Virat Kohli vs Ross Taylor: Star batsmen headline India-New Zealand series

Agencies
January 22, 2019

Wellington, Jan 22: Virat Kohli and Ross Taylor will vie to prove they are the world's best one-day international batsman as India and New Zealand clash in the first of five ODIs in Napier on Wednesday.

For both sides, the series is an opportunity to fine-tune planning ahead of the World Cup.

But for Kohli and Taylor -- currently ranked first and third in the world respectively -- it's a more personal battle, with both in electric form and looking to gain a psychological edge.

The McLean Park wicket promises to be a belter, with New Zealand's Tom Latham showing just how ripe the pitch is by smashing 110 off just 60 deliveries, including 10 fours and six sixes, in a domestic Twenty20 match last week.

"I think it's going to be a high-scoring affair," declared New Zealand coach David Stead Tuesday.

"I'll be surprised if it's not. The wicket is hard and bouncy and the outfield is lightning fast as well."

Since the start of last year Taylor has averaged a stunning 92 from 13 innings and became the first New Zealander to score 20 ODI hundreds.

However, his performance has been shaded by an even more phenomenal average of 113 in 17 innings by Kohli, who has 39 ODI hundreds to his name in total.

They go into this series with Taylor fresh from scoring 54, 90 and 137 in the 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka, while Kohli produced innings of three, 104 and 46 in the 2-1 series win against Australia.

But Taylor -- with Latham, Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill to back him up in the runs department -- cautioned against New Zealand focusing too much on Kohli.

"He's a sensational player, the best one-day player going around, easily. It's easy to get caught up in him. You've got two pretty good openers at the top, Sharma and Dhawan, before he gets in."

Rohit Sharma ranks ahead of Taylor at number two in the world, while Shikhar Dhawan is ranked ninth.

Taylor could also have added MS Dhoni to the list of feared Indian batsmen following the veteran's 51, 55 not out and 87 not out to show he was clearly in form during the three matches against Australia.

The last time New Zealand played India at McLean Park was four years ago when Kohli scored 123, but his 111-ball knock was in vain as Williamson (71) and Taylor (55) set up a 24-run win for New Zealand.

And although India have the higher ranking, their history in New Zealand -- where conditions are similar to what they can expect in the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales -- is not so good.

They have only won 10 of 35 matches in New Zealand, with a sole series win nine years ago.

The last time they were in New Zealand, in 2014, they were beaten 4-0.

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News Network
February 13,2020

Feb 13: Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were buried in a private funeral service in Southern California last week, multiple outlets reported late Tuesday.

Citing Kobe Bryant's death certificate, Los Angeles Fox affiliate KTTV reported the remains of the former Lakers star and his daughter were transferred to Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary in Corona del Mar. Kobe and Brianna were laid to rest in a private ceremony there last Friday.

According to KTTV, the death certificate cited Kobe's cause of death as "blunt trauma" sustained in a "commercial helicopter crash." It also said his death was "rapid."

Corona del Mar is a community within Newport Beach, where the Bryant family lives.

Kobe, 41, and Gianna, 13, were among nine people killed when the helicopter they were in crashed on a hillside in Calabasas, Calif., northwest of Los Angeles, on Jan. 26. Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, 56; his wife, Keri; and their daughter Alyssa, 14 -- who played on the same club basketball team as Gianna Bryant -- also were killed. Christina Mauser, a 38-year-old who was the top assistant coach of the Mamba girls basketball team, was also killed in the accident, as were Sarah Chester, 45; her daughter Payton Chester, 13; and pilot Ara Zobayan, 50.

A public memorial service for the Bryants will be held Feb. 24 at Staples Center, beginning at 10 a.m. PT.

While the date -- 2/24 -- conveniently falls between two Lakers' home games, it still could have been chosen symbolically. Gianna -- one Kobe and Vanessa' four daughters -- wore No. 2 on her basketball jersey while Kobe was No. 24 for part of his 20-year-tenure with the Lakers, and his retired jerseys -- he also wore No. 8 -- hang at Staples Center.

The Los Angeles Times reported that "entry is expected to be severely restricted" at the venue despite Staples Center's capacity of about 20,000.

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Agencies
February 7,2020

New Delhi, Feb 7: It was on February 7, 1999, that Anil Kumble became just the second bowler in the history of cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings of a Test match.

He achieved the feat against Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, now known as Arun Jaitley cricket stadium in Delhi during the second Test of the two-match series.

India had set Pakistan a target of 420 runs in the match and the visitors got off to a steady start as openers Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar put on 101 runs for the first wicket.

It was then Kumble who came into the attack and wreaked havoc on the Pakistani batting line-up.

The spinner, also known as 'Jumbo' first dismissed Afridi (41) in the 25th over. After the right-handed batter's dismissal, India kept on taking wickets through Kumble and Pakistan was reduced to 128/6 in no time.

Kumble then kept on taking wickets at regular intervals and he got his tenth scalp in the 61st over after dismissing Wasim Akram.

This effort enabled India to register a win by 212 runs, and Kumble became the second bowler after England's Jim Laker to take all ten wickets in a single Test inning.

Kumble finished with the bowling figures of 10-74 from 26.3 overs.

Kumble announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008 and finished with 619 wickets in the longest format of the game.

He has the third-highest number of wickets in Tests, only behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708).

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News Network
April 8,2020

London, Apr 8: England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has raised more than 65,000 pound (USD 80,000) to help fight the coronavirus by auctioning off his World Cup final shirt.

Buttler's shirt, which he wore when completing the last-ball run-out that saw England beat New Zealand at Lord's last year, was sold to raise money for specialist heart and lung centres provided by the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals in London.

Buttler, who earlier in the showpiece match had hit a fifty and batted in the Super Over, put his long-sleeve keeping jersey up for sale on eBay a week ago.

By the time the auction closed on Tuesday, the shirt had attracted 82 bids with the winner paying 65,100 pound.

Buttler, speaking on Monday, said: "It's a very special shirt but I think it takes on extra meaning with it being able to hopefully go to the emergency cause.

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