Dom Bess deactivates Twitter account hours after getting call-up for second Test vs NZ

India to tour Sri Lanka for three ODIs & as many T20Is in July

India are set to play three ODIs and as many T20Is on their tour to Sri Lanka. Broadcaster Sony made the announcement that the tour will be held between July 13 to 25. “Indian waves will crash against the Sri Lankan shore with #JeetneKiZid,” the channel tweeted with the schedule. The ODIs are scheduled to take place on July 13, 16 and 18 while the two teams will lock horns in the T20Is on July 21, 23 and 25. While the Virat Kohl-led team is in the UK for the final of the inaugural World Test Championship against New Zealand and a five-match Test series against England, another Indian team will travel to Sri Lanka for the limited-overs fixtures. SLC Administrative Committee chairman Arjuna de Silva had earlier said that the board is planning to hold the matches at one venue. "We plan to host the entire series at one venue. As of now, it has been decided that the Premadasa Stadium will host the fixtures. Obviously, it depends on how the situation is around that time," Arjuna de Silva, Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) Administrative Committee chairman, told Sportstar. "With the Covid situation fluid, we cannot allow fans yet, so all the matches will be closed-door affairs," De Silva said. The venues for the India-Sri Lanka series haven’t been revealed yet. The Indian selectors are also yet to announce the squad which will travel to Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Kohli’s men will be battling it out against the Blackcaps in the WTC final in Southampton scheduled to begin on June 18 while the Test series against the English team is slated to take place in August.

After Ollie Robinson, another historic tweet of England player surfaces, ECB 'looking into it'

The issue of ‘racist’ tweets done by the players when in teenage does not seem to be stopping any soon as a tweet from another player has emerged on social media. Wisden.com published a snapshot of a tweet done by a player, which it said would have been under 16-17 years of age at the time of tweeting. However, the publication chose to hide the identity of the player who tweeted. The ECB has taken cognisance of this emerging issue as well while the investigation for Ollie Robinson’s historic tweets is still underway. “It has been brought to our attention that an England player has posted historic offensive material on their social media account. We are looking into it and will make a further comment in due course,” an ECB spokesperson said. England coach Chris Silverwood emphasized the need for education to bring an end to discrimination in the game. He said that the England team is striving to make the sport ‘inclusive’ for everyone involved. “The big thing for us all is education,” he said. “We are all striving to be better, none of us are perfect, and we all need to make sure we are learning all the time. We can make sure the world is a better place. Most importantly, we can work hard to ensure that this great game is inclusive for everybody and there’s no form of discrimination whatsoever. The issue first popped up in the public eye on the first day of the first Test between England and New Zealand when Ollie Robinson made his Test debut.

Mushifiqur Rahim opts out of Zimbabwe T20Is due to bubble fatigue

Experienced Bangladesh wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim has opted to not take part in the t20i leg of the team’s tour to Zimbabwe in July this year. Rahim, who is currently taking part in the Dhaka Premier Division T20 tournament for the Abahani Dhaka franchise, said that too much bubble fatigue is not good for him and he wants to remain fresh for the bigger series at home against England, Australi and New Zealand later in the autumn. "Mushfiqur called me today and wanted to opt-out from the T20 series against Zimbabwe. We are yet to take a decision in this regard but we must respect their decisions in such cases,” Bangladesh's chief selector Minhajul Abedin was quoted as saying to Cricbuzz. Bangladesh’ Zimbabwe tour would involve a one-off Test, three ODIs and three T20Is. Originally it was to have two Tests and two T20Is, but due to the World T20 approaching, BCB and Zimbabwe Cricket agreed to increase extra T20I and cut off one Test. The series begins on July 7 with the Test match. The ODIs are scheduled to be played on July 16, 18 and 20 at the Harare Sports Club, while the three T20Is will be played on July 23, 25 and 27 at the same venue.

After SLC heeds to certain demands Sri Lanka players agree to tour England without signing contracts

A truce seemed to be have been brokered between Sri Lankan cricket players and the cricket governing body in the country, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as the players, earlier adamant at not touring England, have decided to pursue the tour. The reason for their change in action is supposedly SLC’s formal promise of making player evaluation marks available to each player when they return from the tour of England. “This is the transparency the players had been requesting from the outset. They will play this tour without signing any contract. They have signed a voluntary declaration, but there's nothing there about player remuneration,” Players’ representative attorney Nishan Premathiratne was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo. They have always been committed to playing for Sri Lanka,” he added. Another of the players’ main request is that they be judged only on performance and fitness. However, the technical committee which prepared the contracts judged all players on these two criteria but also included other criteria such as professionalism, leadership and future potential/ adaptability. The Sri Lankan team will leave for England on Tuesday, June 8 and after the quarantine regime, will play the ODI and T20I series of three matches each, starting with the first T20I on June 23 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.