BCCI is paying for 14-day quarantine of Australian IPL players: CA

The Cricket Australia interim CEO Nick Hockley has said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is bearing all the expenses for the 14-day quarantine of Australian IPL players. The cricketers had arrived in Sydney from Maldives on Monday.

"Yes," Hockley told 'Sydney Morning Herald' when asked if BCCI was paying for the mandatory quarantine.

"BCCI at the outset committed to ensuring that they got home safely and as quickly as possible. We've been working closely with them. They've been fantastic. They've delivered on that promise."

India has been suffering with the second wave of Covid-19. Hockley expressed his concern about the same. "Obviously our thoughts are with all of our friends in India. Then we've been working with the government, within the existing frameworks to make sure that they get home as quickly as possible," Hockley said.

The interim CEO also praised the BCCI and revealed that the players have been very appreciative of the board. "I know the players, having texted a few of them, are extremely appreciative of the BCCI and we're really pleased that they're home safely."

The IPL 2021 was suspended with immediate effect on may 4 after there were Covid-19 cases within the franchise teams. SRH’s Wriddhiman Saha, KKR’s Sandeep Warrior and Varun Chakravarthy, DC’s Amit Mishra and CSK’s bowling coach L.Balaji and later batting coach Mike Hussey had tested positive for Covid-19.

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Ross Taylor hopeful of making the cut for the Test Championship final despite a calf injury

With England slated to host New Zealand for a two-match Test series starting June 2, premier Black Caps batsman Ross Taylor sounded optimistic about recovering from his calf strain and getting available for the Test series and the ICC World Test Championship final against India. In a bid to get acclimatised to the conditions in England ahead of the WTC final, New Zealand will play the two-match Test series against England just before the big match. Taylor who has been one of the most dependable Kiwi batsmen besides Kane Williamson recently suffered a calf strain during their training session at their high-performance centre at Lincoln earlier this month. “Obviously you don’t want to have those little niggles and this [calf] niggle came about trying to get the hamstring right,” Taylor was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo. “It’s part and parcel of being an international cricketer,” Taylor further added. The star batsman left for UK along with his teammates Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and BJ Watling on Monday. “More is made of it when you get older. If you get a calf or a hamstring injury at 32, nothing’s made of it, but when you’re 37, there’s a few more headlines, but it is what it is, and I’m comfortable with where I’m at,” quipped the attacking middle-order batsman. Taylor who kicked off his Test career in England way back in 2008 is hopeful of continuing his dominance. The swashbuckling batsman smashed an unbeaten 154 during his maiden Test series at Manchester. “[A] hundred-odd Tests later, [England is] still a great place to play cricket — probably one of the best tours to go on. Obviously being in a bubble is going to be a bit strange. Thirteen years ago, fond memories of that tour and still to date one of the best innings I’ve played in Manchester in the second Test,” Taylor concluded.

After Lisa Sthalekar’s criticism of BCCI, Veda Krishnamurthy tweets to thank Jay Shah and board

India Women’s player Veda Krishnamurthy thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Honorary Secretary Jay Shah and the board for supporting her through torrid times in which she lost her mother and elder sister to Covid-19 within a span of 15 days. “Have been tough last month for me and family and I’d like to sincerely thank the @BCCI & Mr @jayshah sir for calling me few days back and extending support in these unprecedented times. Many thanks sir @BCCIWomen,” Veda tweeted on My 18. Earlier when the India team was announced for the England tour and Veda, 28, was not picked, former Australia cricketer Lisa Sthalekar tweeted a scathing criticism of the Indian board saying that it did not how to care for its contracted player in her times of grief. Veda, a batting all-rounder, who has played 48 ODIs and 76 T20is wasn’t picked for India Women’s tour of England when the team was announced on May 14. Her last appearance for India dates back to the team’s crushing defeat in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 Final against hosts Australia.

AB de Villiers to not come out of international retirement

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced that AB de Villiers will not be coming out of international retirement, stating that he has decided 'once and for all, that his retirement will remain final’.

Neil Wagner rates Indian pace cartel highly, hoping for a fascinating final

Acknowledging the depth of the Indian bowling attack, New Zealand left-arm speedster Neil Wagner feels that the final of the ICC World Test Championship final will be an evenly contested one. The left-arm pacer who has troubled several top-class batsmen with his pace and bounce is of the opinion that the final will be a battle between two bowling attack. “There are a lot of quality bowlers up on show. India has a number of quality fast bowlers in their side, who can perform anywhere around the world. They can make it (the ball) swing around under overcast conditions,” Wagner said in a video posted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on their official Twitter handle. India have picked a 20 man squad for the Test Championship final and the five-match Test series in England slated to be played in August. While there are six frontline pacers in the 20 man squad, India is carrying three standby pacers to support their cause if they are again marred with injuries similar to what happened in Australia. Barring the frontline pacers comprising of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma, India also have the likes of Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj who has the ability to replace any of the three frontline pacers. On the other hand, New Zealand also boasts of a lethal pace attack led by Trent Boult and Tim Southee. In Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner, they have the perfect foil for Southee and Boult and will be raring to come good against India in the final. Wagner who will play a crucial role if New Zealand harbour hopes of winning their first ICC tournament feels that both teams need to adjust to the conditions in England as the weather and conditions can change within a session. “When the sun comes out, it (wicket) is flat and nothing happens again. “Conditions can change quickly throughout the day. They can start from being flat, nothing happening to suddenly starting to swing and nipping around within a session,” added Wagner. Wagner who loves bowling the short-pitched stuff encountered a famous battle with Steve Smith during their tour of Australia in the 2019-20 session. Wagner will try to trouble the Indian batsmen with his short-pitched stuff. However, Wagner is not overly bothered about the WTC final. “I am not getting carried away too much, trying to control the controllable,” said Wagner.