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ICC sets up Member Support Fund to help member nations struggling due to Covid-19

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set up a Member Support Fund worth USD $5 million to help member nations struggling to keep up with the increased cost and lowering revenues amid the Covid-19 pandemic. As per an ESPNcricinfo report, many members nations have sought the ICC’s help to keep the game going amid a scarcity of cash and increased investment.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has made life tougher for cricketing boards who were already thin on finances. Hosting teams and staging bilateral series have become a tough ask for such boards as now they have to prepare bio-secure arrangements for players and match officials.

"There are boards currently who are struggling and are short of cash, who have said that they cannot host cricket as it needs to be during the pandemic. Costs of arranging chartered flights, of ensuring hotels are fully bio-secure, which means booking out entire hotels - these are all extra costs that some of the smaller boards have pointed to and said, either we have more money or we can't do it. So it's trying to help cricket carry on,” ESPNcricinfo quoted an official as saying.

There have many cancellations of global tournaments that otherwise would have worked to provide cash to these embattling cricket boards and hence ICC finds it imperative to provide the grant to members. 



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Boucher considers IPL departure of top SA players as win-win situation

South Africa head coach Mark Boucher feels that top players of his side departing for the Indian Premier League midway of the Pakistan tour is a win-win situation. Reasoning why the Proteas players had to go for the IPL even as a series was going on, Boucher, 44 said, “We have known this for some time because the BCCI and CSA have a long-standing agreement to release players for IPL and the scheduling didn’t quite work out because of the Covid-19 situation,”. The former wicket-keeper batsman further went on to explain why the key players missing is a win-win situation for the Rainbow nation’s cricketing prospect with regard to the T20 wORLD cup. “I think their appearances in the IPL going into the World T20 will help us,” Boucher told Media personnel during a Press Conference. “Playing in a good strong competition against top strong opposition who they are likely to face in the World T20 they are going to get first-hand information about the different venues, the opposition we expect to meet up in the World event,” he added. The coach also feels that it is going to present younger players and domestic stars with an opportunity to prove themselves. “Look at it positively they are not going on holidays and it also gives us an opportunity to have a lookout over other guys in the fray.” South Africa plays Pakistan in three ODIs and four T20Is over the next 12 days and the first game begins today, 2nd April at the Supersport Park, Centurion. Key players such as Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi would depart for IPL after playing just the first two ODIs.