Devon Conway looks forward to potential debut by ‘staying in the moment’

ECB brings 3 more measures to make English cricket more inclusive, diverse

The process of rooting out racism and discrimination in the English cricket is well on track as the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced three new comprehensive measures under the flagship Inspiring Generations strategic plan. The three new policy measures such as structuring of a new commission for equality in Cricket, a forum for the race in cricket, a new equality code of conduct were approved by the board on 24 November and these will set precedent for the better and new equality, diversity and inclusion Plan over the course of next few months to tackle and weed out any form of racism and inequality in the English Cricket. Independent Commission for Equality in Cricket This commission will be headed by an independent chairman and will comprise of independent members who will help the ECB in the evaluation of inequalities and discrimination of all forms in English cricket. Forum for Race in Cricket The ECB has decided to set up a forum for discussion on race in cricket in order to facilitate itself in listening to people across the game who have had a variety of living and learning experiences. The forum will provide the board with a confidential, safe space to listen and learn from those lived experiences in order to foresee challenges and chart out a plan of action for better development of the game. Equality Code of Conduct The ECB has mandated this new Equality of conduct for all cricket organisations under its jurisdictions and has asked all of them to implement it before the 2021 season. The board has asked its member organisations to treat discriminatory behaviours in their jurisdictions through disciplinary processes set out by this new code of conduct. Shedding light on the Inspiring Generations strategic plan, ECB Chairman, Ian Watmore said that the board aspires to make the game more inclusive and that there are many more efforts underway to achieve that broader goal. He reaffirmed the stance of ECB that all discriminatory behaviour is unacceptable, and that it is fully committed to driving it out of the game. “The primary aim of the ECB’s Inspiring Generations strategy is to make cricket a game for everyone and many actions are well underway and helping to make cricket more diverse and inclusive. While continuing with this work and increasing its impact, we are equally clear that all discriminatory behaviour is unacceptable, and are committed to driving it out of the game through better governance, education, training, role modelling and behavioural change, but also through disciplinary action when necessary. Continuing to listen to the experiences of people, whether positive or negative and engaging with independent expertise will help to inform, strengthen and challenge our thinking and plans as we move forward. Taken together, these steps will ensure that the ECB achieves lasting change,” Watmore said. On the other hand, the ECB CEO, Tom Harrison said that the board has tried to listen to as many people as possible who have had the experience of facing and dealing inequalities and exclusivity and it will carry on the path to make the game even more inclusive and diverse. “This year we have listened to many people from across the game and beyond, to understand where we must be better in making our sport inclusive and diverse, and tackling discrimination. The measures we have announced today, and the broader Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan we will launch, build on and accelerate the work we have already done in recent years. We will continue to learn how, as a game, we become more representative of the communities we strive to serve,” Harrison said. Moreover, the ECB will launch its full Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan for 2021-24 next year with the objective of making cricket a game for everyone irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, sexuality, social background or disability.

Sourav Ganguly's discussion with Cricket Australia last hopes for Rohit, Ishant

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has come in damage control mode after a series of miscommunication regarding the availability of Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma in the upcoming series against Australia starting December 17. The board has said that that the duo were anyway not part of the 18-member squad selected for the series and they knew that Rohit was never going to take the flight to Australia straight from the UAE after finishing the IPL. ”Rohit and Ishant were anyways not part of the squad. An 18-member team was announced for four Tests. We all knew he was never going to fly,” Times of India quoted a bCCI official as saying. If Rohit would have flown to Australia instead of coming back to the National Cricket Academy, he would have spent the quarantine period while healing his hamstring and BCCI was not amused at the right-hander’s decision to come back to India. ”Nobody in the BCCI knows who asked Rohit to head to the NCA. Was it his own decision?”, TOI quoted a bizarre response from a BCCI official. Now, as Rohit has gone to the NCA, as per the norms of the BCCI, it’s the academy’s prerogative to certify fitness of a player before they can make a comeback to the team. Reportedly, Rohit’s fitness will be assessed on December 11 but the BCCI is aware of the challenges that lie ahead of the board and Rohit himself in pursuit of making it into the team for the last leg of the tour such as quarantine protocols where he will be barred from training, ban on international flights. In Ishant’s case, TOI reports that NCA head Rahul Dravid’s letter to the BCCI had made it clear about the required period of rest the tall pacer needed to get back in the groove for the rigorous workload of a Test match. BCCI believes that there is no point ending Ishant in the second week of December as both he and Rohit Sharma will have to be in solitary quarantine which can take away ‘sanity’ from them and it will be too late for them to recover for Test matches. However, news agency ANI has reported that BCCI President Sourav Ganguly is involved in negotiations with his counterpart in Cricket Australia to reach a middle ground that will facilitate the duo an opportunity to train while in quarantine in Australia. This whole series of miscommunication has been termed ‘sad’ by the BCCI but it would be better for the board to come out with a clear picture on the state of players’ fitness and adopt a better communication approach to avoid feeling these strong rumours.

