An introduction of the four office bearers whom Ganguly will work closely with in the coming months

Vishal Dikshit23-Oct-2019Among the five newly elected office bearers who are set to take over their positions in the BCCI, Sourav Ganguly is the only one who needs no introduction. The other four, from different state associations, with varying backgrounds, are familiar with cricket administration but the fans might not be familiar with them. So, here’s an introduction.Jay Shah, secretary (from Gujarat Cricket Association)The youngest office bearer in the new BCCI administration by a distance, 31-year-old Jay Shah has been with the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) since 2009 and is Indian home minister Amit Shah’s son. Jay, an engineer, was elected as an executive board member in the Central Board of Cricket, Ahmedabad, in May 2009, and he took over as the joint-secretary of the GCA in September 2013.Ahmedabad’s Sardar Patel Stadium, host to IPL and international matches, has been under renovation since 2015 and is expected, when complete, to be the biggest stadium in India.Arun Singh Dhumal, treasurer (from Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association)Elected president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) last month, Arun Singh Dhumal is also the younger brother of former BCCI president Anurag Thakur, the current Indian minister of state for finance and corporate affairs.Dhumal, 44, brings with him three years of administrative experience at the HPCA, having served as the vice-president from 2012 to 2015, during Thakur’s stint as president, before he had to step down because of the Supreme Court of India’s intervention following the Lodha Committee’s recommendations on administrative reform. Dhumal then led the three-member ad-hoc committee that was set up to lead the HPCA until the association adopted a new constitution in line with the Lodha reforms.HPCA

As the HPCA’s vice-president, Dhumal oversaw the association’s day-to-day cricketing operations and the development of the stadium in Dharamsala, which started hosting international matches in January 2013. Dhumal has also represented HPCA at BCCI meetings in the past.Jayesh George, joint-secretary (from Kerala Cricket Association)Jayesh George has the most varied experience among the new BCCI office bearers. At the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), he has held the posts of joint-secretary, treasurer, secretary and, most recently, president after the state elections last month.George started as a wicketkeeper-batsman for Swanton Cricket Club in Ernakulam, where former India quick Tinu Yohannan also played, and became part of the KCA as a district representative in 2005. He was then an office bearer from 2013 to 2018 in three different capacities: joint-secretary, secretary and treasurer.He has also been the manager of India A teams on overseas tours of Australia and New Zealand recently. At 50, he is the oldest of the BCCI’s five office bearers.Mahim Verma, vice-president (from Cricket Association of Uttarakhand)Mahim Verma first aspired to be a professional cricketer but an accident in his youth forced him to turn to cricket administration to stay in the sport.His father, PC Verma, was the secretary of the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU), and Mahim took over as the joint-secretary in 2009. He held that position for 10 years until last month, when he was elected as the secretary unopposed, only weeks after the association got BCCI affiliation. Verma, 45, now hopes to bring more international cricket and IPL games to Uttarakhand.”It is like a dream come true, a few weeks ago we were running around to get BCCI affiliation for CAU,” Verma told the last week. “But now they have rewarded Uttarakhand cricket in a big way by appointing me as the vice-president of BCCI.”

Bowling coach expects team to adopt a ‘horses for courses’ approach to choose between Ashwin and Jadeja

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2019Jasprit Bumrah’s injured back might not require surgery “as of now”, according to India bowling coach Bharat Arun. India’s fast bowling spearhead is, however, unlikely to play a part in the remainder of India’s home season, which features limited-overs series against Bangladesh, West Indies and Sri Lanka over the next three months.Earlier in October, Bumrah visited the UK with the National Cricket Academy’s chief physiotherapist Ashish Kaushik, and consulted specialists to treat the back problem. The BCCI hasn’t made public the nature of Bumrah’s problem, except saying in a press release that the injury was “minor”.ALSO READ: ‘Is it Ashwin and Jadeja or Jadeja and Ashwin?'”Fast bowling is an unnatural activity. Despite our best efforts there can be no guarantees. We expect Bumrah to be back sooner than later, hopefully in time for the New Zealand Test series that is our next big challenge,” Arun told the . “As of now, he doesn’t need surgery.”Bumrah’s absence hasn’t affected the performance of India’s fast bowling group, though, with Umesh Yadav stepping up to join Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma to form a solid combine against South Africa in the recent Test series.Arun, who has been working with the bowlers since 2015, was particularly impressed with Umesh’s comeback – he picked up 11 wickets in two Tests, a majority of those a reward for attacking the stumps.”He’s strong and quick and now he is bowling in better channels, making the batsman play around the off stump,” Arun said. “He’s got reverse swing, has a nasty short ball. He and Shami, who is fast, accurate and dangerous, are a potent combination.”Arun also conceded that there might be no immediate end in sight to the battle between R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to be the No. 1 Test spinner. Chances are the team management will go in for a “horses for courses” approach should they have to pick just one of the two.While their performances have been neck-and-neck with the ball, the team management has in the past considered Jadeja’s batting and fielding contributions as a valuable add-on, especially overseas.”He’s among the best spinners in the world, top class, and is approaching 400 Test wickets,” Arun said of Ashwin. “In fact, Ashwin went to England and Australia as our No. 1 spinner and then ran into fitness issues. Ravindra Jadeja grabbed his chance, giving us control with the ball, solidity with the bat and fielding brilliantly.”Away from home, if we have to pick one of the two in the eleven, it will be horses for courses looking at the conditions and the opposition. Then we have Kuldeep Yadav who picked five with his wrist spin in his last Test, in Sydney. We have an embarrassment of riches.”

