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If Robert Downey Jr. has proven anything during the 11 years of him playing the character of Tony Stark, itâs that nobody in the world could have done a better job than him (well, maybe Elon Musk, considering the role was based on him). He was the perfect man to be the âgenius billionaire playboy philanthropistâ that Stark was and his transition from being a selfish rich guy to someone who sacrificed his own life for the betterment of all every living organism ever, was captured brilliantly in the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. © Marvel Studios However, when the creation of such an extensive and extraordinary movie franchise was just a mere idea and the first project in the pipeline was that of Iron Man, it was that one actor who shouldered the responsibility and succeeded beautifully. After the end of an era with Avengers: Endgame last year, Marvel Studios released Downeyâs official screen test footage from 2007 when he had to audition for the role despite director Jon Favreau backing him one hundred percent. © Marvel Studios Considering how Downey had to reinvent the character, based on information coming out of comic books, he absolutely crushed it during the tests. The video consists of three scenes which were in the original script of the 2008 film, two of which didnât make it to the final cut: 1. Dialogue Between Stark & Christine Everhart The first scene shows Stark talking to reporter Christine Everhart at the beginning of the movie in which she asks him whether Stark Industries was into âwar profiteeringâ. This was of course followed by a scene of Everhart spending the night at Tonyâs mansion because⦠it was 2008, I guess? 2. Talking To The Soldiers © Marvel Studios Although this scene did not make it to the final cut at all, it shows how quickly Downey could change the mood of the scene from light and comedic to serious ending with a comic relief. It also shows how he could think in split seconds and come up with hilarious lines, cracking up everyone in the room without breaking character. 3. Telling Col. James Rhodes About The Suit © Marvel Studios The final scene in the footage shows Stark talking to his buddy Col. James âRhodeyâ Rhodes after the US Air Force attacks him with two F-22 fighter jets. The tension between the two actors was evident from the beginning and according to the dialogues, Starkâs initial rendition was supposed to be a lot more serious than it turned out to be. This scene also didnât take place in the movie but a lighter, funnier and more casual moment was shown instead. View the full article -
Three Pakistani players test positive for coronavirus ahead of England series
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Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, and Shadab Khan have contracted the virus -
India may have the best pace attack in Test history, claims Shami
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'No team has ever had five fast bowlers together as a package,' says Shami -
They say there are always two sides to every story. But while most of us have heard of this, we choose to forget about all it as per our convenience. However, while you and I can choose to overlook such matters, the law doesnât allow authorities to penalise individuals unless both sides of the story have been heard. © Pexels It was this aspect of the âBois Locker Roomâ investigation which ended up revealing a rather filmy twist in the entire secret Instagram groupchat narrative which came to the fore last week. Now with the ongoing investigation in the matter, a latest development is making headlines. It is related to the sensational âgang-rapeâ comment in one of the chat screenshots that went viral. Turns out, the guy, Siddharth who made the outrageous comment is not related to the âBois Locker Roomâ group at all. Instead, the screenshot was from an isolated Snapchat conversation between Siddharth and another guy which got âmixed upâ with the other viral photos. But thatâs not all. © Pexels Further investigation has also revealed that Siddharth wasnât even a real guy, but instead the profile belonged to a minor girl who made a fake account to allegedly check the other guyâs (receiver) response and âstrength of characterâ. For his part, the other guy refused to indulge Siddharth and ended the conversation. He further shared the screenshots with his friends, which included the girl behind Siddharth's profile, to discuss the matter. Now, to give you a quick rewind, after the malicious contents and conversations between the group members of âBois Locker Roomâ was outed, it exposed the underbelly of our flawed education system and failing moral standing. © Pexels Failures not only as individuals, but also as a society which propagates objectification of women and outraging their modesty without inhibitions or any sense of guilt. So it was only expected when the other half of our âmorally soundâ society was outraged by the revelations and made the police jump into action instantly. Now with the recent revelation about Siddharth, the police said that no case will be registered against either of the two participants involved in the conversation. An official involved with the investigation told PTI, "Although, creating a fake id is wrong, her intent was not malicious so we are not filing any complaint." © Pexels Now, while we agree with the officer for not penalising the girl given her honest intentions, we must also take into consideration that creating a fake account and starting a conversation with someone with a hidden motive is anything but right. No matter what the girl had set out to achieve, it was highly unethical for her to take the approach that she did to check the guyâs âreactionâ and âand the strength of his character, especially when someone talks bad things about her.â © Pexels When we call out men for creating fake accounts and using them to harass/threaten women, the girl in this case also needs to be reprimanded for her actions. So, while we call for much-needed strict action against the 27 members of the âBois Locker Roomâ group, there should be some repercussions to the girlâs action as well so that people are made aware of the seriousness of such unethical actions. What are your thoughts on the matter? View the full article
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The line-up is a standard one with two openers, four middle-order batsmen, an all-rounder, three pacers and a spinner.
