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IPL 2021: Adam Zampa clarifies 'most vulnerable' comment on biosecure bubble

Australia leg spinner Adam Zampa has returned to Australia and has issued a clarification that the decision to leave the country was a personal choice and not due to any chance of the novel coronavirus breaching through the biosecure bubbles in place for the ongoing edition of the IPL.

Notably, Zampa had said biosecure bubbles in IPL 2021 as ‘most vulnerable’ he had ever seen and also said that the BCCI should have organised the event in UAE once again. 

He now said that both the BCCI and his IPL team franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore had ‘many precautions’ in place to safeguard the health of players and that the tournament will surely be finished as per the original schedule.

“My comments about the vulnerability of the IPL bubble had nothing to do with feeling like the virus would enter the bubble at any stage. The BCCI and RCB had many precautions to make us feel safe. I believe the tournament is in great hands and will definitely see the finish line. I am understanding the velocity of the situation in India and my thoughts go out to the whole country. It was a personal choice to leave for several reasons,” Zampa said after arriving in Australia.

Zampa thanked the RCB management for accepting the choices of leaving made by him and his countryman Kane Richardson as it made the situation a lot easier than it would have been.

“Thanks to RCB management for the way they dealt with the situation. As soon as we made the choice that we felt the right thing to do was to come home, they were fully supportive and did everything they could to help. Their understanding of the situation made the process a lot easier,” Zampa added.

Discussing the details of his feelings that tempted him to withdraw from the cash-rich league, Zampa ha said that there was a lack of motivation from his side keeping in mind the ‘dire’ situation in India outside the biosecure bubble and lack of chances he got from the RCB side.

Ironically, Adam Zampa was roped in by the RCB in the last edition of the IPL as a replacement for Kane Richardson who was his partner while leaving the tournament midway this year.

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IPL 2021 RCB vs PBKS Preview - With contrasting traits, frenemies lock horns in Ahmedabad

