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West Indies a chance to tour Bangladesh in January

Charbel Coorey
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West Indies a chance to tour Bangladesh in January

West Indies a chance to tour Bangladesh in January | West Indies could tour Bangladesh in January 2021 for Tests

West Indies team might visit Bangladesh in January 2021 for a Test series amid the Covid-19 pandemic worries. In an exclusive interaction between Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt and Dhaka-based Maasranga TV, he admitted that the pressures that Covid has brought to world cricket are significant in terms of revenue. Bangladesh is among very few Full Member teams that have not participated in any international cricket since March.

Initially, Bangladesh had proposed for three Test matches, but there are talks to reduce it to two matches. BCB Chief Executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury and Skerritt both have confirmed this to the media.

“I just want to assure you that we will always send the best available team to any tour that we undertake, including Bangladesh. We believe a tour to Bangladesh is always a challenging tour because it is an environment that’s very different from our own conditions. But we have always done well in Bangladesh. Our players enjoy playing against Bangladesh. At the moment we are fairly evenly matched and it is always a good series between West Indies and Bangladesh. We are doing everything we can to participate in tours abroad and at home. The Covid-19 pandemic is making it extremely difficult to implement our plans”, Skerritt said.

Chowdhury also mentioned that CWI is concerned about the prolonged length of the bio-secure bubble in Bangladesh. Hence, they have requested to reduce the series to Test matches. “It is not final yet. The West Indies cricket board has requested us, as staying inside bio-bubble for a long time is tough for players,” Chowdhury had said. “They requested to consider if it is possible to shorten the duration of the series. In that case, one of the options is to reduce one Test match. We are still discussing the issues, nothing is finalised yet.”

West Indies were the first team to tour out of their homeland after the pandemic (vs England) and Bangladesh has so far participated only in a domestic tournament, the President’s Cup.

“We want to be sure that the protocols established in Bangladesh meet the requirement that we have established so far in the various tours we have been on,” Skerritt said. “There are case studies to benchmark from. This is not going to be the first overseas tour. As you know, we did the first overseas tour to England. Certain standards were set, certain learnings were achieved, and I think once Bangladesh can meet those standards, I don’t think there’s going to be any major problem. We just have to verify in our own way that the situation will be safe for all concerned.”

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.

Good news for Adelaide Test as restrictions set to be relaxed

Charbel Coorey
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Good news for Adelaide Test as restrictions set to be relaxed

Good news for Adelaide Test as restrictions set to be relaxed | AUS vs IND Adelaide Test set to go ahead as planned due to lockdowns lifted

The Australia-India Day/Night Test will happen as scheduled in Adelaide as the state has received a timely boost with the short lockdown that will be lifted after the weekend. Cricket Australia released a statement in which South Australia police commissioner Grant Stevens indicated that of the latest COVID-19 cluster in Adelaide could be contained as hoped, and the broader restrictions with Victoria might be eased from December 1.

“Victoria’s Shield schedule also changed over time, after they were forced to spend two weeks in lockdown when entering South Australia last month. ODI and Twenty20 players and staff from Western Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland who were in Adelaide for the Shield bubble have also had to fly to Sydney early this week to avoid a quarantine period”, said the CA statement.

South Australia has recorded three new Covid-19 cases today and all of them has been isolated in medi-hotel quarantine. Travis Head is the only Test player that has moved out of Adelaide to prepare for the summer matches in Coffs Harbour. “You have to be adaptable, that’s the main focus of the summer,” Head said. We were on a golf course three days ago and now we’re in Coffs. We have already come out of one bubble so we have experienced that already”, he added.

All associated with Cricket Australia were on high alert after 17 cases of COVID-19 sending panic throughout the suburbs of Adelaide. This prompted a sharp, six-day lockdown by the South Australian government, which will soon be lifted as they are confident of containing the spread of COVID-19.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.

Tiring out Jasprit Bumrah crucial – Josh Hazlewood

Charbel Coorey
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Tiring out Jasprit Bumrah crucial – Josh Hazlewood

Tiring out Jasprit Bumrah crucial – Josh Hazlewood | Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood says it’s crucial to tire out Jasprit Bumrah

The Australia vs India Test series has not started yet but has garnered a lot of eyeballs, already. The 2018-19 performance by the Indian team, especially Jasprit Bumrah’s 21 wickets, has the tourists believing they can perform well again.

And now after his splendid performance in IPL 2020, there has been a lot of anticipation regarding Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming Test series. Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has called Bumrah probably the key player of the series in a recent interview.

