Under fire from all quarters after an abysmal start to their tour, West Indies have pledged to be more competitive at the traditional Boxing Day Test but will struggle to prevent hosts Australia from taking an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Chris Gayle was not at his brutal best in the IPL but Andre Russell's butchering of the bowlers has forced the teams to take note of what could await them at the World Cup.
India captain Virat Kohli lauded a "complete performance" by his team after they thrashed West Indies by an innings and 92 runs inside four days in the first Test in Antigua on Sunday.
Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to post a Test double century overseas as the tourists played their way into a virtually unbeatable position on the second day of the first Test against West Indies in Antigua on Friday.
Marlon Samuels was 50 not out, while Narsingh Deonarine was on 11, chasing New Zealand's 441, at stumps after rain delayed the start of play by 75 minutes and then washed out the entire middle session.
Sarfraz Ahmed will continue as Pakistan captain at the World Cup in May despite serving a suspension for breaching the anti-racism code, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani said on Tuesday.
Virat Kohli cantered to his maiden double century in Tests as India cruised to 404 for 4 at lunch on day two of the series opener against the West Indies in North Sound, Antigua, on Friday.
South Africa removed the West Indian openers in Sunday's last session at Newlands to build on AB de Villiers' superb century and take the initiative in the final Test.
Ishant Sharma took five for 42 runs to leave West Indies reeling on 189 for eight in 59 overs at stumps in reply to India's first innings score of 297..
Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has also moved up three slots to a career-best 14th position among bowlers after his match haul of 10 for 153 at Mirpur.
Babar Azam hit his maiden century while spinner Mohammad Nawaz grabbed four wickets as Pakistan thrashed the West Indies by 111 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method in the first day-night international on Friday. Azam's rapid-fire 139-ball 120 helped Pakistan post a challenging 284-9 in a match reduced to 49 overs a side due to a 70-minute floodlight failure at Sharjah Stadium in the UAE. West Indies -- set 287 to win -- never got close and folded at 175 in 38.4 overs.
West Indies' skipper Jason Holder conceded that his side were always playing 'catch-up' game throughout the first Test against India, which they surrendered meekly losing by an innings and 92 runs.
West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo has said that the pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is a batting friendly where the bowlers need to be patient in order to get wickets.
Captain Virat Kohli compiled an unbeaten century to put India in a commanding position on the first day of the opening Test against West Indies in Antigua on Thursday. Kohli was on 143 at the close of play, his 12th Test century, as the visitors reached 302 for four.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed five for 52 as Indian bowlers dominated the proceedings to bowl out West Indies for a meagre 196 on Day 1 of the second Test in Jamaica.
Opener Dean Elgar struck his third Test century as South Africa rode their luck to finish the first day of the second Test against West Indies on 270 for two on Friday.
The struggling West Indies cricket team has been dealt a couple of injury blows in its ongoing tour of India with pacer Kemar Roach ruled out of the remainder of the trip and all-rounder Kieron Pollard rendered unavailable for the ODI series.
Star all-rounder Kieron Pollard will lead the Trinidad side whereas Darren Sammy will lead the Caribbean Select XI.
A thick gloom that has pervaded the West Indies lifted briefly on Monday as paceman Carlos Brathwaite struck a defiant half-century on debut and celebrated wildly upon taking his first wicket during the second Test against Australia.
Virat Kohli's maiden double century was followed by Ravichandran Ashwin's third ton in Tests as India piled misery on a listless West Indies bowling attack to declare at 566 for 8 on day two of the first Test at Antigua on Friday. The West Indies in reply, lost their opener Rajendra Chandrika (16) with pacer Mohammed Shami forcing his outside edge to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. The home team were 31 for the loss of one wicket at stumps with Kraigg Brathwaite (11) in company of night-watchman Devendra Bishoo (0).
Darren Bravo scored an enterprising century as West Indies rallied from a poor start to reach the final of the triangular one-day international series with a commanding 100-run victory over South Africa in Barbados on Friday.
A confident India, with a new coach at the helm, will seek to record a third consecutive Test series triumph on the Caribbean soil when the Virat Kohli-led side clashes with an inexperienced West Indies in the first cricket match, in Antigua, on Thursday.
England captain Alastair Cook scored his first Test century in almost two years but lost his wicket in the final over of the day as the tourists ended the first day of the third Test against the West Indies on 240 for seven.
Captain Cook also hits form, strikes 125-run opening partnership with Trott -- England's first century opening stand since March 2013.
Bangladesh collapsed to a 2-0 series defeat against West Indies, losing the second and final Test by 296 runs with a day to spare on Tuesday.
Adam Voges scored 174 and Shaun Marsh 139 in an unbroken partnership of 317 runs to give Australia a commanding 438 for three at the close of play on the opening day of the first Test against West Indies in Hobart on Thursday.
Kusal Mendis led a strong Sri Lankan second innings effort but the West Indies still held the advantage at stumps on day four of the first Test at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad on Saturday. Set a daunting target of 453 when the hosts declared their second innings at 223 for seven just after lunch, the visitors reached 176 for three by the close with Mendis unbeaten on 94.
Opener Dimuth Karunaratne missed out on a maiden double hundred but his 238-run stand with fellow centurion Dinesh Chandimal set up Sri Lanka's first-innings total of 484 on day two against West Indies in the opening test at Galle on Thursday.
India's skipper Virat Kohli scored a splendid unbeaten century to guide his team to a comfortable 302 for the loss of four wickets at stumps on day one of the first Test against the West Indies in Antigua on Thursday. At the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Kohli carried his limited-overs form into Tests and scored an effortless 143 off 197 balls, which was laced with 16 boundaries.
Seamer Trent Boult delivered career-best figures of 10-80 as New Zealand thrashed West Indies by an innings and 73 runs inside three days to complete their first Test victory in more than a year on Friday.
Paceman James Pattinson took five for 27 to fire Australia to a thumping innings and 121-run victory with more than two days to spare in the first Test against West Indies in Hobart on Saturday.
West Indies have lost their last four Tests, two to Australia and two to Sri Lanka, and have not enjoyed a single win in Australia since the 1996-97 tour.
The wily left-arm spinner picked up four wickets on the third day to complete his 23rd five-wicket haul in Tests.
A devastating spell from seam bowler James Anderson set England up for a nine-wicket triumph in the second test against West Indies on Saturday as the tourists went 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor capped a dominant day's play for New Zealand with centuries as the hosts reached 367 for three at the close of the first day of the first Test against West Indies at University Oval in Dunedin on Tuesday.
England openers Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott made a solid start in reply to West Indies' total of 299 by reaching 74 without loss on the second day of the second Test on Wednesday.
India recovered to 234 for five at stumps on Day One of the third Test against the West Indies, courtesy an unbeaten 108-run stand between Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha.
Opener Lokesh Rahul starred with the bat as he scored a career-best 158 to steer India to a big lead, on Day 2 of the second Test against West Indies, in Jamaica, on Sunday.
"This will probably be the biggest World Cup, so there will be great expectations and I know we will do very well for the people of the West Indies," he added.
On a high after sealing the series with comprehensive victories, an upbeat India will be aiming to complete a 3-0 rout in order to retain it's No 1 Test ranking, when they meet a listless West Indies in the final Test match of the series in Port of Spain on Thursday. Having already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series after their crushing 237-run win in the third Test, Virat Kohli and his men will be aiming to go for the kill and keep their top ranking in Test. India were reinstated as the No.1 Test side after Australia 0-3 whitewash at the hands of Sri Lanka.
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