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US drug authority gives green signal to using new two-minute coronavirus test kit
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Parent company Bodysphere Inc said it was working with government to deliver test ? for emergency use ? to frontlines -
Both the doctors have been confined to an isolation ward and are out of danger
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In a bid to contain the novel coronavirus, international passengers will have to provide coronavirus test results to airline operators before boarding the aircraft
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Trump takes coronavirus test, says result not yet received
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Contrary to medical advice regarding the coronavirus, Trump was seen Friday shaking hands all round -
Rita Wilson pokes fun at coronavirus after she and Tom Hanks test positive
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Rita Wilson laughed at Trevor Noah?s humorous monologue about her and Tom Hanks?s diagnosis of coronavirus -
Ticket sales over the next few days will provide insight into the movie business? resilience during the coronavirus
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LUMS says 21 students who returned from Turkey MUN test 'negative' for coronavirus
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'LUMS is putting all measures in place to ensure a safe and healthy campus,' the institute said -
Tom Hanks, wife Rita Wilson test positive for coronavirus
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Tom Hanks and his actress wife Rita Wilson have announced that they have tested positive for coronavirus -
Eight of 27 people who contacted latest coronavirus patient test negative
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Sindh CM directed government and private hospitals to share record of all patients who visited them with symptoms of pneumonia -
Standing tall at a staggering six feet and eight inches (2.03 metre), Kyle Jamieson first grabbed limelight when was included in the New Zealand squad of the One-Day International (ODI) series against India. While his bowling capabilities was still unknown on the international circuit, Jamieson did get attention after becoming New Zealand's tallest cricketer in history, taller than Kiwis batting coach Peter Fulton (6'6). After sitting out in the 1st ODI, Jamieson was handed his international debut in the second match where he bagged two wickets including the brilliant in-swinger to send Prithvi Shaw back into the hut. The third and final ODI saw him taking just one wicket, after he castled Mayank Agarwal's stumps, but his bowling skillset was hard to overlook. Move over Two Metre Peter! Meet NZ's *new* tallest cricketer Kyle Jamieson 2.03 metres (6'8) in jandals #FordTrophy pic.twitter.com/eLbZFMWz4U â BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 16, 2016 A seamer of Morne Morkel's mould, only taller by three inches, Jamieson has an ability to extract extra bounce and swing the ball at will which was touted to trouble prominent right-handers in the Indian line-up. But, that's not all. The 25-year-old, despite his inexperience internationally, has proved his understanding of the game as a bowler to trouble the opposition with testing line and length - something that was on full display during Day 1 of the 1st Test between India and New Zealand. The lanky seamer would likely have not played the clash at the Basin Reserve if Neil Wagner, away on paternity leave, had been available. But, on his Test debut, Jamieson might have left an indelible mark on the match and probably the series with the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Hanuma Vihari on Day 1. © Twitter/@BLACKCAPS Jamieson welcomed Kohli with a short ball, so short that it was deemed a wide by the on-field umpire. In his next over, he bowled a couple of short balls before following it up with a fuller delivery. His first full-length delivery to Kohli was too straight which further allowed the Indian captain to work it for a couple. Whether itâs James Anderson Or Jamieson Virat Kohli Getting Out Nicking One To The Slips is Permanent. Imagine Reaching To The Ball Wayyy Outside Off So Early in The First Session Of The Game. Poor From @imVkohli #NZvIND ?? pic.twitter.com/XK1YYVDcOA â CriCkeT KinG?????? (@imtheguy007) February 21, 2020 But, on the next occasion, he bowled a wide length ball, the troubling channel for Kohli. Unable to stop himself from following the delivery, Kohli, despite being mindful of the bounce, couldn't help but edge it to first slip where Ross Taylor did