Shami said for sportspersons it is even more difficult because they have been used to running around all life and have hardly seen a phase where they have been stuck indoors unless they have an injury

NEW DELHI: If there is one Indian cricketer who kept working on his game even during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, it was pace spearhead Mohammad Shami.

Thanks to the facilities available at home, he did not miss training and the pacer said that has benefited him immensely now that he is back on the ground preparing for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Shami threw light on the six-day quarantine period after reaching UAE, the hunger among players to play, the absence of fans this IPL, the much-debated saliva ban and how he wishes to help young captain KL Rahul on the pitch by sharing his inputs with the bowling unit.

While one would think that getting onto the plane and reaching the UAE for the IPL would have been a relief after spending months in lockdown at home, the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) pacer begged to differ. He said the six days inside the hotel room was harder for him.

“Four months have been difficult for everyone, be it sportsman or a normal person. Thank god I had the facilities to do my own training. When we came here (UAE) and got quarantined, these six days felt more difficult than those four months because in those months I was training myself, helped the needy and was busy in activities. But in these six days, I have felt how difficult those four months must have been for people. Now it feels comfortable on the field.

“The training I have done (during lockdown) has helped now. The stiffness isn’t there and it has felt more like I took a break for recovery. The body feels good and in rhythm. The normal flow is missing in some. Those who played in the Caribbean Premier League are looking in flow, but those who have been stuck indoors are looking a little stiff. Important to use the 25 to 30 days going into the tournament,” he explained.

Shami said for sportspersons it is even more difficult because they have been used to running around all life and have hardly seen a phase where they have been stuck indoors unless they have an injury.

“When you are habituated to running around 24×7, it is very difficult to stay at home, especially for those who are professionals and put cricket on top of the priority list. This then irritates you and makes you uncomfortable. But touchwood for me, I had a lot of activities to stay busy with.

“I spent a lot of time on the farm, worked closely with the workers. Was busy doing my activities and training. The friends I have spoken to, I was thanking God that I was in a safe place,” he revealed.

Talking about the fear that some people have with a couple of players testing positive for coronavirus, Shami cleared the air and said reports of fear or worry are a result of the media not being in the UAE and not witnessing the kind of energy the players are showing in training sessions.

“You guys are not here so you are not being able to see the training sessions. But one can see the hunger in the players. The intention to give their 100 per cent is visible. The players are giving their everything in training and nobody is willing to miss any activity. Everyone is looking really involved and the thing is that you are back to your real love (cricket). The guys have started to look in touch after the 5-6 days of training sessions that we have had and it looks like the boys want to give more than a 100 per cent on the ground,” he smiled.

And how is the pacer coping with the new rules like the saliva ban? Shami had no bones admitting that he sometimes forgets about it and the hand automatically reaches the mouth when the ball is in hand.

“What happens is that one is a natural way, in which we have played from childhood. That is our nature as we have done this all life. But now it is important to follow the guidelines given to us by the country (UAE) as well as ICC and the BCCI. Hurdles will come no doubt but this is also our family and we need to take care.

“What also happens is that sometimes we remember things a tad bit late like the ban on saliva. So the hand automatically goes to the mouth. But once the hand goes to the mouth, then one remembers that you cannot put saliva on the ball. You do struggle in between, but it isn’t impossible. You must enjoy yourself, but within the rules,” he pointed out.

Just like the new cricketing rules with an eye on the virus, fans are also set to be kept away from the tournament due to safety and Shami said while he will miss the fans, it is important for everyone that the fans stick to television this one time. But he is confident that the IPL will see a lot of smiling faces.

“Fans or players shouldn’t take it to heart as the rules have been made keeping in mind the health of the people. So, if we can go through this rule one year, the players and fans can once again reunite next season. We must remember that safety is paramount and if we are safe this year, we can all come back together again next year. Hats off to all the fans for constantly showing us support and love.

“Will definitely miss the fans and you cannot ignore that. But we will look to use this opportunity to divert the mind of the fans and give them joy. Even if it is on television, they will get to see their role models,” he said.

Another interesting aspect this year will be KL Rahul leading the Punjab unit and Shami said while the batsman is new to the leadership role, the maturity Rahul has shown over the years is testimony that he will do well in the cash-rich league. The pacer went on to add that he will also look to help Rahul by sharing his inputs with the bowlers.

