Let us have a look at some of the most discussed cricket stories that were on the news on 20 May.
India Women to play pink-ball Test in Australia
BCCI secretary Jay Shah has confirmed India Women will play their first-ever pink-ball Test in Australia between 30 September and 3 October. With that, India Women will become the third team, after Australia and England, to feature in a day-night Women’s Test match. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) is yet to confirm the schedule.
BCCI asks ECB to change Tests schedule to accommodate IPL
As per a report in The Times, the BCCI has requested ECB to advance their upcoming five-Test series by a week from its current August 4 to complete the pandemic-interrupted IPL 2021.
BCCI is looking at a six-week gap between the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, scheduled from 18 June, and the start of the England series for the remaining 31 IPL games.
‘Informal discussions have been had between the respective boards as cricket continues to grapple with a schedule ravaged by Covid,’ the report said.
Dravid to be Head Coach for India Men on Sri Lanka tour: Report
Rahul Dravid will coach India Men for the upcoming limited-overs series in Sri Lanka. He has previously worked with India as a batting consultant during the England tour in 2014, and as coach of India A and India Under-19s from 2015 to 2019.
ANI quoted a BCCI official: ‘The Team India coaching staff will be in the UK and it is best that the young team is guided by Dravid as he has already worked with almost all of India A boys. The comfort the youngsters share with him will be an added advantage.’
India will play three ODIs against Sri Lanka on 13, 16, and 19 July. The three-match T20I series will follow, between 22 and 27 July.
Imran Qayyum retires from all cricket at 27
Imran Qayyum, 27, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The decision came after he failed to recover from a shoulder injury.
Since joining them in 2014, Qayyum, the left-arm spinner, played 82 matches for Kent across all formats. In T20s, he took 45 wickets at an average of 25.73. His career-best figure of 5-21 came against Somerset in the 2019 T20 Blast campaign.
‘I'll have nothing but good memories. I'm very grateful of the opportunity that Kent Cricket gave me to live my childhood dream’, Qayyum said in a statement on 20 May.