the rest. NZ players on Test debut to dismiss the current #1 ranked batsman 1949 - Harry Cave (Denis Compton) 1949 - Fen Cresswell (Denis Compton) 1951 - Alex Moir (Len Hutton) 2010 - Andy McKay (Sachin Tendulkar) 2020 - KYLE JAMIESON (Virat Kohli) @BLACKCAPS #NZvsIND â Swamp (@sirswampthing) February 21, 2020 While Agarwal and Ajinkya Rahane immediately got to rebuilding the innings, Jamieson, after the drinks break, got back to haunt the visitors with his impressive bowling. He drew blood again with what looked like a repeat of the Pujara dismissal, only this time getting rid of Hanuma Vihari (7) to have India reeling at 101/5. He nearly grabbed his fourth wicket after bouncing Rahane with a mean short of a length delivery. But, despite taking his eyes off the ball and throwing his bat up in self-defence, Rahane was fairly lucky the ball lobbed to safety. From initially being aggressive to batting solidly, a change in approach from Rahane allowed him to weather the storm as he continued to play the ball late and with soft hands, stitching a much-needed 21-run partnership with Rishabh Pant (10*) at Stumps. First Test cap ?? Three wickets, including Virat Kohli ?? Bowling with the wind ?? "No complaints" from Kyle Jamieson, as you'd expect ??#NZvIND pic.twitter.com/TAoDeqV4VH â ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 21, 2020 On a day that saw the Indian batting unit ducking for cover, Jamieson was arguably the brightest star in the New Zealand bowling attack. His impressive spell of 3-38 which included prized wickets of Pujara, Kohli and Vihari didn't just allow the home side to gain a crucial upper-hand, but also allowed Jamieson to establish his reputation as a brilliant seam-bowling option for the Kiwis. View the full article
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Pakistan defeat Bangladesh by an innings and 44 runs in first Test
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Naseem Shah awarded player of the match award for his four wickets, including a hat-trick -
Yesterday, CNET published a video that tests the Motorola Razrâs durability. In the video the smartphoneâs hinge begins to give up just after 27,000 consecutively non-stop folds. Last night, Motorola responded to this with their own test video where a folding robot is seen conducting a similar test. © YouTube/CNET In CNETâs test, the Razr was found to have a âvery stiffâ hinge after 27,000 folds and would not fold all the way. The issue was resolved by âflexingâ the hinge, but it never returned to the original state. In response to CNETâs test, Motorola told The Verge in a statement: âSquareTradeâs FoldBot is simply not designed to test our device. Therefore, any tests run utilizing this machine will put undue stress on the hinge and not allow the phone to open and close as intended, making the test inaccurate. The important thing to remember is that razr underwent extensive cycle endurance testing during product development, and CNETâs test is not indicative of what consumers will experience when using razr in the real-world. We have every confidence in the durability of razr.â In response to the test, Motorola published its own video titled âThe real razr flip test- flip for yearsâ where the folding test is noticeably slower and more accurate to human usage patterns. It isnât as aggressive as CNETâs test but the company claims that the Razr can âflip for years.â Motorola has still not specified how many folds the Razr can withstand which is a bit alarming as Samsung does not shy away from giving those numbers for their folding smartphones. © Youtube/Motorola The Motorola Razr retails in the U.S. for $1,500 + taxes and the smartphone is yet to launch in India. The Indian pricing is not yet known, however it would be nice to know how many times one can fold the phone before shelling out over Rs 1 lakh for a smartphone. Motorola claims that the Razr can last up to two years with an average of 80 folds a day, but it still doesnât sound convincing enough. A smartphone that doesnât come with a guarantee of how long it can last, especially when it comes to the durability of a folding screen seems like quite a gamble right now. View the full article
