The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that it will host the 2021 men's T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between October 17 to November 14.

The move comes after the Indian cricket board fears a possible third wave of COVID-19 in the country. The BCCI was already forced to postpone the Indian T20 League 2021 halfway through the season due to the rising coronavirus cases in the country before shifting it to the UAE for completion later this year.

"The BCCI is looking forward to hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 tournament in UAE and Oman," added BCCI President Sourav Ganguly.

"We would have been happier hosting it in India but considering the uncertainty due to the Covid 19 situation and the importance of a world championship, the BCCI will now continue to host this tournament in UAE and Oman. The BCCI is looking forward to creating a spectacle."

ICC T20 World Cup 2021 venues

1. Dubai International Stadium
2. Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi
3. The Sharjah Stadium
4. The Oman Cricket Academy Ground

Earlier in the month, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had given the BCCI a four-week period to decide whether they could organise the 16-team tournament in India due to the ongoing coronavirus situation.

The International cricket body has already commenced their preparations and logistics for the multi-team tournament to be held in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

"Our priority is to deliver the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 safely, in full and in its current window," said acting ICC CEO Geoff Allardice.

"Whilst we are incredibly disappointed not to be hosting the event in India, the decision gives us the certainty we need to stage the event in a country that is a proven international host of multi-team events in a bio-secure environment.

"We will work closely with the BCCI, the Emirates Cricket Board and Oman Cricket to ensure fans can enjoy a wonderful celebration of cricket.�?/p>

ICC states that the first round of the tournament, to be played between eight qualifying teams, has been split between Oman and UAE. Those eight teams are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman and Papua New Guinea.

Featured photo: Twitter/SouravGanguly

The Pakistan cricket team made its entry into international cricket in 1952, and since then, its erratic journey and unpredictable results has always kept it in the news.

The highs of the Pakistan national cricket team are mostly associated with their steady stream of talented players like Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi and current sensation Babar Azam.

And with respect to their lows, Pakistan have been plagued with disciplinary issues, ball-tampering, match-fixings and the mismanagement of players by the Pakistan Cricket Board over their long stay.

Here we showcase the moments that proved to be key highlights of the Pakistan cricket team’s journey across all formats of cricket over the decades.

First Test win in only second match

The Pakistan cricket team registered their maiden Test victory in only their second Test match. Incidentally, it was against their arch-rivals India in Lucknow.

India, led by Lala Amarnath, opted to bat first but were bowled out for just 106 thanks to Fazal Mahmood who recorded Pakistan’s first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Riding on Nazar Mohammad’s unbeaten 125, Pakistan posted 331 on the scoreboard and once again had Mahmood torment India with a spell of 7/42 to script a win by an innings and 43 runs. While Pakistan lost the first and third Tests, the early win showed that they were no pushovers in international cricket.

First Test win on English soil

In 1954, just two years into international cricket, Pakistan entered the record books by becoming the first team to win a Test match in its inaugural tour of England.

In the first three matches of the four-match rain-marred Test series, England had won one while two were drawn but in the finale played at the Oval, Pakistan was set to script history.

On this day 1954. Fazal Mahmood's figures of 12 for 99 help Pakistan beat England by 24 runs at the Oval #Cricket pic.twitter.com/KGdaYiYIdl

�?Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) August 17, 2015

Electing to bat first, the low-scoring encounter saw the Men in Green muster only 130 but his back by bowling out the hosts for 133. Pakistan, however, couldn’t capitalise as they were dismissed for just 164 in the second innings. It proved to be enough. Fazal Mahmood, eventually named Man of the Match, followed up on his six-wicket haul from the first innings with yet another six wickets to hand the Pakistan cricket team a 24-run win and one of their greatest Test victories.

Wasim Raja’s drunken acts

The 1970s and 1980s was a troubling phase for the Pakistan cricket team, as they were locked in a bitter relationship with the cricket board and the government. And one of the victims was their talented all-rounder Wasim Raja.

