Team India waits for ‘Playing Conditions’

Since WTC final is not a bilateral series Test match, clarification sought on 3 points

New Delhi: What happens if next month’s World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand ends in a draw? Or a tie? Or worse, a washout?

The Indian cricket team is eagerly awaiting a response to this and other questions concerning the ‘Playing Conditions’ for the marquee clash in Southampton from June 18 to 22.

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to release the ‘Playing Conditions’ in the “coming days”.

“Since this is not another bilateral series Test match, we need to know about the playing conditions. There are three basic pointers that we need to know,” a senior BCCI official said.

“What happens in case of a draw, tie or an eventual wash-out without at least one innings of both teams not being completed,” he added.

“The ICC will be publishing the Playing Conditions in coming days. We can’t put a date but I believe they will send it soon.”

Indian team will do quarantine in Southampton during England v New Zealand Test. The Indian team, after reaching London, early next month is expected to leave immediately for Southampton where it will be in quarantine during the England versus New Zealand Test match at the Ageas Bowl.

“Yes, India will be in Southampton only when New Zealand and England play the first of their two Tests. We expect ICC to give an idea of the duration of hard or soft quarantine in the next few days.”

“Since it’s an ICC event, the final notification needs to come from them,” the official said.

The Indian team is hoping to train during its soft quarantine but negotiations are still on with regards to duration of quarantine.

While the likes of Mayank Agarwal, Ravichandran Ashwin, bowling coach Bharat Arun on Wednesday arrived in Mumbai on a charter flight from Chennai, Mohammed Siraj, men’s team fielding coach R Sridhar, women’s Test and ODI captain Mithali Raj boarded from Hyderabad.

However, all those living in Mumbai, Pune and adjoining areas can join the team bubble on May 24 like men’s team skipper Virat Kohli, his respective red and white ball deputies Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, and women’s team batter Jemimah Rodrigues.

Even KL Rahul, who is recovering from an appendicitis operation is in Mumbai and expected to join the bubble on May 24.

BCCI has deployed three charter flights — from Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai — for both male and female cricketers. All those who are not in these three metro cities are supposed to take a private car and reach the destinations for their respective flights.

Stand by pacer Prasidh Krishna and team’s reserve wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha have both recovered from Covid-19 but the BCCI will allow them to spend some time at home and get rid of the weakness that is associated with the infection.

“Both Prasidh and Saha are allowed to join a bit late as they are recovering from COVID-19,” a Board official said.

There was speculation that one national selector was pushing for Punjab middle-order batsman Mandeep Singh as a stand-by in case Prasidh doesn’t get fit in time.

Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav’s name was also doing the rounds but there was no confirmation from BCCI about such a move, which cannot even be called a like-for-like replacement.

BCCI calls SGM on May 29

New Delhi: The BCCI has called a Special General Meeting on May 29 to discuss the upcoming cricket season in India, including the T20 World Cup scheduled in October-November.

The notice sent by BCCI secretary Jay Shah for the meeting stated that there will be a “discussion on the upcoming cricket season in view of the pandemic situation prevailing in India”.

Serious doubts have emerged over the hosting of the T20 Word Cup in India with the second wave of Covid-19 sweeping through the country.

The SGM has been scheduled ahead of the ICC meeting on June 1 when the game’s governing body is likely to decide on the staging of the competition.

The ICC is expected to take a call depending on the Covid situation in India, which is grim at the moment.

The UAE has emerged as the back-up venue for the event after the IPL-14 had to be suspended halfway following multiple Covid-19 cases inside the bio-bubble.

In its apex council meeting last month, the BCCI had shortlisted nine venues for the showpiece event — Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai.

Domestic cricket will also be discussed in the SGM.

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