PCB adds three more spots in central contracts for women

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made some key changes 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.

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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.

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T20 is not cricket says Michael Holding

From being the undisputed kings of world cricket during the late 1970s to the early 1990s to becoming one of the weaker teams of the current generation, West Indies cricket has been not even a shade of themselves in the recent past and former legendary fast bowler Michael Holding blamed the administration for several top Windies players choosing T20 leagues over national duty. Despite languishing in the latest ICC rankings across all three formats, West Indies are still the world champions in the T20 format. West Indies won the 2016 edition of the tournament which was held in India and despite languishing at the 10th spot in the Latest ICC team rankings in T20Is, Windies go into the showpiece event later this year with a reasonable chance in this format. Speaking on the same, Michael Holding said that he doesn’t consider T20s as cricket and doesn’t feel winning T20 tournaments will help in the development of cricket in West Indies. “When you win a T20 tournament, that is not revival; it’s not even cricket! It’s going to be very difficult for the West Indies to get on top in Test cricket because of this T20. The T20 tournaments around the world are the bane of the game. When you are a poor country and can’t afford to pay as much as England, Australia, and India, the players will go on to play T20. That’s where West Indies and others are getting hit,” Holding said. “Unless you can pay as much as the rest of the big countries, this will happen. Many West Indies players are not interested in playing for West Indies. I don’t want to call out names. When you are earning 600,000 or 800,000 dollars for six weeks, what are you going to do? I don’t blame the cricketers. I blame the administrators. They give a lot of lip service to Test cricket but all they are interested in is bringing in money into their cupboards… West Indies will win T20 tournaments which aren’t cricket; they won’t be a force in Test cricket,” he further added.

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Quota system prevailing in South Africa cricket should stop: Michael Holding

Former West Indies legendary fast bowler Michael Holding feels that the quota system prevailing in South Africa shouldn’t be a solution going forward and players should be selected on merit. However, he agreed to the fact that it has solely happened due to the racial discrimination in the Rainbow Nation. “In my book, both Makhaya Ntini and I agree that a quota system is never going to be the solution. We can understand why it has taken place as people are desperate for change – and as rapidly as possible. But the best solution is to make opportunities available for everyone,” Holding was quoted as saying during an exclusive interview with the Indian Express. Racial discrimination has been very prevalent in South Africa especially during the apartheid era. According to the current quota system prevailing in the South African cricket team, as many as 6 coloured players has to be in the team including two black players. The provision has been largely made to provide equal opportunities to the black people who faced innumerable challenges and discrimination in the past. Former South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini who was the first Black South African player to represent the country in cricket faced discrimination even during his stint with the national team. Ntini had earlier said that he avoided travelling on team bus and used to run to the hotel after the match. He used to sit alone in a table while having food as none of the other players wanted to sit with him. “Yeah, he didn’t feel comfortable with the team. And he related a story that he would go for breakfast [first] and sit at a table. Other team members would come in and sit at another table. None of them would come and join him. Because of course, he was the first Black African to play for South Africa. But he was all alone at his table,” Holding said on this particular aspect. You know, it is not shocking to me. When you have a country with that sort of history [of apartheid], it takes a long time for people to accept that we are all human beings. The apartheid regime doesn’t just get washed away and everything goes back to normal. It will take time for people to understand, people to accept and for people to come together,” the fast bowler further added. Holding said that despite performing admirably for his team, Ntini never got the due respect due to the history of the Rainbow nation. He was looked as more of a quota player instead of someone who justified his place in the team. ​“The quota system just shows that you are in a hurry to be where you want to be. In my opinion, that should not last. You can’t keep on having a quota system forever and forever. Ntini talks about it – he is in the South African team and is being looked at as a quota player instead of being justified of his place. He was mentally strong and able to get over it. Not everyone is going to be like that, though. It can destroy your mind,” Holding further added.

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1st ODI Preview: Tattered Sri Lanka look for a distraction from constant controversies

England are riding high on the fascinating run not just against Sri Lanka but overall. The turnaround that has been seen in white-ball cricket under Eoin Morgan’s leadership is tremendous. The Morgan-led side is probably the perfect example of turning fortunes, writing your own scripts and delivering a masterpiece. The tweak was so perfect that it gave England their first 50-over World Cup. Morgan’s troops haven’t stopped this dominance and something similar was witnessed during the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at home after they clinched a thumping 3-0 win against the Asian side. The two teams are now slated to face off against each other in the ODI series beginning on Tuesday (June 29, 2021). The England squad has become a lethal force in the limited-overs cricket as it has a bunch of brilliant bowlers in the armour and the instance of which was evident during the series against Sri Lanka. In the first two encounters, the English bowlers restricted to Sri Lanka batsmen for a low total while the quick bowlers ripped apart the Lankan batting order in the third and final T20I to bundle them out for a total less than 100. While the England side has an equipped bowling unit, the batting line up especially the top order has gone all guns blazing in the series apart from one disappointing outing in the second match. Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan were among some runs in the final clash and would be looking to continue the form in the ODIs as well. The opening slots could see a healthy competition between Malan, Roy and Bairstow when England take Sri Lanka in the first ODI. On the other hand, nothing has gone right for Sri Lanka not on just this tour but for many years now. Probably, 2014 World T20 final was the last time when the Lankan cricket fans would have thoroughly enjoyed the team’s performance when they defeated India in the final. Since then it seems as if Sri Lanka are in a transition mode and haven’t really found a way to fix things up for themselves. Another instance of their gloomy performance unleashed in the T20I series against England. They were disappointing with the bat and had a dismal run with the ball too barring that second T20I where the bowlers showed some mettle. While England are lethal at home, Sri Lanka on the other side haven’t shown any intent in the shorter format of the game and need to rejig a lot of plans before they take the field in the first ODI. Match Details: England vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI Venue: Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street Date & Time: June 29th, at 3:30 PM IST and 11:00 AM Local Time Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network Pitch Report The pitch has had something on offer for the batsmen in the last few games. In fact, in three of the last five matches played at this venue, the teams batting first have posted 300+ scores. So, the team that wins the toss should look to bat first and put up a total. Team News England: England are looking in some nick especially after they fared in the last T20I. The all-round performance from the team would boost their confidence and the presence of someone like Sam Curran in the ranks would come as an asset. Considering the track and how it has been helpful in the past, the England top-order would be eagerly waiting to take the guard if Eoin Morgan wins the toss. Apart from this, Morgan, Livingstone, Curran, Moeen Ali can take on any bowling attack at any given stage of the game and chip in with some runs at a brisk pace helping the side increase the scoring-rate at the death overs. Overall, the English team looks stable and not much planning is required. Just sticking the basics would do the job for them. Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan team is in some mess right now. They lost the T20I series 0-3 and then suffered a blow after three important members of the side were suspended for bio-bubble breach in the UK. "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. In a video that went viral on social media earlier, Mendis and Dickwella were spotted roaming around on the street of Durham after which an inquiry was initiated by the SLC. Sri Lanka batting woes need to be fixed as early as possible but the suspension of three players has piled up more issues for the team. Probable XI England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Joe Root, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera (c & wk), Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Lakshan Sandakan, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep Fantasy XI Kusal Perera, Jonny Bairstow (c), Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Sam Curran (VC), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Mark Wood, Isuru Udana