“Bumrah is probably the standout. He is unique with his action. He maintains pace very well throughout the day and the whole series. He is probably the key. He can take wickets up front or with the old ball. I guess it’s about getting a lot of overs into him, try to tire him out in the first couple of games. That will be the key,” Hazlewood said.

Also read: What makes Jasprit Bumrah so special?

The Australian pacer took 13 wickets in the last series against India, though he admitted that in the last couple of years Indian pacers have improvised their skills in a significant way. “They out-bowled us the last time they came. That went a long way for them in winning the series. They have most bases covered with their quicks. If Ishant Sharma gets here at some point it will add to their strength. They are all a little bit different. For the last 10-15 years, Indian pacers have kept improving. Our batters will have to be on their toes to counter that”, he added.

Australia-India has a long history of cricket rivalry and it has been a matter of interest for all cricket fans. The last Test series was the first time that Aussies had lost a home series to India, which speaks for itself. However, this year it’s going to be tricky as the captain of the Indian team Virat Kohli has taken paternity leave after playing the first Test match in Adelaide. His aggression on the field is something that acts as a key motivation in Test cricket especially when the opposition is this strong.

“Australia-India rivalry is up there with the Ashes. India has probably added to it, the last time when they came here and won. That was some tight series. We don’t lose too many series in Australia. That certainly hurt at the time. We know the guys who were at that time. I will remember that. It gives motivation this time around,” the pacer said.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.

ECB announce fixtures for 2021, including five Tests against India

Charbel Coorey
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ECB announce fixtures for 2021, including five Tests against India

England announce fixtures for 2021, including five Tests against India | England schedule 2021 – ECB announces jampacked schedule

The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed a busy 2021 summer as they plan to host three international teams for men and two for the women’s team.

ECB has scheduled a five-match Test series against India, three-match ODI series with Sri Lanka and Pakistan, as they are expected to visit in June and July. England Women squad will host South Africa and New Zealand.

This comes in wake of the World Test Championship announced by ICC in June 2021 after which England hosts these series back-to-back. ECB also mentioned that the outlook around Covid-19 is still uncertain which puts venues and dates subject to change in case of safety. While these matches are expected to have live crowd audience, they would get refund on the tickets if the matches are to played behind closed doors due to Covid-19.

“Next year we’ve got another big international program to look forward to, with the thrill of a five-Test series against India as the centerpiece, compelling white ball series for our men and women, and an Ashes Series for our Visually Impaired team. It’s an exciting prospect for England fans, and while Covid means there’s still a great deal of uncertainty, we really hope to be able to welcome fans back into the grounds safely next year to bring that unique atmosphere to stadia across the country”, ECB Chief Executive Officer, Tom Harrison, said.

England Men’s 2021 schedule

Tuesday, 29 June, 2021: 1st ODI v Sri Lanka, Durham
Thursday, 1 July, 2021: 2nd ODI v Sri Lanka, The Oval
Sunday, 4 July, 2021: 3rd ODI v Sri Lanka, Bristol

Thursday, 8 July, 2021: 1st ODI v Pakistan, Cardiff
Saturday, 10 July, 2021: 2nd ODI v Pakistan, Lord’s
Tuesday, 13 July, 2021: 3rd ODI v Pakistan, Edgbaston

Friday, 16 July, 2021: 1st T20I v Pakistan, Trent Bridge
Sunday, 18 July, 2021: 2nd T20I v Pakistan, Headingley
Tuesday, 20 July, 2021: 3rd T20I v Pakistan, Old Trafford

Wednesday, 4 August, 2021: 1st Test v India, Trent Bridge
Thursday, 12 August, 2021: 2nd Test v India, Lord’s
Wednesday, 25 August, 2021: 3rd Test v India, Headingley
Thursday, 2 September, 2021: 4th Test v India, The Oval
Friday, 10 September, 2021: 5th Test v India, Old Trafford

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.

England tour of Pakistan confirmed; ends 16-year wait

Charbel Coorey
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England tour of Pakistan confirmed; ends 16-year wait

The England and Wales Cricket Board will visit Karachi to play two T20Is against Pakistan on October 14 and 15 2021. ECB will make a comeback to Pakistan after a gap of 16 years gap as they last toured Pakistan in 2005 when they played three Tests and five ODIs.

Later on, Pakistan played against England in 2012 and 2015 in the United Arab Emirates. After the two-match series, both the teams will leave for India on 16 October for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison has an emphasis on the safety and welfare of the team and their support staff and has ensured that they are working closely with PCB to churn out this visit peacefully.

