Virat Kohli's return to form and a rather dramatic entry into the IPL play-offs will make Royal Challengers Bangalore a more confident unit when they meet a top-heavy Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2022 Eliminator match in Kolkata on Wednesday.
India's Shreyas Iyer smashed a century on his test debut but Tim Southee's lion-hearted bowling and New Zealand's top order left the opening test between the teams evenly poised on Friday.
This is the first time that the towering Croatian has made the final of the Aus Open
New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson is aware that the challenge of playing Test cricket in India will be different from what it is back home, his enviable record notwithstanding.
Given the Indian batting line-up's weakness against swinging deliveries, New Zealand could go in with an all-pace attack with the pitch likely to offer pace and bounce.
KKR are placed at the sixth spot with 12 points and they will not only have to win but do it with a big margin
South Africa's Quinton de Kock rediscovered his batting form with a career best 141 not out as the tourists seized control of the first Test against a wilting West Indies at the close of play on day two in Saint Lucia on Friday.
If their performance is any indication, Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals could make for a blockbuster Indian Premier League contest on Sunday evening, an iconic venue adding to its charm.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Tuesday all of its home-based players heading to England for a two-match Test series and the World Test Championship final have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Rahul and Pant, both match-winners in their own rights even with the bat, will like to seize the initiative in these early rounds.
England players find solace in WAGs and kids
New Zealand coach Gary Stead expected India would be more competitive in the second match in Christchurch.
'We're prepared to discuss all contingencies, if the situation warrants. For argument's sake, if it occurred with one of the Test players, it might make more sense for them to continue on to England [for the Test tour and world championship final]'
'We basically broke it down to the fact that we couldn't get away at all in those two games, two overs could have made the difference. I'm just pleased everyone is getting into their own'
Players from newly-crowned Premier League champions Manchester City dominated the Professional Footballers' Association's (PFA) Team of the Year announced on Wednesday, occupying five out of 11 spots.
Opener Fakhar Zaman smashed his second century in as many matches as Pakistan beat a much-changed South Africa by 28 runs in the third and final One-Day International, in Pretoria on Wednesday, to clinch the series 2-1.
The first Test, played at the same venue, had also petered out into a predictable draw late on the final day.
The ICC Awards will comprise a total of 13 individual recognitions in all, as well as five Team of the Year announcements for each format across both men's and women's cricket.
Fast-bowling great Richard Hadlee expects swing bowlers to dominate the final of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) between India and New Zealand in Southampton next month.
Delhi Capitals will expect more from their batters after an underwhelming display in their previous outing, while Lucknow Super Giants are eager to shrug off overdependence on skipper KL Rahul when the teams clash in the IPL match in Mumbai on Sunday.
Sri Lanka opening bowler Suranga Lakmal made early inroads, taking the wickets of John Campbell (5) and Nkrumah Bonner (0) in the morning session and piling on the pressure with six successive maidens.
Images from Saturday's action in the Premier League.
After some patchy form in the opening rounds Dimitrov hit top form to beat home hope Nick Kyrgios in the last 16, fuelling hopes of a first grand slam final appearance.
Indian batter Shubman Gill was all praise for New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson's vicious in-dipper that breached through his defences, admitting that he couldn't read the delivery as he wasn't expecting reverse swing just after lunch on the opening day of the first Test in Kanpur.
Monsters from hell, time loops and time travel, magical realms and bomb threats, things are pretty action-packed on OTT this week, observes Sukanya Verma.
Images from Day 5 of the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand, at The Hampshire Bowl, in Southampton, on Tuesday.
Virtually out of the play-off race and struggling on multiple fronts, a horribly out-of-sorts Mumbai Indians will need a special team effort to arrest their slide when they take on Lucknow Super Giants in a return-leg IPL fixture in Mumbai on Sunday.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive David White has confirmed that Kiwi players involved in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 would be allowed to re-join their franchises and complete the competition when it re-starts in September.
The Indo-Canadian got a walkover in their quarter-final clash against France's Benoit Paire and Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland.
Mayank scored 150 and 62 in the first and second innings respectively of the second Test against New Zealand before India defeated the Kiwis on Monday, December 6.
A brilliant performance by New Zealand's seamers and a composed run chase by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor ensured the Black Caps made history by beating India to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.
Shoaib Akhtar lambasted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for bringing in 'average players'
India go with Ashwin and Jadeja with three seamers for WTC final
Aaron Finch scored 79 from 55 balls to propel Australia to a 50-run win over New Zealand in the fourth Twenty20 and level the five-match series 2-2
'His elbow is still niggling him a wee bit'
In April, City's Kyle Walker was pulled up by the club after he breached Britain's lockdown rules by hosting a party.
Ajinkya Rahane is, more than anyone else, keen on getting big runs under his belt and it's a matter of just one game before the India vice-captain regains his form, head coach Rahul Dravid said on Monday.
Mayank Agarwal scored his fourth Test half-century as India inched to 78-2 at tea on the third day of Trent Boult followed up his counter-attacking cameo innings of 38 to take three wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, to put New Zealand on top against India at the end of the third day of the first test on Sunday. Trent Boult followed up his counter-attacking cameo innings of 38 to take three wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, to put New Zealand on top against India at the end of the third day of the first test on Sunday. The visitors, who had not lost any of their seven previous International Cricket Council World Test Championship matches, were 144-4 at the close of play at the Basin Reserve, still 39 runs behind and staring at their potential first defeat.
India's Shreyas Iyer once again dazzled on his debut Test, hitting his second 50-plus score of the match to put his team in charge of the opening Test against New Zealand on Sunday.
RCB will next take on Rajasthan Royals on Thursday here at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
