IPL Similar To A World Cup But On Smaller Scale: Glenn Maxwell
Big-hitting Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell considers the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be a small-scale World Cup where overseas players get one "hell of a kick" competing against each other.
The recent postponement of the T20 World Cup has cleared the decks for the BCCI to organise the Indian Premier League in the September-November window. The BCCI has sought permission from the central government to hold the league in the United Arab Emirates that has so far reported far lesser COVID-19 cases than many other cricket-playing nations. "You wait and see (with the IPL), waiting on the judgments of other people, what you can and can't do with travel and quarantine times and all that, if everything gets ticked off there I have no real reason no to go," Maxwell was quoted as saying by ''Fox Sports''.
"The overseas guys get a hell of a kick playing in it, some of the best players in the world rubbing shoulders, similar to a World Cup, but on a smaller scale. If everything gets ticked off I would love to be available for it."
The 31-year-old, an explosive batsman and an off-break bowler, was part of the 26-man enlarged Australian squad for England tour. He had taken a self-imposed break last year to address some mental health issues.
Maxwell said he has remained in contact with national coach Justin Langer and recharged his batteries during the time he was out of action.
"To be home was a bit of a luxury at this time of the year. I've actually had a great time, freshened up the batteries and the mind as well," he said.
"I was always mentally getting myself ready for this time of year when there would potentially be cricket back on.
"I haven't been thinking about where we are going to end or who we are going to be playing. It was about getting my game ready, my body ready, and making sure I was ready for any series."
Maxwell said he was looking froward to the T20 World Cup, which Australia was scheduled to host in October-November.
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In PM’s absence, Bengal Guv launches national highway projects worth Rs 3,200 cr
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday unveiled national highway projects worth Rs 3,200 crore in West Bengal with an aim to boost economic activities and tourism in the state.
Bose officially launched the projects from Netaji Park in Taherpur area of Nadia district instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was initially supposed to unveil the development projects from the ground, but whose helicopter failed to land in the area on account of insufficient visibility due to dense fog over the region.
Modi was forced to return to the Kolkata airport from where he later addressed the crowd in a virtual audio mode.
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Bose inaugurated the 66.7 km-long four-laning of the Barajaguli-Krishnanagar section of NH-34 in Nadia district, while he laid the foundation stone for the four-laning of the Barasat-Barajaguli stretch of the highway in the adjacent district of North 24 Parganas.
“It has remained our constant endeavour to ensure modern connectivity to those far-flung areas of Bengal which have suffered on account of backwardness,” the Prime Minister said while addressing the crowd.
Modi expressed regret for not being able to remain on the dais in person on account of inclement weather.
The projects will serve as a vital connecting link between Kolkata and Siliguri and help reduce travel time by approximately 2 hours, ensuring faster and smoother movement of vehicles and improving connectivity between the state's capital and other districts of West Bengal as well as with neighbouring countries, Modi said.
“The projects will also boost the economic growth in the region and will provide impetus to the growth of tourism across the region,” he added.