“Be it IPL, domestic or international cricket, I always try to fulfil the role given to me. As for Rahul, I have spent quality time with him in the Indian dressing room and that is most important because at the end of the day what counts is mutual understanding.

“If the bonding is good, the result will show. He is mature and has played some quality knocks. He has a well-balanced team and has confidence. As a senior player one should take small responsibilities and help the captain relax. I will try to take the bowling unit forward so that Rahul doesn’t feel any pressure,” he signed off.

Chasing 163, Australia at one stage needed just 39 runs from the last six overs with nine wickets in hand to take a 1-0 lead in the series on Friday.

SOUTHAMPTON: England beat great rival Australia by two runs in a Twenty20 thriller that went down to the final ball to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series on Friday.

Chasing 163 to win at the empty Rose Bowl, Australia collapsed from 124-1 after 14 overs to fall short on 160-6 in its first match of international cricket in six months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

After losing four wickets for nine runs off 14 balls, the Australians needed 26 runs off the final three overs, 19 off the final two and then 15 off the last, bowled by Tom Curran.

Marcus Stoinis hit a huge six over cover off the second ball to leave the tourists needing nine runs off four, but couldn’t hit another boundary.

Australia was handed a brilliant start to the chase as captain Aaron Finch (46) and David Warner (58) shared a 98-run opening stand. Things started going downhill, though, after the loss of Steven Smith for 18 to make it 124-2 and Glenn Maxwell four balls later for 1, both falling to the spin of Adil Rashid.

“We knew England would keep coming hard,” Finch said, “and we probably struggled to find the boundary in that 12- to 18-over mark. That’s something to work on.”

England eked out a total of 162-7 mainly thanks to Dawid Malan (66) and Jos Buttler (44). No other player reached double-figures, with Kane Richardson having figures of 2-13 and Maxwell getting 2-14.

“I thought we were 15 runs light,” Malan said, “probably one partnership away from getting to 175-180.”

It was the first time England has defended a target under 180 since 2016.

The top-ranked Australians hadn’t played since mid-March when their scheduled ODI series against New Zealand was abandoned.

England can wrap up the series by winning the second match back at the Rose Bowl on Sunday.

New York: Sumit Nagal’s trademark fighting spirit was on display throughout but it was not enough to get past world number three Dominic Thiem, who notched up a straight-set victory over the Indian in the US Open men’s singles second round here.

Nagal lost 3-6 3-6 2-6 to the second-seeded Austrian, who celebrated his 27th birthday with a commanding performance at the Arthur Ashe stadium on Thursday.

Thiem, this year’s Australian Open finalist, had said that he has seen videos of Nagal’s game and knew that he has a ripping forehand. Well prepared, he came out with a clear strategy of not giving many balls on the forehand side of the Indian.

“Thank you 2020 US Open. Lots to learn. Going to keep working hard! Thanks for all the support everyone,” Nagal later tweeted.

Nagal came into the contest after giving India a rare singles main draw match win at a Grand Slam but it was always going to be a daunting task for him to challenge someone who has made two French Open finals.

Slow off the blocks, Nagal was broken early but the slogger that he is, he kept Thiem under pressure, creating as many as five chances to break back in the fifth game that lasted 10 minutes.

He converted the fifth breakpoint when Thiem made an unforced error and made it 3-3 with an easy hold, riding the momentum.

Playing with a lot of energy and stinging strokes, those were the best two games that Nagal played as the gap between him and the top players was on display after that.

Thiem, using his superior game shifted gears with remarkable ease, turning the tide with an immediate break and served out the set.

Nagal lost his serve early again with Thiem getting a grip of his returns. The Austrian started to serve better and also unleashed his big-hitting game, keeping the match in a tight grip.

Thiem broke the 23-year-old Nagal one more time in the seventh with a cross court winner to serve at 5-2.

Nagal got a break back when Thiem hit a backhand long on the third breakpoint but dropped his serve in the next to give his fancied opponent a two-set advantage.

Thiem wrapped up the match with ease even as Nagal kept finding winners here and there. He fought hard and saved a match point too, but it was clear that the young Indian’s best was not enough to trouble the top guns.

Chennai: Former world champion Viswanathan Anand crashed to his seventh defeat in the USD 150,000 Legends of Chess online tournament, going down 0.5-2.5 to world No.3 Ding Liren in the eighth round.

Going into the match against the Chinese after ending his six-match losing streak, Anand surrendered the first game in just 22 moves late on Tuesday.

