India will aim to soar higher with the return of Virat Kohli against Joe Root's England
From a lower order batsman to one of Australia's prolific Test run-getters, Marnus Labuschange has carved his spot in the Australian line-up. The highest run-scorer in a calendar year in Test cricket in 2019, 'mind-blowing' Labuschange is now looking to break into the one-day team for the tour of India.
Brilliant performances from some players of the 10 participating teams through the World Cup will be etched in memory of cricket fans forever.
India had lost to New Zealand in the semifinals of the World Cup.
To do this on the biggest stage, three years on from that Kolkata classic when Carlos Brathwaite shattered his dreams, is a mark of the man.
'With the amount of Test cricket in particular this year, didn't feel like it was the right time'
'It was absolutely a risk worth taking. I wouldn't swap it for anything. To be a World Cup winner, I'd take that any day of the week. Even if I didn't play another game of Test cricket I've got that to look back on with great memories, the pinnacle of my career'
'If there were ever a PR exercise to fix the seemingly irreparable image of Australian cricket in the aftermath of the most notorious on-field scandal in recent memory, then this is it,' observes Dhruv Munjal.
After 45 games in the ICC men's cricket World Cup the group stage is complete, and the final four now know who will play who in the semi-finals. Australia, India, England and New Zealand knew prior to Saturday's final group matches that they would be in the top four and that all that was to be decided was the end of group standings.
'I think it makes total sense in Test cricket'
Roy, who was handed his Test debut after an impressive World Cup-winning campaign, has failed to deliver at the top of the order in the first three Tests of the series, scoring 57 runs in six innings with a highest score of 28.
While a draw always seems a safe option in a game like this but Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri wouldn't like to play a defensive game which at times can be counter-productive.
Smith was ruled out of the third Test due to concussion and Hohns said the form of his replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, would be a factor in finalising the batting order.
A ruthless India, sporting its new flaming orange and blue colours, will be eyeing pole position with a solid knock-out punch on an already disintegrated England in Sunday's high-profile World Cup encounter. With an unbeaten record in six encounters so far, Virat Kohli's men are all but through to the semi-finals with 11 points, but victory over England will tighten their grip at the top and, in the process, oust the world's No 1 ODI team from the global event.
In the cold light of defeat and without Smith's large shadow, Australia's batsmen have nowhere to hide and most head to Old Trafford in dire form.
England still top team in ODIs, but only just
As the curtains fall on another year, Rediff.com brings you all the action from the sports field that defined 2019.
Player of the Tournament Williamson leads a team that includes six players from Sunday's dramatic final at Lord's.
Explosive all-rounder Ben Stokes and relentless run accumulator Steve Smith could not be more different in their approaches to the game but both roared back from personally adversity to bestride an extraordinary cricketing year. Virat Kohli and his men top the confused and confusing World Test Championship table with seven wins in as many matches, including their first pink-ball Test against Bangladesh last month. That victory marked their 12th consecutive Test series win at home.
2019 became a 'Year to Remember' in Indian sports for trailblazing performances in Olympic disciplines
Reaction after England beat New Zealand on number of boundaries hit in the Cricket World Cup final at Lord's on Sunday.
The overhaul of South Africa's coaching structure has given the team a major boost as they get ready to take on England in a four-Test series which begins on Thursday, captain Faf du Plessis said. Meanwhile, veteran pacer James Anderson will be back on the frontline for England, for what will be his 150th Test.
Hosts England lock horns with New Zealand at the Riverside with both sides knowing that victory would secure their passage.
All that's transpired on and off the cricket pitch on Wednesday.
Battle commences at Edgbaston on Thursday and the last time Australia won there was the opening match of the 2001 series which they ended up dominating 4-1.
Ishant Sharma will follow the footsteps of his teammate Cheteshwar Pujara as he is set to play English county side Sussex in five first-class and eight List A games.
Amongst the many characters in the Mahabharata, the impetuous Ashwathama comes across as a warrior lacking maturity and forethought.
Despite their up and down showing in the league stage, there is no doubt that England are one of the most complete teams in the World Cup and are heavy favourites for Sunday's final, but New Zealand won't give up without a fight.
Is there a likeness between the characters from Ved Vyas's timeless epic and those prancing about on the political proscenium? Saisuresh Sivaswamy finds out.
Misfiring batsman Gary Ballance is likely to be the sacrificial lamb when England's harried selectors decide on the line-up for next week's ICC World Cup crunch match against Bangladesh.
Sukanya Verma treasures every bit of this eventful journey called Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
Roopa Pai's book, The Gita For Children, is a marvellous read that retells the epic conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, that will long stay with you after you have turned the last page.
Some stellar performances by seasoned veterans and promising youngsters continued to raise the bar in Olympic sports but there was heartbreak in equal measure when corruption scandals blighted India's favourite obsession, cricket, in a see-saw year for the country's sportspersons.
