilton’s current deal ends next month.

“Flying back from a seventh drivers’ champi-onship, you can’t talk about a contract. It wouldn’t do justice to the achievement,” the Austrian told the BBC.

“We’re going to give it a few days then we are going to talk about it.”

Wolff told reporters jokingly after Hamilton won Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix to clinch the title, and equal Ferrari great Michael Schumacher’s seven, that Hamilton had “got really more expensive”.

He also indicated that there was still no rush.

“I think more than likely we are looking towards the end of the year,” the Austrian said of the timeframe.

“Not that we wouldn’t find time for each other but I don’t want to put our-selves under pressure to say before Bahrain or before Abu Dhabi we will announce a new contract because there isn’t any pressure. When it’s done it’s done.”

Formula One heads to Bahrain next week for races on successive weekends before the December 13 finale in Abu Dhabi. Both sides have said they want to continue but just have to put pen to paper.

“We’ve got three weeks in the Middle East -- so, now it’s a bit more chilled but I still have three races ahead of me that I want to win,” Hamilton said.

Mercedes have won the last seven constructors’ and drivers’ titles and the cars and rules are substantially the same next year.

AP - TOKYO

As he toured the Athletes Village yesterday, IOC President Thomas Bach issued a gentle plea to all competitors to get vaccinated before the Tokyo Olympics - if a vaccine is available.

Bach, who is visiting Tokyo this week for the first time since the Olympics were postponed, again said the vaccine would not be a requirement, but he urged athletes and fans to help protect themselves and others.

“The IOC will appeal to the athletes and other participants - in particular all those who are living here in the village - to have a vaccination,” Bach said, wearing a white mask with the Olympic rings on the right side. “But it will be their free decision.

“I’m sure many, many of the athletes and the participants will follow this advice, or maybe don’t even need it and will do it on their own.”

Bach also said a “reasonable number” of fans should be able to attend the Tokyo Olympics with or without a vaccine. And, before heading to the new $1.4bn National Stadium in central Tokyo, he said confi-dently that the postponed Games will open on July 23.

Bach was greeted by a few protesters outside the stadium chanting: “Get out IOC. Get out Olympics.”

Japan has controlled the virus comparatively well, with about 1,900 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in a country of

about 125 million. However, cases have been rising lately, particularly in Tokyo and the northern island of Hokkaido.

In a more private setting, Bach has spoken directly about Olympic athletes’ responsibility to consider the vaccine.

In an on-line session last month with the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission, Bach was asked - among other things - if athletes would be “forced” to be vaccinated.

International media obtained a 90-minute recording of the session, which included more than 100 athletes or their representatives. It was moni-tored by Kirsty Coventry, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and chairperson of the Athletes’ Commission.

In that session, Bach said “we are not there yet” in terms of requiring a vaccine, but he made his feelings clear that ath-letes owe it to each other - and themselves - when thinking about a vaccination.

“Every athlete should look at his fellow athletes and take this into consideration,” Bach said to the commission. “Because the vaccination is not just about the individual. It’s a protection for the entire community.

“And there I think each and everyone of us has a responsi-bility in this crisis, a responsi-bility not just for us individually but for all of the people who surround us and who are our fellow team members, who are fellow Olympians.”

Two vaccine makers have said preliminary results from their late-stage studies suggest their experimental vaccines are strongly protective.

Early results provide strong signals that the vaccine could prevent a majority of disease when large groups of people are vaccinated.

Not all athletes are likely to want to take the vaccine.

For some it will be a question of individual liberty. Others will fear vaccines against COVID-19 are being rushed, and possibly unsafe.

Some could fear falling ill after taking the vaccine, jeop-ardizing their Olympic chances.

“We can solve this crisis like other challenges only if we are in solidarity, and if we all take responsibility,” Bach said in the

online conference with athletes in early October, acknowl-edging some athletes would see taking the vaccine as a “sacrifice.”

In Tokyo, Bach said that nurses, doctors and health care workers should be first in line for a vaccine, ahead of healthy, young athletes.

As well as the 11,000 Olympic athletes, there could

be tens of thousands of officials, judges, VIPs, and media and broadcasters traveling to Japan for the games.

