Powered by his marauding knocks in the World Twenty20 so far, Indian batsman Virat Kohli on Tuesday became the top-ranked batsman in the ICC rankings, while India remained static at the No.1 spot in the team list. Kohli, who averages 92 after scoring 184 runs in four matches at a strike-rate of over 132, had entered the tournament 24 points behind Aaron Finch, but has now opened up a 68-point advantage over the Australian, the ICC said in a statement. In the bowlers' table, West Indies' Samuel Badree has displaced Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to return to the number-one position. Badree has taken six wickets in four matches to date, while Ashwin has dropped to third after managing just four wickets in as many matches.
Suresh Raina's quickfire half-century went in vain as Chennai Super Kings went down to Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets in a thrilling finish in the Indian Premier League in Ranchi.
Left-arm pacer Mitchel McClenaghan said that his Mumbai Indians team-mate Kieron Pollard's 47-ball 70 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match was one of the best knocks he had seen as it had come on a difficult wicket in Bengaluru.
Sunil Narine smashed the joint fastest IPL fifty in his sensational knock of 54 as Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed a hapless Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets to seal a play-offs berth, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Sandeep Lamichhane continued his rapid rise in international cricket as he was named in the ICC World XI squad to take on the West Indies in a charity T20 International on May 31.
The match is being organised to raise funds for stadia in the Caribbean, which were damaged due to hurricanes last year.
West Indies batting legend Brian Lara travel to India with the Trinidad and Tobago team for the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, commencing on September 17, in Mohali. Although not a formal part of the team management, Lara, during his visit to India, will play a dual role of T&T tourism ambassador and mentor for the Red Force.
Facts and figures for the World Twenty20 final between England and West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday: World T20 head-to-head: Played: 4 - West Indies wins 4, England wins 0 All T20 head-to-head: Played: 13 - West Indies wins 9; England wins 4
Following is a factbox on the second World Twenty20 semi-final between West Indies and India to be played at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
India can seek motivation from the fact that they can claim the top spot in the ICC Twenty20 International rankings if they make a clean sweep in the three-match series that begins on January 26.
Players have been embroiled in contractual disputes with Cricket West Indies (CWI) for several years, with the team even abandoning a tour of India midway through their 2014 series over a payment structure row.
Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle is hopeful he can return to Test cricket next year but said he was simply not fit enough to take part in the ongoing series against Australia.
Andre Fletcher produced a blinder of an innings, smashing 84 runs off only 64 balls, to power the West Indies to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Desperate to break their title jinx, Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore will be hoping for a positive start to their campaign in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal says he feels more responsible after his 'life-changing' six-wicket haul against England in a T20 International earlier this year.
Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Thisara Perera will be part of the World XI in the Twenty20 International against the West Indies, at Lord's on May 31, the ICC announced on Thursday.
Minnows Afghanistan scripted history as they defeated 2012 champions West Indies by six runs in their final group league encounter of the ICC World Twenty20 in Nagpur to sign off on a memorable note.
Only pride will be at stake when Delhi Daredevils host embattled Royal Challengers Bangalore in an inconsequential IPL game in New Delhi, on Sunday, with both teams seeking an end to their misfiring campaign on a positive note.
Pacer Ravi Rampaul led a fine bowling performance by scalping four wickets as Trinidad and Tobago defended a small total to beat Brisbane Heat by 25 runs in a low-scoring Champions League Twenty20 match in Ranchi on Sunday.
The loss left Indian cricket fans dejected as the host team's talisman thus far, Virat Kohli, was smashed for runs in the final over of the Windies innings.
With Yuvraj Singh's injury-forced ouster disturbing their settled line-up, India have been left with a selection dilemma to handle as they gear up to take on the flamboyant and unpredictable West Indies in what promises to be a battle of nerves in the World Twenty20 semifinal in Mumbai on Thursday. Yuvraj, who has not got big runs but was involved in crucial stands with top performer Virat Kohli during the group stage matches, has been ruled out owing to an ankle injury that he sustained in the must-win game against Australia. Manish Pandey, not in the original 15, has been penciled in to replace the all-rounder in the squad although Ajinkya Rahane is also present as a viable alternative. But it remains to be seen whether skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni chooses between the two or decides to go with rookie all-rounder Pawan Negi.
The 2016 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Player Draft was held in Barbados on Thursday, with the six franchises flexed their financial muscles to rope in their desired cricketers.
