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Diana Edulji, the former India women’s captain, knew she was in the reckoning for the panel as Gopal Subramanium, the amicus curiae, had asked if she would be interested in such a role

Arun Venugopal30-Jan-2017In the afternoon, Diana Edulji had almost given up hope of anything definitive emerging from the Supreme Court hearing where a panel of administrators was due to be appointed. The former India women’s captain knew she was in the reckoning as Gopal Subramanium, the amicus curiae, had asked if she would be interested in such a role. But, while Edulji admitted to a tinge of expectation, the adjournment of last week’s hearing had made her “sceptical”. Now, she had seen no news of the hearing on television for nearly two hours and was going to turn it off when the phone rang.”I got a call from one of the channels congratulating me. I said, ‘There is no breaking news anywhere.’ Then suddenly, every channel started carrying the story one after the other,” Edulji told ESPNcricinfo. “Given the number of twists and turns this case has been taking, I was a little sceptical. This time also it [a decision] didn’t come up till 3.45 or 4pm. When the first time it didn’t happen [during the earlier hearing], I didn’t go deeper into it. I left it to God – if it is due for me, I will accept it. If it doesn’t come also, I am okay.”Edulji, who has played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs between 1976 and 1993, is the only cricketer on the four-member committee which also includes Vinod Rai, the former Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Ramachandra Guha, the historian and cricket writer, and Vikram Limaye, managing director and CEO of IDFC (Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation). She is also a part of the four-member steering committee, led by former union home secretary GK Pillai, that has been tasked with the responsibility of setting up a players’ association.Edulji felt her presence in the interim committee of administrators was symbolic of what the Lodha reforms aimed to achieve. “It is a very good thing because what I have wanted [to do], now I am in a position to implement it, if that is the role that is given to us,” she said. “I first thought it was the steering committee and the players’ association, but this is a bigger and more prestigious role given, that I am the only player in India to be nominated by the Supreme Court. I hope I will live up to the expectations.”Edulji hadn’t spoken with her colleagues yet – “I don’t even have their numbers” – and wasn’t sure about the nature of her role with the terms of reference of the panel yet to be issued. While she was aware it wouldn’t be an easy job, she was confident her experience as sports officer in the Western Railways would serve her well.”I was administrating 40 games and 40 teams there. Right from the recruitment to the promotions, to the practice sessions, to the departmental tournaments, everything was looked after,” she said. “It was a huge job but a very satisfying job. Tomorrow [January 31], I complete one year of my retirement – so this is my third innings, I would say.”Edulji also said she was prepared to handle the mudslinging – a possible occupational hazard of being an administrator, even if on a short-term basis – that might come her way. “I am quite used to it,” she said, adding that she would rather work “amicably” and hoped to be a bridge between the old administration and the new era.It helped that former board secretary Ajay Shirke and veteran administrator Niranjan Shah were among the first people to congratulate her. “In fact all MCA [Mumbai Cricket Association] office-bearers rang me up,” she said. “I immediately left for MCA. I wanted to be with them at this moment, because they have been so nice with me.”I got a message from the [BCCI] CEO, Mr Rahul Johri, congratulating me and looking forward to working with me. That was a good sign also. Because I am the only player, it may just work out in my favour, [everybody] may co-operate with me.”

Steven Smith has won the top ICC awards for 2014-15, being named Cricketer of the Year as well as Test Cricketer of the Year

