FC Porto vs Liverpool (Agg 0-2) Manchester City vs ......FC Porto vs Liverpool (Agg 0-2) Manchester...

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SPORT 08 WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2019 Last season in this period we were already champions. This season we had an incredible opponent in the Premier League with Liverpool. Both teams deserve to be champions, but just one is going to get it. Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola From Mankad row to umpire howlers: IPL hits and misses AFP NEW DELHI The high-octane Twenty20 Indian Premier League has lived up to its reputation for rip- roaring action in 2019. Entering the second half of the seven-week extravaganza, here are some of the eye- grabbing moments so far from this year’s IPL: Ashwin’s Mankad kicks it off Controversy exploded on just the third day of the season after Ravichandran Ashwin’s “Mankad” run-out of England batsman Jos Buttler triggered a worldwide debate on the spirit of cricket. Ashwin, captain of Kings XI Punjab, stopped in his delivery stride to whip off the bails while Buttler, for Rajasthan Royals, was backing up at the non-striker’s end. While pundits and former players were busy squaring up on the rights and wrongs of Ashwin’s actions, Sunil Gavaskar took strong offence to former Test bowler Vinoo Mankad’s name being asso- ciated with the controversial mode of dismissal. “Lack of respect shown to an Indian legend is indeed sad,” Gavaskar said of Mankad, who had warned Australia’s Bill Brown before sending him packing in the 1940s. ‘Captain Cool’ Dhoni boils over Mahendra Singh Dhoni is known as “Captain Cool” but he suffered a meltdown and stormed from his dugout to confront the umpires after a no-ball call for a high full toss was reversed against Rajasthan Royals. Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings skipper, was docked 50 per cent of his match fee but many thought the wicketkeeper was treated with kid gloves. “Dhoni should have been banned for at least two to three games,” said former India batsman Virender Sehwag on website Cricbuzz. “... tomorrow another captain can do the same, then what is the value of an umpire?” Club level umpires panned India captain Virat Kohli also questioned the standard of umpiring in the star-studded Twenty20 League after his Royal Challengers Bangalore were denied a win when Mumbai Indians’ Lasith Malinga clearly overstepped on the final delivery. “We are not playing club cricket,” Kohli fumed after the blatant no ball was not spotted. Following on from Dhoni’s one-man pitch invasion and Buttler’s Mankad, which many thought should have been called a dead ball, the umpires will be under the microscope as the season heads for its climax. King Kohli’s unwanted record Kohli could not blame the umpires, however, when Bangalore suffered their sixth straight defeat to equal the worst start to an IPL campaign. They did finally stop the rot with a first win on Saturday. While India top the Test rankings and “King Kohli” is the world’s leading batsman, the worry is he seems unable to lead Bangalore to a maiden IPL title despite two half- centuries and a place in the league’s top 10 batsmen. With a playoff place looking remote, former England captain Michael Vaughan reckons India should instead rest him ahead of the World Cup next month. Chart-topping Warner has the hits With four fifties and a century, David Warner has taken the IPL by storm in his comeback from a one-year ban for his part in Australia’s ball-tampering scandal. The opener tops the batting chart with 400 runs for Sun- risers Hyderabad and insists he is “refreshed” after his enforced absence. Warner’s disgraced former captain Steve Smith has been quieter, but has displayed occasional flashes of bril- liance for Rajasthan Royals such as an unbeaten 73 against Kolkata. Both are back in the Aus- tralia squad for the World Cup with a big incentive to keep up their return to form by finishing the IPL with a flourish. Sixes galore for rampant Russell West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has almost single-handedly fuelled Kolkata’s IPL drive with his powerhouse batting which has seen him smash 30 sixes so far. The burly Jamaican leads the slogging charts ahead of fellow West Indian Chris Gayle who has cleared the ropes 23 times for Kings XI Punjab. The blond mohawk-adorned Russell’s highlight was a 13-ball 48 against Bangalore as Kolkata chased down an improbable 54 runs to win in the last three overs. Batting great Brian Lara listed the all-rounder as his top pick for West Indies’ World Cup team on Twitter, saying the selectors should pick Russell and “any other 10”. Ex-cricketer Lewis on long walk back from disgrace to redemption AFP BASINGSTOKE, UNITED KINGDOM Chris Lewis’s journey from opening the bowling for England in the 1992 World Cup final to contemplating suicide and being convicted of drugs smuggling has him feeling as ambitious as when he was a teenager, he has said. The 51-year-old -- who represented England over 80 times in Tests and one-day internationals -- said it was fear over being penniless that drove him to smuggle £140,000 ($183,000) of cocaine in cans of fruit into England from St Lucia in 2008. He stood to earn £50,000 from the deal -- instead he ended up serving six and a half years of a 13-year prison term. The engaging and lithe former all- rounder is presently touring with the play written by Dougie Blaxland (the pen name of former cricketer James Graham-Brown) about his life called “The Long Walk Back”. “Do you know, the funny thing is I would suggest I am more ambitious and more optimistic than I have ever been in my life,” Lewis said during an interview conducted at the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke. “This is a stage of my life I should have gone through in my 20s with a whole set of new experiences. “It is a place I have not been since I was a teenager... a place when that teenage boy was dreaming of being a cricketer.” The play, directed by Australian husband and wife Shane Morgan and Moira Hunt of the Bristol-based Rough- house Theatre, has helped re-light the fire within him. “It (the play) all comes together from an idea of how we have reached here when less than a decade ago I was sat in a prison cell and my life was more than over,” Lewis said. It is a far cry from when Lewis, whose long-term girlfriend Patricia stayed loyal despite him putting her ‘through the wars’, contemplated taking his own life on the first night he was incarcerated after his arrest. “You cannot get over the prospect of facing a sentence of 15 years,” he said. “If you have not been in jail it seems an unimaginable amount of time. “The question of ‘if this goes the wrong way what will you do’ and (suicide) was certainly something on the table. “It is ironic that after being sen- tenced to 13 years that did not occur to me.” Lewis, whose morale was greatly helped by former Surrey team-mate Jason Ratcliffe who offered him help from the start, largely kept himself to himself in prison. “A strange thing that happened was sitting on my bed the night after the sen- tence had been passed and I cried and it got a lot of emotions out,” he said. “After I had done crying that night I had no need to cry again. There were certain rules that Lewis imposed on himself from the start of his jail term -- neither listening to music nor telling his adored grandmother Eunice Joseph back in Guyana about his fall from grace. “I stopped listening to music imme- diately because a certain tune can take you back to a particular moment,” he said. In the play, Lewis takes part in a question and answer session with the audience, fielding sometimes awkward enquiries. He says he is pleased by the play -- which has included two prisons on its tour -- because it explores the emo- tional side of his story and the battle he had to accept who was to blame for his predicament. “It was not immediate but even- tually I came to the conclusion the person who has the final say in stuff that happened in your life is me. “It is hard then to start to point the finger without pointing it backwards.” Injury-hit Bangladesh recall Mosaddek for World Cup AFP DHAKA Bangladesh called up batsman Mosaddek Hossain and uncapped fast bowler Abu Jayed for their World Cup squad yesterday as they wrestle with a series of injuries. Mosaddek was named to com- pensate for fellow batting all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad, who has suffered a shoulder injury and looks unlikely to be able to bowl, said chief selector Minhajul Abedin. Jayed also got the nod in the 15-man squad as potential cover for pace spearhead Mustafizur Rahman, who is recovering from an ankle sprain, and Rubel Hossain who has a side strain. Mosaddek, a useful off-spinner, hasn’t played for Bangladesh since last year’s Asia Cup, but he forced his way into the reckoning with a series of big scores in domestic cricket. Mosaddek played a key role in Bangladesh’s win over New Zealand at the 2017 Champions Trophy, when he picked up three vital wickets. His batting faded until the recent Dhaka Premier League where he scored 428 runs and picked up seven wickets in 12 one-day matches. Jayed was the only uncapped player in what is an otherwise expe- rienced squad for the tournament in England and Wales, starting on May 30. Four players have been to three World Cups: skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. Jayed’s inclusion meant there was no room for pace bowler Taskin Ahmed, who is also recovering from injury. Bangladesh also named a 17-man squad for a tri-series in Ireland in early May, where uncapped spinner Nayeem Hasan and batsman Yasir Ali will join the World Cup players. The games against Ireland and West Indies will be held from May 5-17. Bangladesh open their World Cup against South Africa at the Oval on June 2. Australia to rotate openers after Warner’s return AFP SYDNEY Australian coach Justin Langer yesterday welcomed the top- order selection dilemma posed by the return of David Warner as offering “fantastic flexibility” to the team ahead of the World Cup. The return of Steve Smith and Warner from their year- long bans for ball-tampering has left selectors in a quandary, with openers Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja building a for- midable partnership in recent one-day internationals. Warner has been in blistering touch in the Indian Premier League and typically opens the batting. But Langer yesterday said it was a welcome problem to have all three potential openers firing. “We have amazing flexibility now,” he told Melbourne radio SEN. “Usman and Finchy have done an incredible job opening the batting. David and Finchy have done a great job in the past doing it,” he added. Langer said he would “mix and match” the top order in matches leading up to the World Cup. “I love the flexibility of it. (It’s about) boys playing their roles for the team not just playing the roles that suit them,” he said. Australia named their World Cup squad on Monday with middle order batsman Peter Handscomb “brutally unlucky” to have to make way for Smith. The decision to drop Handscomb also means the team only has one wicketkeeper in Alex Carey. But Langer said Tim Paine, Matthew Wade and Handscomb, all named in one of Australia’s two A squads which will play in England later this year, were on standby if Carey was injured. “Usually wicketkeepers, they give up their spot for no-one. They have to do a pretty serious injury to move aside for someone else,” he said. Mashrafe Mortaza (Captain) Tamim Iqbal Liton Das Soumya Sarkar Mushfiqur Rahim Mahmudullah Riyad Shakib Al Hasan Mohammad Mithun Mohammad Saifuddin Mosaddek Hossain Mustafizur Rahman Sabbir Rahman Mehidy Hasan Rubel Hossain Abu Jayed BANGLADESH WORLD CUP SQUAD taza (Captain) r im Riyad an ithun aifuddin ssain hman n WORLD CUP SQUAD Mashrafe Mortaza Former England cricketer Chris Lewis poses for a photograph at the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke in this April 10 file photo. Woakes warns England over Archer’s potential call-up REUTERS LONDON Chris Woakes believes it would be unfair for England selectors to ask any player to make way for the uncapped all-rounder Jofra Archer in the World Cup squad. Barbados-born Archer, who shone for Sussex last season and in Australia’s Big Bash Twenty20 league for Hobart Hurricanes, is eli- gible for national selection under new England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) residency rules. Archer’s ability to bowl at over 90 miles per hour and his lower- order power-hitting skills have earned him a number of high-profile admirers including England regulars Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. Some are concerned about who would be left out if he were to join the England squad, however. “If he was to come in and someone was to miss out, it would be extremely unfortunate,” all- rounder Woakes told BBC Sport. “We’ve been a tight-knit group for the last two to three years, played some really strong cricket, won a lot of series. Apart from a personal level, I wouldn’t want to see any of my mates and team-mates miss out. But it’s the nature of international cricket that there is always someone knocking on the door.” England will name a provisional 15-man squad for the World Cup today. David Warner TODAY’S ACTION UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS - SECOND LEG (10:00pm Qatar time) FC Porto vs Liverpool (Agg 0-2) Manchester City vs Toenham Hotspur (Agg 0-1) FOOTBALL

