There is good and bad news for cricket fans. The bad news is that out-of-favour Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara will not be able to debut for Sussex in the County Championship yet. On the other hand, Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is also not associated with RCB yet. The good news is that Australia’s star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will be available to serve Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 match against Mumbai Indians on April 9.
According to news agency PTI, Cheteshwar Pujara will have to wait till next week to make his Sussex debut due to visa reasons. County Championship matches are slated to start in England from 7 April 2022. Cheteshwar Pujara was to play in the first six County Championship matches for Sussex. After this, at the end of the season, he has to join the same county team for the Royal London Cup and additional four-day matches.
A statement issued by the Sussexes said it is in constant touch with Cheteshwar Pujara and is working tirelessly to keep him available for the first match of the season against Nottinghamshire. “In the current environment it is extremely difficult to ensure the availability of overseas players,” Sussex Performance Director Keith Greenfield said in a statement.
“We renegotiated Pujara’s initial contract so that he can return for more matches in the Royal London Cup and County Championship,” he added. Because of this the visa requirements changed. We expected Pujara to join the team last weekend, but now he will be able to join the team only this weekend.
The Sussexes expect Pujara to be available for next week’s second match against Derbyshire. Sussex head coach Ian Salisbury said: “Of course I am very disappointed. We will not get the services of an experienced player like Pujara for the first match of the season. But we need to focus on the match now.
tell that Cheteshwar Pujara He was also not picked in the squad for the recent home Test series against Sri Lanka. He has been battling to play big innings for a long time. Because of this he had to lose his place in the Indian team. His ‘grade’ has also been reduced in the Central Contract of the Board of Cricket in India (BCCI).
Meanwhile, on the official Twitter page of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the team’s head coach Mike Hesson said that Australia’s star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will be available for the match against Mumbai Indians on April 9. Glenn Maxwell has completed his mandatory isolation and has joined the team, but he will not play in the match against Rajasthan Royals on 5 April 2022. Their play is due to Cricket Australia’s set conditions for its contracted players.
Hesson said, ‘Cricket Australia has clearly stated that no contracted player will be available to play before 6 April. So when he reaches doesn’t matter because Maxwell won’t be able to play before April 6. It is known that Maxwell was not a part of the Australian team that went to Pakistan. He will have to wait till April 6 to play in the current IPL season.
Hesson said, ‘Like any other team, we are well aware of this. We have planned accordingly. maxi (maxwell) will be available for us from April 9. RCB have played two matches so far this season. Out of this, he has won one and lost one.
Josh Hazlewood not yet associated with RCB
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is also not associated with RCB yet. They are not likely to be available for at least a week. Hazlewood, who was part of the Australian team in the Pakistan tour, will join the team in the next few days. They will have to stay in isolation for three days before they are available for selection.
An IPL source told PTI on condition of anonymity, “Hazelwood will join the team in the next few days.” He did not join his franchise directly after the Pakistan series like other players. He took a few days’ rest due to personal reasons. The rest of Australia’s players will be available for selection from 6 April. Josh Hazlewood is likely to be available for the match against Chennai Super Kings on April 12.