Australia former captain Tim Paine takes indefinite mental health break from cricket
Melbourne, Nov 26: Former Australia Test cricket captain Tim Paine is set to miss the first Ashes Test and is taking an indefinite mental health break from the game.
The news comes a week after Paine tearfully quit as captain after revelations of a scandal involving the sending of inappropriate texts to a female co-worker in 2017.
Cricket Australia said on Friday that Paine advised them he would be "stepping away from cricket for a period of time."
"We recognise that this is an incredibly difficult time for Tim and his family and are committed to supporting them," Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said in a statement.
"We respect and understand Tim's decision to have a break at this time to focus on his and his family's well-being."
Paine's teammates were hoping for the wicketkeeper to play on December 8 his 37th birthday when Australia's five-test series against England begins in Brisbane. As of Thursday, the veteran was scheduled to join the test squad this weekend.
Paine was called up and set to bat in Tasmania's one-day match against Western Australia on Friday, giving him a chance to play five consecutive days of cricket after a low-key return via the state's second XI.
But Cricket Tasmania (CT) said Friday that Paine would not take his spot in the side.
"Following discussions over the last 24 hours, Tim Paine has advised Cricket Tasmania that he will be taking a leave of absence from all forms of cricket for the foreseeable future," CT said in a statement.
"Cricket Tasmania will continue to support Tim and his family both professionally and personally over the summer."
Likely wicketkeeper replacements for Paine in the test side are Alex Carey or Josh Inglis.
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Iran crisis: 225 flights cancelled at Mumbai, Delhi airports
New Delhi (PTI): As many as 225 international flights were cancelled at Mumbai and Delhi airports on Sunday due to operational disruptions in the wake of the US and Israel attacks on Iran and the subsequent closure of airspaces in the Gulf region.
Of the 225 flights, 125 flights were cancelled at Mumbai airport and at least 100 flights at Delhi Airport, sources say.
A source said 60 international departures and 40 arrivals have been cancelled at Delhi Airport.
"Due to the evolving political situation in the Middle East, west-bound international flights may experience disruptions or schedule changes," DIAL said in a post on X.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital.
"A total of 125 flights have been cancelled at Mumbai Airport up till 2.30 pm on Sunday. These include 67 departures and 58 arrivals," said another source.
It may be mentioned here that due to the paucity of parking space, authorities at Mumbai Airport had taken NOTAM for not accepting any flight on account of diversion at 9 pm on Saturday until 8 am on March 1 amid the developments in West Asia.
The decision was taken due to the paucity of parking space at the airport with a number of flights returning to their origin or diverting to nearby airports, a source had said.
Mumbai International Airport Ltd, the private airport operator, issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) "for not accepting any more diversions" at 9 pm, the source added.
Earlier, the Civil Aviation Ministry said 444 international flights are expected to be cancelled by domestic carriers on Sunday.
