Former ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed feels Cricket Australia's financial matters are quite complicated and current CEO Kevin Roberts has failed to offer a certain degree of clarity required in these troubled times.
Under financial stress, CA has already put 80 percent of its staff on 20 percent salary till end of June, while a handful of others, including the executives, remained on 80 percent pay.
The decision saved AUD 3 million, which was slammed by critics due to the fact that CA had some AUD 90 million in reserves at the end of March (2020), including AUD 36 million in stock investments.
Speed, also a former CA top boss, pointed out how CA had invested AUD 22 million in 2012, which increased to around AUD 45 million earlier this year before slipping to AUD 36 million due to the coronavirus shock.
"I think that's been messy," Speed told SEN Radio.
"I saw an article saying cricket has lost millions of dollars on the stock market. Well, before it lost millions on the stock ...

Kevin Roberts has failed to explain CA's financial crisis: Former ICC CEO Speed

PTI Automatic

Former Indian cricket team trainer Ramji Srinivasan feels that fitness for elite athletes is a "waste of time" if its not transferred into "world class performance" which is not being possible during countrywide lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
"Fitness per say in sports is waste of time if there is no transfer taking place on to the field to give out top class performance. Positive transfer from one to another is the key to fitness," Ramji told PTI during an interaction.
"A person can do Olympic lift of 100 kgs at this stage, but he or she is not guaranteed to be injury free or increase in performance unless there is transfer. Bowlers do take a hit during this phase for sure. Batters not much," he added.
Asked if long breaks can be difficult for bowlers, he said, "Oh yes for sure. Bowling is all about rhythm and skill- based fitness. There has to be a transfer from one to another. Just because someone is doing 150 kg deadlift now need not bowl quick or effectively once the .

Fitness activity without chance to perform is waste of time: Former Team India trainer

The Tokyo Olympics were postponed a month ago. But there are still more questions than answers about the new opening on July 23, 2021, and what form those games will take.
In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, will the Olympics really start in 15 months? If so, in what form? With fans? Without fans? Can they open without a vaccine?
TV broadcasters and sponsors provide 91% of the income for the International Olympic Committee. How much pressure will they exert on the form these Olympics take?
What about the Beijing Winter Olympics, opening in February 2022. China is where the coronavirus was first discovered, and the authoritarian government has been draconian in terms of lockdowns and travel restrictions.
IOC President Thomas Bach has already said there is "no blueprint" in assembling what he called this "huge jigsaw puzzle."
"I cannot promise ideal solutions," he said. "But I can promise that we'll do everything to have the best possible games for everybody."
Q: Some scientists ...

Tokyo Olympics: Questions, few answers in face of pandemic

A pay dispute, an eccentric owner and smashed-up furniture -- and arguing with fans for refusing to bow.
When Premier League stars Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka made surprising moves to China in 2012, they put Chinese football on the map.
Carlos Tevez, Marouane Fellaini and others would ultimately follow as money poured into the Chinese Super League, but the former Chelsea duo's chaotic spell served as a cautionary tale.
Anelka lasted only one, turbulent year at Shanghai Shenhua while his fellow forward Drogba did barely six months at the club.
Drogba signed in June 2012 at 34, just weeks after he scored the winning penalty for Chelsea in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
"For me it would have been easy to go to another team in Europe but I chose China because of the challenge," he said at the time, after becoming one of the world's best-paid players on a reported $300,000 a week.
Hundreds of Shanghai Shenhua supporters mobbed the Ivorian as he touched down in ...

How Anelka, Drogba blazed trail with chaotic season in China

Australian cricketers are not going to be "greedy" if they are asked for a pay cut as it is important that the game thrives well into the future in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Test captain Tim Paine.
With India's tour of Australia and the upcoming T20 World Cup in doubt due to the fast-spreading coronavirus, Cricket Australia has already stood down 80 per cent of its staff and now is in talks with Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) regarding a potential players' pay cut.
"Players need to know the absolute financial positions of the game and the players aren't going to be greedy," Paine said on ABC Radio.
"Our livelihood, all the people associated with the CA and the players association, their livelihood is dependent on the game of cricket being healthy.
"So at the moment if a pay cut for us is on the cards and that keeps our game thriving well into the future, then that's something we'll certainly have to look at."
Cricket Australia might lose a staggering AUD 300 ...

