ZIM vs PAK | 1st Test: Hasan Ali, strong batting performance blow Zimbabwe away

Somerset's Jack Brooks replaces Lewis Gregory to become first Covid-19 substitute in county cricket

Somerset seamer Jack Brooks has become the first Covid-19 substitute in the County Cricket replacing Lewis Gregory from the Somerset playing XI in the ongoing championship match against Middlesex in Taunton. Announcing what transpired the exclusion of Lewis Gregory, the Somerset Cricket Club has said that a member of Gregory’s private bubble has undergone a test following he was felt unwell in the morning. Although the test returned a negative result, Gregory will have to continue in isolation till the further rounds of testing rule out Covid-19 in his associate. “A member of Lewis Gregory's private bubble was feeling unwell this morning and has taken a lateral flow test. This test proved to be negative, but protocol dictates that until the results of a further test have been received, Lewis will remain in isolation as per Government guidelines,” Somerset said in its statement. Lewis Gregory picked up two wickets in the first innings of the Middlesex side and Brooks’ name as the Covid-19 substitute was approved by the match referee Wayne Noon. Notably, Gregory had himself contracted Covid-19 earlier this year while representing Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League which was later postponed on the account of rising Covid1-9 cases in bubbles of teams.

I very strongly believe that IPL must go on: Sanju Samson

Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has made it clear that even though he respects the opinion of those wanting the Indian Premier League to shut shop in this pandemic, he believes that the tournament must go on. The reason behind Samson’s strong belief is the feeling of positivity that the tournament is bringing on the face of the lakhs of people watching it every night. “We, as IPL players, are not so cut off inside our respective bio-bubbles that we are unaware of what is going on in the wider world outside,” he wrote in his column for Hindustan Times. “I have been following the debate about playing cricket during the pandemic, and I feel that opinions on both sides of the argument must be respected,” he added. “I very strongly believe the tournament must go on because I sincerely feel that it is bringing joy to many millions of Indians during the bleakest of times. If our purpose this season is to be a positive diversion to those watching, then so be it,” Samson, 26, reasoned. Saying that as a team the Rajasthan Royals have acknowledged the situation o the country by getting into the huddle, Samson also lauded the management’s efforts of donating Rs 7.75 crore in the country’s fight against Covid. “Before every match this season we have gotten into a huddle as a team and spoken about the situation outside and what our purpose is as cricketers. That has helped make our cause, if you want to call it that, much clearer: entertain those sitting at home in India and put a smile on their faces before they go to sleep. It really is as simple as that,” wrote Kerala born. “I am also very proud that my franchise donated towards Covid relief in the country (Rajasthan Royals became the first franchise to do so, donating a sum of ₹7.5cr); it was the least we at Rajasthan Royals could do,” he said. Respecting teammate Andrew Tye’s decision of returning to Australia, the wicket-keeper batsman said that no two people could have the same school of thoughts and respecting diversity is important. Advising people to take the basic precautions of wearing masks, sanitising often and getting vaccinated when the turn comes, Samson said that he too is getting for things to become normal, adding that he misses not playing full stadiums. “I am a cricketer, normal for me is a stadium packed with loud fans. Man, do I really miss playing in front of thousands of cheering spectators or what,” he said. The Rajasthan Royals, having lost to Mumbai Indians would be up against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on May 2.

IPL 2021: Andre Russell misses playing in front of huge crowds at Eden Gardens

Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Andre Russell is missing the feel of thousands of people in the stadium rallying behind him and his team at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. He said that scores of fans give ‘unreal’ vibes by giving him loud cheer even before he starts his innings or gets ready to bowl his overs. “I miss playing in front of crowds and especially Eden, where I know thousands of people got your back. That keeps me going. And it brings out the fire inside. The loud cheer, even before I face the first ball when I start running onto the crease, those vibes are unreal,” KKR’s latest release called Russell: The Knight of Eden. Russell had joined the Knight Riders in the 2014 edition of the league when they were crowned the championship in the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir and the big man from Jamaica said that he wishes to get back to the podium once again to celebrate the glory of wining the IPL title. “I have won the IPL in 2014, and the feeling that I got to see the guys with tears in their eyes, that's the type of feeling I want to experience again. I want to be on the podium. It should be pure purple and gold. We have a very strong team on paper. But the gameplay wasn’t,” Russell added. The Knight Riders are not having the best of times in the ongoing edition of the IPL as they have won only two games out of the seven played so far. Russell himself has not had consistently good performances with the bat and ball and muddle batting order by the team management has not helped his cause either.

Have no plans to retire for now: Shoaib Malik

Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik has cleared the air on his retirement and has said that he has no intentions of taking such a decision for now. “I am saying very clearly today I have not even thought about retirement. I have no plans to retire now because I am fit, I can bat, and I can bowl,” the 39-year-old batsman told the media on Friday. The right-hander further revealed that he has signed two-year contracts with some leagues. “I have recently signed two-year contracts in some leagues so where does the question of me taking retirement after the World Cup arise,” he said. Malik pointed out that he can bat, can bowl, is generally stationed at the hotspots while fielding and has been clearing the fitness tests, so the question of him getting retired shouldn’t come up. “I can field in hotspots, I can take two runs and I can save two runs. When I have to bowl I can also bowl and I am batting well. My fitness is top grade,” he said. The right-handed all-rounder has featured in 35 Tests, 287 ODIs and 116 T20Is for Pakistan. He has notched up 1898 runs in the Tests, averaging just over 35 while has amassed over 7500 runs in ODIs and more than 2300 runs in the T20Is respectively. He also has 32 wickets in the longer format of the game while has 158 scalps in ODIs and 28 in T20Is. Malik last played for Pakistan in a T20I last year against England in Manchester.