Cricket News Today: Scott Styris picks the best white-ball XI he has faced, former IPL Chairman offers his take on MS Dhoni's retirement and more - 15th February 2020

Hello and welcome to the roundup of all the major narratives dominating the world of cricket on the 15th of February 2020.

Several interesting news came to the fore on Saturday, ranging from India’s ongoing three-day practice match against New Zealand XI to Mayank Agarwal opening up on an advice Virat Kohli had given him during the Indian home season.

Elsewhere, Kiwi legend, Scott Styris picked the best white-ball XI he has played against while former IPL Chairman, Rajiv Shukla, stated that MS Dhoni still had a lot of cricket left in him and that the decision to retire solely lay with the veteran wicket-keeper.

Also see – IPL 2020 schedule

Without further ado, here is a look at those in detail.

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#1 Scott Styris picks the best white-ball XI he has faced

S cott Styris

On Saturday, Scott Styris dipped into the fantasy world of cricket and came up with the best white-ball XI that he had faced across his illustrious career. The Kiwi, who represented the Black Caps in 188 ODIs and 31 T20Is, picked a stellar side, which contained several current and former limited-overs stalwarts.

At the top of the order, the New Zealander opted for Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar. The pair was followed by the likes of Ricky Ponting, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

The lower middle order comprised Jacques Kallis, arguably the greatest all-rounder the sport has seen and MS Dhoni, perhaps the best finisher to have graced a cricket field.

As for the bowlers, Styris decided to field two genuine spinners in Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warner whereas Glenn McGrath and Lasith Malinga were preferred as the fast bowlers.

Scott Styris’ XI: Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, MS Dhoni, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Glenn McGrath, Lasith Malinga

Read the full article here: Scott Styris names 3 Indian cricketers in the best white-ball XI he has faced

#2 Rajiv Shukla opines that MS Dhoni still has a lot of cricket left in him

D honi's international future remains up in the air

Ever since perilously falling short of his ground during India’s 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, MS Dhoni’s international future has remained up in the air. The wicket-keeper has made himself unavailable for selection, meaning that fans are still awaiting concrete information on whether Dhoni would ever don national colours.

Several experts have come out and offered their two cents on the entire saga and on Saturday, former IPL chairman, Rajiv Shukla weighed in on the debate, stating that he felt that Dhoni still had a lot of cricket left in him.

Dhoni is a great cricketer and there is a lot more cricket left in him. But, he has to decide when he should take retirement.

He further added that the BCCI’s policy on retirement was such that it allowed the cricketers the option of taking a call on when they decide to hang up their boots.

The BCCI has a policy in place that a cricketer has to take a call on when to take retirement.

Read the full article here: BCCI policy lets cricketers take call on when to take retirement: Rajiv Shukla on MS Dhoni's future

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#3 Indian openers thrive after pacers rip through New Zealand XI’s batting order on Day 2 of practice game

J asprit Bumrah

On Day 1 of India’s tour match against New Zealand XI, the visitors found the going tough as they were bundled out for 263, although Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari warmed up for the upcoming series with substantial contributions.

On the second day though, the Indian pacers provided the tourists with much more joy as they ripped through the hosts’ batting line up, shooting them out for 235.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were among the wickets, with the pair bagging five scalps among themselves. Elsewhere, Navdeep Saini and Umesh Yadav also bagged a couple of wickets apiece to help India establish a 28-run first-innings lead.

In their second essay, the visitors got off to a blistering start and ended the day at 59/0, with Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw batting on 23 and 29 respectively.

Read the full article here: New Zealand vs India 2020: Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw hold fort; Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami find their stride

#4 Mayank Agarwal discloses the advice Virat Kohli gave him during India’s home season

M ayank Agarwal

Over the past twelve months, Mayank Agarwal has established himself as a vital cog in the Indian Test wheel. Called up as a replacement for the Boxing Day Test in 2018, the right-hander has left his imprint on the international stage, with his most prolific run coming during India’s recently concluded home Test season.

The lad from Karnataka scored tons of runs against the likes of Bangladesh and South Africa and in the process, became one of the leading run-getters in the longest format in 2019.

On Saturday, Mayank disclosed an advice that he had received from Virat Kohli during that period, wherein the Indian skipper had motivated him to convert his hundreds into bigger scores. He recalled,

Against South Africa when I got a 150, Virat [Kohli] was there at the other end and he said 'Nothing short of a 200 will do. You’re batting well, make sure to not just score for yourself but for your team. The team needs to get a bigger score and it’s important for you to be there to help us get that score at a faster pace'.

The opening batsman is now gearing up for his latest Test assignment, when India clash swords with New Zealand in a two-match series, which begins on the 21st of February 2020 at Wellington.

Read the full article here: ICC World Test Championship: Mayank Agarwal discloses how Virat Kohli motivated him to score double hundreds