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No first-class matches for India ahead of England tour despite BCCI's request

The Indian cricket team which is currently in England for the upcoming five-match Test series against England will only get to play two intra-squad games at the Riverside ground in Durham to prepare for the Test series against England. 

The side led by Virat Kohli is unlikely to get any first-class warm-up matches against county sides which is expected to hamper their preparations. Kohli has also expressed his disappointment at not having first-class games before the series against England. The first Test will commence in Nottingham from August 4. 

“Due to COVID-19 protocols, they will play two intra-squad four-day matches before the first Test in August," an ECB spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI on Friday. It is learnt that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) request ECB for a few practice games but the prevailing COVID-19 crisis won’t allow such plans to go ahead. 

When asked if there is any chance of organising practice games against county sides the ECB spokesperson said, “No”. Across the various counties in England, players are being regularly tested for COVID but are not kept in any bubble. Meanwhile, the Indian team will assemble in London on 14th July before moving to Durham where they will again enter the bubble. 

“The domestic cricketers of England not being in a bubble is an issue for sure. That’s why the games in Durham will be intra-squad ones," a BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity. The Indian side is currently travelling with 24 players with 20 in the official squad and four in the reserve list which will allow them to play intra-squad games. 

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Players opting out of Caribbean and Bangladesh tour might be overlooked for T20 World Cup says Finch

Australian white-ball skipper Aaron Finch on Friday revealed that several first-choice players in the shortest format might miss out on a T20 World Cup berth after opting out of the upcoming white-ball tours of West Indies and Bangladesh. As many as seven cricketers including David Warner, Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams have pulled out of both the tours citing bubble fatigue. Meanwhile, Steve Smith has been rested for both tours after he complained of elbow pain which flared up during the 1st leg of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Finch stated that the players missing out are in serious danger of being overlooked for the T20 World Cup slated to be held later this year as others stake their claims. "Yeah, very realistic (to miss out of T20 World Cup). You have to go on current form, and you pick guys who are playing well. For guys to be on this tour, to get the first opportunity to really put their hand up and take a spot is what it's about," Finch was quoted by cricket.com.au. "It's tough to ignore really good international performances. So yeah, absolutely, there's going to be opportunities for guys to put their hand up and take spots," he further added. The Australian squad will fly out to the Caribbean shores on Monday for a five-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series. Last week Finch had stated that resting Warner and Cummins was part of a long term plan as they play in all formats of the game. However, he was surprised to see Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson and Marcus Stoinis opt-out of both the tours.

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Aaron Finch undergoes eye surgery after suffering from blurry vision during night matches

Australian white-ball skipper Aaron Finch has undergone eye surgery after experiencing blurry vision during the 13th edition of the IPL which was held in UAE last year. He made the revelation on Friday and said that the surgery has been a success but the experienced campaigner believes that the real test will be playing under lights and that will indicate how the surgery went about. Australia will fight it out against the Caribbeans in a five-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series starting from 9th July. With several first-choice players missing the tour owing to bubble fatigue, it will be a challenge for the relatively inexperienced Australian side when they face the mighty Windies in the format where they feel more familiar. All 8 matches of the tour will be played under lights which will give Finch a fair idea of where he stands regarding his eye condition. "I noticed it during IPL. One day it just sorts of changed ... it was just bloody blurry. In the daytime it wasn't as noticeable, at night it was more noticeable, especially playing in Dubai where the lighting isn't as good as what we've got in Australia,” Finch was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "I just noticed it more than, (my eyesight) wasn't very sharp, and there were little halos around lights and a bit of a trail on the ball. I tried contact (lenses), and couldn't get them right they just wouldn't sit right in my eye,” he added. Finch underwent the surgery after returning the tour of New Zealand in March. "We thought that was the best time to be able to get it done. It was about a three-week process and it was really smooth,” he stated. While he seems perfect at the moment batting indoors on hard wickets, he said that the biggest challenge will come while playing under lights. "I'm seeing them pretty good (now). I've only been hitting them indoors on hard wickets. It's all clear now, it seems perfect.I think the biggest test will come in night matches, that's when I noticed the biggest difference in my eyesight,” Finch concluded.

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Indian Women's team go out for fun outing in Bristol ahead of white ball leg against England

The Indian Women’s cricket team who are currently in Bristol preparing for the white-ball leg of their England tour had a fun outing in Bristol on Friday before they go back to the field to fight it out in a three-match ODI series and as many T20I’s. The team which will be led by flamboyant batter Harmanpreet Kaur stepped out of their hotel to have a nice outing across Bristol. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to their social media handles and shared pictures of the girls enjoying each other’s company. They went on a shopping spree and also ate together. "#TeamIndia’s day out in Bristol. The girls stepped out for a team outing after the Test to recharge before the white-ball leg of the Tour begins. Plenty of fun and some cool dance moves along the way," the BCCI posted on Twitter. The Women in Blue will face hosts England in a three-match ODI and T20I series starting from June 27. The final match of the series will be played on 15th July. Bristol, Taunton, Worcester, Northampton, Hove and Chelmsford will host the six white-ball games. Starting off the tour with a one-off Test, India managed to eke out a draw after being asked to follow on. Shafali Verma was the star of the match as he scored 96 in the first innings and followed it up with another half-century in the second essay. India couldn’t quite capitalise on the terrific partnership between Shafali and Smriti Mandhana in the first innings and was bowled out for 231. After being asked to follow on. India looked dead and buried after losing 8 wickets but an exemplary performance from Sneh Rana and Taniya Bhatia ensured India managed to draw the Test match in the end. The duo shared an unbeaten 104 runs stand to help India salvage a draw.