It’s the tale of two Rahuls hailing from the same state but played the game in two different eras. While Dravid had accumulated heaps of runs in his cricketing career, KL is on the similar path. The senior Rahul had just one blot in his illustrious career. He captained India in a World Cup edition which was full of sorrow, anger and disarray. The 2007 World Cup. Well, we have moved on from there. Dravid has now retired and is nurturing the young talent and also has an U19 World Cup trophy as a coach in his kitty. It’s all good for him. But nothing is really good for the younger Rahul. While he is at par with his batting and the runs that he has scored till date, KL has had a struggling time with his captaincy duties despite having some of the finest players in the ranks just like his mentor. Where did it all start? KL was making a mark for himself slowly and silently. He had received his maiden India call-up for the Test series against Australia and he stamped authority with a ton in his second game itself to give the glimpse of what he was capable of. The right-hander had scored tons in each innings for South Zone in the Duleep trophy final that year. He had all the possible strokes in his armour. He could cut, pull and drive the ball to perfection.Though, the right-hander stood on the losing side eventually in the Duleep Trophy final but his performance didn’t go unnoticed and this led him to land in Australia. Some 6-7 years later, he was spoon-fed with the crown of the leader. But with the power comes the responsibility and KL has a huge one on his tattooed shoulders. He is so far faltering with his on-field decisions which have created some chaos. Punjab Kings (earlier, called Kings XI Punjab) bought KL for a sum of Rs 11 Cr in 2018 and the flamboyant batsman was handed over the captaincy in 2020 edition after R Ashwin was traded to Delhi Capitals and in a view that he might turn fortunes for the franchise. Well, the edition went really well for the wicket-keeper batsman as he amassed 670 runs and was the winner of the orange cap but his franchise side stood at the 6th spot failing to make a place for themselves in the playoffs. The things haven’t changed yet for KL’s Punjab barring their name. After 6 matches in the tournament, the Punjab franchise is tottering at number 6 with four defeats under their belt. And one of those wins came against Rajasthan Royals in a match that probably was a batsmen’s day out. Chasing some 222 odd, RR just fell short of 4 runs after Sanju Samson hit a fine hundred during the course. History is certainly repeating itself. Rahul has notched up three half-centuries in the six matches that he has played but his team is in a spot of bother in the very early stage of the tournament. Sapped Punjab Kings Remember a slang that was used by a popular commentator for an Indian cricketer, “bits and pieces”. These three not so magical words surely explain the present condition of the Punjab team. The Punjab Kings are genuinely struggling in all departments for now but batting has been a major cause of concern. If they put runs on the board, their bowlers leak away runs as we saw in the first game against RR while the batting is anyhow fumbling not giving anything feasibly defendable to their bowlers. Having played together for such a long time, KL and Mayank Agarwal who open the innings for Punjab have failed to deliver to their potential. The two right-handers haven’t really put up a partnership that has dominated the opponents. If Rahul goes all guns blazing, Mayank is the weak link. If Agarwal is among some runs, the skipper isn’t there to compliment his batting show. Another major missing piece for Punjab is the under performing Chris Gayle. There have been a couple of instances where the left-hander has fired all the cylinders but that “Gayle effect” kind of knock is still waiting in the wings. The middle-order is another issue that the Punjab-based franchise needs to adjust. Deepak Hooda unleashed some good knocks in the initial stages of the tournament but his form has gone haywire since then. Some positives that have come up for Punjab in this edition of the IPL so far is Shahrukh Khan who is the latest recruit in the side. He has the ability to go after the bowlers whenever required while can also chip in with a steady knock if the team is struggling in a critical condition. Coming to Punjab’s bowling, the leader of the pack Mohammed Shami hasn’t really got into the groove. The right-arm fast bowler needs to get his form back if Punjab are seeking any positive results in the coming fixtures. Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep are the two youngsters to watch out for. While Bishnoi is a spinner with brains and knows how to deceive the batsmen with both pace and turn, Arshdeep has a great weapon in his arsenal. The left-arm fats bowler can bowl brilliant wide Yorkers which are certainly very useful in the death overs. Another change that KL needs to make is getting Mandeep Singh in for Nicholas Poor an. The way Pooran has fared in this tournament till now, he deserves to be benched for a few games and can be replaced by Sandeep Singh. Mandeep is an experienced lad and has scored runs in the past. Moreover, he had been a part of the RCB franchise alongside KL, Mayank and Gayle, so batting with these three would be an easy task as they all understand each others game well. And of course, there is no hard and fast rule that a franchise will have to play four overseas players. Stick to basics, RCB The Royal Challengers Bangalore are having the sweetest time in the IPL in this edition. They have won five of the last six matches and are sitting comfortably at the second spot. So do they need to do anything extra? Well, obviously NOT. RCB for now have the perfect balance in the side with captain Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal at the top followed by batsmen like Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Washington Sundar and so on. The trio of Kohli, ABD and Maxwell is threatening enough for any bowling attack and the instances of this has been unfolded by Maxwell and de Villiers in the past few games. The two have been striking the ball nicely and just need to continue that. As far as Kohli’s batting is concerned, he is not really struggling with his batting but the runs have certainly dried up. The right-hander just needs to capitalise on the starts he gets just the way he did against Rajasthan Royals. In the bowling department, Harshal Patel is on song in this IPL 2021. Except for that one over against Ravindra Jadeja, he has been performing consistently and this is what T20 format demands. Apart from Harshal, Mohammed Siraj has also shaped up into a brilliant bowler especially after he made his India debut in Tests. The right-arm seamer has himself acknowledged the fact that playing Test cricket has helped him improve his bowling in the T20s. While Patel and Siraj are in good touch, RCB have the services of another fast bowler who was recruited from DC, Daniel Sams and Kyle Jamieson in the fast bowling line up. The spin attack comprises Sundar who is an able bowler in the Powerplay overs while Yuzvendra Chahal is lethal with his line and length on his day. He too can deceive the batsmen with his pace and turn with precision. Chahal has looked a bit out of touch but a couple of good matches for him will get him back in form. Match Details Match: PBKS vs RCB, 26th Match, Indian Premier League 2021 Date: Friday, April 30, 2021 Time: 7:30 PM Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad Pitch and Toss The Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad has seen two totally different kinds of matches. The encounter between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders had nothing for the batsmen while the clash between RCB and Delhi Capitals saw some good amount of runs being scored. The track can be helpful for the spinners as we have seen that in the Test series between India and England but dew will play a major role as well only if a sand storm doesn’t affect it. There was an occurrence of a sand storm during the match between RCB and DC just before the start of the chase by the Delhi side. The sand storm certainly nullified the dew factor and this was also pointed out by Virat in the post-match presentation. Nevertheless, giving dew its due, if you win the toss, bowl first. Team News Punjab Kings The Punjab Kings have players who can bring stability in the side but a lot depends on KL Rahul’s captaincy. Removing a bowler had just given 5 runs in one over and has scalped a wicket won’t really work for him. There is a void in the middle-order as well and Mandeep Singh seems the ideal player to get a place in the XI to balance that. Ofcourse, Pooran would have to sit out for that. RCB RCB are in a good space and they haven’t been making much of a tweaks in this competition. The one slight change that might be made is getting Shahbaz in as he gives an option of a spinner as well but to give him a place in the XI, Kohli will have to bench a fast bowler because Rajat Patidar played a good innings at a very crucial stage and deserves to stay in the side. Probable XI Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Mandeep Singh, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Chris Jordan, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh RCB: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Washington Sundar, Daniel Sams, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj Fantasy XI KL Rahul (VC), AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal (C), Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar, Deepak Hooda, Harshal Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh

