It is still early days, but here's the list of the top 50 players in the ICC World T20 so far, after the silly league phase to eliminate the unfortunate minnows.
Elated after winning the tri-series on Wednesday night, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said he is all the more delighted because the youngsters played a big part in the achievement.
# Thissara Perera and Suraj Randiv were making their T20 debut. They became the 35th and 36th players respectively, to represent Sri Lanka in this format of the game.
Images from the first match of the T20 World Cup between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, in Guyana on Friday.
Ireland crumbled to 68 all out, falling to a 70-run defeat to West Indies on the opening day of the Twenty 20 World Cup on Friday. Darren Sammy was the match-winning all-rounder for the hosts, making a top score of 30 with the bat, taking three wickets and snaffling four catches.
Mahela Jayawardene (81) notched up his career-best score of the format to steer Sri Lanka to a modest 135 for six against New Zealand in the inaugural match of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup in Guyana on Friday.
Mahela Jayawardene (108) and Upul Tharanga (118 not out) cracked sparkling centuries as Sri Lanka crushed Bangladesh by nine wickets to storm into the final of the cricket tri-series in Mirpur, Bangladesh on Friday.
Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera scored undefeated fifties to lift Sri Lanka to 262 for three against New Zealand at stumps on the first day of the second Test on Wednesday. The pair shared an unbroken 147 run fourth-wicket partnership to leave Sri Lanka with a solid first innings platform on a dry pitch.
India's stand-in skipper Virat Kohli on Sunday credited his bowlers for the series clinching six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the third ODI, and said the home team's bowling unit dished out a 'brilliant performance' to restrict the visitors to 242 in Hyderabad.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals at JJaipur on Wednesday.
Mahela Jayawardene scored an undefeated century as Sri Lanka amassed 293 for 3 at stumps on the first day of the first Test against New Zealand on Tuesday.
Mahela Jayawardene scored a brilliant hundred to guide Sri Lanka to a series-clinching six-wicket victory in the third one-day international against Pakistan on Monday.
As we head to the head to the business end of the tournament, that involves three former champions, a look at the players who flattered to deceive, faltering under the weight of expectations, hurting their respective teams.
A first innings lead in the vicinity of 150 runs would put Sri Lanka in firm control of the first Test against India, reckons explosive Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan.
Kumar Sangakkara has been appointed Sri Lanka captain, the selectors confirmed on Wednesday. Sangakkara, 31, the vice-captain since 2006, was the obvious heir apparent to Mahela Jayawardene, who stepped down after the recent Pakistan tour which was abandoned when gunmen attacked the team bus on the way to the stadium in Lahore.
Five Sri Lankan cricketers plus the assistant coach were wounded when around a dozen gunmen attacked their bus as it drove under police escort on Tuesday to the Gadaffi stadium in Lahore.
In a fitting tribute to Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews spoke of Don Bradman and the retiring great in the same breath, calling him the most "consistent batsman he has ever seen".
Skipper Mahela Jayawardene and vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara were left out of Sri Lanka's 15-man squad on Tuesday for the Twenty20 match against India next week. Tillakaratne Dilshan will lead the side, with Chamara Kapugedera serving as his deputy.
New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori made a crucial breakthrough as he clean bowled Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene for a brave 77.
Tillakaratne Dilshan's blistering century was instrumental in Sri Lanka kicking-off their campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy on a winning note at the Centurion on Tuesday. The dashing opener scored 106 off 92 deliveries as Sri Lanka beat No 1-ranked South Africa by 55 runs in a rain-affected opening Group B match.
A composed 71 not out by veteran Mahela Jayawardene helped Sri Lanka beat India by four wickets in the final of the Idea Cup tri-series in Mirpur on Wednesday. Chasing a modest target of 245, Sri Lanka romped to 249 for six, with nine balls to spare, and exacted revenge for the Compaq Cup loss at the hands of India last year.
Ganguly said he's definitely interested in the India coach's job but not at the moment as his plate is full.
South African Graham Ford will take over as the chief coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team for his second stint replacing Marvan Atapattu, who had stepped down five months back. Ford is expected to join the side in February before the three-match T20 International series against India. The news was announced in Surrey county's website as they confirmed their current coach Ford's decision to leave for international assignment. Ford had earlier coached Sri Lanka for two years starting from 2012.
Indian opener Gautam Gambhir capped a memorable 2009 by ending the year as the No 1 Test batsman in the ICC rankings issued on Thursday.
Sri Lanka are deriving a significant benefit because of three things: (a) Sri Lanka play Test series with relatively fewer matches, (b) they have lately played a lot of cricket at home and (c) they have only encountered weak away opposition recently.
The turning point of the match has Kumar Sangakkara's wicket.
Images from the fourth day's play in the first Test between India and Sri Lanka in Ahemdabad, on Thursday.
Having put Sri Lanka in the driver's seat with a double century, Mahela Jayawardene said his side can now utilise the advantage and press for a win in the first Test against India in Ahmedabad.
Sri Lanka were 183 for three at the close on the fourth day of the third and final Test against Pakistan needing another 309 runs for victory.
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene on Wednesday attributed his team's immediate reaction in taking cover when terrorists attacked their team bus in Lahore to the situation in his country. Jayawardene feels the attack on the team could have happened anywhere and it would be unfair to blacklist Pakistan.
Five times has Virat Kohli aggregated 2,000 or more runs in international cricket in a calendar year, thus equalling Sachin Tendulkar's Indian record.
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and elected to bat in the fifth one-day international against India in Colombo on Sunday. Spinner Pragyan Ojha and pacer Praveen Kumar made way for debutant Ravindra Jadeja and Laxmipathy Balaji.
In contrast to 'Made for T20' players wielding heavy wood, the Sri Lankan batsman applies traditional skills in the modern context but, while clearly proud of his style, he refuses to criticise more unorthodox batsmen.
Andrew Symond's blazing half-century went in vain as Kings XI Punjab pipped Deccan Chargers by three wickets in the Indian Premier League in Kimberley on Saturday. Chasing 169 for victory, Punjab sneaked home in a close finish with just one delivery to spare. Their magnificent run chase was set up by a scintillating 28-ball 43 from Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene.
Mahela Jayawardene ended his poor scoring run with a crucial half-century to lead Kings XI Punjab to a thrilling six-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League match in Port Elizabeth on Sunday. Jayawardene was unbeaten on 52 from 41 deliveries, inclusive of seven boundaries, while Simon Katich scored a brisk 34 from 28 deliveries as the Punjab side escaped to victory off the final delivery of the match.
A total of 62 players were sold at the auction for the 13th edition with the eight franchises spending a total of 1.403 billion rupees ($19.73 million). Australia's Pat Cummins became the most expensive overseas buy ever in the Indian Premier League when the Kolkata Knight Riders paid a staggering Rs 15.50 crore ($2.18 million) for the fast bowler in Thursday's auction in Kolkata on Thursday.
Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a century as Sri Lanka set New Zealand an improbable 413-run target on the fourth day of the first Test on Friday.
India captain Anil Kumble won the toss and elected to bat against Sri Lanka in the second Test in Galle on Thursday. Both the teams have fielded unchanged sides, that played in the first Test in Colombo.
Mahela Jayawardene, batting with three stitches in his left hand, ignored the pain to complete his 32nd Test hundred and put Sri Lanka firmly in the driving seat in the second Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Thursday.
Centuries from Malinda Warnapura, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Samaraweera guided Sri Lanka to 422 for 4 on the second day of the first Test against India.
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