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SPORT 08WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2019

Last season in this period we were already champions. This season we had an incredible opponent in the

Premier League with Liverpool. Both teams deserve to be champions, but

just one is going to get it.

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola

From Mankad row to umpire howlers: IPL hits and missesAFP NEW DELHI

The high-octane Twenty20 Indian Premier League has lived up to its reputation for rip-roaring action in 2019.

Entering the second half of the seven-week extravaganza, here are some of the eye-grabbing moments so far from this year’s IPL:

Ashwin’s Mankad kicks it off

Controversy exploded on just the third day of the season after Ravichandran Ashwin’s “Mankad” run-out of England batsman Jos Buttler triggered a worldwide debate on the spirit of cricket. Ashwin, captain of Kings XI Punjab, stopped in his delivery stride to whip off the bails while Buttler, for Rajasthan Royals, was backing up at the non-striker’s end. While pundits and former players were busy squaring up on the rights and wrongs of Ashwin’s actions, Sunil Gavaskar took strong offence to former Test bowler Vinoo Mankad’s name being asso-ciated with the controversial mode of dismissal. “Lack of respect shown to an Indian legend is indeed sad,” Gavaskar said of Mankad, who had warned Australia’s Bill Brown before sending him packing in the 1940s.

‘Captain Cool’ Dhoni boils over

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is known as “Captain Cool” but he suffered a meltdown and stormed from his dugout to confront the umpires after a no-ball call for a high full toss was reversed against Rajasthan Royals. Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings skipper, was docked 50 per cent of his match fee but many thought the wicketkeeper was treated with kid gloves. “Dhoni should have been banned for at least two to three games,” said former India batsman Virender Sehwag on website Cricbuzz. “...tomorrow another captain can do the same, then what is the value of an umpire?”

Club level umpires panned

India captain Virat Kohli also questioned the standard of umpiring in the star-studded Twenty20 League after his Royal Challengers Bangalore were denied a win when Mumbai Indians’ Lasith Malinga clearly overstepped on the final delivery. “We are not playing club cricket,” Kohli fumed after the blatant no ball was not spotted. Following on from Dhoni’s one-man pitch invasion and Buttler’s Mankad, which many thought should have been called a dead ball, the umpires will be under the microscope as the season heads for its climax.

