Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath became the most successful left-arm spinner in Test cricket on Saturday, claiming six for 59 to bowl his team to an emphatic 259-run victory against Bangladesh in the first Test.
Virat Kohli is the lone Indian batsman to be figuring in the top-10 in the ICC Test batsmen rankings.
South Africa's spin frailties were laid bare once again as the tourists collapsed for 124 to concede a first innings lead of 214 runs at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews and debutant Dilruwan Perera narrowly missed centuries but guided Sri Lanka to a solid first innings total on the second day of the third and final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah on Friday.
In the first Test in Kolkata, Herath bowled only eight overs in seaming conditions, but was required to send down 39 overs in the only innings that India batted in Nagpur, after which he complained of back pain.
Delhi Daredevils coach Rahul Dravid, on Thursday, admitted that missing a batsman of Quinton de Kock's calibre along with seasoned player JP Duminy will affect the balance and composition of the team going into 10th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).
Rohit scored his third ODI double century, settled down most comfortably as India's stop-gap captain, and was India's most valuable player by a long mile. Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji list the most valuable players in the Sri Lanka ODI series.
India's stand-in skipper Virat Kohli on Sunday credited his bowlers for the series clinching six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the third ODI, and said the home team's bowling unit dished out a 'brilliant performance' to restrict the visitors to 242 in Hyderabad.
Australia concluded their World Cup preparation on an emphatic note, beating a struggling Sri Lanka by five wickets in their final warm-up game, in Southampton, on Monday. Usman Khawaja, who opened alongside skipper Aaron Finch in place of a rested David Warner, anchored the chase with 89 off 105 balls.
Lost in transition, defending champions Sri Lanka will look to come out of the rut and start well against a spirited Afghanistan in their World Twenty20 Super 10 opener at Eden Gardens on Thursday. The defending champions, who were also runners-up in 2009 and 2012, have managed to win only four of their 14 matches since they beat India to win the 2014 edition in Mirpur. They are in the middle of a transition phase after Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene's exit. The build-up to the tournament was also forgettable with series defeats in New Zealand and India followed by an early ouster in Asia Cup. To add to the misery, their 2014 WT20 winning skipper Lasith Malinga has stepped down as leader of the team, following concern over his slow recovery from a knee injury. Now Test and ODI skipper Angelo Mathews' task is cutout. Having joined the squad on Tuesday, Malinga is a doubtful starter for the match. His presence in the team would impact the team a lot.
Kusal Mendis remained unbeaten on a match-high 86 to help Sri Lanka weather a wobbly morning and reach 116 for four at lunch on the third day of the bowler-dominated first Test against Australia on Thursday.
The Asia Cup to be played in Bangladesh from February 24, will be played in the T20 format for the first time in the tournament's history. The tournament which precedes the vital World T20 to be held in in India in March, has a rich history with India and Sri Lanka winning it five times each. Pakistan have been victorious on two occasions while Bangladesh's best finish has been their runner-up performance in the 2012 edition. Team India will be led by MS Dhoni and the tournament will also see Virat Kohli returning after taking a break from the recently concluded three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Dhoni will be chasing history to become the most successful skipper in the tournament history. The Indian skipper and former Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga have both recorded same number of nine victories and four defeats in the Asia Cup All the matches will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur. The qualifying rounds involving Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Oman has begun from Friday.
Sri Lankan paceman Shaminda Eranga has been discharged from a Dublin hospital after doctors found nothing abnormal in tests conducted on the fast bowler, his team management said on Monday. The 29-year-old was admitted with an elevated heartbeat after feeling discomfort while batting during Sri Lanka's one-day international win over Ireland on Saturday, and was placed under observation for more than 24 hours.
The visitors bowled India out to be in an advantageous position, resisted the Indian attack nicely and successfully called two DRS reviews
Chasing an elusive dream of winning their first cricket Test in India, Sri Lanka will begin their gruelling tour with a two-day tour fixture against a depleted Board President's XI, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal dropped hints that unlike the five-pronged bowling attack, which yielded results against Pakistan in the humid conditions in the United Arab Emirates, he may revert to four-bowler theory against India.
Pakistan's teenage fast bowler Naseem Shah led the hosts' recovery against Sri Lanka on a riveting opening day as Test cricket returned to the country on Wednesday for the first time since a militant attack in 2009.
A fiery spell of fast bowling from Mitchell Starc and Varun Aaron followed by Chris Gayle's quickfire half-century helped Royal Challengers Bangalore crush Delhi Daredevils by a convincing 10-wicket victory in the Indian Premier League match at the Feroz Shah Kotla, in New Delhi, on Sunday.
Skipper Virat Kohli scored his 30th one-day international century to lead India to victory in the fifth and final one-day match on Sunday as the visitors won by six wickets to complete a 5-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka in Colombo.
The 13th edition of the IPL will have added significance as 2020 is also a T20 World Cup year.
Penpix of the Sri Lanka squad for the 2015 cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Experienced batsman Mahela Jayawardene and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath will return for Sri Lanka's three-Test series against Pakistan in UAE after skipping the ongoing one-day conTests due to personal reasons.
Legendary spinner Shane Warne has expressed his displeasure over the recent performances of Australia's Test and one-day teams, and questioned why 'bits and pieces' players are being selected in the team.
India completed a 3-0 clean sweep of Sri Lanka with an innings and 171-run annihilation in the third and final Test, bringing to an early end to one of the most lopsided series in recent years.
Skipper Angelo Mathews held his nerve under pressure and scored an unbeaten half-century as Sri Lanka recovered from a bad start to beat Bangladesh by three wickets in the concluding league match of the Asia Cup in Mirpur on Thursday.
Images of the third Test between India and Sri Lanka being played in Colombo
While Sri Lanka will be fancying their chances against a lowly South African side, the Proteas would be more than keen to make a statement against the 1996 winners.
Rohit Sharma-led India's main aim would be to settle their middle-order combination and also find a perfect batting position for Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
In a fitting tribute to Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews spoke of Don Bradman and the retiring great in the same breath, calling him the most "consistent batsman he has ever seen".
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said an inspirational net session with the legendary Kumar Sangakkara played a key role.
Chasing an improbable target of 490 to level the series, the tourists finished day three on 139-5, their highest total in the spin-dominated series, at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
Concerted pressure from New Zealand's bowling attack pushed them to the brink of victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday.
Pakistan Science and Technology Minister Fawad Hussain claimed that Sri Lankan cricket players opted out from the upcoming tour of Pakistan after India threatened them that they will be ousted from the Indian Premier League if they failed to do so.
Trent Boult needed just 15 balls to change the complexion of the second Test against Sri Lank
Sri Lanka's slow bowlers spun a web around South Africa who collapsed for a meagre 126 to concede a significant first innings lead on a spin-dominated second day of the opening Test.
Tim Southee rescued New Zealand with the bat then dragged his side back into the match
Even as Sri Lanka sweats over pacer Lasith Malinga's injury, skipper Angelo Mathews hopes to inspire his young team to defend its WT20 title.
India registered just three victories in 11 Tests, worse than even Zimbabwe and the West Indies...
Did Virat Kohli deserve to be replaced as India's ODI captain? Rajneesh Gupta presents all the numbers.
With the series already in their pocket, India will look to give some of the bench players a chance but there will be no let-up in the intensity as they eye a complete whitewash against Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I in Mumbai on Sunday.
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