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-20152:46

Surprised and humbled by ICC award – Smith

Australia captain Steven Smith has won the top ICC awards for 2014-15, being named Cricketer of the Year as well as Test Cricketer of the Year.Smith became the seventh player after Rahul Dravid (2004), Jacques Kallis (2005), Ricky Ponting (2006), Kumar Sangakkara (2012), Michael Clarke (2013) and Mitchell Johnson (2014) to bag both awards in the same year.Smith was “thrilled” to receive the awards, but said he would end 2015 with “mixed feelings”.”Given that there are so many great players around the world, I’m incredibly honoured to receive these awards,” he said. “While team success is always my number one motivation, awards like this are very special. I’m thrilled and very proud to receive them.”I will look back on 2015 with mixed feelings. Winning the ICC Cricket World Cup at home was a career highlight, and being appointed captain is a great honour, but the disappointment of losing the Ashes remains.”To be the best team that we can be, we have to become better at winning away from home, and that remains our motivation heading into 2016.”South Africa’s ODI captain AB de Villiers was named ODI Cricketer of the Year for the second successive year, while his compatriot Faf du Plessis won the T20 Performance of the Year award for his 56-ball 119 against West Indies in January. Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was named the Emerging Cricketer of the Year.The two awards in women’s cricket, for the ODI Cricketer of the Year and T20I Cricketer of the year, went to Australia captain Meg Lanning and West Indies allrounder Stafanie Taylor respectively.Former UAE captain Khurram Khan was named Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year, while Richard Kettleborough got the Umpire of the Year award for the third straight year.New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who has announced he will retire from international cricket in February, bagged the Spirit of Cricket award, for “inspiring his side to play the game in its true spirit”.McCullum said his team-mates deserved as much recognition for buying into his sportsmanlike vision of cricket.”The team has loved how the New Zealand public and cricket fans from around the world have responded to the way we’ve played our cricket in the last 12 months,” he said. “I think the Spirit of Cricket is hugely important and I feel extremely honoured to have received the award. It does take buy in from the entire team though and the rest of the Blackcaps squad needs to be recognised for this as well.”The awards were given on the basis of performances during the voting period between September 18, 2014, and September 13, 2015. In that period, Smith was the leading run-getter in Tests, with 1734 runs at an average of 82.57. In that period he also made 1249 ODI runs at 59.47, his excellence across the two formats contributing to his winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of the Year.De Villiers, the ODI winner, made 1265 runs in that format in the voting period, at an average of 79.06 and a just-as-astounding strike rate of 128.42. The 24-year-old Hazlewood, who made his Test debut in December 2014, took 40 Test wickets in the voting period.Lanning was the top Women’s ODI run-getter in the voting period, with 531 runs at 88.50, while Taylor finished on top of the Women’s T20I charts with 340 runs at an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 105.91.Awards list
ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) – Steven Smith
Test Cricketer of the Year – Steven Smith
ODI Cricketer of the Year – AB de Villiers
Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year – Meg Lanning
Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year – Stafanie Taylor
T20I Performance of the Year – Faf du Plessis
Emerging Cricketer of the Year – Josh Hazlewood
Associate/Affiliate Cricketer of the Year – Khurram Khan
Spirit of Cricket Award – Brendon McCullum
Umpire of the Year (David Shepherd Trophy) – Richard Kettleborough

Former captain Ramnaresh Sarwan advised his batsmen to observe the basics of the game as West Indies mount their charge to repeat the scoreline of the 2004 Champions Trophy.