Also, Saha undergoes ‘successful right finger surgery’ after picking up fracture in pink-ball Test

Shashank Kishore27-Nov-2019A week after being left out of India’s T20I squad without playing a game against Bangladesh, Sanju Samson has been called in again as an injury replacement for regular opener Shikhar Dhawan for the three T20Is against West Indies starting on December 6.Dhawan injured his left leg, which the BCCI’s medical team described as a “deep cut on his left knee”, during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game for Delhi against Maharashtra last week. Dhawan still “needs some more time for his stitches to come off and his wound to heal properly”, the BCCI said in a media release.In Dhawan’s absence, it is more than likely India will slot in the in-form KL Rahul at the top of the order with Rohit Sharma. Rahul has been key to Karnataka’s excellent run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – the domestic T20s – having aggregated 225 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 145.16, with a highest 84 off 48 balls against Punjab, as of November 26.Samson featured in just four of Kerala’s six matches in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, finishing with one half-century. Prior to that, he struck the highest individual score (212*) in Vijay Hazare Trophy – the domestic one-dayers – history. It was also his maiden List A hundred, which helped him earn a national recall after four years.Samson, whose only appearance for India came in a T20I in Zimbabwe in 2015, was set to take part in Rajasthan Royals’ conditioning camp for their local players in Talegaon in the first week of December. Since finishing his commitments in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Samson has been training under his personal coach Biju George, the former fielding coach of the India women’s team, in Thiruvananthapuram.Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha underwent surgery in Mumbai on Tuesday for a fracture on his right ring finger. The 35-year-old, who was lauded for his wicketkeeping during India’s inaugural day-night pink-ball Test in Kolkata, picked up the injury during the game.He was subsequently referred to a hand and wrist specialist, who suggested a “surgical fixation of the fracture”. The BCCI termed the surgery “successful”, and Saha is expected to commence rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. It’s as yet unclear how long Saha’s injury will take to heal.India’s next Test assignment is a tour of New Zealand in February.India’s squad for West Indies T20Is: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma (vice-capt), KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sanju Samson

The ODI series win against Australia means the team will hit the road on a happy note, the India captain said

Varun Shetty20-Jan-20201:32

Need to put NZ under pressure from the get-go in their conditions – Kohli

India will focus on starting their T20I series against New Zealand, which will kick off the month-long, all-format tour of the country, with “intensity”, Virat Kohli said on the eve of their departure to Auckland.In the short ODI series at home against Australia, India batted first with mixed results in the first two matches, before sealing the third one in a chase. One way or other, Kohli said, India wanted to go into the New Zealand series with clarity and purpose.”We want to bat well when we bat first and in case we’re defending a low total, we should be able to do that as well,” Kohli said. “[…] Clarity of mind is really crucial because we’re playing in conditions that are not ours, so we have to take even more intensity into that series to put the home team under pressure, set that sort of template from game one and build from there.”We can’t afford to ease into the series after two games, because then it keeps getting tougher and tougher, so we’ll look to make a mark in the first game that we play, play expressive cricket and be sure of what we want to do.”ALSO READ: ‘The last six or eight months have been a revelation’ – KohliIndia lost their first ODI against Australia by ten wickets before coming back to win the series 2-1. Kohli said that during the huddle ahead of the final ODI against Australia in Bengaluru on Sunday, the team discussed going to New Zealand on a happy note, and beating a team like Australia was vital ahead of a tough tour.Virat Kohli expects a lot of intensity from the Indians on the tour of New Zealand•BCCI

