Ravi Bopara stood firm in the face of some magnificent fast bowling from Fidel Edwards on Wednesday to steer England to a respectable 289 for seven on the opening day of the first Test against West Indies at Lord's.
England, fresh from overwhelming India during the summer, kept up their recent winning run by thrashing West Indies by 10 wickets in their first Twenty20 international at The Oval on Friday. Ravi Bopara, with four for 10, a record return by an England player in a Twenty20 international, undid the visitors, who slipped from 62-1 to a modest 125 all out in 19.4 overs.
Scintillating knocks by seasoned duo Ramnaresh Sarwan (19 n.o.) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (17 n.o.) propelled West Indies to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup beating England by five wickets via Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-affected match on Monday night.
Sluggish starts have been England's bane in the ongoing ODI series against India and Andrew Flintoff should be asked to open the innings if they are to avoid a whitewash, according to cricketer-turned-commentator Geoffrey Boycott.
Vettori's exceptional bowling spell changed the complexion of the game. The New Zealander had laid the foundation for his side's win.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum led from the front on Tuesday to help the Black Caps defeat England by five runs in an high-scoring Twenty20 international at the Oval on Tuesday.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore on Tuesday.
England eased to a second successive victory in their five-match one-day series against Australia at the Oval on Sunday to record their eighth consecutive ODI win.
England produced another typically inconsistent batting performance as the ghosts of Cardiff returned to haunt them in the second Ashes Test on Thursday. A score of 364 for six on the first day was disappointing after a rock-solid opening partnership of 196.
As the first week's action in the third edition of the Indian Premier League comes to a close, rediff.com takes a look at the Indian players who have made noteworthy contributions thus far.
As the first week's action in the third edition of the Indian Premier League comes to a close, rediff.com takes a look at the Indian players who have made noteworthy contributions thus far.
SunRisers Hyderabad beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs (via Duckworth/Lewis method) in their rain-curtailed Indian Premier League match in Visakhapatnam.
Rajasthan Royals beat SunRisers Hyderabad by six wickets in their Indian Premier League match in Visakhapatnam. It was Rajasthan's fourth win in as many matches as keeps them top of the table.
Kevin Pietersen's England return was halted by rain on Thursday as the second Twenty20 match against New Zealand at the Oval was abandoned after just two balls, handing the Black Caps a 1-0 win in the two-match series.
Delhi Daredevils defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by four runs.
Joe Root's third hundred powered England to a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the fifth One-day international in Pallekele on Thursday and kept alive their hopes in the seven-match series. After rain forced play to be suspended on Wednesday, the visitors returned to chase down a 240-run victory target and won with five balls to spare.
Sri Lanka's bowlers bundled out England for 185 before the hosts chased down the target with eight wickets to spare in the rain-hit second One-day international on Saturday to take a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series.
The former seamer thought things changed for better for the World Cup hero after the Bristol bar brawl three years ago.
Pushed to the bottom of the table following their fifth defeat in six outings, former champions Mumbai Indians will look to keep their chances alive when they face a resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad in a crucial Indian Premier League game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
Sri Lanka held their nerve after a brilliant century by Jos Buttler to beat England by seven runs in the fourth one-day international at Lord's on Saturday and level the series at 2-2.
Ravindra Jadeja's superb all-round showing helped India win the ICC Champions Trophy with a thrilling five-run victory over hosts England in a rain-shortened final in Birmingham on Sunday.
Ravi Bopara and captain Stuart Broad put on 58 unbroken runs to guide England to a nerve-jangling, three-wicket victory over the West Indies in the second One-day international in North Sound, Antigua, on Sunday. Bopara, 38 not out, and Broad, 28 not out, combined in a patient stand for the eighth wicket as England reached 163 for seven in 44.5 overs, in reply to the West Indies total of 159 all out at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on the individual brilliance of David Warner and Trent Boult to open their account in the eighth Indian Premier League (IPL) with a convincing eight-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru.
England brought an end to their miserable World Cup campaign with a nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan under the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-disrupted final Pool A match at Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad face an uphill task to find their way through in the ongoing Indian Premier League as they get ready to take on formidable Chennai Super Kings.
Virdi, who has taken 69 wickets in his 23 first class matches at an average of 28.78, says his strength lies in his aggression as he is always looking for wickets.
Jos Buttler made an unbeaten half-century as England shrugged off Clint McKay's hat-trick to win the fourth one-day international against Australia by three wickets on Saturday to set up a series decider on Monday.
An fine all-round display by Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler's late assault with the bat ended England's long losing streak against Australia as the visitors won the fourth One-Day International by 57 runs in Perth.
Captain Michael Clarke blasted a magnificent 105 as Australia outplayed England in all departments to beat the hosts by 88 runs in the second One-Day International at Old Trafford on Sunday and go 1-0 up in the series.
Glenn Maxwell produced a stellar all-round performance and Mitchell Johnson returned to terrorize England as Australia clinched the one-day tri-series with an emphatic 112-run victory over their Ashes rivals on Sunday.
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.
A magnificent century by Moeen Ali proved in vain as England suffered a 25-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the first of seven one-day internationals on Wednesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to exploit the home advantage when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad.
England lost the opening Twenty20 international against Australia in Hobart on Wednesday after narrowly failing to chase down a massive 214-run target.
Led by aggressive Australian opener David Warner, Sunrisers would be relying mostly on foreigners to deliver the goods, given the scarcity of local stars in their ranks.
Opener Michael Lumb top-scored with a fluent 106 on debut but was unable to prevent England from slipping to a 15-run defeat by the West Indies in the first one-day international in North Sound, Antigua, on Friday.
The likes of Virender Sehwag, David Miller and Glenn Maxwell have not managed to live up to expectations for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 8.
Their morale on the upswing after back-to-back victories, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will aim to continue the winning run when they take on the inconsistent Sunrisers Hyderabad in their fifth IPL cricket match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
India gained the much-needed boost ahead of their ICC World T20 opener against Pakistan when they comfortably defeated England by 20 runs in their second and final warm-up game in Mirpur on Wednesday.
An upbeat Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to carry on their winning momentum to book a berth in the play-offs when they take on an equally-keen Royal Challengers Bangalore in a crucial IPL match at Uppal, in Hyderabad, on Friday.
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