The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has cancelled contracts of the players who were due to participate in the inaugural edition of 'The Hundred' which was pushed to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new 100-balls-per-side format, to be played by eight teams in separate men's and women's tournaments, was scheduled to be held between July 17 and August 15 but had to be postponed because of the pandemic.

A weighted ball would also pre-empt any ball-tampering, Warne said.

In April, the Australian tour of Bangladesh was postponed due to the persisting coronavirus threat.

Australian run-machine Marnus Labuschagne is willing to "sacrifice" the use of saliva to shine the ball in order to get back on the field in the post coronavirus world as the batting all-rounder feels players must be able to adapt to new rules. There has been widespread speculations that the use of saliva and sweat to shine the ball will be stopped to cut down the risk of spreading the highly contagious coronavirus when cricket restarts.

Out-of-favour Suresh Raina might have felt hard done by the national selection committee but its former chairman MSK Prasad made it clear that it was poor form during the 2018-19 domestic season that became his undoing. The 33-year-old, who has appeared in 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is apart from 18 Tests, last played for India in July 2018 in England after which he was dropped for good.

The element of competitiveness will not be lost even if action unfolds before empty stadiums, says world's premier all-rounder Ben Stokes who wouldn't mind international cricket becoming a TV only sport till coronavirus pandemic is under control. Stokes' opinion was sought whether the upcoming England vs West Indies series at home in empty stadiums will lose its sheen as the England and Wales Cricket Board is contemplating cricket without spectators for some time.

Veteran India off- pinner Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday rejected the perception that he is jealous of Ravinchandran Ashwin, saying the Tamil Nadu bowler is a "legend in making".

With the coronavirus outbreak forcing a cricket shutdown across the world, there is speculation that the sport might initially return without fans. The global health crisis has forced England and Wales Cricket Board to suspend all professional sport till July 1 in the country and also put in doubt the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. Buttler said he is hoping for some form of cricket to return this year.

Faf du Plessis said that it is 'very important' to have a positive attitude and he is putting a lot of energy into it.