“It’s important. We spoke of that at the huddle, that this is the last game we’re playing in the series and if we win, you go on a tour on a happy note,” Kohli said. “If you lose, it can go under the radar, you can brush it aside as ‘oh it’s just one loss’, but when you win and win under pressure – the last two games were tough wins – it boosts your confidence which we’re carrying forward, so looking forward to the New Zealand tour.”India last toured New Zealand almost exactly a year ago and began with a 4-1 win in the ODI series, but New Zealand won the T20I series that followed. That tour came in the lead up to last year’s ODI World Cup, and the number of matches in each format are reverse this year, with the T20 World Cup scheduled for later in the year.”[On the last tour] we were very positive in how we played, very sure of what we wanted to do,” Kohli said. “The thing about playing away is if you’re able to put the home team under pressure, you can enjoy your cricket. You have to win at home, there’s that sort of feeling. So if you bring out your A game, you can really put them under pressure.”That’s what we did last year, squeezed them in the middle overs, picked up wickets, and the spinners were outstanding. Looking forward to take that same intensity into the series. We’ve played really well in 2020, want to continue that.”

He however said the two parties are “still a long way from agreeing anything”

Mohammad Isam06-Jan-2020Ottis Gibson became the second person to be linked with the Bangladesh bowling coach’s job, after former South Africa seamer Nantie Hayward had applied for the role earlier this week. Gibson confirmed that he is having discussions with the BCB but did not reveal any more details.Gibson is currently the head coach of Cumilla Warriors, the BPL side that is managed by the BCB. He is working closely with chief selector Minhajul Abedin, board director Naimur Rahman and a few other BCB coaches.”I am not going to deny that a discussion is going on,” Gibson said. “We are still a long way from agreeing anything. We will see. Of course I love cricket and coaching bowling. If there’s an opportunity to help young fast bowlers, I will look at that opportunity.”I know some of the players. Al-Amin is in our team. I pride myself on forming relationships quickly with players. I have no problem coming in and trying to help young and experienced bowlers. If the opportunity is there, I will definitely look at it.”Hayward, Sylhet Thunder’s bowling coach, has also applied for the job that was vacated by Charl Langeveldt, who cut short his two-year contract by taking up the South Africa job last month.

Alex Hales’ fine form continued but the Strikers were well on course for victory when the game changed with a run out

The Report by Daniel Brettig01-Feb-2020The Sydney Thunder would not have qualified for any Big Bash League finals series before this one. Having benefited from the addition of a fifth team, they are now a game from playing off for the trophy against the Sydney Sixers after edging past the Adelaide Strikers in a nervy-wracked affair at Adelaide Oval.All three BBL finals so far have been won by the team batting first, and once again the pressure of the situation got to the Strikers just as they appeared set to run down the Thunder’s 7 for 151. From 3 for 115 needing 37 from 31 balls, the Strikers lost 6 for 24 to ultimately fall nine runs short of winning through to face the Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Thursday night.Chris Morris celebrates the wicket of Matt Short•Getty Images