King Kohli’s unwanted record

Kohli could not blame the umpires, however, when Bangalore suffered their sixth straight defeat to equal the worst start to an IPL campaign. They did finally stop the rot with a first win on Saturday. While India top the Test rankings and “King Kohli” is the world’s leading batsman, the worry is he seems unable to lead Bangalore to a maiden IPL title despite two half-centuries and a place in the league’s top 10 batsmen. With a playoff place looking remote, former England captain Michael Vaughan reckons India should instead rest him ahead of the World Cup next month.

Chart-topping Warner has the hitsWith four fifties and a century, David

Warner has taken the IPL by storm in his comeback from a one-year ban for his part in Australia’s ball-tampering scandal. The opener tops the batting chart with 400 runs for Sun-risers Hyderabad and insists he is “refreshed” after his enforced absence. Warner’s disgraced former captain Steve Smith has been quieter, but has displayed occasional flashes of bril-liance for Rajasthan Royals such as an unbeaten 73 against Kolkata. Both are back in the Aus-tralia squad for the World Cup with a big incentive to keep up their return to form by finishing the IPL with a flourish.

Sixes galore for rampant RussellWest Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has

almost single-handedly fuelled Kolkata’s IPL drive with his powerhouse batting which has seen him smash 30 sixes so far. The burly Jamaican leads the slogging charts ahead of fellow West Indian Chris Gayle who has cleared the ropes 23 times for Kings XI Punjab. The blond mohawk-adorned Russell’s highlight was a 13-ball 48 against Bangalore as Kolkata chased down an improbable 54 runs to win in the last three overs. Batting great Brian Lara listed the all-rounder as his top pick for West Indies’ World Cup team on Twitter, saying the selectors should pick Russell and “any other 10”.

Ex-cricketer Lewis on long walk back from disgrace to redemption

AFP BASINGSTOKE, UNITED KINGDOM

Chris Lewis’s journey from opening the bowling for England in the 1992 World Cup final to contemplating suicide and being convicted of drugs smuggling has him feeling as ambitious as when he was a teenager, he has said.

The 51-year-old -- who represented England over 80 times in Tests and one-day internationals -- said it was fear over being penniless that drove him to smuggle £140,000 ($183,000) of cocaine in cans of fruit into England from St Lucia in 2008.

He stood to earn £50,000 from the deal -- instead he ended up serving six and a half years of a 13-year prison term.

The engaging and lithe former all-rounder is presently touring with the play written by Dougie Blaxland (the pen name of former cricketer James Graham-Brown) about his life called “The Long Walk Back”.

“Do you know, the funny thing is I would suggest I am more ambitious and more optimistic than I have ever been in my life,” Lewis said during an interview conducted at the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke.

“This is a stage of my life I should have gone through in my 20s with a whole set of new experiences.

“It is a place I have not been since I was a teenager... a place when that teenage boy was dreaming of being a cricketer.”

The play, directed by Australian husband and wife Shane Morgan and

Moira Hunt of the Bristol-based Rough-house Theatre, has helped re-light the fire within him.

“It (the play) all comes together from an idea of how we have reached here when less than a decade ago I was sat in a prison cell and my life was more than over,” Lewis said.

It is a far cry from when Lewis, whose long-term girlfriend Patricia stayed loyal despite him putting her ‘through the wars’, contemplated taking his own life on the first night he was incarcerated after his arrest.

“You cannot get over the prospect of facing a sentence of 15 years,” he said. “If you have not been in jail it seems an unimaginable amount of time.

“The question of ‘if this goes the wrong way what will you do’ and (suicide) was certainly something on the table.

“It is ironic that after being sen-tenced to 13 years that did not occur to me.”

Lewis, whose morale was greatly helped by former Surrey team-mate Jason Ratcliffe who offered him help from the start, largely kept himself to himself in prison.

“A strange thing that happened was sitting on my bed the night after the sen-tence had been passed and I cried and it got a lot of emotions out,” he said.

“After I had done crying that night I had no need to cry again.

There were certain rules that Lewis imposed on himself from the start of his jail term -- neither listening to music nor telling his adored grandmother Eunice Joseph back in Guyana about his fall from grace.

“I stopped listening to music imme-diately because a certain tune can take you back to a particular moment,” he said.

In the play, Lewis takes part in a question and answer session with the audience, fielding sometimes awkward enquiries.

He says he is pleased by the play -- which has included two prisons on its tour -- because it explores the emo-tional side of his story and the battle he had to accept who was to blame for his predicament.

“It was not immediate but even-tually I came to the conclusion the person who has the final say in stuff that happened in your life is me.

“It is hard then to start to point the finger without pointing it backwards.”

Injury-hit Bangladesh recall Mosaddek for World CupAFP DHAKA

Bangladesh called up batsman Mosaddek Hossain and uncapped fast bowler Abu Jayed for their World Cup squad yesterday as they wrestle with a series of injuries.

Mosaddek was named to com-pensate for fellow batting all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad, who has suffered a shoulder injury and looks unlikely to be able to bowl, said chief selector Minhajul Abedin.

Jayed also got the nod in the 15-man squad as potential cover for pace spearhead Mustafizur Rahman, who is recovering from an ankle sprain, and Rubel Hossain who has a side strain.

Mosaddek, a useful off-spinner, hasn’t played for Bangladesh since last year’s Asia Cup, but he forced his way into the reckoning with a series of big scores in domestic cricket.

Mosaddek played a key role in Bangladesh’s win over New Zealand at the 2017 Champions Trophy, when

he picked up three vital wickets.His batting faded until the recent

Dhaka Premier League where he scored 428 runs and picked up seven wickets in 12 one-day matches.

Jayed was the only uncapped player in what is an otherwise expe-rienced squad for the tournament in England and Wales, starting on May 30.

Four players have been to three World Cups: skipper Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim.

Jayed’s inclusion meant there was no room for pace bowler Taskin Ahmed, who is also recovering from injury.

Bangladesh also named a 17-man squad for a tri-series in Ireland in early May, where uncapped spinner Nayeem Hasan and batsman Yasir Ali will join the World Cup players.

The games against Ireland and West Indies will be held from May 5-17. Bangladesh open their World Cup against South Africa at the Oval on June 2.

Australia to rotate openers after Warner’s returnAFP SYDNEY

Australian coach Justin Langer yesterday welcomed the top-order selection dilemma posed by the return of David Warner as offering “fantastic flexibility” to the team ahead of the World Cup.

The return of Steve Smith and Warner from their year-long bans for ball-tampering has left selectors in a quandary, with openers Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja building a for-midable partnership in recent one-day internationals. Warner has been in blistering touch in the Indian Premier League and typically opens the batting.

But Langer yesterday said it was a welcome problem to have all three potential openers firing.

“We have amazing flexibility now,” he told Melbourne radio SEN.

“Usman and Finchy have done an incredible job opening the batting. David and Finchy have done a great job in the past doing it,” he added.

Langer said he would “mix and match” the top order in matches leading up to the World Cup.

