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

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.

Tactical changes required to win overseas feels Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo

After their 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka, Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo hopes to take his side to the next level and he believes winning overseas will take them to a level where they can be compared with teams who are ahead of them in the ICC rankings. Domingo wants a change in the team approach with adjustments required in strategical and tactical areas. He wants Bangladesh to improve their scoring pattern especially in foreign conditions which have kept them away from series victories in foreign conditions. Domingo feels that winning “one or two big games” will set the platform for their rise, especially in alien conditions. "The big challenge for this ODI team is to try to win away from home under different conditions," Domingo told ESPNcricinfo. "They are a very good team in Bangladesh. I think if we can get that confidence going away from home, it will be a big thing. I think playing away from home, we need to win one or two big games. Once you get the confidence and belief that you can do it, that will put the team in a much better place mentally,” he further added. The Bangla Tigers managed to register their 10th home ODI series win since the 2015 World Cup out of their last 11 assignments. The 50 overs format seems to be the format that Bangladesh enjoys the most. However, when it comes to their record in overseas conditions, Bangladesh have the worst win-loss ratio since 2015 having lost 5 out of the 7 series played during that period. While the fab four of Bangladesh has led from the front, Domingo wants all-round improvement in all the squad members to harbour hopes of winning outside Bangladesh on a more consistent basis. "There's a certain bit of up-skilling that needs to take place with bat and ball," he said. "People need to improve in various departments to make sure they can win some games away from home. This team has won away from home in other conditions but to challenge them to win in those conditions is something that the team needs to embrace and take it forward,” Domingo said. Bangladesh’s scoring rate in the 50-overs format has been a concern. In a modern era, where even scores above 350 get chased down easily, Bangladesh seriously needs to ponder on this aspect of the game. They have an average of 238 runs in 38 ODIs at home since April 2015. While their average goes up to 248 in wins, it is 269 when it comes to average scores in overseas victories. With several teams scoring in excess of 300 with utmost ease, Domingo feels that while scores of 230 and 240 could turn out to be enough in places like Dhaka, they must score more in order to win games overseas. This remains one of the primary agendas of Domingo. "I am not at all concerned by the number of runs we are scoring in Dhaka," he says. "You can only score as much as the wickets allow you sometimes. Not many times teams get 300 in Dhaka. Definitely when you are playing away from home, 230s or 240s are not going to win you many games. We have to be able to challenge ourselves, play expansively to get up to 300 and 350. It is of paramount importance in the modern game,” Domingo further stated.