Emirates Old Trafford preparing for green light to host behind-closed-doors England matches

Matt Roller19-May-2020Lancashire have expressed hopes that some fans will be able to attend matches this summer as they prepare for the “green light” to stage England fixtures behind closed doors at Emirates Old Trafford.Extensive plans have been drawn up to play international cricket in ‘bio-secure’ conditions in recent months, with the ECB accepting that the game’s reliance on broadcast revenues means there is a financial imperative to stage as much of the summer schedule as possible, even if fixtures have to be played without crowds.But Les Platts, Lancashire’s acting chairman, said the club remains optimistic of allowing some spectators into grounds later in the summer, potentially with some degree of social distancing still in place.ALSO READ: Holder voices financial concerns as Windies contemplate England tourThere is less of a financial incentive to play the T20 Blast behind closed doors compared to international cricket, as the counties make most of their money from it through gate receipts rather than broadcast revenue. And despite government advice published last week suggesting there is little prospect of large crowds being admitted to games this season, Platts said he was hopeful that that fans could yet be allowed access.”You never know, later in the season we might be having some spectators back in again,” Platts said. “It must be possible for us to devise a scheme when we’ve got a capacity of 23,000 to have some spectators in with appropriate protocols. I’m not guaranteeing it by any means, but we’re hoping and planning that we might be able to get some of that in September.”As things stand, all professional cricket in England and Wales has been suspended until at least July 1, and all counties have made contingency plans for an entire season without cricket.Lancashire are also in dialogue with the ECB about hosting behind-closed-doors games this summer, and have been making plans on the basis that fixtures will take place as soon as July 8. Emirates Old Trafford had been scheduled for an Australia T20I in July and the second Pakistan Test in August, but could be in line for several more games.As one of two Test grounds with an on-site hotel with sufficient capacity to house enlarged squads and support staff – Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl is the other – Old Trafford is well-placed to create a secure bubble, and the club hopes to receive confirmation next week.The exact details of staging games behind closed doors are still to be negotiated, but Platts confirmed that Lancashire expect to receive compensation for staging costs and for hosting fixtures to aid the club’s financial recovery from the crisis.”I don’t think the club and the game would expect us to be profiteering at these difficult times, but there will have to be compensation that’s fair for the club,” Platts said. “There will have to be cost recovery. If the hotel is being used, there would be a rate… for those using it. There will be income coming into the club that will help the club.”One of the most important bits about that is that if we get that hotel working for behind-closed-doors cricket, it proves a model for a hotel working in a bio-secure environment that will enable the hotel to start trading in a normal commercial sense thereafter – maybe quicker than hotels elsewhere, because we’ve proven the model… and therefore people will have more confidence, perhaps, in booking.”Lancashire are one of two counties along with Surrey who have not furloughed any of their players, with the rationale that the club felt “uneasy about using a job retention scheme for elite sportsmen”. That said, Platts admitted the government’s scheme could be used if it becomes clear that it will not be possible to play any county cricket this summer, and that the decision is being reviewed on a month-by-month basis.If Lancashire’s players are able to return to training, they may have to do so away from Emirates Old Trafford due to clashes with England’s use of the ground, and provisions are being put in place to use outgrounds instead.David Hodgkiss, Lancashire chairman, at the unveiling of the James Anderson End at Old Trafford in August 2017•Getty Images

Lancashire reported record financial returns for a first-class county this week on the back of a 2019 season that included an Ashes Test and an India-Pakistan fixture at the World Cup, and are in a stronger position to recover than most from the impact of the pandemic despite revenue from the hotel and their conference and events business dropping off a cliff in recent months.”It has provided the platform to help us survive 2020, when otherwise we might have struggled a lot more,” said Platts, who has served as the club’s treasurer since 2014 and was appointed acting chairman after the passing of David Hodgkiss in March.”It has put us in a position where we are absorbing the stresses and costs at the moment way better than we would have been able to, but the way that it’s going, we still need income to start again. If we don’t get cricket and the hotel and The Point going again, we’re going to have to take more severe measures. The club will survive one way or another, but if things don’t get going again it will be tougher.”It’s a year to take great pride in its results. It’s a year that David Hodgkiss himself would be very proud of with those results. He would be very proud sitting here today. It’s very sad that he can’t be presenting those results to you.”