The duo settled for a 47-move draw in the second before Liren sealed victory in the third game with black pieces in 41 moves. Anand lies last in the table with six points with Liren and Peter Leko.

The 50-year old Indian takes on Vasyl Ivanchuk in the ninth and final round. World No.1 Magnus Carlsen overcame the challenge of Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi after the four-game contest ended at 2-all.

The Armageddon (a tie-break) also ended in a stalemate but the Norwegian won and picked up three points because he played black.

The Norwegian player maintains his position at the top of the table with 22 points followed by Nepomniatchi (19) and Anish Giri (15). Carlsen has won all the eight matches he has played so far.

Giri lost 2-3 to veteran Ivanchuk but is in line to qualify for the last four.

Legends of Chess is a unique event where Carlsen, Liren, Nepomniachtchi and Giri, semifinalists at the Chessable Masters (part of the Magnus Carlsen Tour), received an automatic invite and are up against six legends aged 40-52, who have been at the top of world chess at various points in their career.

The tournament is part of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour. The winner of this event will qualify for the USD 300,000 Grand Final scheduled from August 9 to 20.

Results of Round 8: Ding Liren (China) beat Viswanathan Anand (India) 2.5-0.5; Magnus Carlsen (Norway) beat Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) 2.5-2.5 (Carlsen won after drawing Armageddon with black); Peter Svidler (Russia) beat Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) 2.5-1.5: Vasyl Ivanchuk (Russia) beat Anish Giri (the Netherlands) 3-2; Boris Gelfand (Israel) beat Peter Leko (Hungary) 3-2.

Rajkot: Skipper Jaydev Unadkat on Friday produced a lion-hearted spell when it mattered the most against Bengal, leading Saurashtra to their maiden Ranji Trophy triumph a year after stumbling at the last hurdle.

The win was achieved on the basis of the first-innings lead here.

Bengal had the upper hand going into day five after Anustup Majumdar (63) and Arnab Nandi (40 not out) shared an unbeaten 91-run stand in the final session Thursday.

But Unadkat, who had single-handily taken Saurashtra into the final with a seven-wicket haul against Gujarat on the final day of their semifinal, rose to the occasion yet again to script a historic victory.

The left-arm pacer had the in-form Majumdar LBW and Akash Deep run out in a space of three balls to turn the game on its head. Unadkat ended as the season’s leading wicket-taker with 67 scalps at a staggering average of 13.23, one short of an all-time record.

One hour and 10 minutes of play in the decisive morning session yielded 27 runs and four wickets with Bengal all out for 381, giving Saurashtra a 44-run first innings lead. At the start of the day, Bengal needed 72 runs for the first-innings lead with four wickets in hands.

In the second innings, all Saurashtra had to do was to bat time before both captains decided to call off the game and shake hands. They eventually did that at tea time after Saurashtra sauntered 105 for four in 34 overs.

With the win, Saurashtra ended their Ranji Trophy title drought while a fighting Bengal will have to wait longer for their first crown since the 1989-90 season.

“It’s a great feeling, different world altogether. Last season we were very close to winning the title but we couldn’t. It’s a great, great feeling. The best things about this team is that all the players have played together for a very long time,” said Saurashtra stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara.

Despite the loss, it was a memorable season for Bengal, who reached the title clash after 13 years at the back of stellar performances from the pace trio of Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Ishan Porel and veteran batsman Manoj Tiwary and Majumdar.

For Saurashtra, the star performers were Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, and of course, their captain.

Unadkat, who opened the bowling alongside Chetan Sakariya on day five, was a tad defensive with the field placement early on, considering the team conceded easy runs to Bengal on the penultimate day.

The onus was on the Saurashtra skipper to deliver again after his performance against Gujarat propelled his team to its fourth final in eight seasons. He had bowled 32 overs before that match-winning over without getting a wicket despite giving his all.

But such is his conviction that he backs himself to do the job in the toughest of situations. In fact, he thrives on it.

Majumdar and Nandi, who resumed the day on 58 and 28 after defying Saurashtra on Thursday, were expected to get the 72 runs for the all-important first innings but Unadkat changed it all in one over.

The left-arm pacer, who is known more for his IPL riches than his brave heart performances for his state team, ended the 98-run stand between Majumdar and Nandi by trapping the former in front of the stumps as he brought the ball back in sharply.