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Hardik Pandya is known to be one of the more flamboyant cricketers to represent Team India in international matches. He is considered to be a fashion icon, one of the better all-rounders the roster boasts and a vital cog of the squad as far as the ICC Menâs T20 World Cup 2020 is concerned. On September 22, 2019, India were playing their final T20I against South Africa in Bengaluru when the cricketer complained of lower back issues. The medical staff of the Indian cricket board (BCCI) consulted a panel of England-based spine specialists who recommended surgery for âa long-term solutionâ of this issue, according to the statement released by the organisation. Pandya underwent the successful operation on October 4, 2019 and was scheduled to begin his rehabilitation soon. âSurgery done successfully. Extremely grateful to everyone for your wishes. Will be back in no time! Till then miss me,â Pandya captioned a post on his Instagram account. View this post on InstagramA post shared by (@hardikpandya93) Pandya then went on to make good on other aspects of his life. He proposed to marry his girlfriend NataÅ¡a StankoviÄ and got engaged. He then started uploading videos of doing pilates and bowling and batting sessions in the nets regularly. View this post on InstagramA post shared by (@hardikpandya93) Last month, a day after India made a historic comeback in the ODI series against Aaron Finchâs Australian side to win the second and third matches, the BCCI announced that Pandya was unfit for the upcoming New Zealand series. Given the severity of the surgery, it was understandable. Then news came that Pandya was selected for the India âAâ team, which was to compete against New Zealand XI only to confirm that he was ruled out due to not recovering completely. Less than a week ago, BCCI bossman Sourav Ganguly later confirmed that Pandya was not even fit enough to compete in domestic cricket. According to Ganguly, the 26-year-old was at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and was working on getting his back better. And yet Pandya was made to take a fitness test for the upcoming Test series against the Blackcaps. Hardik Pandya ruled out of the Test Series against New Zealand #HardikPandya | https://t.co/cdRhWJtTxn â LatestLY (@latestly) February 1, 2020 The constant shift in Pandyaâs timeline to recovery only begs the question: why is the BCCI in such a hurry to make him return to the field? Sure, he is one of the best all-rounders we have and it is important for Pandya to get some miles under his feet ahead of the T20 World Cup, but we still have over eight months between today and the first match India is going to play during the tournament in Australia. Also, it is not as if the Men in Blue are struggling without the Baroda-born by their side. Ever since Pandya went out with the injury in September, India have played against six teams in 23 matches (including all formats of the game) and have won 19 of them. Lower back injuries are never easy to recover from. When Pandya was contemplating surgery, the doctors made it clear that he would not be able to return to his usual self until 3-4 months since the day of operation. It is wrong to expect Pandya to play his kind of cricket before this season of the Indian Premier League. Instead of making him go through fitness tests and hurrying his comeback, the BCCI should give him time to recover at his own pace. View the full article
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Deepika Padukone's 'Chhapaak' team test acid sale in India with social experiment
ADMIN posted a blog entry in Geo News Blog
Deepika Padukone's 'Chhapaak' team test acid sale in India with social experimentDeepika Padukone’s freshly-released film Chhapaak holds a powerful social message throwing light on a pertinent issue widespread in India. Evidencing the intensity and the severity of the problem, the 34-year-old actor along with the Chhapaak team headed out to do a social experiment that showed how the accessibility of acid in the markets is what fails to eradicate the issue at hand. In a video shared by the Padmaavat actor, the team members and the starlet head to the markets to check the sales and find a majority of shopkeepers handing bottles of acid without asking for any valid proof of identification. Some of the members were able to get their hands on highly-concentrated acid without showing their ID which the Supreme Court’s guidelines demand. By the end of the clip, Deepika revealed that the entire experiment resulted in the team buying 24 bottles of acid regardless of the guidelines by the SC that were made to add barriers to its easy availability. -