Tokyo Olympic officials and the International Olympic Com-mittee have said that athletes testing positive at the Games could be barred from com-peting, similar to the way a doping suspect is removed from an event.

09WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2020 SPORT

Bach urges Olympians to get vaccinated

Thomas Bach, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President speaks to the media as he visits the National Stadium, the main venue for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan, yesterday.

Soaring Costs** A University of Oxford study says Tokyo Games are the

most expensive Summer Olympics on record.

** A government audit last year said Olympic costs could reach the $25bn range. All but $5.6bn is public money.

** That was before another $2bn to $3bn may be added on by the delay. The IOC has said it would chip in about $650m to

Japan for the postponement, but has given few public details.

** Tokyo said the Olympics would cost $7.3bn in 2013 when it was awarded the Games.

The IOC will appeal to

the athletes and other

participants - in particular all

those who are living here in the

village - to have a vaccination.

But it will be their free decision:

IOC President Thomas Bach

Hamilton fired up to resist ‘new generation’ in 2021AFP ISTANBUL

Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team will face a fero-cious new challenge from their rivals next season when he begins his pursuit of a record eighth world title.

After a dismal season that has seen them fail to register a win, Formula One’s most famous team, Ferrari, will invest heavily in bouncing back while Red Bull, who have been closest to matching Mercedes, seek more consistency and speed to close the gap.

For the newly crowned seven-time champion, who has taken strength from his noisy support for human rights and global welfare, it will mean a rigorous tussle for his crown with the “new generation” of drivers led by Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.

On Sunday, both younger men fell prey to their relative youth and made mistakes while Hamilton, making full use of his experience and maturity, pro-duced a flawless drive for a remarkable triumph that brought him to tears.

“When I came across the line, it really hit me and I just burst into tears,” he told reporters. “I didn’t want the visor to come up and people to see the tears because I always would say you will never see me cry. I remember watching other drivers cry in the past and I was like ‘I am never going to do that’, but it was too much...”

Hamilton’s old rival and friend, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, may also emerge as a threat with his new team, Aston Martin, if the potential shown this year by the former Racing Point outfit can be realised.

Sergio Perez, who is due to relinquish his seat to Vettel next month, finished second ahead of the German’s Ferrari on Sunday.

The most likely scenario, however, is a repeat of the Briton’s supremacy with Mer-cedes on top and team-mate Valtteri Bottas mounting another bid for the title.

Their rivals may run them hard and close, but with a package of new regulations due in 2022, next season is unlikely to offer the same opportunity for a reset.

Mercedes will also have one eye on the future when the racing restarts in Melbourne in March and they may be vul-nerable, but in Hamilton, as the Turkish Grand Prix proved again, they have the ace in the F1 pack, regardless of age.

Since he recovered from losing the 2016 title to then-team-mate Nico Rosberg, Ham-ilton has reeled off four consec-utive title triumphs to become the sport’s most successful driver in terms of numbers.

His victory in treacherous conditions from sixth on the grid at Istanbul was one of his very best and brought him another record formerly held

by Michael Schumacher: most wins by a driver with the same team - 73.

The German won 72 times with Ferrari, but Hamilton passed that mark on the same day he equalled his titles total and did so in 26 fewer races. He also holds records for most wins, poles, podiums and points finishes. Verstappen, hailed as the sport’s next mega-star, acknowledged that weight of evidence in a tribute to the Eng-lishman after his own error-strewn weekend confirmed he remains a work in progress.

On Sunday, however, Ham-ilton warned that he felt like he “is only just getting started”, explaining that the Black Lives Matter movement has given him energy and purpose.

At 35, as his sport’s first and only black champion, he has become the face, voice and conscience of F1.

“When I was younger, I didn’t have anybody in the sport that looked like me so it was easy to think that it’s not pos-sible to get there because nobody of your colour has ever been there. You don’t see any black people in F1,” Hamilton said. “Hopefully, this sends a message to the kids that are watching... that it doesn’t matter where you come from, whatever your background, it is so important for you to dream big. You can create your own path and that is what I have been able to do -- and it has been so tough.”

