LISTEN: Full script of Episode 134 of Spodcast where we discuss India's defeat against New Zealand in 4th ODI and more

Welcome to Spodcast, the sports update on Firstpost. Cricket news first and New Zealand thrashed India by eight wickets in the fourth ODI at Hamilton yesterday. New Zealand bowled out a clueless India for just 92 as fast bowler Trent Boult took 5/21 in a stunning display of swing bowling. All-rounder Colin de Grandhomme also picked up three wickets as the Black Caps destroyed a batting line-up that was without the services of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. Kohli has been rested for the remainder of the series while Dhoni is recovering from an injury. The Indian middle order was in a shambles on Thursday - Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik were dismissed without scoring while Kedar Jadhav scored one run. Debutant Shubman Gill, Kohli’s replacement, scored nine. Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal top scored with 18 runs as India were all out for 92 in 30.5 overs. New Zealand chased down the target in just 14.4 overs. Martin Guptill’s bad form continued as he fell for just 11 runs, and Kane Williamson was caught behind off Bhuvaneshwar Kumar’s bowling. But Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls saw New Zealand home as the hosts won with a whopping 35.2 overs to spare. India’s stand-in captain Rohit Sharma said, “I think it was one of our worst performances with the bat for a long, long time. Games like this can happen. You’ve got to give credit to the New Zealand bowlers; after losing three matches to come out and bowl like that was a magnificent effort.” The ICC announced on Thursday the fixtures for official warm-up matches ahead of the 2019 World Cup. All ten competing countries will play two matches each prior to the tournament in order to get accustomed to the opposition and the playing conditions. The warm-up games start on 24 May with Pakistan taking on Afghanistan and Sri Lanka facing South Africa. The matches will be full 50-over games but do not count as official ODIs. The teams are allowed to field all the players in their 15-member squads during the matches. India will play against New Zealand on 25 May, and against Bangladesh on 28 May. ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 Managing Director Steve Elworthy said, “These games provide another fantastic opportunity for fans to see world-class players at their local venue and allows the tournament to engage local schools and communities with another chance to get involved with the Cricket World Cup.” Some cricket controversy now thanks to disgraced Indian bowler Sreesanth. The banned pacer, who was arrested in 2013 in connection with the spot-fixing scandal, claimed in the Supreme Court yesterday that he had made the confession about his involvement when Delhi Police had threatened him that his family members would be implicated and tortured. 35-year-old Sreesanth has appealed against the decision of a division bench of the Kerala High Court which restored the ban imposed on him. The apex court questioned Sreesanth why he had not immediately brought it to the notice of the BCCI that he was being approached for alleged spot-fixing. It also noted that Sreesanth’s conduct in the entire episode was “not good.” The former cricketer claimed that the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI was harsh and that there was no evidence to substantiate the claim that he indulged in any illegality. Sreesanth was discharged by a trial court in 2015 in a criminal case related to the alleged spot-fixing. He also said through his lawyer Salman Khurshid, “The police had threatened me that my family members would be tortured and implicated unless I confess.” Khurshid argued that Sreesanth had failed to inform the board about him being approached for spot-fixing but even if he did not do this, the maximum ban that could be imposed upon him was five years. He added that the recorded telephonic conversations did not show that the match was fixed and evidence produced by Delhi Police was not accepted by the trial court. The BCCI’s lawyer questioned the veracity of the translations of the telephonic conversations referred to by Sreesanth’s counsel and said he needed to file a reply on this. The next hearing in this case will be held on 20 February. A wrestling update now. Haryana Hammers beat Punjab Royals 6-3 in the final of the Pro Wrestling League to win the fourth season. The Hammers’ wrestlers Aleksander Khotsianivski, Ali Shabanov, Kiran, Ravi Kumar and Anastasia Nichita put on a great show as Haryana dominated the defending champions on Thursday. Runners-up in the last three seasons, Haryana won all the first five bouts to clinch the title this time around. Punjab’s star wrestler, Asian Games gold medalist Bajrang Punia, scored an impressive 11-0 win over Rajneesh but it was too little too late as Haryana ran away with the title. Earlier, Khotsianivski of Ukraine put the Hammers en route to victory after winning his 125kg super heavyweight bout 3-0 against Canadian wrestler Korey Jarvis. Then, Ali Shabanov broke Dato Marsagishvili’s unbeaten run to win the men’s 86kg bout 4-3, giving the Hammers a 2-0 lead. In the women’s 76kg category, Kiran defeated the 2018 European Championships bronze medalist Cynthia Vescan of France 3-1 to make it 3-0 for the Hammers. Junior world champion Anastasia came back from 2-4 down to beat the 2018 European Championships runner-up Mimi Hristova with a pin fall to clinch the bout and the tie. Punjab won the men’s 74kg contest and the women’s 53kg bout but it wasn’t enough to challenge Haryana who went on to win 6-3.