Wasim, the older brother of former cricketer and commentator Rameez Raja, infamously unzipped his pants in front of the audience in the 1975 Karachi Test against the West Indies, with the local press reporting that he played the game in a drunken state.

Wasim Raja’s love for alcohol continued as he went into a drunken rage, smashing the mirrors for failing to make the cut in the 1976-77 Sydney Test against Australia, and he went on to accuse the team manager, Shujauddin, of favouritism.

Imran Khan anchors Pakistan’s first Test win Down Under

After a three-year drought in Test cricket, the Pakistan cricket team pulled off one of their greatest international victories in years thanks to Imran Khan’s six-wicket hauls in each innings of the 1976-77 Sydney Test.

Pakistan were 0-1 down in the three-match series, and new captain Mushtaq Mohammad’s usage of Imran Khan, who had just played 10 Tests by then, proved to be a masterstroke for the visitors. His first innings spell of 6/102 restricted the Aussies to 211, astonishing the hosts and the audience alike as the Kangaroos were outright favourites to win the Test.

Imran returned with a second six-wicket haul to bowl out Australia for 180, paving the way for Pakistan to need just 32 runs to pull off the greatest upset at that point of time.

Javed Miandad’s six that won a final vs India

While MS Dhoni’s 2011 World Cup-winning six is undeniably the greatest moment in modern cricket history, a certain Javed Miandad’s six in the final of the 1986 Austral - Asia Cup against India not only redefined the rivalry between the countries, but it turned the then 29-year-old into a national icon.

Imran Khan, the Pakistan captain, oversaw his team march past the formidable Australia and a helpless New Zealand, against whom they registered a 10-wicket win in the team’s lowest-scoring ODI encounter ever, to book a date with India.

#OnThisDay 1986. Javed Miandad with the six that broke a billion hearts #Cricket pic.twitter.com/Pf24AqRSYp

�?Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) April 18, 2020

Pakistan�?chase of 246 faltered along the way, and when they needed 90 runs to win in the last ten overs, Javed Miandad got the target down to 11 runs required from the last over. After losing two wickets and needing four off the last delivery, it was now or never for Miandad to deny Kapil Dev’s men a one-wicket victory. Instead, he hit a six. The 20,000-odd fans at Sharjah went into a frenzy and the incident has gone down as one of the most memorable moments in cricket history.

Unpredictables win 1992 Cricket World Cup

Pakistan cricket team’s journey at the 1992 Cricket World Cup was far from perfect, as their one win from their opening five fixtures left them on the cusp of a premature exit. But Imran Khan’s ‘Cornered Tigers�?quickly regained their footing with wins in their final three fixtures. In the semi-final, Pakistan pulled off a difficult run chase -- they needed eight runs an over in the final 14 overs -- against New Zealand to book a place in the final.

#OnThisDay in 1992, the Imran Khan-led Pakistan were crowned ICC Men's Cricket World Cup champions for the first time after beating England in the final in Melbourne by 22 runs.pic.twitter.com/ugiWjeYhyK

�?Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 25, 2020

After Pakistan set England a target of 250 to chase in the final, Graham Gooch’s side was reduced to 69/4 and the English saw their chances of winning plummet after Wasim Akram’s twin strike in the 35th over. Eventually, Imran Khan, in the last moment of his ODI career, took the final wicket of Richard Illingworth to seal a fairytale victory. Pakistan’s world cup win is remembered as one of the landmark moments in the history of the sport.

Match-fixing stings Pakistan

The Pakistan cricket team of the 1990s was arguably one of the greatest in its history, but it also became synonymous for alleged involvement in match-fixing.

Rashid Latif, former captain and wicket-keeper, disclosed that Saleem Malik accepted bribes during Pakistan’s tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1995. A judicial inquiry started probing the then Pakistan captain Ata-ur Rehman.

While the saga went on for 18 months, the players were finally banned for life and Wasim Akram, who failed to cooperate with the inquiry, was fined £3,300. Additionally, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul Haq, Akram Raza, and Saeed Anwar also received fines of £1200 each.

