Slater: Australia ban ‘not cricket’
BACKLASH AGAINST DECISION TO REFUSE ENTRY FROM INDIA
LEGENDARY Indian badminton player Prakash Padukone has tested positive for Covid and is recovering from the infection at a hospital in the south Indian city of Bangalore.
The 65-year-old, the first Indian to win the prestigious All England Championships title in 1980, is likely to be discharged later this week.
“Around 10 days back, Prakash, his wife (Ujjala) and second daughter (Anisha), they developed symptoms and got themselves tested and the results came out to be positive,” Vimal Kumar, director at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), told reporters on Tuesday (4).
“They got themselves isolated but after a week, Prakash’s fever didn’t come down, so last Saturday, he was admitted to a hospital here in Bangalore. He is ok now. All his parameters are fine. His wife and daughter are at home and he too will be hopefully discharged in twothree days,” he added.
One the most revered figures in world badminton, Padukone had emerged as a role model of Indian sport during his playing days in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also the first Indian to win a medal at the World Championships after clinching a bronze in the 1983 edition.
In addition, Padukone was the first Indian to be ranked as world number one after achieving the feat in 1980 following back-to-back title wins at the Denmark Open, All England Championships and Swedish Open.
Following his retirement in 1991, Padukone served as the chairman of the Badminton Association of India (BAI).He was also the coach of the Indian national team from 1993 to 1996.
FORMER Test opener and cricket commentator Michael Slater has criticised the Australian government over its decision to ban citizens in Covidravaged India from returning home, saying prime minister Scott Morrison has “blood” on his hands.
Australian residents and citizens are banned from entering the country within 14 days of being in India and those who disobey face fines and jail.
“If our government cared for the safety of Aussies they would allow us to get home. It’s a disgrace!! Blood on your hands PM,” Slater, who played 74 Test matches for Australia, tweeted.
“How dare you treat us like this. How about you sort out quarantine system. I had government permission to work on the IPL but I now have government neglect.”
Slater, 51, was working in India as a commentator during the now suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) but has exited the country to wait out the mandatory two weeks in the Maldives, The Australian newspaper reported.
Morrison, meanwhile, dismissed Slater’s criticism as “absurd” on a morning TV talk show on Tuesday (4).
“We’ve got a temporary pause in place because we’ve seen a rapid escalation in the infection rate in people who have travelled out of India,” Morrison said on the Nine Network.
India’s tally of Covid-19 infections reached over 20 million on Tuesday, after it reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus cases for a 12th straight day.
Australia’s decision to penalise its own citizens for seeking to return home from India has triggered a backlash from lawmakers, legal experts and human rights advocates. Roughly a quarter of the 35,000 Australians stranded overseas are in India. The decision came into force on Monday and was denounced by rights groups and some of Morrison’s most prominent allies, including Sky News commentator Andrew Bolt who said it “stinks of racism”.
The Australian government has defended the ban, which will be reviewed next Saturday (15), as critical to protect public health and quarantine systems.
Dozens of Australians were involved in the lucrative Twenty20 tournament as players, coaches or officials. The IPL was postponed on Tuesday after players and staff from at least three franchises contracted Covid in recent days, despite the IPL’s strict bio-security
protocols.
INDIA batting great Sachin Tendulkar has donated `10 million (about £97,480) to a fundraising campaign that is helping hospitals treating Covid-19 patients procure oxygen concentrators.
Mission Oxygen, which describes itself as a not-for-profit, charitable initiative, said it has placed an order for 1,365 concentrators from China and thanked Tendulkar for his donation.
“His donation of rupees 1 crore to Mission Oxygen in its endeavour to procure and provide
LEFT-ARM spinner Praveen Jayawickrama claimed a match-haul of 11 wickets in a fairytale debut as he bowled Sri Lanka to a 209-run victory, and a 1-0 series win, in the second Test against Bangladesh in Pallekele on Monday (3).
The hosts took just over an hour to claim the last five Bangladesh wickets, with Jayawickrama scalping three of them for second-innings bowling figures of 5-86.
Replying to Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 493-7 declared, Bangladesh were all out for 251.
Sri Lanka declared their second innings on 194-9, setting the tourists a daunting victory target of 437 and Bangladesh folded for 227.
“There was a bit of pressure ahead of the debut but the captain and the senior players really helped life-saving oxygen concentrators to hospitals across the nation in this time of need is incredibly heart-warming,” the charity said in a statement.
The campaign has collected $2.26m (£1.63m) so far from more than 15,000 supporters, it added.
Tendulkar, who contracted coronavirus and spent time in hospital before being discharged last month, said in a tweet that providing oxygen was the “need of the hour” amid a devastating second wave in the country. me,” Jayawickrama, 22, said after being adjudged player-ofthe-match.
Home captain Dimuth Karunaratne heaped praise on Jayawickrama and young off-spinner Ramesh Mendis, who claimed four wickets in the second innings.
“Praveen was fantastic and Ramesh too,” Karunaratne, who won the playerof-the-series award for his scores of 244, 118 and 66 in three innings, said.
“I think they need to play Test matches regularly and build confidence. If they do that they will fill the shoes of Dilruwan (Perera) and Rangana (Herath) for sure.”
Bangladesh captain Mominul Haq, meanwhile, rued losing the toss on a flat wicket which he felt determined “50 per cent” of the outcome, but he was also disappointed with their own batting effort.
“We lost this Test in the first innings when we were bowled out for 250. We should have batted better,” he said.