Australia's legendary captain Meg Lanning is returning to cricket after five-month hiatus that has refreshed her outlook. Lanning has been named captain of the ODI squad against Pakistan following a five-month break. She is now expected to lead her team at the T20 World Cup in February.

Australian captain Meg Lanning ends sabbatical, returns to play for Australia

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been named in the 15-member squad for the five-match one-day international (ODI) series against New Zealand, starting later this month.

Stokes&#39; involvement is subject to any court obligations in connection with a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub September last year, for which he has been charged with affray, reports the Guardian.

The former England vice-captain has to appear before Bristol Magistrates` Court on February 13 to answer a charge of affray.Stokes, has not played for the country since the Bristol incident.

He had to earlier miss the Ashes series against Australia after being suspended indefinitely by the ECB, as the outcome of the police investigation into the incident was pending.But with Stokes named in the squad against New Zealand, Dawid Malan, who had played the Ashes series, has been dropped.

Test skipper Joe Root will also return for the series, after being rested for the Twenty20 tri-series against Australia and New Zealand.The England ODI series against New Zealand will start from February 25.&nbsp;

He was named in the 15-member squad for the five-match ODI series

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been named in the 15-member squad for the five-match one-day international (ODI) series against New Zealand, starting later this month. Stokes' involvement is subject to any court obligations in connection with a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub September last year, for which he has been charged with affray, reports the Guardian. The former England vice-captain has to appear before Bristol Magistrates` Court on February 13 to answer a charge of affray.Stokes, has not played for the country since the Bristol incident. He had to earlier miss the Ashes series against Australia after being suspended indefinitely by the ECB, as the outcome of the police investigation into the incident was pending.But with Stokes named in the squad against New Zealand, Dawid Malan, who had played the Ashes series, has been dropped. Test skipper Joe Root will also return for the series, after being rested for the Twenty20 tri-series against Australia and New Zealand.The England ODI series against New Zealand will start from February 25.

England names Ben Stokes in ODI squad for New Zealand

Batsman Suresh Raina today staged a comeback for the first three One Day Internationals&nbsp;(ODI) against New Zealand, while three senior players, including off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, were rested keeping a gruelling season in mind.

Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, however, made it clear that Raina&#39;s inclusion is a short term move,&nbsp;primarily keeping in mind his ability to bowl tight off-breaks in sub-continental conditions.

The other two seniors rested were Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami, who are expected to play a significant part in the upcoming Test series against England and Australia.

While Raina is the most prominent name to make a comeback, it will be young Mandeep Singh&nbsp;who would be opening alongside Rohit Sharma in the first three ODIs.

Off-spinner Jayant Yadav and left-arm spinner Axar Patel replaced Ashwin and Jadeja while Dhawal Kulkarni came in place of Shami.

&quot;We gave Raina a break during the Zimbabwe tour. But with Jadeja, Ashwin and Shami rested, we needed some experience. Although it&#39;s a short term solution. While selecting Raina, apart from his batting experience, we also considered his bowling. He has scored runs in Duleep Trophy,&quot; said chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad.

Asked about the decision to rest the three bowlers, Prasad reasoned: &quot;We spoke to the team management and the decision was taken. We have another 10 Test matches to play and we need to look at their workloads.&quot;

While the names&nbsp;Mayank Agarwal and Gautam Gambhir were discussed, the chairman said that Mandeep is being groomed as an ODI opener.

&quot;We definitely discussed Mayank&#39;s name, who is in our scheme of things and gambhir&#39;s name was also discussed. But for the sake of continuity, we have groomed Mandeep as an opener.&nbsp;He has played extremely well in Australia against pacers like Kane Richardson. I was present there and was convinced by his performance. It is unfortunate that we would be missing two readymade openers in KL (Rahul) and Shikhar (Dhawan),&quot; said Prasad.

Hardik Pandya also made a comeback after being dropped during Zimbabwe and the tour of United States.

&quot;Hardik bowled exceptionally well in all three formats during our A tour of Australia. He and Dhawal rose to the occasion and after we were all out for 55 in the first game, we were able to make a comeback. Also he is one of the rare seam bowling all-rounders that we have,&quot; explained Prasad.

(PTI)

The other seniors rested were Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami who are expected to play a significant part in India's upcoming Test series

Batsman Suresh Raina today staged a comeback for the first three One Day Internationals (ODI) against New Zealand, while three senior players, including off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, were rested keeping a gruelling season in mind. Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, however, made it clear that Raina's inclusion is a short term move, primarily keeping in mind his ability to bowl tight off-breaks in sub-continental conditions. The other two seniors rested were Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami, who are expected to play a significant part in the upcoming Test series against England and Australia. While Raina is the most prominent name to make a comeback, it will be young Mandeep Singh who would be opening alongside Rohit Sharma in the first three ODIs. Off-spinner Jayant Yadav and left-arm spinner Axar Patel replaced Ashwin and Jadeja while Dhawal Kulkarni came in place of Shami. "We gave Raina a break during the Zimbabwe tour. But with Jadeja, Ashwin and Shami rested, we needed some experience. Although it's a short term solution. While selecting Raina, apart from his batting experience, we also considered his bowling. He has scored runs in Duleep Trophy," said chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad. Asked about the decision to rest the three bowlers, Prasad reasoned: "We spoke to the team management and the decision was taken. We have another 10 Test matches to play and we need to look at their workloads." While the names Mayank Agarwal and Gautam Gambhir were discussed, the chairman said that Mandeep is being groomed as an ODI opener. "We definitely discussed Mayank's name, who is in our scheme of things and gambhir's name was also discussed. But for the sake of continuity, we have groomed Mandeep as an opener. He has played extremely well in Australia against pacers like Kane Richardson. I was present there and was convinced by his performance. It is unfortunate that we would be missing two readymade openers in KL (Rahul) and Shikhar (Dhawan)," said Prasad. Hardik Pandya also made a comeback after being dropped during Zimbabwe and the tour of United States. "Hardik bowled exceptionally well in all three formats during our A tour of Australia. He and Dhawal rose to the occasion and after we were all out for 55 in the first game, we were able to make a comeback. Also he is one of the rare seam bowling all-rounders that we have," explained Prasad. (PTI)

Raina returns to ODI squad

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Australian captain Meg Lanning ends sabbatical, returns to play for Australia

England names Ben Stokes in ODI squad for New Zealand

Raina returns to ODI squad