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates after winning the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday.

F1: Mercedes aiming to start Hamilton contract talks in days

No spectators to be allowed at French sports stadiums before JanuaryAFP - PARIS

Fans will not be allowed to return to French stadiums to watch sporting matches before January, and then with strict crowd limits depending on a venue’s size, the French presidency said yesterday.

A return of spectators “is not possible in December” given the recent surge in Covid-19 cases in France, which led the government to announce a new partial lockdown last month, President Emmanuel Macron told sports officials in a conference call.

But he said youth clubs might be allowed to reopen in December if the number of new daily coronavirus cases continues to decline, as long as reinforced measures are taken to avoid con-tagion risks, particularly indoors, his office said.

Macron also unveiled a 100m euro plan for next year to finance a “sports pass” encouraging young people to take up athletic activ-ities, for example by paying club dues or buying equipment.

The funds could prove a lifeline for amateur clubs in par-ticular, which have been hammered by the health crisis.

Government officials have indicated they hope to ease the lockdown from next month if the health crisis eases, in particular for hospitals dealing with a surge in intensive care patients.

Meanwhile France will play their two home matches in the 2021 Six Nations behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, the president of the French Rugby Federation announced yesterday.

“We must play four matches behind closed doors this fall, plus two more during the Six Nations tournament, in February and March,” said Bernard Laporte.

France are due to host Scotland on February 28 and Wales on March 20 at the 80,000-seat Stade de France in Paris.

“The shortfall, just for the French Rugby Federation, will be 34 million euros ($40m),” said Laporte.

“It is a third of our budget. I remind you that we have 300 employees. It is often said that we are an association but we are a company.”

Last week France had to cancel an Autumn Nations Cup match against Fiji in Vannes because of positive Covid-19 tests among the Fijian players.

Stade Francais’ French flanker Sekou Macalou

(right) is tackled by La Rochelle’s South Arfrican wing Dillyn

Leyds during the French Top 14 rugby

union match between Stade Francais and La Rochelle at the Jean

Bouin Stadium in Paris on Sunday.

08WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2020SportQuarantined Australia players in good spirits, says CareyREUTERS — MELBOURNE

Many of Australia’s cricketers have not seen their families for months while playing under novel coronavirus protocols but they remain in good spirits as they prepare to meet India over the home summer, wicket-keeper Alex Carey said yesterday.

Carey and a slew of his Aus-tralia team-mates are midway through a two-week quarantine period in Sydney after returning home last week from the Indian Premier League, which was played in a biosecure bubble in the United Arab Emirates.

Having arrived Down Under on the same day as the Aus-tralians, the Indian team are in the same boat, and both sides will be straight into the first one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground on

November 27, the day after completing quarantine.

Training sessions are the players’ only break from the monotony of being holed up alone in their hotel rooms, so they have been taking to practice with gusto, said Carey.

“It’s really strict - which is good,” the 29-year-old told reporters of quarantine in a video call from his room.

“Once we’re back in the hotel from training we’re locked

in our rooms. No contact with anyone else.

“At 9am., we’re really excited to get out of the hotel and head to training which brings a lot of energy to group sessions.

“Everyone’s staying really tight on that, we understand that (with) the summer coming up, doing everything right is what we have to do.”

Australia has largely brought the coronavirus to heel

but a recent outbreak in Carey’s hometown of Adelaide has caused a scare a month out from the series-opening test against India in the South Aus-tralian capital.

A number of Australia squad players, including test captain Tim Paine, played in Sheffield Shield matches in Adelaide last week and have been ordered to isolate after returning to their home states.

Carey’s team-mates in Big Bash League side Adelaide Strikers are expected to fly to New South Wales state yes-terday for a hastily arranged camp to avoid being stuck in South Australia if the outbreak escalates and travel restrictions return.

His wife, Eloise, and two-year-old son Louis have also jumped on a plane to Sydney, said Carey, who looks forward to seeing them for the first time in nearly three months once quarantine protocols are cleared.

Until then, team-mates and staff are his main support.

“The relationships we have in this group are something that we’re all falling back on,” he said.