“I love the flexibility of it. (It’s about) boys playing their roles for the team not just playing the roles that suit them,” he said.

Australia named their

World Cup squad on Monday with middle order batsman Peter Handscomb “brutally unlucky” to have to make way for Smith.

The decision to drop Handscomb also means the team only has one wicketkeeper in Alex Carey.

But Langer said Tim Paine, Matthew Wade and Handscomb, all named in one of Australia’s two A squads which will play in England later this year, were on standby if Carey was injured.

“Usually wicketkeepers, they give up their spot for no-one. They have to do a pretty serious injury to move aside for someone else,” he said.

Mashrafe Mortaza (Captain)Tamim IqbalLiton DasSoumya SarkarMushfiqur RahimMahmudullah RiyadShakib Al HasanMohammad MithunMohammad Saifuddin Mosaddek HossainMustafizur RahmanSabbir RahmanMehidy HasanRubel HossainAbu Jayed

BANGLADESH WORLD CUP SQUAD

taza (Captain)

rimRiyad

anithunaifuddin ssainhmann

WORLD CUP SQUAD

Mashrafe Mortaza

Former England cricketer Chris Lewis poses for a photograph at the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke in this April 10 file photo.

Woakes warns England over Archer’s potential call-upREUTERS LONDON

Chris Woakes believes it would be

unfair for England selectors to ask

any player to make way for the

uncapped all-rounder Jofra Archer

in the World Cup squad.

Barbados-born Archer, who

shone for Sussex last season and in

Australia’s Big Bash Twenty20

league for Hobart Hurricanes, is eli-

gible for national selection under

new England & Wales Cricket Board

(ECB) residency rules.

Archer’s ability to bowl at over

90 miles per hour and his lower-

order power-hitting skills have

earned him a number of high-profile

admirers including England regulars

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler.

Some are concerned about who

would be left out if he were to join

the England squad, however.

“If he was to come in and

someone was to miss out, it would

be extremely unfortunate,” all-

rounder Woakes told BBC Sport.

“We’ve been a tight-knit group

for the last two to three years, played

some really strong cricket, won a lot

of series. Apart from a personal level,

I wouldn’t want to see any of my

mates and team-mates miss out. But

it’s the nature of international cricket

that there is always someone

knocking on the door.”

England will name a provisional

15-man squad for the World Cup

today.

David Warner

TODA

Y’S

ACTI

ON UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS - SECOND LEG(10:00pm Qatar time)FC Porto vs Liverpool (Agg 0-2)Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur (Agg 0-1)

FOOTBALL

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09WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2019 SPORT

Tiger’s spectacular victory could have golf industry roaring backAP NEW YORK

Tiger Woods’ win at the Masters could revitalise the golf industry, which has struggled in the past decade while the game’s biggest star was hobbled by issues on and off the course.

Bridgestone Golf, whose logo was on the golf balls Woods used, says its website traffic soared after the Sunday win. PGA Tour Superstore, which sells golf equipment online, says sales were up over the weekend by 50% from a year ago.

And shares of Nike, the sponsor that stood by Woods after his 2009 car crash and reports of extramarital affairs, rose Monday, as did the stocks of other golf equipment makers that aren’t connected to Woods.

“The golf industry has been waiting for him to win again,” said Rick Burton, a professor at Syracuse University’s David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. TV ratings of golf tournaments and sales of golf equipment are likely to rise, he noted.

Star athletes, he said, help draw more people to the game. “It’s kind of a tsunami effect,” Burton said.

It had been 11 years since Woods had a major win - and enthusiasm for golf seemed to wane during his drought as he battled injuries and worked to repair his reputation. Nike stopped selling golf equipment in 2016 to focus on apparel. About a year later, rival Adidas sold off its golf business. And Golfsmith, the largest golf retail chain in the U.S. at the time, filed for bankruptcy protection and was later bought by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

On Sunday, Nike didn’t waste time capitalising on Woods’ win, posting a video on Twitter that had more than 24 million views by Monday afternoon. During the tournament, Woods wore head-to-toe Nike with the hard-to-miss swoosh logo on his hat, shirt, pants and shoes.

PGA Tour Superstore said a red Nike shirt with a mock tur-tleneck, similar to the one Woods

wore, was its top seller over the weekend.

“After an incredible win at the Masters, the Tiger effect is expected to kick off the start of the golf season better than expected,” PGA Tour Superstore said in a statement.

Apex Marketing Group, a branding consulting company, estimated the media exposure for Nike to be worth more than $22m. Nike Inc.’s stock rose less than 1% on Monday.

Shares of energy drink maker Monster Beverage Corp, a sponsor whose green logo appears on Woods’ golf bag, gained about 2%.

Other golf companies that aren’t connected to Woods also saw a boost. Club maker Cal-laway Golf Co.’s stock rose 1.5%. And Acushnet Holdings Corp., maker of golf balls and other golfing equipment, added 1.7%.

On Monday, Bridgestone Golf CEO Dan Murphy said in an interview on business news network CNBC that website traffic jumped 200% after Woods’ win.

Patrons cheer as Tiger Woods of the United States celebrates after sinking his putt on the 18th green to win during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday in Augusta, Georgia.

Trump says he will award Woods the Presidential Medal of FreedomREUTERS WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said he would award Tiger Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom after the golfer won the Masters for the fifth time on Sunday.

“Spoke to @TigerWoods to congratulate him on the great victory he had in yesterday’s @The-Masters, & to inform him that because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE, I will be presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM,” Trump tweeted.

The victory on Sunday was one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, as the 43-year-old ended an 11-year major title drought having overcome personal and professional setbacks including a highly-public divorce and multiple surgeries.

The one-stroke win at Augusta National led to an outpouring of support from sports greats and politicians including Trump.

Trump, an avid golfer, and Woods have played together in the past including in February when

the pair joined golf great Jack Nicklaus for a round at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida.

Trump appeared to follow the action at this year’s Masters closely, tweeting well-wishes to the field on Saturday and encouraging people to tune in when Woods had the lead with just two holes left to play on Sunday.

“Congratulations to @TigerWoods, a truly Great Champion!” Trump tweeted shortly after Woods sank a short putt to secure his 15th major title.

“Love people who are great under pressure. What a fantastic life comeback for a really great guy!” he added later.

The medal is the highest civilian honour in the United States and is given annually to people who have made outstanding contributions to the security or national interests of the country, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavours.

Since taking office Trump has given the award to several athletes including former professional NFL players Roger Staubach and Alan Page and late professional baseball player George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Jr.

Spain’s Fernando Verdasco plays a

backhand return to France’s Pierre-Hugues

Herbert during their match in Monaco

yesterday. Herbert won 6-4, 6-4.

REUTERS BERLIN

Retired NBA champion Dirk Nowitzki, who spent 21 seasons at the Dallas Mavericks, could see himself returning to basketball as coach or manager in a few years time, the German said.

