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England vs West Indies: Ben Stokes Becomes Second-Fastest All-Rounder To Test Double Of 4,000 runs And 150 Wickets

Ben Stokes picked up four wickets on Day three of the Test at Southampton.© Twitter England's stand-in skipper Ben Stokes on Friday became the second-fastest all-rounder to reach the Test double of 4,000 runs and 150 wickets. He achieved the feat during the third day of the first Test match between England and West Indies at the Ageas Bowl. With the dismissal of Alzarri Joseph, Stokes joined former England all-rounder Ian Botham and four other greats of the game in the club of 4,000 Test runs and 150-plus wickets. He finished with the figures of 4-49 in his 14 overs including five maiden overs. The 29-year-old all-rounder reached the milestone in 64 games. Only former West Indies great Gary Sobers is ahead of him, who achieved the feat in 63 Tests.Apart from Sobers and Stokes, former South African cricketer Jacques Kallis, India's Kapil Dev and ex-New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori are also on the list.Earlier in the first innings, Stokes played a knock of 43 runs, the highest for his side, and guided them to 204 runs.PromotedWest Indies were wrapped up for 318, taking a 114-run lead.England will resume their play from 15/0 on day four with Rory Burns and Dom Sibley unbeaten on 10 and 5 runs respectively. Topics mentioned in this article Read the full article

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Manchester United Urge Fans To Stay Away If Matches Resume

If the Premier League get their wish to play at clubs' normal stadiums rather than at neutral venues, then United will have four home league matches to play.Aware of the danger of supporters gathering in large groups during the health crisis, United have pleaded with their fans to stay away from matches and watch on television."We share your disappointment that you will not be able to watch United in person from within the stadium, but we would encourage you to give your continued loyal support from the comfort and safety of your home," United said in an email to supporters on Tuesday."To help with that, the Premier League and their media partners will work to deliver the very best broadcast coverage of our games."We also ask for your co-operation not to travel to any stadiums at which we are playing on matchdays."By supporting from home and following Government guidance, you will be playing your part to keep your friends, your family and all United fans safe."This united effort to stay at home will give us the best chance of protecting the health of everyone in our community." Read the full article

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FIFA To Announce Hosts Of 2023 Women's World Cup On June 25

FIFA, the apex football body, has confirmed that it will be announcing the hosts of the 2023 Women's World Cup on June 25. Football's governing body was slated to host a council meeting in Addis Ababa in June, but it has now been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. FIFA will now confirm the hosts after holding an online meeting. "In light of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having around the world and the postponement of the FIFA Council meeting that was foreseen to take place in early June 2020 in Addis Ababa, FIFA has today confirmed to the bidding member associations that the selection of the hosts of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 by the FIFA Council will be made at its meeting to be held online on 25 June 2020," FIFA said in a statement.The four finalists to host the event include a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand, as well as bids from Brazil, Colombia and Japan.Since the inception of the tournament in 1991, China and the United States have each hosted the event twice.The other editions of the tournament have been hosted by Sweden, Germany, Canada and France."All eligible bids will be presented to the FIFA Council in order for it to select the FIFA Women''s World Cup 2023 hosts within the scope of an open voting process, in which the result of each ballot and the related votes by the members of the FIFA Council will be made public on FIFA.com," the FIFA further stated.The 2023 FIFA World Cup will be the first time that 32 teams will take part in the tournament.The USA has managed to win the Women's World Cup a maximum number of times (four) and the country also managed to win the last edition of the tournament in 2019. Read the full article

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Coronavirus: Novak Djokovic "Personally Against Vaccination" If Made Compulsory For Tennis Players