“Joining this little bubble here we get to see our mates and familiar faces. All the guys here are really strong from all the indicators that I’ve seen,” he said.

Australia’s Alex Carey celebrates his century against England in this September 16, 2020 file photo.

India have a chance even with Smith and Warner back: Pujara

REUTERS — SYDNEY

India are capable of repeating their heroics from their successful 2018-19 Test tour in Australia even though the hosts are stronger this time with the return of batsmen David Warner and Steve Smith (pictured), India’s Cheteshwar Pujara has said.

Both Warner and Smith were unavailable for Australia while serving 12-month ball-tampering bans as India won their first test series Down Under, beating the hosts 2-1 in four matches.

Warner and Smith have scored over 14,000 Test runs between them but Pujara said India’s bowlers are capable of taking quick wickets to give them “every chance of winning” the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“(Australia’s batting lineup) will be a little stronger than what it was in 2018-19, but then victories don’t come easy,” said Pujara.

“No doubt Smith, Warner and Marnus Labuschagne a r e g r e a t players. But the good part a b o u t our

current crop of bowlers is that most of them play in the same series and our bowling unit will also not be very different to what it was in 2018-19.

“They know how to be suc-cessful in Australia as they have enjoyed success there in the past. They have their game-plans in place and if we can execute them well, they are capable of getting Smith, Warner and Labuschagne out quickly.”

Pujara said they will however encounter a “different challenge” in the series opener in Adelaide when India play their second day-night test with the pink ball, having played with it just once against Bang-ladesh on home soil.

“We will be playing with the pink Kookaburra in Australia, it will be slightly different,” Pujara, the series’ leading run scorer on their last visit, added.

“One has to understand and accept and get used to it (pink ball and lights) as early as pos-sible... The twilight period is more challenging than other periods.”

Everyone’s staying really tight on that, we understand that (with) the summer coming up, doing everything right is what we have to do.

Alex CareyAustralia wicketkeeper

will be a little stronger thanwhat it was in 2018-19,but then victoriesdon’t come easy,”said Pujara.

“No doubt Smith, Warner and Marnus Labuschagnea r e g r e a tplayers. But the good parta b o u tour

“One has to understand andaccept and get used to it (pink ball and lights) as early as pos-sible... The twilight period is more challenging than otherperiods.”

India Test still slated for Adelaide despite COVID-19 outbreakREUTERS — SYDNEY

Cricket Australia said it was still planning to host the first Test against India in Adelaide next month despite moving players out of South Australia yesterday after a cluster of new corona-virus cases in the state.

South Australia reimposed social distancing restrictions on Monday after detecting 21 cases of the virus, most of which were acquired locally in Adelaide.

With neighbouring states starting to close the borders with South Australia to try to contain the outbreak, Cricket Australia shifted international players from their Twenty20 and one-day squads north to Sydney.

India’s squad is already in quarantine in Sydney preparing for six limited-overs matches against Australia in November and December followed by the four-test series, which is scheduled to start at Adelaide Oval on December 17.

Cricket Australia said in a

statement it “remained com-mitted” to playing the first Test at the ground.

“CA has taken a pro-active approach and mobilised a number of people across the country over the past 24 hours to shore up our men’s domestic and international schedules,” said interim chief executive Nick Hockley.

“CA will continue to monitor the situation in South Australia and the resulting border restrictions around the country.

“As ever, we will remain agile in addressing the chal-lenges presented by the pan-demic and remain more con-fident than ever of hosting a safe and successful summer across all formats.”

The Adelaide Strikers and the other South Australia-based players preparing for the Big Bash League were also moved out of the state to a training camp on the New South Wales coast ahead of the start of the domestic Twenty20 league on December 10.

Williamson, Boult skip T20s as NZ focus on Test ChampionshipREUTERS — WELLINGTON

Kane Williamson and Trent Boult will skip New Zealand’s Twenty20 series against West Indies to ensure they are raring to go for next month’s Test series against the Caribbean islanders, Black Caps coach Gary Stead said in naming his squads yesterday.

New Zealand are currently fourth in the World Test Championship and need to beat West Indies in the two-test series in December to press their claim for a spot in the final at Lord’s next year.