Bangladesh have said no on Sunday to a proposal by Pakistan to play a full Test series later this month, saying they will only tour the country to play three T20Is Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hassan said the recent tension in the Middle East between Iran and the United States was the main reason behind the decision as the government had given the board permission to send the team only for a short period. "The current state in the Middle East is definitely different than other times. So considering escalating tension in that particular region, they (the government) have told us to keep the tour as short as possible," Hassan told reporters in Dhaka after a meeting of the BCB board. "They (government authorities) have told us to play the three Twenty20s as quickly as possible in a short period. Later, if the situation improves, we can play the Test matches. We are going to communicate the same thing to Pakistan Cricket Board," he said. According to the ICC´s Future Tour Programme, Bangladesh are scheduled to play three T20 internationals and two Tests in Pakistan in January-February. The BCB had earlier made a similar proposal to play T20s in Pakistan, but the PCB had rejected their offer. The PCB wants Bangladesh to play Test matches if Bangladesh are to make the series short as the two Tests are also part of the ICC Test Championship. The BCB president said he will be flying to Dubai on Monday to discuss with ICC chairman Shashank Manohar about the possible implications of skipping the Test series against Pakistan. Test cricket returned to Pakistan in December for the first time since 2009 when the country hosted Sri Lanka for two matches, held in Rawalpindi and Karachi.
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Stokes makes case for Test cricket as debate rages over 5-day format
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England's Ben Stokes. Photo: AFPBen Stokes made an emphatic case for the unique drama of five-day Test cricket this week — inspiring England to a series-levelling win against South Africa in the final overs of a dramatic contest. His match-winning performance in Cape Town on Tuesday came at a time of intensifying debate over the future of the longest form of the game, which has been played since 1877. The International Cricket Council (ICC) will in the coming months discuss reducing Tests to four days as part of structuring the global calendar beyond 2023. For a sport so closely linked with tradition, cricket has shown a remarkable ability to innovate in recent decades, introducing multiple forms of limited-overs cricket that have taken firm root. But the latest proposal, part of an effort to tackle the crowded international cricket calendar and save on costs, has divided players, many of whom consider Test cricket the gold standard. The ICC allowed four-day Tests in 2017 and they have been tried in one-off games between South Africa and Zimbabwe and England against Ireland. But they are not allowed in the Test world championship, which is currently led by Virat Kohli's India. Cricinfo said mandatory four-day Tests rather than five-day matches during the current cycle from 2015 to 2023 would have freed up a total of 335 days of scheduled cricket over the period. The England and Wales Cricket Board has offered "cautious" backing to the suggested new model and Australia and New Zealand said four-day Tests deserved serious consideration. But a succession of top cricketers have spoken out against the idea and the global players' representative body has warned of "significant player resistance", though others such as Shane Warne have voiced support for a change. England all-rounder Stokes claimed the last three South Africa wickets at Newlands to earn a 189-run victory for England, who levelled the four-match series at 1-1 on Tuesday. Afterwards he and England captain Joe Root spoke out in favour of the longer format, which allows the drama and nuances of the game time to play out. "It's why five-day cricket should always be around. It´s the best form of the game," said Stokes, England´s man of the match. Root´s opposite number, Faf du Plessis, also said he did not support a move towards four-day Test matches, despite a statement by Cricket South Africa that it was official policy to back a reduced format. England director of men's cricket Ashley Giles said on Wednesday that five-day Tests were "precious". "If we played four-day cricket, I fear we would miss out on a lot of matches like yesterday (England´s win)," Giles told the BBC. "I know a lot of Test matches now don´t go to the fifth day — but you know it is precious to me, and I know it is to the players." Kohli opposition Kohli spoke earlier this month about his opposition to any move to cut a day from Tests, questioning where it would ultimately lead. With four-day Tests "you are purely only talking about getting numbers in and entertainment, and I think the intent will not be right," said the India skipper. "Then you will speak of three-day Tests. I mean, where do you end? The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations executive chairman Tony Irish stressed there was "currently a lot of negative sentiment" concerning the proposed changes. "Until such a time as we and the players are provided with the full picture and compelling reasons for change, we remain supportive of five-day Test cricket, and would expect significant player resistance if a shift to that is imposed on players by the ICC and/or boards," Irish said in a statement on Tuesday. "Test cricket is a cherished format of the game and it needs player support and buy in to survive. We urge those making decisions to understand that." -
