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Shane Bond Backs Decision To Rest Boult For T20 Series Against West Indies

Shane Bond backs decision to rest Boult for T20 series against West Indies

Former Kiwis spearhead Shane Bond has seconded the decision to rest Trent Boult for the upcoming 3 match home T20I series against West Indies. Boult had a long summer and the break could be much needed in both personal and team front.

Boult will miss the T20I series alongside skipper Kane Williamson who has also been rested. The T20I series starts on November 27 and the Kiwis will be led by Tim Southee in the absence of Williamson. Both Boult and Williamson will return for the two-match Test series slated to start in Hamilton from 3^rd December, one, that will be important for New Zealand from the World Test Championship perspective.

Boult returned from UAE very recently where he plied his trade for the Mumbai Indians who went onto win their 5^th IPL title. Boult was quite exceptional and forged a solid camaraderie with Jasprit Bumrah which paid rich dividends for the 5-time champions. Boult finished the tournament with 25 wickets from 15 outings.

Meanwhile, Shane Bond who troubled many batsmen during his heydays with his searing pace is currently in isolation with Boult in Christchurch. Bond backed the New Zealand Cricket Board’s decision to grant him a break and allow him to spend some quality time with his family.

“To fly out of here and go straight into games without seeing his family would have been a massive mistake. I think for his own sanity he needs to get home and spend a bit of time with his family before another busy summer," Bond said.

Meanwhile, the left-arm pacer is currently training at the High-Performance Centre. He is focusing on getting back on track especially when it comes to Test cricket. Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak, New Zealand is yet to play a Test match.

“Part of the thinking of being here together in quarantine is to get a bit more volume in terms of overs under his belt. So it gives him a bit of time to get some volume here and in the week or two before the test series against the West Indies starts,” said Bond.

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Ravi Bopara pulls out of Lanka Premier League

In what comes as another setback to the inaugural edition of the Lankan Premier League, English all-rounder Ravi Bopara has made himself unavailable for the tournament joining a big group of players. There have been several issues surrounding the tournament despite the fact that the Sri Lanka Cricket Board was optimistic of pulling this off. However, with the growing list of players making themselves unavailable it will be interesting to see the fate of the tournament. Bopara was part of the Jaffna Stallions squad. Earlier in the day the official Twitter handle of LPL revealed that Bopara has pulled out of the tournament. "Official announcement English Cricketer @ravibopara (Jaffna Stallions) has pulled out from Lanka Premier League 2020," the official Twitter handle of LPL read. Bopara is not the first player to pull out of the tournament. Big players like Lasith Malinga and Chris Gayle has also opted out of the tournament. Meanwhile, Liam Plunkett also pulled out of the tournament yesterday. While Malinga cited lack of match practice and preparation time behind his decision, it is learnt that Gayle withdrew his name from the tournament as commercial understanding with the organizers couldn’t be made. In all 23 matches will be played in the tournament between five franchise teams, Colombo, Kandy, Dambulla, Galle and Jaffna. The opener will be played on November 26 between Colombo and Kandy. Doubleheaders will be played every day till the semis and the finals. While the semis will be played on 13th and 14th December, the final will be played on 16th December.

