Former captain Sunil Gavaskar feels hosts India will start as favourites at the upcoming World Twenty20.
Steve Smith believes he must improve his body language on the field as he gears up for one of the biggest challenges of his captaincy in the five-Test Ashes series against England.
Rain had the final word as the ICC Champions Trophy warm-up game between Australia and Pakistan was washed out after only 10.2 overs of play in Edgbaston on Monday.
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.
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.
Cheteshwar Pujara's reputation as a Test specialist had hampered his IPL prospects for last few years but India's No 3 is now ready to turn the corner for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021, having picked up cues from the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland on Wednesday took a dig at Virat Kohli, saying he is not sure if the Indian captain knows hot spell the word 'sorry'.
Finch is happy that both Smith and David Warner have done incredible work during their time off the field which is showing off
Australian captain Steven Smith has expressed disappointment over his controversial dismissal in his side's defeat in a do-or-die game against India at Mohali on Sunday. Smith was adjudged caught behind by umpire Marais Erasmus on two at Mohali, off Yuvraj Singh's first delivery of the tournament. The Aussie skipper looked clearly furious as he left the ground shaking his head. "It didn't feel like I hit that but that's the game of cricket. I got given out. It was the umpire's call and that was it. It was a bit disappointing," Smith said. Smith, who will be playing in the same Indian Premier League team (Rising Pune Supergiants) as Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni refrained from reading much into the loud appeal by Dhoni from behind the stumps.
Countering rival Australian captain Steven Smith's assertion that India were under pressure due to an unexpected debacle in the series-opener, home skipper Virat Kohli asserted that he and his team are relaxed.
Former Australia captain Steve Smith says competing in the IPL has immensely enhanced his preparation for the upcoming 50 overs' World Cup.
'Captain Steve Smith was distracted by one of the wires in his eye line. Both CA and Nine will continue to work together on the use of Spidercam in the broadcast coverage and will take on board any player feedback as necessary.'
Ashes battles against England have done much to shape Steve Smith as a cricketer but his first series in charge of Australia could do plenty to define his legacy as captain.
The 10 teams in the league will be bidding heavily for the Indian players in a list of 590 cricketer
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar defended Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his "unrest" comment that got the media talking about a rift within the Indian cricket team in Australia, saying that the Indian captain might have chosen a wrong word to describe the situation.
Steven Smith (133) became the ninth Australian to score a century on captaincy debut as Australia wriggled out from a precarious 247 for 6 to post a mammoth 505 in their first innings in the second Test against India at the Gabba on Friday. He was well-supported by Mitchell Johnson (88) and Mitchell Starc (52) who made valuable contributions down the order, as the hosts took a first innings lead of 97 runs. India ended the third day on 71 for 1 in the second innings. Statistical highlights from the day's play. Statistical highlights from the day's play.
Captain Steven Smith is looking forward to Hazlewood making full use of the 'traditionally fast and bouncy Gabba wicket'.
Australia's head coach Justin Langer expressed faith in opening batsman David Warner, saying he expects the player to come good in the second Ashes Test, starting at Lord's on Wednesday.
Can the same Indian team beat Australia away from home? Look what Michael Kasprowicz said.
Virat Kohli's elegant unbeaten 90 and some crafty bowling by their spinners secured India's comprehensive 37-run victory over Australia in the first Twenty20 International at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.
It's not all doom and gloom for Australia because they have got an amazing squad and I do believe for the first time that they do have a team that can win this ICC Men's T20 World Cup, says Brett Lee.
The best-case scenario for RR would be Kings XI Punjab losing their last match and Sunrisers Hyderabad winning no more than one in their last two outings.
It has been a dramatic turnaround for the KL Rahul-led side after a string a losses earlier in the tournament.
M Sundar was not surprised when his son hit that memorable six during India's second innings at the Gabba in Australia. 'Washington always knew how to hook. He is a natural hook player. 'He is a strong player. He is a natural hitter of the ball.'
f we have that final session on the fifth day under lights, and a Test match result is in the balance, then I think that it could be anything for Test cricket. "This could be something that is outstanding for the game moving forward.
Images from the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals have failed to live up to expectations in the IPL so far and are placed sixth and seventh respectively on the points table in the eight-team competition.
Brimming with confidence after an emphatic win over India in Pune Test, Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh on Wednesday said they are expecting a 'great fight'.
No Indian cricketer figures in the ICC's World Cup XI, which is dominated by runners-up New Zealand rather than champions Australia.
Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland defended the use of the controversial pink ball in the face of players' criticism and is adamant it will prove a success during Test cricket's first day-night match in Adelaide next month.
Virat Kohli has been in phenomenal form for India in the Twenty20 format and he has shown just why he is rated at the best batsman in the format.
Ben Stokes' dismissal soured Australia's 64-run over England in the second ODI at Lord's on Saturday.
Check out the Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2014.
Delhi's strong batting line up of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith and Pant himself will look to fire on all cylinders right from the opening game.
The dew factor will go out of the window but the searing heat will be an issue when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on a better prepared Rajasthan Royals in the first of the 10 IPL double-headers, in Abu Dhabi, on Saturday.
Look who we spotted at the Melbourne Park this year.
India's Ravichandran Ashwin continued to hold on to the top spot in the all-rounders' table and also retained his second position in the bowling list in the latest ICC Test rankings. Premier off-spinner Ashwin stood out with 31 wickets in four Tests in India's 3-0 triumph over South Africa in the home series, and has a Test batting average of 31.68 with a highest score of 124. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who picked up 23 wickets in four Tests against South Africa, is the only other Indian bowler to be figuring in the top-10 list, which is still headed by England's Stuart Broad.
Captain Steven Smith scored a big century and then grabbed a sharp catch to put Australia in a good position on Day 2 of the third Test at the MCG on Saturday.
Australian skipper Steven Smith was a happy man with a dominating scoreline to the team's credit but did not forget to praise the good performance of the visitors.
