Brendan Taylor made a return to Zimbabwe’s Test cricket team after serving a four-year International Cricket Council (ICC) ban, joining the squad for the second Test against New Zealand at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Thursday. Taylor, who replaced Ben Curran, was sanctioned in January 2022 for accepting USD 15,000 from an Indian businessman during a Delhi trip in 2019 and failing to report the incident promptly to ICC, along with testing positive for cocaine use. The match saw Taylor’s emotional comeback coinciding with New Zealand introducing three new Test debutants – Jacob Duffy, Zakary Foulkes, and Matthew Fisher, who replaced Michael Bracewell, Nathan Smith, and William O’Rourke in the lineup. New Zealand entered the match leading the two-match series 1-0 following their nine-wicket victory in the first Test at Bulawayo. According to reports, Taylor’s involvement in the incident included receiving additional benefits during his India trip, including a Samsung S10 phone and shopping allowances. The delayed reporting of these interactions to the ICC resulted in his suspension from international cricket. Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine won the toss and chose to bat first in the second Test. The home team’s playing XI featured Brian Bennett, Brendan Taylor, Nick Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine as captain, Sikandar Raza, Tafadzwa Tsiga as wicketkeeper, Vincent Masekesa, Blessing Muzarabani, Trevor Gwandu, and Tanaka Chivanga.
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New Zealand, playing without their regular captain Tom Latham due to a shoulder injury, fielded a team comprising Will Young, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell as wicketkeeper, Mitchell Santner as stand-in captain, along with the three debutants Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Matthew Fisher, and Jacob Duffy. The Test series between Zimbabwe and New Zealand lacks an official broadcast partner in India. However, Indian cricket fans can follow the matches through the FanCode app, which provides streaming services for the series.Taylor’s return to Test cricket came after serving a four-year suspension from the ICC for a breach of their anti-corruption code. Making his comeback at Queens Sports Club, the former Zimbabwe captain looked composed at the crease and scored 44 runs after Zimbabwe opted to bat first in the second Test against New Zealand.