NZ vs PAK: Pakistan squad handed final warning after six test COVID-19 positive

As many as six members of the Pakistan senior men’s touring part have tested positive for the coronavirus infection upon landing in New Zealand. While four of these cases are new to be reported, the other two have been termed ‘historic’ in a New Zealand Cricket’s release. “NZC was made aware today that six members of the Pakistan touring squad, currently in managed isolation in Christchurch, have tested positive for COVID-19. Two of these six results have been deemed ‘historical, four have been confirmed as new,” New Zealand Cricket said in its release. Health officials in New Zealand are in no mood to unravel coronavirus situation in the country after eradicating the virus from their shores and they have taken full cognisance of the breaching of the coronavirus rules and have issued a ‘final warning’ to the touring side to stick to rules in order to keep the country and staff safe from Covid-19. They have also mandated that each member will be subjected to stringent quarantine in their designated rooms while also going through four rounds of Covid-19 tests. "The team as a whole has been issued with a final warning. It is a privilege to come to New Zealand to play sport, but in return, teams must stick to the rules that are designed to keep COVID-19 out of our communities and keep our staff safe," said top health official Ashley Bloomfield. New Zealand health ministry has said that it has observed team members dishonouring protocols on CCTV despite a series of ‘clear, consistent and detailed communication of expected behaviours.’ As per the provisions of the coronavirus containment protocols in the country, Pakistan players and all members of the touring contingent had to go through four rounds of Covid-19 testing before starting their training period. These cases have emerged in the first round of testing conducted immediately after arrival in the country and therefore the team has been barred from training while under isolation which was exempted before the current development. Persons who tested positive will be shifted to a separate facility in Christchurch. This means that, in line with the protocols governing the squad’s entry into New Zealand, the six members of the squad will be moved to the quarantine arm of the managed isolation facility. As a consequence, the Pakistan team’s exemption to train while in managed isolation has been put on hold until investigations have been completed,” NZC appraised. Reportedly, all members of the Pakistan team including the support staff were allowed to board the plane to New Zealand only after four rounds of negative results from Covid-19 testing. As a result of the process, opener Fakhar Zaman was ruled out of the tour after developing symptoms. Additionally, NZC also said that they got the notice of some members of the touring party having breached the coronavirus related containment protocols. NZC said that they will hold discussions with the Pakistan team to make them aware of the requirement of isolation and subsequent restrictions in the wake of Covid-19. “NZC has also been made aware that some members of the Pakistan team had contravened protocols on the first day of managed isolation. We will be having discussions with the tourists to assist them in understanding the requirements,” the board said in its release. Pakistan and New Zealand are set to play a three-match T20 series starting December 18 followed by a two-match Test series starting December 26. Pakistan senior men’s team is also accompanied by Pakistan A team which will play two four-day games on the tour starting December 10 and December 17. “NZC was made aware today that six members of the Pakistan touring squad, currently in managed isolation in Christchurch, have tested positive for COVID-19. Two of these six results have been deemed ‘historical, four have been confirmed as new,” New Zealand Cricket said in its release. As per the provisions of the coronavirus containment protocols in the country, Pakistan players and all members of the touring contingent had to go through four rounds of Covid-19 testing before starting their training period. These cases have emerged in the first round of testing conducted immediately after arrival in the country and therefore the team has been barred from training while under isolation which was exempted before the current development. Persons who tested positive will be shifted to a separate facility in Christchurch. This means that, in line with the protocols governing the squad’s entry into New Zealand, the six members of the squad will be moved to the quarantine arm of the managed isolation facility. As a consequence, the Pakistan team’s exemption to train while in managed isolation has been put on hold until investigations have been completed,” NZC appraised. Reportedly, all members of the Pakistan team including the support staff were allowed to board the plane to New Zealand only after four rounds of negative results from Covid-19 testing. As a result of the process, opener Fakhar Zaman was ruled out of the tour after developing symptoms. Additionally, NZC also said that they got the notice of some members of the touring party having breached the coronavirus related containment protocols. NZC said that they will hold discussions with the Pakistan team to make them aware of the requirement of isolation and subsequent restrictions in the wake of Covid-19. “NZC has also been made aware that some members of the Pakistan team had contravened protocols on the first day of managed isolation. We will be having discussions with the tourists to assist them in understanding the requirements,” the board said in its release. Pakistan and New Zealand are set to play a three-match T20 series starting December 18 followed by a two-match Test series starting December 26. Pakistan senior men’s team is also accompanied by Pakistan A team which will play two four-day games on the tour starting December 10 and December 17.