Fast bowler rues English misfortune with the ball as Pakistan take advantage in first Test

Andrew Miller06-Aug-2020Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah might beg to differ after their thrilling displays of unfettered fast bowling, but Jofra Archer believes that this Emirates Old Trafford is “not one to bend your back on” as Pakistan claimed the ascendancy in the opening exchanges of the first Test.Speaking to the media at the close of the second day’s play, Archer insisted that England’s own bowlers had been unlucky rather than outplayed, after a brilliant Shan Masood century had underpinned Pakistan’s first-innings 326, and added that on another day they might have been “eight or nine [wickets] down in two or three sessions”.”I don’t think that it particularly went our way,” Archer told Sky Sports. “A lot of balls today probably beat the bat or got the edge, we had two lbws turned around, one with a feather. I think we bowled well as a unit, but we didn’t have a lot of luck. Most of their singles were a bit suicidal and it only takes one direct hit and then who knows. They were very lucky with the running as well.”Archer himself finished with the creditable figures of 3 for 59 in 22 overs, including two in two balls as he got stuck into the tail late in Pakistan’s innings.However, his performance was arguably more notable for the moments that he wasn’t involved – particularly in the lead-up to the second new ball, when Joe Root opted instead to use his own offspin in tandem with Dom Bess, and again thereafter, when Chris Woakes partnered Bess to bowl a spell of short-pitched deliveries at Shadab Khan – a role that might have been better suited to Archer himself, especially as he hadn’t been called upon for nearly two hours.”It was approaching a new ball, and [Root] he just wanted all of the bowlers to be fresh,” Archer explained. “There was a time last night that I probably got off the hook as well, when the umpires said it was a bit too dark. I probably wanted to bowl then too, but I guess the captain knows best and, to be honest, we’ve got more than enough bowlers here to do a job. I wouldn’t be upset at all if it didn’t start.”Jofra Archer celebrates with Joe Root•Getty Images

The haphazard deployment of Archer is becoming a running theme of his Test career, with Root attracting huge criticism for over-using him in his early Tests – not least on debut at Lord’s last summer where he bowled 44 overs in the match and was touching 96mph in the spell in which he felled Steve Smith with a devastating bouncer.Archer never came close to such speeds today, clocking in the high-80s for the most part. And while Pakistan’s attack leader, Mohammad Abbas, proved with his brilliant new-ball display that pace does not need to be everything if you have the skills to exploit a fuller length, he also said that the decision to throttle back had not necessarily been a conscious one.”It’s not deliberate,” he said. “It’s not every day you’re going to come in and 90mph. I’ve seen Shah started bowling 90 so we’ll see how he goes on later on tomorrow morning or afternoon. No one’s robots so I’ll be very, very interested to see what he can produce a bit later.ALSO READ: Jos Buttler needs to convert after letting Pakistan off the hook“This wicket is not a wicket you’re really going to try to bend your back on. We bowled first and there was a little bit there in the morning but eventually as the game’s gone on…actually it’s spinning on day two so that says a lot about the wicket right now.”Archer did, however, concede that the elbow fracture that he sustained in South Africa might have been at the back of his mind as he settled for rhythm over shock.”I had one injury in pretty much a year of cricket, and it was my first since being in the England team, so I’m very happy to be back, touch wood,” he said. “It’s taken a little bit to trust it. Sometimes you get an ache and think ‘oh no, it’s gone again’, but I’ve got reassurance from the medical staff that it’s not the case.”It’s about putting mind over matter, but everything else is pretty okay. I’ve landed the ball where I wanted to. Everyone’s going to bowl a boundary ball at some point of their spell, but I was more happy with where the majority of the balls have gone.”Archer was speaking for the first time since his breach of England’s biosecure environment during the West Indies series – a transgression that required him to be dropped for the second Test at Old Trafford.”I’m just glad to be back out playing again,” he said. “Whatever happened in the last series is gone.”

