Greatest privilege of my working life: Nick Hockley after being named CEO of Cricket Australia

How rescheduled IPL jeopardises CWC Super League, T20 World Cup preparations of many countries

The Board of Control for Cricket in India was quick to announce the dates for the remainder of the Indian Premier League to be held in the United Arab Emirates. However, that poses a potent question on whether it will be as global a tournament as it is supposed to be, or will it be, to quote Wriddhiman Saha, “A star-studded version of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.” The rescheduling of the 14th season of the cash-rich league between September 19 and October 10 would mean that all the key foreign players would have to be rushed in from their national duties. And boards would not like it one bit as has been explicitly expressed by ECB’s Ashley Giles and subversively by New Zealand Cricket and Cricket Australia as well, the three nations with the most important players in the league. But what if players decided to abandon national teams and participate in the IPL? How will it hamper the country’s preparation for the T20 World Cup and furthermore the Cricket World Cup Super League, the primary qualifying tournament for the 2023 ODI World Cup to be held in India? The International Cricket Council's Future Tours Programme is a good place to make sense of these things and that's what we will do. We will try to understand, how does the IPL window effect other boards, and consequently the entire ecosystem of cricket till the 2023 ODI World Cup. England The English team is supposed to play Pakistan for two T20Is in October just ahead of the scheduled T20 World Cup dates and the ECB has also confirmed that the team would be touring Bangladesh for a limited over series in early October as well. This is clearly indicative of the fact that English players will not be available for the second leg of the IPL. However, if the likes of Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Sam Curran do try to get in, it has been made highly unlikely by Managing Director of England Men’s team Ashley Giles. The former left-arm spinner said, “We are going to have to give some of these guys a break at some point. But the intention of giving guys a break for, say, Bangladesh, wouldn't be for them to go and play cricket elsewhere.” “We have to manage our schedule now, so we get our guys arriving in the best shape possible for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes," said Giles at the launch of IG as the new official partner of England Cricket. With this statement, he has made fully clear the intentions of ECB of not sending the players for IPL’s second leg. Australia The Australian players haven’t really had much time together with many of its key players not playing together. Just before the World Cup, the team planned a Tri-Series in UAE involving West Indies and Afganistan, although that has yet not been officialised. But if they anyhow do not play the series, the Aussie players would be available as they do not have any series lined up. The question here will be of either bubble fatigue running into a very hectic Australia summer or of preparation going into the T20 World Cup, a tournament the Kangaroos have not won since the inception of the competition. If Kolkata Knight Riders’ most expensive player Pat Cummins’ withdrawal from the second leg is any sign of things to come, then Cricket Australia might want to prioritise their campaign for the T20 World Cup. Thus if the Aussie players indeed go on to join the IPL campaign, they would be jeopardising their team’s training for the World Cup. New Zealand Although not confirmed, the Kiwis are scheduled to tour Bangladesh in the September-October period for limited-overs series which might involve CWC Super League matches as well as all-important T20Is. The BCB did confirm that both England and New Zealand would be touring and hence the availability of key Blackcaps for IPL looks slim. And again if IPL manages to lure them with money, then their World T20 campaign as well as chances of gaining 30 crucial points to their CWC Super league tally would get thin. However those series can be scheduled later, but in the post covid world, that is never guaranteed. West Indies Apart from these big three nations, the other team that would be heavily compromised on the practice and fatigue of the players will be the defending champions West Indies. The Kieron Pollard-led team will be playing back-to-back cricket starting June 26 when they play the first T20I against South Africa, up till September 18, the scheduled date for the Finals of the Caribbean Premier League’s 2021 edition. With such a heavy dose of cricket, if 31 games of IPL are squeezed in along with several bio-bubble transfers, Phil Simmons’ men wouldn’t be in the best of their selves to go for their title defence in October-November for sure, not to mention the tri-series with Afghanistan and Australia if it formulates at all. Bangladesh Although there are only two Bangladesh players signed in the IPL, those two are crucial members of both the national team and their respective franchise, hence their presence matters at both places. Bangladesh back-to-back host Australia, England, and New Zealand after having already had a busy season with the Dhaka Premier League and tour to Zimbabwe. The Bangladesh Cricket Board were already not happy with Shakib Al Hasan skipping the Sri Lanka Test series during the IPL and with CWC Super League points at stake, they would not be very happy if the players choose to prioritise their franchise commitents. Thus far, South Africa remains the only top country that wouldn’t have any fixtures scheduled during the IPL (given they are supposed to play India) and can afford to send players for the league. However, with BCCI seeking some more time to discuss the hosting of the T20 World Cup, chances are that the tournament might get moved a little further than the scheduled dates, in which case, it will solve many of the existing problems. But as things stand at the moment, the rescheduled IPL is certainly jeopardising the plans of many countries’ T20 World Cup campaign as well as messing with their CWC Super League’s points table.

