Debutants Afghanistan will aim to continue their impressive rise in white-ball cricket, while South Africa will once again attempt to shed the 'chokers' tag when the two sides kick-off their Champions Trophy campaign in Karachi on Friday.
India would like to continue their flawless campaign when they take on England in the semifinal
Strauss said that with players of different nationalities and races now sharing dressing rooms more than ever, cricketers will have to be more guarded in what they say and do.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for their first Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh on Thursday?
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes K L Rahul's impressive ODI form has cemented his position as the team's first-choice wicketkeeper.
'The wicket was good to bat on, a lot of the batters got starts but didn't convert. This win gives us a lot of confidence. Very proud of such a young squad.'
India's cricket team has embarked on a journey to Dubai for the upcoming Champions Trophy, aiming to secure another global trophy after their T20 World Cup triumph last June.
Harry Brook became only the sixth England batter to hit a triple century in Tests as the visitors piled on the runs on Day 4 of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan on Thursday.
The inaugural edition's winner Mumbai Indians will bank on their core group of players while two-time finalists Delhi Capitals will expect fireworks from Shafali Verma when they face-off in the second game of the Women's Premier League here on Saturday. The finalists of the first WPL in 2023, both Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals made it to the knockouts in the second edition last year but lost to the eventual champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the eliminator and the final respectively. Those defeats were certainly not reflective of how well MI and DC had fared until the knockouts stage, with Harmanpreet Kaur's side finishing second in the points table with five wins in eight matches and Meg Lanning's team topping it with six wins in as many outings. The winners of WPL 2023, Mumbai Indians tend to lean on their core group of players both overseas and Indian and a similar approach can be expected this year, with only a few changes taking place in terms of squad composition. India pacer Pooja Vastrakar, who was grappling with an unspecified injury, was ruled out of the competition and has been replaced by slow left-arm orthodox bowler Parunika Sisodia, who was one of the main performers in India's title-winning campaign in the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup recently. Mumbai Indians have let go of England's Issy Wong, who took the first-ever WPL hat-trick in 2023, after the player lost form and the franchise found the leader of their attack in South Africa's Shabnim Ismail. Among domestic talents, another member of the U-19 T20 World Cup winning squad G Kamalini would be one to watch out for, having finished as the third highest scorer in the competition with 143 runs in seven matches. Apart from a strong leader in Harmanpreet, MI have strong figures from other international sides such as Nat Sciver-Brunt (England), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), as well as South Africans Nadine de Klerk, Shabnim Ismail and Chloe Tryon. While Yastika Bhatia is MI's No 1 wicketkeeper-batter, other Indian players in Saika Ishaque, Sajana Sajeevan, uncapped Akshita Maheshwari and Amanjot Kaur will be expected to play their roles to perfection. On their part, Delhi Capitals will be keen to do one better after finishing as runner-up for two times in a row ever since the competition began. One of the most consistent teams in the competition, the Lanning-led Delhi have strong talent base across departments but the key will be to deliver in crucial matches. All eyes will be on the explosive Indian batter Shafali who has responded to her exclusion from the Indian side with runs in domestic cricket. She forms a lethal opening pair with Lanning at the top, while the likes of Australia's Annabel Sutherland, England's Alice Capsey and India's Jemimah Rodrigues form the core of their middle order. All-rounder Sutherland will hope to draw inspiration from her recent success of having struck 163 in the only Test of the women's Ashes followed by winning the highest individual honour in Australian cricket. While Delhi boasts of three wicketkeeper-batters in India's Taniyaa Bhatia, Nandini Kashyap and Scotland's Sarah Bryce, their bowling looks settled with Marizanne Kapp as the leader of the attack, backed by Australia's Jess Jonassen, India's Radha Yadav and Shikha Pandey as well as Titas Sadhu.