The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer ended his sparkling career last week after more than two decades at the Mavericks with whom he was crowned NBA champion in 2011 and was a 14-time All Star.

“After one or two years I can see myself being happy... as a coach or a manager,” Nowitzki told Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper in an interview to be published today.

“I would like to be a mentor for a young player and... accompany them through their career in my very own way.”

For now, Nowitzki is content to put his feet up and enjoy a drink and a slice of cake, something he could not do for years as a professional player.

“In the past week I had some cake,” he said. “That felt good.”

Nowitzki holds the record for having played the most seasons for the same club and is sixth in the all-time scorers list of the NBA.

Nagging injuries, however, took their toll on his body and continuing his career past the current season was impossible.

“What I did not want to happen under any circum-stance was to say goodbye and be sitting at home, thinking ‘damn, you would really like to play now. Why did you do this’,” he said.

“But my body was not good.

“To be honest my foot where I had surgery last year was not well throughout the year. I knew it would not be getting any better.”

Djokovic advances with scrappy winAP MONACO

Two-time champion Novak Djokovic struggled with his serve at times but reached the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters with a scrappy 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber yesterday.

Djokovic double-faulted eight times and needed five match points to beat Kohlschreiber, who lost eight of their previous 10 matches but secured a rare win in the third round at Indian Wells last month.

He caused problems again for the top-ranked Djokovic in an error-strewn match which featured eight straight breaks of serve from when Kohlschreiber led 2-1 in the second set.

Midway through that, Djokovic needed treatment for a couple of minutes on his right thumb. He appeared to hurt it while sliding at the baseline during the fifth game.

After Kohlschreiber dropped serve at the start of the deciding set - the eighth straight service break - Djokovic saved break points before holding for 2-0.

The 15-time Grand Slam champion, who will aim to win a fourth straight major when the French Open starts next month, then upped his level. He held to love for 4-2 and saved a break point to go 5-3 up, forcing his 35-year-old German opponent to serve to stay in the match. Kohlschreiber saved a first match point at 30-40 with a sublime drop shot and held.

Serving for the match, Djokovic fluffed another three match points. After finally sealing the victory when Kohlschreiber’s return landed long, he whacked the ball away in frustration and then whipped another one up into the crowd.

Djokovic, who lost in the fourth round of the Miami Open last month, seemed irritable at times and smashed his racket into the ground at 4-2 down in the second set. Later in the second, he lobbed his racket at the ball when retrieving a shot at the baseline and inad-vertently sent it into the crowd.

He next faces the winner of a second-round match between American Taylor Fritz or Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman.

In other second-round play, Argentine Guido Pella downed seventh-seeded Marin Cilic 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, breaking the imposing Croatian’s serve eight times. There was another upset as Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego won 7-6 (4), 6-4 against eighth-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during

his match against Germany’s Philipp

Kohlschreiber on day four of the Monte-Carlo ATP Masters Series in Monaco

yesterday. Djokovic won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

AFP MONTE CARLO

Rafael Nadal offered a low-key appraisal yesterday of his chances for a record-extending 12th Monte Carlo Masters title as he prepares to return from his latest injury lay-off.

The 32-year-old Spaniard, whose bad knees and constant stoppages from competition have defined his career as king of clay, was extremely hesitant to even rate his chances as he gets set to face Roberto Bautista Agut in today’s second round start.

“I cant give you any feeling, it’s been a rough year and a half for me,” Nadal said ahead of his first match since withdrawing with another knee injury prior to an Indian Wells semi-final against Roger Federer last month. “It’s tough for me to get a clear view of how I am. It’s all hard for me personally.”

Nadal has a vast number of ranking points to defend on clay after lifting titles in a spectacular 2018 run at Monte Carlo, Bar-celona, Rome and Roland Garros.

His only other trophy during a season in which he did not play at all after the US Open came on hard court in Toronto, where he beat young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

“It’s been hard for me personally,” Nadal said of his latest physical setback. “Now the work of every day is to improve, (make) small improvements in every practice.

“It’s important for me to have a good practice before the tour-nament starts and then try to be competitive for the first round. It’s gonna be a tough one (match with Bautista Agut), so let’s see.”

Nadal is seeded second here behind Novak Djokovic, who is hoping to build for the French Open as he attempts to complete a personal sweep by winning his fourth straight Grand Slam title.

While Bautista Agut fought back to beat Australian John Millman 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, Denis Shapovalov’s 20th birthday celebra-tions fell flat as he lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to German Jan-Lennard Struff.

Fifteenth seed Shapovalov has yet to claim a win in the Prin-cipality after losing in the first round a year ago to Tsitsipas.

The nearly two-hour effort was marred by 10 double-faults from the Canadian youngster, who was broken six times. Belgian 16th seed David Goffin made short work of Argentine Guido Andreozzi 6-1, 6-4.

Subdued Nadal enters the unknown in Monte Carlo

Nowitzki could see himself as coach in a few years

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10 WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2019SPORT

FAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

Athletes from the world’s biggest continent will enjoy ‘the expe-rience of a lifetime’ when they descend on Doha to feature in the 23rd Asian Athletics Champion-ships set for next week, Vice-President of the International Association of Athletics Federa-tions (IAAF) Dahlan Al Hamad promised yesterday.

An air-conditioned Khalifa International Stadium will be the venue for the biennial event, which will witness around 700 elite athletes from 44 nations in action. As many as 186 medals from 21 men’s events, 21 women’s events, and a mixed relay event have been scheduled during the championships from April 21 to 24.

The Asian Athletics Champi-onships will primarily serve as the test event for the Local Organising Committee (LOC), which will host Middle East’s first IAAF World Championships in just over five month’s time at the iconic venue.

“We will have to set very high standards in the Asian Athletics Championships,” Dahlan, who also heads the LOC, told a press conference at Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) headquarters yesterday.

“Doha’s legacy is hosting major international events for over 21 years and we will use all our experience to make this a memorable event for all the Asian athletes and fans,” he added.

“We are ready to host one of the great and exceptional cham-pionships that will remain in memory of the fans and athletes for a long time,” said Dahlan, also the President of the Asian Ath-letics Association (AAA).

During the Asian Athletics Championships Doha 2019, all major operations, including the venue, transport and accommo-dation, are set to be trialled to ensure a smooth and spotless experience during the IAAF Worlds, which will be held from 28 September to 6 October.

“The Asian championships is the biggest IAAF event in the con-tinent and it gives us great chance to prepare for the global show-piece event. We will welcome 3,500 athletes from 200 nations and more than 10, 000 interna-tional guests at the IAAF Worlds,” Dahlan said.

To a query, he said, athletes from all the blockading Asian countries, will also compete in Doha during the four-day cham-pionships next week.

“Athletes from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain will compete in Doha. We welcome all athletes who want to participate. We don’t mix sports with politics,” said Dahlan before hoping for good crowd turn out during the championships.

“The ticket sales is under way at the event’s website www.aac2019.com. Qatar has a huge Asian population and even if a fraction of it comes to watch live action, the stadium will be filled,” he said.