The tale of the game was ultimately told in how the Thunder captain Callum Ferguson was able to rely upon three outstanding spells from Jono Cook, Daniel Sams and Chris Morris, whereas the Strikers’ otherwise excellent bowling display had been let down by Billy Stanlake and Wes Agar leaking 75 off seven overs between them.Hales feasts on short stuffHeavy rain in Adelaide had provoked doubt over whether the match would begin on time or even be completed at all, but the skies cleared and the ground drained with more than enough time to spare. The weather left in its wake a fresher pitch than usual for an Adelaide Oval T20 match, convincing the Strikers captain Travis Head to send the Thunder in, having batted fist whenever possible in earlier home matches.The strategy for the Strikers, then, would have appeared obvious, in terms of bowling a little fuller than usual to seek movement and outside edges. However, Stanlake and Agar appeared not to have got the memo, dropping down obligingly short for Usman Khawaja briefly and then Alex Hales at length to use their power off the back foot. Siddle and Michael Neser were far more intelligent in their approaches, often beating the bat whenever they bowled a driveable length, meaning the Thunder scorecard soon developed a lopsided appearance.Strikers keep Thunder middle order quietSo while Hales scored freely, others struggled, though Ferguson was very unfortunate to be fired out lbw to Siddle by the umpire Paul Wilson – the ball looked to be comfortably clearing the stumps as the batsman tried to pull it. Hales’ innings was ended when he misread a Rashid Khan leg break as a wrong’un and edged it tamely to point, and the sight of Arjun Nair walking out to bat at No. 5 did not say much for the Thunder’s batting depth.Consequently, the innings gradually decelerated, as 2 for 89 after 11 overs deteriorated to 7 for 151 after 20. While Stanlake and Agar went for 75 between them from seven overs the e other Strikers bowlers cost just 76 from the remaining 13, and only Morris could pass 20 from among the Thunder’s middle-order players.Hosts’ chase begins uncertainlyThere was some excellent bowling upfront by the Thunder to give themselves a chance of defending their mediocre tally. Sams flummoxed Phil Salt with a slower ball to draw a catch to mid-on, Jake Weatherald was hurried out by an excellent bouncer from Chris Tremain, and Head, after looking composed and proactive, contrived to drag Cook’s wrist spin onto the stumps to have the Strikers uncertainly placed at 3 for 65 in the 10th over.But the depth of the Strikers’ batting line-up was underlined by the fact they had Jon Wells – the leading middle-order batsman in the tournament – coming in at No. 5 whereas the Thunder had needed to send in Nair. What followed was a 50-run stand in 35 balls between Wells and Alex Carey, as the target was quickly whittled down through deft placement and strategically timed boundaries. It was a surprise, in fact, when Carey was run out by a direct hit from Ferguson, leaving Wells with the primary responsibility.Thunder squeak home at the lastHe could only watch at the non-striker’s end as Rashid slogged Cook into the outfield to leave him with another fine set of figures, and Matt Short was then pinned lbw by a Morris delivery that was swift and straight. Wells and Neser then allowed the equation to drift out to 34 required from the final three overs, before they sized up Tremain. Neser’s obvious intention to walk towards the off side had Tremain bowling wide, and four times in the 18th over he pitched on our outside the tram lines to hand the Strikers a run.Two more boundaries meant the over cost 16 all up, and though Neser and Siddle departed in the penultimate over, Wells was left on strike needing 13 from the 20th. Given his tournament, Wells could reasonably have been expected to do the trick, but he edged an eminently cuttable Morris delivery first ball to depart, and more or less decide the game. The Thunder had, remarkably, required the bottom Melbourne Renegades to beat the Brisbane Heat to reach the finals at all, and now they are a game from a competition decider against their crosstown rivals.

He says when the second ODI against South Africa was called off, players knew a lockdown was imminent

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2020The cricket world has come to a standstill with all international and domestic fixtures being called off due to the outbreak of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) across the globe, but according to India coach Ravi Shastri this break is a “welcome rest” as far as India players are concerned.Talking to Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain and Rob Key on a Sky Sports podcast, Shastri said it was a good time for the players to re-energise themselves, especially after a long New Zealand tour where India played five T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests.”[This rest] cannot be a bad thing because towards the end of the New Zealand tour, you could see some cracks coming up when it came to mental fatigue, physical fitness and injuries,” Shastri said. “The amount of cricket we have played over the last ten months, that was beginning to take its toll. Guys like me, and some other guys from the support staff, we left India on May 23 for the World Cup in England. Since then we have been at home for 10 or 11 days.”There are certain players who played all three formats, so you can imagine the toll it has taken on them, especially being on the field, adjusting from T20s to Test match cricket and all the travel that goes with that because we travelled quite a lot. After England, we went to the West Indies, then played South Africa here [in India]. We had a season of two and a half months here and then again went off to New Zealand. So it has been tough but a welcome rest for players.”India is currently in a 21-day lockdown which started on March 25. As per Shastri, the team anticipated such measures would be taken to enforce social-distancing when South Africa’s tour of India was called off just before the second ODI in Lucknow.”It came as a shock but to be honest, having been on the road during the South Africa series, we guys anticipated it,” he said. “We knew something was on the cards as the disease had just started spreading. When the second ODI was called off, we knew something was gonna happen and a lockdown was imminent.”I think the players knew it was coming, they sensed it in New Zealand. There were apprehensions towards the end of that tour, when flights were coming through Singapore, out of Singapore. By the time we landed [in India], I thought we got out at just the right time. There were only two cases in New Zealand at that time, that has rocketed now to 300. The day we landed, that was the first day they were screening and testing people at the airport. So [we came back] just in the nick of the time.”Shastri agreed that in such a situation, players could play a great role by spreading awareness about this pandemic. “As players, you have a lot of responsibility,” he said. “That’s why the message is very clear that cricket should be last on everyone’s mind now,” he said. “I think the most important thing is safety and not ensuring just your safety but ensuring safety others as well, by creating a kind of awareness that tells people there is something serious around.”Virat has done it, a lot of other players have done it by posting certain messages on social media. So it’s imperative but all the players were very, very calm. They knew that it’s something very serious and there could be a hold up in cricket for some time.”