In a resolute display, Punjab Kings outsmarted Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in a must-win encounter and assured themselves of a top-two finish in the IPL at the Sawai Mansingh stadium, Jaipur, on Monday, May 26, 2025.
The fervour for the India-Pakistan match is so intense that for many beating Pakistan in Dubai seems even more important than winning the Champions Trophy itself, observes K R Nayar, the veteran cricket writer.
Big test for India, Eng; minnows likely to shake applecart
Kuldeep Yadav wrecked England's top order and fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin polished off the tail to bundle out England in just over two sessions.
Images from the T20 World Cup Group B match between England and Namibia in Antigua on Saturday.
Opener Ben Duckett smashed an 88-ball hundred to lead England's robust reply to India's first innings total of 445 on day two of the third Test in Rajkot on Friday.
Ishan Kishan made a dream start at his new IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad with a match-winning century against Rajasthan Royals.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that the Indian fans are waiting to put 'Bazball' to bed during the five-Test series against the Three Lions from January 25 onwards and said that Indian spinners and batters will outplay those of England on turning tracks.
England are an ageing side alright, but few will dare to bet against Jos Buttler's men successfully defending their World Cup title in a few weeks time.
'Whatever was thrown at us, we responded pretty well throughout the series.'
Most of the Test squad and staff had been transferred to hotel quarantine where they will warm up for the two-Test series against England
Mahela Jayawardene, MI's head coach, had last spoken about Bumrah's situation on March 19, admitting the challenge of starting the season without their premier fast bowler.
India's fielding coach T Dilip has praised the team's "incredible" fielding efforts during their 3-0 ODI series sweep against England.
Crawley departed on 51 and Young picked up a third wicket after getting Sam Hain caught on 17, before a downpour brought a halt to the proceedings at around 1345 GMT, with England on 280/4. Play was called off just under an hour later.
'I think Rohit should play aggressively. You saw how he batted in the ODI World Cup -- he was attacking even in the final. So, I believe his approach will remain the same.'
Soccer's top flight Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) had already announced they were postponing their next round of fixtures.
He also credited SA20 for the resurgence of SA cricket in the last few years.
Mitch Owen blasted the Big Bash League's equal-fastest hundred on Monday to deliver Hobart Hurricanes their first T20 title
Captain Jos Butter pushed for withdrawal of English players from the Indian Premier League play-offs ahead of the T20 World Cup, the team's managing director Rob Key has revealed.
Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, both in strong form after their Champions Trophy triumph with India, look to lead their respective teams, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, to IPL glory in the 2025 season.
To avoid the ignominy of missing the cut for the prestigious Champions Trophy, England must win their remaining two fixtures against the Netherlands and Pakistan.
Virat Kohli, the maestro of the chase, orchestrated a dominant nine-wicket victory for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday.
India and England have played with contrasting approaches in the World Cup so far, producing contrasting results. That is unlikely to change when the teams meet in Lucknow on Sunday.
Adil Rashid produced a stunning delivery to dismiss the in-form Tilak Varma during the third T20 International in Rajkot on Tuesday.
Salt serves up century as England win to keep West Indies series alive
'ECB has hired my services for 2 years and I have to work 100 days a year with them. My main duty will be with the England Cricket team but I will also work with young and rising spinners in English cricket'.
Mumbai Indians head coach Charlotte Edwards said the early wickets of Delhi Capitals skipper Meg Lanning and opener Shafali Verma helped her team win the Women's Premier League final in Mumbai on Saturday.
Australia and South Africa, two teams renowned for their batting prowess, will go head-to-head in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, aiming to secure a place in the Champions Trophy semifinals.
Virat Kohli's struggles against balls outside the off-stump in the ongoing Test series against Australia has the great Allan Border wondering if the Indian superstar has "just lost that edge".
India will look to extend lead against England
England are seeking a replacement for Leach, whose injury was the latest setback to their bowling department in the build-up to the series, with fast bowler Jofra Archer also ruled out due to an elbow injury.
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