BCCI AGM: 2 more franchises in IPL 2021, Cricket in Olympics and other agendas

England use coded signals from dressing room; players, ECB defend move

Modern-day cricket needs more than players’ and captain’s game-awareness on the field and keeping that in mind the England cricket team has adopted a single-sending measure that is based on the use of coded signals from the team’s balcony on the ground. The tactics were evident at the Newlands where the team was facing the host South Africa in the third and final T20 of the series and the team analyst Nathan Leamon was seen placing the cards with some numbers that sent signals to the English players and captain in particular. England vice-captain Jos Buttler likened the move as one of the modes for value addition and compared it to the two strategic timeouts in the Indian Premier League where the players and captains on the field get the opportunity to collect feedback and inputs from the analysis team. However, in the English team setup, it has been left for the players and captain to decide if they want to adopt the signal and tactical suggestions that it brings or wishes to ignore them and go ahead with their own tactics based on match situations. "The lads were checking their Euromillions numbers. Eoin works closely with Nathan to work on the match-ups. In the IPL, you have two tactical time-outs for suggestions from analysts, but you have to be careful how you use it, there has to be an instinctive, intuitive side to the game," Buttler told Sky Sports suggesting the idea behind this development in the England team setup. On the other hand, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said that the signalling system was under trial for along time and the process is just another value addition as a ‘live informational resource’ which by no means are ‘commands or instructions’ to players and the captain on the field and that all the decisions are taken on the field only and not inside the dressing room. England have swept the three-match T20 series against South Africa and are the contenders to win the ODI series starting December 04 as well. The hosts have a lot of questions to answer and they will find it really tough to turn things around against this England white-ball side which does not allow slip-ups.

LPL 2020: Shahid Afridi leaves tournament to attend family emergency

Former Pakistan all-rounder and the captain of the Galle Gladiators in the ongoing Lanka Premier League, Shahid Afridi has decided to leave the tournament midway in order to attend a personal emergency at home. However, he said that he will return to lead the Galle-based franchise once the situation becomes under control. Shahid Afridi had taken the LPL by storm with on-field spats and signature swashbuckling innings of 58 runs from 23 balls. He was involved in an on-field altercation with an Afghan all-rounder Naveen-ul Haq who was playing for the Kandy Tuskers. Shahid Afridi had taken to Twitter to react to the on-field heated interaction and suggested that young players should refrain from using abusive languages while playing the game of cricket. Afridi’s departure would be a massive blow to the Gladiator who are already languishing at the bottom of the points table by losing all the three matches that they have played in the inaugural edition of the league.

After Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik attacks Pakistan selectors over 'communication gap'

Pakistan All-rounder Shoaib Malik is searching for answers on why he was excluded from the squad for the tour of New Zealand. Malik, who has also captained Pakistan, said that he has ‘no idea’ on the reasoning behind the selectors’ decision to drop him for the tour of New Zealand. "If I am not part of the national team, only the chief selector can answer this. I have no idea. There wasn't any communication from them but of course, I don't want to go into the negative side and just stay positive," Malik was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Reportedly, chief selector Misbah ul-Haq had last month said that the selectors are looking to build the team for the future and hence players such as Malik doesn’t feature in the scheme of things looking at the two upcoming T20 World Cups. Malik’s apprehension about the lack of communication from the selectors comes on the back of observation made by pacer Mohammad Amir who had lamented the selection committee for not allowing space to players where they could ask for a break or workload management. He had said that there is a severe communication gap between selectors and players and the situation is leading the players to be insecure while remaining in the setup.

AUS vs IND: SCG may host full-house crowd for final T20

The upcoming T20 series between Australia and India may well see cricket going back to the old normal with a full-house crowd at stadiums as there is a possibility that Sydney Cricket Ground will be allowed to fill 100 per cent of its seating capacity when the two teams meet for the third T20 of the series. The New South Wales government is mulling lifting covid-19 restrictions after December 7 as the coronavirus situation has been contained to a large extent in the state. "From Monday, life will be very different in NSW," The Australian quoted NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian as saying. Earlier, the seating capacity for the third and final T20 was capped to up to 50 per cent of the seating capacity of the SCG. The T20 series will begin in the capital city of Canberra after which the two teams will travel back to Sydney where the ODI series had started which the hosts won 2-1. Virat Kohli and his men will be ecstatic after winning the last ODI game of the series and it would make up for a riveting series that should go down the wire in terms of results.