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Players Opting Out Of Caribbean And Bangladesh Tour Might Be Overlooked For T20 World Cup Says Finch

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.

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.

Jos Buttler ruled out of Sri Lanka series due to calf injury

In what comes as a huge setback for England ahead of the final T20I and the ODI series against Sri Lanka, Jos Buttler has been ruled out of the remainder of the series after sustaining a calf injury in the opening T20I against Sri Lanka. Dawid Malan who has been an exceptional T20I player will now replace him in the ODI squad. Buttler looked in ominous touch during the opening T20I against Sri Lanka as he smashed a 55 balls 68 and ensured England reach the target of 130 with 8 wickets in hand and with 17 deliveries to spare. He plundered the Lankan bowling attack all around the park during his breezy knock which was studded with 8 fours and a solitary six. He missed the 2nd T20I which the hosts won by 5 wickets under D/L method as rain halted play during the run chase. After restricting the Lankans to 111, England were jolted early courtesy some good fast bowling by Dushmantha Chameera and Binura Fernando. They were reduced to 36/4 but Liam Livingstone and Sam Billings ensured that the run chase was done and dusted in the end with relative ease.

Kiwis head home after 'fantastic game of cricket'

The New Zealand team has headed back home with the Test maze that they received after beating India in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in Southampton by 8 wickets. “We had a great night. The guys were obviously pretty chuffed after a fantastic game of cricket … you combine such a special moment after two years of hard work … it was fitting to push the boat out a little bit,” captain Kane Williamson was quoted as saying by ‘stuff.co.nz’. Williamson scored a fine and unbeaten fifty in the second innings while Ross Taylor remained not out on 47 as the Blackcaps chased down 139 to be crowned as the Test champions. Fast bowler Tim Southee also hailed the team’s achievement but admitted that there was bait of frustration because of the weather as a couple of days had been washed away due to rain. “Last night was brilliant. To get the job done after it went down to the wire on day six was very special. There was some emotion for the boys in the camp. There was a fair bit of frustration with the (bad) weather around,” said Southee. Earlier, New Zealand bowled out India for 217 and later took a 32-run lead in the first innings. Kyle Jamieson scalped a fifer during the course. The Kiwis then rattled India in the second innings to bowl the Virat Kohli-led team out for 170.