Novak Djokovic has said he would be against a compulsory coronavirus vaccination if it became a requirement for tennis players to travel to tournaments. "Personally I'm against vaccination. I wouldn't like that someone forces me to get a vaccine in order to be able to travel," the world number one said late on Sunday. The Serbian star was speaking from Spain, where he is in lockdown with his family, in a video conference held on his Facebook for Orthodox Easter. "We (players) will have to travel. I think it will be the number one challenge," the 32-year said."If it (vaccination) will become compulsory what will happen? I will have to take a decision," on whether to get a vaccine or not, he said."This is my opinion at the moment. Whether it will change I don't know."There is currently no vaccine for the virus that has claimed some 165,000 lives around the globe, though labs around the world are racing to develop a treatment. Like the rest of the sporting world, tennis has been on pause since early March, with the ATP and WTA Tours suspended until mid-July at the earliest and Wimbledon cancelled for the first time since World War II.Djokovic estimated tournaments would not restart "before September or October"."The season will officially restart when everyone will be 100 percent certain that people can return, that there is no risk, that people are resistant to the virus and this takes time."Tournaments with travel limited to one country or a region could be possible, he said. Read the full article

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Dean Jones Shares Hilarious Video Of Australian Comedian Andy Lee Trying To Catch A Ball. Watch

Dean Jones, the former Australian cricketer, shared a fun video of Australian comedian Andy Lee. In the catching challenge video, Andy Lee can be seen hitting the ball high in the sky over his bungalow's roof. As soon as he hits the ball, Andy starts running through his house to catch the ball. Andy catches the ball but funnily enough, falls in his swimming pool after losing his balance in the video. To this, Dean Jones took to Twitter and said," Great job Andy .... But .. any time someone falls in the pool while attempting the catch.. it's a 6.. reload start again".According to Andy Lee, it took him 68 minutes and 52 attempts to finally catch the ball. He also revealed that he lost 12 tennis balls during the process. Great job Andy.... BUT .. anytime someone falls into the pool while attempting to catch.. it's a 6.. reload start again.. https://t.co/HrnqqTk2AC — Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) April 10, 2020 Dean Jones made his debut for Australia on January 30, 1984, against Pakistan in an ODI. Soon after, Jones made his Test debut against West Indies in the same year. Dean Jones played 52 Test matches for his country and scored 3,631 runs with an average of 46.55. He scored 11 Test centuries with a career-best score of 216 runs.The right-handed batsman featured in 164 ODI's and scored 6,068 runs with an average of 44.61. He retired from international cricket back in 1994.With the coronavirus pandemic bringing all sporting events to a standstill, sports personalities from around the world have been finding ways to keep their fans entertained. India is currently under a 21-day lockdown and chances are that it can affect the upcoming edition of the IPL.The BCCI had announced that the IPL will begin from April 15, after it got postponed from its original date of March 29. It will be interesting to see if BCCI still goes ahead with the revised schedule as coronavirus cases rise in the country. Read the full article

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Coronavirus: Khabib Nurmagomedov Won't Fight In UFC 249 Due To Coronavirus Pandemic

Mixed martial arts star Khabib Nurmagomedov said Wednesday he would not take part in a UFC card scheduled for April 18, saying he was not prepared to travel amid the coronavirus pandemic. Lightweight champion Nurmagomedov was due to have headlined the UFC 249 event in a bout against Tony Ferguson but said in a post on Instagram he was not willing to leave Russia for the fight."I understand everything and I'm definitely upset more than you to cancel the fight, probably like all others, I had many plans after the fight, but I can't control it all," Nurmagomedov wrote.The Ultimate Fighting Championship has already postponed three events after officials were unable to find venues to stage bouts amid restrictions put in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.The UFC had still not disclosed a venue for the Khabib-Ferguson fight, but president Dana White has spoken of his determination to organise the card.Reports have said the fights were expected to go ahead without fans.White said in an interview last week he wanted the fight to go ahead to try and restore "some normalcy" to US sport, which has been locked down since the coronavirus pandemic erupted."I'm gonna try to pull off Tony vs. Khabib on April 18 and try to get some normalcy back into this country," White said."I have four or five locations right now. We're getting this deal done." Read the full article