Captain Williamson and strike bowler Boult will therefore miss Novem-ber’s three l i m i t e d o v e r s matches, w h i l e pacemen T i m Southee and K y l e Jamieson along with batsman Ross Taylor will play i n

only the first two Twenty20s.“We’ve had to make a

decision on Kane and Trent to prioritise the test matches, given how important they are to our red-ball team and the fact they both played such big roles in the recent IPL while also managing injuries,” Stead said after announcing the

squads.“There’s no secret

we’re right in the hunt for the World Test Champi-

onship final fol-l o w i n g o u r two-nil win over I n d i a a n d having Trent and Kane fully fit and focussed

for the

upcoming series will be crucial.”

South African-born top order batsman Devon Conway was included in the Twenty20 squad, his first international call-up since becoming eli-gible to represent New Zealand. All-rounder Colin de Grandhomme and spinner Ajaz Patel were named in the test squad despite carrying foot and calf injuries, respectively.

“It’s too early at this stage to definitively say what their chances are but we’re hopeful the next two weeks will make that clearer,” Stead added.

New Zealand will also host Pakistan for a two-Test series

around the N e w

Year.

Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Will Young.

TEST SQUAD

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said after announcisquads.quads.

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Botham’s grandson gets Wales rugby call-upAFP — LONDON

The grandson of England cricket great Ian Botham received his first official call-up into the Wales rugby squad in dramatic style ahead of this weekend’s Autumn Nations Cup international against Georgia.

James Botham, a 22-year-old flanker, was set to start for the Cardiff Blues against Ben-etton Treviso.

But just over an hour before Monday’s kick-off it was announced he had been withdrawn from the Pro14 fixture.

Fans will have to wait until tomorrow, when Wales coach Wayne Pivac announces his team to play Georgia, to dis-cover whether former Wales Under-20 international Botham is in line for a full Test debut against the Lelos at Llanelli on Saturday.

Botham is the son of Liam Botham, a former professional cricket, rugby union and rugby league player, who appeared for Cardiff in the 1990s.

Wing Johnny McNicholl has also been added to the squad after missing out on initial selection due to injury as Wales look to end a run of six successive Test defeats this weekend. Botham has been in fine form during his four games for Cardiff this season, averaging 16 tackles per match, with a tackle success rate of 96 percent.

Ian Botham played 102 Tests for England from 1977-1992, and was widely con-sidered to be one of the finest all-round cricketers of his generation.

Ian Botham

Speak up on potential bubble burnout, says ButtlerREUTERS — LONDON

Living in claustrophobic bio-secure bubbles can take its toll on mental health and players should not feel under any pressure to speak up if they cannot cope during England’s tour of South Africa, vice-captain Jos Buttler has said.

Players have been living in bubbles since cricket returned in July after the COVID-19 hiatus, with strict rules enforced to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

England’s players have spent the most time in bubbles, starting with four series at home while many also participated in the two-months-long Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates.

“I found it was tougher to escape staying at hotels on the

grounds in England,” Buttler told reporters.

“They were high-pressure matches and when you’ve put a lot into the game, it’s nice to get away.

“We won’t get to fully enjoy South Africa but everyone has become accustomed to what it’s going to be like. But if you’re feeling under pressure or not quite yourself, the key is to have the confidence to open up and talk about it.

“We all go through it at dif-ferent stages where you feel a bit homesick or claustro-phobic... We just want to make sure everyone in the squad is aware of that. The ECB is excellent at looking after the players’ mental well being,” he added.

England’s limited overs captain Eoin Morgan had said

last month that players can withdraw from tours if they feel playing in bio-secure bubbles amid the pandemic

will take a toll on their mental health.

England will play six lim-ited-overs matches - three

Twenty20 games followed by three one-day internationals - in South Africa between November 27 and December 9.

England’s Jos Buttler during nets in this file photo.

We won’t get to fully enjoy South Africa but everyone has become accustomed to what it’s going to be like. But if you’re feeling under pressure or not quite yourself, the key is to have the confidence to open up and talk about it.

Jos Buttler England vice-captain