Jofra Archer confident of retention by Royals in Mega IPL auction

Rajasthan Royals premier pacer Jofra Archer believes that he is going to be retained by the franchise in the Mega IPL auction scheduled to take place after completion of the 2021 edition of the league. The speedster believes that he could be fitter and more relaxed for the next season having missed this suspended season so far due to injury.

“It’s terrible in India at the moment, and if I did go to India, I would have been home early anyway,” Archer told Sussex’ Youtube channel in an interview after the first day of his Championship game against Kent. The Caribbean man further said, “If it [IPL] reschedules this year, hopefully, I would be able to go.”

Talking about his relationship with the cash-rich league’s franchise, the 26-year-old said, “I have now been at Rajasthan for the last three and next year the mega auction is coming up. It is more than likely that they would want me fit and relaxed and ready to perform in the next season.”

Revealing the reasons behind his decision of pulling out of this year’s league, the Sussex player said, “It was a bit of me and a bit of England as well. Obviously, both Rajasthan and England supported me in my decision. It was a hard decision to not go to India, a bit unpredictable as well.”

Saying that he could have gone but wasn’t sure of the number of games he would have played, Archer emphasised that he didn’t want to go just for the sake of going and not performing to his potential. “In hindsight, we can say that Covid probably would have saved me. But you don’t want to go hoping, if I am going, I am going to give my best.”

“And if IPL doesn’t happen this year then we get a fresh start and hopefully, I am there and hopefully, Stokes is there as well,” added the World Cup winner who has so far played 35 games for the Northern India franchise in the IPL, picking up 46 wickets and scoring 195 runs.

Playing for Sussex in his comeback First-Class game after the elbow injury that happened prior to IPL, the Barbados born took two wickets and was one of the chief architects in Kent's debacle, getting all out for 145 at County Ground Hove.

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Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips two new faces in New Zealand’s Central Contracts list

New Zealand Cricket offered yearly contracts to its players for the upcoming season on May 14. The list included 20 names and Canterbury all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and Auckland Aces star Glenn Phillips were the only two fresh faces in it. BJ Watling, the soon to be retired wicketkeeper-batsman and spinner Ajaz Patel made way for the two players. The players have time until May 22 to accept or decline their offers. While Mitchell made his ODI debut this year against Bangladesh at home, the 29-year-old also scored his maiden Test and ODI centuries to go with it, rounding up a great season for Blackcaps. Phillips, on the other hand, was phenomenal in the T20Is, scoring 366 runs at an average of 40.6. His century against the visiting West Indies at Bay Oval in November last year was the icing on the cake for South Africa born Kiwi player. Gavin Larsen, Selector of the Blackcaps congratulated the newcomers to the list. In a press release, he said, “I’d like to congratulate all the players offered agreements for the coming season and in particular newcomers Daryl and Glenn. Receiving your first national contract is a great moment in any player’s career and both thoroughly deserve their elevation.” Players offered national contracts for 2021-22: Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young.

UPCA provides financial assistance to former players

The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has decided to lend a helping hand to the former players amid the Covid-19 crisis. The association took to Twitter and made the announcement. “UPCA acknowledges the contribution of ex-Ranji cricketers. Hence, in order to provide financial assistance to such cricketers during the ongoing pandemic, it has decided to distribute one-time payment for ex-Ranji cricketers who have attained 50 years of age,” it said. “The assistance has been categorised as per number of matches played by the cricketer, i.e., 1 to 5 matches – Rs 50,000; 6 to 15 matches Rs 75,000; 16 to 24 matches Rs 1,00,000. The association has previously benefited many cricketers under the aforesaid scheme,” it further added. Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended the IPL 2021 after there was a rise in Covid-19 cases within the franchise sides. SRH’s Wriddhiman Saha, DC’s Amit Mishra, KKR’s Sandeep Warrior and Varun Chakravarthy and CSK’s bowling coach L.Balaji and later batting coach Mike Hussey had tested positive. The tournament was suspended with immediate effect for an indefinite time. Though, the BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said that the league was suspended and not cancelled. The BCCI hasn’t made any announcement as to when will the cash-rich league resume.