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Manchester City Midfielder Says Liverpool Deserve To Be Premier League Champions

Liverpool should be awarded the Premier League title if the season cannot be completed due to the coronavirus pandemic, says Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan. Jurgen Klopp's men were a tantalising two wins away from their first league crown since 1990 when the season was suspended earlier this month. The shutdown is currently due to last until April 30. Premier League chiefs are due to meet on Friday, with no indications of when football will resume. Gundogan, whose side trail Liverpool by 25 points, told German broadcaster ZDF that if the season could not be finished, Klopp's side deserved the title."It would be OK for me," he said. "As a sportsman you have to be fair."The 29-year-old German international, who has won the Premier League title with City for the past two seasons, said it was unlikely that he and his teammates could resume training at the end of April."Honestly, I can't imagine (that happening) and also, I don't know how realistic it is," he said.Figures on Sunday revealed that 1,228 people with coronavirus have died in Britain. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is among more than 19,500 people who have tested positive for COVID-19.Aleksander Ceferin, president of European football's governing body UEFA, said on Saturday that the 2019/20 campaign could be "lost" if it could not be restarted by the end of June.Gundogan conceded that Premier League chiefs were faced with a difficult choice."There are different opinions," he said. "For clubs who have had a very good season, it obviously wouldn't be nice if it was cancelled now."On the other hand, for clubs who aren't doing as well and are maybe in the relegation places, an abandonment would obviously suit them."Cancellation would have a knock-on effect on the second-tier English Championship, with both Leeds United and West Brom occupying the two automatic promotion places.Gundogan said he would be willing to take a pay cut if English clubs followed the examples of Serie A leaders Juventus and his former club Borussia Dortmund."Of course I think it's OK, that goes without saying -- (but) there's been no discussion in England yet," he said. Read the full article

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Japan begins Herculean task of shifting Olympics - sports

Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, said fresh dates for the 2021 Olympics will be decided by a task force comprising the IOC’s Coordination Commission and the organising committee of the Games in Tokyo. “This needs consultation with the 33 international federations. We will have telephone conference by tomorrow (Thursday). We, of course, will have to take into account the sports calendar around the Olympic Games and many, many other issues,” said Bach on Wednesday at a teleconference with 400 journalists from around the world.“We should come to a solution as soon as possible but…we have to take the inputs of all stakeholders into account—the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the athletes, the partner (sponsors) and, of course, the organising committee, which is a key to this (process).”A former Olympic fencer, Bach said that a lot of sacrifices, financial included, would need to be made while rescheduling the Games deferred this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “A one-year postponement might impact the career, qualification and plans of some athletes, which would be addressed in the coming months and all necessary support would also be extended by us,” said Indian Olympic Association secretary Rajeev Mehta in New Delhi.While the IOC’s task force, ‘Here We Go’, gets to work, questions about the qualification process and more continue to swirl.Will they, won’t they?Will the Badminton World Federation (BWF) freeze rankings as B Sai Praneeth has already asked for because players are losing points in tournaments cancelled due to the pandemic? What happens to doubles world No 9 Sania Mirza whose protected ranking ends on January 2021 but who would have been eligible for the Games this year? Will it be feasible to allow an athlete who qualified in May-June 2019 or at last year’s athletics world championships to participate nearly two years later? Will players who are under-23 this year be eligible for the football competition even if they cross the age threshold? Will wrestler Narsingh Yadav be eligible for the qualifiers once his four-year doping ban ends?“We have no clarity on whether our qualification quota will be continued next year too,” said wrestler Deepak Punia who has secured a berth in the 86kg freestyle competition.“There are a lot of questions—how are they going to go with the points system, what will be the cut-off date for the world rankings, when will they hold the remaining qualifiers; will they redo the qualifiers that have already finished or just continue with the ones that are remaining,” said G Sathiyan who at world No 31 is India’s highest-ranked table tennis player.“As an athlete it is a bit hard as I will have to start the entire process again. No one is sure what will happen to people who have already qualified,” said table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal who is also eligible for a men’s singles berth.Amid the uncertainty, India’s weightlifting coach Vijay Sharma said training would continue in Patiala for eight India lifters including medal hopeful Mirabai Chanu even as he recalibrates plans.Looking at the bright side was boxer Amit Panghal. “It has given me more time to work harder and maintain my place at the top of world boxing,” he said.The delay could also give athlete Hima Das and gymnast Dipa Karmakar a shot at the Games they would have missed had it been on schedule. “The best should represent India so it is possible we will have a better team in 2021. I know this means some athletes could have to prove themselves again but if they are really good—and only the really good go to the Olympics—I am confident they will. So, while I understand the disappointment of those who have already made it and couldn’t wait for Tokyo, I also realise that there could be an opportunity for those who could not,” said Joydeep Karmakar who was fourth in 50m prone rifle in 2012 London Olympics. Read the full article