Says thoughts like forgetting how to “pick line and length” kept him awake at night at times

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2020KL Rahul had moments when he worried he would forget the basics of batting during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown. Thoughts of forgetting how to “pick the line and length of the ball” kept him awake at night at times, the India and Kings XI Punjab batsman has said, and his first batting session back was “so bad it was scary”.He found his rhythm in the next few practice sessions, though, which helped him overcome those fears. “Couple of nights, I had nightmares,” Rahul said in an interview with the . “I woke up with the feeling, ‘Oh s**t, what if I can’t pick line and length of the ball? What if I become slower? What if I don’t have the same cover drive as before?’ All these question marks were there. And the first [practice] session didn’t help: all those fears came true. I batted so badly in that session it was scary.ALSO READ: KL Rahul: ‘Aggression for us will be to adapt, not go kaboom from ball one’“Once or twice I did have sleepless nights thinking what if once I get back to playing cricket, I am not the same player. That was a bit scary but luckily, in Bengaluru, we got a few practice sessions and that made me feel good.” Before dealing with his fears in the nets, Rahul had to keep laziness at bay at home. In order to keep himself fit during the lockdown, he made a schedule but found it hard to follow initially.”I did get anxious sitting at home,” he said. “My fear was that I would get lazy, so I trained at home during the day. I made a plan for a day and tried to stick to it. But initially, I didn’t bother as I felt I deserved to be lazy and that I can wake up at whatever time I want to. Even if I didn’t train, it was acceptable for me because my body needed that break after years.”Later on, though, I told myself I needed to plan my day, be it doing household work or getting up at a particular time. Most days, I stuck to my plan. I didn’t want to waste my time watching TV. I cooked, walked my dog and designed clothes for my brand.”Rahul, who will be captaining the Kings XI in IPL 2020, last played a competitive match almost six months ago, when he appeared for Karnataka against Bengal in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Kolkata. On Thursday, along with team-mates he travelled to the UAE, where the players will be undergoing a mandatory six-day quarantine period before starting practice. The IPL starts from September 19 with the final to be played on November 10.

Seamer will miss first two games of 2021 as well after nine-match ban imposed by CDC

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2020The ECB have confirmed that Mitchell Claydon, the Sussex seamer, missed Thursday’s T20 Blast quarter-final defeat against Lancashire due to a nine-match suspension for ball-tampering after applying hand sanitiser to the ball.Claydon, the veteran Australian who joined the club from Kent last winter, admitted a charge relating to altering the condition of the ball after being pulled up in a Bob Willis Trophy match against Middlesex, in which he took three first-innings wickets.Sussex initially suspended him for six games across formats, releasing a short statement at the start of September ahead of their Bob Willis Trophy fixture against Surrey, before he returned to the side for the final two matches of the Blast group stage.He was left out of the side for the quarter-final on Thursday after initially being named in a 16-man squad – his replacement, Will Beer, batted at No. 8 and was not used with the ball – and the ECB announced after the game that he had been made unavailable for selection.A Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) panel met on Wednesday to discuss Claydon’s sanction. He was charged with a breach of two ECB directives which said that his conduct should be regarded as “unfair and improper” and “prejudicial to the interests of cricket and likely to bring the game into disrepute”.The CDC panel took into account the six-game suspension that Sussex had already imposed, and suspended him for a further three matches, including the Blast quarter-final. He will now miss the first two games of the 2021 season.Sussex will also face a CDC hearing panel after being charged in relation to the incident, which could see them docked points for the 2021 season.

If the opener plays, KL Rahul will have a tricky choice to make, possibly between Maxwell and Mujeeb

Saurabh Somani14-Oct-20207:39

Is it time for KL Rahul to bat more freely?

Big picture

It’s Chris Gayle against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.Conditions apply, of course. The condition of Gayle’s fitness – he’s “fully recovered” as of October 12, but is he back to match fitness?Conditions underfoot, too, with the venue being Sharjah. Alright, so the pitch is not the belter it was at the start of the tournament, but the boundaries are still the same size. A Gayle mis-hit could still be six at Sharjah, so if his timing is not completely there due to his own rustiness or the surface’s slowness, that might not matter.ALSO READ: Choose your captain between Kohli and Rahul after the tossMany expected Gayle to have played in IPL 2020 before this, perhaps as early as Kings XI Punjab’s second game, which was their first bout against the Royal Challengers. Two matches in for both teams, Kings XI seemed ready for a great run while the Royal Challengers had tasted a big defeat that could have made old doubts resurface given how their past two IPL seasons had gone. But the tournament has changed beyond recognition for these two teams since that game. That win remains Kings XI’s only one so far. For the Royal Challengers, the loss was just a blip.The Gayle-against-his-old-franchise trope lends a fresh tinge to a rivalry that has plenty of sub-plots already. Kings XI had been nicknamed ‘Kings XI Karnataka’ before IPL 2020 began, with coach Anil Kumble along with several prominent players hailing from the state. The Royal Challengers have only Devdutt Padikkal as a prominent “local” player. Moreover, the Kings XI have plenty of ex-Royal Challengers players in their ranks apart from Gayle, including captain KL Rahul.Rahul will have a tricky dilemma to resolve if Gayle does play. The West Indies batsman fits naturally at the top of the order, but so do Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, who have been putting together substantial partnerships in this IPL. One of them will have to drop to No.3. He will also have to decide on which overseas player to leave out for Gayle: go all in on the batting and bring Gayle in for Mujeeb Ur Rahman, or do a swap with Glenn Maxwell. Neither Maxwell nor Mujeeb have been at their best so far, and Kings XI will have to choose between going all in on batting at a venue that’s still the most batting-friendly in this IPL, or giving themselves more bowling options.The Royal Challengers look well settled, and require no changes unless there are fitness issues.

