Two more positive

For Covid-19: EPL

London: England’s Premier League said that two more individuals from two different clubs have tested positive for Coronavirus, just three weeks from a proposed restart of the season. In all, 996 players and club staff were tested over three days last week for Covid-19. “Of these, two have tested positive from two clubs. Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days,” said an EPL statement on Saturday. In previous tests on May 17 and 18, a total of 748 individuals were tested with six testing positive from three clubs. “The six ... are still within their seven-day self-isolation period” and did not feature in the recent round of testing. —

Melbourne, May 24: Former Australia captain Mark Taylor does not foresee the T20 World Cup scheduled in OctoberNovember going ahead and wants the ICC to take a decision during its Board meeting this week.

Taylor also feels that if IPL takes place during the window the T20 World Cup was to be held, the Australian players are likely to be cleared by their Board to take part in the cash-rich league in India.

The ICC Board meets on May 28 to discuss a host of issues related to Covid-19 pandemic, including a revamped schedule and the fate of the men's T20 World Cup in Australia.

“My feeling is the World

T20 won’t go ahead in Australia in October as planned. Is it going to be viable to have a world tournament in October or November? The answer to that is probably no,” Taylor, was quoted as saying by ‘Nine Network’.

“It would probably be good (if a decision is made this week). Because then everyone can start planning and we can stop sitting here and saying ‘well ifs, buts or maybes’,” he added. CA chief executive Kevin Roberts has said that a call on the fate of the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held from October 18 to November

15, may potentially not come until August.

But players and administrators around the world are keen for some certainty and many have predicted that the 16-team event will soon be postponed.

There are reports that the BCCI is eyeing the October window for the IPL though officially it maintained, that it will not consider new dates of the cash-rich league until the T20 World Cup’s fate is decided.

Taylor said the CA wants to keep BCCI happy so the Australia players are likely to be cleared for the IPL if it happens in October. —