We have moved on from our bitter past says Mithali Raj on her equation with Ramesh Powar

Despite her indifference with Ramesh Powar, current Indian ODI skipper Mithali Raj seemed to be on the same page with India’s newly appointed head coach and feels that likes or dislikes hardly matters when one is playing for the country. Mithali Raj who had publicly criticised Powar’s coaching credentials after the 2018 World T20 stated that both parties have moved on from the bitter past and hope to take the Indian Women’s team to greater heights in the future. “We can't be living in the past. I've played for so many years, I don't have an ego or I don't give attention to my personal likes and dislikes. I've never done that,” Mithali Raj was quoted as saying by PTI. "And 21 years has been a long time for me to sort of, you know, go through many challenges. When it comes to playing for India, it's like serving your country, so personal issues, I don't really give any weightage (to those)," she further added. Following the conclusion of the 2018 T20 World Cup, Mithali Raj had written a letter to BCCI bashing both Romesh Powar and Diani Edulji criticising them for misusing their power. “I felt deflated, depressed and let down. I am forced to think if my services to my country are of any value to a few people in power who are out to destroy me and break my confidence," Mithali had written in the letter. She had further expressed her disappointment in a Twitter post claiming that how disheartened she was after people questioned her commitment towards the game despite being an integral part of the Indian women’s team for two decades. Ramesh Powar had posted a cryptic tweet following Mithali’s claims where he had written, “Forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness but because you deserve peace.” However, Mithali’s recent interview with the PTI suggests that the two have moved on from their extremely bitter past and are doing every bit to make sure that the Indian eves manage to take their cricket to a new level. Mithali Raj said that after playing for India for over two decades he doesnt like to carry any baggages. "You need to think about the bigger picture. That's how I am. There are so many things that have happened in the past, but I don't carry that baggage into my present or in the future,” Mithali said. The Indian women’s team will be travelling to England in a short while for their first-ever Test match since 2014. With the team in quarantine ahead of the tour of England which will comprise of a solitary Test and three ODIs and T20s each, Mithali revealed that there were several zoom calls discussing about the upcoming tour. With the 50 overs World Cup slated to be held in New Zealand in 2022, Mithali said that the primary goal of the team is to win the tournament and everyone needs to be on the same page in order to achieve the goal. "He is the coach, and he has his set of plans, it's important that both of us are aligned on the same page to take the team forward. Because even his goal is the same: that the team does well in the World Cup. It's everybody's goal in the team," Mithali said. "We can't be bitter and carry the bitterness. I've never been a confrontational person, nor am I someone who carries the past into the present. Otherwise, I wouldn't have survived for so long in a sport, which clearly needs re-inventions and revisions all the time. It's important that we are on the same page and take the team along because we are at a very crucial phase of our preparation for the World Cup,” she further added.

PSL 6: Board tries to send players via commercial flights, 11 including Sarafraz denied permission

The problems with Pakistan Super League refuse to die down as after 25 players being denied permission to go to the UAE on May 27 with the entire group of 202 players and staff from Pakistan, 11 of them, including Quetta Gladiators skipper Sarafraz Ahmed have once again been held back. It was an outrageous decision in itself to send the remaining 25 players in commercial flights having put them in quarantine since May 24 in Karachi and Lahore. ESPNCricinfo reported the players who were denied entry would once again enter the hotel quarantine in the two cities. The Pakistan Super League’s sixth edition, supposed to be hosted entirely in Pakistan was postponed in March this year due to a bio-bubble breach and subsequent Covid-19 cases in the bubble. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board decided to host the remaining 20 matches of the league in UAE after failing to gain the confidence of the players and the franchise owners to host them in Karachi, which was the earlier plan. But even after getting permission, the PCB and PSL office bearers are far from running the campaign smoothly, fully signalling that the scheduled start of June 5 for the Abu Dhabi leg of the tournament would not be adhered to. There around 270 members of the PSL who are quarantining in and around the Shiekh Zayed Stadium, the venue for the remaining games of the league.

WTC Final: BJ Watling will be sorely missed feels Neil Wagner

New Zealand quick Neil Wagner who is in England along with the national side for a three-match Test sojourn including the World Test Championship Final against India will miss wicket-keeper batsman BJ Watling who has announced his retirement from international cricket after the England tour. "He's a top man and will be sorely missed in this team. He's the glue and the gel of the team and has been around for a long time now," Wagner said about his teammate from New Zealand. Watling, 36, would be leaving behind a legacy where he turned out to be the saviour for the Blackcaps on many occasions, including the brilliant double hundred at Mount Maunganui against a touring England in 2019. Wagner, who himself is in the twilight of his career feels that Watling has been one of the great servants of the game and his go-to man in times of crisis. "I've always appreciated his honesty. He's one of the guys who put me back in line if need be but will also encourage you and pick you up on the tough days. He's always been there for me, whether for plans or ideas. No matter how tired he is, he will sprint from the keeping side, run all the way to your mark to have a chat with you with a couple of plans,” said the 35-year-old Otago Volts man. “He's been a class performer for this team and he's always seen to be the guy that has done the nitty-gritty sort of stuff well and encourages people like myself and everyone around the team," added Wagner while at the same time not wishing for his wicket-keeper batsman to once again come good at the showpiece event the WTC Final. But before the WTC Final at Southampton starting June 18, both Wagner and Boult would be up against England in a two-match Test series, starting Jun2 at Lord’s.