Joe Root and Jason Holder involved in discussions about rearranging three-Test series

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2020Representatives from England and West Indies, including Test captains Joe Root and Jason Holder, have been involved in “positive ongoing discussions” about rescheduling their forthcoming series, the ECB has said.West Indies were due to arrive in the UK this month ahead of a three-Test tour, but that has now been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The English season is currently on hold, with no cricket planned before July 1 and the ECB working on contingency plans to try and fulfil its international fixtures once lockdown restrictions are lifted.CWI chief executive Johnny Grave has previously outlined how the series could be moved to July. That would have involved a clash with the Hundred, but the ECB has subsequently put back the launch of its new tournament until 2021.ALSO READ: England will tour Sri Lanka in January – SLC chief executiveAny moves to put on Tests behind closed doors will need the approval of the UK government, however. Meetings with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport were held during the week, with the ECB understood to be taking a lead role in assessing the viability of “bio-secure” venues for the resumption of professional sport.On the cricketing side, Root and England’s coach, Chris Silverwood, took part in a video conference with their West Indies counterparts, Holder and Phil Simmons.”Positive ongoing discussions with the ECB and CWI continued on Friday,” an ECB spokesperson said. “Both boards were represented including captains, coaches, administrators and the chief medical officers from the respective boards.”Discussions were wide-ranging including dialogue around revised schedules and COVID-19 medical and biosecurity planning.”Meetings will be ongoing over the next few months to reach an outcome of when international cricket could potentially return. This is a long and detailed process and is very much in the early stages of planning. The guidance from the government will emphasise what we can do.”CWI has also kept the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) in the loop on the England tour. CWI and WIPA had a call on Wednesday and both parties committed to have more discussions on the possibility of the tour going ahead.Speaking in a recent interview with Caribbean TV channel CNC3, Holder said that all sides were involved in a “waiting game” but hopeful of a positive outcome despite ongoing worries about the coronavirus.”We’re still sitting back and waiting. I just think it’s a situation where we’re all monitoring the situation over in England, particularly in Europe as well,” Holder said. “I’ve seen a few things in other sports where they’ve pushed the schedules back and not having fans … but it’s a waiting game. We can only sit tight and hope and pray we resume some type of normalcy in the not-too-distant future.”This thing has been really, really serious, as we all know, and has claimed quite a few lives throughout the world, and that’s the last thing any of us would really want. I think we’ve got to play the safety card first before we can even think about resuming our normal lives.”