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2013Former West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan advised his batsmen to observe the basics of the game as West Indies mount their charge to repeat their success from the 2004 Champions Trophy. The 2013 edition begins on June 6 and West Indies will play their first match on the next day against Pakistan at The Oval.”It is important that you start off trying to play the ball as late as possible.” he said. “The good thing about it is that the outfields are pretty quick here, so even if you have sweepers out and you time the ball well enough it will probably go for four. You will get value for your strokes.”It would be a great achievement to win this tournament. When we won back in 2004 we came in as underdogs. We want to repeat that,” said Sarwan, who was adjudged the player of the tournament in 2004. He scored two half-centuries in four matches, including one in the semi-final and finished as the second highest run-getter of the tournament.Sarwan laid the onus on the top-order batsmen to provide a solid foundation so players like Kieron Pollard and captain Dwayne Bravo could make the most of the latter half of the innings.”The key is to give yourself a chance and try to ‘get in’ and just like everything else it gets easier.” he said “Keeping wickets in hand at the top is vital and we all know we have a lot of power at the end to capitalise, as we are able to clear the boundaries.”After a month-long stint captaining Leicestershire in Division Two of the County Championships in England, Sarwan joined the West Indies side on Monday feeling confident about his batting. He had scored 227 runs in five matches, including two fifties.”It’s a great opportunity for us to do well as a team. I was fortunate to be here a little early so I’m basically already acclimatised and have been striking the ball well. I have spent a lot of time batting at the crease, which is a good sign for me, even though I don’t have the big scores to show for it. I was pleased with the way I was striking the ball in the nets and I will look to perform and contribute to the team’s success.”Expressing satisfaction over the performance of West Indies last year, Sarwan reiterated the views of West Indies coach Ottis Gibson about getting used to English conditions as soon as possible.”We did really well in the T20 format to win in Sri Lanka last year and I believe we have a very sound squad for this tournament. The conditions will play a part as well with the ball swinging and we will have to make the necessary adjustment with the bat. For the younger guys it will be vital that they get used to the conditions and be ready when the matches get started.”

New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has said that the board aims to find a replacement for head coach John Wright by the end of July

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2012New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has said that the board aims to find a replacement for head coach John Wright by the end of July. The board met in Auckland on Friday to discuss the process and timeline for recruiting Wright’s successor.”We want the best person for the job and will not limit our search for the right candidate,” White said. “We are aiming to have the new head coach in place by the end of July but will not be drawn into making self-imposed deadlines.”White said the position will be publicly advertised in the coming weeks and that the best candidate will be appointed, regardless of his nationality. “The key responsibilities for the head coach will be to manage the support staff, prepare the team for international cricket and, along with the captain, be responsible for performance of the team,” White told .Earlier this month, John Wright, confirmed that he would step down after the tour of the West Indies in August. He cited differences with New Zealand’s director of cricket, John Buchanan, as a factor that influenced his decision not to extend his contract.Wright’s decision prompted the board to announce that the demanding nature of the Future Tours Programme would mean that the workload of the support staff would be considered before making a decision on a new coach. New Zealand will tour the West Indies in June, India in August and then head to Sri Lanka for the ICC World T20 in September.Edited by Carlyle Laurie

The PCB has cranked up the pressure in its dispute with Shahid Afridi by beginning formal disciplinary procedures against the former captain, even as political pressure is brought to bear on the board to resolve the dispute

