South Africa captain Graeme Smith on Thursday received the ICC Test Championship mace and prize money of USD 450,000 for leading the team to the top spot in ICC Test rankings on the annual cut-off date of April 1.
The aura of home advantage -- long regarded as a hallmark of India's Test side -- seemed secure. But in barely over a year, that fortress has not just cracked, it has collapsed, raising uncomfortable questions about strategy, selection, and temperament.
Australia captain Alyssa Healy is set to make a comeback in the ICC Women's World Cup semi-final against India on Thursday.
India retained the ICC Test Championship mace and also won a cash award of US$ one million for holding on to the top position in the Test Team rankings on the annual April 1 cut-off date.
Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli moved down a rung each to be placed 8th and 10th
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
Seales played down the incident when quizzed for more information at stumps on the first day.
Their last eight Tests in Perth have all been defeats, with the most recent setback a bitter innings and 41-run capitulation in 2017 that saw Joe Root's team surrender the urn.
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
Australia batter Usman Khawaja's first run-in with Brendon McCullum, during the 2011 Test series between Australia and New Zealand, was far from pleasant, as per Fox Cricket.
India, Australia and England are likely to be joined by South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the top division, while Pakistan, the West Indies, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ireland will be placed in the second division.
Australia's selectors chairman George Bailey defended sticking with the Test side's veteran core for the Ashes on Wednesday following criticism from former captain Steve Waugh about the team's ageing profile.
'Bumrah's 2024 exploits were a masterclass in skill, precision, and relentless consistency,' ICC said in a statement.
Gill back in full flow, Hardik opts out of practice ahead of SA T20I series
Pakistan, led by Fatima Sana, failed to register a single victory in the Women's ODI World Cup -- losing four matches and three games abandoned because of rain in Colombo.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has attained a career-best second position after notching two half-centuries in the final Test series against England in Karachi.
Prem Panicker and Faisal Shariff discuss the World Test Championship final, where South Africa pulled off a magnificent win against favorites Australia.
There was much criticism of how South Africa managed to reach the final without playing either Australia and England in the two-year qualifying period.
Former India batter Suresh Raina has backed under-fire national head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying the team's recent poor run in home Tests cannot be attributed to the support staff, as players must shoulder responsibility for the results.
India dominates ICC Test Rankings
The Indians have not featured in ODIs in recent months but Kuldeep Yadav (650) and Ravindra Jadeja (616) still remained static at number three and number nine in the latest ODI rankings for bowlers.
For their next assignment in the ICC World Test Championship cycle, the two-time WTC runners up will aim to grab maximum points across those four home clashes. Here are five key questions the side must answer prior to their next Test match-up.
The ICC said two new rules will be trialled by full members for a period of six months starting from October 2025. It includes a new wide-ball rule for ODIs and T20Is
Temba Bavuma and his son Lihle celebrated with the ICC Test Championship Mace, marking South Africa's most memorable cricketing moment.
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
In a first for the tournament, the WPL final will not be played over the weekend, but on Thursday, February, probably to avoid a clash with the men's T20 World Cup, which begins the same week in India and Sri Lanka.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continued to be the best-placed Indians in the batting chart, while off-spinner Ravichandra Ashwin held on to second spot among bowlers in the latest ICC Test Player ranking, release on Wednesday.
On one of India's most challenging surfaces in recent memory -- a dry, unpredictable turning track where every ball felt like an event, Temba Bavuma played one of the defining innings of his career.
New Zealand's Kane Williamson grabbed the second spot while Cheteshwar Pujara is third on the list.
Cheteshwar Pujara slipped a couple of rungs to 10th but remained the best-placed Indian batsman, while the off-colour Virat Kohli dropped one spot to 15th in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Friday.
However, New Zealand are ahead by a thin margin, as they are now on 102.263 points and Australia are on 102.2 points.
Joe Root has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings after his stellar efforts helped England secure a 22-run victory over India at Lord's, according to the official website of the ICC.
'The ICC needs to spread the wealth more evenly across the board and if we want two tiers to be competitive and we want teams in the second tier to have the chance to go into the first tier, well, they can't do that without no cash.'
"With 17,266 international runs, 829 dismissals and 538 matches across formats for India, Dhoni's numbers reflect not just excellence but extraordinary consistency, fitness and longevity," it said.
South Africa's head coach Shukri Conrad is backing his spin troika of Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy and Simon Harmer to match their seasoned counterparts from India and "make history of our own" in the upcoming Test series
Kane Williamson has decided to skip the three-match ODI series to focus on the Test series against the West Indies next month.
Saim Ayub scored 77 from 70 balls as Pakistan eased to a seven-wicket victory over South Africa in the third and final One-day International in Faisalabad on Saturday to clinch the series 2-1.
Shane Watson enjoyed a stellar IPL career spanning 12 years from 2008-2020, having played for Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings.
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