Brendan Taylor's ban involving spot fixing activities lifted, set to return to Zimbabwe squad

Veteran batter Brendan Taylor is all set to make a return to the international arena, as his three-and-a-half year ban for breaching ICC's anti-corruption code has ended. Taylor had been serving the ban since 2022 after not reporting an approach and accepting gifts and cash for spot fixing games by an Indian businessman. The businessman's identity remains unknown till date, but Taylor says he had filmed the cricketer of consuming cocaine, which allegedly acted as a blackmailing evidence to harm his professional cricketing career.

The cricketer believes that he has learnt his lesson the hard way, and with his fresh start for the national side, he will look to add something beyond his mere presence. He also wishes to fulfil his roles and responsibilities as a member of the squad, which match his abilities. The 39-year-old will be making his return to international cricket soon, and if stars align, he might make it to the ODI squad ahead of the 2027 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe alongside neighbour Africans.

"I've been humbled properly. I look forward to really just adding value, which I probably didn't do to the best of my ability when I was there before," Taylor was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Very excited to have him back: Craig Ervine

Taylor has served the entire ban period, which ended July 25, with full honesty and is now all set to mark a return to the Test squad with the second game of the ongoing series against New Zealand. The Chevrons skipper Craig Ervine also said that Taylor, his senior, has been toiling hard to make his comeback happen, and the entire group is excited to have him back in the squad.

"He'll obviously be available for the second Test. But I also know how hard he's worked in his individual capacity - especially over the last eight, ten [or] 12 months - in order for this to happen. I'm very excited to have him come back into the space in the next few days, and looking forward to what he has to contribute towards the team and the group," Ervine said.

The second Test of the series is set to begin on August 7, and will be played at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The first encounter of the series is currently underway, where Zimbabwe are batting first after winning the toss against the Mitchell Santner-led side. Taylor will be keeping a keen eye on this game to assess the opposition bowling attack ahead of his comeback match.