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Leap year: UEFA admit error over ‘Euro 2020’ name for 2021 tournament - football

UEFA were forced into an embarrassing about-turn after they mistakenly tweeted that Euro 2020 would keep its original title despite being pushed back to 2021 as a result of the coronavirus. “Although it will provisionally take place from 11 June - 11 July 2021, #EURO2020 will still be known as UEFA EURO 2020,” UEFA had confidently said on Twitter on Friday.However, just hours later, they were less assured.“With apologies for the earlier error, to be clear no decision has yet been made on the name of the rearranged EURO to be held in 2021. The earlier tweet was sent by mistake,” they tweeted.Euro 2020 has been pushed back 12 months to June 11 to July 11 next year to clear the way for suspended domestic competitions to wrap up if conditions allow.UEFA said the postponement “will help all domestic competitions, currently on hold due to the COVID-19 emergency, to be completed” as it made a “commitment” to finishing club seasons by June 30.Twenty of the 24 nations set to take part in the Euro have already qualified, but play-offs to determine the final four participants, due to be played this month, have been postponed.UEFA said those matches, and other scheduled friendlies, would be played in June subject to a review of the situation. Read the full article

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Coronavirus outbreak: Virgil Van Dijk fears Liverpool will win title in empty stadium - football

Virgil Van Dijk fears Liverpool will be forced to celebrate their first English title for 30 years in an empty stadium as a result of coronavirus chaos. All Premier League games have been postponed until at least April 3 due to the spread of the global pandemic. Premier League chiefs are set to meet on Thursday to discuss if it will be possible to continue the season and, if so, in what format.Games could be played behind closed doors, which would mean Liverpool, who are 25 points clear of second placed Manchester City, winning the title without their fans being present. That is a depressing prospect for Liverpool defender Van Dijk.“If we won it in an empty stadium and the fans weren’t there, I’d be gutted for them,” he told several British newspapers on Sunday. “Obviously, if there are no fans at Anfield, then it will be a bit of a blow. No one wants to play games without the fans.“Until a decision is made on how we go on from here, then we just have to deal with it. But when it happens, we are still bringing the title to our fans, definitely.” Liverpool could have wrapped up the title on Monday with a win at Everton if Manchester City were beaten by Burnley on Saturday, but both those games were postponed, along with the rest of the Premier League programme.Some have suggested the season should be scrapped for safety reason, which would leave Premier League chiefs to decide if Liverpool should be given the title even though the campaign did not reach its scheduled 38-game conclusion.Sport is expected to be subjected to further restrictions next week, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly ready to announce a ban on major public gatherings.The sporting programme has once again been decimated on Sunday, although the Super League match between Castleford and St Helens, the All England badminton Championship and Olympic boxing qualifiers are still going ahead in Britain. (AFP) APA APA Read the full article

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Coronavirus: India Open In Doubt After Delhi Government Bans All Sports Activities

