Dominic Xavier wonders why India has lost its mojo.
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.
A minimum of three-match Test series and the home team footing the bill of the visiting side in a bilateral contest are some of the recommendations made by the MCC's World Cricket Committee.
Former champions Kolkata Knight Riders will look to strike a perfect balance under the astute leadership of Eoin Morgan when they open their IPL campaign against a consistent Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Sunday.
Delhi Capitals pacer Anrich Nortje said his team is capable of outperforming their opponents in Monday's IPL match.
Any chance of breaking the ODI batting record they set on Friday were banished as the Dutch won the toss and batted first.
The West Indies will need the likes of Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran to fire to make a good start and win at least three group matches to qualify for the semi-finals.
England needed to win four straight games to lift the trophy - which they did, winning the title after a tied thriller against New Zealand.
Mohammad Hafeez scored a scintillating unbeaten 86 as Pakistan held their nerve to defeat England by five runs in the third and final Twenty20 International at Old Trafford on Tuesday to tie the series 1-1.
KKR struggled for stability in the last edition in the UAE, while a change of captaincy at the halfway stage did not help them either.
India fast bowler Mohammed Shami replaced an indisposed Hardik Pandya in the ICC World XI squad for the T20 International against the West Indies at Lord's in London, on May 31.
'Our two (spinners) bowled well but in hindsight, probably should have bowled Moeen in our innings with the way spin was playing.'
Kohli also confirmed Shikhar Dhawan would remain the team's third opener, with KL Rahul partnering Rohit Sharma at the top.
Former captain Alastair Cook believes England have an "outstanding chance" to lift the World Cup on home soil, having built a squad full of proven match winners.
Check out the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League.
The World Cup opener is set to be another barnstorming meeting between two of the favourites -- and a fitting way to start a cricketing feast.
Ben Stokes hit his 11th ODI half century as he guided England to a six-wicket win over New Zealand in the second game of their five-match series at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday.
Barney Ronay wrote in The Guardian: "A World Cup win is a vindication on many levels.
Former captain Michael Vaughan believes England will suffer a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series against India, are the visitors are severely depleted without the services of batting mainstay Joe Root and fast bowler Jofra Archer.
Mohammad Hafeez was all smiles as the world number one side suffered a 14-run ICC Men's Cricket World Cup defeat, ending Pakistan's 11 match winless streak.
In order to seal the place in the squad, the duo will have to cancel their league tours in South Africa and Bangladesh.
Skipper Eoin Morgan led England's stunning comeback with an unbeaten 26-ball 49 as the visitors snatched a nerve-wracking last-ball victory to win the second Twenty20 International against India and level the two-match series 1-1 in Mumbai on Saturday.
Afghan captain, Nabi also defended his star bowler who was walloped for 110 runs off nine overs without a single wicket.
Eoin Morgan played a captain's knock, as England outplayed a listless India in all departments and record a crushing seven-wicket victory in the first T20 International to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Hales's inclusion was seen as a risk by some pundits and his patchy lead-up form spilled into the early matches at the tournament with 19 against Afghanistan and seven versus Ireland.
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan has hailed his bowlers as 'superstars' of the team, saying their outstanding performance in the first two games of the second leg of IPL in the UAE has allowed the openers to play with freedom.
The onus would be on their famed batting line-up of Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell to start firing once again and put pressure on the KKR batsmen.
ICC elite panel match referee Javagal Srinath imposed the sanction after Eoin Morgan's side was ruled to be one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration at the Narendra Modi stadium.
Sri Lanka will have to produce something special to halt England's juggernaut at Sharjah.
The club's cricket committee considers the nomination of players for life membership as recognition to the 'outstanding international careers for some of the greats of the game'.
Ireland's Paul Stirling and captain Andy Balbirnie struck superb centuries as the tourists chased down a daunting target of 329 to stun world champions England with a seven-wicket win in the third and final One-Day International at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday. The series is the first in the International Cricket Council's 13-team Super League that serves as the qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup in India, where the hosts and the leading seven sides will play at the finals.
Shardul Thakur's bowling in the 17th and 20th overs swung the game India's way.
The loss to Sri Lanka has left England's quarter-final chances hanging in the balance and reliant on them beating Bangladesh in Adelaide on March 9. A wash-out would end their hopes.
England are expected to name its final 15-man squad at the Lord's on May 21.
Andre Russell and Eoin Morgan's power-hitting will be the focus of all eyes when the in-form Kolkata Knight Riders taken on Delhi Capitals with an aim to light up the Sharjah skyline in what promises to be another six-hitting IPL contest in Sharjah on Saturday.
England batsman Eoin Morgan is convinced that batsmen with the ability to bat with both right hand and left hand, like teammate Kevin Pietersen, are going to rule the world of cricket in coming times.
Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran's half-century helped West Indies
India skipper Virat Kohli, South Africa's AB de Villiers, England's Eoin Morgan and Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza attended the ICC Champions Trophy opening dinner on Tuesday.
The English cricketers should not miss international duty at the expense of playing in the IPL, former England captain Michael Atherton has said in the wake of the team's disastrous Ashes campaign in Australia.
Brendon McCullum's buccaneering spirit was at its ruthless best on Friday as he not only plundered the fastest World Cup half century but drove another stake into the heart of the demoralised England cricket team.
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