IPL 13 in Jeopardy

One day after news that an Indian international was among ten-plus Chennai Super Kings contingent members to test positive for Covid-19, it has emerged that one more player, uncapped at the highest level, has also tested positive for the virus. This, even as Suresh Raina has returned home because of "personal reasons" and the team's training sessions pushed back until at least after September 1. So far neither the franchise nor the IPL has made a comment on the matter. ESPNcricinfo understands that of the ten-plus members of the travelling party to have tested positive, only two are players, while the rest are members of the support staff members and net bowlers. One of those found positive is the wife of a senior franchise official, though the official himself has tested negative. The infected persons are understood to have been moved to a different hotel from the one the team is housed in, and are being monitored by medical personnel behind closed doors. As a result of these developments, the Super Kings have been forced to postpone the start of their training sessions in Dubai to September 1. According to the IPL's Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs), all those who tested positive will now need to undergo at least two weeks of further quarantine and clear two more tests before they can rejoin the group. It is believed that the positive test results are from the final round of testing in the UAE, which is part of IPL's Covid-19 protocols comprising three tests that are mandatory for every person who is part of the tournament. According to the protocol, every person must be tested at the airport upon landing in the UAE, followed by two tests at the hotel on days three and six. The protocol also makes it mandatory for everyone to undergo a six-day quarantine after landing, when they are not supposed to mingle even with team members or colleagues. Only once the squad members clear all the mandatory tests can teams start their training. The IPL is to start on September 19, but the schedule is yet to be finalised. The development is bound to put the IPL on alert simply because Super Kings, who finished runners-up in 2019, are expected to play defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener. "If there are 13 cases from only one franchise then it is an issue for sure for everyone," an unnamed official was quoted as saying by PTI. "The biggest aspect will be whether foreign cricketers will now start being panicky as they are more touchy about these issues. We need to keep a tab on players' mental health."

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Post disease expected series'

Pakistan tour to England 2020 still on the cards

Being a cricket fan, it is something of advance Eidi for watching live cricket on the TV as England and Wales Cricket Board expects to convince the West Indian cricket board to tour the already locked down England. In the case of Pakistan, both the cricket boards have reached an agreement in principle after ECB assurances, as elite-level cricket plots a re-start after months of worldwide lockdown.

Conditions of post-COVID19 playing situations

The two boards had a meeting on Friday where the ECB talked the PCB through plans for keeping players in a strict bio-secure environment, from the moment they land in the country through the three Tests and three T20s they are scheduled to play.

• Working plans include flying the Pakistan squad into the UK on a chartered flight in early July
• Allocation of one venue as a base, where they can not only carry out their training and intra-squad practice games
  
• Mandatory two-week quarantine period put in place by the United Kingdom government for all visitors from outside the country.

Vincy Premier T10 League to begin on May 22 in the Caribbean

This will be the inaugural season of the VPL, a six-team tournament, which will be played from May 22 to 31 at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex in St Vincent. It is going to the first time since March, competitive cricket involving international players of a Full Member team is set to return after a long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Vincy Premier League (VPL), a franchise-based T10 tournament, is scheduled to start from May 22 in the eastern Caribbean country of St Vincent and the Grenadines. It is going to be the first time the game will resume in a Full Member region comprising international players.

Playing conditions

• The VPL will also become the first tournament where the players will not be allowed to use saliva on the ball,
  
• a concept that the ICC and medical experts at various cricket boards have been discussing, as reported recently by ESPNcricinfo.
  
• The tournament is set to be open for fans as there are no restrictions imposed by the government in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
• The VPL comprises 30 matches,
  
• Games are going to be streamed live, with three games scheduled per day.
  
• A total of 72 players were picked by the six franchises via a draft held on May 11.
  
• Among them are six marquee players, including three West Indies players - seamer Kesrick Williams, opening batsman Sunil Ambris and left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy.

• The VPL will be hosted by St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association (SVGA), whose president, Kishore Shallow, is also the vice-president at Cricket West Indies (CWI).

• Shallow said the VPL was put together in the last two weeks after he was approached by Dream 11, an India-based sports technology company.
  

• He then alerted CWI and sent in a formal request via the Windward Island Cricket Association (of which the SVGA is a member) asking for the VPL to be sanctioned.
  

• Shallow said he had spoken to both CWI chief executive Johnny Grave and CWI cricket operations manager Roland Holder about the VIPL.
  

• "We have formally written to CWI. And I expect to get a positive response from them soon," Shallow told ESPNcricinfo.

• According to Shallow, there were a total of 18 positive cases of Covid-19 in St Vincent and the Grenadines as of Wednesday, of which 10 had successfully recovered which means total active cases count to 8.
  

• Keeping in mind the risk posed by the pandemic, Shallow said the tournament had the "endorsement" from the local government and the ministry of health.
  

• He said the players would not be "exposed to the public" and all necessary precautions as advised by the government would be ensured including having additional short breaks at various points during the match where players would be asked to use hand sanitizers.