T20 Blast: Kent sign Afghan leggie Qais Ahmad

Qais Ahmad became the fifth Afghan player to sign a contract for the upcoming Vitality Blast, England’s premium t20 tournament. Kent informed that the leggie would also be available for two County Championship matches for the side, subject to regulatory approval. “I’m excited to play in the Vitality Blast and I’m really looking forward to being a Kent Spitfire,” Ahmad was quoted as saying by Kent’s official website. “Having played alongside Daniel Bell-Drummond at Colombo Kings, I have heard good things about Kent and I will give it my all,” the Afghan added. Ahmad, who has taken 77 wickets in a T20 career of 67 matches with an average of 21.78, would be joined by his Afghan teammates, Rashid Khan (Sussex), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Middlesex), Mohammad Nabi (Northamptonshire) and Naveen-ul-Haq (Leicestershire) in the Blast 2021. The Nangarhar born might have played only one Test, but he has 68 wickets in 12 first-class matches so far at an average of 20.51. Kent’s Director of Cricket, Paul Downton, was pleased to have signed Ahamad as the lone leggie in the side as the previous year’s quarterfinalists were deprived of the spin options with only Imran Qayyum’s left-arm spin being available at disposal along with Joe Denly’s part-time leg-spin. “We’re delighted to welcome a leg-spinner of Qais Ahmad’s class to Kent as we look to bring some variety to our attack ahead of the Vitality Blast,” Downton said. “I am confident that his enthusiasm for the game will make him a firm favourite with our Members and supporters as we look to welcome crowds back to watching live cricket again,” he added.

Kusal Perera wants his team to play fearless brand of cricket in the Bangladesh tour

Newly appointed Sri Lankan limited overs skipper for the upcoming tour of West Indies wants his side to play a fearless brand of cricket and make sure that the young bunch are completely unafraid. Kusal Perera who has made a name for himself across formats courtesy his sublime hiting prowess was named the skipper of the limited overs side after several big names were dropped from the squad. The likes of Dinesh Chandimal, Angelow Mathews were dropped from the squad. The Islanders have slipped to 9th in the Latest T20I rankings and the team management has decided to refurbish the team and include some new faces. Given the aggressive approach he takes on most occasion Perera will also like his team to play aggressive and fearless cricket. "We have to fearless cricket to win matches," he said, a day after his appointment as a skipper was confirmed. "You can't be fearful about losing. If you're worried about your place, you aren't going to give 100%. What I'm going to tell the players is to go and give it everything. If we play fearlessly even when we are practicing, then you will be able to play the same way in a match. That's what I've told the team. If we are fearful, we will fall even further. I'm trying to build a culture where the players have a lot of confidence,” he further explained. The southpaw has lacked the consistency but has already smashed some of the greatest knocks in world cricket. His knock of 153 in the final innings of a Test match against South Africa is regarded as one of the finest knocks since the inception of the game. He also smashed the second-fastest half-century in ODI’s when he achieved the feat in a mere 17 deliveries against Pakistan in 2015. "I really like to play fearless cricket personally, and that's where my success has been. Whenever I've played with fear, it hasn't worked for me. I want everyone else to play like that. You can't guarantee that you will go right playing this way, but the chances of things going well are greater,” Perera said. "But you have to practice well to instill that fearlessness. Because if you are 100% certain about the shot you're playing, you can play without fear. You need to understand your strengths and weaknesses. Where does the ball need to be for me to hit it? Will I get myself in trouble by hitting there? You need to have that understanding. If you're a bowler, you need to know which ball can get you a wicket, and which will help you bowl a dot. These things help you play fearlessly. As a fielding unit, you have to carry that same ethos as well, and I have big hopes for the upcoming Bangladesh series about our fielding,” the wicket-keeper batsman further added.