Bulawayo, Zimbabwe – August 7 (AP): Brendan Taylor has made a celebrated return to international cricket following a 3 1/2-year ban. As Zimbabwe took the field against New Zealand in the second and final Test on Thursday, Taylor, 39, was a notable presence. Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bat.
In January 2022, Taylor faced a ban imposed by the International Cricket Council. This was after he confessed to four anti-corruption charges connected to a 2019 incident, where he admitted to receiving $15,000 from Indian businessmen looking to influence international games. Taylor, however, claims that while he accepted the money, he never engaged in fixing games.
His comeback followed a doping violation, where he tested positive for Benzoylecognine, a metabolite of cocaine.
New Zealand currently leads the series 1-0, following a dominant nine-wicket victory in the opening Test at the same venue last week. Zimbabwe has continued to battle in the longest format, having been bowled out for 149 and 165 in their previous game, marking their seventh loss in eight Test matches this year.
In response to their earlier performance, Zimbabwe made two changes to their lineup. Brendan Taylor replaced opening batsman Ben Curran, while pace bowler Trevor Gwandu came in for Newman Nyamhuri.
New Zealand, already resilient despite missing key players like Kane Williamson, Kyle Jamieson, and Glenn Phillips, encountered more challenges. Fast bowlers Nathan Smith and Will O'Rourke were sidelined due to injuries from the first test. Additionally, Michael Bracewell departed to participate in The Hundred in England.
The Black Caps introduced debutants Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fischer, and Zakary Foulkes, enhancing their pace attack alongside Matt Henry, who claimed a remarkable nine-wicket haul in the initial Test.
Zimbabwe Lineup: Brian Bennett, Brendan Taylor, Nick Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (captain), Sikandar Raza, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Trevor Gwandu, Vincent Masekesa, Blessing Muzarabani, Tanaka Chivanga.
New Zealand Lineup: Devon Conway, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fischer, Matt Henry, Zakary Foulkes. (AP) DDV
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