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2011The PCB has cranked up the pressure in its dispute with Shahid Afridi by beginning formal disciplinary procedures against the former captain, even as political pressure is brought to bear on the board to resolve the dispute. The board has, as expected, set up a three-member disciplinary committee and directed Afridi to appear before it on June 8, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.The committee will be chaired by Sultan Rana, director of domestic cricket, and will include Shafiq Ahmed, general manager of domestic cricket, and Usman Wahla, manager of international cricket. Taffazul Rizvi, the board’s legal advisor, will assist the committee.An unusually detailed board press release on Thursday evening spelt out the formal process. A statement from a senior board official also sought to make clear precisely what the issue was, an indication of the fairly high stakes of a very high-profile dispute and the subsequent need to be as transparent as possible.The board said it had responded to Afridi’s defense, in which he had admitted to violating the PCB’s code of conduct by announcing his retirement to the media. “It is painful for us to get involved in a dispute with a cricketer who has been the national team captain until the West Indies series,” PCB COO Subhan Ahmed said in the release. “There are numerous contributions by Shahid Afridi to Pakistan cricket. But I think people need to understand that this is purely a disciplinary issue.”As the body managing cricket in the country we are duty-bound to maintain discipline at all levels. We will ensure that Shahid is given every opportunity to express and defend himself and as such the disciplinary process has been clearly spelt out to avoid any ambiguities”.This administration has sought at every opportunity to strangle what it sees as burgeoning player power; last year they banned or fined seven top players after the Australia tour. Two of them, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, spent protracted periods out of the side thereafter. But Afridi is a different kettle of fish, not only because he was a captain with some positive results to show, but because of his immense popularity across most of the land; no other player in the side comes close.For this reason, the dispute has become politicised. The day began with Rehman Malik, the country’s interior minister, pledging to get involved in the matter, “I will do whatever I can to resolve this issue, as I am equally a fan of Afridi,” Malik tweeted. ESPNcricinfo understands that pressure has been put on the board from his side but that it has so far been resisted.Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, is also politically well-covered – he is appointed directly by the President of the country and board patron Asif Ali Zardari. But the board believes its case, in this matter, to be strong enough to not warrant political intervention from their side, for now at least. Malik has success in such matters in the past, having mediated a peace between former chairman Nasim Ashraf and Shoaib Akhtar in 2008.As part of the disciplinary proceedings, the committee will frame charges, record evidence and hear arguments before announcing its order. Afridi will be allowed to file an appeal against the order, through an appellate tribunal comprising an independent panel of arbitrators maintained by the PCB, and their ruling on the matter would be final.While announcing his ‘conditional’ retirement, Afridi lashed out at the current board and has brewed up a number of storms; he has hit out at former Test opener and current selector Mohammad Ilyas, as well as playing up the regionalism card by attacking a “Lahore lobby” behind his removal. In some reports he has also criticised Intikhab Alam, the team manager. These comments, it is understood, have hardened the board’s stance and resolve in ensuring the disciplinary process is followed through to a logical and legal end.The developments further reduce the chances of Afridi playing for Hampshire in the Friends Life t20; the PCB suspended Afridi’s contract, slapped him with a showcause notice, and revoked the No-Objection Certificate that would have allowed him to turn out for Hampshire. Afridi, keen to get the Hampshire situation resolved quickly, admitted to violating the code and stated his willingness to participate in further disciplinary action. Hampshire have urged the PCB to reconsider the withdrawal of the NOC, but at this stage it looks unlikely.

The Asian Cricket Council has released the schedule of the 2010 Asia Cup which will be held in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, between June 15 and 24

Cricinfo staff06-May-2010The 2010 Asia Cup will be held in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, between June 15 and 24, the Asian Cricket Council has announced. The tournament comprises India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and hosts Sri Lanka.The tournament gets underway with Sri Lanka taking on Pakistan. Each team plays the other once in a league format after which the top two sides meet in a final. There is also a provision for three reserve days during the league phase, and one for the final. All matches are day-night fixtures.”Funds raised from this tournament will be utilised to support and develop the game in the Asia region,” ACC chief executive Syed Ashraful Haq said in Colombo. “We are already seeing good progress in Afghanistan and Nepal.”Sri Lanka are the current holders of the Asia Cup, having beaten India by 100 runs in the final of the 2008 tournament in Karachi.Schedule
June 15: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
June 16: India vs Bangladesh
June 17: Reserve day
June 18: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
June 19: Pakistan vs India
June 20: Reserve day
June 21: Pakistan vs Bangladesh
June 22: India vs Sri Lanka
June 23: Reserve day
June 24: Final
June 25: Reserve day

Lamb’s 207 coincided with Beau Webster’s first five-wicket haul of 6 for 100 on a flat Bristol pitch

