ICC bans UAE's Qadeer Ahmed Khan for eight years for breaching anti-corruption code

Down with gastrointestinal infection, Brendan Taylor to miss first T20I against Pakistan

One of the most reliable middle-order batsmen to have graced the game from Zimbabwe, Brendan Taylor has been ruled out of the opening T20I against Pakistan in Harare on 21st April due to a gastrointestinal infection. This could be a big blow for the African minnows who are hoping to start the series on a high. They haven’t played against many top-class teams in the recent past and hence it should be good exposure for a team who is again trying to find a mark in international cricket. Taylor has not represented his country for over a year. The last time he made an appearance was during the tour of Pakistan last year. Subsequently, he missed out on the one-off Test match against Afghanistan om UAE earlier this year. The experienced campaigner couldn’t attend the cam prior to the Test due to an illness. He also didn’t take part in the T20I series against the same opponents. Zimbabwe is slated to play Pakistan in a three-match T20I series which will be followed by a two-match Test series. All the match will be played in Harare during April-May. There is no doubt about the fact that Brendan Taylor is one of the finest Zimbabwe batsmen, especially from the modern generation. He retired from international cricket after the 2015 World Cup for a Kolpak deal. Taylor again returned in 2017 when his deal with Nottinghamshire came to an end owing to family reasons.

IPL 2021 | Presence of Ricky Ponting, other seniors helps a great deal, says Rishabh Pant

Delhi Capitals after losing 5 back to back matches against the Mumbai Indians including four in the last season finally managed a victory against the defending champions defeating them by 6 wickets in the 13th match of the competition. Having won three of their four matches, DC has started off their journey in the 2021 edition in an impressive fashion. They are currently second in the table and will look to continue their good run in the tournament. The presence of Ricky Ponting as the head coach has augured well with the newly appointed skipper Rishabh Pant. Speaking at a virtual press conference after the victory against the Mumbai Indians, Pant said that the presence of Ricky Ponting has helped him a great deal and the seniors have also helped him in his mini captaincy tenure so far. "I think, yes, as a wicketkeeper I keep on reading the game and it helps me a lot. With seniors around and Ricky Ponting in our management, I think my captaincy is going great," said Rishabh a virtual press conference. The second wave of COVID-19 is again wrecking havoc in India. It has been testing time for players to keep their mental shape especially when one is not allowed to step outside the hotel or the ground. Speaking on the challenges of travelling during these tough time, Pant said, "I think it's slightly challenging because of Covid. But as a team, we are not focusing on outside things. BCCI has done really well to give us a good bubble and travelling thing. We are focusing more on cricket." Winning the toss it was the Mumbai Indians who opted to bat first and that worked in favour of DC. After a very good start courtesy a Rohit Sharma special, the defending champions collapsed to 84/6 from 76/2. Ishan Kishan and Jayant Yadav stitched together a vital partnership which eventually propelled them to 137 in their allotted 20 overs. Delhi Capitals lost an early wicket in the form of Prithvi Shaw. Shikhar Dhawan didn’t look his usual fluent self but managed to score 45 which set the platform. Eventually, it was Lalit Yadav and Shimron Hetmyer who took DC to a last-over victory.

England head coach to select team after national selector removed in restructuring

England men’s cricket team’s national selector Ed Smith was removed on Tuesday as a part of the restructuring and now the head coach Chris Silverwood will have the onus of selecting the side. Silverwood will work with respective captains of the Test and limited-overs sides, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan. Smith will be leaving at the end of this month. Ashley Giles, managing director of the England team has said that the restructure is in the best interests of helping England men’s teams be successful. “The current process of selecting England teams has been in place for over 120 years,” said Giles. “Even though this system has its merits, with advances in technology and a greater information-gathering resource at our disposal than ever before, the restructure is in the best interests of helping England men’s teams be successful,” he added. Giles further said that the restructure gives Silverwood the ultimate responsibility of picking up the team. “The new structure also makes lines of accountability much clearer, with Chris Silverwood, as head coach, taking ultimate responsibility for picking England senior men’s squads,” the former spinner further added. Smith on the other hand thanked the ECB and said that it was privilege to work with the English team. “It has been a huge privilege to work with great people trying to help England cricket and I am excited about watching England's continued development,” he said.

MS Dhoni's parents hospitalised after testing positive for Covid-19

Former India captain MS Dhoni’s parents have been hospitalised after testing positive for COVID-19. The wicket-keeper batsman’s parents were admitted to Pulse Superspeciality Hospital in Ranchi. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Chennai coach Stephen Fleming intimated that Dhoni was aware of the situation and a support group was set up for him and his family. “From a management point of view, we're well aware of his family's situation, and the support has been set up for MS and his family. Talking with MS, the situation is under control for now but we will monitor that over the next few days,” Fleming said. Fleming further added that it was unfortunate the way the virus has affected India and that they have taken a lot of time talking about how to care for friends and families in these unprecedented times. “We have that responsibility to make sure that he's got the support he needs and we hope that his family recovers quickly.” Fleming added. There has been a rise in COVID-19 cases in Jharkhand and the government had announced a lockdown from April 22 to April 29. The essential services will continue while the religious places would also be open but a gathering won’t be allowed. There has been a sudden spike in the cases in the country. A total of 3,14,644 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. Dhoni is presently with the CSK team in Mumbai for the on-going Indian Premier League. The Chennai side overcame a late counterattack by KKR one on Wednesday and managed to pull off a 18-run victory. The IPL has consistently been hit with the virus in its early days with the likes of Axar Patel, Devdutt Padikkal, and Daniel Sams testing positive for Covid-19. The situation was grim in Mumbai even before the start of the tournament when a day ahead of the tournament about 10 ground staff tested positive for the virus. The BCCI however has been consistent that the nationwide surge of cases would not be affecting the tournament and it will go ahead as scheduled.