Australia players won't be greedy if asked to take pay cut: Paine

Two bad games in the IPL was all that it took for premier Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to realise that bowling in T20s was not as easy as he assumed it to be, the reality hitting him like a "hard slap" a decade back.
During a podcast with cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar for 'ESPNCricinfo', Ashwin spoke about how the 2010 IPL with the Chennai Super Kings affected him, the challenges of bowling in hostile conditions of Australia and England, and why spin twin Ravindra Jadeja is a "natural athlete".
Ashwin recalled the 2010 IPL when he was dropped from the CSK squad after two bad games, which was like a "hard slap", more so because he felt that coach Stephen Fleming "didn't talk to him" and he was not backed enough.
"People thought that I think highly of myself but flattening of the curve happened when I played in the IPL. It was like a slap in the face like 'listen boss you are not even here'.
"I thought bowling in a T20 game was much easier than bowling in a ...

Ashwin recalls IPL reality check, says learnt harsh lessons in 2010

Happy to be a Test specialist, India batsman Hanuma Vihari says being snubbed by IPL franchises this season has neither made him sad nor affected his belief that he is good enough for the shorter formats as well.
Vihari was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2 crore in the 2019 IPL but he didn't find any takers this season, which has been indefinitely suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I realised that when things are not in your control, you can't do much about it. No regrets. I am not gutted about IPL (snub)," Vihari said during an Instagram chat on the show 'Homerun with AV'.
"My focus always was on Tests from an early age and I am happy I could achieve whatever I did," added Vihari, who kept his base price at Rs 50 lakh this season.
Vihari said he is in awe of captain Virat Kohli's work ethic and has learnt a lot by watching his preparation before matches.
"The best part of Kohli's game is his preparation. I have learnt that from him. His work ethic is also amazing,"
A ...

Not gutted about IPL snub: Vihari

The National Football League's first ever virtual draft was the most-watched ever with 55 million North American viewers tuning in during the three-day spectacle.
The 2020 entry draft set viewer attendance records amid the coronavirus pandemic which forced players, coaches and fans to stay home after organizers scrapped a planned gala event in Las Vegas.
The draft went ahead remotely with commissioner Roger Goodell announcing the picks to viewers from the basement of his house.
According to Nielsen ratings, viewership was up 16 percent overall from the 2019 draft and each day of the draft set  highs.
Thursday's first round drew the most with more than 15.6 million viewers (up 37 percent from 2019).
"I couldn't be more proud of the efforts and collaboration of our clubs, league personnel, and our partners to conduct an efficient Draft and share an unforgettable experience with millions of fans during these uncertain times," said Goodell.

NFL's virtual draft sets viewer records

Claudio Ranieri won the hearts of the football world when he took Leicester City to the 2016 Premier League title, but six years earlier he came to within touching distance of an even more romantic achievement -- a league title with home town team Roma.
Ranieri, born and raised in Rome and a lifelong fan of the capital club, had taken over a side with no points in the early stages of the 2009-10 season, but after a slow start led the Giallorossi to a 24-match unbeaten run that left them at the summit in Italy with four matches left.
However 10 years ago on Saturday a tidal wave of emotion came crashing down in one of the most dramatic matches in recent Serie A history, a 2-1 home defeat to Sampdoria which all but handed Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan the title and the chance to complete a now famous league, cup and Champions League treble.
The loss, and Inter's 3-1 defeat of Atalanta the previous day, put Mourinho's team two points ahead with three games remaining, a lead that the future 

Before Leicester, Ranieri's brush with glory with his beloved Roma

Across social media, sports stars denied the chance to play in front of a crowd are increasingly going "live" in sometimes surprising ways to connect with an audience.
To the delight of fans, happy to discover some hidden facets of their idols, stars from Karim Benzema to the Brazilian legend Ronaldo and even Rafael Nadal, who initially struggled with Instagram, are dropping their habitual discretion to interact live with their millions of followers.
"As competitions are suspended, sportsmen and women are no longer necessarily supervised by the club's press officer," Boris Helleu, an expert on digital strategies in sport, told AFP.
"The athlete becomes his own media and can speak out on subjects that we didn't hear about before."
One of those who has cracked open his armour on a range of topics is the normally prickly Benzema, who posts videos on YouTube as "Nueve Live" -- a play on his shirt number, and has more than 33 million Instagram followers.
His broadcasts have attracted as ...

