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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Israeli strike on Gaza shelter kills 17 as Blinken says cease-fire talks will resume
Deir al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Oct 24: An Israeli strike on a school where displaced people were sheltering in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 17 people on Thursday, nearly all women and children, Palestinian medical officials said.
The strike came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had accomplished its objective of “effectively dismantling” Hamas, and that negotiations over a cease-fire and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages would resume in the coming days.
Another 42 people were wounded in the strike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. Among the dead were 13 children under the age of 18 and three women, according to the hospital's records.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas group inside the school, without providing evidence. Israel has carried out several strikes on schools-turned-shelters in recent months, saying it precisely targets Hamas members hiding out among civilians. The strikes often kill women and children.
Blinken, speaking to reporters in Qatar, which has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, said negotiators would reconvene “in the coming days”.
“What we really have to determine is whether Hamas is prepared to engage," he said on his 11th visit to the region since the start of the war.
The United States hopes to renew the negotiations after Israeli forces killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza last week, but neither side has shown any sign of moderating its demands from months of negotiations that sputtered to a halt over the summer.
Blinken also announced an additional USD 135 million in US aid to the Palestinians, while again urging Israel to allow more assistance to enter the territory.
Health workers in besieged northern Gaza meanwhile warned of a catastrophic situation there, where Israel has been waging an air and ground offensive for more than two weeks.