Ball-tamperings in 2006 and 2010

While they were still reeling from the match-fixing scandal, the Pakistan cricket team found itself amidst two ball-tampering scandals in 2006 and 2010, with the latter centred around Shahid Afridi.

In the 2006 Test at the Oval against England, umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove called out the Pakistanis for ball-tampering and awarded five penalty runs to the hosts. The fixture was later abandoned with captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, who was cleared of ball-tampering, being banned for four matches for bringing the game to disrepute.

In contrast to the 2006 incident, Shahid Afridi was caught on camera trying to bite the ball to alter its shape in their ODI game against Australia at Perth in 2010. The all-rounder pleaded guilty to the charge and the event significantly impacted his career that was constantly ridden with controversial decisions.

Bob Woolmer’s mysterious death

While the Pakistan cricket team’s 2007 Cricket World Cup defeat at the hands of debutants Ireland had already grabbed the biggest headlines, the death of then-head coach Bob Woolmer took the sporting world aback.

 

The Englishman, who was found unconscious in his hotel room, was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival. The mystery behind his death is still unresolved to this very day, with multiple theories based on the match-fixing and behind-the-scenes player tensions are woven.

T20 World Cup retribution

Pakistan, still healing from the violent attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus during the two nations�?Test series in 2009, entered that year’s T20 World Cup as underdogs but rode on the sheer brilliance of Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul to lift the title.

 

Incidentally, Pakistan locked horns against Sri Lanka in the 2009 T20 World Cup final that bore the burden of the Lahore tragedy earlier that year. But, the Men in Green showcased maturity and grit to capture the country’s second piece of ICC silverware since Imran Khan’s triumph in Australia.

Spot-fixing, a new scandal to hit Pakistan

Happy times didn’t last long for the Pakistan cricket team as three players, Mohammad Amir, Mohammed Asif and captain Salman Butt, were found guilty of spot-fixing in a Test match between Pakistan and England at Lord's in 2010. Consequently, they were given professional bans for a period of five, seven and 10 years respectively.

An undercover operation by News of the World brought forward the evidence that the three Pakistan cricket team players accepted money from bookmaker Mazhar Majeed to deliberately underperform at key moments in the Test match.

This event not only cast a shadow on the image of the Pakistan cricket team but also saw more than 80 of the nation’s previous matches coming under the scanner.

The unexpected 2017 Champions Trophy victory

Pakistan entered the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy as the lowest-ranked team in the competition but proved doubters wrong as they trounced arch-rivals India by 180 runs in the final.

After their opening loss to tournament favourites India, the Men in Green were completely written off from the competition. But they won their next two matches and once they stunned hosts England in the semi-final, Pakistan were expected to play out a thriller against India in the final at London.

Pakistan’s matches against India in ICC tournaments have been largely one-sided with the Men in Blue favourites.

 

But Virat Kohli’s decision to bowl first in the final backfired as Pakistan punished the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to plot a mammoth score of 339.

Sloppy starts and failure to build upon strong batting partnerships cost India the Champions Trophy title and thus, Pakistan once again pulled off an odds-defying triumph to consolidate their status as cricket’s most unpredictable team.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / GLYN KIRK

England’s World Cup-winning ODI captain Eoin Morgan will fancy his chances of cementing his legacy as the country’s greatest-ever white-ball skipper at the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in India.

The left-hander from Dublin has come a long way since making his ODI debut for Ireland in August 2006 and aged like wine fine after switching allegiances and joining the England national team in 2009.

With England, there’s not much that he hasn’t won. Part of England’s T20I World Cup-winning squad in 2010, Morgan top-scored during the English’s group games against West Indies and Ireland.

The destructive southpaw who was the top-scorer in England’s Super Eights game against New Zealand in the 2010 T20I World Cup has gone from strength to strength in the English setup, especially in the limited-overs formats.