• Shallow said that since there was no "formal limitations in terms of social gatherings" imposed by the local government the organizers had decided to not play behind closed doors, a mandatory policy issued by several other countries around the globe to sporting organizations.
• "What we have been doing is managing the risk. So what we plan to do during the tournament is ask spectators to practice social and physical distancing. So they will be sitting at least a few seats apart. And because of the time the matches are taking place, we do not anticipate a massive crowd at the matches."
• Shallow said all the league matches would start at an "unusual time", 8.30am local time and go on until 2pm only to "capture" the Indian audience where Dream 11 has its wide user base.
• "We came up with this T10 franchise format because of the absence of sports content at this point, and thought that this brand of cricket would be enticing to cricket fans across the globe in a short duration," Shallow said at the launch of the draft on May 11.

Trivia

The last recognised match before Covid-19 halted games across the world was played on March 15 when the Karachi Kings hosted the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL which Quetta won following the heroics of Khurram Manzoor, the only game he played off the 2020 event.

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Another casuality off COVID-19 pandemic

The ECB had intended its new eight-team,
100-ball competition to be the showpiece event in
the domestic cricketing calendar and to attract a
"new audience" to the sport, with the tournament
due to launch on July 17.

The first season of the 'Hundred' has been pushed back to 2021 following an ECB board meeting on Wednesday - April 29th, 2020.

What is the "Hundred"?

"The Hundred" is an innovative and minute version of T20 and T10 events currently going on, in order to attract newer audience like Baseball players etc. towards the game of cricket, which was supposed to be starting in July 2020.

It is the newest causality off COVID-19 pandemic!

This is the the reality, because I personally feel that it'd be unfair while not allowing the spectators into the grounds, who beautify the ambiance of the cricket game along with the cricketing coverage all around the world.

The last series before this pandemic

Australia v New Zealand at Sydney before the series called off because of lack of availability of flights as Australia had blocked its borders for international flights because it wanted to contain the pandemic.

The last game

The last ODI game was played in closed doors, even while stroking ball for a four or a six, players themselves were going to the stands for retrieving the ball, hearing the ball-hitting-the-bat sound so clearly which in normal circumstances was difficult to listen to this much of the clarity.

Even the PSL 5 games under closed door circumstances

I still remember, the last game in full house at PSL was Karachi v Lahore game at Karachi, which was the same day the World Health Organization i.e. WHO informed the world that the subjected disease has been confirmed as a Pandemic, therefore the next game played at National Stadium of Karachi looked like test match being played in coloured kits in Pakistan, as the same crowd structure was experienced in test match cricket.

Even foreign players were finding it easy to talk via microphone while playing the game

This is another of the aspect I noted while watching last few games of the PSL, that National Stadium of Karachi was as quiet at the game was being played at a graveyard, there was a graveyard-silence at National Stadium Karachi, even at times while watching the coverage, I could hear the generator hiss sound occasionally, and furthermore when commentators used to talk with a player fielding on the ground, they were finding it easy to talk and hear them, which otherwise was not an easy task to during a game played normally at National Stadium Karachi amid previously played games compared.

What I personally feel

There is a low chance that cricket might step up anywhere during the end of 2020, which both looks so far but if we take account of this pandemic and the way it is progressing in the matters of hours, I don't think the way we enjoyed the first part of the PSL, would take almost 2020 before the world will resume its life pre-PSL time.

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Cricketing life amid post pandemic scenarios

Ball tempering or THE charm of keeping balance between bat and ball

This is the major bone of contention because right now when we are under confinement known as Quarantined, there were several things in the game of cricket, which WE USED to take it as ordinarily and nothing to be taken of great importance, but now as soon as competitive cricket is supposed to be resumed, although I am personally unsure of exact tenure when, but it is expected whenever the same is going to be resumed, it is surely going to be a revamped one, as the life post pandemic is surely going to be updated and hence we need to take account of the changes we (those who're involved in competitive cricket like club or the regional cricket), for which we need to get ourselves to be accustomed, otherwise the transition period is surely going to be a painful experience and changing ambiance on the playing fields.

Current playing conditions

Test Match Cricket

One-Day International (ODI) Cricket

Twenty 20 (T20) Cricket

Post Pandemic Scenarios

The situation might again be reverting back to that era where ICC's rules and regulations might again be turning towards favouring the batsman. Many of the analysts and players (both current and former cricketers) claiming that scenarios might differ alot, and hence many of the players might opt to go towards batting end from bowling.

Social Distancing

We might be the last of this

generation who used to enjoy
the exuberant and animated
celebrations on the cricketing
field

This is going to be a major factor for which a cricketing fan swivel towards cricketing grounds, waiting for hours on security check points before allowing to be seated on the stadium seats, just because they want their team to win and furthermore the main thing is watching their favourites to perform and while performing, they want them to celebrate and to be animated, which is at most of the times is like earning a million dollars, and hence under the futuristic scenario, we are not going to watch such celebrations, nor hugs, neither showing emotions on the field, which is a hard tablet to be swallowed for an average cricketing fan.

