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

South Africa vs Pakistan: Sharjeel Khan asked to shed weight to be eligible for selection

• Pakistan batsman Sharjeel Khan found a place for himself in the Pakistan squad for the four-match T20I series against South Africa, starting from April 10, 2021, at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
• Though the opener has been successful in earning a call for the T20I squad, he will have to work hard to find a place for himself in the playing XI against South Africa.
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India vs England: Michael Vaughan surprised to see the exclusion of Suryakumar Yadav from the first ODI

• India’s playing XI managed to surprise former England captain Michael Vaughan as he was expecting the inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav.
• Surya had made his international batting debut for India during the fourth T20 International against England.
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Reports: Australia likely to host Afghanistan for one-off Test during 2021-22 summer in November

• Afghanistan look set to travel to Australia this year for the historic Test that was postponed last year due to the pandemic.
• Australia were scheduled to host the Asian country last summer before the series against India.
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India vs England: Umpires replace 16-delivery old ball after it is damaged in a bizarre manner

• Usually, a cricket ball is damaged or deformed after being in use for a long time or when the batsmen play too aggressively.
• And thus it was surprising when the ball which was being used in the ongoing match had to be replaced as early as the 3rd over.
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Jofra Archer’s participation in IPL 2021 depends on medical team’s investigation, says Eoin Morgan

• England’s limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan has said Jofra Archer’s participation in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will depend on the medical staffs’ assessment.
• Last week, Archer returned home after the conclusion of the T20I series and is not a part of the ongoing three-match ODI series.
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Finn Allen, Will Young get maiden T20I call-ups for Bangladesh T20Is, Six IPL bound players rested

• Wellington Firebirds’ new batting sensation Finn Allen has been called up for the New Zealand squad for the T20Is against Bangladesh.
• The 21-year-old has had a brilliant start to his domestic career and that has allowed him to get a maiden call-up for the national side.
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Family of a 40-year-old woman attacked after asking a group of men for not playing cricket

• Nine men were booked for the attempted murder of a 40-year-old woman, her son, and her husband on Sunday, March 21, for telling them to not play cricket in front of her house.
•  Investigations are currently underway after the incident took place in the Ramtekdi area of Hadapsar.
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‘Shreyas Iyer will be my pick ahead of Suryakumar Yadav’ – VVS Laxman ahead of India’s ODI series against England

• VVS Laxman, the former Indian cricketer, reckons that Shreyas Iyer should be picked ahead of Suryakumar Yadav for the Men in Blue’s upcoming ODI series against England.
• Both Iyer and Yadav had impressive campaigns in the T20I series and made use of the chances they got.
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‘Players need to be spoken and consulted with’ – Virat Kohli opens up on bio-bubble

• Ever since the game of cricket has commenced after a temporary halt due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many Indian cricketers have been practically living in a bubble with no real break in between.
• The Indian players had entered the bio-secure bubble made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in August 2020 in the United Arab Emirates.
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‘Kuch toh log kehenge, logo ka kaam hai kehna’ – Virat Kohli responds to the criticism surrounding KL Rahul

• India’s swashbuckling opening batsman KL Rahul has been suffering from a poor form with the willow for quite some time now.
• The batsman featured in the first four T20Is against England but returned with disappointing scores of 1, 0, 0, and 14.
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