Tasked with the unenviable mission of making England a powerhouse in the limited-over formats following their dismal display at the 2015 ODI World Cup, it’s safe to say that Morgan has exceeded expectations and will retire as one of England’s finest, if not their finest skipper in the shorter formats of the game.

Under his captaincy, England emerged as a more aggressive team that preferred playing their cricket on the front foot and always being on the attack. Their new mantra paved the way for a new generation of English talents who, under Morgan’s guidance, revolutionised their batsmen’s approach to the game.

This change of approach was vindicated after it eventually culminated in a fascinating win for England in the ODI World Cup last year, which was the first in the history of the country.

Regardless of everything else that happens between now and the end of his career, nothing will change the fact that he was the first captain to ever lift an ODI World Cup trophy for England.

That said, one wouldn’t put it past Morgan to even better his legacy before he calls it a day, and judging by his form in T20Is since last year, it’s easy to understand why.

Player	Matches	Runs	Average	Strike Rate
Eoin Morgan (England)	17	506	38.92	173.28
Ross Taylor (New Zealand)	16	442	31.57	127.74
Muhammad Usman (UAE)	19	383	23.93	131.61
Richie Berrington (Scotland)	15	380	31.66	140.22
Tamoor Sajjad (Qatar)	15	380	34.54	135.71

*T20Is matches from 2019-2020

Not only is his average of 38.92 in T20Is over the last year better than his career average of 30.27, but his strike rate of 173.28 from 2019 to 2020 is also much better than his overall strike rate of 138.95 in the shortest format of the game.

Morgan has scored five of his 14 career T20I fifties over the last year, including his best of 91, which he made off just 41 balls against New Zealand last November.

Furthermore, he’s the leading run-getter in T20Is in the past year with 506, ahead of the likes of Ross Taylor, Kieron Pollard and Mohammad Nabi. His strike rate of 173.28 from 2019 to 2020 isn’t bettered by any of the top 10 run-scorers over the last year either.

The fact that he’s in such good nick can only bode well for England’s T20Is World Cup aspirations next year.

Unlikely to change their successful formula, expect the England skipper and his boys to go all guns blazing in pursuit of the grandest prize in the game’s youngest international format as Morgan eyes becoming the first captain to hold both the ODI and T20I World Cup trophies simultaneously.

Having said that, it’s worth pointing out that winning the T20I World Cup in India will be easier said than done. Lest we forget, his numbers in the T20Is in India and the Indian T20 League, in particular, doesn’t exactly inspire confidence at first glance.

After six seasons and 52 Indian T20 League matches, Morgan has scored 854 runs at an average of 21.35 and strike rate of 121.13. However, the Irish-born English captain will be looking to improve that record in the upcoming edition of the Indian T20 League in UAE.

With conditions in UAE similar to India’s, Morgan can make use of the upcoming Indian T20 League by acclimatising to his surroundings and getting a better understanding of what to expect next year.

He can view the upcoming Indian T20 League as somewhat of a dress rehearsal for the T20I World Cup next year and look to better his numbers in domestic T20's biggest stage.

If Morgan can carry his recent T20I form into the Indian T20 League, expect fireworks from the often belligerent left-hander as he looks to get some runs under his belt in India with the long-term view of doing the same in the T20I World Cup next year and winning the tournament.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Mike Hewitt

The uncertainty around the order in which India and Australia would host the T20 World Cups following the postponement of the series has now been resolved, as India will hold on to the rights for the 2021 men's T20 World Cup, while Australia will host the 2022 edition.

India will host the 2021 event between October-November next year, with the final to be held on November 14 while Australia, who were set to host the 2020 edition will now do so between October-November 2022 and the final is scheduled for November 13.

Another significant development was the postponement of the 2021 women's ODI World Cup, which will now be held in New Zealand between February 6-March 7 of 2022.

The ICC's development wing, the ICC Business Corporation, took these decisions after the board signalled the ICC management to draw up fresh windows for the T20 World Cups in October-November 2021 and October-November 2022, and the ODI World Cup in October-November 2023, pushed back from its original March-April window.