Having managed to field a strong side in the last minute amid a contract row with their Board (WICB), West Indies captain Darren Sammy today said their aim is to bring back the World Twenty20 title to restore the faith among the Caribbean fans. "As of now we are in the World Twenty20 and that's what our focus is on. It's just cricket. At the end we are professionals, but this event means a lot to us as a group. The next World Twenty20 is in 2020 and a few of our guys won't be part of that event so this one is very important for us," Sammy said. "Everyone's focus is on winning. A win here will mean a lot to us and people at home, especially in the current situation of our cricket. It's not just about the men team but the women team as well. "The message is cricket. Once you step out on the cricket field you should not be worried about contracts and other stuff. It's about making your country proud," the skipper of the 2012 World T20 champion side in Sri Lanka told reporters in Kolkata. Presently ranked world no 2 in Twenty20 rankings, West Indies cricket was in serious crisis involving players' contracts in the run up to the upcoming event and a second string side was expected to be named had the row been not resolved at the last minut
Defending champions the West Indies trounced Pakistan by 84 runs on Tuesday to set up a semi-final meeting with Sri Lanka in the ICC World Twenty20. Led by a late charge from Dwayne Bravo (46) and skipper Darren Sammy (42 not out) the West Indies put up an impressive 166 for six after electing to bat and then shot out Pakistan for a meagre 85 in 17.5 overs.
Soon after landing in Lahore, the World Eleven players and officials were taken to a five-star hotel on the main Mall road which was closed for traffic from all sides.
Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff joined Brisbane Heat on a short-term deal in the Big Bash League (BBL) on Thursday, extending his surprise return to Twenty20 cricket.
The 27-year-old batted five innings in the tournament, scoring a total of 273 at an average of 136.50 with a strike-rate of just under 147.
The first leg of the match between Delhi and Punjab ended in a disappointing 14-run defeat for the former, but Badree said his team will start with a clean slate.
The threat of West Indies being forced to field a second string side at the World Twenty20 was averted on Sunday when 12 of 13 players in the original squad signed the contracts which had caused a standoff with the board.
RCB began their campaign without skipper and star batsman Virat Kohli as well as another key player A B de Villiers due to injuries and lost their opening match against defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad.
West Indies legend Brian Lara has called for the return of stars Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo for next month's one-day international tri-series against Australia and South Africa. Both Pollard and Bravo have been overlooked by selectors for the Windies ODI side since the abandoned tour of India in October 2014, despite still being chosen for Twenty20 International honours. "In terms of the tri-nations, I think it's going to be a pretty exciting tri-nations series," Lara said on Wednesday. "And hopefully we can have the likes of Pollard and Bravo - some guys who have not played that form of the game (recently) - back in the team because they are integral of any West Indies team. "Just to have them for the T20 version I think is doing a disservice to the West Indies cricket." Bravo was part of the Windies' World T20 title-winning XI, while Pollard was initially selected in the squad for the tournament before being forced to pull out due to his continued recovery from a knee injury suffered in South Africa's domestic T20 competition last November. However under the West Indies Cricket Board regulations, neither player is eligible for the tournament after failing to participate in January's domestic Super50 competition.
India's batting sensation Virat Kohli was on Monday named captain of the ICC World Twenty20 team of the tournament, which also featured veteran seamer Ashish Nehra.
Chris Gayle will return to the top of the batting order as West Indies look to continue their winning run and secure a semifinal berth when they take on South Africa in the ICC World Twenty20 in Nagpur, on Friday.
Two-time World Twenty20 champions the West Indies can leapfrog second-ranked India in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Team Rankings when they go head-to-head in the two-match series in Lauderhill, Florida, on August 27 and 28.
Led by aggressive Australian opener David Warner, Sunrisers would be relying mostly on foreigners to deliver the goods, given the scarcity of local stars in their ranks.
Pakistan's Test stalwart Younis Khan, who led the national team to its only World T20 title in 2009, remained unsold while captain Misbah-ul Haq was snapped up by the Islamabad franchise on the first day of the Players' Draft for the Pakistan Super League, on Monday.
Chennai Super Kings' skipper MS Dhoni powered his team to a final over victory. CSK beat the hosts Mumbai Indians by four wickets at the Wankhede, Mumbai on Saturday night.
Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to earn two valuable points and move up to second spot in the points-table when they take on struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Royal Challengers BangalorStruggling RCB face inconsistent Supergiant in must-win game will be striving to keep their IPL hopes alive when they meet an equally inconsistent Rising Pune Supergiant in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Pune on Saturday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will be aiming for revival when they clash against out-of-sorts Gujarat Lions in an Indian Premier League match.
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