Already out of the reckoning, Gujarat Lions severely dented Kings XI Punjab's play-off chances with a comfortable six-wicket victory in an Indian Premier League match, in Mohali, on Sunday.
England quick Jofra Archer will keep up his aggressive approach in Sunday's World Cup final against New Zealand after his bouncer left Australia's Alex Carey with a bloodied chin in Thursday's semi-final at Edgbaston.
RCB began their campaign without skipper and star batsman Virat Kohli as well as another key player A B de Villiers due to injuries and lost their opening match against defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Australia's Aaron Finch smashed his own record for the highest individual score in a Twenty20 International on Tuesday, blasting 172 off 76 balls in a tri-series match against Zimbabwe in Harare.
Ben Stokes, who played a few memorable knocks this year, especially at the ICC World Cup final and then powering England to victory at Headingley in the Ashes, beat Lewis Hamilton, Raheem Sterling among others to win the coveted crown.
New Zealand is all set to bring back Brendon McCullum as an opening batsman for the two-Test series against India starting on Thursday in Hyderabad.
New Zealand battled to 64 for two in their follow-on innings, still 340 runs behind South Africa, at tea on the third day of the second Test at St. George's Park on Sunday.
Australia's fifth World Cup triumph was largely possible due to efforts of fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who had a sensational run with the ball in the mega-event.
J P Duminy blasted an unbeaten 86 and Dale Steyn bowled a sensational last over as South Africa pulled of a dramatic two-run victory over New Zealand to bring their ICC World Twenty20 campaign back on track, in Chittagong, on Monday.
Images from the third day's play of the second Test between India and New Zealand being played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore
New Zealand are flying low at the World Cup and that suits them down to the ground, according to James Franklin. The seven-time semi-finalists are playing it cool in England and Wales, with the understated Kane Williamson at the helm.
Batsmen from Papua New Guinea, Oman and UAE leap to find place in top-50
He is among the best in the world but New Zealand captain and batting mainstay Kane Williamson prefers to be modest and says he has "learnt watching Virat Kohli", terming the Indian swashbuckler a "great player". "Virat's a great player and his ability to dominate attacks through all three formats is very special. "Certainly that I admire, I love watching him play and learn from a player like that," the current World No.3 in the ICC Test rankings told reporters during a media interaction in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Wearing Australian colours for the first time since the ball-tampering scandal erupted in Cape Town in March, 2018, Steve Smith and David Warner were greeted warmly by a small crowd in Brisbane, where Aaron Finch's team took a one-wicket win.
Captain Kane Williamson, all-rounder Vijay Shankar and comeback man Wriddhiman Saha will look to score in the key match.
Kane Williamson hit a brilliant 123 as New Zealand staved off Pakistan's spirited challenge to eke out a series-levelling seven-run victory in the fourth one-day international in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Dhoni's men will be slight favourites as it will be Bairstow's last game
Langer's side secured their spot in the last four with a 64-run win over hosts England at Lord's on Tuesday and return to the famous north London ground on Saturday to face neighbours New Zealand in their penultimate round-robin tie.
Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be in focus alongside speedster Mohammed Shami when defending champions India take on New Zealand on Sunday in their opening warm-up game ahead of the Champions Trophy in London.
Umar Gul bulldozed New Zealand with a sensational five-wicket haul as Pakistan defeated New Zealand by six-wicket to keep their semifinals hopes alive in the World Twenty20.
McClenaghan and Milne last featured in the 50-over format for New Zealand in early 2016 and missed a majority of last year's fixtures through injuries.
Kings XI Punjab will be aiming to continue their late surge against Rising Pune Supergiant in a 'winner takes it all' Indian Premier League encounter, in Pune on Sunday.
Hardly challenged in a dominating run this season, India once again start as overwhelming favourites when they take on an inconsistent-but-gritty New Zealand in a three-match One-Day International series, starting in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Australia's former national selector Mark Waugh also picked the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand for their ability to perform well in all departments.
India crushed New Zealand by 178 runs in the second Test on Monday to clinch the three-match series and reclaim top spot in the world rankings from Pakistan.
Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha's battling half-century helped India reach 316 before the hosts were dismissed in their first innings against New Zealand on the second morning of the second test at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
George Worker compiled a brisk 62 off just 38 balls on his international debut to enable New Zealand to complete their brief limited overs tour of Zimbabwe with an easy 80-run win in their only Twenty20 international on Sunday.
'It is one of those things that every day, often, you are having small conversations about it'
Brendon McCullum gave the cricket World Cup an explosive opening, scoring a blazing 65, as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 98 runs on Saturday.
A formidable Indian cricket team is likely to revel in home conditions, as they prepare to host and dominate New Zealand in the first Test in Kanpur, from Thursday, heralding the beginning of a long 13-match home season.
Bangladesh shocked New Zealand by five wickets to keep their hopes alive of making it to the semi-finals at the ICC Champions Trophy in Cardiff, on Friday.
New Zealand's captain Ross Taylor's 111 not out has put the hosts in a commanding position against Zimbabwe. New Zealand are five for 331 on the first day of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Napier on Thursday.
Captain Kane Williamson hailed his pace attack after a devastating opening 10 overs sent New Zealand into their second straight World Cup final with a surprise 18-run win over India.
Demoralised Bangladesh will look to end their campaign on a high when they face a rampaging New Zealand.
Fast bowler Adam Milne won the battle for the final pace bowling spot in New Zealand's cricket World Cup squad named on Thursday.
Captain Michael Clarke rode his luck to score 139 and help steer Australia to a 132-run first innings lead over New Zealand with a total of 427 on the third day of the first Test on Saturday.
Supremely positive, aggressive and efficient, the Black Caps amply justified their status as the world's third-ranked Test side in a 1-1 draw with their hosts which fluctuated from the first ball to the last. New Zealand are a team to be reckoned with.
Usman Khawaja's magnificent 174 helped Australia to a dominant 556 for four declared and an imposing lead of 399 at the end of the second day of the first Test against New Zealand on Friday.
A century on debut by Rob Nicol helped New Zealand to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the first ODI at Harare Sports Club on Thursday.
Ross Taylor says New Zealand's ODI side can deal with pressure situations a lot better than the Twenty20 one and that was precisely why they could knock down a big target in the series-opener against India, in Hamilton, on Wednesday.
