Players freely went outside of bio-bubble: Inzamam-ul-Haq

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has spoken about the postponement of the PSL 2021 due to the rise in COVID-19 cases and claimed that the players roamed freely outside the bio-bubble. 

“Some players freely went outside of the bubble, whilst some people from outside came in and out of the bubble. What exactly was this bubble about?,” questioned Inzi.

The former right-handed batsman also emphasised that the postponement of the tournament might also create problems in future as the touring teams can be reluctant of travelling to the country. 

“Players can say that the arrangements in Pakistan are not adequate. This happened last time as well. This can create future problems. Other teams might have issues now. We are already hearing that some players have returned their tickets, citing either their board or country as the source that is warning them. The doors of cricket had opened in Pakistan. Now, will other countries send their players to our country?,” Inzamam further said.

Inzamam further went on to say that the culprits should be identified and strict actions should be taken against them. 

“This is a point to ponder. Just because we needed to hold this tournament to satisfy the sponsors, our mistakes have cost us in such a massive manner. If we don’t take this matter seriously and try to sweep it under the rug then in the future this will happen again. They should pinpoint the culprits and distance them from the entire thing,” he said. 

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Shoaib Akhtar slams PCB

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has criticised PCB after the Pakistan Super League was postponed midway due to rise in COVID-19 cases. Akhtar straight away put the onus on the medical panel and said that it should be punished. "The medical panel should be punished and I request the higher authorities because they played with the lives of the people... All the blame has been put on Wasim Khan and he has been asked to face everything. Who has brought Wasim Khan? Ehsan Mani (brought him). Where is Mani Sahab? Is this the responsibility of Wasim Khan to answer here? Ehsan Mani should give the answer," Akhtar said in a video shared by the former cricketer on his YouTube channel. Akhtar further added that the postponement of the tournament was an “insult” to Pakistan and Pakistan cricket. "You (PCB) played with the lives of the people and at the same time you played with the reputation of the country. Where is the Chairman of PCB, where is Mani? Come to the front and answer. You have damaged Pakistan's reputation by ruining PSL. I am asking the higher authorities and the Prime Minister, sir look into this matter. This is an insult to Pakistan and Pakistan cricket," Akhtar added. PCB CEO Wasim Khan on Thursday said that "this isn't about a blame game” in press conference. "This isn't about a blame game, about who's to blame," Khan said. "This is a collective effort that we all had a responsibility to actually police and self-police that environment. Unfortunately, we weren't able to do it effectively enough. Hence we find ourselves in this situation today.” A PCB release stated earlier that the tournament has been postponed with immediate effect. "Following a meeting with the team owners and considering the health and wellbeing of all participants is paramount, the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to postpone the HBL Pakistan Super League 6 with immediate effect. The decision was made after seven cases were reported in the competition, which had started on 20 February," the statement on the PSL official website read earlier.

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England batsmen are not good enough in Indian conditions: Andrew Strauss

Former England captain Andrew Strauss has made a bold statement and has said that the English batsmen are “not good enough” to play in the Indian conditions. The visitors were bundled out for 205 in the first innings of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday. “Let’s not hide away from the truth. England’s batting quite frankly is not good enough in these conditions,” Strauss was quoted as saying by ‘Channel 4’. “You can talk about the pitch and about the ball and about anything else, but you have to find a way to score first innings runs and they have got very few to play with.” Talking about the mindset, Strauss said that the batsmen are committing the similar mistakes that they have throughout the series. “England are making the same mistakes they have made throughout the whole series. The non-turning ball has left them non-plussed.” While England managed to score 205 on Day 1, India ended the day’s proceedings at 24/1. Stokes top-scored for England with 55 while it was Axar Patel and R Ashwin once again who dominated with the ball for India. Patel scalped a four-wicket haul while Ashwin bagged three wickets during the course. The home side leads the four-match series 2-1 and needs to either win or draw this final clash in Ahmedabad to register a place in the WTC final to be played against New Zealand at Lord’s. But if India suffer a defeat in this match then Australia will march into the finals to face the Blackcaps.

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We’re capable of scoring more than 300 on a wicket like this: Ben Stokes

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has admitted that the way the visitors batted was frustrating but also defended the team selection. England were bundled out for 205 in the first innings of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Stokes who top-scored with 55 said that the pitch is a better one as compared to the last match. “We felt that seam isn’t going to offer as much in terms of being a threat, it’s more of a holding role,” Stokes said. “It’s definitely a better wicket than the last test match. I think as the day progressed, you could see that the ball started to spin more, and had more bounce…In the previous match, spinners claimed 28 of the 30 wickets that tumbled in five sessions.” Stokes added that the side is capable of scoring more than 300 runs on this kind of a track. “We’re more than capable of scoring more than 300 on a wicket like that out here, it’s frustrating,” Stokes added. England trail the four-match series 1-2 and have been knocked out of the WTC after they lost the third match at the Narendra Modi Stadium. India, on the other hand, need to either win or draw this game to make a place for themselves in the final of WTC. But if the home side suffers a defeat in this match then Australia will march into the final and will be up against New Zealand in the title clash at Lord’s. India ended Day 1 at 24/1 with Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara still at the crease. Earlier, Axar Patel scalped four wickets while R Ashwin picked up three in the first innings.