ECB Reporters Network25-May-2024Derbyshire’s Matthew Lamb and Gloucestershire’s Beau Webster set memorable personal milestones on the second day of the Vitality County Championship Second Division match at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.Unbeaten on 186 overnight, Lamb completed his maiden first-class double century before falling for 207 in a Derbyshire total of 526 all out. Anuj Dal contributed 62 as the visitors bagged maximum batting bonus points.Webster’s 6 for 100 from 26 overs was a career-best on his home debut for Gloucestershire. The 6ft 7ins Australian seamer had never before taken even five wickets in a first-class innings. By the close, the home side had responded to Derbyshire’s huge total with 243 for 4, James Bracey leading the way with an unbeaten 87 and sharing an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 112 with skipper Graeme van Buuren, who was 61 not out.Derbyshire began the day on 434 for 5. Lamb and Dal batted with few alarms and an edge wide of the slips for four off Ajeet Singh Dale took Lamb to his double ton off 254 balls, with 30 fours and a six. His innings, spanning six hours and 19 minutes, ended when he edged a short of a length delivery from Singh Dale through to wicketkeeper Bracey to make the score 487 for 6. The stand with Dal had added 78 runs in 27.2 overs.
Alex Thomson quickly fell lbw to a Webster yorker.But Dal was looking well set and brought up the 500 by clipping Ollie Price through the leg side for two in the 118th over before going to an elegant half-century off 113 balls, with 6 fours. It was 520 for 8 when Zak Chappell drove a catch to cover to give Webster his fifth wicket. He quickly added another, bowling Sam Connors for a second ball duck.Dal was last man out, caught behind looking to attack Singh Dale, having produced some wristy shots on both sides of the pitch. Webster led Gloucestershire off to warm applause from teammates, and lunch was taken.The home side’s reply got off to a poor start when, with the total on 15, Cameron Bancroft shouldered arms to a ball slanted into him by Connors and had his middle stump knocked back. Price suffered a blow on the helmet from a short ball by Daryn Dupavillon and took 28 balls to get off the mark as Derbyshire’s bowlers gave the Gloucestershire attack a lesson in accuracy, sending down four successive maidens.Frustration cost Price his wicket on three. Having aimed two big shots at Chappell deliveries, he perished attempting a big drive in the same over, edging a straightforward catch to third slip.When Miles Hammond, on 18, had his middle stump ripped out of the ground by a Dal delivery that went between bat and pad, Gloucestershire were in peril at 63 for 3. But opener Ben Charlesworth was set and Bracey helped add 57 before tea, which was taken at 120 for 3 off 34 overs.Bracey had moved smoothly to 40, with Charlesworth on 35. The two left-handers were parted in the final session with the total on 131 when Charlesworth, who has batted consistently well this season, edged a defensive shot off a good length Chappell delivery through to wicketkeeper Brooke Guest.That brought van Buuren to the crease with his side still 395 runs behind and he survived a confident Chappell appeal for lbw before he had scored, the ball striking his back pad.Bracey went to an assured fifty off 72 balls with his eighth four, sweetly struck through the covers off Chappell, who was working up a head of steam from the Pavilion End. Then van Buuren went on the counterattack, hitting successive fours of Dal and dominating the strike.Bracey greeted Alex Thomson’s return to the attack at 190 for 4 by launching the off-spinner’s sixth delivery back over his head for six before van Buuren went to a 76-ball half-century, with 7 fours.By stumps Bracey had faced 131 deliveries and struck 12 fours and a six. With rain forecast tomorrow and the pitch looking very flat, a draw appears the most likely outcome.

The England veteran is the oldest man to top the charts since Clarrie Grimmett in 1936

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2023James Anderson has overhauled Australia’s captain Pat Cummins to become the No.1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings, off the back of his role in England’s 267-run win against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui last week.At the age of 40 years and 207 days, Anderson is also the oldest player to top the rankings since Clarrie Grimmett, the Australian legspinner, in 1936, having played an integral part in the recent success of England’s Test team, which has now won ten of its past 11 matches.It is the sixth time that Anderson has gone to the top of the rankings in a career that began against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in May 2003, and has now spanned 178 Test appearances and 682 wickets, placing him third on the all-time list behind the spin duo of Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Shane Warne (708).

