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S Sreesanth set to return after 7-year ban in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy


Former India pacer S Sreesanth is likely to return to competitive cricket after the Kerala Cricket Association has included him in the team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scheduled to be played early next year. A 15-player squad has been announced which will be captained by Sanju Samson, while Sachin Baby will be vice-captain of the Kerala team in the domestic T20 tournament.

Sreesanth completed serving a seven-year ban imposed by the BCCI in 2013 after his alleged involvement in a match-fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The period of ban ended in September earlier this year, but pandemic delayed his return to the field for Kerala in competitive cricket.

Kerala squad

Sanju Samson (C), Sachin Baby (VC), Jalaj Saxena, Robin Uthappa, Vishnu Vinod, Salman Nizar, Basil Thampi, S Sreesanth, Nidheesh MD, Asif KM, Akshay Chandran, Midhun PK, Abhishek Mohan SL, Vinoop S Manoharan, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Rohan S Kunnummal, Midhun S, Vathsal Govind Sharma, Rojith KG, Sreeroop MP.

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NZ vs PAK | 1st Test: Blackcaps get better of defiant Pakistan's lower order batsmen

New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 101 runs in the first Test of the series at Mount Maunganui and surged to the top of the ICC Test Rankings for the first time in their history of Test cricket. There were multiple heroic performances from either side, but New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was adjudged Man of the Match for his resilient 129 in the first innings that set the platform for the hosts’ dominance over the touring Pakistan side for most of the game. Pakistan were given a target of 373 runs to chase in the final innings of the Test, and they put up a valiant effort to take the game into the final session on the back of excellent rearguard action from stand-in captain Mohammad Rizwan and Fawad Alam. The tourists were in trouble after the top order was sent back to the pavilion very early, and when Azhar Ali got nicked off to BJ Watling off Trent Boult after a defiant innings 120-ball-38, the hosts were smelling a victory. But, the Blackcaps had to bowl with excellent control and patience to take the next wicket as both Fawad Alam and Rizwan decided to dig in and to throw their wickets away. The duo batted with impeccable patience and the partnership lasted more than 60 overs in terms of resistance and 125 runs in terms of runs as Fawad Alam completed a magnificent century to prove his batting credentials are not limited to first-class cricket and that he belongs to this level and can score runs giants top bowling attack as well. The Blackcaps were pushed to the edge and they had their task cut out to take six wickets in the final session. The old-aged saying of cricket that one wicket brings two, unfortunately, proved to be true for the tourists. Kyle Jamieson trapped Rizwan in front of the stumps and only three overs later, Wagner found the glove of Fawad Alam’s en route to BJ Watling. Three more wickets fell in quick succession as the Blackcaps went for the kill albeit with a spinner in Mitchell Santner and also Wagner who was heroically bowling with broken toes. The left-arm spinner repaid the faith and got rid of Mohammad Abbas with a one that kept going on with the arm after Wagner found the outside edge of Faheem Ashraf, who was the highest run-scorer for the tourists in the first innings. The last pair of Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was stuck on the had by Wagner took Pakistan very close to saving the game in what could be termed as one of the best rearguard actions seen in the recent past, but it wasn’t to be as Santner was smarter of the three that mattered for ether side and he caught Naseem Shah off his own bowling to win Blackcaps the game and kept the side in the hunt for the World Test Championship Final to be played at Lord’s. Although Pakistan lost the match they came so close of saving, they would take the heart out of the grit and determination the lower order batsman shown on a tough pitch against a very potent bowling line up that had a quartet of Boult, Southee, Jamieson and Wagner along with the left-arm spinner Santner and the stand-in skipper Rizwan accepted it as the beauty of Test cricket where teams work hard to beat each other playing at their best. He also rued soft dismissals and the collapse in the first innings, while heaping praise on Kane Williamson whose calmness and solidity with the bat steered New Zealand to a total that was enough to test Pakistan’s resolve in the first Test. Neil Wagner who kept on bowling with broken toes got the special mention from Rizwan, who believes Pakistan are still in the game even after a narrow loss in Mount Maunganui. "Not too disappointed. This is the beauty of Test cricket. As a human being, I believe Almighty Allah gives us rewards for the hard work. New Zealand worked harder than us, and that's why the result was with their team. After the toss, our decision was good, but fielding well is most important when you want to take early wickets. We collapsed in the field and gave away a few too many catches, but Williamson played really well. Yes, the declaration was a good one, but they took early wickets. Again today we wanted to go for the target, but they took early wickets. They have done really well in Test cricket. I must give special credit to Neil Wagner, for bowling with a fractured toe. We lost this match, but we are still in the series. We played very well in this match, and we need some improvement in our bowling,” Rizwan said in the post-match presentation. On the other hand, the winning skipper Williamson once again shrugged off the question of playing the WTC Final at the Lord’s and said that his side believes in staying in the present. However, he accepted that the WTC plays a role in deciding the fate of the match as teams go for the winning in quest of more points and which might see them also losing the game, which could have been defended. "Our focus is on the present. Absolutely, we want to play the World Test Championship final, and we saw it in the final session today when there was that carrot in mind. But in Tests, you know that it's all about going moment by moment, and that's what you play with. We did make the declaration that if the wicket doesn't deteriorate, it would have given them a chance. They had some positive players at the crease, and some more to come. The WTC means you give yourself a chance to win a game, but also lose it. It gave the viewers that spectacle, with three possible results going into the final session. I think we saw similar characteristics on this wicket when we played against England. We are playing in our country, but on surfaces which are varied. With the wind and the sun, it started to offer a bit more,” Williamson said. The second and the final Test of the two-Test series between the sides will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch from January 03, 2021.

