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Amid Covid 19 Outbreaks Cricket Australia Shifts Entire Big Bash League To Melbourne

Amid Covid-19 outbreaks, Cricket Australia shifts entire Big Bash League to Melbourne

In a desperate attempt to salvage the ongoing edition of the Big Bash League at any cost despite the continuous outbreak of Covid-19 in multiple sides, Cricket Australia has made a move to shift the whole tournament to Melbourne.

The move, in views of Cricket Australia, CEO Nick Hockley, will give the organisers flexibility while dealing with last-minute complications arising out of Covid-19 cases and subsequent mitigation processes.

“What we’re dealing with is unprecedented. We’ll be gradually centralising (the teams) into Melbourne. “What that enables us (Cricket Australia) to do is if a team is significantly impacted, it gives us much more flexibility to be able to swap teams in and complete the fixture,” Hockley told Australia’s SEN Radio.

Hockley, who himself has contracted Covid-19 and is under isolation, also took cognisance of the state of Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars, who have been the worst affected sides from Covid-19. He expressed regrets over those sides not having their “full-strength” team to pick from but expressed hope that things will start falling in place and teams will have their best players to choose from in the business end of the tournament.

“Those two particular clubs (Stars and Heat) have been heavily impacted,” Hockley said. “We’ve faced some different timing challenges with test results coming back. It’s not ideal. Obviously, we want everyone to have their full-strength team available. “We’ve got a really clear plan now for the final run-in of the competition. We are very confident that we’ll be able to complete the competition,” he added.

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BBL 2021-22: Melbourne Renegades thump Brisbane Heat, courtesy all-round show

Melbourne Renegades produced a dominating performance against Brisbane Heat in Geelong on Thursday to win the match by 5 wickets. Chasing a target of 129 runs, the Renegades lost opener Sam Harper without troubling the scorers but Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh got into the act and stitched a partnership of 96 runs for the second wicket. While Marsh went on to notch up a fifty, Finch scored 37 off 28 during the course. After Marsh’s departure, the Melbourne Renegades lost some wickets at quick intervals but captain Nic Maddinson held the fort at the one end to anchor the side to a win. He scored an unbeaten 22 off 14. David Grant scalped three wickets for 20 runs in 4 overs. Apart from him Mujeeb also returned with impressive figures as he picked up one wicket for 16 runs in 4 overs. Earlier, Brisbane Heat started off well as openers Jake Lehmann and Jack Clayton put up 36 runs for the first wicket on the board but Clayton’s dismissal certainly broke the shackles and the side lost wickets at regular succession and were reduced to 98/5 to eventually get restricted to 128/6 in 20 overs. Lehmann scored 65 off 52. For the Renegades, Kane Richardson, Zahir Khan and Nabi picked up two wickets apiece. “Great to get a few wins under the belt. Always a pleasure to contribute to the team's win,” Marsh said after the match.

BCCI will do everything to restart the domestic season: Ganguly to to state units

The BCCI had to postpone the domestic fixtures which included the Ranji Trophy, Col CK Nayudu Trophy and Women’s T20 league due to the rise in Covid-19 cases in the country. But the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has assured the state associations that the board “will do everything to restart the domestic season once the COVID-19 situation is under control”. “As you are aware, we had to put on hold the currently on-going domestic season due to the worsening COVID-19 situation,” Ganguly said in a letter to state associations. While the Ranji Trophy and CK Nayudu Trophy were slated to begin this month, the Women’s T20 League was slated to commence in February. “The COVID cases are rapidly increasing and there were multiple positive cases in many teams. It posed an imminent threat to the health and safety of players, officials and all others related to the running of the tournaments,” Ganguly wrote in the mail to Presidents and Secretaries of all the units. The former India skipper told the state boards that the BCCI would come up with a revised plan and it is committed to holding the remaining tournaments. “The BCCI would like to reassure that it will do everything to restart the domestic season once the COVID situation is under control.” “We are committed to holding the remaining tournaments for this season. The Board will shortly come back to you with a revised plan,” said Ganguly. Earlier, several Bengal players, India all-rounder Shivam Dube and Mumbai team’s video analyst had tested positive for Covid-19.

SA vs IND | 2nd Test, Day 4: Rain plays spoilsport, delays start on possible result day

The rain came to play spoilsport and delayed the start of the fourth day’s play of the second Test between India and South Africa at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. The hosts had reached 118/2 at the end of the third day’s play and are set to start their pursuit of 240 runs to win the game and square the three-match long series. Dean Elgar battled valiantly and resisted the Indian bowling attack on a tricky surface to set up an enthralling fourth day before the rain came to halt the contest between the two sides. India would hope the fresh spell of rain and forecast of overcast conditions in Johannesburg will bring a lot more assistance off the surface and in the air to the bowlers compared to the first three days of the Test. India lead the series 1-0 and South Africa are desperate to win the second Test.

The Ashes | 4th Test | Day 2: Australia in driver's seat after Usman Khawaja's hundred

Australia have continued the dominance in this on-going Ashes series against England and once again the home side has taken the driver’s seat. Riding on some scintillating batting from Usman Khawaja who was included in the XI in place of Travis Head, Australia posted a big total and then kept the England openers Haseeb Hameed and Zak Crawley on the back foot before the end of day’s play. The hosts posted 416/8 (D) and England were 13/0 in the first innings when stumps were called on Day 2. Australia could have concluded the day with a wicket of Crawley after he was caught in the slips in the fourth over off Mitchell Starc but survived as the left-arm pacer had overstepped and it was signalled a no-ball. Australia began the proceedings on Day 2 at 126/3 with Steve Smith and Khawaja at the crease. The two batters further added 106 runs before Stuart Broad removed Smith for 67. Smith’s departure brought a couple of more wickets at regular intervals and Australia were 285/6 when Khawaja was joined by skipper Pat Cummins and put up a partnership of 46 runs for the seventh wicket. Cummins was sent back to the hut by Broad. But England’s misery didn’t just end here as Mitchell Starc came in the middle and he along with Khawaja frustrated the visitors with a 67-run stand for the 8th wicket. Khawaja was eventually dismissed for 137 while Starc remained unbeaten at 34. Apart from him, Nathan Lyon also chipped in with 16* off 7 deliveries during the course. For England, it was Broad who was the pick of the bowlers after he picked up 5 wickets while Anderson, Wood and Joe Root had one each to their names. England now trail Australia by 403 runs.