Murdering the bowlers

As per interview of veteran Indian bowler Asish Nehra; bowlers when unable to shine the ball or making the ball heavy from one end, by using the Saliva/تھوک/लार applied on the cricket ball, which enabled bowlers to enable a proper balance between bat and the ball, which was inaugurated by the Pakistani bowlers in order to take advantage of batting friendly conditions in Pakistani grounds and to have some bone of contention for bowlers. Furthermore, the seed sowed by our seniors in 1970s like the lights of Sarfraz Nawaz and Jalaluddin (who scored the world's first Hat-trick in Hyderabad Sindh) were reaped by Imran Khan followed by Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed which is further taught to Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Zahid, Azhar Mahmood and one of my personal favourite all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, just because they could make the ball to ask question(s) to the batsmen because of which the

balance which was disturbed and favoured the batters mostly, became balanced and hence it was initially termed as cheating which was dramatically changed to art when England in 2005 in their own backyard won the Ashes series against their rivals Australia on the basis of their bowling performances and England got their TODAY's share of greatest fast bowling performances from their bowlers like Fred Flintoff, G Jones, and James Anderson to be named some, who emerged as same cricketing figures for England cricket like Shahid Afridi, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Moin Khan, and Rashid Latif etc. for Pakistan and Pakistan cricket.

From cheating to art

This was the time period where England cricket started to emerge as a complete team and furthermore during Pakistan's tour to England in 1992 time period, the 2005 edition of "art" was deemed as cheating at that time, and hence it was like prosecution of Pakistan's pace battery namely the Great 2 W's.

Returning back from history to post pandemic situation

Using Wax instead of Saliva

What is ball-tampering? When you scratch the ball on one side with your nail, bottle cap, with your spikes or any other means. But that does not make the ball reverse. You have to use saliva, sweat, murray mints etc. to not just shine the ball, but also make the other side heavy. That is how you traditionally get reverse swing.

All time greats of modern bowling are suggesting post
pandemic bowling conditions might take away the
balance between bat and the ball.

The other significant thing to keep in mind is fast bowlers need to practise using the artificial substances that will be permitted during a match under the umpire's supervision. You can't just expect fast bowlers to arrive at a Test match and suddenly start swinging the ball even conventionally.
Bowlers need to have the experience of using these artificial substances, like wax or shoe polish, you are talking about to shine ball and understand its behaviour. Also different balls - Kookaburra, SG Test, Dukes - will behave differently on different surfaces. So there are plenty of unknowns as far as I am concerned.
How many times am I allowed to approach the umpire to use the artificial substance to shine the ball? When we put saliva, at times I would rub that after every second or third delivery. There are different ways to shine the ball. Sometimes you don't shine the other side completely, especially if your ball has landed on the seam. Sometimes the ball goes to boundary or into the stands and comes back damaged, then you shine the ball in a different way.
You shine a Kookaburra in a different way, a Dukes in a different way and you shine SG Test in a different way. You shine a new ball differently. When the ball is old and it is reversing. sometimes you put more sweat. When the ball is not reversing you are only using spit. When there is a new ball you only put very, very little spit wherever there is a scratch. What I'm trying to say is there are several different ways of shining the ball.

By permitting artificial substances to aid swing, the ICC is going back on its own rules. But as far as I am concerned allowing wax, vaseline etc on the ball is not exactly equivalent to ball-tampering. If it actually says go ahead and rough the ball from the other side, then probably the bowlers will welcome the move. Because with a bit of practice, the bowlers will dominate the batsmen, who are bound to say it is unfair. But if you are saying the artificial substance is allowed to be used only on the shiny side and the other side cannot be touched, then you might see more instances of teams piling huge totals. 

Personally I feel not allowing the use of sweat or saliva is once again murdering the bowlers.

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IPL News | Tymal Mills | From PSL to IPL

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IPL News | Paddy Upton on resumption of competitive cricket

I personally agree with the comment of Paddy Upton who was the former coach of IPL's Rajasthan Royals franchise coach that resuming a game like cricket ain't suitable as the mental situation of majority of players' won't be up to the mark and instead it'd at least take 2 to 3 weeks before they'd be able to compete with a competitive brand of cricket like IPL which is a T20 franchised based league associated with India. Furthermore, He was ended up quoting;

Do you see the IPL happening this year?

It's really unknown whether IPL will happen, as much of the future remains rather uncertain. Some are prophesying months of lockdown and slow down, and others suggest that this is not too far off the regular annual influenza. Time and research will tell when sporting action will resume.

But the main thing which I also agree with is human-psychology aspect when we incur a self-quarantine where we get self aware of their personal-hygiene more than ever, personally when it comes to my personal experience, the time when I enter home from my office, my wife usually orders me to take a shower on immediate, the purpose of telling this is that this disease has literally affected the psychology of every single individual human being, which we used to take for-granted, we personally have to give them their importance;

What would be your remedy to keep depression away?

