Zimbabwe elects to bat in second test as Brendan Taylor makes a comeback after ban
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AP) — Brendan Taylor returned to international cricket after a 3 1/2-year ban as Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat in the second and final test against New Zealand on Thursday.Taylor, 39, was banned by the International Cricket Council in January 2022 after he admitted to four charges under the anti-corruption code stemming from an incident in 2019 when he said he accepted $15,000 from businessmen in India, who asked him to fix international games.AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementTaylor claimed he took the money but never fixed any games.He was also found guilty of a doping violation after testing positive for the stimulant Benzoylecognine, which is a cocaine metabolite.New Zealand leads the series 1-0 after thumping Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the first test at the same venue last week.Zimbabwe’s long struggle in the longest format of the game continued as it was bowled out for 149 and 165 and suffered its seventh loss in eight test matches this year.Taylor replaced opening batter Ben Curran in one of the two changes Zimbabwe made as it kept faith in its struggling batting lineup. Fast bowler Newman Nyamhuri made way for pace bowler Trevor Gwandu.AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementNew Zealand, already without several star players like Kane Williams, Kyle Jamiesen and Glenn Phillips for the series, suffered twin blows when fast bowlers Nathan Smith and Will O’Rourke were ruled out after picking up injuries in the first test.Michael Bracewell also left the team to play in The Hundred in England.The Black Caps awarded test caps to fast bowlers Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fischer and Zakary Foulkes as it opted to go with four pace bowlers, including Matt Henry, who bagged a nine-wicket haul in the first test.___Lineups:Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Brendan Taylor, Nick Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (captain), Sikandar Raza, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Trevor Gwandu, Vincent Masekesa, Blessing Muzarabani, Tanaka Chivanga.AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementNew Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fischer, Matt Henry, Zakary Foulkes.____AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
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