Sri Lanka won the just-concluded Asia Cup, but none of their players figure in Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji's most valuable player index. Check it out.
Pakistan selectors will have no surprises in store when they announce the Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka on the next 48 hours apart from recalling talented opener Ahmed Shehzad.
Pakistan retained under-fire skipper Misbah-ul Haq and out-of-form Muhammad Hafeez, but dropped tall left-arm pacer Muhammad Irfan from the 28-man probables' list for the two-Test series against South Africa.
Pakistan grabbed a World Cup quarter-final berth on Sunday following their seven-wicket victory against Ireland that also cleared West Indies' last eight passage from Pool B.
New Zealand secured their third straight win to book a spot in the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 after beating Pakistan by 22 runs at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali in their Super 10 stage match on Tuesday.
Following reports of three senior Pakistan players misbehaving with fielding coach Grant Luden, it is learned that opener Ahmed Shehzad may be sent home from the World Cup.
Steve Smith cracked his maiden 50-over century as Australia routed Pakistan in 36.3 overs to secure a comprehensive 93-run victory in the first One-day International on Tuesday.
Mitchell Marsh not only prevented Lahore Lions from making it to the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20, but also paved the way for Chennai Super Kings' entry into the last-four stage.
Sohaib Maqsood and Fawad Alam struck quick-fire fifties and combined in a record 147-run sixth wicket stand as Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets with one ball remaining in the first one-day international at Hambantota on Saturday.
The national team manager Intikhab Alam has blamed captain Shahid Afridi for Pakistan cricket team's recent poor performances, including at the World Twenty20 in India. The report states that Afridi was involved in 'needless controversies' during the World T20. In the five-page report submitted to the PCB and fact-finding committee of the PCB, Alam said that the team failed to sustain the stress and the pressure associated with the world event. "The recent Asia Cup and the ICC World T20 have made it evident that we have critical gaps both in batting and bowling and our fielding keeps on leaking runs, thus releasing pressure. In bowling, with the exception of Muhammad Amir, we do not have a bowler who can win us matches. "Our death bowling also is way below par. And the same goes with our batting line-up, where we do not have reliable pinch hitters and the top and power hitter to clinch us games," Alam wrote in his report, leaked to media.
Flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi will be replaced as Pakistan's T20 captain after the World T20 in India, PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan announced on Monday, while hinting his days as a player were also numbered. PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan told reporters in Lahore on his return from Kolkata on Monday that the board and Afridi had a understanding that he would retire after the World Cup. "He is captain till the World Cup under this understanding and he has said he will retire after the event. Even if he changes his mind and wants to carry on we will have to see whether he can be picked as a player or not," Khan said.
Batting at No. 9, Wahab Riaz struck a quickfire half-century before he returned to claim four wickets with the ball to lift Pakistan to a narrow 20-run victory.
Embattled Pakistan finally opened their account in the World Cup as they laboured to a narrow 20-run win over a spirited Zimbabwe in a Pool B match in Brisbane on Sunday.
Images from the World cup match between India and Pakistan at Adelaide.
Pacer Mohammad Amir claimed a wicket on his return to international cricket following a five-year ban as Pakistan registered a 16-run victory over New Zealand in the first Twenty20 International in Auckland on Friday.
India have won all their six games against Pakistan in the World Cup.
Thirty-four-year debutant Zulfiqar Babar took three key wickets then struck a six off the final ball of the match to give Pakistan a two wicket victory over West Indies in the first Twenty20 international on Saturday.
Muhammad Hafeez led from the front with a blazing 67 as Lahore Lions trounced Sri Lanka's Southern Express by 55 runs in their penultimate Oppo Champions League Twenty20 qualifier, in Raipur on Tuesday, to keep alive their chances of making the main draw of the tournament.
One of the finest fast bowlers in current times, Mohammed Amir would be pitted against the talismanic Virat Kohli in what could turn out to be a battle primarily between India's vaunted batting line-up and against Pakistan's potent bowling attack.
Their arrival itself was mired in drama and a mercurial Pakistan would look to bring the focus back on their cricket when they take on an enigmatic Bangladesh.
Australia romped into the semi-finals of the cricket World Cup, trouncing Pakistan by six wickets in the third quarter-final at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. They will meet defending champions India, who beat Bangladesh, in the second semi-final slated for March 26.
Virat Kohli scored an imperious century to steer India to a thumping 76 runs victory over Pakistan in their opening World Cup match at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. After putting up an imposing 300 for seven, they shot out their arch-rivals for only 224 to begin the defence of their crown on a rousing note.
Pakistan's jinx against India in World Cup continues
Describing India's clinical win over arch-rivals Pakistan, in their World Cup campaign opener, as one of the biggest in his career, India batsman Virat Kohli said he was happy to have played his part in the "amazing" victory.
Grant Elliot's all-round performance eclipsed Shahid Afridi's 29-ball blitz to secure New Zealand a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first One Day International in Wellington on Saturday.
Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by five wickets to qualify for the final of the Asia Cup.
Factbox on the third World Cup quarter-final between Australia and Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.
'There is a vast difference in pedigree of Virat and Akmal.'
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has been accused of being non-serious throughout the Asia Cup and World Twenty20 in a report filed by under-fire coach Waqar Younis, who is furious about it being leaked to the media.
Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmdullah finished as the MVP in the recently-concluded Asia Cup T20 tournament ahead of compatriot Sabbir Rahman, who was named as the man of the series. Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present the latest edition of the MVP rankings.
With this win, Australia have now gained a 12-2 lead in the series. The team had already secured the Ashes in the first T20I.
Penpix of the Pakistan squad for the 2015 cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Jolted by the shock loss to New Zealand in the opening game, India will be fighting a survival battle quite early in the tournament when they take on arch foes Pakistan in what is being seen as the marquee clash of the ICC World Twenty20 in Kolkata on Saturday. The hosts, who started clear title-favourites, were in for a blow in the first match itself when New Zealand's spinners bamboozled their famed batting line-up on a turning Nagpur track. As a result, the world No.1 side is staring at an early elimination should it lose to Pakistan in the high-voltage game at the Eden Gardens. As is the case with most India-Pakistan contests, this game too has been preceded by its share of drama. The match was originally scheduled to be held in Dharamsala but was shifted here after the Himachal Pradesh government expressed inability to provide security to the Pakistan team owing to protests by ex-servicemen and their families.
Pakistan survived a late order scare from Sri Lanka to pull off an exciting 11-run win in the first one-day international, to go 1-0 up in the five-match series in Sharjah.
Skipper Gautam Gambhir led from the front with a confident half-century after Sunil Narine stifled Lahore Lions with his magical spin bowling as Kolkata Knight Riders eked out a four-wicket win in a Champions League Twenty20 Group A match in Hyderabad.
Photos of the third quarter-final match between Australia and Pakistan being played at the Adelaide Oval on Friday
Images from the Asia Cup T20 cricket match between India and Pakistan on Saturday.
'It was a good performance,' M S Dhoni said after the match. It was a little bit more than that, in that it came just when the team needed to reverse trends, to find self-belief, to be able to look ahead rather than behind.'
Pakistan pulled off a thrilling three-wicket victory over hosts Bangladesh to storm into the finals of the Asia Cup cricket tournament, knocking India out of the title race.
A B de Villiers still heads Rediff.com's Most Valuable Players ratings for the World Cup.
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