Being proactive in each of the areas I mentioned, ensuring that we are productively building each facet of our life, moving towards solutions, rather than sitting and doing nothing and over-worrying about current or future problems.

Last but not the least, like he also ended up saying the same thing, that we are not ready for this mental re-modification, therefore whenever such situation occurs; we should now be ready to face such catastrophe and keep out mind calm at critical situation, which we learnt the hard way;

In your interaction with players, did you ever ask them to be prepared to handle a situation like this?

I didn't specifically prepare a player for things like this, but certainly have had a number of conversations about how they are using their downtime. For international cricketers, much of this downtime is spent in their hotel rooms, and I have always encouraged them to be productive about this time, broadening their horizons and furthering their lives, rather than simply whittling this time away by spending the majority of it watching TV series, playing TV games or being on social media.

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Series affected by Novel CoronaVirus

World Test Championship (WTC)

Dates: Started in July 2019, currently held up

Teams participating: 9

The WTC got off the blocks immediately after the 2019 men's 50-over World Cup. A tournament to be contested between the top nine Test-playing countries, the WTC was devised by the ICC as a marquee event culminating in a final between the top two teams on the table in June 2021 at Lord's. A maximum of 120 points per series is at stake with each team playing six series - three at home and three away - in the period. However, while some teams have played a fair share of their six series, some teams are yet to get started in earnest, and many series were scheduled for the rest of this year.

The following test series' are likely to be affected in case no cricket is played in 2020

March: Sri Lanka v England - two Tests

June: England v West Indies - three Tests

July-August: England v Pakistan - three Tests

July: West Indies v South Africa - two Tests

July: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka - three Tests

August: Bangladesh v New Zealand - two Tests

November-December: New Zealand v West Indies - three Tests

December-January (2021): Australia v India - four Tests

December-January (2021): New Zealand v Pakistan - two Tests

ODI League

Dates: Scheduled to start on May 1

Teams participating: 13

Alongside the WTC, the ICC had also approved the ODI League, to be played between May 1 this year and March 31, 2022, which would serve as a qualification pathway for the 2023 men's World Cup, to be played in India. There would be 13 teams, including the 12 Test-playing countries along with the Netherlands, that play eight series over a two-year cycle on a home-and-away basis against mutually agreed opponents.

The ICC is yet to finalise the playing conditions for the league, which it is scheduled to do during the upcoming ICC Board meetings, scheduled over teleconference later this month.

India (as hosts) plus the seven next-highest-ranked sides in the league as on March 31, 2022 will qualify directly for the 2023 World Cup, while the bottom five will get a second chance to make the grade through a qualifier.

The Asia Cup

Dates: Scheduled for September

Teams participating: 6

This six-team event, contested by Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, is scheduled for September. It will be played in the T20 format with the PCB playing host. Later this month, the Asian Cricket Council is likely to finalise the venue for the Asia Cup.

Men's T20 World Cup

Dates: October 18 to November 15

World Test Championship (WTC)

Dates: Started in July 2019, currently held up

Teams participating: 9

The WTC got off the blocks immediately after the 2019 men's 50-over World Cup. A tournament to be contested between the top nine Test-playing countries, the WTC was devised by the ICC as a marquee event culminating in a final between the top two teams on the table in June 2021 at Lord's. A maximum of 120 points per series is at stake with each team playing six series - three at home and three away - in the period. However, while some teams have played a fair share of their six series, some teams are yet to get started in earnest, and many series were scheduled for the rest of this year.

The following test series' are likely to be affected in case no cricket is played in 2020

March: Sri Lanka v England - two Tests

June: England v West Indies - three Tests

July-August: England v Pakistan - three Tests

July: West Indies v South Africa - two Tests

July: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka - three Tests

August: Bangladesh v New Zealand - two Tests

November-December: New Zealand v West Indies - three Tests

December-January (2021): Australia v India - four Tests

December-January (2021): New Zealand v Pakistan - two Tests

ODI League

Dates: Scheduled to start on May 1

Teams participating: 13

Alongside the WTC, the ICC had also approved the ODI League, to be played between May 1 this year and March 31, 2022, which would serve as a qualification pathway for the 2023 men's World Cup, to be played in India. There would be 13 teams, including the 12 Test-playing countries along with the Netherlands, that play eight series over a two-year cycle on a home-and-away basis against mutually agreed opponents.

The ICC is yet to finalise the playing conditions for the league, which it is scheduled to do during the upcoming ICC Board meetings, scheduled over teleconference later this month.

India (as hosts) plus the seven next-highest-ranked sides in the league as on March 31, 2022 will qualify directly for the 2023 World Cup, while the bottom five will get a second chance to make the grade through a qualifier.

The Asia Cup

Dates: Scheduled for September

Teams participating: 6

This six-team event, contested by Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, is scheduled for September. It will be played in the T20 format with the PCB playing host. Later this month, the Asian Cricket Council is likely to finalise the venue for the Asia Cup.

