Former England cricketer Michael Atherton has sharply criticised Pakistan's batting performance in the final Test against England, highlighting their "woefully low confidence" and "dispirited" state. The team was skittled out for just 133 runs, failing to cross 200 even once in the series, with key players like Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique struggling. Atherton attributes this decline partly to the controversial decision to send home seven players and two coaches. Despite the batting struggles, young pacer Razaullah offered a glimmer of hope with an impressive bowling display.
The move was widely seen as an acknowledgement for his all-format consistency over the years.
Australia, thirsting for revenge after their home defeat by South Africa, could include three debutants in the first Test starting on Thursday.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were part of India's Test team till earlier this year, but were left out of the tour to South Africa, the selectors pinning hopes on youngsters Shubman Gill and Yashawi Jaiswal to produce the goods in challenging conditions.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing for the first Test against South Africa?
However, New Zealand are ahead by a thin margin, as they are now on 102.263 points and Australia are on 102.2 points.
Indian off-spinner R Ashwin on Sunday lost his top position in the International Cricket Council Test rankings, displaced by England pacer Stuart Broad, even as Ajinkya Rahane remained the country's top-ranked batsman at joint 10th in the latest list.
Team India will usher in a new era, which will begin with the ODI series against the West Indies, beginning, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
Sreesanth is open to playing in overseas leagues and coaching roles
Statistical highlights of the drawn first cricket Test between India and South Africa at the New Wanderers.
Graeme Smith will become the first cricketer to captain 100 Tests when he leads South Africa out against Pakistan on Friday, his 32nd birthday.
Australia's series-levelling triumph over South Africa in Johannesburg has helped India rise a rung to the second spot in ICC's latest Test rankings.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) will carry out an enquiry into the umpire referral system in the wake of a
Having missed a few international games in Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka owing to a recurrent hamstring injury, India opener Murali Vijay has said he wants to attain peak fitness before the upcoming home series against South Africa.
AB de Villiers revealed that he would be auctioning his and Virat Kohli's kits from the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Gujarat Lions for raising funds to aid the battle against the coronavirus. During a live session on Instagram with former South African captain and RCB teammate AB de Villiers, Kohli said winning the tournament remains the goal but he would not leave the team irrespective of the results.
Former South African players have blamed the humiliating defeat in the Johannesburg Test to "boastful over-confidence".
Australia cricket coach Darren Lehmann said on Thursday he will step down after this week's Test match against South Africa, partly because of abuse his family received over a ball-tampering scandal that has rocked the sport.
Australia-bound Mohammed Shami defied BCCI's instruction of not bowling more than 15 overs in the Ranji game against Kerala.
Can India avoid the humiliation of a series whitewash, asks Harish Kotian.
Virat Kohli and Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara held on to their second and seventh position respectively
"Definitely, we all do believe that we have the team that can do well in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England. It is important to start well. The preparations part will be really important as it will provide us with the momentum," Rahane said at the India Today Conclave in Mumbai.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday said that he was desperate to become the national coach but ended up being an administrator.
The series is even more important for Kohli as it would also define his legacy as a leader having already established himself as world's premier batsman.
Perhaps for the first time, India's pace strength is not centred on any one individual, or set of individuals.
So you could relate to where the critics and the analysts were coming from. In many ways, they weren't too far off the mark. Had it not been for Bhuvneshwar Kumar's lack of fitness going into the tournament, and Ishant's injury, Shami could well have been ruled out of leading the Indian attack this World Cup.
Assistant coach Sanjay Bangar says India's batsmen are under tremendous pressure and "playing for their careers" after their poor showing in the first two Tests against England resulted in embarrassing defeats
Some strong performances with the bat will help Joe Root to surge to the top and then potentially strengthen his position in the four-Test series against Pakistan, which begins on 14 July.
Statistical highlights on the second day of the second and final cricket Test between India and South Africa in Durban.
Anderson becomes number-one ranked Test bowler
A dominant Australia were five wickets away from reclaiming the Ashes after hammering England with the bat and reducing them to 251 for five with the ball at the end of the fourth day of the third test at the WACA on Monday.
'If a few words from the opposition trouble you,' S Sreesanth tells Harish Kotian/Rediff.com, 'then you shouldn't be playing international cricket.'