Australia vs India | 1st ODI: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream11 Fantasy Picks

After a long haul of bio-secure bubbles, quarantines formalities and discussions on who should or should not have been on the plane to Australia, the moment has finally arrived for which every cricket fan waited for so passionately in the COVID-19 affected world. Although the series against Australia and India have been organised in full accordance to COVID-19 protocols, there are signs that cricket will turn the clock back to the ‘old normal’ where a huge number of fans used to gather at grounds to cheer for their favourite cricketers from the closest distances. Organised at varied capacities depending on quarantine regulations and ground capacity across the continent, India's tour to Australia is supposed to bring back some semblance of normality. Furthermore, the clamour about India facing the prospect of getting ‘smoked’, 4-0 predictions and a few mind games have already started as usual to spice up the series. A long and all-bases covered Indian teams have reached Down Under in a bid to challenge the reins of Australian cricket team which by all means looks at a completely different unit that received a major drubbing at the hands of Virat Kohli’s India the last time these sides met each other in Australia. Indian bowlers had proved to be stronger in every aspect of the game such as pedigree, perseverance and skills against a depleted Australian batting line up in the absence of David Warner and Steve Smith and now with the duo returning to play against India, it can be a completely different ball game altogether. But, Virat Kohli’s men are more ready than ever with their sublime forms in white-ball cricket along with cumulative experience of past tours to Australia. On the other hand, Aaron Finch will be delighted to see the pace duo of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Strac looking to go at the Indian batting lineup which will be weaker from the outset in the absence of Rohit Sharma but he will do good to not underestimate the prowess of Shikhar Dhawan, more so when he is in as good a form as he was in the just-concluded edition of the Indian Premier League. The nucleus of the Australian ODI team namely Finch himself, along with Steve Smith, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis were all in the UAE for the IPL so they will not be rusty for the lack of cricket due to the pandemic. Steve Smith, who used to be a consistent thorn for the touring Indian side in the past has virtually issued a warning to Indian bowlers that things are back in order for him at the batting crease after a pretty subdued IPL with the bat. Steve Smith has been fidgety at the batting crease and Indian bowlers have been proven ordinary against him in the past. "I was pretty disappointed with my batting throughout the IPL. From my standards, I wasn't consistent enough. I had a few innings here and there, but I never got into a really good rhythm. I got a bit caught up with trying to be a bit too powerful and that's not quite my game. There are those players around the world that can hit sixes at will, and I'm probably not one of those. For me, it's about playing proper cricket shots and hitting the gaps and manipulating the field as much as I can, and I probably went away from that a bit in the IPL,” Smith said looking back at his form in IPL and what the rhythm of batting means for him. But, the bowling attack of Indian team wears a completely different outlook than the one Steve Smith had plundered in the 2013-14 series and the World Cup semi-final in 2019 that followed. Now, Indian pacers have many arsenals up their sleeves to challenge Smith’s defence whatever the format is. Bumrah has stepped up the ladder of reliability and consistency while Mohammed Shami has rejuvenated his career with a leaner body and meaner line and lengths. The emergence of wrist spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav along with the pace of Navdeep Saini will also challenge Smith in the limited over series. The Indian team reached Australia straight after the completion of the IPL and had the opportunity of an extended training period in the country, a luxury they could not afford in a normal world without the pandemic and Viart Kohli must have made sure to get the best out of each plays in order to decide the best composition of the squad to start the