Rohit Sharma's sizzling century went in vain as Australia survived a few anxious moments before pulling off a tense four-wicket win over India in a cricket tri-series ODI match in Melbourne.
Steve Smith smashed a brilliant century to lead Australia to a series-clinching three-wicket win over South Africa in their fourth one-day international on Friday. Smith hit a career-best ODI total of 104 from 112 deliveries as the Australians passed South Africa's 267-8 with six balls to spare at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named captain of ICC's ODI Team of the Year, but none of the Indian players found berth in governing body's Test Team of the Year, led by Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews.
Sri Lanka beat Australia off last ball to win first T20
Australia pace bowler Kane Richardson is to return home for further examination on a back injury and has been replaced by Joel Paris in the squad for their final one-day match against New Zealand in Hamilton on Monday. Richardson, 24, did not play in Australia's four-wicket victory in the second match in Wellington on Saturday. "Kane Richardson's back pain hasn't subsided sufficiently to take part in the final ODI in Hamilton," a Cricket Australia spokesperson told Australian reporters in Wellington on Sunday.
Hardik Pandya slammed a quickfire half-century and then claimed a couple of early wickets to help India outclass Australia in the rain-hit first One-Day International in Chennai on Sunday.
India turned in a fine all-round show to beat Australia by 27 runs in the second Twenty20 International and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Friday.
Glenn Maxwell blasted a splendid 83-ball 96 to lift Australia to a three-wicket victory against India that also helped the hosts seal the five-match ODI series 3-0, in Melbourne, on Sunday.
A struggling Kings XI Punjab will have to pull out all stops against in-form and unbeaten, Rajasthan Royals, when the two teams clash in an Indian Premier League match in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Rajasthan Royals will look to extend their four-match winning streak.
Looking to keep their winning run intact, table-toppers Rajasthan Royals face a stern SunRisers Hyderabad test in their fourth match of the Indian Premier League in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
The pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) has attracted a lot of attention.
Australia captain Michael Clarke is pleased with whatever batting opportunity he and his teammates had against Scotland on Saturday and said every member of the squad was 'switched on' for the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Australia finished second in Pool A after Mitchell Starc bowled the World Cup co-hosts to a seven-wicket victory against Scotland in a match that lasted just 41 overs at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart, on Saturday.
A hostile crowd buoyed by New Zealand's perfect start to the World Cup is set to turn Eden Park into a bear pit for visiting Australia on Saturday, but all-rounder Shane Watson is "excited" by the prospect of a rancorous reception.
After making impressive debuts in their respective openers, Rising Pune Supergiants and GujaratLions will test each others' strengths when the two new entrants clash in the Indian Premier League (IPL), in Rajkot on Thursday. The two teams feature a lot of faces from the suspended Chennai Super Kings and at least six players, who played in the same side till last year, will now be in opposite camps. Close friends and CSK teammates Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina will now be devising strategies as rival captains. Both have admitted that playing in a jersey other than 'yellow' has been very "emotional" but have promised to give their all for their new teams. The Dhoni-led Pune Supergiants were very convincing and dominant when they handed defending champions Mumbai Indians a nine-wicket drubbing. They did not even require their middle order, packed with Dhoni himself and players such as Steven Smith, to come out with the top-order delivering it for them comfortably.
Australia rode David Warner's belligerent 127 to chase down a modest target and beat England by three wickets with 10 overs to spare in the first match of the tri-series, also involving India, on Friday. England's new One-Day International captain Eoin Morgan roared back into form with a scintillating 121 but his team was dismissed for 234 inside 48 overs against some impressive bowling by Mitchel Starc (4-42) and James Faulkner (3-47).
