Cricket news round-up – March 24: First national contract for Beuran Hendricks

Beuran Hendricks earned his first national contract, the Caribbean Premier League organisers are yet to discuss an alternative plan, PCB offered help to combat Covid-19, and the ICC adopted a work-from-home policy.

Hendricks gets CSA contract

Beuran Hendricks earned his first national contract, whereas Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius and Rassie van der Dussen among men and Nadine de Klerk and Sinalo Jafta among women cricketers earned contract upgrades. Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced the list of players who would be receiving national contracts for the 2020-21 season.

CSA Acting Chief Executive – Dr. Jacques Faul said,”We have contracted 16 men’s players and 14 women’s players which we feel is the appropriate number to maintain our national squads across the various formats.”

CSA contracted men’s players: Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.

CSA contracted women’s players: Trisha Chetty, Nadine de Klerk, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Lizelle Lee, Sune Luus, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk, Laura Wolvaardt.

PCB help combat Covid-19

Pakistan Cricket Board offered their high-performance centre in Karachi to paramedic staff to help them combat the Covid-19 while working at Expo Centre. The Chief Operating Officer, Salman Naseer said, “All the paramedic staff are our heroes as in these challenging and difficult times, they are risking their lives to save the lives and well-being of many affected by COVID-19.”

He added, “As a small token of our appreciation and acknowledgement to these unsung heroes and as part of our duty of care, the PCB is pleased to offer its state-of-the-art Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre as a temporary lodging and boarding for the paramedic staff working at Expo Centre hospital so that they can serve those suffering from COVID-19 more effectively and efficiently.”

CPL plan still unchanged

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is scheduled for August-September this year. The organizers are not yet ready to take any call and noticing the world events in the wake of the Covid-19. An official CPL statement read, “CPL has been in constant communication with our medical advisors in recent weeks, as well as speaking with Cricket West Indies about the current situation with regard to cricket around the world, and at present there has been no discussion about moving the event. CPL believes it is too early to make such a decision, but this is an evolving situation and we are carefully watching how events unfold in the Caribbean and around the world.”

The organizers are still planning for the scheduled slot between August 19 and September 26. “At present the CPL team are planning for the tournament to take place as scheduled whilst also looking at alternative plans should they be needed.”

ICC headquarters shut down

The headquarters of the International Cricket Council was shut down in Dubai amid the ongoing pandemic. The work-from-home policy was taken by the ICC from this week to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

ICC already notified to hold their month-end meetings via conference call which were earlier scheduled to be organized in Dubai. “In light of the continued global spread of COVID-19, concerns expressed by Members and mindful of the importance of taking mitigating measures against the virus, the ICC Board, has decided to hold its meetings scheduled for Dubai at the end of March via conference call only,” the ICC said in a statement on March 12. The statement further read, “The Board and a number of committees will convene remotely to consider matters for urgent decision only, with the full meetings rescheduled for early May.”