In the news

• “I know you’ve all been waiting for such a long time,” Gayle has announced. “The wait is over.” He did add this disclaimer: “unless something dramatic happens” again. But barring that, all the indications are that Gayle will play.
• Maxwell has pointed to his ‘changing roles’ within IPL franchises for the disparity between his IPL record and his performances for Australia. He said he’s still getting used to coming in late in the innings and putting the finishing touches to what the top order does.
• The Royal Challengers bowling has been on point this season, and Virat Kohli put that down to good planning, thorough preparation, and mindset. “If your bowling unit is strong, then you have a good chance of going deep in the tournament,” Kohli said.

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers join Washington Sundar in celebrating a wicket•BCCI

Previous meeting

Rahul hit the highest IPL score by an Indian batsman, helped by two dropped catches along the way, as the Kings XI romped to a 97-run win. The Royal Challengers bowling attack has been revamped since then though, with Chris Morris and Isuru Udana coming in, in place of Dale Steyn and Umesh Yadav.

Likely XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Aaron Finch, 2. Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Mohammad Siraj, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalKings XI Punjab: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 KL Rahul (capt), 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mandeep Singh, 7 Chris Jordan, 8 M Ashwin, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Arshdeep Singh

Strategy punt

• Kings XI might be best served by having Gayle open with Agarwal with Rahul dropping to No.3. While Rahul is the leading run-getter in the tournament, his slow strike rates have hurt the team more than helped. Rahul has felt the need to “bat through”, which is why he’s adopted a less risky approach. But if he comes in after a good start, it might allow him to bat with greater liberty.
• Mujeeb Ur Rahman has given up 83 runs in eight overs in the two matches he’s played so far, but if Kings XI continue to show faith in him, it will be worth having him bowl in the powerplay. Both Aaron Finch and Devdutt Padikkal, the Royal Challengers openers, have had their troubles with spin in this IPL. While Finch has a strike-rate of 146.00 against spin, he’s also been dismissed four times in 73 balls faced. Padikkal has been dismissed just once, but his runs against spin in IPL 2020 have come at a strike rate of 105.66. He hasn’t bowled to Padikkal yet, but Mujeeb has a good record against Finch overall despite not having dismissed him: Finch has faced 27 balls but scored only 24 off Mujeeb.
• Nicholas Pooran has been the Kings XI most dangerous batsman, perhaps, having got his runs more rapidly than anyone else and with the range to dominate against any type of bowling. One possible match-up against him that the Royal Challengers might want to explore is Navdeep Saini. The quick bowler has got Pooran out three times in 23 balls, while Pooran has taken only 21 runs off him. So keeping a few Saini overs in the bank might be a good ploy.

Stats that matter

• 53.50 and 152.85. Those are Gayle’s numbers against the Royal Challengers overall. Granted, overall numbers against franchises mean little in the IPL where line-ups change every season. But Gayle does seem to have a liking for whoever is donning the Royal Challengers colours.
• Washington Sundar’s economy rate in IPL 2020 is a staggering 4.9, this despite bowling half his overs in the powerplay. It’s the best economy rate in the tournament currently, given a minimum of 10 overs.
• Yuzvendra Chahal needs two wickets to get to 200 in T20s.

