'I knew that if I could sit with him and talk, I could convince him. Today, we were called on by the Prime Minister. Tamim said he would withdraw his retirement letter. But he has taken one-and-a-half months leave for regaining his physical and mental fitness.'
Kane Williamson's burgeoning 215-run stand with Henry Nicholls, who was batting on 89, helped the hosts finish Day 2 on a strong 286-3 in reply to Pakistan's first innings total of 297.
Mohammad Yousuf scored 191, his seventh hundred of the year, as the second Test between Pakistan and the West Indies ended in a draw.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the rescheduled 5th Test between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Saturday.
Laxman handpicked his maiden century against Australia at Sydney in 2000 as the best of the lot out of his 17 Test tons.
Tiny tots at the home for children of leprosy patients broke into celebration after the Aussie skipper scored his 30th Test ton.
India were set a tricky target of 176 runs to win the first Test against Sri Lanka after Dinesh Chandimal produced a counter-attacking unbeaten 162 to lead a spirited fightback for the hosts in Galle.
'But yes, Melbourne Test hundred was really special. I said in Melbourne that my Lord's hundred was special but many people told me that I think Melbourne hundred was better than my Lord's hundred.'
Ashwin came in at number eight and showed everyone how to bat on a deteriorating surface with an excellent century
Mayank Agarwal knows that he could be confined to the sidelines once K L Rahul and Rohit Sharma are back in the mix, but what has helped him stay focussed is words of wisdom from coach Rahul Dravid, who told him to control what's in his domain.
During his patient knock, Pujara faced 250 balls, hitting 16 of them for fours, and added 75 runs for the unbeaten fifth wicket stand with Vihari.
Azhar Ali hit his fourth Test ton against Australia as Pakistan piled on 476-4 before declaring
A summary of the first day's proceedings in the Ranji Trophy matches across the country.
Murali Vijay said he has curbed the tendency to nibble at deliveries outside off and is back to batting the way that fetched him runs in international cricket.
Kevin Pietersen hit a superb triple century, a career-best, for Surrey on Monday to offer a reminder of his talents ahead of new England cricket director Andrew Strauss' first news conference.
England's batters have failed miserably in the World Cup and need to read situations better as the team looks to bounce back from the brink, says assistant coach Marcus Trescothick.
South Africa's Temba Bavuma was left stranded on 95 not out as they tightened their grip over scandal-hit Australia after reducing the hapless visitors to 110 for six at the close on the second day of the fourth and final Test on Saturday.
They might have been disappointing so far but Indian opener Murali Vijay is still hopeful that the Indian spinners will utilise the spin-friendly conditions on the final day. Scorecard: "It's a pretty good wicket, (though it has) gone slower. There's a lot of assistance to the spinners now. Hopefully we can put some pressure in the morning session get some wickets and you never know," said Vijay after the fourth day's play at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot. Vijay feels that India still have the edge.
Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad has come down heavily on the Board of Control for Cricket in India and its selectors, saying ignoring Sarfaraz Khan for the upcoming Test series against Australia is "unfair" and "an abuse of domestic cricket".
Joe Root continued with his purple patch during the first Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston, bringing up his 30th Test century.
Gary Ballance joins Kepler Wessels as the only players to have scored centuries for two countries.
New Zealand debutant Devon Conway crafted a century on the opening day of the first Test against England on Wednesday, with his unbeaten knock of 136 leading the visitors to 246-3 at stumps at Lord's.
Cheteshwar Pujara's marathon double hundred complemented by Wriddhiman Saha's dogged century put India in complete command with an imposing total of 603 for 9 against Australia on the fourth day of the third cricket Test.
The first Test between New Zealand and Australia is hanging in balance after day three in Christchurch on Saturday.
Having added 123 with Priyank Panchal (47) for the opening stand, India lost Ruturaj Gaikwad (21) in the second over of the third morning, when Rachin Ravindra (2/96) got him stumped by keeper Cam Fletcher.
Smith's player of the match effort of 211 and 82 runs in the two innings has lifted him to 937 rating points, only 10 less than his all-time best aggregate achieved in December 2017.
Younis Khan's superb 218 put Pakistan in a strong position before they picked up four England wickets to take complete control on the third day of the fourth and final Test at The Oval on Saturday.
In the latest ICC ODI Rankings, Mohammed Siraj was dethroned from the top as he slipped to third place, while Josh Hazlewood climbed to the top.
England pacer James Anderson concedes sledging never really distracts Sachin Tendulkar but what might have a "detrimental effect" on him and India during the Test series starting next week is the massive hype around the veteran batsman's impending 100th ton.
Kane Williamson scored his fifth century in eight Tests in 2015 to guide New Zealand to a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka before lunch on the fourth day of the second Test at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Monday.
South Africa trail by 439 runs and will need to bat for much of the weekend to stay in the contest and avoid going 2-1 behind in the four-Test series.
India took a firm grip on the first Test against Sri Lanka by taking a first innings lead of 192 and snaring the hosts' openers in the second innings by the end of Day 2 in Galle on Thursday.
Exuberant fans were stunned into silence at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium when Sachin Tendulkar once again missed out on his 100th international ton, on the fourth day of the first Test against the West Indies in New Delhi on Wednesday.
'Once he failed in the Australia series at home, there was very little chance for him but selectors didn't want to change things ahead of WTC final.'
A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy matches played on Thursday.
A Test match that ended in a forgettable draw between Australia and India on Tuesday will be memorable for all the wrong reasons for batsman Shaun Marsh who was run out for 99 in a desperate bid to raise his first century on home soil.
'...It's just nice to show I can score runs. I am happy to be out there and show the real me. I don't know why I threw my bat in the air, but that is me.'