South Africa win first Test of their World Test Championship series by 107 runs
ADMIN posted a blog entry in Geo News Blog
Photo: ReutersCENTURION, South Africa: South Africa broke down stubborn England resistance to win the first Test of their World Test Championship series by 107 runs at SuperSport Park on Sunday. England needed 376 to win but despite some committed batting were bowled out for 268 on the fourth day of the five-day encounter. An enthralling contest swung South Africa´s way when left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj bowled Ben Stokes to halt a brief flurry of strokes as Stokes and captain Joe Root tried to lift the scoring rate before the second new ball was due. The new ball then had an immediate impact with Kagiso Rabada having Jonny Bairstow caught at gully before Anrich Nortje claimed the crucial wicket of Root, who made a fighting 48 before he was caught behind. It was the second time in the day Nortje claimed a wicket with the second ball of a new spell after he made the first breakthrough of the day by dismissing top-scorer Rory Burns for 84. The remaining wickets fell quickly, with Rabada finishing with four for 103 and fellow fast bowler Anrich Nortje claiming three for 56. Maharaj, who broke England´s first wicket stand of 92 on Saturday when he dismissed Dom Sibley, took two for 37. South Africa produced a disciplined bowling performance, making scoring difficult on a pitch which always offered something to the bowlers with some sideways movement and uneven bounce. England added only 50 runs in 25 overs while losing two wickets during the morning. Rory Burns took his overnight score of 77 to 84 before mistiming a pull against Nortje to be caught at mid-on, while Joe Denly was leg before wicket to Dwaine Pretorius for 31. Burns and Denly saw off the threat of Vernon Philander and Rabada but found scoring difficult. Philander conceded only one run in five overs. Rabada gave up 23 in six overs, which included two hooked sixes by Denly. Burns, who faced most of Philander´s bowling, adding only seven runs off 37 balls. The change to Nortje brought an immediate result for South Africa as Burns attempted to pull the fast bowler´s second delivery and sent the ball looping to Rabada at mid-on. Nortje made a second crucial breakthrough when South African captain Faf du Plessis made an inspired bowling change. First innings destroyer Vernon Philander sent down three overs with the second new ball but was not making the batsmen play many deliveries, so Du Plessis called on Nortje with immediate success. -
Photo: Reuters Australia marched toward a dominant series victory over New Zealand on Saturday after dismissing the visitors cheaply and building a mammoth 456-run lead on day three of the Boxing Day test. Leading 1-0 after thrashing the Black Caps in the Perth opener, Tim Paine’s Australia pushed to 137 for four in their second innings at stumps after routing the tourists for 148 in a firestorm of pace bowling at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Replying to Australia’s first innings 467, New Zealand were bowled out 120 runs short of forcing the hosts to bat again, but Paine sent his batsmen back out to pile on the agony. At the close, Matthew Wade was 15 not out, with Travis Head, the first innings centurion, on 12. The equation is bleak for Kane Williamson’s men, who had hoped for a result in Melbourne to keep the series alive to the third and final match in Sydney next week. No team has ever scored more than 417 runs in a fourth innings at the MCG, and none has ever chased down more than 332 to win at the venue. Dominated by Australia’s batsmen in the opening two days, New Zealand crumbled in the face of formidable fast bowling. Pat Cummins was chief tormentor, underlining his claim as the format’s premier exponent with a blistering display of pace and precision. He led Australia’s bowling with 5-28 to continue a brilliant year. “I’ve had a pretty good run lately so I can’t see it getting too much better than what the last year’s been but hopefully