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Not being part of IPL is a blessing in disguise: Labuschagne ahead of Glamorgan signing

Australian batting sensation Marnus Labuschagne feels that not being picked for the Indian Premier League has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him. The reason for Labushacgne’s judgement is not only the fact that India is suffering from the strongest wave of Covid-19 but also the fact that he was able to win the Sheffield Shield with his home team Queensland and also bag a county contract with Glamorgan. "It certainly looks like it was a blessing in disguise," Labuschagne PA Media. "I would love to have played in the IPL, it's a great tournament. But there are always two sides to the coin. If I was in the IPL, I would have been away and to win a Shield is something that doesn't come around often," added the 26-year-old. Talking about the Covid conditions and how the Australian players and umpires are feeling, STS (stranger than Smudge, as he is called by his teammates) feels for his fellow nationals. "Secondly, you look at the conditions in India now and it's not looking great. You obviously feel for them. But I haven't spoken to too many guys that are feeling unsafe,” he said. Saying that on the players’ mind it is more about ‘getting back into Australia’ than the IPL matches, Labuschagne hopes that all the players stay safe. “I just hope that they stay safe and get back to Australia safely whenever they do.” The Australian players and umpires have been locked out of the country as after more than 3 lakh Covid-19 cases started being reported on a daily basis from India, the Australian government banned all forms of travel from India till May 15. Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa and Andrew Tye moved out of the country just in time to reach Australia, but umpire Paul Rieffel couldn't. Labuschagne, who hit consecutive centuries in the Shield including a 192 in the final to get Queensland to victory, has now signed up with county side Glamorgan for the current season of the Championship. The South Africa born had thrown in his hat for the IPL auction at a base price of Rs. 1 crore, bit was not bought by any team.