This latest development follows the postponement and rescheduling of other high-profile events in cricket, including the delaying and relocation of the 2020 Indian T20 League tournament as well as the England-India limited-overs series.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Indranil Mukherjee

 

India's cricket chief Sourav Ganguly said Wednesday the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament has been called off amid the global pandemic.

The event, which had Pakistan as original hosts, was scheduled for September with the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka frontrunners to stage the tournament.

"Asia Cup has been cancelled. It was due in September," Ganguly, who turned 48 on Wednesday, said in an Instagram chat with an Indian television station.

Ganguly's statement comes after Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Wasim Khan said last month that the Asia Cup would go ahead as scheduled in either Sri Lanka or the UAE.

The tournament was not to be held in Pakistan due to India's refusal to tour the country over political tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

The International Cricket Council this month will also decide on the future of the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled for October-November in Australia.

If these tournaments are scrapped, it will pave the way for this season's lucrative Indian T20 League -- which was postponed amid the nationwide lockdown -- to find new dates.

"We don't know when will the T20 happen because it is difficult to get a window," said Ganguly.

"ICC is trying (to ensure) World T20 takes place in October. Because ICC generates a lot of revenue from this.

"Till the time we get clear-cut directions from ICC, we cannot talk about it. Because we don't have a window as we travel to Australia in December."

Ganguly said the Board of Control for Cricket in India would be keen to host the touranment, which is estimated to generate more than $11 billion for the Indian economy.

"We will try hard to and make it happen because it is very important for India," said the former Indian captain.

"We will try and host it in India; that will be our first target. Try and find a place where there are three-four venues and no (virus).

"But if it cannot happen, then we will think about taking it overseas. So all options are open. We will have to wait and watch."

The Sri Lankan and UAE cricket boards have already shown interest in hosting the T20 tournament, which attracts global superstars.

It was recently reported that New Zealand have also thrown in their hat to host the popular event but Ganguly said these were all rumours.

"All these are stories," said Ganguly. "There were reports that New Zealand can host the T20 league, but nothing like this has been discussed in BCCI."

The world's wealthiest T20 tournament has twice been held outside India in years that it clashed with national elections.

South Africa hosted the second Indian T20 League in 2009, and the first half of the 2014 season took place in the UAE.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Prakash Singh

The International Cricket Council said on Wednesday it was still planning for the Twenty20 World Cup to take place in Australia this year but reiterated that contingency arrangements were being considered.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from October 18 to November 15 but is under threat due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.

"The International Cricket Council board today agreed to continue exploring a number of contingency plans regarding the future of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 and the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2021 (in New Zealand) until next month whilst planning for delivery of the events in the scheduled window is ongoing," the ICC said in a statement.

The ICC said it was assessing and evaluating the rapidly changing public health situation caused by global pandemic.

ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney added: "The situation surrounding the global pandemic is evolving rapidly and we want to give ourselves the best possible opportunity to make the right decision for the whole sport. 

"The health and well-being of everyone involved is our priority and other considerations fall out from that.

"We will only get one chance to make this decision and it needs to be the right one and as such we will continue to consult with our members, broadcasters, partners, governments and players and to ensure that we make a well-informed decision."

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Lakruwan Wanniarachchi

Shashank Manohar is prepared to stay on as International Cricket Council chairman to oversee a "smooth transition" following reports that former India captain Sourav Ganguly is considering standing, the ICC said on Wednesday.

Indian administrator Manohar, who became the ICC's first independent chairman in 2016, has ruled out a third term in office.

The game's global governing body said no final decision had been taken regarding the election process but the subject would be discussed further on Thursday.

There had been suggestions that Colin Graves, who recently stood down as chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, would succeed Manohar unopposed until reports emerged that Ganguly, currently the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, was interested in the role.

South African director of cricket Graeme Smith has backed fellow former Test captain Ganguly, saying: "It is time for someone close to the modern game with leadership credentials to get into the position."