He had limped off the field, clutching his hip, in the middle of his last over in the previous match, against Chennai Super Kings

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2020There is concern over Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s participation in the rest of this IPL after the Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler sat out Sunday’s match against Mumbai Indians. He had limped off the field, clutching his hip, in the middle of his last over in the previous match, against the Chennai Super Kings.The Sunrisers have already lost Australian allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who was ruled out in the first week.During the match against the Super Kings on Friday, Kumar left the field at a crucial phase having delivered the first ball of his fourth over – the penultimate over of the chase. Kumar was seen holding his hip and even attempted to continue bowling, but was eventually taken out of the attack with Khaleel Ahmed completing the over.Although he had taken just three wickets in four matches, Kumar is among the most economical bowlers in the season with an economy rate of 6.98, the second-best among fast bowlers so far.In addition to being their most experienced strike bowler, Kumar is also part of the leadership group assisting captain David Warner.

Club makes further commitments to inclusion in wake of Azeem Rafiq allegations

George Dobell25-Nov-2020Yorkshire have committed to appointing a Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as part of the club’s efforts to “improve inclusion across all forms and levels of the game”.The club has recently been rocked by claims of racism from former player, Azeem Rafiq, and have launched an investigation to consider the allegations. They have also said they will “seek to implement the recommendations due to be made by the investigation panel”.Now, on the day the ECB announced a raft of new measures to tackle discrimination, the club have pledged their support and acknowledged “there is much more we can do”.”Cricket enjoys support from diverse audiences across the world, however, it is clear we must do much more to improve inclusion across all forms and levels of the game if we are to truly reflect the communities who contribute so much to the sport,” a statement from the club read.”The Yorkshire County Cricket Club wholeheartedly support the ECB’s aims to further their work on an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan for 2021-24 and want to be part of ensuring meaningful change across the game.”We recognise that County clubs are crucial to the success of the plan and will look to apply its actions, initiatives and targets across our own organisation. We already support the ECB in a number of their projects but there is much more we can and must do to properly address issues of diversity and equality in our sport. As part of our commitment to this Action Plan, our board will look to appoint a Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the New Year with responsibility for delivering meaningful, measurable initiatives across Yorkshire Cricket.”As well as the ECB actions, we will also seek to implement the recommendations due to be made by the investigation panel considering the allegations made by our former player, Azeem Rafiq. This is an important investigation and we have committed to a full and thorough process to provide an in-depth set of recommendations which we now hope to publish in early 2021.”

Chattogram will now play Gemcon Khulna in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup final

Mohammad Isam15-Dec-2020Gazi Group Chattogram didn’t make a mistake in their second chance to qualify for the Bangabandhu T20 Cup final, beating Beximco Dhaka by seven wickets in the second qualifier. They are now pitted against Gemcon Khulna in the final on Friday, with both teams being touted favourites from the start of the tournament.After being hammered for 210 by Khulna in the first qualifier on Monday, Chattogram’s bowlers brought back their A-game in this match, bowling out Dhaka for 116 in 20 overs. Dhaka’s constant experiment with their opening pair – they tried their sixth combination today – hardly got them anywhere, while their middle order also failing to put their house in order.Openers Sabbir Rahman and Muktar Ali were removed by the fourth over, caught at midwicket and cover, respectively. Mohammad Naim holed out at deep midwicket five overs later, but captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Yasir Ali gave them a sense of recovery. But both fell in their twenties, like Al-Amin Hossain, who also made 25.From being 94 for 4 at one stage, Dhaka suffered a collapse of 6 for 22. Mustafizur Rahman took three wickets while Shoriful Islam picked up two, as Rakibul Islam, Nahidul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain and Soumya Sarkar chipped in with a wicket each.In Chattogram’s reply, openers Liton Das and Sarkar had calmly added 44, until a call for a near impossible run resulted in Sarkar’s run-out for 27 in the seventh over, having struck five fours in his 23-ball stay.But Das and captain Mohammad Mithun nearly had a cakewalk during their second-wicket stand of 57, before both fell to catches at deep midwicket with Chattogram inching closer to a place in the final.Das made a sedate 40 off 49 balls with four boundaries, while Mithun got 34 off 35 deliveries and fell with Chattogram nine away. But Shamsur Rahman and Mosadek Hossain completed the victory with five balls to spare.Going into Friday’s final, Chattogram have a slight advantage of a 2-1 win-loss record against Khulna in this tournament. Khulna, however, have a major disadvantage after having lost the veteran allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is scheduled to leave for the US due to a family reason, and the impressive seamer Shohidul Islam, who too has left the team after his father passed away on Sunday.

