Former off-spinner Graeme Swann slammed England's selectors for splitting the country's most successful new-ball pairing of Stuart Broad and James Anderson during the recently-concluded Test series against the West Indies, saying "you don't discard blokes with 500 Test wickets lightly".
West Indies will again rely on a hardened bunch of Twenty20 specialists as they bid to retain their World Cup title, but are set for a stern test from India, out to secure a first global trophy under Virat Kohli, and an England team bidding to become champions in two formats.
Pacer Josh Hazlewood has hinted they may be better off playing in the IPL instead of Australian domestic cricket, considering the league's success in moulding decent cricketers into "much better players". Hazlewood, who plays for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, is one of the one few Australian players who turn out in all three formats of the game and is part of the enlarged 26-man squad that was named last week.
How Rishabh Pant performs as skipper will be watched with interest
At the halfway point, after winning just two games out of seven, CSK are looking set to miss the play-offs for the first time in their history. Harish Kotian tells Captain M S Dhoni and Coach Stephen Fleming how to get CSK back to its winning ways.
None of the players will be available for at least the first two to three games of their respective franchises.
Smith, however, had developed symptoms overnight and after further testing on Sunday, which is part of the process, Saw ruled him out of the fifth day.
Opener Shubman Gill scored an elegant 50 but India struggled against James Anderson's (3-17) reverse-swing mastery, while left-arm spinner Jack Leach (4-76) ran through the lower order.
England produced a brilliant comeback to beat Australia by two runs on the final ball of their first T20 international in Southampton on Friday after the visitors looked to be cruising to victory in their first competitive match for six months.
Liam Livingstone and Evin Lewis's explosive batting will meet its match in Chris Gayle's power and KL Rahul's finesse when Rajasthan Royals lock horns with Punjab Kings to improve upon their mid-table position in the Indian Premier League in Dubai on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old Pietersen said a win against India is similar to a victory against arch-rivals Australia and urged the selectors to play both Stuart Broad and James Anderson in the same XI.
'I said before the game that if they bowl a lot at my head then they're not bowling at my stumps and trying to get me out lbw and caught behind the wicket. And I think that perhaps played into our favour a little bit in this innings'.
The four-match series will mark England's first away games in the ICC World Test Championship.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell reckons India will start as favourites in the Test series against England owing to a quality pace attack with plenty of depth and a top order that is more consistent than the visitors'.
IMAGES from the IPL match played between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday
In recent weeks we have reflected, and acknowledge that black players and fans, who have contributed so much to the history of our game, now feel disenfranchised. They do not feel as if cricket is a game for them. This must change.'
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index after 37 World Cup 2023 games.
Praising Suryakumar Yadav, Laxman, who featured in 134 Tests, 86 ODIs for India, said the 30-year-old right-hander has the potential to be a part of the World T20 squad.
It has been a rollercoaster ride for SRH who won five games in a row before losing the next five.
Michael Kasprowicz quits Cricket Australia Board
Steve Smith stayed top with 937 rating points, an incredible effort since he started the series in fourth position with 857 points before his surge that came courtesy 774 runs in four Tests.
Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop said Jasprit Bumrah's career can only be managed by picking and choosing tournaments amid the relentless schedule.
Kolkata Knight Riders resemble a sinking ship ahead of a rather inconsequential IPL-15 match against bottom-placed Mumbai Indians who, even if already out of reckoning, will have their tails up in Navi Mumbai on Monday.
Labuschagne is expected to bat at number three, with Smith to return to his favoured number four slot.
The likes of skipper Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan, who had produced stellar performances and played a key role in GT's success so far, have floundered against Punjab.
Rohit's 162-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane dragged the hosts back into the contest, before England dismissed both in the final session.
India finished the penultimate day on 39-1, still 381 behind the target
While Rajasthan, placed second in the standings, have lost only two games and won six, Mumbai are already out of contention for a play-off berth
Australia's head coach Justin Langer expressed faith in opening batsman David Warner, saying he expects the player to come good in the second Ashes Test, starting at Lord's on Wednesday.
Smith scored 144 and 142 in Australia's 251-run win at Edgbaston in his comeback Test after being banned for a year for his involvement in the infamous ball tampering scandal in South Africa.
While some franchises have said there needs to be a six-day quarantine for them and could see them miss their respective teams' opening games, others have pointed out how they should be excused since it would be simply about moving from one bio-secure bubble (in the UK) to another (in the UAE).
'We'll have to play right at the top of our game to win out there but we couldn't be in a better place to go and challenge them (India).'
Mumbai Indians will be aiming to register their first win of IPL 2022 and keep their slim chances alive when they face Chennai Super Kings at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents Rajasthan Royals's IPL record over the years.
The incoming player, who will be allowed to bat and bowl, must be deemed a "like for like" replacement approved by the match referee.
Star batter Suryakumar Yadav urged one and all to show patience with an out of sorts Mumbai Indians, saying the five-time champions are currently undergoing a transition phase.
Pakistan opener Abid Ali scored a half-century but England's seam bowlers used the muggy conditions to their advantage to restrict the tourists to 126 for five at the close of a rain-hit opening day of the second Test at the Rose Bowl on Thursday.
Australian head coach Justin Langer has one piece of advice for young sportsperson across the world -- stay away from social media. With the advent of social networking sites, sportsperson around the world, at times, have to deal with abusive and threatening messages online and Langer believes "zero social media" is the key.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between England and Pakistan in Manchester on Friday.
Mumbai Indians will have the returning Suryakumar Yadav's flamboyance in the middle-order as they look to bounce back against a confident Rajasthan Royals unit in the IPL at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.
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