Australia captain Aaron Finch’s bizarre plea to umpire
At its best, the Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma combo can make any opposition look ordinary and on one such occasion, the desperate rival skipper, Australia’s Aaron Finch, ended up turning to the umpire for advice on how to get the two out.
migrator
London
The umpire in question was Englishman Michael Gough and he recalled telling Finch, “you’re on your own.” The 40-year-old Gough, who has so far officiated in 62 ODIs including the two recent India-Australia bilateral ODI series in 2019 and 2020, recalled a conversation that he had with Finch while the Indian run-machines went about their business with ease.
“I remember a match between India and Australia, and Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were putting on a huge partnership,” Gough told Wisden Cricket Monthly.
“I was stood next to Aaron Finch at square-leg and he said to me, during the game, how it was unbelievable to watch these two great players.
“Then he asked me how I would bowl at them! I looked at him and said, ‘I’ve got enough on my plate, you’re on your own there’,” he said.
The third ODI between India and Australia at Bengaluru in January this year is likely to be the one that Gough is talking about.
Kohli (89) and Rohit (119) had forged a 137-run match-winning partnership for the second wicket as India chased down a target of 286 to claim a seven-wicket win and seal the series 2-1.
During his playing career, Gough featured in 67 first-class games for Durham.
As an off-spinner, Gough took 30 first-class wickets and 21 list A wickets.
India agrees to tour SL in August for ODIs and T20 series
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed for India’s tour of Sri Lanka in the month of August, subject to government clearance.
While the schedule and how many matches both India and Sri Lanka will play is still unclear, according to a report, the BCCI has given the nod to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for a bilateral series as international cricket gears up for resumption.
Sri Lanka Cricket will now write to its Sports Ministry while seeking permission to host bilateral cricket. And if the SLC gets the clearance from the government, the board is confident it can negotiate a deal with the BCCI. With most restrictions during lockdown now relaxed and tourism expected to return in August, SLC officials are confident that the government will give them the green signal for the series.
Originally, India was scheduled to play three ODIs and as many T20Is against Sri Lanka in June but the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions had increased fears that the series could be cancelled.
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