Firing the first salvo ahead of high profile Asia Cup clash against arch-rivals India, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson on Thursday termed left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz as the "best spinner in world cricket".
Intent does not always translate immediately into numbers, and effort however sincere needs to find expression in runs, especially with a World Cup drawing closer.
With rain forecast for match day, the question looms large: could the World Cup final lineup be decided by the clouds?
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, are coming into the showpiece event on the back of a hard-fought ODI series loss to Australia, where opener Smriti Mandhana slammed two back-to-back centuries and the spinners, led by Deepti Sharma, giving a good account of themselves.
England's right-handed batter Harry Brook has replaced his teammate Joe Root to reclaim the No. 1 Test batter's position in the world
A dominant 2-0 series win over New Zealand has elevated Sri Lanka to the third position in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings.
Former captain Heather Knight was on Thursday named in a 15-member England squad for the upcoming ICC Women's World Cup and the duo of Sarah Glenn and Danni Wyatt-Hodge also returned to the side after missing the recent series against India.
Let's delve into six remarkable underdog triumphs at the ICC World Cup
From England's fiery all-rounder Ben Stokes to India's rising star Shubman Gill, and the ever-reliable Babar Azam from Pakistan, these cricketing maestros are ready to redefine the game.
Bangladesh remained in ninth position and behind Pakistan despite gaining 13 rating points.
As India chase history at home in Navi Mumbai, while Laura Wolvaardt's South Africa will look to script their own fairytale, by finally breaking their run of heartbreaks at ICC events.
Having played the most defining knock of her career to ensure South Africa's maiden entry into Women's ODI World Cup final, skipper Laura Wolvaardt found the feeling to be surreal.
Mike Hesson is free to rank Pakistan left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz as high as he wants but India know where their spinners are placed in the world order.
Disappointing, wanted to go out on a high: Emotional Devine bids farewell to game
'Should a player with such deep understanding of the ODI format be removed from captaincy when neither age nor performance has dimmed his brilliance?', asks veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
Harmanpreet has moved up three places and now has 613 rating points while Shafali rose two rungs
South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada has dethroned Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah as the top bowler in the latest ICC Men's Test Player Rankings released on Wednesday.
Shahidi is well aware that Afghanistan can't go deep in the tournament relying solely on the spinners. The batters must step up.
On Sunday, Goud repaid the faith shown in her with a telling spell of 3 for 20, that included three maidens, to derail Pakistan's chase of 247.
Ambati Rayudu picked Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India's best ever captain ahead of the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Kapil Dev.
Under Rohit Sharma, India won the 2018 and 2023 ODI Asia Cup, runners-up position in the 2023 World Cup at home and triumphed in the the ICC Champions Trophy in March.
England's torrid run in the 50-over format has plunged to alarming depths after they lost their first ODI series to South Africa since 1998.
With a five-match T20I series in October-November in Australia, five T20Is against South Africa at home in December and five T20Is against New Zealand at home in January 2026, Team India will now look to test itself, its combinations and youngsters against some of the world's best T20I teams ahead of the T20 WC 2026, which will start in early 2026.
Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's five-wicket haul in the second innings has helped him narrow the gap with top-ranked Jasprit Bumrah to 21 rating points at 846 after the fast bowler was rested for the Ranchi Test.
India's decorated off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin failed to fetch any buyers for himself and went unsold in the ILT20 Season 4 auction on Wednesday.
India jump to No.1 in Test rankings, now reign supreme in all three formats
World champions India are placed at the top of the T20 International rankings, although their lead over the second-placed Australia has reduced from 10 to nine points.
On the podcast, Shastri named Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli in his top five.
Young Virat Kohli is the lone Indian to find a place in the ICC World Twenty20 men's eleven of the tournament, which is dominated by champions West Indies and runners-up Sri Lanka.
With just a week to go until the start of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE, it sets up a tight race for the premier position for batters in 50-over cricket during the eight-team tournament.
Virat Kohli climbed up two places to rise to the seventh position in ICC rankings for batters, after hitting a terrific 85 in India's six-wicket win over Australia.
Virat Kohli continues to prove why he is one of the greatest ODI batters of all time, moving up to the fourth spot with 747 rating points in the latest ICC ODI rankings.
Meanwhile, England fast bowler Lauren Bell moved up two places to reach fourth in the rankings for bowlers after her three-wicket haul in the first T20I against India.
He also admitted to learning a lot from 'one of the best players in the world', his teammate Steve Smith.
India vice-captain Shubman Gill dethroned Pakistan's Babar Azam from the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters on the back of his strong showing against England in the recent home series.
Steve Smith and Travis Head join top-ranked Marnus Labuschagne following their centuries in the ICC World Test Championship Final against India.
'Bumrah's 2024 exploits were a masterclass in skill, precision, and relentless consistency,' ICC said in a statement.
The alarming part is in 10 innings, Suryakumar Yadav has managed only 10 fours and three sixes and dot ball percentage has gone up to nearly 48, translating to five dot balls in every delivery.
Fresh from a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, Shubman Gill's men will be eager to translate their overseas resilience into home dominance.
Leading online betting websites predicted the Indian team to enter the July 14 final and win the showpiece at the hallowed Lord's.
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