ODI series. He knows the importance of starting strong on a tour and he will do well to remind his team that Australia can be made to look a brittle side if put under pressure but for that to happen, Kohli’s men will have to put together a strong show at the start of the first game of the season. On the other hand, Aaron Finch would be telling his premier fast bowlers about a certain gap in the indispensable top order of the Indian batting line up in the absence of Rohit Sharma and an inexperienced middle order that has not been tested in Australia with sheer pace and bounce. Australia vs India: Match Details 1st ODI Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Broadcast: SonyLIV, Sony Ten Network, DD Sports Date and Timing: November 27, 09:10 IST, 03:40 GMT Team News Australia Steve Smith is certain to come back into the ODI squad after missing the last series against England due to concussion and he is working hard in the nets to make the most of the outings he will have before the Test series begins. Head coach Justin Langer has hinted on the good headache the team management is facing on the composition of the playing XI and the number of all-rounders needed to challenge India. However, he affirmed that Smith will return in place of Mitchell Marsh who had injured his ankle in the IPL. In case the team management decided to go ahead with only a four-man bowling attack, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell will have to chip in to cover the remaining 10 overs and it would also allow the team to play Marnus Labuschagne who did no wrong to lose out on a place in the playing XI after coming in for an injured Smith in Australia's tour to England. Finch has spoken highly of Glenn Maxwell’s ever so improving bowling in the limited-overs game and Stoinis’ recent exploits in the death overs of the white-ball games and it indicates that he is ready to back the duo to come up with good and produce 10 solid overs to back an impressive quartet of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa. "What Maxi's shown in T20 cricket, in particular, is his bowling keeps improving all the time. I think Marcus Stoinis has proved that as well with the amount of exposure he's had over the past couple of years bowling at the death, it's really important for us and it gives us a lot of flexibility in there. In England, we had the three allrounders with Mitch (Marsh) so you can dissect the 10 overs a little bit easier, I guess. You're still expecting when that fifth bowler is, or the combination of all-rounders are, bowling that minimum 10 overs that they're still having an impact on the game," Finch said on the eve of the first game. Strongest XI Aaron Finch (Captain), David Warner, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa India India will miss Rohit Sharma’s reliability at the top of the order but an in-form Mayank Agarwal could answer the clarion call by Virat Kohli to provide a solid start to the batting lineup. Kohli himself will hope for getting back to his best form as soon as possible as he will have limited opportunity to leave his mark on the series and tour and lead the team from the front. Hardik Pandya is most likely to retain his batting position down the order based on his unbelievable displays of big-hitting capabilities in the IPL. Carrying on from the cash-rich tournament, he will play as a specialist batsman. Hardik’s lack of bowling will mean India will have to choose one among Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey for the perpetually contentious number four spot which will be followed by KL Rahul at the number five. Hardik’s unavailability with the ball will alter the composition of bowling lineup as well as the team management will be reluctant to not use the services of Ravindra Jadeja who has been at his peak with the bat while his bowling may come handy at the big grounds in Australia. Young and impressive Navdeep Saini will most likely tip Shardul Thakur as the third seamer in the playing XI to patent Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Strongest XI Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (Captain), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini Australia vs India: Dream11 team and suggestion KL Rahul, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Marcus Stoinis, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah Captain: Steve Smith Vice-captain: Virat Kohli