Cheteshwar Pujara, India's batting mainstay in Test cricket, has surged to a career-high third position in the ICC Rankings after scoring back to back centuries against Sri Lanka in the ongoing three-match series.
India's Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik join an ICC World XI for the high-profile Twenty20 International against the West Indies at Lord's in London on May 31, being organised to raise funds for stadia in the Caribbean damaged by hurricanes last year.
Jake Ball made a memorable One-day debut as he combined with Adil Rashid to derail Bangladesh's chase and bowl England to a thrilling 21-run victory in the first match of the series, in Mirpur, on Friday.
Skipper Kane Williamson hailed the fighting spirit of Sunrisers Hyderabad while praising star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan's all-round brilliance which earned them a 14-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League and a place in Sunday's final.
Eyeing a maiden IPL title, the fancied Delhi Capitals will face another litmus test in the form of a Kolkata Knight Riders unit brimming with optimism when the two sides lock horns in the Qualifier 2 match in Sharjah on Wednesday.
Chennai Super Kings seem to hold a slight edge going into the match as they have not only got the better of their southern rivals twice in the league stages but also have the winning momentum going into the match on what promises to be a bouncy track.
Captain Kane Williamson, all-rounder Vijay Shankar and comeback man Wriddhiman Saha will look to score in the key match.
IMAGES from the IPL match played between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mumbai on Tuesday
Dhoni's men will be slight favourites as it will be Bairstow's last game
Professionalism will be pitted against passion when defending champions India square off with Bangladesh in the second semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy, in Birmingham on Thursday.
India captain Virat Kohli will end the year at the top of the ICC Test ranking chart for batsmen but five-day specialist Cheteshwar Pujara slipped a place to fifth. With 928 points, Kohli is way ahead of second-placed Australian maestro Steve Smith (911) and New Zealand's inspirational skipper Kane Williamson (822), while Australia's Marnus Labuschagne, who has amassed 1,085 runs in 11 Tests this year, improved a place to grab the fourth spot.
Former wicketkeeper Brad Haddin says Australia missed the experience and skills of senior spinner Nathan Lyon during their unsuccessful World T20 campaign in India. Lyon was kept out in favour of young spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar, while allrounder Glenn Maxwell also chipped in with his part-timers. Rookie leg-spinner Zampa was a revelation for the Aussies, claiming five wickets in four matches in the tournament. But Australia's other spin options were used sparingly throughout the tournament; Agar bowled just one over in his only match against New Zealand, which went for 18, while Maxwell sent down eight overs in four matches, taking two wickets and conceding 7.6 runs an over. Australia suffered defeats to New Zealand and hosts India to be knocked out in the group stage and on wickets the supported spin bowling, Haddin says Lyon was sorely missed.
Seamer Nuwan Kulasekara picked up four wickets to help Sri Lanka register a comfortable 70-run win in the third and final one-day international against Bangladesh on Saturday and level the series at 1-1.
Would only comment on Yadav after talking to BCCI: Mysore
India's star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin would be feeling the heat from his team mate Ravindra Jadeja as the two spinners take on Bangladesh in a one-off Test, starting in Hyderabad from Thursday.
Their arrival itself was mired in drama and a mercurial Pakistan would look to bring the focus back on their cricket when they take on an enigmatic Bangladesh.
Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal scored a hundred each as Bangladesh thrashed Zimbabwe by 123 runs in a rain-hit third One-Day International to complete a clean sweep in the three-match series, in Sylhet, on Friday.
He now inspires so much confidence in Virat Kohli that the India captain went with only five bowlers in Tuesday's victory against Bangladesh which secured their place in the semi-finals.
'Obviously we need a lot of more experience with that ball, but it's a great time for us to play a day-night Test'
Rajneesh Gupta lists interesting records from the first week of the Super 12 competition in the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
No other spinner headed into the World Cup with a burden of expectation heavier than the one on Rashid Khan's shoulders. But seven matches into the tournament and the poster boy of Afghan cricket is buckling under the weight.
The captain said Bangladesh has been playing some really good cricket, running the bog teams close but it's time that they 'cross the line'.
Vijay in 11th spot; Kohli falls five places
South Africa will be hoping to ease new coach Ottis Gibson into his job in a two-Test series against Bangladesh where the home side defend a one-sided record against their opponents but are light on fast bowlers and still tinkering with their top order.
Involving the tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir will be 'extremely dangerous' for the reputation of the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL), former captain Ramiz Raja has said.
Robin Uthappa and Sunil Narine played lead roles as Kolkata Knight Riders booked a berth in the play-offs of the Indian Premier League after beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 30 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.
Captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Sabbir Rahman shared a century stand to help Bangladesh fight back from Nathan Lyon's five-wicket haul and lead the hosts to 253 for six on the opening day of the second and final Test against Australia on Monday.
Kolkata Knight Riders took a giant stride towards ensuring a play-off berth as they walloped Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets to take their winning streak to five matches in the seventh edition of IPL.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Dubai, on Sunday.
Bangladesh spinners, led by Shakib Al Hasan, guided their side to a thumping nine-wicket win against Afghanistan in their Qualifying Group A match of the ICC World T20 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Sunday. Later, Debutants Nepal produced a dominating all-round performance to crush Hong Kong by 80 runs in another qualifying Group A match.
Kumar Sangakkara continued his awesome batting form in Bangladesh as Sri Lanka won the second One-Day International by 61 runs in Dhaka on Thursday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Kohli had achieved his highest rating after the Southampton Test against England earlier this year.
'To be honest, he did not miss much of the plan when he bowled. I don't know if there are many batsmen who can come and hit a six off the first ball, the next for a four and then again a six'
Up against fancied India, Bangladesh's ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza says the home team should be 'realistic' and enter the one-off Test with an aim to achieve a draw.
IMAGES from the match between KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad played at Eden Gardens on Saturday
Pakistan will be eager to raise their game.
'It was a clinical performance from the start'
Top-ranked South Africa lost their three-match series to England 2-1 but former ICC U-19 World Cup star Rabada's haul of four for 39 in the final match at Lord's on Monday helped him finish the series with seven wickets and become the youngest number-one bowler since Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq in 1998.
Islam compared the Indian pace attack to the lethal West Indian fast bowlers of the 1970s and 1980s.
Bangladesh's first World Cup centurion Mahmudullah is hoping to extend his big scoring spree at the World Cup when he faces off against India.
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