TV racing frontman gears up for return to action
World Cup winning Australia women’s team captain Meg Lanning is confident the momentum behind women’s cricket gathered by them in March after lifting the trophy won’t be lost post the COVID-19 pandemic which has gripped the world.
“I don’t think it’ll be a massive impact,” Lanning was quoted as saying by www.cricket.com.au.
“Luckily for us, it was actually the last big tournament that got played.
“It’s sort of the last one in everyone’s memories and it was such a great event. Hopefully, it’s not all lost.”
Australia beat India by 85 runs in the final watched by a record crowd at Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 8.
“The resources are going to be a little bit less than what we’re probably used to,” she said.
“We’re going to have to take up some of that coaching area as players and help each other out.”
Lanning also hoped the ODI World Cup to not been able to do for a number of years given our schedule. “We’re well prepared, we’ve got enough resources to get done what we need to and then adjust to what our schedule gives us.
“The group we’ve got, we’ve played a lot of cricket together over a long period of time and if it (the coronavirus) means we’ve only got a short time to prepare and get ready (for the World Cup), I’ve got no doubt we’ll be able to do that. We’ll be ready to go.”
Meanwhile, competitive cricket is set to return to Australia as a T20 tournament in Darwin is set to kickstart the sport which has been suspended worldwide since March due to coronavirus pandemic.
According to cricket.com.au, the tournament will feature the seven Darwin Premier Grade clubs, with the eighth team an Invitational XI made up of the best players from the NT’S ‘Asia Cup’ competition played between locals within the Asian community.
LONDON: Racing presenter Ed Chamberlin will switch his microphone on in his spare room on Friday to launch three days of racing coverage as the sport edges back towards normality.
Chamberlin is fronting ITV Racing’s coverage of three days of the sport behind closed doors, including the first two Classics of the flat season at Newmarket -- the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas.
He admits he will feel a mix of nervousness and excitement as he tries to strike the right chord after the coronavirus-enforced suspension of action.
Racing in Britain was suspended in mid-march before returning at Newcastle, in northern England, on Monday.
“It is historic and a real challenge,” Chamberlin told AFP. “There is a job to be done, a balance to be struck with an understanding and sensitivity at what has happened.
“There will be people watching who have suffered, people who have lost loved ones through these horrendous months.
“We are still in the midst of a global pandemic and have to be sensitive to get the tone right.”
Chamberlin, 46, says his sleep has been disrupted as he comes to terms with the “huge responsibility” of returning to the screen.
“People will understand if there are a few glitches -- there will be some nervous moments,” he said.
“My legs can be going at 100 miles an hour under the desk but I will be calm above it.”
Chamberlin’s love of racing kept him going through nine weeks of chemotherapy when, aged just 34, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
So the gratitude expressed towards Britain’s healthcare workers has an extra resonance for him.
Chamberlin, who moved from presenting Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage to fronting ITV Racing in 2017, believes the sport has a unique opportunity to attract new fans.
This is despite negative publicity around the Cheltenham Festival, which went ahead in March with 250,000 spectators, just before the shutdown.
“Cheltenham got unfair criticism, it garnered bad PR through no fault of its own,” he said. “We were following government protocols.
“Cheltenham was made a scapegoat and it is sad as racing was a national treasure a while ago. It was picked out when there were concerts and other sports events being held.”