England cricketer Joe Root praises teammate Harry Brook for his consistent performances and contributions to the team's recent success in New Zealand with both bat and ball. The 25-year-old Brooks has already scored over 1000 runs in Tests in 2024 and is seen as a force to be reckoned with in all three formats of the game. Despite England's series win against New Zealand, they will be looking for a whitewash in the upcoming final Test match, where Brook will be a key player.
The Australian team is gearing up to face an incredibly talented Indian squad in the pink ball Test, and spinner Nathan Lyon believes that the focus cannot just be on Bumrah and Kohli. He acknowledges the depth of talent in India's team and states that winning requires a collective effort, not just individual brilliance. Lyon also comments on India's decision to not include R Ashwin in the playing XI, recognizing the wealth of quality players in their squad.
As the Border Gavaskar Trophy and India's dominant performance dominate the cricket headlines, the race for the ICC World Test Championship final is heating up. With important series upcoming, the attention of cricket fans will be diverted towards the clash between South Africa and Sri Lanka, two teams fighting for the top spot in the rankings. With both teams having a similar qualification scenario, the upcoming matches will be crucial for their chances to secure a spot in the summit clash.
After playing a crucial role in India's T20 World Cup triumph, Hardik Pandya once again climbed to the top of the ICC Men's T20I All-Rounder rankings. This is his second time at the top spot in 2021. With his batting and bowling prowess, Pandya helped India win the T20I series against South Africa, with Tilak Varma also making it to the top 3 in the batter's rankings.
Shaheen Afridi's dominant performance in the recent series against Australia has propelled him back to the top spot in the ICC ODI Bowler Rankings. He is joined by his compatriot and team captain Babar Azam, who remains at the top of the ODI batting rankings. Pakistan's bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah also saw significant improvements in their rankings, while other players from England, Bangladesh, and India have also made strides in the T20I rankings.
Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi has reclaimed the top spot in ICC ODI rankings after his impressive showing in the recent series against Australia. Along with Afridi, teammate Haris Rauf also jumped to a career-high 13th position in the rankings. Despite being demoted in their central contracts, Afridi and Rauf have proved their worth on the field, with Rauf also earning the Player of the Series award. Afridi's journey to the top has not been without setbacks, including a controversy during the T20 World Cup and losing the captaincy after one series loss. Rauf, on the other hand, had refused to play for Pakistan and his central contract was terminated before being restored.
After a year-long gap, Pakistani bowler Shaheen Afridi has re-emerged as the top-ranked ODI bowler in the world. This achievement comes as no surprise after his outstanding showing against Australia, where he claimed eight wickets at an impressive average of 12.62. This latest triumph further cements Pakistan's current dominance in ODI cricket, with both Afridi and Babar Azam holding the top rankings for bowling and batting, respectively. The recent series also proved to be a major boost for Afridi's teammates, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, who climbed up the rankings to 13th and 55th place, respectively, after their stellar performances.
South Africa's Kagiso Rabada has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings after a stellar performance in the first match of the ICC World Test Championship series against Bangladesh. The 29-year-old fast bowler became the fastest to reach 300 Test wickets and also finished with nine wickets in the match. Left-arm spinners Noman Ali of Pakistan and Mitchel Santner of New Zealand have also made significant progress in the rankings. Other notable improvements include Bangladesh's Taijul Islam and South Africa's Wiaan Mulder. In the batting rankings, India's Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pakistan's Saud Shakeel, and New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra have entered the top 10 for the first time.
South Africa's Kagiso Rabada has overtaken India's Jasprit Bumrah to claim the top spot in the ICC Test bowler's rankings. With a superb performance of nine wickets against Bangladesh, Rabada not only became the third-fastest Proteas bowler to reach 300 Test wickets, but also regained his position at the top of the rankings. Other bowlers, such as Pakistan's Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, have also moved up in the rankings after their impressive performances. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra has entered the top 10 for Test batsmen.
After a disappointing performance by Bumrah in India's loss to New Zealand, Rabada climbs to the top of ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings. While Australia's Josh Hazlewood takes the second spot, Bumrah drops to third. South Africa's win against Bangladesh, coupled with Bumrah's zero wickets in Pune, helped Rabada earn the No.1 spot. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin drops to fourth and New Zealand's Mitchell Santner makes an impressive move up to 44th.