LONDON: The green light for the Premier League’s return owes much to a political will for the national game to lift spirits in the country hardest hit by coronavirus in Europe.
Suspected and confirmed deaths from coronavirus in Britain passed 50,000 according to analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week.
Restrictions on personal freedoms remain in place, while plans to reopen schools to all pupils in England have been shelved until September.
Yet, on Wednesday, Premier League stars will return to live action with the government reveling in its role to ensure 33 of the remaining 92 games of the season will be shown on free-to-air platforms.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told parliament last month that the return of live sport to television “could provide a much-needed boost to national morale.”
On the day June 17 was set as the date for the Premier League’s return, Oliver Dowden, secretary of state for sport, said football had a “special place in our national life.”
However, the Premier League has not enjoyed such political backing throughout the course of the pandemic.
In the early weeks of April as clubs scrambled to respond to a sudden drop in revenue, Liverpool and Tottenham were among the top-flight teams that signaled their intent to use the government’s furlough scheme for nonplaying staff.
The scheme, designed to protect jobs once lockdowns are lifted, has seen the government cover the cost of 80 percent of wages up to a maximum of 2,500 ($3,100) a month per employee.
Yet, the sight of last season’s two Champions League finalists using tax payers’ money without cutting the wages of players provoked a furious reaction.
Conservative MP Julian Knight accused the Premier League of a “moral vacuum.”
At a daily news briefing at the height of the crisis, even Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Premier League players to “take a pay cut and play their part.”
Both clubs bowed to public pressure and quickly reversed their decision to use the scheme.
“When the furlough scheme and the discussions around player salaries and taking pay cuts arose, my feeling was that was opportunistic on the part of government and actually very cynical,” Prof. Simon Chadwick, director of Eurasian Sport at Emlyon business school told AFP.
“Within weeks the government had flipped again and suddenly this is important for national well-being, social cohesion and national identity, providing a diversion from the pandemic.
“This was the government using football to achieve its own ends, rather than of football itself, or fans and the population.”
English Premier League becomes ‘a political football’
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English Premier League becomes ‘a political football’
- The scheme, designed to protect jobs once lockdowns are lifted, has seen the government cover the cost of 80 percent of wages up to a maximum of 2,500 ($3,100) a month per employee
Century from Andries Gous powers Desert Vipers into ILT20 final
- His is first player from an associate nation to score a century in tournament history, and his 157-run partnership with Fakhar Zaman sets ILT20 opening-stand record
- Debutant Usman Tariq leads the charge with the ball, bagging three crucial wickets to help seal the victory
ABU DHABI: An unbeaten century from Andries Gous propelled Desert Vipers into the final of the International League T20 with a commanding 45-run victory over MI Emirates in Qualifier 1 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
His remarkable 120 not out spearheaded a clinical, all-round display as the Vipers secured a place in their third final in four seasons.
Gous and Fakhar Zaman, who hit a fluent 69 off 50 balls, laid the foundation for an imposing Vipers total as they stitched together a record-breaking 157-run partnership, the highest opening stand in the four-season history of the DP World ILT20.
Debutant Usman Tariq was then the star with the ball, claiming three wickets to derail the chase by MI Emirates.
Sent in to bat first, the Vipers got off to a measured start before accelerating the pace sharply. After a watchful opening, Gous let loose in the fifth over, smashing Romario Shepherd for two sixes and a four in a 20-run burst. He reached his half-century from just 29 balls, including three fours and three sixes, as the opening stand raced past 100 runs in only 65 deliveries.
Fakhar, who similarly began steadily, also shifted gears in the middle overs, reaching his 50 from 36 balls after targeting Kieron Pollard.
The opening pair were finding the boundary with ease and pushed their combined total beyond 150 before Fakhar was finally dismissed in the 16th over by Allah Ghazanfar. Sam Curran then joined Gous to provide a blistering finish.
Gous completed his century, the first of the season and the first by a player from an associate nation in the history of the ILT20, from 53 balls. Curran, meanwhile, smashed an unbeaten 38 off just 12 balls, including 20 runs in the final over, as the Vipers surged to a season-high 233 for the loss of a single wicket.
Gous finished the day with seven fours and nine sixes, and registered the highest individual score in the history of the tournament.
Chasing a daunting target, MI Emirates began brightly enough through Mohammed Waseem, who struck 41 off 32 balls, and Tom Banton. They ensured the powerplay was a positive spell, reaching 53 for one. Banton quickly took charge, hammering 18 runs off Curran in the ninth over on his way to a 21-ball half-century.
However, the momentum shifted decisively when Naseem Shah removed Waseem in the 11th over. Tariq then struck twice in two deliveries in the 12th, dismissing Banton for a valiant 63 off 27 balls, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi for a duck. The debutant added the wicket of Pollard soon after, finishing with three for 33 and swinging the contest firmly in the Vipers’ favor.
David Payne chipped in by removing Dan Mousley, and although Romario Shepherd contributed an unbeaten 39 late in the innings, including a costly 18th over off Curran, MI Emirates were restricted to 188 for seven, far short of what was required.
On Friday they will have a second chance to reach the final when they take on the winners of an eliminator, to be played on Thursday, between Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and Dubai Capitals. The final will take place on Sunday.
Player of the match Gous said his performance was one he will not forget.
“It was a really special moment for me,” he said. “You don’t get many opportunities to score a hundred, so I truly cherished it.
“After the sixth over we knew handling the wind would be key, and Fakhar batted superbly, which made my job a lot easier.
“Post-powerplay, we were thinking in terms of 190 to 200 but then Sam played an unbelievable innings that pushed us all the way to 230.”
MI Emirates captain Pollard admitted the big target set by the Vipers proved decisive.
“Chasing 233 was always going to be a stiff challenge,” he said. “Losing by 45 runs is a big margin in T20 cricket but I felt we conceded about 10 to 15 runs too many on what was a very good pitch.
“One loss isn’t the end of the road; we still have another chance.”
