Meanwhile, Ganguly has admitted that India no longer remains an option to host the event with a Sri Lanka tour lined up and the difficult dealings with quarantine that will come long. New Zealand is scheduled to play thee T20Is and as many ODIs against Pakistan in the same period in the UAE. South Africa is in line to play India for 3 T20Is and as many ODIs in India as a precursor to the T20 World Cup. This leaves only West Indies and Australia, who have space to make adjustments as they have an open window in September. While Australia is set to host Sri Lanka for three T20Is, the series will be played closer to the T20 World Cup, leaving them with a free space in this window.

Zimbabwean wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu is the second youngest Captain ever in Test cricket history1905 – Second official soccer game was played today. Netherlands beat Belgium four goals to nil1918 – Sunday Baseball was made legal in Washington DC1927 – The birth of ball-by-ball radio commentary. Rev Frank Gillingham was the commentator1983 – Zimbabwean wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu was born today. He became the youngest (20 years and 358 days) Captain ever in Test cricket history when he led Zimbabwe in May 2004 against Sri Lanka in Harare. She did that in the 2017 Cricket World cup against the West Indies

Compiled by Ranjika PereraUEFA has opened an investigation against the three clubs in connection to their involvement with the European Super League project. The nine clubs who pulled out of the European Super League – included Premier League clubs Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. UEFA issued a statement saying, “UEFA has reserved all rights to take whatever action it deems appropriate against those clubs that have so far refused to renounce the so-called ‘Super League’. Champions League final moved out of TurkeyWith two English clubs in the Champions League final, UEFA had wanted to move the final to Wembley and was in talks with the UK government. This will be the third Champions League final in Portugal in eight years but the first in Porto.

The post-BBL period would then be reserved for a beefed-up Australia A schedule to provide another, perhaps even stronger, level of first-class cricket beyond the Sheffield Shield. The Marsh One-Day Cup could be played in February-March or between Shield matches before Christmas. Chappell also believes an Australian Football League-style draft system, as well the introduction of another team or two, could stop more populous states from “warehousing” the best young talent. “I think we’ve already lost our position as the best at identifying talent and bringing it though. I think England are doing it better than us now and India are doing it better than us.”

This time it was Torino who was in the receiving end as Milan registered a 7-0 win over them. However, Christiano Ronaldo reached yet another milestone as he scored his 100th goals for Juve and became the first ever footballer to score 100 goals for three clubs and country. He previously scored more than 100 goals for Manchester United and Real Madrid. * LaLiga: Atletico Madrid inch closer to title as Barca slip more pointsDiego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid is inching closer to the title as they beat Athletic Bilbao two goals to one on Wednesday (12). Barcelona on the hand ruined their chances of closing in on Atletico Madrid as they conceded a late equalizer against Levante on Wednesday.

Tokyo 2020 is on track to be carbon-neutral, the IOC insists, and it describes itself as a carbon-neutral organisation alreadyThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) has committed to planting an “Olympic Forest” to offset more than 100 per cent of its “unavoidable” carbon emissions. The Olympic Forest will be part of the United Nations-backed Great Green Wall initiative to restore degraded landscapes across the Sahel region in Africa, which lies between the Sahara desert and the Sudanian savanna. A “climate-positive Olympic Games”In addition to offsetting IOC emissions, the Olympic Forest will offer long-term social and biodiversity benefits, it is claimed. The region’s population is expected to grow sharply in the coming years, and the Great Green Wall is designed to improve food security. As part of the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the organisation will look to stage climate-positive Olympic Games in future.

“All the contestants were informed today (12) that the election is going to be held using the Zoom technology and as a virtual one. And the SLC election committee is making the arrangements necessary for putting up a programme on counting votes etc. “We have been informed about the usage of Zoom technology and that the election is going to be held virtually. There will be a total number of 144 votes in this year’s SLC election. It has been also instructed to have those elections via Zoom technology in situations where there is no necessity for conducting secret ballots.

Dimuth Karunaratne (on left) is congratulated by Dhananjaya de Silva during Sri Lanka’s first Test against Bangladesh last month at Pallekele. Despite the Lankans ended the series in a draw in their favour, they still remain on the eighth position in the latest ten-team world Test country rankings out On Thursday (13)* World Test Championship finalists New Zealand only one point behind* England overtake Australia to third place* Sri Lanka only above Bangladesh and ZimbabweThe International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship finalists India and New Zealand remain the top two teams in ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings, sponsored by MRF Tyres, after the annual update carried out on yesterday (13). India have gained one rating point for an aggregate of 121 and New Zealand are only one point behind after gaining two points in Thursday’s update, which eliminates results from 2017-18. South Africa are in seventh position, equaling their lowest in Test ranking history, while Sri Lanka are next on the list. Bangladesh have lost five points but remain in ninth position while Zimbabwe have gained eight points but are still nine points behind Bangladesh.