'Live' and slightly dangerous, stars on their sofas compete for fans

The governor of New York raised the possibility of some major-league sports teams returning to the playing field or arena -- only with no fans in the stands.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said he had spoken to several sports team owners -- he did not name them, but New York's teams include the iconic Yankees baseball team, as well as football, hockey and basketball clubs -- and he speculated that for some it might make economic sense to play before empty stadiums.
Cuomo made the remarks during a daily briefing on the coronavirus in his state, the hardest hit in the US by the pandemic.
He also sketched plans for slowly reopening the state's economy, saying manufacturing and construction firms may resume working on May 15, but any easing would first take place in the north of the state where the virus has been less a problem.
But he noted that weeks of enforced confinement have taken a psychological toll on New Yorkers, and said a resumption of sports competition could help.
"We want to bring ..

NY governor wants to see sports teams return, even without fans

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte delayed a decision on restarting Serie A football but gave the green light for top athletes to resume training in a week's time.
Conte unveiled the first details of how the country will emerge from a lockdown aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that has officially claimed more than 26,000 lives in Italy and 200,000 worldwide.
He said individual athletes would be allowed to resume training on May 4.  Teams could start to train together again on May 18.
But Conte did not say when Serie A might resume a season interrupted on March 9 with Juventus leading Lazio by a point.
"The championship will start again only when it is safe," Conte told the nation in a televised address.
Italian football chiefs agreed on Thursday to push back the end of the Serie A season from June 30 to August 2.

Italy's PM delays Serie A restart decision

Rafael Nadal said that he was "very pessimistic" over a full resumption of the professional tennis circuit which has been halted by the coronavirus pandemic.
"From my point of view, I'm very pessimistic that the circuit can resume a normal activity," said the world number two in a virtual chat origanized by the Spanish Federation of Tennis (RFET) involving the team that won last year's Davis Cup.
"In tennis, you need to travel every week, stay in hotels, go to different countries," Nadal said.
"Even if it we play without an audience, to organise any event you need a lot of people involved, which cannot be ignored. At an international level I see a serious problem."
Nadal said he hoped that restrictions can be relaxed gradually, but added that he was aware that the global health situation is serious.
"We have had a very tough month and a half, with many irreparable losses as well as others that are less important that will still bring great suffering to society, I hope only for a few ..

Nadal says he's 'very pessimistic' about return of tennis

Spain's health minister Salvador Illa said Sunday it would be "imprudent" to promise the football season would restart before the summer as the country took steps to ease one of the world's toughest coronavirus lockdowns.
"I can't tell you right now if professional football is going to be able to restart its activities before the summer. It would be imprudent on my part," he said during a daily briefing on the coronavirus pandemic.
The minister sounded a note of caution over La Liga plans to test players for the virus before returning to training and resuming a season suspended on March 12, saying giving priority to footballers might breach government policy.
"The diagnostic tests of any kind must be made available to the regional governments," Illa said.
Before players can return to the pitch they will have to undergo COVID-19 screening tests. They will then continue to be monitored on a regular basis.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Saturday that Spaniards will be allowed out 

Spanish govt says no guarantee football resumes before summer

Jasprit Bumrah has risen rapidly to become one of the leading fast bowlers in the world but he says many thought that he would be the "last person to play for India".
The Indian pacer made this revelation during a live session on Instagram with former India batsman Yuvraj Singh.
"Many people told me that I won't play for long, there was an expectation that the last person to play for the country would be me," said Bumrah when Yuvraj asked him about his unusual bowling action.
"They told me that I would just play the Ranji Trophy. But I kept on improving and I persisted with my action," said the 26-year-old, who made his India debut in January 2016 following his exploits in the IPL.
Bumrah has gone to play 64 ODIs, 50 T20s and 14 Tests. He made his Test debut in January 2018 and in quick time, he became Virat Kohli's go to bowler even in the five-day format.
During the chat, Yuvraj reminded Bumrah that he had predicted that the pacer would go on to become the "number one bowler in the .

Many thought I would be last person to play for India: Bumrah

England's Jofra Archer said Sunday he'd finally found his World Cup winner's medal after "going mad" looking for the prized possession following a house move.
The 25-year-old Sussex fast bowler published a photograph of the medal on a bed with the caption: "Randomly searching the guest bedroom and boom."
Archer, when previously asked about the whereabouts of his medal, told BBC Radio on Saturday: "I had it hanging off a portrait someone did for me and sent to me, I had my medal hanging on that.
"I moved flat and the picture is on the new wall but there's no medal. I turned the house upside down for about a week but I still haven't managed to find it.
"I know it should be in the house so I will keep eyes out for it but I've gone mad looking for it already."
Last year saw the Barbados-born Archer establish himself on the global stage as he helped England win their first men's 50-over global title, with his 20 wickets at 23.05 the most taken by any member of the champions' squad during ..