They survived a scare from Jordan Silk, who took the game to the final over with his 78 off 49 balls

Peter Della Penna24-Jan-2021A 145-run opening stand between Matthew Wade and D’Arcy Short, the highest of this year’s Big Bash League, laid a sturdy foundation for the Hobart Hurricanes in a seven-run win over the Sydney Sixers, keeping the Hurricanes’ hopes alive of reaching the finals stage. Both made half-centuries in what ended as the joint 12th-best stand in BBL history, leading to a total that was too much for the Sixers to overhaul.The Hurricanes were in control with the ball for the majority of their defense as well, as entering the final over, the Sixers needed 28 to win. Riley Meredith bowled two waist-high full tosses for no-balls, the second of which went for six, thus reducing the equation from an improbable 28 off six balls down to 15 off four. But the Sixers’ last hope was snuffed out two balls later when Jordan Silk heaved a length delivery to Short on the rope at deep midwicket for 78.The Hurricanes are in control of their own destiny for a place in the playoffs, needing a win over the last-place Melbourne Renegades in the regular season finale to keep their season going. Whereas despite the loss, the Sixers only need a bonus point from their final match against the Melbourne Stars to secure their place in the top two, guaranteeing them two shots to make the tournament final.Wade and Short go long
The roaring stand had got off to a quiet start as the Hurricanes’ opening pair only managed four runs off the first 11 deliveries of the match. But a strike over mid-on by Short off Ben Dwarshuis got the ball rolling and spurred Wade to attack Carlos Brathwaite for three more boundaries in the third over, working his way across from midwicket to mid-off before capping the sequence slicing over point. Short then punched two more boundaries through the off side against Jake Ball in the fourth over to keep the momentum flowing, as they ended the powerplay at 33 without loss.The spinners fared no better as Short seized on the introduction of Ben Manenti in the fifth, heaving his second ball over midwicket for six before tonking him straight for another after he switched ends for the eighth over. Wade got to his half-century first off 28 balls, flicking a short ball angled down the leg side for a boundary off Ball to start the 11th, as the century stand was brought up with a single two balls later. The pair called for the Power Surge to begin the 12th as Short surged past 50 off 36 balls in the process, smacking a full toss from Dwarshuis back over his head for six during a 19-run over.The partnership finally came to an end three overs later, as Wade’s license for risk-taking with all ten wickets in hand finally brought about his downfall while ramping Sean Abbott to short third man. Abbott claimed Short as well a few overs later with a well-directed yorker. With the set pair finally gone, the Sixers continued to gain confidence through disciplined death bowling from Ball and Dwarshuis, as five wickets fell off the last 12 balls to give a brief lift to the Sixers while heading into the break.Jordan Silk’s 78 off 49 balls went in vain, as Sydney Sixers fell short in the chase•Getty Images

Short nearly goes from hero to villain
The Sixers suffered an unlucky setback early in the chase when Josh Philippe was given out lbw on a delivery which ball-tracking showed was heading past leg stump. James Vince and Daniel Hughes fell soon after to make it 37 for 3, which could have been even worse had Short held onto a straightforward chance at short midwicket for what would have been Scott Boland’s third wicket in the powerplay. The Sixers meandered through the next several overs as the required run rate reached 11, but captain Moises Henriques jolted the Sixers back to life while taking on Short’s left-arm spin. Consecutive sweeps sailed over the leg side for six and four during a 14-run over, but even bigger damage followed.Henriques flicked Meredith over long-on for six, who created a chance next ball as Henriques mistimed a length ball that fluttered gently towards Short at midwicket. For the second time in the innings, Short spilled Henriques on a painfully simple chance only for the former to rub salt into the wound by smashing Meredith behind square for six off the next delivery he faced in what ended as an 18-run over.Sandeep Lamichanne to the rescue
Nepal legspinner Lamichhane had conceded 13 runs off his first two overs and began his third by leaking a boundary to Silk through wide long-on. But by the end of it, he had inflicted severe damage. Henriques looked like he was going to clear the ropes again when Lamichhane sent down a half-tracker on the fourth ball, which he pulled too fine to pick out Ellis at deep backward square. Silk’s inability to cross strike with the ball in the air meant Dan Christian entered and was straightaway exposed by a googly that ripped past his forward prod to put Lamichhane on a hat-trick at 107 for 5.Whereas Wade and Short blitzed the Sixers in the Power Surge, the Sixers stumbled immediately when trying to utilize it for a rebuild, as Brathwaite chipped Ellis to extra cover at the start of the 15th over. Silk lacked the support to be able to meaningfully attack down the stretch even as he passed 50 off 35 balls. He survived a drop on 58 at fine leg in the penultimate over, but a comeback seemed unlikely until Meredith briefly left the door ajar in the final over with the pair of no-balls. However, Short redeemed himself for the earlier pair of drops by denying Silk a six on the midwicket rope, taking the catch that sealed the match.

