Neil Wagner overcomes broken toes to lead Blackcaps' surge against Pakistan

Neil Wagner has been known for bowling tough spells where he puts all of his efforts in, and he performs the role of an enforcer for the New Zealand side which is full of bowlers capable of pitching it up. Wagner has now enhanced that reputation of being the most hard-working bowler in the line up as he kept running in even after fracturing his two toes.

Pakistan Captain Mohammad Rizwan and Fawad Alam had put on a big century stand, but the young pacer Kyle Jamieson got the better of Rizwan in the final session of the final day of the first Test. An opening was created and Wager was hungrier than ever to earn wickets for one of the toughest spells of his career as he was bowling with broken toes. He bounced out Fawad Alam, while the next man in Faheem Ashraf, who was brilliant with the bat in the first innings, was done in with a full ball. The Blackcaps needed last six wickets of Pakistan to win the first Test, and Wagner's heroics must have given the team a much-needed belief after a resounding resistance by Pakistan lower-order batsmen.

Wagner has been the master of troubling the best batsmen in the opposition line up and he has caused problems for batsmen such as Steve Smith and Virat Kohli whenever he has got the chance to bowl at them. But, for Wagner, it’s a role that matters and he takes pride in performances like that.

"Test matches don't come easy. Playing for your country is never anything you can take for granted. I know how bloody hard I had to work to get to where I am now and I'm sure as hell not going to sit on the side and watch other people do it. I want to be part of it and playing my part. Unless they carry me off on a stretcher, I'm going to try and do everything I can, I guess,” Wagner said on bowling with broken toes.

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I see my younger self in him: Younis Khan on Mohammad Rizwan

Pakistan batting coach Younis Khan believes that stand-in Test skipper Mohammed Rizwan is much like him, especially in the manner that he struggles at the beginning of the innings to pick the right length, and then when he gets in the groove, he is just unmatchable. "When I see him, I see him, like me, struggling first and then regathering myself to find my game. It isn't just about this Test match… even in the T20 series, when he was struggling in the first two games, it was like me struggling, and then I got to know my game and have to change a little accordingly,” Khan was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. Talking about the advice that he would like to offer to the young wicket-keeper batsman, Khan, 43, said, "My advice was very simple for him to play his natural game. You just go and spend some time at the pitch and things will suddenly start coming to you. He did in the third T20 and he has taken his form into the Test series.” “He knows his role, his strengths, and weaknesses. He is a captain as well and with the runs, he is leading from the front,” the coach added. While Rizwan was run out on 71, Faheem Ashraf the all-rounder went on to make 91 runs and added some precious runs with the tail to avoid follow on. Praising him, Younis said that Pakistan has been looking for someone like him for a long time. "We need players like Faheem Ashraf. It's not just me, but other coaches, especially Waqar Younis, who was very keen to give him more chances in Test cricket. He offers us something we have been missing since Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood (retired). Batting is all about patience and he is improving with every passing day, and he has all the potential in him to become the all-rounder we need,” said Younis. At Mount Maunganui, Pakistan, after having avoided the follow-on have been set a target of 373 to chase by the Kiwis. On the last day, the Pakistani pair of experienced batters in Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam would begin the chase from 71-3, with 302 more required and seven wickets in hand.

Can't let him dictate terms: Smith on tackling Ashwin in future Tests

Australia’s top batsman Steven Smith has been out of form in this entire series, unable to play any significant innings in both the Tests. According to the 31-year-old himself, he believes that he had let the Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dictate terms to him while batting. "I probably haven't played Ashwin as well as I would've liked. I probably would've liked to have put him under a bit more pressure. I've sort of let him dictate terms and that's something I've probably never let any spinner do in my career,” Smith told SEN radio. Saying that he has liked to be a 'bit more aggressive’ to the bowlers and had ‘made them change things’, Smith lamented on the fact that he hasn’t really been able to do that to Ashwin in this series. Smith also said that to tackle Ashwin and to get into a bit of form, his scheme is to spend more time in the middle. "At the moment I'm searching for a time in the middle; that's the most important thing for me. When I look at this year, 64 balls is the longest I've spent in the middle, during those one-day games,” he said after the Melbourne defeat of the Aussies. "For me, that's important. I find a lot of rhythm out in the middle. You can bat as much as you want in the nets but there's nothing that can replicate what a game can do so that for me is what I'm searching for at the moment," he added.

DDCA asks Bedi to reconsider his decision of removing name from Arun Jaitley Stadium's stand

The newly elected president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), Rohan Jaitley, son of the late Arun Jaitley has asked the legendary spin bowler Bishan Singh Bedi to reconsider his decision. Bedi had said that he would want his name removed from one of the stands of the Arun Jaitley Stadium, previously known as Feroz Shah Kotla. The septuagenarian raised this demand in protest of DDCA’s decision of installing Arun Jaitley’s life-size statue in front of the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Bedi wanted that instead of a ‘corrupt’ administrator and politician a sportsman’s statue would have been rather fitting. "Bedi Ji is the 'Bhisham Pitamah' of Delhi cricket. If there are reservations, there are better ways of discussing them. I am a youngster and I expect to be guided by the elders in the fraternity. His name on the stands is his legacy, an honour bestowed upon him," Rohan said. Answering whether DDCA would remove the name of Bedi from the stand, Rohan said, "These matters have to be decided by the Apex Council. It's not in my domain. It's not in my power to remove anyone's name. We have discussed it within the DDCA. We are going to request him to reconsider it. It's a long affiliation between the DDCA and Mr. Bedi." "It matters, I want his name to be there. I respect him as much as my father, if he wants to scold me, he can pull my ear but you can't hit below the belt when it is not required,” he added terming the attack on his deceased father as being below the belt.

One of the greatest comebacks: Shastri lauds Team India after MCG victory

Indian coach Ravi Shastri was ecstatic with the Indian victory over Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground and termed it as one of the greatest comebacks in Test cricket, after India were humbled in Adelaide, getting out for their lowest ever score (36 runs) in Test cricket history. "I think it will go down in the annals of not only Indian cricket but world cricket as one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the game," Shastri said while talking to the broadcasters after India’s eight-wicket victory. Praising the character of the team, Shastri said, "To be rolled over for 36 in three days and then get up and ready to punch back was outstanding. Boys deserve all credit for the character they showed. It's a real character." The 58-year-old further said that this victory would work like magic for Indian cricket fans all over the world who have gone through so much in the time of the pandemic. "I think it's a great present from the team for the millions of fans around the world to have a happy new year, bringing some smiles on the faces going into the New Year," he said. The two debutants in Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj played crucial roles in the victory where Siraj took five wickets in the game while Gill made a brave 45 in the first innings and 35 not out in the second. "That's the brand of cricket we have been playing for the last three or four years. When you saw these two debutants show that kind of flair, discipline, and maturity, it was great. Today Siraj's numbers were outstanding,” said Shastri.