Men's T20 World Cup

Dates: October 18 to November 15

Teams participating: 16

After the successful organisation of the women's event, Australia is set to play hosts to the men's T20 World Cup later this year too. Last November, six teams - Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Ireland, Namibia, Scotland and Oman - made the cut for the tournament after finishing in the top six of the qualifiers. Those six, along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, will contest in the qualifying stage of the T20 World Cup. The top four from that will progress to join the top-eight teams to contest in the Super12s stage, where the teams have been split into two groups.

 

Kiwis tour of West Indies in Jeopardy

New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has cast doubts over the tour of West Indies in July in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Additionally, New Zealand's spate of limited-overs fixtures in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands in the summer are likely to be postponed.

New Zealand's two-Test assignment against Bangladesh in August-September this year could be subjected to a delay as well.

"Clearly, this situation is extremely disappointing for everyone involved in sport but, given the bigger picture, and the terrible toll COVID-19 is taking worldwide, we need to look after not only our own people but the greater community good," White said.

Meanwhile, NZC confirmed the women's tour of Sri Lanka had been cancelled.

The potential postponement of New Zealand's series in the Caribbean could create serious financial ramifications for the host board.

The rising number of COVID-19 cases in New Zealand has compelled the government to impose a nationwide lockdown with White reiterating the fact that the priority lay in ensuring the domestic season would go ahead as planned.

"Our current focus is very much on ensuring the future sustainability of cricket in New Zealand," White claimed.

End of PSL Career for few

PSL 5 is still in continuum but in my own person opinion, below are few of the International Players who might have played their penultimate PSL game.

Shane Watson

Shane Watson, the quintessential T20 batsman, became an instant success since the advent of PSL. He has shredded many bowling attacks insolently and used all his experience to great effect and without a doubt, Watson has remained indispensable to Quetta's phenomenal success over the years. 

Last season, he amassed 438 runs and scored these colossal number of runs at an average of 43 however in HBL PSL V, he couldn't really find his groove and there was a noticeable dip in form as he accumulated 247 runs in nine games and the average plummeted to 27. 

He scored a blistering 80-run knock albeit for a losing cause against Multan Sultans in match 12 of PSL V which emphatically shows he still got enough in his tank to deliver the goods and one mediocre season in no way effects his desirability in T20 leagues around the globe. That said, the major point is that he has already announced his retirement from professional cricket in Australia and made it clear that his season for his side Sydney Thunders in 2019 was his last.

He made his international debut for Australia way back in 2002 and retired after an illustrious international career in 2016. He has always been a most sought out player in Pakistan's premier T20 tournament and he was the first foreign player to be picked in the draft in the inaugural edition. 

Watson was appointed Australian Cricketers' Association president in November 2019 and with the focus shifting on the administrative side and dwindling fitness, it will be a challenge for him to stay on the field and turn up next season.

Watson has enjoyed his company with Quetta Gladiators family and on numerous occasion, he has expressed how he holds Nadeem Omer in high esteem and so it's safe to say that the cordial relations with the owner played a big role in Watson pursuing with PSL this year and so it remains to be seen if he would come again to join his favoured team in PSL VI.

Luke Ronchi

Born in New Zealand but raised mostly in Australia, Luke Ronchi became a cricketing rarity by representing both countries. His first international incarnation came for Australia in the West Indies in 2008 when he stood in for the injured Brad Haddin in four ODIs and a Twenty20 and he showed he was not out of his depth: his glovework was brilliant and at the tiny Warner Park in St Kitts he clubbed a 22-ball half-century, then the equal third-quickest ODI fifty scored by an Australia player. But his form fell away during the following domestic summer and he added only one more T20 international to his tally for Australia. By the end of 2008-09 his runs had dried up so severely that he had even been dropped by Western Australia and his future appeared bleak.

Over the next few seasons, Ronchi was there and thereabouts in state cricket but he was overtaken by Graham Manou, Tim Paine and Matthew Wade in the queue behind Haddin. At the end of 2011-12, he decided to try his luck in his country of birth and secured a contract with Wellington. His performances were strong enough to earn him a call-up to the New Zealand ODI side once he had qualified in 2013 and against England in May he debuted, becoming the first man since Kepler Wessels nearly 20 years earlier to represent two full ICC member nations.

As New Zealand rode an ODI wave that eventually culminated with defeat at the final of the 2015 World Cup, Ronchi made a decent case for himself as a lower-order batsman. He smashed 170 off 99 balls against Sri Lanka in Dunedin in 2014, then the highest score ever by a No. 7 batsman and, in May 2015, seven years after making his international debut, Ronchi earned his maiden Test cap. A half-century in the first innings at Headingley helped his side level a two-match series against England 1-1. Ronchi played three more Tests, two World T20s and two Champions Trophies before calling time on his international career in June 2017.