‘Cool’ Khalifa International Stadium offers optimal conditions

The Asian Athletics

Championships will be the first time the revolutionary state-of-the-art cooling system at the Khalifa International Stadium will be tested formally in a major event.

It is the first time ever that an outdoor stadium has been equipped with air conditioning system to provide ideal condi-tions for athletes in hot temper-atures. The system is designed in a way that it will not affect the athletes’ performance in any discipline.

“I say Khalifa International Stadium has state-of-the-art cooling system. Why I say that? Because they designed the air condition in two ways. One for the football and one for athletics,” Dahlan explained.

“During athletics, the air will be released for a higher level, where it will not even affect any event even the javelin. The tem-perature will be adjusted as per the instructions from the tech-nical delegates. The Khalifa Stadium technology is highly adjustable with regard of tem-perature,” he added.

“The purpose is to give ath-letes optimal conditions to max-imise their chance of achieving glory,” said Dahlan.

The LOC is expected to get instructions from technical dele-gates on April 19, however, the temperature is likely to be adjusted between 22 to 24 degrees, deemed suitable for athletes.

IAAF Worlds host Qatar ready to stage ‘memorable’ Asian track and field show

IAAF Vice-President Dahlan Al Hamad (centre), along with other officials of Local Organising Committee, Eng Eman Al Emadi (left), Director of Planning and Operation Committee; Eng Fahad Ebrahim Jumaa (second left), Vice-President and Director General; and Salah Al Saadi (second right), Director of Venues Committee during a press conference, yesterday. PICTURE: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

An air-conditioned Khalifa International Stadium will be the venue for the biennial event, which will witness around 700 elite athletes from 44 nations in action.

A view of Khalifa International Stadium.

Upbeat Qatar eye rich medals haul at home CHINTHANA WASALA

THE PENINSULA

Hosts Qatar are confident of a rich medals haul

at next week’s 23rd Asian Athletics Champion-

ships, Local Organising Committee (LOC) Chairman

Dahlan Al Hamad said yesterday.

Reigning world champion in high jump

Mutaz Barshim and Abderrahman Samba (pic-tured), the most successful track and field

athlete last year, have been named in a

29-strong Qatar contingent. Al Dahlan, the IAAF

Vice President and President of the Asian Ath-

letics Association (AAA), informed media that

the home athletes are ready for action in the

April 21-24 event to be held at the Khalifa Inter-

national Stadium.

“Inshallah (God willing) they will have good

results,” Al Hamad said during a press con-

ference held at the Qatar Olympic Com-

mittee (QOC) headquarters,

yesterday.

“We know this is the Asian Cham-

pionship and that this is the year of

preparation for the IAAF World Cham-

pionships. Yes, you cannot underes-

timate any nation in Asia because

everybody will be coming here pre-

pared. But there will be good results for

Qatar,” Al Hamad said.

Samba, the 2018 Asian

Games champion

unbeaten in nine

major track and

field events last

year, is expected to dazzle the home crowd as

well as the sports enthusiasts at the Khalifa Inter-

national Stadium next week.

The Qatar contingent also includes top Asian

athletes junior world champion in hammer throw

Ashraf El Seify, 2015 Asian Championship gold

medallist and silver winner two years ago in Bhu-

baneswar, Femi Ogunode, sprint sensation Tosin

Ogunode, and middle distance star Jamal Hairane

who won two silver medals during the last

edition.Barshim, meanwhile, has completely

recovered from an injury which he had suffered

in July last year, and is already training with his

coach and is mainly focused on defending his

world title.

Before his season was cut short, the Rio

Olympics silver medallist, Barshim, cleared a world-

leading 2.40-metre mark twice, and accounted

for four of the five highest jumps recorded

in 2018.

“Barshim has recovered. He’s on the

track now and we have just included

him in the list,” Al Hamad said.

“But we want to see the last OK

from his coach because you know most

important thing is for him is to be really

fit to compete here and continue in the

Diamond League and also the World

Championship. The goal is the World Cham-

pionships,” Al Hamad said. Barshim last

competed in the Asian champion-

ships in Wuhan, China in

2015, where he won a

bronze, one of

Qatar’s 10 medals.

hallah (God willing) they will have good

Al Hamad said during a press con-

held at the Qatar Olympic Com-

(QOC) headquarters,

ay.

know this is the Asian Cham-

and that this is the year of

on for the IAAF World Cham-

s. Yes, you cannot underes-

ny nation in Asia because

dy will be coming here pre-

ut there will be good results for

Al Hamad said.

ba, the 2018 Asian

champion

n in nine

rack and

ents last

leading 2.40-metre mark twice, and

for four of the five highest jum

in 2018.

“Barshim has recovered

track now and we have ju

him in the list,” Al Hamad s

“But we want to see

from his coach because you

important thing is for him is

fit to compete here and con

Diamond League and also

Championship. The goal is the W

pionships,” Al Hamad said. B

competed in the Asian

ships in Wuha

2015, whe

bronze

Qatar’s

Asian Athletics Championships Doha 2019

Chess: Superb Sharma wins Qatar Primary Schools title

The schoolboys pose for a group picture after conclusion of the event, yesterday.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

India’s Taksh Sharma of DPS Indian School outplayed all six of his oppo-nents to clinch the Qatar Primary Schoolboys’ Chess title at the Jawaan Bin Jassim Model Inde-pendent School for Boys yesterday.

Sharma got the better of com-patriots Gaurish Ganesh, Shahal Mohammed, Rishab Murthy and Rahul Balamurugan as well as Egyptian Hazem Disouky and Jor-dan’s Khaled Al Qatani to secure full points with a brilliant score of 21 in the six rounds yesterday.

Tom Varghese, also from DPS Indian School, finished with a score of 5.5 after winning five games and

drawing against Anirudh Aravind in the fourth round.

Rahul Balamurugan completed a brilliant treble for DPS Indian School by winning the bronze medal, after earning a total score of of 5.

Gowtham Ramamoorthy, winner of the Qatargas Rapid Chess Tournament title few days ago, fin-ished fourth ahead of Abel Sajan, who completed the top five.

The amazing performances by

the top three players also earned DPS Indian School the team cham-pionship. The team amassed 11.5 points.

Doha Modern Indian School fin-ished second ahead of Birla Public School who won third place in the competition.

The Boys’ tournament saw 124 players representing boys 34 schools took part in the two-day event which saw the girls in contest on the opening day, which saw Amulya Guruprasad of Doha Modern Indian School winning the title.

The tournament was organised by the Qatar School Sports Associ-ation and Qatar Chess Association.

Taksh Sharma of DPS Indian School outplayed all six of his opponents to clinch the Qatar Primary Schoolboys’ Chess title.

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AFP MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM

Pep Guardiola (pictured) admits Manchester City’s bid for an unprecedented quadruple will be defined by today’s Champions League showdown with Tottenham and their following two Premier League games.

