India's Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik join an ICC World XI for the high-profile Twenty20 International against the West Indies at Lord's in London on May 31, being organised to raise funds for stadia in the Caribbean damaged by hurricanes last year.
Kings XI Punjab's bid to remain in contention for the play-off berth in the Indian Premier League received a major blow when their premier batsman Shaun Marsh was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. The Australian batsman had picked up a niggle in his back during the six-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders on April 19, which reportedly worsened in subsequent matches. Marsh is the third Australian in as many days to be heading home early from the competition, following younger brother Mitchell (side) and captain Steve Smith (wrist).
The first leg of the match between Delhi and Punjab ended in a disappointing 14-run defeat for the former, but Badree said his team will start with a clean slate.
Facts and figures for the World Twenty20 final between England and West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday: World T20 head-to-head: Played: 4 - West Indies wins 4, England wins 0 All T20 head-to-head: Played: 13 - West Indies wins 9; England wins 4
Following is a factbox on the second World Twenty20 semi-final between West Indies and India to be played at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Here are some Images from match 27 of the Indian Premier League...
Two-time World Twenty20 champions the West Indies can leapfrog second-ranked India in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Team Rankings when they go head-to-head in the two-match series in Lauderhill, Florida, on August 27 and 28.
Sunil Narine smashed the joint fastest IPL fifty in his sensational knock of 54 as Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed a hapless Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets to seal a play-offs berth, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Suresh Raina's quickfire half-century went in vain as Chennai Super Kings went down to Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets in a thrilling finish in the Indian Premier League in Ranchi.
West Indies batting legend Brian Lara travel to India with the Trinidad and Tobago team for the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, commencing on September 17, in Mohali. Although not a formal part of the team management, Lara, during his visit to India, will play a dual role of T&T tourism ambassador and mentor for the Red Force.
Former wicketkeeper Brad Haddin says Australia missed the experience and skills of senior spinner Nathan Lyon during their unsuccessful World T20 campaign in India. Lyon was kept out in favour of young spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar, while allrounder Glenn Maxwell also chipped in with his part-timers. Rookie leg-spinner Zampa was a revelation for the Aussies, claiming five wickets in four matches in the tournament. But Australia's other spin options were used sparingly throughout the tournament; Agar bowled just one over in his only match against New Zealand, which went for 18, while Maxwell sent down eight overs in four matches, taking two wickets and conceding 7.6 runs an over. Australia suffered defeats to New Zealand and hosts India to be knocked out in the group stage and on wickets the supported spin bowling, Haddin says Lyon was sorely missed.
Virat Kohli was on Monday rewarded for his stupendous performance in India's clean sweep against Australia in the T20 internationals as he replaced Aaron Finch as the top-ranked batsman in the International Cricket Council list for the shortest format.
With Yuvraj Singh's injury-forced ouster disturbing their settled line-up, India have been left with a selection dilemma to handle as they gear up to take on the flamboyant and unpredictable West Indies in what promises to be a battle of nerves in the World Twenty20 semifinal in Mumbai on Thursday. Yuvraj, who has not got big runs but was involved in crucial stands with top performer Virat Kohli during the group stage matches, has been ruled out owing to an ankle injury that he sustained in the must-win game against Australia. Manish Pandey, not in the original 15, has been penciled in to replace the all-rounder in the squad although Ajinkya Rahane is also present as a viable alternative. But it remains to be seen whether skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni chooses between the two or decides to go with rookie all-rounder Pawan Negi.
Sandeep Lamichhane continued his rapid rise in international cricket as he was named in the ICC World XI squad to take on the West Indies in a charity T20 International on May 31.
The match is being organised to raise funds for stadia in the Caribbean, which were damaged due to hurricanes last year.
Desperate to break their title jinx, Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore will be hoping for a positive start to their campaign in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday.
Lamichanne said keeping things simple and working hard have been the keys to success for him
India can seek motivation from the fact that they can claim the top spot in the ICC Twenty20 International rankings if they make a clean sweep in the three-match series that begins on January 26.
Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle is hopeful he can return to Test cricket next year but said he was simply not fit enough to take part in the ongoing series against Australia.
Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Kedar Jadhav believes there was no need to promote young Sarfaraz Khan in the batting order when they meet Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Chris Gayle started with flair while Darren Sammy finished with a flourish as West Indies got the better of Australia by six wickets in an exciting Group 2 League encounter of the ICC World T20 in Mirpur.
Only pride will be at stake when Delhi Daredevils host embattled Royal Challengers Bangalore in an inconsequential IPL game in New Delhi, on Sunday, with both teams seeking an end to their misfiring campaign on a positive note.
Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Thisara Perera will be part of the World XI in the Twenty20 International against the West Indies, at Lord's on May 31, the ICC announced on Thursday.
Andre Fletcher produced a blinder of an innings, smashing 84 runs off only 64 balls, to power the West Indies to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Players have been embroiled in contractual disputes with Cricket West Indies (CWI) for several years, with the team even abandoning a tour of India midway through their 2014 series over a payment structure row.
Pacer Ravi Rampaul led a fine bowling performance by scalping four wickets as Trinidad and Tobago defended a small total to beat Brisbane Heat by 25 runs in a low-scoring Champions League Twenty20 match in Ranchi on Sunday.
Soon after landing in Lahore, the World Eleven players and officials were taken to a five-star hotel on the main Mall road which was closed for traffic from all sides.
The threat of West Indies being forced to field a second string side at the World Twenty20 was averted on Sunday when 12 of 13 players in the original squad signed the contracts which had caused a standoff with the board.
Having managed to field a strong side in the last minute amid a contract row with their Board (WICB), West Indies captain Darren Sammy today said their aim is to bring back the World Twenty20 title to restore the faith among the Caribbean fans. "As of now we are in the World Twenty20 and that's what our focus is on. It's just cricket. At the end we are professionals, but this event means a lot to us as a group. The next World Twenty20 is in 2020 and a few of our guys won't be part of that event so this one is very important for us," Sammy said. "Everyone's focus is on winning. A win here will mean a lot to us and people at home, especially in the current situation of our cricket. It's not just about the men team but the women team as well. "The message is cricket. Once you step out on the cricket field you should not be worried about contracts and other stuff. It's about making your country proud," the skipper of the 2012 World T20 champion side in Sri Lanka told reporters in Kolkata. Presently ranked world no 2 in Twenty20 rankings, West Indies cricket was in serious crisis involving players' contracts in the run up to the upcoming event and a second string side was expected to be named had the row been not resolved at the last minut
Royal Challengers Bangalore leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal says he feels more responsible after his 'life-changing' six-wicket haul against England in a T20 International earlier this year.
Chris Gayle will return to the top of the batting order as West Indies look to continue their winning run and secure a semifinal berth when they take on South Africa in the ICC World Twenty20 in Nagpur, on Friday.
Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff joined Brisbane Heat on a short-term deal in the Big Bash League (BBL) on Thursday, extending his surprise return to Twenty20 cricket.
A dominant Sri Lanka made it to the final of the ICC World T20 for the third time, knocking out defending champions the West Indies by 27 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method after thundershowers stopped proceedings in the 14th over of the second innings.
The loss left Indian cricket fans dejected as the host team's talisman thus far, Virat Kohli, was smashed for runs in the final over of the Windies innings.
High on confidence after one of their splendid run-chases across 10 editions, Mumbai Indians will like to continue their winning momentum against a resurgent Gujarat Lions in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Chasing a competitive target of 191, Lewis smashed his way to an unbeaten 125 off 62 balls with as many as 12 sixes and six fours as the reigning World T20 champions knocked off the runs in only 18.3 overs.
The 2016 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Player Draft was held in Barbados on Thursday, with the six franchises flexed their financial muscles to rope in their desired cricketers.
Chasing a target of 172, Bangladesh were bowled out for a paltry 98 in 19.1 overs to lose by 73 runs in a lop-sided game, in the ICC World Twenty20 match in Mirpur.
Following Rising Pune Supergiants batsman Faf du Plessis's exit, Aruneel Sadadekar/Rediff.com takes stock of the players forced out of the cash-rich Twenty20 extravaganza by injury.
The 27-year-old batted five innings in the tournament, scoring a total of 273 at an average of 136.50 with a strike-rate of just under 147.