He had moved with his family to Perth at the age of seven and debuted for Western Australia in 2001-02. He established himself as a solid gloveman and clean striker of the ball and in 2006-07 he made his mark with the then fastest century in Australian domestic one-day history. His 56-ball ton against New South Wales featured a series of powerful pulls off Stuart Clark, and it eclipsed the 62-ball record set by Ronchi's team-mate Adam Voges two seasons earlier.

Another standout moment was when he struck 89 from 49 balls against an England XI in the Lilac Hill match the same summer. Perhaps his most remarkable display was in a 2007-08 Pura Cup match against Queensland when he scored a 51-ball century, with the second fifty coming in a scarcely believable 11 deliveries. At that stage Australia were keen to call Ronchi their own, but several years later New Zealand were equally pleased to claim his services.

Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn, who can rip through the stumps like he was born to do this, was inarguably the top-billing signing in the HBL PSL V and right through the players draft, he hogged the limelight and rightly so especially because Pakistanis adore fast bowlers a lot and the country has been a breeding ground for producing outstanding fast bowlers. 

It was a delight to watch Steyn return to the shores after more than a decade and inspire the next generation of fast bowlers. He got the ball to talk in four games in this unfinished PSL season while representing Islamabad United and he has surely got the firepower to continue haunting batsmen but it's a widely known fact that tearaway quicks often fell prey to lingering injuries especially in the late 30s and so how he feels about his body and fitness levels cannot be determined at the moment.

Steyn hasn't been included in the contracted players' list for 2020-2021 season which hints that the 36-year-old is not part of board's plans and this might as well kill the purpose for Dale to toil in competitive cricket. 

He had a good reason to partake in PSL V as it would have helped him prepare for T20 World Cup in Australia later this year but keeping himself fit and going through the drills and routine for T20 leagues around the world might not be his priority.

Possible ways of completing last three games of PSL V

We hope PCB can start discussing resumption scenarios soon and expect that COVID-19 cases will begin to plummet as it happened in China. 

The much-awaited Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 season came to an abrupt halt after the global health crisis shook the world and culminated in the postponement of all major sporting events.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) tried to wrap up the season as quickly as possible by replacing playoffs with semifinals but even that move didn't help as the outbreak got severe with each passing day.

Before the England tour

Pakistan is set to tour Netherlands for three ODIs, Ireland for two T20Is and then tour England for the Test series. These aforementioned series will run from July till the end of August later this year. 

There will be a window if the Indian Premier League (IPL) goes as planned on April 15 - which seems unlikely - but even a delayed start could leave some time for the PCB to complete the unfinished business. 

After the T20 World Cup in Australia

The marquee event is six months away and there could be some time to complete the remaining season after the completion of the mega tournament.

However, the PSL would become a distant memory and might just lose its relevance since PSL 2021 would be around the corner and the players draft is usually held in November.

That said, taking the current season towards a logical conclusion is imperative which leaves PCB in a real quandary.

The owner of Karachi Kings, Salman Iqbal, reckons it might be feasible to get the league up and running again after the World T20 event. His side was set to lock horns with Lahore Qalandars in the second semifinal but that match never transpired.

“We are planning to do a seven-day event for the semi-finals and the final. We think there is a window of seven to eight days after the World Cup in Australia that might be possible," Salman was quoted as saying by the National

Ahead of PSL 2021

One can't say for sure the duration and far-reaching impacts of this horrific outbreak. The Olympics have been postponed for a year and so the post-pandemic era remains un-chartered territory. 

The pending bilateral tours and the plethora of T20 leagues might just not allow PCB to squeeze in the last few knockout games this year and perhaps a few weeks before the HBL PSL VI could be the only available window to host the remaining knockout fixtures. 

Pakistan cricket amid Covid-19 and Ramadan round the corner

The Pakistan Cricket Board amid pandemic situation prevail globally, has now decided not to give No-Objection-Certificate (NOC) for players to participate in foreign leagues on the eve of Holy Month of Ramadan., because of the contamination prevail on the global scale.

What I think about this decision?

I feel this is the need of the time as playing and earning is not important than looking into personal-hygienic issues because currently we human beings are like a mobile-time-bombs where any single individual could be contaminated with the said virus, therefore it is a wise decision of not giving NOC's for participation as I personally feel this pandemic is surely going to take mark in some later time.

Ambiguity in ICC tournaments prevails

With the COVID-19 pandemic blocking the world, the ICC, like all global sports organizations, has been busy working on contingency plans for its events this year: the Men's T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia later this year. year. , the World Test Championships (WTC) and the new ODI League, the path for teams to qualify for the men's ODI 2023 World Cup, which was scheduled to start in May.

This is to further understand that the ICC has already started to write down the first support plans, but they are not yet concrete, since the pandemic remains a fluid situation. But below are some of the options under consideration.

Fate of ICC world T20 event 2021?

Another option the ICC might think of exploring is utilising the gap year that is 2022 which currently does not have an ICC global event. But for that alternative, the ICC along with Cricket Australia and BCCI, the hosting boards for the next two T20 World Cups, would need to sit down and carve out an alternate window which then would need to be synced with the larger Future Tours Programme (FTP).

