Let us look at some of the most-discussed cricket stories on the news on 25 June.
T20 World Cup to begin 17 October, to be played in Oman, UAE
The 16-team 2021 T20 World Cup will begin on 17 October and run till 14 November in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as per a report of ESPNCricinfo.
Round 1, including 12 matches and consisting of eight teams – Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, Papua New Guinea – will be co-hosted by the UAE and Oman. Four of them will progress to the Super 12s to join the top eight ranked T20I side.
The remainder of the suspended IPL will also resume in the UAE on 19 September, with the final scheduled for 15 October, two days before the T20 World Cup.
Buttler to miss Sri Lanka series due to calf injury
Jos Buttler has been ruled out of England’s final T20I and ODIs against Sri Lanka. Buttler sustained a right-calf tear in England’s first T20I win at Cardiff on 23 June.
ECB has confirmed Buttler returned home to commence his rehabilitation programme after feeling ‘tightness and discomfort’ at the end of the match.
England have added Dawid Malan to replace Buttler in the three-match ODI series, starting 29 June at Chester-le-Street.
India to play intra-squad games from 15 July
India Men will play two four-day intra-squad games before moving to Durham in a bio-bubble. They currently have a 24-member squad, including four standby options.
Earlier, the BCCI had requested ECB for practice games against English counties before the five-match England Test series, starting 4 August. However, keeping the Covid-19 situation in mind, ECB refused to allow such a plan to go ahead.
Maxwell pulls out of the Men’s Hundred
Glenn Maxwell has pulled himself out of the inaugural season of the Men’s Hundred, starting 21 July. He was signed by London Spirit on a GBP 100,000 contract.
Speaking on a Fox Sports podcast, Shane Warne, Spirit’s head coach, confirmed Maxwell’s withdrawal: ‘Unfortunately Glenn Maxwell has pulled out of the Hundred. We were really excited to get him in the draft. We know he’s a match-winner and we were excited to have him.’
Further, Warne announced Josh Inglis as Maxwell’s replacement for the tournament.
David Warner, Marcus Stoinis and Kagiso Rabada have already withdrawn themselves from the tournament, while Aaron Finch and Adam Zampa are likely to follow the same.