He could have had Wriddhiman Saha out twice on day four with a similar ball but did not have the required luck.

Two balls after sending back a dejected Majumdar, Unadkat was alert enough on the field to make Akash Deep pay for ignoring the basics.

Having played and miss, Akash Deep was found standing marginally outside the crease. The wicketkeeper was quick to observe that and went for the direct hit but missed, only for the bowler to collect the ball and disturb the timber, giving Saurashtra their second wicket in three balls.

The game was played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus threat but the celebratory roar from the Saurashtra players could be heard from the highway next door.

Five overs later, spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja had Mukesh Kumar caught at short-leg after taking a successful DRS call, bringing Saurashtra just one wicket away from creating history.

With Bengal 55 runs behind, Nandi tried his best and went for his strokes but in the end, his team fell agonisingly short.

Fittingly, Unadkat took the last wicket of Bengal’s innings by catching number 11 Ishan Porel plumb in front of the stumps.

Harmanpreet Kaur agreed that the semifinals should have had a reserve day, a request which was made by Cricket Australia but turned down by the ICC.

SYDNEY: An unbeaten run in the group stage propelled India into their maiden Women’s T20 World Cup final after their last-four clash against England was washed out here on Thursday.

Persistent rain since morning delayed the toss and eventually, the semifinal was called off without a ball being bowled, taking Indians into the summit clash and leaving England players in tears.

“Really frustrating. Not how we wanted the World Cup to finish for us. No reserve day, no chance of getting play, and ultimately that loss against South Africa cost us,” a dejected England captain Heather Knight said after the game was abandoned.

Her India counterpart Harmanpreet Kaur also agreed that the semifinals should have had a reserve day, a request which was made by Cricket Australia but turned down by the ICC.

“Unfortunate we didn’t get a game, but there are rules and we have to follow it. Having reserve days in the future will be a great idea,” said Kaur.

Knight said her team paid the price for not starting the tournament well.

“It’s all very English isn’t it, talking about the weather and getting knocked out. It felt that we gained a bit of momentum in the last few games and we were pumped up for the semifinals,” she added.

“Lessons are to win the first game I guess (laughs). It’s become a trend, not to start well in tournaments, and that has cost us.”

India had topped Group A with four victories in as many matches while England had finished second in Group B with three wins and a defeat.

“From day one, we new we have to win all the games because in case the semis don’t happen, that would be hard for us. In that sense, credit to the team for winning all the games,” said Kaur.

“Everybody is looking in great touch – Shafali (Verma) and Smriti (Mandhana). They are giving us good starts, and that helps. Me and Smriti are trying to spend more time in the nets,” she added reflecting on her and Mandhana’s so far indifferent form.

“We are looking more positive now. Unfortunately, we haven’t come up with big innings, but our teammates are, and at the end of the day it’s a team game.”

England had ended runners-up in the previous edition.

If the second semifinal between South Africa and reigning champions Australia is also washed out then the Proteas will advance to the summit clash since they topped their group.

Debutante Kyle Jamieson and veteran Tim Southee took four wickets apiece to knock India out for a paltry 165 in little over an hour on the second day of the first Test here on Saturday.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s debutante Kyle Jamieson and veteran Tim Southee took four wickets apiece to knock India out for a paltry 165 in little over an hour on the second day of the first Test here on Saturday.

At lunch, New Zealand reached 17 for no loss with Tom Latham batting on 11 in company of Tom Blundell (6 batting). Earlier, Jamieson (4/49 in 16 overs) and Southee (4/49 in 20.1 overs) took four of the five wickets that fell on the second morning with India adding only 43 runs to their overnight score of 122 for 5.

Rishabh Pant (19) started with a six but then a horrible mix-up with senior partner Ajinkya Rahane (46) resulted in a run-out and the little chances of recovery was gone for good.

Ravichandran Ashwin got a beauty from Southee, pretty similar to what Prithvi Shaw got, while Rahane inside-edged one while trying to leave it alone.

It was Mohammed Shami (21), who chanced his arms a bit, hitting a few blows to take India above the 150-run mark. cHe added 22 runs with Ishant Sharma for the ninth wicket. They were both out in quick succession as India’s innings folded in only 68.1 overs.

The 31-run stand between Pant and Rahane did raise visions of a recovery but Rahane’s call for a quick single when it wasn’t there became India’s undoing.