I can maintain it at that level,” 26-year-old Cummins, the year’s leading wicket-taker, told reporters. He was scarcely better than team mate James Pattinson, the fiery 29-year-old quick claiming 3-34 in his return to the side as replacement for the injured Josh Hazlewood. Only opener Tom Latham scored more than 20 runs for New Zealand, but after raising a tough half-century, he promptly gave up his wicket for 50, one of Cummins’ four caught-behind victims. Thousands of New Zealanders had flown across “the ditch” to watch their team’s first appearance at the MCG in 32 years, many with hope of a better show than the 296-run capitulation in Perth. Instead, they have seen another disaster unfold in the wake of Williamson’s decision to send Australia in to bat after winning the toss. Adding to the gloom, their pace spearhead Trent Boult suffered a fracture in his hand when struck by a Mitchell Starc ball while batting after lunch. Having missed Perth with a rib injury, Boult will head home after Melbourne and miss the Sydney test. “It’s obviously gutting news for Trent and also for our group to have someone like that ruled out with his injuries,” said Latham. In a rare highlight for New Zealand, seamer Neil Wagner captured his 200th Test wicket when he dismissed Steve Smith for seven, the fourth time he has scalped the master batsman in the series. But Head and Wade stood firm in the final overs to ensure Australia will return on day four with victory all but assured. “Fair play to Australia the way they bowled,” said Latham. “They were relentless and didn’t really let us have anything, unfortunately.”
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Photo: AFPKARACHI: Abid Ali and Shan Masood became only the third opening pair for Pakistan to hit centuries in the same innings as Pakistan turned the tables on Sri Lanka in the second and final Test in Karachi on Saturday. Abid, nicknamed "legend" in Pakistan´s dressing room, hit 174 for his second hundred in as many Tests -- becoming the first Pakistani and ninth batsmen overall to score two centuries in his first two Tests. When the third day´s play ended Pakistan were in a strong position with 395-2, having an overall lead of 315 after conceding an 80-run lead in the first innings. Skipper Azhar Ali was unbeaten on 57 -- his first fifty in 14 innings -- and Babar Azam on 22 not out. It was a day for the batsmen as Pakistan added 338 runs after resuming at 57-0 on a National Stadium pitch which dried up to help batting. Masood blasted 135 for his second century in his 19th Test as the duo put on 278 for the opening wicket, just 20 short of equalling the highest opening stand for Pakistan of 298. Amir Sohail and Ijaz Ahmed had set that record against the West Indies at the same venue in 1997. Masood batted for nearly five hours for his 135, which included three sixes and seven fours. Abid struck 21 boundaries and a six in his 398-minute stay at the crease. - Abid´s feat - Abid, 32, completed his century with a sweep off spinner Lasith Embuldeniya for two to follow his 109 in the drawn first Test in Rawalpindi -- his debut. The Rawalpindi century made Abid the first batsman ever to score hundreds in both Test and one-day debuts. He had scored 112 in his first ODI, against Australia in Dubai earlier this year. Abid said team management calling him "legend" adds to his responsibility. "The management calls me legend, thanks to them," said Abid. "But it adds to my responsibility to perform well. This time we were under pressure because of the lead we conceded, but I am happy that we are now in a good position." It was pacer Lahiru Kumara (2-88) who broke the opening stand when he had Masood caught hooking just five minutes from tea before he trapped Abid with the second new ball. Abid´s successive hundreds have put him in an elite company. India´s Mohammad Azharuddin scored three hundreds in his first three Test after making his debut against England at home in December 1984. William Ponsford, Doug Walters and Greg Blewett of Australia, Sourav Ganguly and Rohit Sharma of India, Alvin Kallicharran of the West Indies and Jimmy Neesham of New Zealand are the others who hit two centuries in their first two Tests. Before lunch, Abid survived a confident leg-before shout off paceman Kumara on 61 but the tourists lost the referral with the replays showing the ball would have missed the stumps. Masood, playing his 19th Test, completed 1,000 Test runs when he reached 46. The current series -- part of the ongoing World Test championship -- is the first in Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009 which suspended international cricket in the country.
