New Zealand’s Greg Barclay one vote away from becoming next ICC Chairman

Aus vs Ind: Health Officer not sure if Adelaide Test would go as planned

Venue for India's first Test match in Australia, Adelaide, has been experiencing a fresh surge of Covid-19. 551 new cases have been reported in the past week and it has cast doubts on whether the Test series could go as planned by Cricket Australia. What has further aggravated the issue is South Australia’s Chief Public Health Officer, Nicola Spurrier’s statements on the present Covid cases where she fumed that she did not have a crystal ball to make the pandemic go away. Responding to the reporters on the questions of the Adelaide Test, she said, “I can't tell you exactly...I don't have a crystal ball. But what we are doing now is putting us in the best position possible to be able to have that cricket match." The Health Officer however assured that the government and Department of Health are doing everything possible, even going out of the way to make sure that cases dip and Tests are held as per schedule. “The reason we are doing what we are doing, which is pretty drastic...is because we want to get back to the state of having just a few restrictions and to be able to do things like have the cricket," she said. On its Australia tour, Team India would play four Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is, and it would start with the first ODI on 27th November in Sydney.

Getting Kohli out early key to winning matches against India: Pat Cummins

Australian speedster Pat Cummins feels that getting the opposition captain Virat Kohli out early in the game would give a lot of boost to him and the team and strengthen their chances of winning the matches. He gave the example of how it is the same for England and New Zealand too. "I think every side has that one or two batters and they are the big wickets. Most teams have their captain - Joe Root for England, Kane Williamson for New Zealand. You feel like if you get their wicket that goes a long way in winning the game," Cummins was quoted as saying to 'Fox Cricket'. "He (Kohli) is always a big one. You commentators talk about him non-stop, so hopefully, we can keep him quiet," he added. Even though he is getting used to the bio- Bubble conditions, Cummins seemed excited to be back in the Aussie nation after 3-4 months. "It's good to be back here in Sydney. We've been in the middle of it (cricket in bio-secure bubbles) for three or four months now so we're starting to get used to it," he said. "We went over to the UK and had a good tour there. Most of the boys here have been playing T20 matches in the last few weeks and the other guys coming in will be playing shrewd cricket. So, it feels like we are all firing up and got a lot of stuff behind us," added the New South Wales bowler saying that the team is confident of pitting on a good show. "Whatever conditions we come up with, I have got a couple of tools I can go to," Cummins, who has taken 145 scalps in limited-overs international for Australia said.

Tiring out Jasprit Bumrah is the way forward: Hazlewood reveals Aussie plan

Jasprit Bumrah has become the lynchpin of the Indian attack, more so after Ishant Sharma, the senior-most pace bowler in the Indian outfit seems doubtful for the Australia series because of his fitness issues. Josh Hazlewood the Aussie quick is well aware of that. He revealed the Australian plan of tiring out Bumrah to make him less potent. "Bumrah is probably the standout. He is unique with his action," Hazlewood was quoted as saying to Hindustan Times. "He maintains pace very well throughout the day and the whole series. He is probably the key. He can take wickets up front or with the old ball. I guess it's about getting a lot of overs into him, try to tire him out in the first couple of games. That will be the key," he added. It is important to notice that the Indian trio of Bumrah, Ishant, and Mohammed Shami outbowled Australians in the last Test series by picking up 48 wickets in four Tests while Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins could pick up only 40 wickets. Bumrah was the leader of the Indian pack with 21 wickets at an average of 17. Acknowledging that, Hazlewood said, "They out bowled us the last time they came. That went a long way for them in winning the series," He further pointed out that if Ishant Sharma is back in time for the series, it would make the Indian bowling line up even stronger. “They have most bases covered with their quicks. If Ishant Sharma gets here at some point it will add to their strength. They are all a little bit different. For the last 10-15 years, Indian pacers have kept improving. Our batters will have to be on their toes to counter that,” the 29-year-old said.

Looking at the bigger picture: Glenn Maxwell ready to take on India

The mandatory regulations of the bio-secure bubble have brought forward the conversation of mental health to limelight once again, and rightly so. Australian players like Will Pucovski and Glenn Maxwell have been at the forefront of de-stigmatising the issue. Speaking about the same the hard-hitting Australian all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell has said that he is better equipped to deal with any issue pertaining to mental health or emotional well-being during the prolonged bio-bubble situation. He said that it also made him a resourceful person in the sense that other players also came to him to combat their issues. "What I went through last year, I think I'm better equipped to deal with those sorts of things now,” he said to cricket.com.au “This year has certainly been a massive test of it, and to put (in place) some of my learnings and help other people with it and be a shoulder for other people to lean on,” he added. The 32-year-old further said he is now preparing to get a better picture of himself after a failed IPL. “I'm looking at the bigger picture and understanding my role in the Australian side, trying to put the IPL aside and thinking about what I need to do to get ready for every game. So that when the time comes, and when I need it, I can perform really well," the Victorian said. Complimenting spinner Adam Zampa, who has dismissed Virat Kohli five times in limited-overs (most for any Australian bowler in the current squad), Maxwell said, "He's been very good against Virat, and one of the key things is having good match-ups against their batsmen.” But Maxwell stressed the fact that Virat Kohli would be equally pumped up and working hard to tackle Zampa. "Adam's obviously had a pretty good time against Virat in recent history, but you can guarantee that Virat's working just as hard to combat that,” Maxwell said. Finally speaking on having crowds in the stadium for the first time since the pandemic hit in March this year, Maxwell said that his team would give its best to give the home crowd all the right reasons to cheer up. “I can assure you the guys are looking forward to playing in front of them a putting on a good show, and hopefully continuing that form from England where we played so well," he said.