Delhi government's decision to ban all sports activities due to the novel coronavirus pandemic has raised fresh doubts over the fate of India Open badminton, a crucial event in the Tokyo Olympics qualification cycle. The USD 400,000 Super 500 event was supposed to be held without any spectators to avoid spreading the deadly disease. "We will go by what the government decides. It is not in our hand. We have to follow the government's decisions. Currently there is no clarity on the visa process of the foreign players and on top of it now the Delhi govt has come up with this directive," a Badminton Association of India (BAI) official told PTI.The BAI and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) had issued a joint statement on Wednesday, informing that the event will be held inside closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.However, the government on Wednesday night issued a revised travel advisory, suspending all existing visas, except diplomatic and employment, till April 15.The Sports ministry on Thursday asked all national federations, including the cricket board, to follow the Health Ministry's advisory and avoid large gatherings in sports events.Given the circumstances, the BAI has sought clarity from the sports, health and external affairs ministries regarding the visa process of the foreign players.The federation has sent a letter to the respective ministries, attaching the names of the foreign players who were supposed to travel for the India Open."We have provided the details of the foreign players who were supposed to come for the India Open. We are waiting for a response," the official said."It is a difficult situation for us as well. A decision has to be made at the earliest. Being hosts we have to continue with the preparation."The COVID-19 outbreak, which has claimed close to 5,000 lives and infected more than 100,000 people globally, has forced the postponement of four Olympic qualifying badminton events so far -- Lingshui China Masters (February 25 to March 1), Vietnam International Challenge (24-29 March 24-29), German Open (March 3 to 8) and Polish Open (March 26-29). Earlier, the shooting World Cup and the Indian Open golf tournament were postponed in Delhi. Read the full article

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Mohun Bagan I-League champions with four rounds to spare - football

A goal somehow and let the celebrations begin! That is what the 17,000 at Kalyani Stadium here wanted. It didn’t come easy.Aizawl FC put Mohun Bagan through the wringer, having the better of exchanges and locking them down with smart defensive organisation. Till Joseba Beitia’s give-go with Nongdamba Naorem after which his outstep found Babacar Diawara who fired into the bottom corner.The stadium shook after the 80th minute goal executed by three players whose influence have been crucial in Mohun Bagan winning the 2019-20 I-League with four rounds to spare. Like Dempo, Mohun Bagan have been India champions five times since the National League began in 1996-97.No edition has been this one-sided since Dempo’s title win in 2009-10. On four occasions including 2014-15 when Mohun Bagan were champions, the first two teams were separated by less than three points. The time hasn’t come to measure that this term but don’t blame Mohun Bagan, on an unassailable 39 points after 16 rounds, if they don’t care.So, to the tune of Dwayne Bravo’s ‘Champion’, Daniel Cyrus, the Trinidad and Tobago international and Mohun Bagan central defender, swayed and the full house clapped.“Football and life is about emotions and to be able to play a part in making so many people happy is a very good situation to be in,” said Mohun Bagan’s Spanish coach Kibu Vicuna, his face streaked with green powder, one day after the festival of colours here, and with his name reverberating around the stadium.Mohun Bagan and Aizawl FC, champions in 2016-17, were locked in a 0-0 draw in the opening match on November 30. Next match, at home, when Mohun Bagan lost 2-4 to Churchill Brothers an ending like this would have been difficult to believe.That game against Churchill Brothers turned out to be Mohun Bagan’s only loss. They embarked on a four-game winning run after that and improved that to seven successive victories beginning with the win that matters almost as this title --- against East Bengal on January 19. Mohun Bagan have won eight of the nine game since.The staggering statistics don’t end there. Mohun Bagan have won 12 of their 16 rounds. The next best is six. On way to the title since 2014-15 only Chennai City FC have won as many --- in 2018-19. “I had said at my first press conference that this team needs time. I was very happy with how the players trained at the beginning and now we are getting the results,” said Vicuna, 48.Appointed last May Vicuna, who was on the staff of Legia Warsaw and Osasuna’s youth set-up, reached here on June 27 and got down to work with a team that had retained only eight players. Crucially, Mohun Bagan had sorted out the bulk of their foreign players by July. They looked like a work in progress in the Calcutta League, were runners-up in the Durand Cup and eliminated in the semi-final of the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup in Bangladesh.Then, the I-League started with one point from two games. Mohun Bagan beat TRAU 4-0 in their third match and followed that with a 2-1 win against Gokulam Kerala FC. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.“Except the first two games, Mohun Bagan were the most consistent team of the league. Credit to their coach for the transformation and, of course, they had quality players. Diawara made all the difference,” said Aizawl FC coach Stanly Rozario.Diawara, 32, got 10 goals scoring in each of the last nine games having joined in January. “Never had such a successful run of goals. I dedicate this to the fans and to my three daughters,” said the player from Senegal who played three years and 30 games for Sevilla (2012-15). It took Diawara three games since starting against Real Kashmir away on January 5 to get off the mark. He hasn’t stopped since and with 10 goals in 12 games is joint-second in the race for the golden boot.Another player on an unstoppable run is Beitia, Mohun Bagan’s No. 10. This was his ninth assist in the competition. No one has that many.“This team worked well. The dressing room was very nice and that is why are performing this well,” said Diawara. Crucial to keeping it that way was Spaniard Fran Gonzalez, the team’s leader on the pitch even if he didn’t wear the armband.Gonzales didn’t stand out on the pitch because of his Mohawk hair-do but because he could marshal the defence and also score 10 goals. He even writes his name in Bengali on his Twitter handle.Celebrations have been put on hold because there is a Kolkata derby on Sunday. By then, their new partners ATK will have played the Indian Super League final. ATK-Mohun Bagan sure seem to be in a league of extraordinary footballers. Read the full article