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For someone who first grabbed eyeballs with his unorthodox action, Jasprit Bumrah has arguably come a long way to become a vital cog in Team India's bowling attack. If his anomalous, sling-arm action and natural pace allows him to get vital breakthroughs for his side, the peculiar release point of his deliveries creates all sorts of problems for the opposition batsmen. But, for someone who has been key to India's success in recent years, Bumrah has been out of action since the conclusion of the West Indies tour earlier this year. The right-arm speedster took 13 wickets, including two fifers, and returned home as only the third Indian bowler to claim a Test hat-trick. Owing to a stress fracture in his back, Bumrah took a break from cricketing action in a bid to nurse his injury. He went to England to consult specialists and returned home earlier this October. Thereon, he went through a rehab process that included recovery, conditioning, strength training and an eventual return to bowling in the nets - a roadmap that had been prepared for the bowler's comeback. © Reuters But, just when Indian fans were hoping to see Bumrah back on the field, the Rahul Dravid-led National Cricket Academy (NCA) refused to conduct the Indian seamer's fitness test in Bengaluru. NCA director Dravid, along with physiotherapist Ashish Kaushik, reportedly met Bumrah earlier this week and asked the bowler to consult his own set of specialists. It is understood that Dravid and his team were not impressed with the fact that Bumrah had his own team of specialists and trainers during his recovery from a stress fracture in his back instead of training at the NCA. Bumrah had flown to Bangalore a day after training in the nets with the Indian team on the eve of the second ODI against West Indies in Vizag. © YouTube As per the onlooker, Bumrah seemed to have achieved supreme fitness and was looking good bowling in the nets, but with the NCA declining his fitness test, Bumrah might have to wait a bit longer for his international comeback. The NCA's decision, under the supervision of chief Dravid, to refuse Bumrah his fitness test has created a lot of confusion. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief Sourav Ganguly has claimed that he intends to find out exactly why Bumrah was refused his fitness test at the NCA, the recent developments has drawn flak for Dravid and his team. "At no point in time did Bumrah act on his own. He was asked to report in Visakhapatnam and bowl in the nets, which he did. He was asked to travel from Visakhapatnam to the NCA in Bangalore, which he did as instructed. The NCA told him that they could not conduct his fitness test and asked him to return to Mumbai, which he did. The decisions were not his," sources were quoted as saying by TOI. © Reuters "Whatever the controversy, the bowler needs to be left out of it. He's 24 years old and a prized asset for Indian cricket. People should keep their egos aside and work towards his progress, not create a controversy. It is never the cricketer's decision. A player will only do what he's told to do. If Rahul (Dravid) saw no point in NCA conducting Bumrah's fitness, he should tell the same thing to BCCI and it is for them to understand," sources added. Bumrah last played for India in the overseas Test series against the Windies. Since his injury, he has missed Test and limited-overs series against South Africa, Bangladesh and, more recently, West Indies at home. While the Indian team management continues to closely monitor Bumrah's fitness, the Indian seamer will probably have to wait a little longer to mark his return on the playing field. View the full article