Guardiola’s side are in con-tention to win all four major tro-phies after lifting the League Cup, reaching the FA Cup final and staying in touch with Premier League leaders Liverpool.

City’s next obstacle on the road to football immortality comes in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Tottenham as they bid to overturn a 1-0 deficit at the Etihad Stadium.

Even if they beat Tottenham to make the semi-finals, there will be no time for City to rest on their laurels as they face Spurs again in the Premier League on

Saturday before heading to Man-chester United the following Wednesday.

With Liverpool two points clear of City, who have a game in hand, Guardiola acknowl-edged the next seven days will decide whether his team take their quadruple chase into the final days of the season.

“Definitely. If we don’t win these games we will be out of two competitions. I’ve had this feeling for weeks,” Guardiola told reporters yesterday.

“Last season in this period we were already champions. This season we had an incredible opponent in the Premier League with Liverpool. Both teams deserve to be champions, but just one is going to get it.

“After what we did last season, I’m surprised that we have 83 points right now. The target is 98, without that we will not be champions.

“Tottenham are incredible

and we don’t have rest. We played nine, 10 or 11 games more than Liverpool. Even with that, I like this challenge.”

Having won the Premier League in record-breaking fashion last season, Guardiola could have been forgiven for focusing on Europe this term as he looks to win the Champions League for the third time as a boss -- and the first since his 2011 triumph with Barcelona.

But the City boss claims the Premier League remains his primary goal.

And Guardiola, who cut a tetchy figure for much of his press conference, refused to accept he has underachieved in E u r o p e ’ s e l i t e c l u b competition.

“The Champions League is tough. We fail all the time. Sorry guys, I’m a failure!” he said in an outburst laced with sarcasm.

“Not winning the Champions League in Bayern Munich was a

big failure. What can I say? “Do I have to win it? No. The

chairman said I have to win the Champions League three times in a row! “I didn’t come here to

win the Champions League hon-estly. I came here to play the way we played the last 20 months.

“The Premier League is the most important title, to be there every three days competing.” Guardiola’s grumpy mood included a rant at the Premier League for failing to give English teams in Europe equal treatment.

The Spaniard is irked that Tottenham had more time to rest and prepare before both legs.

“They had six days to prepare the first game, we had two. Now they played Saturday, we played Sunday,” Guardiola said.

“I don’t know why the Premier League don’t put the games at 12.30 on Saturday.”

Guardiola’s irritability may have been provoked by a question about his past jibe that Tottenham were the ‘Harry Kane

team’ in reference to the England captain’s importance.

Kane will miss the second leg with ankle ligament damage sus-tained against City last week, but Guardiola wasn’t going to give Mauricio Pochettino’s side any extra motivational fuel.

“Tottenham without Kane are the same strong team they had three seasons ago, two seasons ago and this season,” he said.

Guardiola knows Tottenham will pose a serious threat to City’s quadruple dreams over the next few days, and he called on the Etihad crowd to produce an intimidating atmosphere.

“I know how focused the players are, I know the desire to get to the semi-finals,” he said.

“Every time we played away in the Champions League the atmosphere was incredible, so we need it.

“I want to see if our fans really want to get to the semi-finals.”

If we look at them as a strong team with big stars such as Samuel Eto’o, we will lose the match. But I have asked my players to think about the strong season we have had, the great games we played and the opportunities we took: Muaither coach

11WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2019 SPORT

Qatar SC and Muaither clash in QSL play-off ARMSTRONG VAS THE PENINSULA

Muaither SC will not focus on the ‘big stars’ in the Qatar SC ranks but rely on their own strengths when they take on Sergio Batista’s side in the QNB Stars League play-off match at the Al Duhail Stadium today.

The match pits the 11th-placed team against Second Division runners-up Muaither SC, with winner getting a berth in next sea-son’s QSL.

“If we look at them as a strong team with big stars such as Samuel Eto’o, we will lose the match. But I have asked my players to think about the strong season we have had, the great games we played and the oppor-tunities we took. I also told them not to look at the names. It’s 11 players against 11 players,” said coach Philippe Burle, on the eve of the match.

“I think our team has made good progress. We will now play against Qatar SC, a team with great experience, but we will focus on the strengths of our team,” he added.

Looking back at the season Burle said he was satisfied with the performance of his players and expressed confidence that they will taste success in the play-off match.

“We have had a good season, but it was difficult and we could qualify for the play-off ahead of Al Markhiya. We must appreciate the efforts of the players and we hope that our efforts will succeed.

“We had made a strong start in the Second Division this season and we were in the lead at some stage. But in the end, the best team (Al Wakrah) won. There is no comparison between us and

them. Al Wakrah had strengthened their ranks during the winter transfer period by recruiting some good players,” he added.

For Qatar SC coach Sergio Batista the match is a ‘final’ as the winner takes it all.

“We did not have much time to prepare for this important game. There are things to work on, especially the physical and tactical aspects. We consider this match as final.”

Batista said Muaither was a formidable opposition and said his players are fully geared up for the challenge which lies ahead of them.

“We will face a strong team in Muaither SC and the players are ready for the contest. They are staying highly focused because they consider this game as crucial.

“We are talking to the players about the importance of the game and we are motivating them to play it as hard as they can as it

will determine the fate of the team,” he added.

“I see Muaither SC as strong competitors. They have good players in defence and also in attack. We worked well to deal with them. We will try to stop them from launching offensives and find gaps in their defence. We are very confident that our players will do their best,” said Batista.

Qatar SC player Ali Saeed Al Mohannadi said, “The chances of both teams are equal. We did not want to reach this stage, but now we have to deal with the reality. We are aware of the importance of this match, so our preparations are going well. We are focused. We are counting on the support of our fans.

The match will kick off at 6:45pm.

According to the regulations, if the play-off match ends in a draw after regular time, an extra time of 30 minutes, of two halves, will be allowed. If the deadlock still continues, the match will be decided in a penalty shoot-out.

Officials of Muaither SC and Qatar SC pose with their respective clubs jerseys ahead of QNB Stars League play-off match at the Al Duhail Stadium which will take place today.

ITTF, QTTA mourn death of young Qatar star Al NajjarTHE PENINSULA DOHA

World governing body the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) President Khalil Al Mohannadi yesterday paid tribute to young Abdul-rahman Mohsen Al Najjar (pictured) who died on Sunday 10 days after sustaining serious injuries in a car crash.

In a story posted on www.ittf.com, the world governing was ‘deeply sad-dened’ by the news of Al Najjar’s passing away after 10 days in intensive care fol-lowing a car accident in Doha.

The Qatar U21 player, who represented Al Sadd Club, became the highest ranked player in his country and had an extremely bright future ahead of him.

A very polite and well-mannered man according to his peers and colleagues at the QTTA, Al Najjar was in his second year of a Sport Management degree at Qatar University.

“This was a young man looking to build a successful career in sport and someone very well respected by eve-ryone who came into contact with him, both as a player and as a person,” the post on www.ittf.com said.