South Africa edition postponed till February 2023

The 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup which was slated to be played in South Africa from November 2022 has been postponed by 3 months in order to avoid clashing of other ICC tournaments and manage the workload of the players. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the ICC had to postpone the 50 overs Women’s World Cup to 2022 which was slated to be played in New Zealand in 2021. The ICC declared in a statement that the Women’s T20 World Cup has been shifted to February 2023 and will now be played from 9th to 26th February. Having said that, the silver lining in these trying times is that the women’s T20 cricket is set to be part of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. “The Board confirmed that the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will move from its current slot at the end of 2022 to 9-26 February 2023,” ICC said in a statement. Had the tournament not been postponed there would have been three big-ticket events in a calendar year. However, the apex body felt that in order to manage the workload of the players and help them prepare for the mega event it was necessary to postpone the tournament. “As there are currently no major women’s events scheduled to take place in 2023 the Board confirmed the switch for the T20 World Cup to better support player preparation and to continue to build the momentum around the women’s game beyond 2022,” the apex body said. Meanwhile, the decision was a unanimous one as the workload of the players could have been a major issue. Keeping in mind the long term growth of women’s cricket, the ICC CEO said it was a sensible move. “Moving the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to 2023 makes perfect sense on a number of levels,” ICC CEO Manu Sawhney said in the statement. “Firstly, it will provide a better workload balance for players giving them the best possible opportunity to perform to the highest levels on a global stage. Secondly, we can continue to build the momentum around the women’s game through 2022 and into 2023. We are committed to fuelling the growth of the women’s game and today’s decision enables us to do that over the longer term.” Manu concluded.

Habibul Bashar hospitalised after testing positive for COVID-19

Yet again COVID-19 has wrecked the cricketing world after former Bangladesh skipper and an iconic figure in the country Habibul Bashar has been hospitalized after testing positive to the novel corona virus. Bashar who is currently the national selector had tested positive on 12th November but it was only on 16th November that he was admitted to the hospital after it was detected that he had an infection in his lungs. ''I was admitted on Monday. The doctor said that my lungs infection increased and immediately admitted me to the hospital. I am not having any fever at the moment and due to infection in my lungs the fever was not going,'' Bashar said on Thursday. ''Now I am quite fine as there is no breathing problem and hopefully will be released on Saturday,'' he said. Considered as one of the most influential players in the country, Habibul Bashar had led Bangladesh to some memorable victories during his tenure. It was under his leadership that Bangladesh defeated India in the 2007 World Cup which remains one of the most iconic moments in their history. Meanwhile, Bashar has been quite active in his new role as a member of the BCB selection panel. Alongside chief selector Minhajul Abedin, the duo has continuously kept a track on the performances in the domestic circuit and has also attended training and the matches. Meanwhile coming to the current situation in Bangladesh, the country has recorded 2364 new infections in the last 24 hours with 30 deaths.

NZ to invest USD 2 million for gender-neutral upgrades in stadiums

In what comes as a great development as far as New Zealand sports is concerned, the New Zealand government has announced a USA 2 million package in order to upgrade the facilities at the five major stadiums in the country. The 5 major stadiums in the country are Basin Reserve, Seddon Park, University Oval, Hagley Oval and the NZC High-Performance Centre at Lincoln University. They are planning to make the venues gender-neutral ahead of the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup. In all likelihood, the Eden Park in Auckland can host all three women’s world cups including cricket, football and rugby. Preparations are being made to make it a gender-neutral venue. Meanwhile, the upgrades at the Tauranga’s Bay Oval has been accessed and has been considered “ acceptable”. "What goes on behind the scenes is a huge part of what happens out on the field," ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 CEO Andrea Nelson was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. "To achieve exceptional performances, players need access to appropriate facilities." "This is what major events are all about. New Zealand's premier sporting venues and the players that grace them will benefit from these facility upgrades for many years to come. Beyond the nationwide celebration of cricket in 2022, the CWC22 legacy will improve the experience of our women and girls in cricket for future generations." The focus for the upgrade of the stadium will be given on gender-equal facilities including the toilets which is the primary on their list. New Zealand’s deputy prime minister mentioned that the facilities in stadiums are generally tailor-made for men and is not always right for the women. "Facilities that are tailored for men are not always right for women, and part of this funding is about changing that, so we are good hosts for the world's best women's players in 2022. Gender-neutral facilities are lacking at all levels of the sector and this needs to change in order to encourage more women and girls to participate in play, active recreation and sport." "As well as providing high-quality and safe facilities for the Cricket World Cup teams, they'll provide an example of what good inclusivity looks like for everyone using the changing facilities regardless of gender, reducing barriers to participation," Robertson added. "Hosting three women's world cups in three years is a massive opportunity to drive positive change and put New Zealand on the world map when it comes to women in sport."