Melbourne, May 21 (IANS) Cricket Australia on Tuesday announced a new nine-team national women’s T20 competition scheduled to take place before Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) 10.

Following criticism from Victoria and New South Wales regarding the proposed format, the eight WBBL clubs and an Australian Capital Territory (ACT) team will now be the foundation of new women’s domestic T20 tournament, replacing the state teams.

Originally planned to be state-based, the tournament was meant to make up for the WBBL’s shortened regular season, which consists of 40 games. However, Victoria and New South Wales, who each have two teams in the WBBL, were not pleased with this model and worried that some of their fringe players might not get the chance to play.

The new nine-team competition is scheduled to take place before the WBBL season with each team playing four matches before the top four play off in the semi-finals and final.

CA chief executive Nick Hockley said the competition would take women’s domestic cricket a step further toward full-time professionalism.

“A new domestic T20 competition that will create more opportunities for elite female domestic players, while also complementing the optimised Weber WBBL schedule.

“Elite domestic cricket is the backbone of Australian cricket’s ongoing success, and this competition will allow more domestic players the opportunity to gain top level experience and showcase their talents,” said Hockley.

There was a strong push to ensure that there was not an overall reduction in matches for state cricketers as the WBBL was trimmed to match the BBL in an attempt to manage the increasing workloads of the game’s leading players, ensure overseas names still want to join, encourage growth in crowds, and cut out non-primetime matches.

Due to the tournament’s scheduling, which coincides with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, Australia’s players will not be participating, which inevitably frees up spaces in teams while foreign stars are unlikely to play a major role.

The fact that ACT has several players under contract with WBBL teams, notably key hitter Katie Mack of the Adelaide Strikers, may present a challenge.

That would likely leave four clubs missing multiple players for the new tournament this summer – Adelaide Strikers (Tahlia McGrath, Megan Schutt and Darcie Brown), Melbourne Renegades (Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham and Tayla Vlaeminck), Melbourne Stars (Kim Garth and Annabel Sutherland) and Sydney Sixers (Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry).

Perth Scorchers could also be without two Aussie stars – Alana King and Beth Mooney – however they are yet to re-sign Mooney for WBBL 10. However, the Strikers have confirmed Mack will play for them in the new competition.

Each Big Bash team will now play 10 WBBL regular season matches rather than 14, with the reduced season set to lighten to load of what’s an increasingly busy calendar for Australia’s top women’s cricketers.

–IANS

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New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) The presale of tickets for the fan zones for the eagerly anticipated five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and six-match ODI and T20 series against Pakistan are set for release from June 4.

Fans from across the world will have another chance to secure their ticket on general sale commencing from 14 June.

The Pakistan men’s cricket team will feature in three matches each an ODI and a T20I series, commencing from November 4 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). CA has announced that a specific seating area will be designated for Pakistani fans across all six venues, situated near prayer areas and offering a halal food selection. Complete details regarding the Pakistan fan zone will be unveiled in due course.

Meanwhile, the Indian men’s cricket team is set to grace Australian soil for a gripping five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy showdown later this year. The NRMA men’s Test series will commence on November 22, igniting passion among cricket fans worldwide. Dedicated seating zones will be available for sale across all five venues. Enthusiastic fans are encouraged to don the iconic blue attire and bring traditional Dhol for a family-friendly atmosphere. Full particulars of the Indian Fan Zone will be shared soon.

Tickets for the dedicated fan zones during the India and Pakistan series will be available for 30 to 70 AUD on ticket while tickets for matches scheduled in Perth will be available exclusively through Ticket Master.

As part of the multicultural action plan, Cricket Australia is committed to providing great experiences for multicultural cricket fans from diverse backgrounds and fostering inclusivity.

–IANS

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New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) The NBA All-Rookie teams have been announced and while the selections of generational talents Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren to the first team were no surprise, Dallas Mavericks’ Dereck Lively II’s placement on the second team has left some confused.

Expected to be a lock for the top tier based on his impact on Dallas, Lively took to Instagram to express his disappointment. He re-shared the announcement, hinting at the league’s bias against the Mavericks with the caption, “They really don’t mess with the Mavs.”

Lively’s comments may stem from the fact that Dallas teammate Luka Doncic had a stellar season averaging 33.9 pts, 9.2 reb, 9.8 ast through the course of the season but finished third in the Most Valuable Player of the season rankings.

Lively has been an instrumental part of this Mavs team which finds themselves in the fabled Western Conference Playoffs after eliminating the number one seed, Oklahoma City Thunder. They will be facing the in-form Minnesota Timberwolves who eliminated the defending champions and will be playing their first conference finals in 20 years.

NBA All-Rookie Teams 2023/24

First team: Victor Wembanyam (San Antonio Spurs), Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder), Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat), Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors)

Second Team: Dereck Lively II (Dallas Mavericks), GG Jackson II (Memphis Grizzlies), Keyonte George (Utah Jazz), Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets), Cason Wallace (Oklahoma City Thunder)

–IANS

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Paris, May 21 (IANS) Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid, one of the biggest transfer saga has never been closer to being finalized. In recent events, Mbappe’s mother has all but confirmed the imminent move to Santiago Bernabeu.

As per a report by French media outlet RMC Sports, Kylian Mbappe threw a farewell party for his friends at Gigi, a restaurant in Paris where many of his friends and colleagues made an appearance. The Frenchman’s mother and agent, Fayza Lamari was seen making an early exit from the party where she was asked where Kylian would be heading to this summer.

“I think you all already know,” she said to the reporters.

Another important fact to address is that PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was not present at the party following the rumors that the two got into a shouting match ahead of the 25-year-old’s final game at the Parc Des Princes.

Real Madrid will be playing in the UEFA Champions League final on June 2 against Borussia Dortmund at the iconic Wembley Stadium. It is said that Mbappe’s arrival will be announced after the upcoming final which could see Madrid extend their European dominance to 15 UCL trophies.

Mbappe’s contract runs till the end of June so it will be up to PSG whether Madrid can announce his arrival before the start of the Euros 2024. The 2022 World Cup Golden Boot winner is said to have signed a five-year contract with the Los Blancos.

–IANS

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New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) German footballing legend Philipp Lahm has picked France as the favorites to win the 2024 Euros, terming the current squad “well-equipped and full of gifted talents.”

Lahm, who is the 2024 UEFA Euro tournament director, is excited to see how his team fares in their first tournament as hosts since the 2006 World Cup. He went on to praise head coach Julian Nagelsmann and director of football Ruud Voller.

“They have got a remarkably well-equipped squad full of gifted talents,” said the former Bayern Munich defender to Xinhua. “Voller is an identification figure for all fans and a people’ catcher,” said Lahm as he went on to describe Nagelsmann as “a young talented coach” having found a tactical approach the recently struggling national team “is getting along with perfectly.”

Lahm was the captain of Germany during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the last time the team won a major trophy. He believes the most challenging part of an international tournament is “to get the power on the pitch as a team over the entire tournament.”

“The Qatar World Cup delivered several examples of teams performing beyond expectations such as Morocco. Argentina lost their first group encounter but fought back and everyone in the team was willing to provide his best for the benefit of the team,” added the former wing-back.

“The Euro is a great opportunity to bring people together, especially in times like this as we need optimism to create a promising future for all,” concluded the 40 year old.

–IANS

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