Rohit Sharma's sizzling century went in vain as Australia survived a few anxious moments before pulling off a tense four-wicket win over India in a cricket tri-series ODI match in Melbourne.
Batsman David Warner has been dropped from Australia's one-day international squad while paceman Mitchell Starc will fly back home because of lower back soreness, the country's cricket board said on Sunday.
Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar rued drop catches as Chris Gayle went on to smash a match-winning 57-ball 117, saying the West Indian batsman's innings completely turned the match in Royal Challengers Bangalore's favour in their Indian Premier League match on Wednesday.
India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named captain of ICC's ODI Team of the Year, but none of the Indian players found berth in governing body's Test Team of the Year, led by Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews.
The Australians are struggling against India's new spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal and the hosts would like to ensure that it doesn't get any easy as the series progresses.
A struggling Kings XI Punjab will have to pull out all stops against in-form and unbeaten, Rajasthan Royals, when the two teams clash in an Indian Premier League match in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Kings XI Punjab leg-spinner Karanveer Singh says preparing for 'out of the blue' situations helped the team.
A determined Delhi Daredevils will make another push to stay in the hunt to make the playoffs when they take on bottom-placed Rising Pune Supergiants in the Indian Premier League in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
Sunday night's dramatic one-run victory in Abu Dhabi and the cancellation of the third ODI between India and the West ensured top billing for George Bailey's side as the race to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 heats up amongst some of the top-ranked sides.
Rohit Sharma's brilliant hundred was certainly one of the positives in India's five wicket defeat in the first ODI against Australia but one of the worrying factor according to the in-form opener is not picking up wickets in the middle overs. India had Australia down at 21 for two but George Bailey and Steve Smith added 242 runs for the third wicket en route a comfortable win for the hosts. "There were a lot of positives to be taken from that game especially scoring 300 runs in Perth. "Losing is not a positive but we did whatever we could. And also the fact that Australia batted very well," Rohit said ahead of the second ODI at Gabba on Friday.
India will need to win at least a game in the upcoming one-dayer series against Australia to retain their current second position in the ICC ODI Team Championships, even as second-placed Virat Kohli looks to close in on AB de Villiers in the batting chart. World champions Australia go head to head with former winner India in a five-match series in Perth on Tuesday. Australia (127) lead second-ranked India (114) by 13 points and even if they lose all the five matches of the series, they will drop points but still finish a point ahead of India.
Chris Gayle started with flair while Darren Sammy finished with a flourish as West Indies got the better of Australia by six wickets in an exciting Group 2 League encounter of the ICC World T20 in Mirpur.
Barcelona moved six points clear at the top of La Liga by easing to a 4-0 win at home to Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday with doubles from Luis Suarez and Paulinho ahead of next week's 'Clasico' against champions Real Madrid.
The squad also sees the return of proven Test and one-day bowler James Pattinson, who joined Australia A in India after recovering from a string of injuries
Kings XI Punjab owner Ness Wadia said the spot-fixing scandal that rocked the Indian Premier League last year has made a dent on brand IPL.
Controversial England batsman Kevin Pietersen will be one of the first players to go under the hammer, along with senior India discards Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, when the two-day auction for the cash-rich IPL commences in Bangalore on February 12. The initial list of 651 players was pruned to 514, including 219 capped players, by the IPL governing council.
Michael Clarke feels his fittest in five years for the World Cup clash against New Zealand.
An fine all-round display by Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler's late assault with the bat ended England's long losing streak against Australia as the visitors won the fourth One-Day International by 57 runs in Perth.
Usain Bolt answered questions over his fitness ahead of the world championships with a season's best of 9.87 seconds in the 100 metres with a workmanlike performance at the London Anniversary Games on Friday.
A round-up of Thursday night's matches from the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum ended his One-Day International career with a series victory over Australia on Monday with his side sealing a 55-run win in the deciding third match at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
While the people who run athletics are dreading the day Usain Bolt leaves their stage, Canadian Andre de Grasse must be licking his lips at the prospect after emerging as the man most likely to fill the void.
Top India batsman Virat Kohli has maintained his second position in the latest ICC batsmen rankings while medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has moved up a place to be seventh in the bowlers' standings.
David Warner has said that the Indian top-order is in great shape, but chasing 300 hasn't been too tough so far in this series.
England opener Alex Hales belted a blistering 94 in 61 deliveries to set up a 27-run victory over Australia in County Durham on Saturday and a 1-1 draw in the two-match series of Twenty20 internationals.
Cricketing superpowers clash in an ODI series Sunday onwards. Rajeesh Gupta gives us all the numbers on India-Australia one day encounters.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Michael Clarke still has fitness tests to pass to meet his deadline to be ready for the second group match against Bangladesh.
Barring any further setbacks, it appears that Michael Clarke's return to full fitness and the captaincy of the Australia World Cup team is now a matter of "when" rather than "if".
Serge Gnabry continued his impressive scoring run for Germany, netting in second-half stoppage time for his ninth goal in his 10th international, completing Germany's eighth consecutive win over Northern Ireland.
David Warner scored 124 in his 100th match and combined with Aaron Finch (94) for a record 231-run opening stand, as Australia posted a 21-run victory over India in the fourth One-Day International in Bengaluru, on Thursday. Check out some statistical highlights from the match.
Battered and bruised, Australia scored a consolation victory, thrashing Bangladesh by seven wickets, to round off a disappointing campaign in the ICC World Twenty20, in Mirpur, on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
David Warner and Glenn Maxwell struck blistering centuries as Australia flexed their batting muscles to expose defending champion India's bowling limitations in a World Cup warmup match in Adelaide on Sunday.
Glenn Maxwell missed his maiden ODI century but his career-best 95 helped Australia win the tri-series
Do you feel Dhoni should bring in all-rounder Dhawan for Jadeja, or strengthen the pace attack by playing Ishant? Select your Indian team for the second match against Australia, in Brisbane, on Friday, January 15.
'Sehwag, Yuvraj, Zaheer, Harbhajan and Irfan Pathan. The bunch that formed the formidable force of Dada's team. Have we seen the last of them?' wonders Abhijit Masih.
A social media analytics firm, co-founded by two Indian-American entrepreneurs, has been acquired by Apple for over $200 million.
A supremely confident Delhi Daredevils return to their den and have a struggling and injury-ravaged Rising Pune Supergiants in their firing line up next in the Indian Premier League, in New Delhi, on Thursday.
A floundering England will be looking to avoid a potential banana skin when they take on minnows Scotland in a crucial Pool A cricket World Cup match at the Hagley Oval, in Christchurch on Monday.
