Let us look at some of the most discussed cricket stories on the news on 30 May.
Cummins to miss the UAE leg in IPL 2021: Report
As per a report of Sydney Morning Herald, Pat Cummins of the Kolkata Knight Riders will miss the remainder of IPL 2021 in the UAE. The report stated: ‘David Warner and Pat Cummins could be rested from the West Indies tour because of family reasons – others could follow after a draining year in several bubbles – and Cummins, despite a multimillion-dollar IPL contract, has already said he will not return to the T20 tournament this season.’
Cummins picked up nine wickets and scored 93 runs in seven matches before the tournament was postponed due to a sudden spike of Covid-19 cases. The BCCI has confirmed that the remaining 31 matches are scheduled to be held in the UAE in September and October.
PSL 6: Sarfaraz, 10 others barred from travelling to Abu Dhabi
Eleven cricketers, including Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, were not allowed to board commercial flights from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi via Doha on 30 May for the remainder of PSL 6. As per restrictions on travellers to the UAE due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they did not have the required clearances to board the flights.
However, five of them later cleared to travel, while the others had to return to their hotels where they have been in quarantine since 24 May. The tournament is scheduled to resume on 5 June in Abu Dhabi.
BCCI wants CPL advanced for IPL: Report
The BCCI is trying to convince Cricket West Indies (CWI) to bring the start of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) forward by a week or 10 days to ensure a seamless bubble-to-bubble transfer of players for the remainder of IPL 2021 in the UAE, starting in mid-September.
‘We are in talks with Cricket West Indies. We are hoping that if CPL can be finished a few days in advance, it would help in a bubble to bubble transfer of all players to Dubai and in time to complete the mandatory three-day quarantine,’ a BCCI source told PTI on 30 May.
The CPL 2021 is scheduled to get underway from 28 August. The final will be played on 19 September.
WTC final will be like World Cup final for me: Wagner
Neil Wagner has said the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against India will be similar to a World Cup final for him. Wagner, 35, has never played limited-overs cricket for New Zealand.
‘That ship (playing limited-overs cricket for New Zealand) has probably sailed now and I don’t think the opportunity will ever come. For me now, it’s about putting all my focus and energy into Test cricket and to be able to play in a World Test Championship final is like a World Cup for me,’ Wagner told ESPNCricinfo.
The WTC final between two top-ranked Test sides will begin from 18 June in Southampton.