Sri Lanka Cricket offers to host remainder of IPL 2021

Watch: Jofra Archer's exceptional nip backer shows he is inching back to full fitness

England speedster Jofra Archer yet again made everyone take notice of his ferocious speed and swing while plying his trade for Sussex in a Second XI game. In a video shared by Wisden India, Archer tailed in an inswinger and the batsman had no idea what so ever. It was a full delivery that nipped back sharply at an express pace and struck him on his pads. The swing of the ball might have taken it outside the leg stump but the onfield umpire had no hesitation in ruling it in favour of Archer and the bowling team. Archer who is an integral part of the England national set-up has been nursing injuries for the last few months. Despite not being fully fit, Archer played in the limited-overs series against India which might have aggravated his injury. He had to miss the Test series in India but he returned for the T20I series and despite bagging wickets, he failed to click the speeds which he has been known for since his rise in international cricket. Archer’s long-standing elbow injury has given him quite a few headaches in the past and it remains to be seen how he adjusts to the condition and returns to play for the national team. He had injured his right-hand middle finger in a fish tank accident which forced him to miss the 14th edition of IPL. Archer underwent surgery on his fingery and was in rehab for the next two weeks. The England and the Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said that Archer will return to training if he manages to bowl pain-free. Ever since his making his debut for the national team, Archer has been a revelation for England across formats. He remains the only bowler who is considered for all formats in the current crop of English fast bowlers. He will be eager to regain his full rhythm before the Test series against New Zealand in the lead up to the ICC Test Championship final between India and New Zealand.

Pakistan players get first jabs of vaccination against COVID-19

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that the players and support staff have received the first jabs of the vaccination against COVID-19. The drive has been a collaboration between Pakistan government’s National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the PCB said. 57 men players, 13 officials of the men’s team and 13 NHPC men and women coaches have been vaccinated in the first phase. Apart from PCB officials, franchise players and support staff were involved in the vaccination drive that was held in the February-March phase of the Pakistan Super League. The drive began on March 4 in Karachi and was carried for two months before getting concluded on May 6. “… we requested the NCOC for vaccines during the HBL Pakistan Super League 6. The vaccination drive started in Karachi and our first priority was to get the players and support staff involved in the tournament vaccinated,” PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer said in a statement. “After the initial round of vaccination in Karachi, we focused on getting the remaining members of the men’s squad, who were not involved in the PSL 6, vaccinated before the tours of South Africa and Zimbabwe.” Naseer further said that the PCB is with the government. “The PCB is fully behind the government’s vaccination drive and once again urges people across Pakistan to get vaccinated in order to ensure the health and safety of their own selves and their families,” Naseer said. The Pakistan cricket team is presently in Zimbabwe. They first won the three-match T20I series 2-1 while lead the two-match Test series 1-0.

Pat Cummins feels T20 World Cup should be shifted to UAE if situation remains the same in India

Australian fast bowler and one of the most expensive signings in IPL history, Pat Cummins is of the opinion that if the situation in India doesnt improve amidst the raging COVID-19 pandemic, it’s better not to host the tournament there and shift it to the United Arab Emirates. It could also potentially drain Indian resources. The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League had to be suspended indefinitely after 29 matches after the virus breached through four different bio-bubbles. It has been put a huge question mark on whether the mega event could be held in India or not. A third wave is expected around that time in India which makes the situation very dicey for the organisers. "If it's going to be a drain on resources or it's not going to be safe, then I don't think it's right to play it over here. That's the first question which needs to be answered," Cummins was quoted as saying by the 'Age' newspaper. Cummins added that the cricket authorities should have an interaction with the Indian government and make sure that if the tournament is held in India what are the risks and what is best for the tournament. He added that there are always two sides to a coin in regard to the IPL being held in India and not in India like the last time around. "It probably too early to say. It's six months away. The priority should be for cricket authorities to work with the Indian government to see what's best for the Indian people," Cummins said. "The IPL in the UAE last year was brilliant, it was really well run, but millions of people were saying it should have been played in India, so what do you do? You can see both sides. They set up this tournament with all the best advice,” he added. Cummins who himself donated $50,000 for UNICEF fighting for India’s Coronavirus crisis. The fast bowler said that how atleast half of the KKR squad contracted COVID-19 at some point or the other last year. "Close to half our [KKR] squad has had it at some point over the last year," Cummins said. "Their families are all currently in lockdown in different cities across India. A lot of the family structures are different to Australia, where you've got three generations all living in the one place. "They [Indian teammates] always try to stay upbeat and positive, but it's really tough out there. We're always checking in with them to see how they're going,” Cummins said. Cummins was sceptical of travelling to India for the IPL but he considered his decision as the need of the hour as several people told him that the three-four hours of entertainment actually helped them deal in these tumultuous times. "The first thing I wanted to do was make sure playing the IPL was the right call. Speaking to people back home, some had the view that it didn't see right cricket was going on over here in amongst all the COVID cases," he said. "But the response I was getting from people in India was the opposite. They all said that with so many people in lockdown they really appreciate the fact that for three or four hours each night they can watch the IPL. It gives people a routine, it helps to keep them in homes. Everyone thought it was a positive the IPL was still going on,” Cummins signed off.

Happy to buy N95 masks & give them to people who can’t afford them: R Ashwin

India off-spinner R Ashwin shut a troll on social media after the user made a query on the price of N95 masks. “A single N95 mask starts from 70rs , A normal surgical mask costs 10rs which we can't and shouldn't use for more than 8 hours. People who suffer to get food, people who have low income , how can they afford this? Solution?,” the user had asked. Ashwin probably had the perfect solution for the problem and the right-arm bowler suggested that he would like to buy and give it to people who can’t afford it. “N 95 masks can be washed and reused. I am happy to buy and give it to people who can’t afford it! Please let me know ways to distribute them if you or anyone on my timeline knows how,” Ashwin had replied. Earlier, the Delhi Capitals player had withdrawn his name from the IPL 2021 mid way to spend time with his family. "I will be taking a break from this year's IPL from tomorrow. My family and extended family are putting up a fight against #COVID19 and I want to support them during these tough times," Ashwin wrote on Twitter earlier. The IPL 2021 though was eventually suspended with immediate effect earlier this week after there were COVID-19 positive cases within the franchise teams. DC’s Amit Mishra, SRH’s Wriddhiman Saha, KKR’s VarunChakravarthy and Sandeep Warrior and CSK’s bowling coach L.Balaji were among the members tested positive for the disease. Ashwin played five matches in this edition of the IPL before opting out.