Stadiums had gone silent. There was no noise of passionate fans chanting from the stands. No frantic praying for your favourite team’s victory. Neighbourhoods had stopped echoing with sounds of collective cheer (or sighs). In the past few months, the absence of sports from our lives has manifested itself in different forms. Ask any sports buff, and each one of them will have a different story to tell, but one thing’s for sure they’ve terribly missed the thrill of watching live sports.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation or indefinite postponement of a number of major sports events across the world.
Fans obviously were left disappointed as they was so much they were looking forward to, and suddenly there was this void. Unfortunately, they had to contend with watching reruns of their favourite games.
Return to glory
However, the world is slowly opening up now and as with most things, sporting events too are getting back on track. With strict safety norms, social distancing guidelines and a new normal in place, glory is returning to the world of live sports. Here’s a quick round-up of some of the biggest tournaments that have taken place after the COVID-19 lockdown.
Cricket fans (including us) were delighted when the delayed West Indies tour of England finally happened in July. This three-Test series was played behind closed doors. West Indies scored a rather unexpected victory in the first match but ultimately England won the series 2-1. The series witnessed several superb performances, but who can forget how Stuart Broad creating history by becoming the fourth fast bowler to reach 500 Test wickets. Talk about creating records in the middle of a pandemic.
Pakistan Tour Of England is currently underway.
The teams are playing three Tests and three T20 Internationals. England won the Test Series with James Anderson becoming the first seamer to get 600 Test wickets. The first T20I had to be abandoned due to rain and the remaining two are yet to be played.
Order is slowly getting restored in soccer-verse as well. The UEFA Champions League was hit by the pandemic mid season. Consequently, rules were amended and the remaining games were played in empty stadiums. Bayern Munich defeated PSG and went on to be crowned champions. In the FA cup, Arsenal won against Chelsea in the finals, registering their 14th victory. Liverpool lifted the English Premier League trophy after 30 years.
The British Grand Prix had to rework its place in the calendar owing to the pandemic. When it finally took place, Lewis Hamilton raced towards a memorable seventh victory, a ‘heart-stopping’ flat tyre in the final lap notwithstanding.
In WWE Summerslam 2020, Roman Reigns returned to center-stage after thrashing Bryan Wyatt and Strowman.
Even as you read this, announcements are being made and schedules are being rolled out. Sports fans couldn’t have been more excited, and understandably so.
As live sports make a comeback, the one-stop destination where you can enjoy the best and biggest tournaments from across the globe is Sony Liv.
You can stream all the action as it happens.
Here’s a lowdown on all the high-voltage excitement that’s coming your way on Sony Liv.
Time to start streaming
The second T20I between Pakistan and England is on Sunday, Aug 30 and the third and final one is on Sep 1.
This is followed by the much awaited Australia Tour Of England that begins on Sep 4 and ends on Sep 16. Both the titans of international cricket battle it out over six matches - three T20Is and three ODIs.
International football comes back in a big way as the UEFA Nations League kicks off next week. While you can watch all the matches live on Sony Liv, here are some of the games that soccer lovers are eagerly looking forward to.
On Sep 4, Germany and Spain face off in what promises to be one of the biggest games in world football. Then you have Iceland and England locking horns on Sep 5. This is followed by Portugal vs Croatia on Sep 6 and Netherlands vs Italy on Sep 8. Remember the breath-taking final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup between France and Croatia that ended with France lifting the coveted trophy. Well, gear up to see a repeat of the adrenaline-filled action as both teams come face to face on Sep 9.
The UEFA Super Cup is to take place on Sep 25 with UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla taking on UEFA Champions League winners Bayern.
In between all the work from home, football fans are clearly going to have a busy September streaming all their favourite games.
There are two major tennis events as well happening in September. The ATP Masters 1000 is scheduled to take place between Sep 14 and Sep 20. The Hamburg European Open commences on Sep 21 and concludes on Sep 27.
Followers of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) too have something to cheer about. The highly anticipated fight between the phenomenal Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje plays out on Sep 27. You can catch all the action on Sony Liv.
So no more reruns of old games or watching videos of previous matches. It’s time to start cheering for your favourite teams once again as you watch them live. Head over to the Sony Liv app and let the streaming begin!
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