He was registered to play at the upcoming Lie-bherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Champion-ships in Budapest between 21-28 April, the report

added. Shocked and sad-dened by his tragic passing, the whole ITTF family will honour his memory in Budapest and beyond.

“The ITTF sends its deepest condolences to the family of Abdulrahman Al Najjar, to the whole Qatar Table Tennis Association and to Khalil Al-Mohannadi, President of the Qatar and Arab Table Tennis Federations and Deputy ITTF President,” the post added.

Al Mohannadi said in a statement that the table tennis family and sports fraternity would have a dif-ficult time to bear the loss of ‘most promising player in Qatar’.

The Aspire Academy tweeted: “AspireAcademy mourns the passing away of its graduate and Qatar NT table tennis player Abdulrahman Al Naggar. May Allah bless his soul and give his family the needed strength and patience during this difficult time of sadness.”

Qatar Olympic Academy and International Olympic Academy sign MoU

It’s crunch time for Man City, admits Guardiola

Porto hopeful of comeback PORTO, PORTUGAL

FC Porto coach Sergio Conceicao reckons Liverpool are “the best team in the world” on their day as the Portuguese side faces up to the daunting prospect of overturning a two-goal deficit in their Champions League quarter-final.

The teams meet at the Estadio do Dragao today in the second leg of their last-eight tie, with Porto needing a historic comeback to go through after losing 2-0 at Anfield last week with Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino scoring.

While Porto have won all four home games in the

Champions League this season, Liverpool travel to northern Portugal on top of the Premier League and unbeaten in 16 games.

“They are everything I like about football. I like the way they play, the way they are with the ball and without it,” Conceicao said at an eve-of-game press conference yesterday.

“In my opinion, a lot of the time just now they are the best team in the world.” Porto lost 5-0 at home to Liverpool a year ago when the clubs met in the last 16.

However, Conceicao let slip that retaining the domestic title is Porto’s pri-ority during a lengthy rant at Portuguese authorities over match scheduling.

Qatar Olympic Committee Secretary-General Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain (second right) poses for a picture with officials of International Olympic Academy (IOA) in Athens yesterday. The Qatar Olympic Academy signed a memorandum of understanding with IOA in Athens.

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SPORTWednesday 17 April 2019

PAGE | 08 PAGE | 09Australia to

rotate openers after Warner’s

return

Subdued Nadal enters the unknown in Monte Carlo

The players and officials of Al Rayyan Sports Club, the winners of the 2019 Amir Cup, celebrate their 80-77 triumph over Al Sadd in the final at the Al Gharafa Indoor Stadium, yesterday. Lenny Mc Arthur Daniel was the star scorer for the champions with 23 points. Tanguy Alban Ngombo (14), Akeem Wright (13), Abdelrahman Abdelhaleem (12) and captain Mohamed Hassan Mohamed (12) also made valuable contributions. PICTURE: HUSSEIN SAYED

Ashwin stars in Punjab’s dominant win over RajasthanIANS MOHALI

Skipper R Ashwin struck at crucial times while KL Rahul scored a matured half century to help Kings XI Punjab return to winning ways with a 12-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) clash yesterday.

Chasing 183 for victory after KL Rahul helped Kings XI post 182/6 with a well-paced 52, Royals were on course with 94 needed off 60 balls.

But Ashwin (2/24), whose 4-ball 17 run cameo proved to be the difference in the end, removed Sanju Samson (27) in the 12th over to break the 59-run second wicket stand with Rahul Tripathi (50 off 45 balls; 4x4) and then got the back of Tripathi in the 16th over to further dent Royals’ charge.

After Tripathi’s dismissal, the visitors needed 56 off 24. But Ajinkya Rahane (26) failed to lead from the front once again and Stuart Binny’s unbeaten 11-ball 31 too proved futile in the end as Kings XI won easily at the end. Royals managed 170/7 in 20 overs.

Besides Ashwin, Mohammed Shami (2/46) and Arshdeep Singh (2/43) also got two wickets.

Earlier, buoyed by a World Cup call-up, KL Rahul struck a well-timed fifty but Archer stole the limelight from him with splendid figures of 3/15 as Kings XI Punjab posted 182/6 after being asked to bat first.

Brief ScoresKings XI Punjab: 182/6 (KL Rahul 52; David

Miller 40; Jofra Archer 3/15)Rajasthan Royals: 170/7 (Rahul Tripathi

50; R Ashwin 2/24, Mohammed Shami 2/46, Arshdeep Singh 2/43)

Basketball: Al Rayyan down Al Sadd to win Amir Cup

REUTERS TURIN

Ajax Amsterdam produced a spell-binding display of inventive, passing football to win 2-1 away to Juventus yesterday and end the Serie A team’s dreams of winning the Champions League.

Ajax’s 19-year-old captain Mat-thijs de Ligt headed the winner from the corner in the 67th minute of the quarter-final second leg as the Dutch side came from behind to clinch a 3-2 aggregate win and reach the last four for the first time since 1996/97.

Ronaldo, aiming for a fourth suc-cessive Champions League title after winning the last three with Real Madrid, put Juventus ahead in the 28th minute with a typically emphatic header, his sixth goal of the competition.

But Donny van de Beek levelled six minutes later before the visitors swept Juventus aside in the second half with wave after wave of fluid attacks to follow up their elimination of Real Madrid in the previous round.

Meanwhile, in Barcelona, Lionel Messi scored two early goals to send his team into the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in four seasons with a comfortable 3-0 win over Manchester United yesterday.

After Barcelona withstood some early pressure from United, Messi ended any hopes of a comeback for the Premier League side as the hosts advanced 4-0 on aggregate.

Messi opened the scoring with a brilliant solo effort in the 16th minute after he won possession of the ball, ghosted past a defender, and curled a shot into the far corner.

The second came just four

minutes later, although Messi was helped by a massive error by David de Gea that time. The Argentina forward only managed a tame shot on goal but the Spain goalkeeper let it slip underneath him and into the net.

Philippe Coutinho added a third goal with a superb curling strike from long range in the 61st to cap arguably the best performance by the former Liverpool player since joining Bar-celona just over a year ago.

Twenty years ago at Barcelona’s

stadium, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer completed one of the most memorable comebacks in soccer history when he scored the English team’s second injury-time goal to stun Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final. But after a promising start when Marcus Rashford hit the crossbar, Messi showed that sentimental memories mean very little when he is playing at his best.

The goals ended Messi’s bizarre scoring drought in Champions

League quarterfinals that had reached 12 matches dating back to 2013.

They took his t o u r n a m e n t -leading tally to 1 0 t h i s season. In total he has 45 goals in 42 g a m e s through all competitions.

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Ajax tame Juventus; Messi’s brace guides Barca into semis

Ajax’s Dutch defenders Matthijs de Ligt (left) and Daley Blind celebrate past Juventus’ Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (right) after de Ligt scored his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, yesterday.

Barcelona’s Argentinian

forward Lionel Messi

celebrates after scoring

his second goal against Manchester

United at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, yesterday.