What happens to the WTC?

India occupy the top slot on the WTC points table, but a 2-0 defeat in New Zealand recently has thrown the race wide open. But now, many series that form part of the WTC will need to be adjusted and deferred. Bear in mind the first cycle is due to end next March, with the final scheduled at Lord's in June. What happens if there is not enough time to accommodate all the series each of the nine teams are supposed to play (six each)?

Will the top two teams, in terms of WTC points table currently, play the final when cricket resumes? Or should the WTC model be reworked to restore parity? It will not be easy given several teams have barely played one series so far under the WTC. Should the WTC final then be deferred to allow all teams play equal number of series to stand an equal chance to make the summit? That would have implications for the second edition of the WTC which was meant to be played from 2021-23. More likely, the current FTP, which runs until 2023, will need to be re-looked at in its entirety.

What about the Cricket World Cup Super League?

The ODI Super League is scheduled to be played between May 1 this year and March 31, 2022, serving as the qualification pathway for the 2023 World Cup. There are 13 teams, including the 12 Test-playing countries along with Netherlands, who will play eight series over a two-year cycle on a home-and-away basis against mutually-agreed opponents. The Super League was put in place to add context to ODI cricket. The administrators will need to decide if it should be postponed altogether, or reduce the number of series when cricket resumes.

The most drastic step, which cannot be ruled out, is doing away with the Super League. In such a scenario the qualification process for the 2023 World Cup would need to be reworked.

When will the ICC decide on these matters?

There is no cut-off date yet chalked out by the ICC. The issue is listed on the agenda for the ICC quarterly meetings scheduled for May 8 to 10, potentially in Dubai based on government regulations, when the chief executives committee and the ICC board are scheduled to meet in person.

Entitlement of PSL 5 champions

PSL 2020 champions if tilted in a pendulum, should go with the league games topper

The PSL missed the trick by not going for the same-day-winner approach instead of waiting for resumption cum redemption of physical cricket being played on Pakistan soil on a later time period, which is something astonished me as well because the fact is none would remember the scenario at that time, furthermore, whoever wins PSL at that time would only be champions for mere some months and after that 2021 edition of PSL would be on cards because of which it is unprecedented aspect of replaying the 3 games on installment basis, which is definitely going to incur more loses for the franchisee than any thing else.

Asia Cup 2020 update

Expected venue of Asia Cup 2020 - T20 event

It is expected that Bangladesh is the supposed venue despite of the UAE because of the financial and crowd outcome, especially when the region is highly effected with the ongoing pandemic, so Bangladesh is best option.

What is my opinion on relocation of Asia Cup 2020?

I say instead of the UAE, Bangladesh is going to be better selection of Venue, because T20 tournament is all known for its venues and crowd, where we can't continuously assure continuous crowd involvement in UAE, therefore a good choice for staging Asia Cup in Bangladesh, but personally if it had happened in Pakistan, it could had done much good for the game and could have had improved the perspective of Pakistan cricket globally.

Listening to other YouTube Vloggers' opinions on the teams

I disagree with their speculated teams because they have been straight forward and shortsighted in their speculated teams, because all their teams are having the cream of PSL 2020 but they were not emphasizing on bench-strength, otherwise when I took note of the other cricket boards' team squads, they usually start with a blue-print plan that this is how we're going to plan this particular series where they take note of the country their teams' are currently touring, if their team is winning the series, this is going to be the squad which is generally a variable i.e. not fixed. Otherwise here in Pakistan, our teams' are being decided on the basis of fans' opinion which is another new in the world, instead of strategically decide and divide players' resource with respect difference aspects like position the team is playing etc. which is not taken into consideration, because of which most of the time the find we discover from PSL or from an international venture, but after sometimes let's say 6 months at least, that player is banished and therefore 3 4 times a year we're in continuous choreographed loop of searching for the replacement, instead of planning that not to overuse a particular player or reuse the used ammu like Kamran Akmal who's in his late 30s to advocate for the re-return.

Our so called Vloggers have short sight and therefore no broader perspective

Vloggers' should use their laptops to compile accumulated data and some human intelligence instead of getting emotional, think that winning is second thing, sustaining the momentum is and should be the main aspect, when players are going to re-change every now and than is going to sport no good for the country which generated players like Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Inzamam ul Haq, Ijaz Ahmed, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq and the two W's, because they were continued in the longer run, but here our Vlogger's and YouTube video channel content creators decide the fate of Pakistan national cricket team, or is it our selection committee taking tips from them? I don't know nor I want to know because I do not count myself with them, this is my own platform where all what I write is my on point of view and is nowhere to be deemed as undue pressurizing.

Think about the country first

Thinking about the country means sustaining the momentum instead of changing players and watching bang bang bash players who're not able to SUSTAIN their performance in longer run unlike Aaron Finch of Australia who have been performing since 2018, can we assure, KAMRAN AKMAL could sustain that standard of performance? I still remember 2010 Sydney Test between Australia and Pakistan.

