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

Hardik Pandya makes an impressive comeback to competitive cricket in DY Patil T20 Cup

• Ace India all-rounder Hardik Pandya finally made a return to cricket on Friday when he took the field for Reliance 1 in the DY Patil T20 Cup against Bank of Baroda.
• The 26-year-old, who has not played the game since September last year because of injury and missed the chance of playing in India’s ongoing tour of New Zealand, impressed with the bat in the game by smashing 38 off 25 balls.
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Glenn McGrath picks top three bowlers in international cricket

• Glenn McGrath, the former pacer from Australia is arguably one of the best fast bowlers in the history of cricket.
• There has been a long debate going on in international cricket on who are the best bowlers currently across the globe.
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Vidarbha woman wicketkeeper catches a burglar barehanded, praised by police

• A wicketkeeper is one player in the game of cricket who is expected to be agile with strong reflexes.
• To see keepers taking stunning catches and effecting stumpings in a flash behind the wicket is always a treat to the eyes.
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England pacer Mark Wood ruled out of Sri Lanka tour; replacement announced

• England Test team have been dealt with another body blow with regards to their upcoming two-match series in Sri Lanka after premier fast bowler Mark Wood was ruled out of the rubber due to a side-strain.
• The Durham man had just returned from the same injury during England’s winter tour of South Africa where he played back-to-back Tests and played a key role [12 wickets at an average of 13.58] in England winning the four-match series 3-1.
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India aren’t taking Sri Lanka lightly: Harmanpreet Kaur

• India’s spot in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 semi-finals is already safe but captain Harmanpreet Kaur insists they won’t take Sri Lanka lightly in their final group game.
• Kaur’s side were the first to sail through to the knockout stages after securing wins against hosts and defending champions Australia, as well as Bangladesh and New Zealand, in the first week of the tournament.
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‘It won’t change in the future’ – Mushfiqur Rahim rigid on his stance of not touring Pakistan

• Bangladesh’s ace batsman Mushfiqur Rahim has reiterated the fact that he in no circumstances will travel to Pakistan with the team for the remaining leg of the tour.
• Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan was split in three, and the last of these is lined up for early April, when the two teams play a one-off ODI [April 3] and the second of two Tests [from April 5], all in Karachi.
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Glenn McGrath reveals that he had received death threats for Sachin Tendulkar’s shoulder before wicket dismissal

• The rivalry between Sachin Tendulkar and Glenn McGrath is one for the ages. Both the players were on their peak of abilities throughout their careers and the fans got to see one of the best battles between a champion bowler and a master batsman in both Tests and ODIs. But as they say, the real exam of any cricketer comes in a five-day format only.
• The great bowler, who once held the record for most wickets in Tests by a fast bowler (563), once had the upper hand against the little master during the 1999-2000 India tour to Australia.
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‘As of now, we haven’t confirmed any names’ – BCCI on Asia XI squad

• The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) recently announced the Asia XI and World XI squads for the two T20Is to be played next month. The board has organised a special series to celebrate the birth centenary of country’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
• However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has cleared that they haven’t sent any names yet for the T20I series.
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Cheteshwar Pujara should rotate the strike, otherwise his batting partner will be in trouble: Dilip Vengsarkar

• After losing the first Test match of the series against New Zealand by a margin of 10 wickets, team India has come under a lot of scrutiny from the fans and the experts.
• And, joining the bandwagon of the critics was former team India player, Dilip Vengsarkar, who came out and pointed out the flaws in the team he noticed during the match.
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Brett Lee sells his Sydney home for a whopping $9 million plus

• It seems it’s a season of Australian cricketers selling their homes as after Michael Clarke putting his Bondi beach bachelor pad on the market, his former teammate Brett Lee has also decided to get rid of his Sydney home and managed to do it in record time.
• His house on the north side of the city was sold in just six days after being put on the market, making quite a profit for the former fast bowler.
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Glenn McGrath picks the tougher batsman between Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara

• Former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath had rivalry with two of the premier batsmen of his time — India’s Sachin Tendulkar and West Indies’ Brian Lara.
• There were enough instances of the Pigeon renewing his on-field battles with the two legends.
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Virat Kohli is at his best when he is riled up: Gautam Gambhir

• Indian captain Virat Kohli is enduring a bit of a rough patch in the ongoing tour of New Zealand.
• The Indian superstar has managed to cross a 50+ score just once in nine innings that he has played across four T20Is, three ODIs and a couple of innings of the first Test in Wellington.
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England opener Rory Burns quits football until he retires from cricket

• England opener Rory Burns has bid goodbye to his footie days after returning to cricket from his ankle injury. Burns was on the top of the world, after hitting his maiden in the Ashes 2019 against a fiery Australian team and it seemed England had finally found their replacement for Alastair Cook.
• However, his tour to South Africa was scrapped after he had hurt his ankle while playing football during warmups.
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Getting bowled out under 200 twice unlike No.1 Test team: Wasim Jaffer

• Team India after suffering a series loss in the One Day Internationals have found themselves under the pump again in the Tests.
• It was clear that the Indian batting order did not play up to their standards.
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Pant vs Saha, Shaw vs Gill, Jadeja vs Ashwin: Ravi Shastri answers India’s key selection questions ahead of 2nd Test

• The caravan of the India tour of New Zealand moves to its final destination- Hagley Oval in Christchurch where both sides will lock horns in the second and final Test of the two-match series. Both sides will have an added motivation going into the second Test.
• While the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand will hope for an encore of their performance at the Basin Reserve in Wellington and maintain their cent percent record at home since 2017 besides gaining valuable 60 ICC Test championship points, the Men in Blue will be looking to prove that the 10-wicket shellacking in the first Test was a mere aberration.
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