Archer finds his World Cup medal at last

A dozen Pakistani first-class players and three tennis players find themselves stuck in Sri Lanka due to the suspension of all international flights in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the outbreak has led to suspension sports activities all around the world , in this case, it has also led to a testing time for the cricketers and tennis players.
Azhar Attari, a prominent first-class player, confirmed on phone that they were still in Colombo waiting to fly home.
Attari said he and 11 other players had reached Colombo around December to play in some first-class and one-day games, making them eligible to sign work permits to play league cricket in the UK.
He explained the need to play first-class cricket in Sri Lanka arose after the Pakistan Cricket Board ended the role of departmental teams in domestic cricket with just six provincial teams playing first-class cricket, reducing opportunities.
Another first class cricketer, Abid Hasan, said they are constantly in touch with the ..

Stuck in Sri Lanka, Pakistani first-class cricketers waiting to fly back home

Tainted former captain Salim Malik is ready to co-operate with the International Cricket Council and Pakistan Cricket Board to get their clearance, which will allow him to earn a living from the game.
In a video message, the former Test captain, who was banned in 2000 for life for match-fixing by the PCB on the recommendations of the Justice (Retd) Malik Qayyum judicial commission report, also apologised to the nation and his fans for his actions.
Though Malik had his life ban lifted in 2008 by a lower district and sessions court, the PCB has not allowed him back into its fold.
The 57-year-old said he was ready to cooperate unconditionally with the ICC and PCB and complete all rehab programs which a player has to undergo for a comeback.
"Purely on human rights ground I think I also deserve a second chance to earn my livelihood from cricket which has always been my bread and butter," said Malik.
Malik said when the board could allow other guilty players to make a comeback, he should ...

Salim Malik ready to work with ICC, PCB for their clean chit

Sportswear giants Adidas now manufacture custom-made shoes for Hima Das with her name printed on them but country's top sprinter on Sunday revealed that there was a time when she had to write the famous brand name manually on her sub-standard spikes.
During an Instagram chat with Indian cricketer Suresh Raina, the top quarter-miler who is currently at the NIS-Patiala, said her farmer father bought a normal running shoes with spikes for first competitive race.
"When I started running, I ran barefoot. But in my first Nationals, my father brought running shoes with spikes on them. It was just a normal pair of running shoes. I wrote 'Adidas' on the shoes with my hand. You never know what fate can do, Adidas is now making shoes with my name," the 20-year-old said.
After Hima won the 400m gold in the 2018 World U-20 Championships in Finland, the top German brand roped her as their brand ambassador and later made custom-made shoes for her that has her name on one side and 'create history' on 

Once I scribbled Adidas on my shoes, they now make shoes with my name: Hima

England women's cricket captain Heather Knight revealed on Sunday her "worry" that all women's sport could get left behind once the coronavirus pandemic ends.
Sport around the world has been left in limbo by COVID-19 and now there are concerns that cash-strapped governing bodies, desperate to regain lost income, will prioritise money-spinning men's events over generally less lucrative women's fixtures when live action resumes.
Asked if she feared women's cricket might now be less of a concern in the current climate, Knight told Britain's Press Association: "That's the worry in women's sport across the board, not just in cricket.
"We've obviously got to accept that the most commercially viable parts of the game will be given priority.
"But we're making sure that the women's game gets a bigger voice and we're given the same sort of chance to get back playing as the men are."
Women's cricket has made huge strides in recent years, with more than 86,000 spectators attending the Melbourne ..

England cricket captain Knight concerned for women's sport post-virus

Former world champion Viswanathan Anand and India cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal among others took part in an online chess charity event, raising Rs 8.8 lakh for the waste pickers' community fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Chess For Charity", held on Saturday on chess.com, saw India No.1 Anand, No.2 Vidit Gujrathi, Grandmaster Nihal Sarin, Woman Grandmaster Tania Sachdev and Croatia's Antonio Radic take on a team of comedians comprising Biswa Kalyan Rath, Samay Raina, Abhishek Upamanyu and Aakash Mehta.
Chahal, a former national under-12 champion, also participated in the fund-raiser. He had taken part in an online blitz event on April 5.
Anand had taken part in a simultaneous online event on April 11 during which an amount of Rs 4.5 lakh was raised for the PM-CARES Fund.
Apart from Anand, Gujrathi, P Harikrishna and B Adhiban, the country's top two women players-Koneru Humpy and D Harika- had participated in the event.
"An amount of Rs 8.86 lakh was raised from the event which featured .

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