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Heath Streak says he is not a fixer but accepts ICC’s eight-year ban

Former Zimbabwe captain and coach Heath Streak has accepted the charges levied at him by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching the code of ethics and corruption and sharing, compromising information, that may be used for spot-fixing and /or match-fixing. But the 47-year-old also attested that he was never involved in any kind of fixing knowingly and that he is not a ‘fixer’. "I want to place on record to the public and fans that I was not involved in any match-fixing, spot-fixing or attempts to influence a game or share information from a changeroom during a match at any given time in our relationship. This position has been confirmed by the ICC itself in its own statement," Streak said in a personal press statement, as reported by ESPNCricinfo. Divulging the details of his association with Deepak Agarwal, an Indian bookmaker, Streak said, "In 2017, I met an individual keen to invest in cricket in Africa and in particular they wanted to sponsor a T20 Tournament in Zimbabwe, which would be called the Safari Blast. The individual was subsequently vetted and cleared through the usual protocols and to be honest, I let my guard down as the friendship and potential business partnership blossomed.” Saying that he pursued that relationship with Deepak in the hope of encouraging cricket in Zimbabwe, Streak revealed that he was only paid in bitcoin for investment in various regional leagues and not for anything else. "At the onset I was engaged, and paid the Bitcoin, to assist in buying and building teams in different regional T20 competitions, which was successful, resulting in the purchase of a team in Dubai for this individual. Much later on in our friendship, the only other thing I received was a bottle of whisky and my wife has gifted a phone,” he said. Streak, who represented Zimbabwe in 65 Tests, 189 ODIs, further pointed out that it was only through ICC that he realised that the friendship was nothing but a tool to extract information from his end. “Several months down the line the ICC then brought to my attention the fact that the individual with whom I had been dealing, and some of the information that I had shared during our friendship/interaction may have been used for online betting," said Streak who coaxed several teams including Gujarat Lions and KKR in the IPL. The owner of an academy and huge farms in Zimbabwe, Streak asked the media to consider solely him responsible for his actions and not punish his friends family and Zimbabwe cricket. "I also hope that cricket in Zimbabwe should not be punished or suffer for my actions directly or indirectly. I commit to serving out my sanction as guided by the ICC and am committed to helping them and cricket in Zimbabwe in whatever manner I can," wrote the man with 4933 international runs and 445 wickets to his kitty. Although he might have only been punished with eight years of ban from involvement in any sort of cricket by the ICC, Zimbabwe's sports and recreation commission is looking at different angles of his involvement with the scope of corruption. If found guilty Streak might have much more problems up his sleeves.

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SL vs BAN | 2nd Test - Sri Lanka take Day 1 honours, Karunaratne and Thirimanne score centuries

Yet again it proved to be a batting paradise at the Pallekele International Stadium as Sri Lanka took the Day 1 honour against Bangladesh on the opening day of the second Test. There was no hesitation in Dimuth Karunaratne’s mind after winning the toss. Batting first was a no-brainer and they justified the call by posting 291 on the board at the end of 90 overs losing just the wicket. The pitch seemed to be a belter as the bowlers got no help what so ever. Taskin Ahmed and Abu Jayed got some help early on but once Karunaratne and Thirimanne were set, the Bangladesh bowlers were all over the place and didn’t quite manage to break their partnership. Both Thirimanne and Karunaratne were hardly bothered by any of the bowlers. Karunaratne who has been one of the most consistent run-scorers for Sri Lanka in the longest format did his reputation no harm carving his way to yet another well-deserved Test century. It was his 12th Test century and he laid the foundation well for the rest of the batters. He was eventually dismissed after a partnership of 209 runs with Thirimanne. It was Shoriful Islam who bagged the wicket of the captain. Thirimanne played the field to perfection and never really allowed the bowlers to settle in. The stylish left-hander played some delightful shots as the bowlers found it difficult to bowl to a particular line to him. Mehidy Hasan did beat his outside edge on a few occasions but those were few are far between. Thirimanne reached a well-deserved century with a dab down the deep third man region. It was his 3rd Test hundred. Following Karunaratne’s dismissal, he did nothing silly and again build another partnership with Oshada Fernando who remained unbeaten on 40. They took their time but made sure that they don’t play any loose shots and end the day’s play without losing any more wickets. Brief Scores Sri Lanka 291/1 (Karunaratne 118, Thirimanne 131*, Oshada Fernando 40*, Shoriful Islam 1/52)