Rather have full county season next year than truncated one in 2020: Cook

LONDON: Former England captain Alastair Cook feels it would be better to go without a season of county cricket instead of curtailing the competition due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic-forced postponement. The county season was to start on April 12 but the England and Wales Cricket Board ruled that no cricket would be possible before […]

Indian cricket team’s tour to Australia in a quandary

NEW DELHI: The Australian government’s decision to seal its border for the next six months owing to the Covid19 pandemic could adversely affect India’s Futures Tours Programme (FTP), including the much-awaited face-offs Down Under later this year. India’s tour of Australia is to begin with a T20 tri-series in October and end with the Tests […]

Laxman’s 281 among Ian Chappell’s all-time great knocks against spin

MELBOURNE: Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has picked his two all-time favourite innings against high-quality spin bowling and one of those is VVS Laxman’s iconic 281 at the Eden Gardens in 2001. Thanks to Laxman and Rahul Dravid (180), India went on to win the game against Australia after following-on. “The absence of any cricket […]

Tendulkar donates Rs 50 lakh to fight COVID-19

NEW DELHI: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar on Friday donated Rs 50 lakh to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has wreaked havoc globally. Tendulkar’s donation is so far the biggest contribution among India’s leading sportspersons, some of whom have pledged their salaries while a few others have donated medical equipment to fight the dreaded outbreak. “Sachin […]

IPL best tournament to prepare for T20 World Cup: Justin Langer

SYDNEY: Australia head coach Justin Langer feels the IPL is an excellent platform to prepare for the T20 World Cup but conceded that health is paramount as the league may become another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indian Premier League (IPL) was originally scheduled to start on March 29 in Mumbai but it was […]

ICC postpones all qualifying events due to COVID-19 pandemic

ICC postpones all qualifying events due to COVID-19 pandemic

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has postponed all the qualifying events, which were scheduled to be held before June 30, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus outbreak has so far claimed more than 21,000 lives and infected over 4,00,000 globally, prompting countries to shut down borders and operate on lockdown mode. “In […]

Pakistan cricketers to donate Rs 5 million to COVID-19 relief fund

KARACHI: Pakistan’s centrally-contracted cricketers will contribute Rs 5 million to the national government’s emergency fund to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani on Wednesday said apart from centrally-contracted players contributing Rs 5 million, the employees in the board, up to the senior manager level, will contribute their one day’s salary. […]

IPL cancellation on the cards after three-week lockdown and Olympic postponement

NEW DELHI: The BCCI will be under tremendous pressure as cancellation of Indian Premier League looks inevitable after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a 21-day lockdown to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. When the BCCI had postponed the IPL to April 15 earlier this month, it had said hosting the tournament would only come into the […]

COVID-19: BCCI cancels conference call with IPL franchise owners

NEW DELHI: Already suspended till April 15, the uncertainty surrounding this year’s IPL grew on Tuesday with the BCCI postponing a scheduled conference call with the franchise owners which was to discuss a way forward amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The glitzy T20 league is staring at a possible cancellation due to the deadly outbreak. India […]

Will wait and watch for a month before any decision: IOA after Canada pulls out of Olympics

Will wait and watch for a month before any decision: IOA after Canada pulls out of Olympics

NEW DELHI: The Indian Olympic Association on Monday said it will “wait and watch” for at least a month before taking any call on Tokyo Olympics participation after Canada created a flutter by becoming the first nation to pull out of the showpiece due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The north American nation’s withdrawal added to […]