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Australia recall Warner, Pucovski after injury for SCG Test; Burns gets axed

Facing stern criticism after a heavy loss in the Boxing Day Test against the touring Indian side, Australia have welcomed the return of David Warner and uncapped Will Pucovski into the updated squad for the third Test slated to take place in Sydney. Also, running horribly out of form opener Joe Burns has been dropped from the squad after three bad innings when he looked really out of sorts against the impressive Indian bowling attack. David Warner had suffered a groin injury in the second ODI against India and walked off the field and was ruled out the T20 series and two Test that followed while Pucovski was hit on the head in the warm-up game by India’s net bowler Karthik Tyagi and he was ruled out on concussion ground. National selector Trevor Hohns has said that Pucovski has recovered from the concussion and its subsequent symptoms. Pucovski is likely to debut at the SCG and will open the innings for Australia along with David Warner as the left-hander too, has been shaping up nicely after returning to the national team fold. There were few concerns on his mobility on the field but Australia desperately need him in pursuit of earning the Border Gavaskar Trophy back from India. "David has made strong progress in his recovery from injury and will be given every chance to play in Sydney with another seven days until the match. Sean has fully recovered from a calf strain and is also available for selection,” Hohns said on Warner’s availability for the third Test. "Will is in the final stages of the graduated return to play protocols and has been symptom-free for some time. He will be fit to play in Sydney subject to completing the return to play protocols and an independent assessment,” Hohns added on Pucovski’s concussion and his recovery from the symptoms after suffering his ninth concussion in life. The Border Gavaskar series is levelled at 1-1 and both sides will look to see the remaining part of the series a two-match series with India too, getting the good news of Rohit Sharma’s return. But, they would be fretting over the injury concerns of Umesh Yadav who walked off the field in the midway of an over in the second innings of Australia at the MCG on the third day.

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Neil Wagner overcomes broken toes to lead Blackcaps' surge against Pakistan

Neil Wagner has been known for bowling tough spells where he put all of his efforts and body on the line, and he does the role of an enforcer for the New Zealand side which is full of bowlers capable of pitching it up and dismissing the batsman. Wagner has now enhanced that reputation of being the most hard-working bowler in the line up as he kept running in even after fracturing his two toes. Pakistan Captain Mohammad Rizwan and Fawad Alam had put on a big century stand, but the young pacer Kyle Jamieson got the better of Rizwan in the final session of the final day of the first Test. An opening was created and Wager was hungrier than ever to earn wickets for one of the toughest spells he was bowling with broken toes. He bounced out Fawad Alam, while the next man in Faheem Ashraf, who was brilliant with the bat in the first innings with a full ball. Wagner has been the master of troubling the best batsmen in the opposition line up and he has troubled batsmen such as Steve Smith and Virat Kohli whenever he has got the chance to bowl at them. But, for Wagner, it’s a role that matters and he takes pride in performances like that. "Test matches don't come easy. Playing for your country is never anything you can take for granted. I know how bloody hard I had to work to get to where I am now and I'm sure as hell not going to sit on the side and watch other people do it. I want to be part of it and playing my part. Unless they carry me off on a stretcher, I'm going to try and do everything I can, I guess,” Wagner said on bowling with broken toes.