Australia bowlers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson have joined compatriot Andrew Tye in cutting short their Indian Premier League (IPL) season and are flying home as India struggles with a massive surge in Covid-19 cases.
Rajasthan Royals player Tye flew to Sydney on Sunday via Mumbai and Doha, citing the "stress of bubble life" and concerns about borders closing in Australia.
"I just thought I should try and get on the front foot and get home before I got locked out of the country," he told Australian radio station SEN.
"I think I've had 11 days at home and out of the bubble since August.
"There's definitely concerns," Tye added. "A lot of guys have been in touch today once they've realised I was leaving.
"Some of the guys are very interested in what route I took home and how I approached it.
"I'm not sure if I'll be the only one [returning], but that's too early for me to say."
Zampa and Richardson have now decided to follow suit, with Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday saying they were unavailable for the rest of the IPL season and, like Rajasthan, did not say their players were departing due to Covid concerns and instead were returning to Australia for "personal reasons".
"Royal Challengers Bangalore management respects their decision and offers them complete support," the franchise said on Twitter.
While Zampa was yet to feature for RCB this season, Richardson played one match and picked up one wicket.
It remains to be seen if the likes of fellow top Australian cricketers, including batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner, and paceman Pat Cummins, remain in India.
India reported 349,691 new cases on Sunday, the fourth straight day of record peaks. Hospitals in Delhi and across the country are turning away patients after running out of medical oxygen and beds.
Australia said last week it would cut flights from India and reduce the number of its citizens able to return from other red-zone countries to contain the risk of more virulent strains of Covid-19 spreading.
Australia has largely eliminated Covid-19 by closing its borders and installing snap lockdowns when cases of community transmission occur.
Governing body Cricket Australia and the Australian players union said they were in "regular contact" with Australian players, coaches and commentators at the IPL.
"We will continue to listen to feedback from those on the ground in India and the advice of the Australian government," the bodies said in a joint statement.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also pulled out of the IPL to support his family.
"My family and extended family are putting up a fight against #COVID19 and I want to support them during these tough times," Ashwin, 34, a key Test and ODI player, tweeted.
"I expect to return to play if things go in the right direction. Thank you @DelhiCapitals."
Organisers have said they will push on with the tournament amid growing criticism.
Express Publications newspaper group said it had stopped reporting on the competition until a "semblance of normalcy is restored".
"In such a tragic time, we find it incongruous that the festival of cricket is on in India," the newspaper group said.
"This is commercialism gone crass."
Senior journalist Sharda Ugra also hit out at the IPL in a column for the Hindustan Times.
"Bubble-wrapped into tone deafness in a persistent, foghorn blast for its many sponsors every five minutes, rather than any quiet, measured acknowledgement of the suffering outside its gates," she wrote.
Last year's IPL was postponed due to India's number of Covid-19 cases and played exclusively in the UAE from September 19 to November 10.
After the first 20 matches played in Chennai and Mumbai, the IPL caravan has moved to Ahmedabad and Delhi for the next leg of games.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Read more about the coronavirus
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The%20specs
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More on animal trafficking
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Teaching in coronavirus times
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Factfile on Garbine Muguruza:
Name: Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)
Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela
Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland
Height: 6ft (1.82m)
Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
Career prize money: $13,928,719
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
About%20My%20Father
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