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PSG v Dortmund Champions League tie behind closed doors - football

Paris Saint-Germain were ordered to play Wednesday’s home Champions League tie against German club Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors because of the coronavirus outbreak, police said.The match will be held without spectators in order to conform with measures adopted by the government to cope with the spread of the virus, a police statement said on Monday.France, with more than 1,100 cases and 19 deaths, has banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people to try and slow the spread of COVID-19, the health minister said. Read the full article

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Asian Olympic Qualifiers: Amit Panghal in action next, Sakshi Chaudhary misses out on quota - other sports

Amit Panghal will take on Philippines Paalam Carlo next in 52kg quarterfinal match. Former junior world champion Sakshi Chaudhary (57kg) failed to secure an Olympic berth after going down to Korea’s Im Aeji in the quarterfinals of the Asian Qualifiers here on Monday.The 19-year-old Chaudhary lost 0-5 to Im, who is also a former world youth champion. Only the semifinalists are entitled to an Olympic berth in the women’s 57kg category.Im will face Japan’s 19-year-old Irie Sena, who upstaged world champion and top seed Nesthy Petecio of Philippines in a split decision. Petecio was docked a point for holding in the second round which ultimately played a decisive role in her 2-3 loss.Four more boxers are in contention for Olympic berths on Monday -Sakshi Chaudhary (57 kg)- 2:45 PM IST Amit Panghal (52 kg)- 3:30 PM ISTManish Kaushik (63kg)- 5 PM ISTMary Kom (51 kg)- 9:15 PM ISTSimranjit (60kg)- 10:15 PM(With agency inputs) Read the full article

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Seventeen-Year-Old Power-Lifter Struggling To Get Support