“We are working closely with the PCB to ensure all the necessary plans are in place, especially concerning the anticipated levels of security around the team, the proposed travel protocols, and of course the situation regarding the fast-moving and ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic. The two-match series will serve as ideal preparation for the England team leading into an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup taking place in India during October and November 2021″, he said to the media.

2021 will see the return of international cricket in Pakistan after a long gap occurred due to a terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009. However, after a long wait, South Africa, New Zealand, and England are set to play in the country next year.

Wasim Khan, who is the Chief Executive of PCB, mentioned how the board has been working for the past two years to build a healthy relationship with international cricket boards and players so that international cricket could be played in the country on a consistent basis.

“The October 2021 T20Is will allow the leading England cricketers to access and examine the world-class arrangements we will put together, which will give them further encouragement and confidence to not only return in 2022-23 but also express their interest in the Pakistan Super League, which has grown to become one of the top leagues in the world. The enhanced progress made over the last two years has been down to nurturing relationships with various cricket boards and international players, as well as building trust and confidence. Importantly, this announcement speaks volumes about the relationship that we have with the ECB and I would like to thank the ECB for their strong will and desire to make this short tour a reality”, Khan said in his statement.

PCB is also expecting Australia visit for their FTP commitment in early 2022, with England returning for both Test and White Ball tours in the 2022-23 season.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.

Cameron Green ideally has to bowl to play ODIs – Langer

Charbel Coorey
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Cameron Green ideally has to bowl to play ODIs – Langer

Cameron Green ideally has to bowl to play ODIs – Langer | Justin Langer says it would be ideal if Cameron Green bowls in white-ball

Australia’s latest pick for their Test squad, Cameron Green, has garnered a lot of eyeballs before his debut match. Greg Chappell described Green as the best batting talent that the country has seen after Ricky Ponting and can head into the squad this summer.

National Coach Justin Langer feels that he will be part of the ODI only if he bowls a few overs well. “He hasn’t had the white-ball experience to come in as a pure batsman but if he can bowl a few overs, my gosh he becomes a good prospect. But Test cricket is different. He’s earned the right to play Test cricket on his batting. I love watching him bat. For such a tall batsman, he’s got so much time”, Langer said in his statement.

Green has just returned from a second back stress fracture and bowled for Western Australia. He has put in intensive work to tweak his action to ease the stress on his body while retaining the same pace. The youngster will slowly but surely step up his workload in the nets while training with the limited-overs squad in Sydney ahead of Australia’s ODI series opener against India next Friday night, said CA.

“The results I’ve had in four-day cricket are definitely a lot better than what I have shown in T20s. If I don’t play, I’ll get a lot of experience and hopefully take a lot out of it. There’s probably no better place to keep learning and evolving your game than around world-class coaches and players”, Green said to Cricket Australia.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.

Afghanistan’s star players might miss a lot of BBL 2020

Charbel Coorey
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Afghanistan’s star players might miss a lot of BBL 2020

Afghanistan’s star players might miss a lot of BBL 2020 | Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi may miss key stages of BBL 2020

The Big Bash League clubs are facing a major issue with the availability of their players, as other countries have scheduled matches around the same time. Recently, Afghanistan has confirmed that they are going to play three ODI matches against Ireland in January as planned. But the problem is three of their players, namely Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi have also signed deals with BBL franchises.

The ODI games will be held on January 18, 21 and 23 in Abu Dhabi and as Australia has a quarantine rule of 14 days for overseas travellers, it becomes difficult to fit in these three players in the league matches. Rashid Khan will be playing for Adelaide Strikers, Mujeeb Ur Rahman for Brisbane Heat, and Mohammad Nabi for Melbourne Renegades, but now it’s highly doubtful if the players can return for the BBL playoffs from January 29-February 6.

Afghanistan's star players might miss a lot of BBL 2020 | Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi may miss key stages of BBL 2020
Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman may miss key stages of BBL 2020 season.

All the three players are star cricketers of the national team and their selection is undoubted. Now the only way fans can see them play for BBL is if they opt-out of the national team’s selection which again looking tricky. According to the ESPNCricInfo reports it says, “Negotiations are ongoing about a possible series in the UAE in December, initially planned to involve the hosts and Scotland in a Tri-series. Cricket Ireland is understood to be keen to ensure that tour goes ahead, with centrally-contracted players back in training”.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.

Imad Wasim dedicates maiden PSL Title to Dean Jones

Charbel Coorey
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Imad Wasim dedicates maiden PSL Title to Dean Jones

Imad Wasim dedicates maiden PSL Title to Dean Jones | Karachi Kings win maiden PSL Title in honor of the late Dean Jones

Karachi Kings skipper Imad Wasim won his first Pakistan Super League trophy on Tuesday, as they defeated Lahore Qalandars by five wickets. He showered his gratitude to his late coach and commentator Dean Jones for playing a key role in shaping the team. “Dean Jones, of course, gets credit because what he taught us, very few coaches in the world can”, he said after the victory.