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In May 2016, Anderson went past his long-time team-mate Stuart Broad, as well as India’s R Ashwin, to top the rankings for the first time, and most recently he held the top spot for five months in 2018 before being displaced by South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.It has the potential to be a short return to the top, however. With a total of 866 ranking points, Anderson is just two points ahead of Ashwin in second place, who also delivered a strong showing in India’s most recent Test win over Australia in Delhi last week. Cummins is now third on 858, but could himself regain top billing with two Tests to come against India in the next fortnight, despite flying home this week to address a health issue in the family.Wanindu Hasaranga overtook Rashid Khan to become the No. 1 T20I bowler•ICC via Getty

Nevertheless, the achievement is further proof of Anderson’s remarkable longevity. In the course of his seven wickets at Mount Maunganui, he brought his overall Test average down below 26 for the first time since his maiden series in 2003, but the sense that he is improving with age is backed up by his form in the last five years of his career.Since turning 35 in July 2017, Anderson has now taken 202 wickets in 56 subsequent games, at an average of 20.56. At Mount Maunganui, he and Broad also overhauled the Test record for most wickets taken as a bowling partnership, which previously stood at 1001 between Australia’s Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.”They’re the GOATs, aren’t they? I can’t see that record being broken for a very long time,” Ben Stokes, England’s captain, said after the first Test win. “Warne and McGrath were an unbelievable combination, but I think the way in which Test cricket is going now with everything else to players, I can’t see that record being broken any time soon. I can’t ever see it being broken.”Related

• 'I just can't see him stopping' – Stokes on Anderson becoming No. 1 again

• Anderson puts seal on England's crushing 267-run victory over NZ

• Stokes 'blessed' by England's bowlers after floodlight strategy pays rich dividends

• Cummins on collapse: Australia batters 'went away from their methods'

• Cummins returns home due to family health issue

Elsewhere in the rankings, New Zealand’s pairing Tom Blundell (11th) and Devon Conway (17th) have risen to career-high positions, as have England’s trio of Ollie Pope (23rd), Harry Brook (31st) and Ben Duckett (38th).India’s players also received a boost following their emphatic victory over Australia, with Ravindra Jadeja moving up seven places to ninth following his seven-wicket haul in the second innings, and Axar Patel – who is the second leading run-scorer for the series so far with 158 runs – moving up two places to fifth on the latest Test all-rounder rankings.In the T20I bowling rankings, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga has leapfrogged Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to the top, as a consequence of Rashid taking only four wickets in three matches against UAE last week.For UAE, Muhammad Waseem rose six places to seventh in the T20I batting list, after scoring 199 runs at an average of 66.33 in the three games.

ICC’s clarification on a total of eight penalty points comes when the side is staring down a mammoth task to salvage second Ashes Test in Adelaide

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2021As if England’s plight wasn’t difficult enough, staring down a 456-run deficit heading into the third day in Adelaide, the ICC piled on more misery by docking them a further three points for slow over rates in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.England were originally handed a penalty of five World Test Championship (WTC) points – and fined 100% of their match fees – for maintaining a slow over rate in the first Test at the Gabba but the ICC on Friday announced the penalty would now be eight points in total.”Last Saturday, it was announced that England would be docked five WTC points, one for each over they were found to initially have fallen short by,” the ICC said in a statement. “However, it has since emerged they were eight overs short, and will therefore lose three additional points.”The points deduction for penalty overs is not capped and must reflect the actual number of penalty overs a team is short of the minimum requirement as per Clause 16.1.2 of the ICC Playing Conditions, hence they have been penalised one point for each over they were short.”Related

• England docked five WTC points for slow over rates in Gabba Test

• England run for the exits as Australia storm into commanding position

• 'If we don't believe, we're beaten already' – Ben Stokes

• Electrifying session by Australia's bowlers ends rather aptly

• Labuschagne: Personal performances 'nice' but winning games 'the most enjoyable part'

The announcement leaves England in seventh place on the WTC table, with six points from five Tests in the current competition cycle, and came after England had lost early wickets to be 17 for 2 in response to Australia’s first-innings 473 for 9 declared when an electrical storm curtailed the final session on day two of the second Test at Adelaide Oval.England managed to bowl 89 of the scheduled 90 overs on the first day in Adelaide, albeit relying on five overs of Joe Root’s part-time off-spin to catch up.While over rates could well remain a concern for England’s five-man seam attack, Graham Thorpe, their assistant coach, played down the issue after the first day’s play, saying: “I think there’s bigger things going on in the world than over rates.”England, who lost the first Test by nine wickets and now face a mammoth task to salvage the second, were also penalised for a poor overrate in their home series against India in July and August, meaning they have now conceded a total of 10 points for slow over rate offences.