The ICC also said suggestions that the men's Twenty20 World Cup in Australia, scheduled to start in October, had been postponed due to the global pandemic were "inaccurate", although it said contingencies were being explored.

A postponement could allow the already postponed Indian T20 League to go ahead in its place.

Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins said: "If that opens up a window I think the Indian T20 League would be a great fit."

But the ICC said: "Reports of a postponement of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 are inaccurate and planning for the event continues."

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Jewel Samad

13 years ago, one queer spell in the death overs of the inaugural T20 World Cup final won India the crown. Joginder Sharma perhaps defined why T20 qualifies as a completely different ball game on that day. Since then, we have seen some outrageous spells in T20 World Cups.

Here's a look at three of the best.

Ajantha Mendis - 6/8 vs Zimbabwe (2012)

Ajantha Mendis bettered his own record to register the best ever T20I figures in the 2012 T20 World Cup game against Zimbabwe. The Sri Lankan mystery spinner had 183 runs to defend and wrecked Zimbabwe with a rip-roaring spell of six-for-eight.

Read | Four match-winning ODI spells in World Cups

Mendis broke the opening stand in the last over of powerplay and sent back Brendan Taylor on the next ball to take his second wicket. By the end of the 11th over, he had three more. The sixth was completed as he dismissed Elton Chigumbura as Zimbabwe lost all of their first six wickets to deadly Mendis. 

Mustafizur Rahman - 5/22 vs New Zealand (2016)

The 2016 World Cup in India saw some exciting spells from pacers and spinners alike. At Kolkata, Mustafizur Rahman gave Bangladesh a fighting chance as he snared a five-for-22 to bowl New Zealand out for 145. Mustafizur dismissed Henry Nicholls and Kane Williamson, the first two wickets to fall, and later returned to clean up New Zealand's lower middle-order and finish with a five-wicket haul.

However, Bangladesh messed up the run-chase and were bowled out for 70 in pursuit of the target.

Mitchell Santner - 4/11 vs India (2016)

The opening game of the 2016 T20 World Cup was a humdinger between India and New Zealand at Nagpur. With just 126 on board, the Kiwis seemed well on course for a heavy defeat.

Read | Top three outstanding Test knocks by Steve Smith

However, on a slow Nagpur track, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi spun a web around the Indians. Santner sent back Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina in the same over (the third over of the innings) to cripple India's start. Later as Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni looked to resurrect the innings, the left-arm spinner sent back Pandya. He later dismissed Dhoni too to finish with spectacular figures of 4 for 11 in his spell.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Money Sharma

The ICC T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia is likely to be postponed due to the pandemic. Sources say that the tournament will be moved to 2022 as there is no playing window available in 2021. 

Thee global pandemic continues to haunt the sporting industry, with the World Cup in Australia being the latest tournament to be affected after reports emerged that the Indian T20 League, too, will be called off. The T20 World Cup, on its part, was scheduled to take place from 18 October to 15 November in seven venues across Australia.

A two-year postponement, meanwhile, comes on the back of a hectic cricketing schedule in 2021. In December this year, India are scheduled to travel Down Under, and this will be followed by the Big Bash League in Australia early in 2021. March and April wouldn’t be the ideal months as the Indian T20 League would take the centre stage during the tenure.

“The question being internally discussed was to postpone it but there was no status quo on ‘until when?�?Well, India is scheduled to tour Australia in December." a source close to developments was quoted as saying by TOI.

"Early next year, Australia have their Big Bash scheduled. March would not be an ideal time (with the Indian T20 League to begin in April) because the broadcaster won’t agree to back-to-back T20 events," the source further added.

“India is anyway hosting the 2021 T20 World Cup. So, the ideal choice has to be 2022,�?the source further added.

The coronavirus pandemic has already led to the postponement of several high-profile competitions, which includes the Tokyo Olympics and Euro.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Ishara S. Kodikara