It is understood a formal letter from the government is expected on Friday

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Aug-2020The Indian government is set to give the BCCI permission to move the 2020 IPL to the UAE. ESPNcricinfo understands that different wings of the government, including Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs, have given the nod for the tournament to be shifted outside India as the country is coping with a high surge of Covid-19 cases that have crossed the 2-million mark.Although both BCCI and IPL have not made a comment yet, it is understood a formal letter from the government is expected to be sent on Friday.ALSO READ: Rigorous testing, restricted movement, one team per hotel, in IPL SOPsOn Wednesday, the IPL conducted a meeting with the franchises to seek their views on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) along with questions, including the travel arrangements for players and support staff, the necessary testing protocols and the quarantine process before and after the teams land in the UAE.Breach the bubble and face the penaltyThe IPL made it absolutely clear to franchises that any stake holder – be it a team member or owner – breaching the biosecure bubble would be penalised as per the tournament’s code of conduct although it did not exactly specify the penalty itself.”Breach of any Bio-Secure Environment protocols by players and team support staff will be punishable under the IPL Code of Conduct Rules,” the IPL said in the draft SOP document spanning 16 pages, titled “Overview of Health & Safety Protocols during IPL 2020 Season”.According to the protocols, team members can leave the bubble only “under exceptional circumstances, e.g. hospital visits for scans,” but with “prior” permission from the IPL Medical Manager, a new position created due to the pandemic. “In such cases, special arrangements will be made to ensure minimal contact with other personnel outside the Bio-Secure Environment,” the document said.Franchises to appoint a team doctorEvery franchise would need to appoint a team doctor, who would be responsible for implementing all medical guidelines. The IPL has also recommended the franchises get the “medical and travel history” of every team member since March 1, information it has said should be obtained two weeks before flying out to the UAE. “This will be done via an online questionnaire along with a daily temperature logging and symptom checker going live 2 weeks before the team’s assembly,” it said in the SOP document.The IPL has also proposed teams should only depart for the UAE from August 20 with minimum squads and ideally on charter flights. Another thing that will be compulsory for team members is wearing a “triple layered mask” in public places.The IPL has already put up a rigorous testing process in place with mandatory multiple tests before they start training. This would also include having a six-day quarantine period upon landing in the UAE. In addition to the test upon landing at the airport in the UAE, all team members would undergo three further tests – on days one, three and six after arriving. Only once the results of all tests come out negative can team members meet within the bubble, but would need to wear masks while following social-distancing norms.Enter ShycocanAll eight teams would also need to stay separately. “Team members must be allotted rooms in a separate wing of the hotel that has a separate centralised air conditioning (AC) unit than the rest of the hotel,” the IPL said.Teams meetings, the IPL has said, should be conducted in open spaces as far as possible. Considering spectators would not be allowed for the matches, the IPL has said teams should not be confined in the designated dressing rooms and can spread across “vacant areas” in the ground.To mitigate the risk of Covid-19 at the venue, the IPL has recommended the use of Scalene Hypercharge Corona Canon (Shycocan), “a device that has the ability to neutralise 99.9% of the coronavirus that might be floating in the air in closed spaces.”On match days, team members would need to have their temperature checked, and during and after the game team members have been discouraged to engage in celebrations involving any body contact including “handshakes.”Owners/families to undergo seven-day quarantine if protocol breachedAs far as team owners and families of team members are concerned, the IPL has said the medical guidelines would apply to them, too, including the testing and social-distancing protocols. Owners and family members who are not part of the team bubble would not be allowed on the team bus to the ground.Owners and families who will be inside the team bubble from the beginning are also “not permitted” to meet people outside the bubble. Failing to follow the protocol would mean a week-long quarantine. They will also have to “return two negative PCR tests on Day 6 and Day 7, to be allowed to re-enter the Bio-Secure Environment.”

South Africa’s limited-overs captain says he “would have loved to have AB de Villiers”

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-20200:45

De Kock: We were pushing for AB de Villiers for the T20 World Cup

South Africa T20I captain Quinton de Kock has confirmed that AB de Villiers was in line to make a potential international comeback through this year’s T20 World Cup, which was officially postponed to 2021 earlier this week. de Kock’s admission is in line with discussions in December last year, when then-captain Faf du Plessis and newly-appointed head coach Mark Boucher had said conversations had been ongoing to try and bring de Villiers back into South Africa’s T20I squad.”He was definitely in line. If fit, I would have loved to have AB de Villiers,” de Kock said on the Cricket Connected show on Star Sports. “I think any team would have loved to have AB de Villiers in their team. While we were pushing for him, now we will have to see when the T20 World Cup is going to happen now.”On his part, de Villiers himself had shown a keenness to return and “throw his hat in the ring” for the T20 World Cup without any expectations when he was at the Big Bash League earlier this year.”There’s a lot that needs to happen before that becomes reality, I would love to,” de Villers told reporters after making his BBL debut for Brisbane Heat in January. “I’ve been talking to Bouch, Graeme Smith and Faf back home. We are all keen to make it happen, it’s a long way away still and plenty can happen – there’s the IPL coming, I’ve still got to be in form at that time. I’m thinking of throwing my name in the hat and hoping everything will work out.ALSO READ: Can Dhoni, Gayle and Malinga go on till the 2021 T20 World Cup?It was the first definitive statement from the batsman, who retired from international cricket in May 2018 and has since been the subject of regular speculation for a comeback, particularly around last year’s ODI World Cup when a last-minute offer to return was turned down by South Africa management.de Villiers has since been vocal about the comfort around the discussions at present, given the sweeping changes in Cricket South Africa which is now run by many of his former team-mates. He captained the winning side in CSA’s experimental 3TC format last week, which was his first match on record since January at the BBL. With the T20 World Cup now scheduled for late 2021, the pathway for a return might have become decidedly longer.