I just want to continue with this series in providing news from around the cricketing world 2. I want to concentrate on the important news and pass a little bit of judgement. England players are close to agreeing to tour Australia for the Ashes. However, travel within Australia is confusing. Dhoni may finally retire from all forms of cricket. BCCI is targeting more tournaments. Michael Holding is really furious with the ICC. These are the topics that I am going to write about this week.
England players may travel to Australia
After weeks of uncertainty, the English players, the top ones have perhaps agreed to travel to Australia for the Ashes. Ashes being pre-eminent series between any 2 teams cannot afford a second-string England team. CA seems to have agreed not to enforce the players and their families into hard quarantine who were not involved in the T20 World Cup. It does not really make much sense because most of Ashes first choice players will be part of the England T20 squad. Good thing is that there are certain Test specialists like Anderson, Broad and Root who will not be required to be under hard quarantine.
The only players who are part of the T20 WC squad who will have problem will be Wood and Bairstow because the rest of the squad members are limited overs specialists and as such will not be required to travel. Hopefully, things will be clear by the middle of this month.
In the meanwhile, things aren’t that rosy in Australia. There are lot of restrictions even for the common folk in Australia to travel between states. This has had a serious impact on the Sheffield Shield games with Lyon, Pucovski and few other test cricketers unable to play a game. They may probably play in the Ashes without much match practice. Travel restrictions is not expected to improve atleast until the end of November.
Dhoni may finally retire
It has been a long road for MS Dhoni. He retired from international cricket more than 4 years ago but continued to be part of the CSK franchise. He has played for CSK for 12 years and have captained that team for all those years. At the turn of next year, Dhoni will be 41 and not much left in the tank. Frankly, his batting has become the subject of ridicule. Neither is he able to rotate the strike nor is he able to hit. As soon as Dhoni walks in, every captain brings on a spinner and Dhoni as expected struggles. We have seen his batting digress even before he retired. He has carried on for too long.
“When it comes to farewell, you can still come and see me play for CSK and that can be my farewell game. So, you will still get that opportunity to bid me farewell. Hopefully, you will come to see me in Chennai when I play my last game over there and I can meet the fans there.”
It means that he will retire in 2022 at Chennai expecting the IPL 2022 to be played in India. Let us wait and watch.
BCCI wants to host more tournaments
The Indian board wants to host more tournaments after the World Cup 2023. It makes sense. It is the Indian crowd that pumps in money into the game. If not for India, the game will be struggling. It is not wrong for the BCCI to host more tournaments so that they earn out of it.
Michael Holding is angry with ICC
The ICC, which is the custodian of the game at the international level is nothing more than an event management company. These are the words of Michael Holding. The great bowler of the West Indian era and a respected commentator.
“The ICC right now are a production company. They manage their events, make a lot of money from their events, but they do not manage the game. What they are trying to do is manage the money that the game can bring in, not the game – and that is very disappointing.”
I have to agree with Holding because ICC as an international body have never stood up for anything. Whatever the individual boards decide, ICC will not even question them. There are so many instances. In all the cases, ICC have stood as a mute spectator. If the board is powerful like India or England and Australia, ICC becomes a toothless tiger. Take the case of DRS. India delayed its implementation for games involving India for so long that the ICC weren’t able to do anything. When the big 3 formed their own grouping, the ICC stoodby and watched.
I will try to write a separate blog about the ineffectiveness of ICC.
These are the important topics from around the world over this week.