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Mitchell Starc Gearing Up To Overcome Quarantine Hurdles Eyes All Formats In Busy Year

Mitchell Starc gearing up to overcome quarantine hurdles, eyes all formats in busy year

Australia pacer Mitchell Starc is gearing up for a gruelling schedule in the upcoming months as Australia are readying up to play two high profile tournaments in the form of the T20 World Cup and the Ashes series at the end of the year.

Starc said that the quarantine norms have compounded the challenges for players as they have to scramble from one country to another while being in isolation but confirmed his eagerness to feature in both the T20Is and Tests for Australia.

He called Test cricket ‘pinnacle' of the game but said that the occasion of a global T20 tournament makes it hard for people to choose among formats.

Starc’s comments could well be an assertion to the looming absence of big-ticket players from the Test match against Afghanistan in case Australia make it to the final of the World Cup. The final of the world cup is scheduled to be played on November 14 while the Test against Afghanistan has been slated to commence on November 17 which comes before the 14-day mandatory quarantine rules by the Australian government.

"It's a very interesting one. The way of the world at the moment throws up a lot hurdles and then you are throwing two weeks of quarantine like we are going to have to do coming back from this tour as well, there's a lot of question marks,” Starc said in St. Lucia.

“In that respect I don't think there's any hurdles to get around in playing cricket under quarantine conditions, it's just some of the finer details that government and cricket will have to work together. But for the few multi-format players we all want to play as much cricket as we can, Test cricket is certainly the pinnacle for a lot of us, certainly it is for me, as is a World Cup so it will be hard to pick and choose."

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ENG vs PAK | Haris Sohail yet to recover from leg injury, MRI scan on July 6 to decide fate

Pakistan middle-order batsman Harris Sohail has not recovered from his leg injury and continues to feel pain in his right leg, the Pakistan Cricket Board said in its injury update. The board also said that the left-hander will not take part in practice sessions scheduled on July 5 and 6 in Derby after missing out from the intra-squad game last week. However, he has not been ruled out of the first ODI of the series against England starting July 8 and any decision on his availability will be taken after the MRI scan scheduled to take place on July 6 in Cardiff. The members of the Pakistan squad have arrived in the UK for a three match-long ODI and T20 series under the leadership of Babar Azam. The remaining ODIs of the series will be played in London and Birmingham on July 10 and 13 respectively. The T20I series will follow the ODI series and will start on July 16 and conclude on July 20.

BCCI chalks out IPL expansion plans; fixes player retention to four, increases salary purse: Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has chalked out forward-looking plans for the Indian Premier League that includes the addition of two new franchises, provisions of player retentions and increment in their salaries and broadcasting rights among other things, as per a TOI report. The Board will release a formal tender in the period between August-September later this year and the bidding processes for the two more teams in the tournament will commence in October this year, the report further stated. The BCCI has also decided to increase the salary purse of each franchise by Rs 5 crore starting next season and the value will be increased incrementally every year from the next season. The current salary purse available to each franchise is 85 crore which will be increased to Rs 90 crore next year and up to Rs 100 crore leading up to the 2024 edition. The BCCI has also earmarked the provisions of retention of players by each franchise. All the eight currently existing franchisees will be mandated to retain a maximum of four players in two possible combinations such as either three Indian and one overseas player or two India and two overseas players. The report also indicated that the BCCI is looking to utilise the month of March to accommodate an increased number of matches with the number of franchises increasing to 10 and hence aiming for an increased value of broadcasting rights by up to 25 per cent. The BCCI came under stern pressure in hosting the 14th edition of the IPL in India while the country was grappling with a severe wave of Covid-19 pandemic and ultimately had to postpone the event for an indefinite period then. The IPL 14 will resume in the UAE in the month of September.

West Indies Women Chinelle Henry and Chedean Nation recover from on-field collapse, join team

West Indies women players Chinelle Henry and Chedean Nation, both of whom had collapsed during the second T20I against Pakistan Women at Coolidge Cricket Ground, have recovered and joined the team outfit for the third and last game of the series with an aim for a 3-0 clean sweep. In a video released by the Windies Cricket on their official Twitter handles, the two women said that they were not hospitalised and nd no restrictions on playing was applied to them and also thanked the ‘Maroon’ fans for their prayers and support. "I just want to thank you guys for all your concern and well wishes, and I am doing well. No hospital stay, no restrictions. Now I'm just focussed on going out there and getting the series 3-nil," Henry said in the video. While Henry has been rested for the ga5me, Nation has made it to the playing XI of the third game. West Indies have already taken an unassailable lead of 2-1 having won the first two games by 10 ruins and seven runs (DLS method). In the last game, Pakistan Women won the toss and have decided to bat first. At the time of writing this, they were 60-4 in the 11th over.

Mohammed Azharuddin reinstated as HCA President after Ombudsman calls removal illegal

Former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin has been reinstated as the President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association by the order of the Ombudsman of HCA Justice (retd) Deepak Verma. Justice Verma termed the removal of Azharuddin as President of HCA by the Apex Council of the Association as illegal and unlawful. The Ombudsman also temporarily disqualified the HCA Apex Council members K John Manoj, Vice President, R Vijayanand, Naresh Sharma, Surender Agarwal, Anuradha till the time they prove the complaints against them attain finality. "Apex Council on its own accord cannot take such a decision. Therefore, I deem it appropriate to set aside the resolution (if any) passed by these five members in suspending the duly elected President, issuing a show-cause notice and direct them to refrain from any subsequent actions against the President of HCA, Mohammed Azharuddin," Justice (retd) Verma was quoted as saying by PTI. "Therefore, I direct that Mohammed Azharuddin shall continue as President and all complaints against office bearers shall only be decided by the Ombudsman,” Justice Verma added in his decision. Since the Apex Council did not follow the due procedure and used power not vested to them and also failed to recognise Justice Verma as the Ombudsman even after a High Court order, the members were disqualified till further notice. “It is clear from the above, that these members have malafide intentions and do not want smooth functioning of HCA. I hereby direct that these members are temporarily disqualified from performing their duties as office bearers of the Apex Council till the time these Complaints attain finality," the Ombudsman said. Azharuddin, who played more than 300 ODIs for India and has been HCA President for a long was unceremoniously removed by a meeting of the Apex Council on June 17. He challenged that order later on.