Australia to resume international cricket with England tour, which is likely to be the beginning of a long period in bio-secure bubbles

Andrew McGlashan18-Aug-2020Mental health will be top of the agenda for the Australia men’s team as they resume international cricket for the first time since March with the tour to England, which is likely to be the beginning of a long period in bio-secure bubbles for most of their players.The Australian squad flies out of Perth on Sunday for a limited-overs tour which includes three T20Is and three ODIs. They will initially be based in Derby before the internationals take place at the major bio-secure venues at the Ageas Bowl and the Old Trafford.ALSO READ: FAQs – How Australia’s limited-overs tour to England will happenFrom there some players will head to the IPL in the UAE, which will require almost two more months in a biosecure environment. Australia’s international players then face the prospect of heading home straight into another bubble to prepare for their home season, which is likely to face significant reorganisation.Even those who return straight back to Australia after the England matches will be required to undertake two weeks quarantine in Perth – although CA is trying to negotiate a possibility of them being able to train during that period – and the Australian domestic summer is looking increasingly likely to require hubs of various types given the travel and border restrictions in place.It all adds up to what will be a challenging period that could last until after Christmas at least, and may yet be a model needed for considerably more time depending on how the Covid-19 pandemic impacts sport over the next 12 months.”[Mental health] is something to monitor heavily,” Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch said. “I know from an Australian point of view there’s a lot of work behind the scenes going into making sure there’s as good a goal post in place for players and really tailored approaches to make sure that we’ve got all our checkpoints in place to understand and recognise when things might be a little bit off. It could be a few months that people are in these bio bubbles and being stuck in a hotel room by yourself can be really tough.”ALSO READ: Another blow for Usman Khawaja, Andrew Tye’s return and a glimpse of the future captainTeam psychologist Michael Lloyd will travel with the squad to the UK and has been talking to players individually ahead of the trip. “I definitely feel it’s going to be a real issue and a real factor over the next couple of years in particular,” Finch said.Australia will follow England, West Indies, Pakistan and Ireland into the biosecure environment which appears set to enable the ECB to play their entire men’s international summer despite the pandemic. England have so far kept their Test and limited-overs squads entirely separate – although there could be some overlap during the Australia series – while the Test players were allowed a brief exit from the bubble between the West Indies and Pakistan series.The whole operation has been a considerable success although there has been the occasional breach, most notably when Jofra Archer made a detour home which forced him to miss the second Test against West Indies. Last week Mohammad Hafeez also broke protocol by having a picture taken with a member of the public on the golf course adjacent to the hotel at the Ageas Bowl. Access to the golf course has been one of the few activities available to the players inside the bubbles away from the cycle of hotel room, training and playing.Finch said that there would be conversations with the squad about all the protocols in place ahead of their departure and how to ensure everything is followed to the letter but knowing the consequences should be enough of a reminder.”What’s important to remember is we are in a position to help continue the global game,” Finch said. “And there should be no more motivation than that to do everything right.”I’ve been very strong with the guys in the last couple of weeks about making sure that we do literally everything we can with regards to the protocols to keep the global game going. Because at the end of the day, if that fails then we are all out of jobs and the game is not in a healthy state, which we can’t afford to have.”There’s been so much time and effort put in by thousands of people to give us the opportunity to play international cricket again, and even us leaving Australia, leaving Victoria, is a big process. The people who’ve worked their backside off over the last couple of months to allow it to happen, thousands of people are doing an unbelievable amount of work to get the game up and running again. So we owe it to them in particular to do everything right.”