CoronaVirus, Pakistan and the Cricket

Pakistan, along with the global pandemic these days, have been infected these days with the COVID-19 a.k.a. the CoronaVirus, therefore we bankers especially in Karachi city, have been masked and furthermore we are not shaking hands with our fellows, colleagues, clients and acquaintances, but the fact it, this pandemic has let us being clean and sanitized all the time. This is a cricket blog otherwise I can write for hours and dozen of pages with no ending but I'd try my level best to categorize the catastrophe impacted by this virus.

Cricket in Pakistan

Cricket had initiated in Pakistan after proper 11 years, and just after its initiation, starting from Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan in December 2019 the world is facing this global dilemma and because of which I fear cricket won't be returning to Pakistan at least for a year, or if possible after Asia Cup 2020 and World T20, if it returns quickly.

Cricket in Pakistan and Alex Hales

I fear (and I pray it not) if Alex Hales found positively
infected with COVID-19, will haunt Pakistan Cricket for long!

Currently there have been speculations, that Alex Hales who was part of Karachi Kings in current season of the HBL PSL, supposed to be infected with CoronaVirus, and God Forbid, if found positive, will definitely haunt Pakistan Cricket for ages, if not ages it would at least haunt for years to come, because no international cricketer till date when I am writing this post i.e. March 19th, 2020, has been infected, but if a cricketer gets infected after visiting Pakistan will definitely sport no goods for Pakistan Cricket for years' to come.

As expected, Bangladesh second leg of tour to Pakistan postponed

Pakistan v Bangladesh series postponed

Bangladesh's second leg of their tour to Pakistan is postponed, which I personally feel is a sensible decision because now Coronavirus is a pendamic disease therefore The PCB did the right thing because it was a potential risk for both environment at Karachi for both Karachiites and boys from Bangladesh. The board has also indefinitely postponed the Pakistan Cup. The domestic one-day competition was initially scheduled to start on March 25. The virus, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, has resulted in the suspension of major sporting events across the world. International cricket has already seen England's tour of Sri Lanka, South Africa's tour of India, New Zealand's tour of Australia get affected as a result.

What about the PSL?

The Pakistan Cricket Board aka The PCB missed the trick by rushing to complete the HBL PSL.

Crowd was the main aspect

It was the crowd in Pakistan, which actually made the PSL as a gigantic brand which the PSL and PCB failed to capitalize, because many international leagues and series' have been postponed because their mentality is their crowd and therefore they give preference to the human aspect and when there is no crowd which makes their leagues' as leagues which the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan Super League missed the opportunity, which will definitely result in degrading the level of the league.

Last game for National Stadium Karachi at the HBL PSL V

Today is going to be one of those days when National Stadium of Karachi is going to host one last time for this season of the #HBLPSL 5. I personally didn't want it that way but being an optimistic person, there's PSL 6 when we can finally host more games at National Stadium Karachi.

Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings at Karachi

Definitely now under the current revised itinerary after rejig, the last game of PSL this season for National Stadium Karachi. Karachi Kings on one hand would want to start the semifinal on high and therefore would require a win. Quetta Gladiators on the other hand would like to be the dark horse and spoil the statistics game for Karachi Kings and definitely would want to score (if they bat first) and beating Karachi by margin of 100+ score (which is definitely a difficult task) only when there are slight chance Quetta could qualify by swapping places with Pdshawar but that is too difficult because under that scenario, game would be on NRR and situation is not good for Quetta because of two obstacles, one is obviously the NRR and second is number 7, under the scenario, Quetta and Peshawar are supposedly on 9 points each, so first Gladiators would have to first win and after that winning comprehensively with overs (not over) to spare or otherwise reducing Karachi under 100 runs mark. This is the only possible scenario where Quetta could swap places with Peshawar in the fifth season of the HBL PSL. 

Corona virus and the remainder of Bangladesh tour of Karachi? Is it on the cards?

We remember how much we pampered the Bangladeshis to visit Pakistan and now on the wake of recent outbreak of Corona Virus, would they be visiting Pakistan?

I don't think so... 

As they reluctantly agreed to visit Pakistan and hence now they have a genuine reason of not visiting as they have an argument that it is a risk of getting infected with the said virus. 

Which is ridiculous! 

As compared to other countries of the region, Pakistan still counts less than neighboring countries who're infected with this virus outbreak. Furthermore several South African Australian New Zealand and the West Indians are in Pakistan completing their remainder of the PSL. And the remainder players are no small names, Colin Ingram, Cameron Delport, Shane Watson, Phil Salt, etc are to name some, therefore it is ridiculous that they (the Bangladeshis) are producing such ridiculous excuses of not touring Pakistan. I am not going to go into history how Pakistan helped Bangladesh into cricket and supported them at every level and stage but regional countries are supposed to be helping each other instead of acting alienated