He may have been dropped by South Africa for their crucial two games of the recently held World T20 in India, but fast bowler Dale Steyn has brushed off criticisms against him with respect to T20 cricket and defending his record in the shortest format of the game. Steyn is preparing to open his account for his fourth Indian Premier League franchise, when the Gujarat Lions take on Kings XI Punjab at Mohali on Monday. The 32-year-old is regarded as one of the best and most skilled bowlers in world cricket having amassed more than 400 wickets in Test matches and 175 in 112 one-day internationals for South Africa. However, it is the shortest format that Steyn is yet to cement his place in the Proteas squad. He was even the target of a verbal barb during the tournament from Afghanistan batsman Mohammad Shazhad, who labelled the Proteas quick "not dangerous" and added he was disappointed the South Africans had left Steyn out for their clash against the Associate nation.
Injured captain Michael Clarke has been named in Australia's 15-man squad for the World Cup in February and March.
Injuries worries to in-form opener David Warner and allrounder Mitch Marsh may affect Australia's plans.
With the batting firepower in Australia's ranks, they cannot be ruled out as contenders to grasp it at the sixth attempt.
Top India batsman Virat Kohli has maintained his second position in the latest ICC batsmen rankings while medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has moved up a place to be seventh in the bowlers' standings.
ending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad cruised into the Indian Premier League play-offs with an easy eight-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions.
Arguably the most successful cricketing nation as far as Tests and One-Day Internationals are concerned, Australia have struggled in Twenty20 and all-rounder Shane Watson feels it is because the shortest format only has 'entertainment value'.
Aaron Finch (69 off 39) stitched a 92-run stand with Dinesh Karthik (40 off 28) to lead Lions to 195 for five.
Australia may have made batting look easy while chasing 300-plus totals against India successfully twice, but opener Aaron Finch credited the team's inexperienced bowlers for it, pointing out that the current attack combined has played less ODIs than the now retired Mitchell Johnson.
Frustrated by the performance of his bowlers in the second One-Day International against Australia in Brisbane on Friday, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni declared that given the attack at his disposal right now even 300-plus scores are not enough against the home side.
India will need to win at least a game in the upcoming one-dayer series against Australia to retain their current second position in the ICC ODI Team Championships, even as second-placed Virat Kohli looks to close in on AB de Villiers in the batting chart. World champions Australia go head to head with former winner India in a five-match series in Perth on Tuesday. Australia (127) lead second-ranked India (114) by 13 points and even if they lose all the five matches of the series, they will drop points but still finish a point ahead of India.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will be aiming for revival when they clash against out-of-sorts Gujarat Lions in an Indian Premier League match.
High on confidence after one of their splendid run-chases across 10 editions, Mumbai Indians will like to continue their winning momentum against a resurgent Gujarat Lions in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Rajasthan Royals are in a similar situation like last year when they were one win away from qualifying for the play-offs of Indian Premier League but were knocked out by Mumbai Indians and the team members have talked about it, said Stuart Binny in Mumbai, on Wednesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were forced to share points with Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match after heavy downpour led to match being called off.
Australia rode on a dominating all-round display to thrash a lacklustre India by 72 runs in the first cricket One-dayer in Pune.
Pakistan-born Fawad Ahmed is likely to make his full Australia debut over the next month after being named as the specialist spinner in the squad for six one-day and two Twenty20 internationals against England on Thursday.
Australia all-rounder Shane Watson is savouring his second chance at the World Cup after his omission from the side left him convinced he had played his last match at the tournament.
Axar Patel did the star turn as laggards Kings XI Punjab rode on the left-arm spinner's hat-trick to upset table toppers Gujarat Lions by 23 runs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match.
Openers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum provided the perfect platform as Gujarat Lions chased down an imposing 196-run target to beat Rising Pune Supergiants in the Indian Premier League match, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Pune, on Friday.
Rising Pune Supergiants now face an uphill task of taming the rampaging Gujarat Lions in an Indian Premier League clash, in Pune, on Friday.
New outfit Gujarat Lions have witnessed a dream start to their debut Indian Premier League season and the team's head coach Brad Hodge feels they have plenty of match-winners who can help them continue in the same vein in the remainder of the tournament.
Stopping a resurgent Australia would not be easy but a confident India would look to end the series on a high when they compete in the fifth and final ODI match, in Nagpur, on Sunday.
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