NZ vs WI: Windies cleared to train after third negative COVID-19 test

After showing negative results for the third round of Covid-19 testing, the West Indies side has been cleared to leave the bio-secure bubble they were in since their arrival in New Zealand. Earlier, the team was reprimanded by the local Ministry of Health for breaching the coronavirus containment protocols and was barred from training. Windies contingent who had reached the country directly from the Island nation will now travel to Queenstown on November 13 for a pair of scheduled warm-up games before the commencement of the T20 series.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons had come forward and apologised for the lapses made by the Windies side. He apologised to the New Zealand government and the public who allowed them the chance to come to the country to play cricket. He called the lapses embarrassing for the West Indies team and management.

Meanwhile, players from both New Zealand and West Indies who were part of the Indian Premier League have arrived from the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand Cricket has said that all of them passed the initial round of screening. They too will have to spend a period of 14 days in isolation in Christchurch before they could hit the ground in a bid to prepare for the series.

The Blackcaps and Windies are set to lock horns for a three-match T20 series scheduled to start from November 27 which will be followed by a two-match Test series beginning on December 3.

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Younis Khan's tenure as batting coach of Pakistan extended up to 2022

Pakistan batting great and former captain Younis Khan has been appointed as the permanent batting coach of the Pakistan cricket team till the 2022 World Cup. It is being seen as a reward to his short stint as the Men in Green’s batting coach on their tour to England early this summer. The 42-year-old, who scored more than 10 thousand Tests and more than 7,000 ODI runs was happy with the decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board which extended his contract. "I am pleased to join the Pakistan cricket set-up on a long-term basis," he said. "I felt honored when I was given the opportunity this summer and thoroughly enjoyed my time, and I now look forward to continuing the work with the same group on an important tour of New Zealand,” the coach added. If not on the national duties, Younis will provide help to the domestic players at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance facility in Karachi. Another legendary Pak batsman Mohammed Yousuf will also join him there. Younis was happy with this additional responsibility and said, "I am particularly happy that my scope of work has been extended beyond the national duties. I am equally interested and keen at working at the domestic level by identifying potential batsmen and then helping them improve their skills.” Cautioning fans not to expect lightning-fast results, Khan said, “I want to remind all fans and followers that there is a process to achieve excellence and while some improvements can be noticed quickly, this will require lots of hard work, perseverance, and patience before the required skills are embedded and start producing consistent results." Pakistan’s New Zealand tour will begin December 18th with the first of the three T20Is being played in Auckland.

10 crore’s cheerleader! Sehwag critics Glenn Maxwell’s outing in IPL 2020

Former India cricketer and cricket expert Virender Sehwag criticized Australian all-rounder and Kings XI Punjab’s top buys this season, Glenn Maxwell for not performing as per the expectations of the team and fans in the IPL 2020. Taking a dig at his dismal performance, Sehwag called the Australian as a 10 crore cheerleader. Speaking in the latest episode of his social media show 'Viru ki Baithak', Sehwag said, “Glenn Maxwell. This 10 crore cheerleader proved very costly for Punjab. His IPL routine for the last few years has been of shirking from work but this season he broke that record as well. This is what you call a highly paid vacation.” The Nawab of Najafgarh’s this episode was based on player reviews and in the segment where he discussed those players who had come as big names and were paid hefty cheques but could not deliver. Along with Maxwell, he named Aaron Finch and Dale Steyn as well. Maxwell, who was brought by the Kings XI Punjab for a whopping Rs 10.75 crore in this year’s auction after his brilliant showing in the Australian T20 competition, the Big Bash, could only score 108 runs in 13 matches. His strike rate of 101.88 and an average of 15.42 was seemingly unpleasant. It is being expected that the Big Show might be released by the Kings before the 2021 Mega Auctions.

Virat Kohli to get special penthouse suite during quarantine in Australia

The Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli is all set to be given special treatment during his time in Australia as the super striker is said to be put up in a separate penthouse in the hotel where Team India would stay during its mandatory two-week quarantine in Sydney. If reports in The Daily Telegraph are to be believed, then the Indian maestro will be provided with the same facilities as is given to Australian Rugby legend Brad Fittler, whenever he stays in the ‘Pullman Hotel’ where Team India has been put up. Prior to India, New South Wales Blues’ Australia’s top Rugby team stayed in that hotel. The Men in Blue have got permission from the New South Wales government to train during the quarantine period and their training sessions will be conducted at the Blacktown International Sports Park, which has been turned into a bio-secure venue. The tour starts with the T20 series beginning on 27th November where the Indian team will sport the retro jersey, which was first introduced during the 1992 World Cup. The navy blue jersey with multi-colored shoulder stripes will also for the first time sport MPL as the official kit sponsor after Nike moved away from the deal in June this year.

Krunal Pandya stopped at Mumbai Airport on suspicion of carrying gold

Mumbai Indians all-rounder Krunal Pandya was stopped by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) team at the Mumbai International Airport on his arrival from the United Arab Emirates. The reason for such a development as per reports is the suspicion that the cricketer might be carrying undisclosed gold and other valuables. “Krunal Pandya stopped by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at the Mumbai International Airport over suspicion of being in possession of undisclosed gold and other valuables, while returning from UAE,” The News agency ANI quoted sources as saying. The Baroda born was returning after a successful campaign with the Mumbai Indians which won its fifth IPL title defeating Delhi Capitals in the finals. Krunal, 29, senior among the Pandya brothers was one of the lynchpins of the Mumbai Indians set up but could not deliver according to expectations. However, he played all the 167 games in the tournament and was one of the two players when Mumbai hit the winning runs in the finals against the Delhi Capitals in Dubai. His younger brother Hardik has flown with the 35 member Indian contingent to Australia for the full-fledged tour which includes three ODIs and an equal number of T20Is along with four Tests.