Michael Vaughan not to be included in Ashes coverage by BBC

Somya Kapoor

Former England captain Michael Vaughan will not be a part of the coverage of the Ashes in Australia by BBC. Vaughan’s name was in Yokshire’s report regarding Azeem Rafiq's claims of racism during his time at the club.

"While he is involved in a significant story in cricket, for editorial reasons we do not believe that it would be appropriate for Michael Vaughan to have a role in our Ashes team or wider coverage of the sport at the moment," said a BBC statement.

"We require our contributors to talk about relevant topics and his involvement in the Yorkshire story represents a conflict of interest."

Rafiq had alleged that Vaughan said "too many of you lot, we need to do something about it" to him earlier. The former right-handed batsman has been denying the allegations. 

Vaughan wrote in his Daily Telegraph column that he “denies” the allegations. 

"I categorically deny saying the words attributed to me by Azeem Rafiq and want to re-state this publicly because the 'you lot' comment simply never happened.”

"It is extremely upsetting that this completely false accusation has been made against me by a former team-mate, apparently supported by two other players,” he added.  

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SL vs WI | 1st Test | Day- 4: Ramesh Mendis spins a web around Windies batters, gets Lanka on brink of victory

The Sri Lankan spinners look threateningly beautiful on the Glle wicket which was proving to be a graveyard for the West Indies top order. The ball which got the wicket of Jason, Holder which was also the last wicket to fall on day four of the first Test between the two sides, was a perfect example of a straighter one from an off-spinner. It straightened ever so slightly and clipped the off stump that Holder stood holding the pose in disbelief. It was indeed a beauty of a ball. However, to Holder’s wicket, five other Windies batter had fallen to spin, a series of dismissals that started on the team score of only three runs in the fourth innings, chasing a target of 348. The first to go was the Caribbean skipper Kraigg Brathwaite who was trapped in front by Mendis. Jermaine Blackwood, the next most experienced pure batter in the team fell next as he was caught by Angelo Mathews off Lasith Embulduniya. The second wicket fell on the fourth ball of the seventh over at the team score of 11, but what transpired in the next five overs threatened to get West Indies bowled out for probably the lowest total in Test history as they lost the next four wickets with just an addition of seven runs. Mendis was the wrecker in chief, claiming three out of the four wi kets. From 11-1, the Windies were 18-6 in a span of 30 balls. However, after this storm, there was finally some resistance as Joshua da Silva and Nkrumah Bonner put up unbeaten 34 runs for the seventh wicket and saw the Windies through the fourth day. The day was called early due to bad light and Sri Lankan bowlers will get another go on day five of the Test. With only four wickets left, it would be interesting to see how West Indies fare in their resistance. Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka bowlers rolled over the West Indian first innings with meagre addition of thor overnight total of 224-9. Batting in their second innings, skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and experienced Mathews guided the team to 190 in just 40 overs and gave their bowlers a real shot at getting 10 wickets in the remaining overs. Karunaratne scored 83 off 104 balls while Mathews made an unbeaten 69 off 84 balls.

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IND vs NZ | 1st Test: With baggage of disappointments in big events, India begin quest against Kiwis

India will lock horns with New Zealand in the two-match Test series slated to begin on Thursday in Kanpur. The home side will be without the services of some key players like Virat Kohli (rested for only one game), Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. Rahul was on Tuesday ruled out of the series due to a muscle strain on his left thigh and Suryakumar Yadav has replaced him in the squad. With the absence of both Rahul and Rohit now, the onus of opening the batting will be on Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal. The last time the two sides met each other in a Test fixture was the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship in Southampton earlier this year. The Kane Williamson-led side won that game and clinched the trophy. India would now look to turn tables in the longer format of the game. Ajinkya Rahane will be leading the side in absence of Kohli in this match. On the other side, Devon Conway will miss out on playing the series due to a hand injury that he sustained during the T20 World Cup. Match Details Match: IND vs NZ, 1st Test, New Zealand tour of India, 2021 Date: Thursday, November 25, 2021 - Monday, November 29, 2021 Time: 9:30 AM (Nov 25) Venue: Green Park, Kanpur Pitch Report The venue hasn’t really hosted many Tests in the recent past and in fact the last one was against New Zealand only where R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja scalped 16 wickets out of the 20. It is expected that the track is likely to assist the spinners again but the batsmen can have some help in the initial phase of the game. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat. Team News India: India batter KL Rahul was ruled out of the series with muscle strain on his left thigh and the selectors called up Suryakumar Yadav as his replacement. But stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane has cleared that Shreyas Iyer who has already been in the squad will make his Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur. New Zealand: Devon Conway’s absence is likely to have Will Young in the opener’s role while Tom Blundell can be seen in the middle order. Captain Kane Williamson who had missed the T20I series to prepare for the Tests is also back in the side. But the bowling combination is a much bigger headache for the team management considering the spinners’ role. Coach Gary Stead has already said that the team might field three spinners in the XI. Probable XI India: Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Wriddihman Saha (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav New Zealand: Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell (WK), Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, Will Somerville Probable XI Wriddhiman Saha, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson (C), Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, R Ashwin (VC), Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, Kyle Jamiseson

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Accommodating straighter deliveries in heavily spinning conditions: Williamson’s mantra of success

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IND vs NZ | 1st Test: No better challenge than playing India in India says Kyle Jamieson

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