Once Rahane had nearly reached non-striker’s end, the junior partner didn’t have an option but to sacrifice his wicket as Ajaz Patel’s direct throw from point caught him short of ground.

Pant was visibly upset as he threw a dejected look towards Rahane before walking back to the pavilion.

Ashwin then got a delivery that would have even been an unplayable one for the top-order batsmen.

Ashwin, whose batting prowess has deteriorated in the past two years, played for an incoming delivery and the late away movement after pitching surprised him completely.

With India reduced to 132 for 7, Rahane knew that time was running out as a slashed square drive off Trent Boult got him a boundary.

Southee got rid of Rahane soon when he tried to shoulder arm a delivery that made a late inward movement.

Mt. Maunganui (New Zealand): KL Rahul struck an impressive 112 to help India recover from a shaky start and post a challenging 296 for 7 in the inconsequential third and final ODI against New Zealand here on Tuesday.

Sent in to bat, India were down 62 for 3 in the 13th over after the dismissals of Mayank Agarwal (1), captain Virat Kohli (9) and Prithvi Shaw (40) but Rahul got a useful ally in in-form Shreyas Iyer (62 off 63 deliveries) to take India to a challenging total.

Rahul, who hit nine fours and two sixes during his 113-ball innings, and Iyer stitched exactly 100 runs from 18.2 overs for the fourth wicket to revive the Indian innings.

After the end of the promising innings of Iyer, Rahul shared another 107 runs for the fifth wicket with Manish Pandey (42). Rahul and Pandey were, however, dismissed in consecutive deliveries in the 47th over.

For New Zealand, who have already clinched the series after winning the first two matches, Hamish Bennett took four wickets for 64 runs whie Kyle Jamieson and James Neesham got a wicket apiece.

Brief Scores:

India: 296 for 7 in 50 overs (KL Rahul 112, Shreyas Iyer 62; Hamish Bennett 4/64).

Dubai: Two Indians — Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi — and three Bangladeshi players have been charged by the ICC for their involvement in the unsavoury incidents just after the U-19 World Cup summit clash in Potchefstroom, South Africa on Sunday.

Akash and Bishnoi and three Bangladeshi players — Md. Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Rakibul Hasan — were found guilty of breaching ICC Code of Conduct after a few players from both sides nearly came to blows after Bangladesh beat India by three wickets to win their maiden U-19 World Cup title.

“Five players have been found guilty of a Level 3 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Support Personnel … (they) were charged with violating Article 2.21 of the code, whilst Bishnoi received a further charge of breaching Article 2.5,” the ICC said in a statement.

“All five players have accepted the sanctions proposed by ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup Match Referee Graeme Labrooy,” it added.

Some of the Bangladeshi players got carried away with their celebration after their historic win over India in the final. While their captain Akbar Ali apologised for the “unfortunate incident”, his Indian counterpart Priyam Garg felt it is something that should not have happened.

The Bangladesh players were overtly aggressive while fielding with their lead pacer Shoriful Islam sledging the Indian batsmen after every delivery. As Bangladesh approached the winning runs, Shoriful was seen swearing multiple times openly on camera.

As soon as the match ended, it became tense with Bangladeshi players rushing to the ground and most of them still displaying aggressive body language.

“India’s Akash accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of eight suspension points, which equates to six demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years,” the ICC said.

Compatriot Bishnoi accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of five suspension points, which equates to five demerit points.

“Bishnoi also accepted a level 1 charge of breaching Article 2.5 for a separate incident during the match, where he used language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter following the dismissal of Avishek Das in the 23rd over,” said the ICC.

“For this he received a further two demerit points meaning seven demerit points will remain on his record for the next two years.”

Bangladesh’s Towhid Hridoy accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of ten suspension points, which equates to six demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years.

Shamim Hossain accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of eight suspension points, which equates to six demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years.

Rakibul Hasan accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of four suspension points, which equates to five demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years.

All charges were levelled by on-field umpires Sam Nogajski and Adrian Holdstock, third umpire Ravindra Wimalasiri as well as fourth umpire Patrick Bongni Jele. Level 3 breaches carry a minimum penalty of four suspension points and a maximum penalty of 12 suspension points.

The suspension points will be applied to the forthcoming international matches the players are most likely to participate in at either senior or U-19 level. One suspension point equals a player being ineligible for one ODI or T20I, U-19 or A team international match.