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Avesh Khan Looks Back On Life In Pandemic Eyes Big Opportunities Ahead With Team India

Avesh Khan looks back on life in pandemic, eyes big opportunities ahead with Team India

Avesh Khan has been selected as a net bowler in the Indian squad for the long tour of England where they will face New Zealand in the World Test Championship final and hosts England in a five-match Test series.

Looking at the length of the tour, Avesh Khan is not really giving hopes of earning an India cap in case someone front the main squad gets injured. Although he recognises the slim chances he has to make it to the India Test side, he is looking forward to making the most of the opportunity to bowl against Indian batsmen, which he says has helped me a great deal over the last few years.

“The experience I had been a net bowler with the Indian team over the last three years has really helped in my growth. I know there is a very slim chance of me playing but I know I have to be ready if someone gets injured. Can’t stop learning,” Avesh Khan told Times of India.

The Covid-19 pandemic hurt the Indian domestic cricket in a big way and Avesh’s continuous upward journey in the Ranji Trophy hit a speed breaker. However, he made good use of the break and focussed on fitness and losing weight in order to be in perfect shape come the 14th edition of the IPL.

“Playing first-class matches helps you getting into a rhythm. I realized I had to shed weight after the last IPL. I needed to work really hard on my fitness to bowl well consistently in this year’s IPL,” Avesh Khan added.

To lose weight, he had to give up on eating Biryani though, which he said was the toughest part of the weight loss exercise.

Avesh Khan burst on to the scenes from the ICC U19 World Cup in 2016 and his performance in the abruptly ended IPL was impressive. He picked up 14 wickets from eight matches with an impressive average of 27.89 and strike rate of 18.94.

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Chennai Super Kings step up to help people fighting Covid-19; procure 450 oxygen concentrators

Stepping in to help the people of Tamil Nadu in the fight against the deadly second wave of Covd-19, the Chennai Super Kings have procured 450 oxygen concentrators. CSKCL Director Mr R Srinivasan has handed over the first consignment of Oxygen concentrators to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on May 8 and in the presence of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association President, Mrs Rupa Gurunath. The second consignment of concentrators is expected to be delivered by next week. These Oxygen concentrators will be used for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in the Government hospitals and Covid care centres being run by Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). “The people of Chennai and Tamil Nadu form the very heartbeat of the Super Kings and we want them to know that we are all together in this fight against the pandemic,” CSK CEO Mr KS Viswanathan said. Notably, the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League was suspended for an indefinite period of time in the wake of Covid-19 outbreaks in various franchises including the CSK with both the batting coach Michael Hussey and bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji contracting the novel coronavirus.

IPL 2021: Warner, Slater issue denial after reports of a brawl in Maldives

Indian Premier League star batsman David Warner and a Star Sports commentator and former Australia international Michael Slater have categorically denied charges of a brawl between them at a bar in their hotel in the Maldives. Warner and Slater alongwith 38 Australians in total, including players, commentators and support staff are currently undergoing quarantine at the Taj Coral Resort post the suspension of IPL 2021, owning to increasing Covid-19 cases in the Bio-bubble created for the tournament. 'There is absolutely nothing to the rumour mill ... Davie and I are great mates and absolutely zero chance of [having] a fight,” Slater, 51 told the Daily Mail. Australian opener and former SRH captain also went on to clarify, and rather questioned the media for unsubstantiated reports. He said, “I don't know where you get these things from. Unless you were here and have got concrete evidence you can't write anything.” Warner was removed from the captaincy in the ongoing season after his team managed to win only one of the first six matches. The Australians involved in the IPL are forced to stay in the Maldives as their Prime Minister decided to ban any flights to and from India considering the deadly spread of the second wave of the Coronavirus in the country. Over 3 lakhs cases are being reported daily and people are dying in thousands daily because of the Covid-19. The foreign stars, therefore, were either transported back to their country or like in the case of Australia, to the Maldives, a notion not in the red list of travel, from where they could take a flight back home post the 'May 15' deadline.

ZIM vs PAK | 2nd Test: Pakistan in pole position as Zimbabwe collapse after Abid Ali's double hundred

It was Abid Ali’s day at the Harare Sports Club in Harare as he hit his maiden double century in Test cricket, aided and supported well by spinner Nauman Ali, who unfortunately missed out on a maiden Test ton, getting stumped off 97. Pakistan’s debutants Sajid Khan and Tabish Khan picked their maiden Test wickets as the host Zimbabwe were pushed to 52/4 at the end of Day two’s play of the second Test. Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi, the usual suspects took one each as well. Coming to bat after having let their opponents score freely and reach 510-8 in their first innings, Zimbabwe didn’t get off to a good start as Tisiarai Musakakand became 36-year-old Tabish Khan’s first international wicket. Tabish was lucky as the in swinger clearly seemed to be missing the leg stump on replays. Regis Chakabva, who was promoted to number-3 did well to build a small partnership with the other opener Kevin Kasuza. But a nipping inswinger from Hasan Ali saw Kasuza’s off-stump cartwheel to Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. Zimbabwean skipper Brendan Taylor’s poor run of form continued as he edged a climbing short ball, bowled by an aggressive Shaheen from around the wicket, to Rizwan behind the stumps. Sajid Khan’s arm ball then got Milton Shumba and the Chevrons were reeling at 47-4 in 25 overs. The nightwatchman Tendai Chisoro then played out the remaining five overs alongside Chakabva to see off the day. Earlier in the day, starting from their overnight score of 268-4, Pakistan were anchored by Abid, who even in the face of wickets falling at regular intervals, kept ongoing. At 341-7, with no recognize batsman left to stand at the other end with Abid, it seemed that Pakistan will fold out under 400. However, 34-year-old Nauman had other ideas. Not at all a mug with the bat, the Sindh born utilised all his First class experience where he has 10 half-centuries and over 2000 runs, and played a blinder of an innings, hitting 104 balls 97, in which 41 off his last runs came off just 17 balls. The left-hander hit nine fours and five sixes in total as well. Once he got out, Babar Azam declared the innings at 510-8. Both Abid and Nauman added 169 for the eighth wicket, the 13th highest in the world and second for Pakistan. The highest eighth-wicket partnership for Pakistan also came against Zimbabwe when Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq added 31 runs in 1996.

There is no possibility of series against SL being rescheduled: BCB

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury has said that it is not possible to reschedule the ODI series against Sri Lanka. The three-match ODI series is slated to begin on May 23 and all the matches will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. "This is definitely a challenge. We are trying to work with the government protocol to bring the crew. We are also looking at other options. We might bring crew from other countries where cricket is being played," ESPNcricinfo quoted Chowdhury as saying. The BCB chief executive though admitted that there are certain challenges given the current situation but they have got the go ahead from the Sri Lankan players. "There is no possibility of the series being rescheduled. Of course there are challenges. We have the green signal about the cricketers from Sri Lanka. We are hopeful that they can join training within a day or two after testing negative," he added. All-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan has cleared the first of multiple Covid-19 tests with a negative result while left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman is waiting for the reports. "We are working step by step. Those coming from India have a different, more difficult protocol. We are hopeful of hearing a good result. One has to keep in mind that we are not getting any special privilege. International cricket has a different protocol during these times. Generally a person who arrives in a passenger aircraft has to do one test and follow the government protocol. They don't have to do another test," said Chowdhury. Sri Lanka recently defeated Bangladesh in a two-match Test series 1-0 after winning the second clash by 209 runs.