Top Stories: Things that made news in the cricket world today

Reports: Shikhar Dhawan likely to miss the ODI series against West Indies

• India are currently facing the West Indies in the three-match T20I series which is locked at 1-1 with the decider set to be played on Wednesday in Mumbai.
• After the T20 Internationals, the two teams are scheduled to play three ODIs starting from December 15 in Chennai.
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Hardik Pandya reveals his comeback date in Team India post his back surgery

• Hardik Pandya, the young Indian all-rounder, who underwent successful surgery of his back in October has revealed that is main aim is to be back until T20 World Cup.
• He is currently going through rehabilitation and has started working hard for his comeback into the national squad as soon as possible.
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‘You’ve just got to respect the decision and move on’ – David Warner on his lifetime captaincy ban

• Former Australia vice-captain David Warner made a successful return to form in Test cricket in the recently concluded two-match series against Pakistan.
• Coming on the back of a forgettable Ashes series where the southpaw could manage just 95 runs across ten innings, Warner shellacked the Pakistani bowlers to all corners of the Gabba and Adelaide Oval.
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‘Pollard’s experience at Wankhede will be invaluable for young West Indies bowlers,’ says coach Phil Simmons

• Phil Simmons, the West Indies head coach on Tuesday said that his team would be banking on Kieron Pollard in the T20I series decider that will be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on December 11.
• The Caribbean skipper is the part of Mumbai Indians and has a good experience of playing on that wicket. He can well guide the young bowlers in the side in the crucial contest.
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Justin Langer rubbishes Ian Chappell’s claims that Steve Smith ‘white-anted’ Tim Paine

• Australian coach Justin Langer has come out in support of former Australian skipper Steve Smith for lending support in decision making on the field to current skipper Tim Paine.
• He has encouraged the fact of senior players like Smith and David Warner going ahead and having a word with the skipper.
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‘We will see some good quality Test cricket’: Mohammad Yousuf as Pakistan gear up to host Sri Lanka after a decade

• History will be made in Pakistan when they host the Sri Lanka team for the 2-match Test series after a decade of fans and country missing out on the five-day format.
• Sri Lanka was the last team that visited the country before a terrorist attack on the visitors kept other top teams from visiting Pakistan for international cricket.
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MS Dhoni’s luggage gets swapped with another passenger’s at Kolkata airport

• MS Dhoni is thoroughly enjoying his time away from the game of cricket it seems, as he has been indulging in some of his guilty pleasures.
• Recently, he participated in a tennis tournament in Jharkhand and won the doubles’ trophy with his partner. Dhoni has also been spending his time riding his vehicles and bikes on the roads of Ranchi as well.
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Australia unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI for the day-night Test against New Zealand

• Australia will welcome New Zealand for a series of three Test matches starting with a day-night encounter at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
• There are many speculations going around about the playing conditions and on whether Australia will make any changes to their team for this match.
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Virat Kohli’s birthday wish for MS Dhoni most retweeted tweet in sports in 2019

• India captain Virat Kohli is as popular a character on social media as on the field. He is currently on a roll both as a captain and batsman even though the Men in Blue are under some sort of pressure at the moment to win the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies.
• However, amid the concerns of beating the resurgent Caribbeans, one news would certainly make Kohli elated.
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Nottinghamshire signs Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas for 2020 County season

• He might have gone for a ‘century’ in the second Test against Australia in Adelaide recently but Mohammad Abbas hasn’t lost the trust yet.
• English county side Nottinghamshire have secured the services of the fast bowler for the 2020 County Championship.
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Reports: Prithvi Shaw to be named as the third opener in Tests for the upcoming New Zealand tour

• The Indian team sits pretty at the top of the ICC World Test Championship points table with 360 points to their name from seven wins from seven games.
• They have played 2 Tests away from home in West Indies, while have faced South Africa and Bangladesh at home in five Test matches. The performance has been top-notch, but their biggest challenge awaits them.
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Two BPL franchises under scanner for not complying with Bangladesh Cricket Board’s diktat

• Two Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchises-handled by the Bangladesh Cricket Board- in the upcoming edition of the tournament, have failed to comply with the board’s diktat- that all squads will have to feature at least one fast bowler who can bowl in excess of 140 and a leg-spinner in the set-up.
• One of the franchises, Rangpur Riders, do not have a fast bowler in their squad while their leg-spinner could be picked for next month’s ICC U19 World Cup in 2020.
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Tim Southee drops a big hint on Lockie Ferguson’s Test debut against Australia

• Lockie Ferguson, the Kiwi right-arm pacer has become a vital part of New Zealand cricket team in the limited-overs in the past one year. He has impressed everyone with his brilliant performances in white-ball cricket.
• Now, he could be lined up for his Test debut against Australia in the upcoming Test series as far as his teammate Tim Southee is concerned.
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Rohit Sharma reveals the reason behind getting clean-shaved

• It is fair to say that the year 2019 has been the year of Rohit Sharma. From welcoming his daughter in this world to shellacking hundreds after hundreds in the fifty-over World Cup to successfully transitioning into a Test match opener, Rohit had it all covered this year.
• During the World Cup, Rohit became the first-ever batsmen to rack up five hundred in a single quadrennial event and his picture where was standing as a dejected man after having got out for 1 in the semi-final against New Zealand, just showed how much winning this World Cup meant to the Indian opener.
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