Australia to start pre-season with new training rules from May-end: Report

CA is churning out strategies for resumption of training under the watchful eyes of its chief medical officer Dr John Orchard and head of sports science and sports medicine Alex Kountouris.

Cricket Australia (CA) is set to begin the team's pre-season by the end of May under a set of new training protocols devised for the safety of players amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a report in Australia daily 'The Sydney Morning Herald', CA is churning out strategies for resumption of training under the watchful eyes of its chief medical officer Dr John Orchard and head of sports science and sports medicine Alex Kountouris.

The duo is working closely with counterparts of other cricket playing nations and are part of committees of the Australian government and the International Cricket Council (ICC) which are trying to find ways for the resumption of sports.

The report said CA's immediate priority is to draw up protocols for players' pre-season, which include barring the use of saliva or sweat to shine the ball during training.

CA's head of sports science and sports medicine Kountouris said the coronavirus-forced new normal shouldn't have much impact of teams' training in a sport like cricket.

ALSO READ: England cricket fears 380 million pound loss if entire season is wiped out

"There's physical distancing in the nets - there's two or three bowlers in each net. One bowls at a time, the batter is 22 yards away so it's not a big problem," Kountouris said.

"We don't see it as too big a problem to manage, but these are the things we're spelling out. This is what you should do: keep your distance, how you should handle the ball, these are things easy to manage."

Cricket Australia brings transgender, gender-diverse players into the game

CA has developed an elite cricket policy and guidelines for community cricket to support players electing to participate in cricket in line with their gender identity.

Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday announced the direction for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse cricketers in elite and community cricket.

Starting consultation with key stakeholders in October 2018, CA has developed an elite cricket policy and guidelines for community cricket to support players electing to participate in cricket in line with their gender identity, whether or not this aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.

The elite cricket policy aligns closely with the International Cricket Council's (ICC) eligibility criteria on the basis of gender recognition and provides transgender and gender diverse cricketers guidance on how they can compete at the highest levels of the sport, consistent with their gender identity. As an additional measure, a referral process to an Expert Panel has been established to ensure fair and meaningful competition.

The guidelines for community cricket will assist clubs, players, administrators, coaches, and other volunteers deliver a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment, free of harassment and discrimination for gender diverse players at the game's grassroots.

"It doesn't make any sense that today, people are discriminated against, harassed or excluded, because of who they are. And that's not right," Kevin Roberts, CEO of Cricket Australia said.

"As strength, stamina and physique are all relevant factors when competing in competitive sport, transgender and gender diverse players will be supported to participate in elite cricket, subject to certain criteria through the implementation of this policy," he added.

Roberts added that discrimination of any sort has no place in the game.

"Discrimination of any sort has no place in the game and all of Australian Cricket is driven to ensure all cricketers can participate in a harassment-free environment," Roberts said.

Australian women cricketer Megan Schutt said that transgender or gender diverse cricketers have a chance to play cricket at the highest level.

"Inclusion matters in every sense. Cricket Australia's vision is to be a sport for all, so everyone deserves to be included.

Business Standard