The tournament will be played behind closed doors “to begin with”, and all games will be at neutral venues

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Mar-2021IPL 2021 will be played entirely in India, starting on April 9, with the final set for May 30. The tournament will be played across six cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.Chennai will host the tournament opener, in which defending champions Mumbai Indians will face Royal Challengers Bangalore. The playoffs and the final will be held at the Motera in Ahmedabad.In a significant change from previous IPLs played in India, the organisers have decided to conduct all games at neutral venues. The league phase will be played behind closed doors “to begin with”, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a media release on Sunday. A final call on if and when spectators will be allowed, Shah said, will be taken at a “later stage” of the tournament.ESPNcricinfo understands the BCCI is utilising the IPL, a multi-team event, as a dry run for the men’s T20 World Cup, which is slated to be held in India in October-November this year, and thus wants to ensure all precautions are in place accordingly.Eleven double-headers, less travel

This season, the afternoon games – there are 11 double-headers lined up – will begin at 3.30pm IST, while the evening games start at 7.30pm, both 30 minutes earlier than usual start time for IPL games played in India.Each franchise will play at four out of the six venues during the league phase, which includes 56 games. Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata will host 10 games each, while Delhi and Ahmedabad will host eight each. The first 36 league matches will be split across Chennai, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Delhi, while the next 20 will be played in Bengaluru and Kolkata in May – this is because elections in West Bengal will be held late March to late April, while, in Bengaluru, it is understood that the floodlights at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium are being replaced.”The fixtures of the tournament have been mapped in a way that every team will travel only three times during the league stage, thus reducing commute and minimising risk,” Shah said.Venues – the key reason for the delay in announcing the schedule

Immediately after successfully hosting IPL 2020 in the UAE, the BCCI had said it would be hosting the 2021 edition in India subject to the state of the pandemic. The UAE remained a back-up, but having conducted the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in India in January, the BCCI was confident of playing the IPL in the country.However, the franchises were concerned as the IPL had not disclosed the final venues with roughly a month to go for the tournament. The reason behind the franchises’ concerns was they had to book hotels, secure visas for overseas players, figure out logistics, all within the framework of the Standard Operations Procedures required to maintain the tournament’s biosecure bubble.With Covid-19 infections on the rise in several places in India, both the franchises as well as the IPL were sceptical about going with the usual routine of eight venues. As per the original plan, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad were meant to host the entire tournament. However, the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra, the most severely affected state in India, forced the IPL to rethink. Then, in the second plan, Mumbai was set to be left out as a venue.This week the IPL governing council chairman Brijesh Patel and the IPL chief operating officer Hemang Amin met former BCCI president Sharad Pawar, who is head of the Nationalist Congress Party that shares power in Maharashtra government.The meeting, which was also attended by representatives of the Maharashtra Cricket Association, was called to get the nod from the Maharashtra government for the IPL to run in the state, which has imposed a cap on gatherings even for outdoor sport. The IPL wanted Pawar to allow Mumbai to host, and also to discuss the whether the grounds could be filled to a certain capacity.Why no crowds?

The BCCI wanted to play it safe. This, despite the fact that it had opened the final three Tests of the four-match series against England to 50% capacity. The key reason behind this decision was that the IPL is an eight-team event, as opposed to a bilateral series where two teams can be more easily managed in a biosecure environment.Also, with many of the IPL venues listed, crowds can be in the vicinity of the dressing room and there is always a danger of safety protocols being breached, which could endanger the entire bubble.There is also the upcoming T20 World Cup, which the BCCI will be hosting, to keep in mind. The abrupt suspension of the Pakistan Super League due to Covid-19 cases within the bubble will offer “learnings”, ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney had said, as the global governing body readies for the World Cup that will feature 16 teams. The final schedule for that tournament, including the venues, could be shaped by how the IPL goes.Chennai Super Kings’ full schedule•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s full schedule•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rajasthan Royals’ full schedule•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kolkata Knight Riders’ full schedule•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Punjab Kings’ full schedule•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s full schedule•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mumbai Indians’ full schedule•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Delhi Capitals’ full schedule•ESPNcricinfo Ltd