The IOC said 70 per cent of quota places had been filled for the Games, due to open on 23 July, reported the Inside the Games on Wednesday (12). Dozens of events affectedTwenty per cent of the remaining places were in sports which use rankings to determine their Olympic places, while the other 10 per cent are set to be allocated through upcoming qualification events. Dozens of events where either direct or indirect Tokyo 2020 qualification is available have been cancelled, postponed or moved at short notice due to the global health crisis. Indian athletes are unable to leave the country because of the deadly surge of Covid-19 infections the country has experienced in recent weeks. Last week it emerged that Canadian boxer Mandy Bujold is challenging a decision from the IOC after being denied a place at Tokyo 2020 because of changes to the qualification process.

Compiled by Ranjika PereraCity Fans Celebrate their title win outside the Etihad StadiumPep Guardiola added yet another trophy to his cabinet as Manchester City secured the trophy after Manchester United’s defeat to Leicester City on Tuesday night. RemarkableIt was a remarkable season for City who suffered in the first half of the season. Pep speaking after the title confirmation, “This has been a season and a Premier League title like no other. With this league win, Guardiola has now won three league titles in every division he has managed. It would be a fitting end for one of the best players Manchester City, Sergio Aguero.

The Biden administration is not planning on imposing a vaccine mandate and will not track who has or hasn't had the shots, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a Friday briefing. we have no plans to change our approach from the federal government,' White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on FridayPresident Biden has never supported a federal vaccine mandate, a position first articulated by Psaki in April. The president also never suggested a federal mask mandate, although he did institute one for federal property upon inauguration. Republican governors have been especially adamant that requiring vaccination would be an overstep, and requiring proof of vaccination would be an invasion of privacy. Arizona, Alabama, Montana, Minnesota, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Florida have all passed laws prohibiting businesses from requiring proof of vaccination.

Dhawan looks the obvious choiceRoyal Challengers Bangalore’s Karnataka opener Devdutt Padikkal is likely to be one of the three openers India will travel with besides Dhawan and Shaw. Dhawan was deputy to Rohit Sharma during the 2018 Nidahas Trophy that India won despite the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) resting key players. Test team to leave for England soonSome of the youngsters who featured in the Nidahas Trophy T20 tournament are now an integral part of the Test side that is travelling to England. Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, KL (Lokesh) Rahul, and Shardul Thakur, who were part of the India T20 squad for Nidahas Trophy, are now part of the India Test side with Rohit. A 20-member India side under Virat Kohli will be travelling to England soon for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand and a five-Test series against England.

Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) new central contracts to the national Test and limited-over squads are 35% less, one report noted. The new contracts are to be signed before the Lankan white-ball team, under Kusal Perera, tours Bangladesh shortly. DETAILS* Under the previous contract, a player in the top category earned $ 130,000 (Rs. * Despite a significant pay cut, national cricketers have in principle agreed to a new performance-based contract fee structure. * Sri Lanka is ranked 7th in Tests, 9th in ODIs, and 8th in T20Is, the lowest it has fallen to in the last two decades.

Here’s a look at the possible T20I XI for the Sri Lanka series, as was predicted by Aadya Sharma of Wisden India:Openers: Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi ShawSeparated by 14 years but united in their approach to pile on the big runs at the top, Dhawan and Shaw, the two openers at Delhi Capitals, are likely to be first-choice picks for Sri Lanka. The reliable and solid Dhawan, India’s third-highest run-getter in T20Is, perfectly complements Shaw’s fiery style in the powerplays. All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul TewatiaThe Pandya brothers have been integral cogs in the Mumbai Indians line-up, lighting up the death overs with their big-hitting (both have a strike rate of 135+). Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Varun ChakravarthyIn the spin section, Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy compensate for the lack of experience with a unique flair, combining an array of variations with their attacking lines. Both had an economy of less than eight in IPL 2021 and were the most successful spinners for their respective teams.

Photo: BAZA Production (Shutterstock) Photo: BAZA Production (Shutterstock)I’ve been thinking about my return-on-investment with sports, and I have to say—I think it’s a bad deal. If you get lucky and generate numbers 1-3, your team has won a championship in a given year. That means I’ll probably be dead before my team wins again. The team sucked and I was spending a lot of money to watch and write about a bad team, so I quit. I still watch the odd game, but I pay way less attention to what they’re doing overall.