Imad also tweeted a billboard image which read ‘Forever in our hearts, Deano!’. “This is for you Deano – the first final for Karachi Kings! #GoneButNeverForgotten #DoItForDeano”, he wrote on Twitter. Dean’s death was a sudden shock for a lot of his fans. He died of a heart attack amid the chaos of IPL 2020 when he was in Mumbai amid the IPL 2020 commentary stint.

Imad also mentioned how Wasim Akram’s contribution was equally helpful in the process of entering the finale and then winning it with a convincing performance. “Wasim Akram, of course, deserves the trophy because he was our bowling coach, head coach, mentor, and team president rolled in one. It’s an honor to captain this franchise. The way the bowlers bowled was fantastic. We misread the pitch somewhat, too, because we wanted to bat first, too. The bounce wasn’t true, and so we varied our pace and lines, and I think our bowlers executed their plans perfectly”, he said.

Babar Azam was awarded Man of the Match and the Player of the Tournament titles for scoring 63* in 49 balls in the final match. “We knew if Babar put on a masterclass we could effectively put our feet up in the chase. Obviously, anything can go wrong and in the end, we lost a couple of wickets all of a sudden, and that’s why I’d decided to go in lower down the order, so we’d have some security at the end,” said the skipper of his opening batsman.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.

Shakib Al Hasan receives threats after attending a Hindu festival

Charbel Coorey
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Shakib Al Hasan receives threats after attending a Hindu festival

Shakib Al Hasan receives threats after attending a Hindu festival | Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan receives death threats after attending Hindu festival

Bangladesh’s all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has received threats from Islamists after he attended a Hindu festival in India recently. It is believed that the Muslim majority country Bangladesh doesn’t approve of attending festivities of other religion and hence the matter escalated when the cricketer visited Kolkata during the festive season of Durga Puja.

Shakib took it on his social media forum and protested about how Islamic preachers in Bangladesh dictate about people attending ceremonies and events of other faiths. “I was on the stage for barely two minutes. People are talking about this and thought I inaugurated it. I did not do this and being a conscious Muslim I would not do this. But, maybe, I should not have gone there. I am sorry for this and apologize. As a practicing Muslim, I always try to follow religious customs. Please forgive me if I have done anything wrong”, Shakib told an online forum late Monday.

Reportedly, a man posted some personal threats on a Facebook live forum and accused him of hurting religious sentiments. However, the man later apologized and was out of reach after that. The AFP reports suggest that police are trying to get hold of that man and the weapon of attack – a knife that he had shown in the Live video.

The increasing case of vocal Islamists is a matter of concern especially after the world saw anti-France rallies in the last few weeks over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.

Shane Watson & Usman Khawaja criticise new BBL rules

Charbel Coorey
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Shane Watson & Usman Khawaja criticise new BBL rules

Shane Watson & Usman Khawaja criticise new BBL rules | Australian cricketers Shane Watson and Usman Khawaja have criticised the new BBL rules

The upcoming Big Bash League is in the news as senior players have criticised the addition of new rules. Recently Cricket Australia league’s consultant Trent Woodhill introduced three additions – ‘Power Surge’, the ‘X Factor Player’ and the ‘Bash Boost’ in the BBL.

However, Shane Watson calls it a misguided attempt to reinvigorate the tournament. In his blog post, he said that the “complexities that these new ‘science experiments’ are going to create for the viewers, let alone the players and coaches, when none of these have been tried and tested at lower levels, have really taken the wind out of my sails.” I just can’t seem to get my head around why there are people out there who are trying to reinvent the wheel when the wheel was not broken”, he said.

Instead, the player made suggestions to add world-class players playing in world-class pitches to garner eyeballs from the fans. “The simple game plan in my mind is to get the world’s best cricketers playing on world-class pitches and guess what, you will get world-class cricket to watch for the cricket lovers out there and we will all be on the edge of our seats admiring the feats of these amazing cricketers,” he added.

Along with Watson, Sydney Thunder batsman Usman Khawaja wrote in his tweet how the new BBL rules look complicated to him. “So had a day to think about new BBL rules. My biggest issue is that the BBL is all about (and great at) getting new people involved whom have never played,” tweeted Usman Khawaja.

“But the rule changes complicate what’s already a very complicated game (for newcomers). Shouldn’t we be going the other way?” he added.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.

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