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Security tight as teams arrive

February 28, 2013

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Hyderabad, Feb 28: The second Test between India and Australia will commence on?Saturday under heavy security with over 70 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to monitor the movements of the cricket fans at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here.

After the twin bomb blasts in Dilsukhnagar that killed 17 and injured over 100 people, the flak over the malfunctioning of the CCTV cameras had forced the authorities to take a tough stand over security in the State capital.

A series of unprecedented measures have been put in place with the most prominent being the installation of CCTV cameras to ensure optimum surveillance for the Test match beginning from Saturday (March 2).

Around 2000 policemen and over 70 CCTV cameras at the stadium and over 100 scanners along the route from Taj Krishna Hotel to the venue will be put in place to ensure tight security. Even the tickets were being issued on Thursday at e-counters with bio-metric identification.

However, the sale of tickets for the Test match was not all that encouraging and is expected to pick up on the first day of the match depending on the team batting first.

The Cricket Australia officials, including security manager Franc Dimasui, and BCCI officials visited the stadium and gave instructions for additional security measures. They also urged for extra exit points in case of any emergency.

On Tuesday, top police officials inspected the stadium and were engaged in a series of discussions with the HCA to evolve a comprehensive, fool-proof security plan for the match.

A former Test cricketer, who is now in HCA administration, said the entire area would be cordoned off and no one would be allowed into the stadium without a valid identity card. “No mobile phones will be allowed inside the stadium at any cost,” he said.

All vendors have been given clear instructions to sell eatables and refreshments only in plastic disposables, and no loose serving of the eatables and beverages from any large containers will be allowed.

“We are taking no chances,” HCA secretary M V Sridhar said. In 2010, Indian Premier League games were shifted out of Hyderabad due to the Telangana agitation.

Meanwhile, the Indian and Australian teams arrived here on Wednesday. After a day’s rest, both teams would practice on Thursday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uppal.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

New Delhi, Aug 2: BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Sunday said the Women's IPL or the Challenger series, as it is better known, is "very much on", ending speculation about the parent body not having a plan for Harmanpreet Kaur and her team.

The men's IPL will be held between September 19 and November 8 or 10 (final date yet to be locked in) in the UAE due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in India. The women's IPL will also be fit in to the schedule, according to the BCCI chief.

"I can confirm to you that the women's IPL is very much on and we do have a plan in place for the national team also," Ganguly told PTI ahead of the IPL Governing Council meeting later on Sunday.

The BCCI president, who is awaiting a Supreme Court verdict on waiver of the cooling-off period to continue in the position, did not divulge details but another senior official privy to the development said that women's Challenger will be held during the last phase of IPL like last year.

"The women's Challenger series is likely to be held between November 1-10 and there could be a camp before that," the source said.

The former India captain also said that the centrally contracted women players will have a camp which has been delayed due to the prevailing situation in the country.

"We couldn't have exposed any of our cricketers -- be it male or female to health risk. It would have been dangerous," Ganguly said.

"The NCA also remained shut because of Covid-19. But we have a plan in place and we will have a camp for women, I can tell you that," he added.

The BCCI's cricket operations team is chalking up a schedule where Indian women are likely to have two full-fledged white-ball series against South Africa and the West Indies before playing the ODI World Cup in New Zealand. 

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News Network
June 29,2020

Jun 29: The West Indies cricketers will sport a 'Black Lives Matter' logo on the collars of their shirts during the upcoming three-Test series against England to protest against racism in sports.

Skipper Jason Holder, who has voiced his support to the cause that has once again come to the forefront after the killing of American George Floyd, said in a statement on Sunday: "We believe we have a duty to show solidarity and also to help raise awareness."

The ICC-approved logo, designed by Alisha Hosannah, will be the one which featured in the shirts of all 20 Premier League football clubs since the sport's resumption earlier this month.

"This is a pivotal moment in history for sports, for the game of cricket and for the West Indies cricket team," Holder was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"We have come to England to retain the Wisden Trophy but we are very conscious of happenings around the world and the fight for justice and equality. "As a group of young men, we know of the rich and diverse history of West Indies cricket and we know we are guardians of the great game for a generation to come."

Holder, who wants racism to be treated at par with doping and corruption, said they arrived at the decision to wear the logo after much thought.

"We did not take our decision lightly. We know what it is for people to make judgments because of the colour of our skin, so we know what it feels like, this goes beyond the boundary. There must be equality and there must be unity. Until we get that as people, we cannot stop," he said.

"We have to find some way to have equal rights and people must not be viewed differently because of the colour of their skin or ethnic background."

The West Indies players are likely to wear the shirts for the first time in this week's four-day warm-up match at Emirates Old Trafford, starting on Monday.

The opening Test of the series, which will mark the resumption of international cricket after the coronavirus-forced hiatus, will get underway at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on July 8.

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Agencies
June 23,2020

Islamabad, Jun 23: Seven more Pakistan cricketers, including Muhammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz, selected for the tour of England have tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total to 10, the PCB revealed on Tuesday.

The seven who tested positive on Tuesday are Kashif Bhatti, Muhammad Hasnain, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Rizwan, Imran Khan, Hafeez and Riaz. Shadab Khan, Haider Ali and Haris Rauf had returned positive tests on Monday.

“It is not a great situation to be in and what it shows is these are 10 fit and young athletes...if it can happen to players it can happen to anyone,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) CEO, Wasim Khan told a media conference.

He said a support staff member, masseur Malang Ali, had also tested positive for COVID-19.

Khan said that the players and officials would now assemble in Lahore and another round of tests would be carried out on June 25 and a revised squad would be announced the next day.

The squad has to leave on June 28 for the series scheduled to be held next month, he said.

“It is a matter of concern but we shouldn’t panic at this time as we have time on our hands,” Khan said.

He said the players and officials would be retested on reaching England.

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