Class 12th student Aditi Bairagi has already won many laurels at the state and national level. © NDTV Seventeen-year-old power-lifter Aditi Bairagi is aggressively pumping iron to actualize her dream of making the country proud at the Asian Equipped Powerlifting Championship in Indonesia in May 2020, but lack of financial support to remit the necessary Rs 1.30 lakh for meeting the cost of participation has dashed her hopes.  A resident of Satyam Shivam Colony in Chhindwara was selected by the national power-lifting body to represent India in the 69 kg (sub junior) category at the Asian Equipped Powerlifting Championship slated in Indonesia from May 6-10. Class 12th student Aditi has already won many laurels at the state and national level she said, "I'm working hard to see the national tricolour fly high in Indonesia in May. I fervently hope our CM wont disappoint me by timely helping me." Her grandfather Narayan Das Bairagi said "We somehow managed to arrange half the sum (Rs 65,000) by the February 20 deadline for confirming the participation. But we are unable to arrange the remaining half of the cost of participation due to extreme financial difficulties. We've met all concerned authorities for help, including the Chief Minister and Chhindwara district collector for help, but have failed to get any support till date.   Read the full article

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Coronavirus: Fist Bumps Replace Handshakes, Sweaty Towels Off Limits In Davis Cup

Two of Friday's encounters had to be staged behind closed doors with spectators banned in Miki, where Japan are hosting Ecuador, and in Cagliari as Italy faced South Korea."Conditions were strange," said Italian number one and world 11 Fabio Fognini after cruising past 251-ranked Lee Duck-hee 6-0, 6-3 in just over an hour at the Circolo Tennis venue."It was not difficult to focus but it was a bit strange to play in front of 100 people. But safety first and then sport," Fognini told daviscup.com.Italy has been the worst-hit European country with 197 deaths from the coronavirus.As a result, all sporting events are being played behind closed doors for the next month.On Friday, only teams, media and support staff were allowed into the arena where world number 79 Gianluca Mager then extended the Italian lead to 2-0 overnight after a 6-3, 7-5 debut win over Nam Ji-sung."There's too much silence for a Davis Cup crowd," said Italy skipper Corrado Barazzutti after a day in which players and backroom staff exchanged fist bumps rather than the traditional post-match handshake in an effort to reduce the risk of a virus spread.In Miki, Japan, without their top two singles players Kei Nishikori -- who hasn't played Davis Cup since 2016 -- and Yoshihito Nishioka, slipped 2-0 down to Ecuador.Emilio Gomez defeated Go Soeda 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) while Roberto Quiroz shrugged off a gap of 186 places in the rankings to beat Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 7-6 (10/8).'Do not touch'Ball boys and girls wore gloves to handle the balls and used baskets for players to toss their towels.Japan has reported 360 confirmed cases of coronavirus and six deaths.It all added to a miserable day for Japan who were without Nishikori, still recovering from an elbow injury which has sidelined him since the US Open, and Nishioka.World number 48 Nishioka decided not to join the national team to avoid the possibility of being quarantined on his return to the United States ahead of next week's ATP event in Indian Wells.Elsewhere, 28-time Davis Cup champions Australia were 2-0 up on Brazil in Adelaide.Jordan Thompson saw off Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 6-4 before John Millman recovered from a set and 5-3 down to defeat last week's Santiago ATP champion, 19-year-old Thiago Seyboth Wild 4-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2."That's what Davis Cup is all about, never giving up," said Millman.In Zagreb, 2005 and 2018 champions Croatia were 2-0 up on India after Borna Gojo beat Prajnesh Gunneswaran 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 and former US Open winner Marin Cilic saw off world number 182 Ramkumar Ramanathan 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (10/8).In Bratislava, three-time champions Czech Republic were 2-0 ahead of Slovakia in their first meeting since the countries split into two independent nations in 1993.Sweden were 1-1 with Chile in Stockholm on a contrasting day for the home side's Ymer brothers.Mikael beat Marcelo Tomas Vera 6-2, 6-3 but older brother Elias lost to Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-3.Other ties were also locked at 1-1 -- Kazakhstan v Netherlands, Austria against Uruguay, Hungary at home to Belgium, Germany's tie with Belarus and Colombia v Argentina.Later Friday, record 32-time champions the United States hosted Uzbekistan in Honolulu.The qualifying round will be completed on Saturday when each tie will feature a doubles clash and reverse singles. Read the full article