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Cricket Australia Trying To Reinvent A Wheel Thats Not Broken Shane Watson

Cricket Australia trying to reinvent a wheel that’s not broken: Shane Watson

Cricket Australia is known for its innovation with cricket, be it the Pink Ball, the World Series, or allowing the use of Mongoose bat. However, it’s new rules introduced especially for this season of the Big Bash League are being termed as ‘fixing a wheel that’s not broken’ by former star all-rounder Shane Watson.

The new rules which are namely power surge- ‘Power Surge’, the ‘X Factor Player’ and the ‘Bash Boost’ have been called by Watto as nothing but ‘gimmick’ of Cricket Australia.

“I read today that the BBL is introducing these new gimmicks, such as the ‘Power Surge’, the ‘X Factor Player’ and the ‘Bash Boost’ in a misguided attempt to reinvigorate the tournament. I just can’t seem to get my head around why there are people out there who are trying to reinvent the wheel when the wheel was not broken,” the 39-year-old wrote on his blog.

Calling the new rules a ‘science experiment’ the former Sydney Thunder player pointed out that since it hasn’t been tried and tested at lower levels of cricket, it might come off as pure facepalm moment for the administrators as let alone audiences, even players and coaches would find it hard to understand and implicate initially.

Suggesting what could have been the best way forward, Watson said, “The simple game plan in my mind is to get the world’s best cricketers playing on world-class pitches and guess what, you will get world-class cricket to watch for the cricket lovers out there and we will all be on the edge of our seats admiring the feats of these amazing cricketers.”

The Big bash begins on December 10 with the first match being played between Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Sixers at the Blundstone Arena in Hobart.

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KFC Big Bash: Keemo Paul inks deal with Hurricanes, Stars sign Zahir Khan

West Indian Keemo Paul has been signed by Big Bash side Hobart Hurricanes on the advice of Ricky Ponting. The Guyana born will join England's Dawid Malan and another undecided foreign star at Hurricanes as their international import. South Africa's Colin Ingram and young English batsman Will Jacks has been named as International replacements by the Island team. "I have spoken to Ricky here at the IPL about Hobart and Tasmania and he has spoken really positively about the team and the competition," Paul said about his signing with the Hobart team. The fast bowler also said that he has had a talk with the team’s fast bowling coach as well. "I also caught up with Griff (Coach Adam Griffith) after our game recently, and it was great to hear more about the very exciting squad this year," said Paul. Paul, who could not get a chance to play in the IPL while being a part of the Delhi Capitals star-studded lineup, could only join Hurricanes after the end of West Indies' second Test against New Zealand, starting on December 11. As such, he will end up missing the Hurricanes' first three matches. At the same time, Melbourne Stars also signed Afghanistan spinner Zahir Khan as a replacement for Sandeep Lamichhane. Zahir represented Brisbane Heat last season.

England announces an eventful schedule for summer 2021

After announcing that they will be fulfilling their commitment to touring Pakistan in October 2021, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today set out plans to host international series across men’s, women’s, and disability cricket in 2021’s eventful summer. All the matches would be played across various grounds in England and Wales next year, instead of the dual-venue affair, it was this summer. The men’s team would host the three Asian teams in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka while the women’s team would be hosting South Africa and New Zealand. A five-Test series against India would headline the English summer. However, the summer would start with matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. While England is supposed to take on Sri Lanka from 29th June in a three-match ODI series beginning with the first ODI in Emirates Riverside Durham. This series would be followed by a limited-overs series against Pakistan, beginning with the first ODI in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on Thursday 8 July. After the three match ODI series, the three-match T20I series would begin on Friday 16 July with the first T20I in Trent Bridge. The next and most important series of the summer would be the five-Test affair with India in which the English Team would host Virat Kohl’s men over one month with the first Test beginning from 4th August in Trent Bridge and the last being played in Emirates Old Trafford from 10-14 September. England Women will play both ODI and T20I series against both South Africa and New Zealand. All ticket purchasers for the summer will be provided with a Ticket Refund Promise to guard against the potential impact of Covid-19 next summer. “We had an amazing summer of international cricket this year with some memorable performances, and we know how much enjoyment it brought to people whilst staying at home. Next year we’ve got another big international program to look forward to, with the thrill of a five-Test series against India as the centerpiece,” ECB Chief Executive Officer, Tom Harrison said in a Press Release. Further plans of hosting New Zealand for two Tests and Sri Lanka for two tests and a T20I series are dependent upon the schedule of the World Test Championship Final, which would be played in Lord's next year.

Indian head coach Ravi Shastri is back in business

Indian head coach posted a picture of him training with the players during an outdoor session for the team which is currently under quarantine after reaching Australia for an almost two-month-long tour. While players have been seen doing various net sessions, simulation training, and gym sessions and posting them on their social media accounts ever since they have landed in Sydney, it was the first activity on coach Shastri’s social media account after a long time. “Great to get back to business - with @hardikpandya7 @SDhawan25 @imShard #TeamIndia #AUSvIND,” the Indian coach wrote on his Twitter account posting photos from the training sessions with the likes of opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan, all-rounder Hardik Pandya and fast bowlers Shardul Thakur. While the ODI series between India and Australia begins on 27th November, the Test series which Team India won last time and created a record by becoming the first Asian team to win a Test series on Aussie land would begin from 17th December in Adelaide. "I'll tell you how satisfying it is for me (winning) World Cup '83, (winning) World Championship '85, this is as big or even bigger because this is in the truest format of the game, that's Test cricket which is meant to be the toughest,” Shastri had said after the 2018-19 Test series win for India, which they had won for the first time in their 71-year-old history.

Not a single month’s rest! Team India players' jam packed schedule in 2021

After a lean 2020, which mostly saw players chilling at home due to the pandemic, 2021 would be a hectic year for Team India. The Indian cricket team is scheduled to play a total of 14 Test Matches, 16 ODIs & 23 T20Is this year from January to December. All this is still a bilateral tournament. Apart from the bilateral tournaments, Team India would also play the Asia Cup T20 and ICC T20 World Cup. InsideSport has reported that BCCI is committed to honoring all commitments of canceled series, events in 2020, and in such a scenario the 12 months are all packed with continuous cricket which includes the Indian Premier League as well. “We understand it will be tough on the players but we are obligated to honor FTP (Future Tour Programs) commitments. We have a bigger pool of talent now and players we will make sure players get ample rest before called in for India duties. Rotation policy will surely come into play”, a BCCI official was quoted as saying. The team after returning from Australia in January will host England for four Tests, four T20Is, and four ODIs, in what would be an over two-month-long tour of India for the Poms. Once that gets over, the IPL 2021 would start in late March and go on till mid of May. This IPL might also see rejig as a mega auction is expected for 2021. In June Virat Kohli and Co. will travel to the island nation for a three-match ODI and five-match T20I series. Over there itself, the Men in Blue would defend their ACC Asia Cup T20 from June end to mid of July. Before traveling to England in late July, the bench strength of the Indian team would be tested as they would travel to Zimbabwe to fulfill their FTP commitments. In England, the team would play the five-match Test series over two months. This would also mark the start of the second edition of the World Test Championship. South Africa would be traveling to India as a preparatory before the T20 World Cup where the Indian team would play three ODIs and five T20Is in October. In November, the much anticipated ICC T20 World Cup would be played in India itself. Soon after the World Cup, India will welcome New Zealand for two Tests and three T20Is to be played between November and December. At the end of the year, The Indian cricket team will travel to South Africa for a series of three Tests and as many T20Is.