Virat Kohli and Steve Smith are on even keel as far as leadership qualities are concerned, feels former Australia skipper Michael Clarke even though he rates the Indian captain as a slightly better ODI batsman.
Fourth-ranked South Africa will aim to climb up to second position in the International Cricket Council One day International Team Rankings when they host world champions Australia in the five-match series from September 30.
India can reclaim the top spot in the International Cricket Council ODI rankings if it blanks England 3-0 in the three-match series beginning on July 12.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to tour Zimbabwe for three One-day Internationals and two T20Is, but would play the ODI series only after September 30 deadline, set by the ICC for the top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings to qualify for the 2017 Champions Trophy.
The International Cricket Council named four World Cup winners in a 25-member match officials' team for Cricket World Cup 2015, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand from February 14 to March 29. The team includes five officials from the elite panel of ICC match referees, 12 umpires from the elite panel of ICC umpires and eight umpires from the international panel of ICC umpires.
Earlier, Mithali Raj scored 62 off 50 balls while teenager Jemimah Rodrigues smashed 44 off 34 balls as Indian women scored a competitive 166 for 4 in 20 overs against South Africa in the fifth and final T20 International, in Cape Town on Saturday.
Virat Kohli, who amassed 593 runs at an average of 59.3 in the series which the visitors lost by 1-4 margin, had started the series 27 points behind Australia's Steve Smith and finished one point ahead of his closest rival.
Sunday's clash at Old Trafford is the most eagerly-anticipated of all the group-stage matches at this ICC men's cricket World Cup.
Hashim Amla once again gave ample proof of why is he rated as one of the leading batsmen in world cricket. The South African right-hander, who is ranked second in the ICC ODI rankings, kept South Africa's hopes alive in the Champions Trophy with a gritty half-century against Pakistan.
England cricket chiefs have moved quickly to make it clear that Alastair Cook's dismissal as one-day captain has not opened the door for a return to international cricket for batsman Kevin Pietersen.
India may be way behind Australia in the Test rankings, but the World Cup holders are just 0.2 points behind the top-of-the-table Kangaroos in the ODI rankings. According to the latest ICC rankings, Australia and India are on 117 rating points and the scores will only be settled in the upcoming tri-series involving the two teams and England, starting January 18 next year.
Sachin Tendulkar is the sixth Indian to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Ajinkya Rahane will be aiming to get his mojo back as India, formidable even without regular skipper Virat Kohli, eye another 'Whitewash' against Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series, starting on Sunday.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be staged in Australia and New Zealand from February 14 to March 29, and India will begin its title defence against traditional rivals Pakistan in Adelaide on February 15, the International Cricket Council announced on Tuesday.
India's Virat Kohli slipped a rung but is still the best-placed Indian batsman in third position in the latest the International Cricket Council One-Day batsmen's rankings released on Tuesday.
After hammering the Kiwis 3-0 in the Tests, the focus now shifts to white-ball cricket . New Zealand will be bolstered by the presence of star allrounder Corey Anderson as captain Kane Williamson looks to avenge the defeat in Tests. Also, MS Dhoni's men will need to win the ODI series by a 4-1 margin to claim third place on the ICC ODI Championship.
Two-time world champions West Indies will be the star attraction when 10 teams battle it out at next month's ICC Cricket World Cup qualifier for the two remaining places at the mega-event in 2019.
Sangakkara was one of the leading cricketers in world cricket for the last 15 years during which played in 134 Tests (scoring 12,400 runs, 182 catches (131 catches as a wicket-keeper) as well as 20 stumpings), 404 ODIs (14,234 runs, 402 catches (383 as wicket-keeper) and 99 stumpings) and 56 T20Is (1,382 runs, 26 catches as wicket-keeper and 20 stumpings).
The Indian cricket team was dislodged as the top Twenty20 side and also dropped a rung to fourth in the ODI charts of the latest ICC rankings following the annual update.
'Warner overstepped the line a lot in his early career. He then changed into a more placid player but was then told by Cricket Australia to be the enforcer and was doing what he was told'
India will need to win at least a game in the upcoming one-dayer series against Australia to retain their current second position in the ICC ODI Team Championships, even as second-placed Virat Kohli looks to close in on AB de Villiers in the batting chart. World champions Australia go head to head with former winner India in a five-match series in Perth on Tuesday. Australia (127) lead second-ranked India (114) by 13 points and even if they lose all the five matches of the series, they will drop points but still finish a point ahead of India.
Pakistan women cricket team's head coach New Zealander Mark Coles has resigned on Thursday, months before the ICC World T20 in Australia.
Australia regained the prestigious ICC Test mace and also won a cash award of $1million after beating New Zealand in the Christchurch Test by seven wickets and winning the series 2-0 on Wednesday. Australia finished two points ahead of India with 112 points in the final series before the April 1 cut-off date.
With an unassailable 3-0 lead in hand, India need just one more win to claim their maiden ODI series triumph on South African soil.
Top India batsman Virat Kohli has maintained his second position in the latest ICC batsmen rankings while medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has moved up a place to be seventh in the bowlers' standings.
Hardik has just taken 10 Tests to record a rare feat -- scored a ton and taken 5 wickets. Still not 25, Hardik has shown that he belongs to the place, says Rajneesh Gupta, giving us the numbers that matter.
Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped down the ladder to No 4 and 10 respectively, while Shikhar Dhawan retained the seventh rung in the latest Reliance ICC ODI batsmen's rankings, released on Monday.
India have not lost a series at home since the defeat to South Africa in October 2015.
Having won the series, India would like to carry on momentum forward, especially with the three-match T20I series to follow soon after. Yet, the visitors would also like to find a balance between going all out in a dead rubber and resting a few players keeping in mind a long overseas schedule later this year.
Brimming with confidence after a clean-sweep in the Test series, India will look to carry on their dominance over New Zealand when the two teams lock horns in the first cricket One-day International of the five-match series, in Dharamsala on Sunday.
The hosts have hit nadir in both form and confidence, and, after a lop-sided 3-0 Test series victory, the script did not change much in the opening ODI, where India steamrolled the opposition by nine wickets.
A buoyant India will look to cash in on South Africa's injury woes, compounded by the loss of captain Faf du Plessis, when the two sides meet in the second One-Day International in Centurion on Sunday.
There was large demand for India vs Pakistan, England vs Australia and the final, all of which were oversubscribed at every price band.
The series loss to South Africa notwithstanding, India held on to their second spot in the team list, while star batsman Virat Kohli rose up a rung to second in the batsmen's table of the latest ICC ODI cricket rankings.
Meet the 15-member Indian squad selected for the ICC ODI World Cup, starting next month in Australia-New Zealand.
The visitors won the first two matches of the series in Durban and Centurion by six and nine wickets, respectively, dismantling the home side with consummate ease.
India have never won an ODI series in South Africa, having lost 5-2 in 1992-93, 4-0 in 2006- 07, 3-2 in 2010-11 and 2-0 in 2013-14.
Ravindra Jadeja, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury, was included as the selectors felt that he would recover in time for the 2015 ICC World Cup.
India cricket captain Virat Kohli and weightlifter Mirabai Chanu were on Monday recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna by the awards selection committee.
Images from the 5th ODI between India and Australia, played in Nagpur on Sunday