Former English umpire Ian Gould has revealed that officiating in India-Pakistan matches is intimidating because of the amount of crowd and support from wherever they play in the world. “It’s intimidating. Not the players. The players are outstanding people. I’ve done seven, eight India-Pakistan games and the guys are really good people. They get on with each other,” he said in an interview with ESPNCricinfo. Gould retired last year after the ICC 2019 World Cup after having stood in more than 250 international games including 7-8 India-Pakistan fixtures. “If you allow a crowd to get to you, all that noise and Mexican waves, or whatever, can distract you. Then you start missing bits and pieces and it’s a difficult place to be,” he added. Gould who also officiated the 2011 World Cup semi-final at Mohali in India recalled the incident last month while talking to BBC, where he gave Sachin ...

After a near three-month shutdown, elite competitive sports in England can resume from Monday behind closed doors provided strict conditions are met, the government said on Saturday. The first major live event is expected to be the 2000 Guineas Stakes horse race at Newmarket on June 6, although racing is set to start at Kempton Park on Tuesday. Competitive sports was suspended in Britain in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 38,000 people in the UK to date. Guidelines published on Saturday by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), outlined a lengthy list of criteria that must be met to allow elite athletes and professional sportsmen to resume competition. “The wait is over. Live British sport will shortly be back on in safe and carefully controlled environments,” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said in a statement. “This guidance provides the safe framework for sports to ...