It was all about getting the right balance: Williamson on playing Eng ahead of WTC Final

Not COVID, but Tax Exemption turns out to be the main reason behind shifting T20 World Cup to UAE

After the long wait, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup will now be played at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) instead of the previous plan of hosting in India. The increasing covid cases is a major reason behind the shift. While the cases have been on a downward slide since the start of June, the impending 3rd wave which might hit India in October-November has forced BCCI to change its decision. As per words from an official of a state association who attended the BCCI Special General Meeting on 29th May, the president has informed the members that they were trying to get a tax exemption as hosting the event without a tax exemption would have hurt the BCCI financially. "The BCCI President had informed the members during the virtual SGM that they were trying to get tax exemption from the Indian government in order to host the T20 World Cup in India. Without the tax exemption, the BCCI would have had to bear a burden of about Rs 1,000 crore while the revenue would remain the same irrespective of who hosts the event or where it is hosted. "Ganguly had informed the BCCI members that if the Indian board failed to get tax exemption, it would not be hosting the tournament in India," the official was quoted as saying by ANI. The members of the different state associations were already expecting the tournament to be shifted out of India as they were unlikely to get the tax exemption. Ganguly, the BCCI president had already informed the ICC that BCCI won’t be hosting the showpiece event if they didn’t get the tax exemption. "Ganguly informing the ICC that the BCCI would not be hosting the T20 World Cup in India was expected by the members even at the time of the SGM because the general feeling was that the BCCI might not succeed in obtaining tax exemptions. To be honest, the government does not give any preferential treatment to the BCCI over the other sports federations and therefore it was always going to be difficult to get a tax exemption that had earlier been obtained for a previous World Cup tournament," the official further added. At the SGM, it was also said that the remaining games of the Indian Premier League would be held in the UAE as the monsoon season in the country would make it impossible to hold the matches in India. Speaking on the tax issue and change of the venue for the World Cup slated to be played later this year, another BCCI official said that the critics are trying to analyse and understand how the BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly didn’t manage to avoid the situation but the now the only focus is preparing for showpiece event and holding it in the middle east. "There will obviously be a lot of analysis as to how Ganguly should have engaged with the ICC to avoid this situation of the tournament moving out of India rather than rest his hopes on getting the tax exemption, something that was beyond the control of the BCCI or the ICC but that's all hindsight. At least now with this decision out of the way, the focus will shift towards cricket and the preparations for the World Cup," the official concluded.

Michael Holding sees a lot of Viv Richards in Virat Kohli

Legendary West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding credited Indian skipper Virat Kohli for the change in Indian cricket and taking it to new heights. Stressing on the fitness levels of all the players, Holding said during his time as a player only or two players from the Indian side used to have the fitness levels and now the whole team looks so fit and always raring to go. Over the last few years, the Indian cricket team has been one of the fittest outfits with skipper Virat Kohli leading from the front. Ever since his physical transformation, Kohli has been an example to his teammates which has shrugged off on his teammates and have made the Indian team one of the fittest units. Holding feels Kohli resembles the characteristics of legendary West Indies batsman Viv Richards “Virat Kohli is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s someone who will let you know exactly how he feels. I think he gets a bit carried away at times, but that is Virat Kohli, that is the man. He’s similar to Viv (Richards) in that regard. Viv, sometimes on the field, was over-expressive. But those are the personalities of those two gentlemen. They can tone down a little bit as well, but then, if you are a Mustang, it’s hard to tell a Mustang to trot. He’s going to gallop,” Holding was quoted as saying during an exclusive interview with the Indian Express. Despite already becoming one of the most successful Test skippers of all time, Kohli’s over-aggressive approach has led to India’s downfall on certain occasions. Holding feels that Kohli could tone down just a bit in order to make his players a bit more relaxed. “As far as his captaincy, I’ve only seen India when they were touring England and I saw them in South Africa. The only thing I’d say about Virat is that he tone down a bit so his team can relax because a lot of them, I think, are on tenterhooks,” Holding said.

PCB adds three more spots in central contracts for women

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made some additions in the central contracts for women. The PCB added three spots in the list and also increased monthly retainers across all categories by 10 per cent. "In total, the PCB has awarded 20 contracts for the 2021-22 cricket season, which is two more than the previous," the PCB said in a statement. "Monthly retainers across all rungs – including the emerging category – have been increased by 10 per cent and the national women’s selection committee has kept one spot open in the central contracts that will be awarded in the year based on on-field performance," it added. The decision was taken by the board to reward the players who have been performing for the team. "The Pakistan Cricket Board has increased the list of central contracts from nine to 12 as it continues to value and reward the best performers on the circuit," Urooj Mumtaz, the chair of the national women’s selection committee, said. The contracts are divided into three grades, A, B and C and will have 12 spots. Pakistan are slated to host England for a couple of T20Is and three ODIs before they feature in ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier in December. They will later play in ICC Women's Cricket World Cup and Commonwealth Games next year.

Kusal Mendis, Gunathilaka, Dickwella suspended by SLC for bio bubble breach in UK

Three Sri Lanka players Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella were on Monday suspended by the SLC for a bio-bubble breach in the UK. The cricketers who were in England for the on-going limited-overs tour will now fly back home from Durham. "Sri Lanka Cricket executive committee has suspended Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka & Niroshan Dickwella for breaching the bio- bubble and they will be immediately recalled to Sri Lanka," SLC secretary Mohan De Silva said in a statement. A video of Mendis and Dickwella had gone viral on social media where the two were spotted roaming around on the streets of Durham. “An investigation is underway as they have breached the (code of) conduct,” said SLC chief Shammi Silva said earlier after the video of the players surfaced on social media. Sri Lanka are touring England for a three-match T20I series and as many ODIs. The visitors suffered a thumping 0-3 defeat in the series after losing the third and final encounter by 89 runs. Chasing 181 in 20 overs, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 91. This is not the first time that Mendis has found himself in trouble. He was arrested for being allegedly involved in a car accident with a cyclist who died on the spot last year. He was later produced before the Panadura Magistrate’s Court and was released on two personal bails of Sri Lankan rupees 1 million each after being detailed in the jail overnight. The first ODI between England and Sri Lanka will be played on Tuesday.