India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and South Africa fast bowler Duanne Olivier were also big gainers

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2019Cheteshwar Pujara’s tally of 521 runs in the four Tests in Australia, his best-ever returns on an overseas tour, has vaulted him to third spot in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen. His runs were crucial in India’s historic 2-1 series win that extended their run at the top of the team standings, while Australia remained fifth despite losing a point.Pujara struck his overseas best of 193 in the drawn fourth Test in Sydney, to follow centuries in Adelaide and Melbourne, and was named Player of the Series. Elsewhere, Rishabh Pant, who also brought up his best Test score of 159 not out in Sydney, was another big gainer, jumping 21 spots to vault into the top 20. No Indian wicketkeeper has been ranked higher in the batting rankings than Pant, who now sits at No. 17.Pant’s aggregate of 673 points are the highest-ever by an Indian wicketkeeper. MS Dhoni, who retired from Tests in December 2014, held the previous highest rating points (662), and his highest ranking was No. 19. Pant was India’s second-highest run scorer in the series with 350 runs. In addition, he also collected 20 dismissals.In the first Test in Adelaide, Pant took 11 catches to equal the world record for most catches by a wicketkeeper in a Test. He eclipsed the all-time India record of 10 catches by Wriddhiman Saha, and drew level with England wicketkeeper Jack Russell and South Africa’s AB de Villiers.Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja gained one place to be listed fifth among bowlers, even as he surpassed West Indies captain Jason Holder to climb to second place among allrounders. Jadeja played only the final two Tests, picking seven wickets in addition to a counter-attacking half-century in Sydney.A few South Africa players also moved up the rankings table, having taken an unassailable lead in the three-match series, with victories in the first two Tests in Centurion and Cape Town. Opening batsman Aiden Markram moved back into the top 10 after scoring 78 in South Africa’ eight-wicket win over Pakistan in the Cape Town Test. He slotted in at No. 10, while team-mate Temba Bavuma moved into the top 30 for the first time.Among the bowlers, Vernon Philander has gained one position to reach third place while Duanne Olivier, who picked 16 wickets in two Tests, continued his surge to move up to 32nd place from 36th.

Plans are being considered to add a statue of the fast bowler alongside that of Garry Sobers

George Dobell in Barbados24-Jan-2019

Plans are being considered to add a statue of Wes Hall outside the Kensington Oval in Barbados.Hall, now aged 81, enjoyed an excellent career as a fast bowler with West Indies before becoming a respected administrator. He also served as a minister for tourism and sport in the Barbados government and qualified as an ordained minister. He remains hugely popular in Barbados and has a stand named after him and his opening partner, Charlie Griffith, at the ground.As a player, his career highlights include the first Test hat-trick by a West Indies player – against Pakistan in 1959 – and a leading part in a maiden series victory over Australia in 1964-65. He also bowled the final over in the tied-Test at Brisbane in 1961 and helped West Indies to victory over England in 1963. Desmond Haynes recently named him among his best-ever Barbados XI.There is already a statue of Garry Sobers on the approach to Kensington Oval. Originally unveiled in Wildey, a few kilometres outside of Bridgetown, in 2002, it was moved to the ground ahead of the World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007. The plan is for the statue of Hall to complement that of Sobers, which has become something of a tourist attraction in its own right.Meanwhile, CWI has estimated that the economic impact of hosting this Test is worth up to US$40m to the Barbadian economy. With thousands of England supporters combining some cricket with their beach holidays, the hotels and restaurants of Barbados are currently thriving.”We commissioned an independent report a few years ago that said the economic impact of an England tour was approximately US$5 million a day,” Jonny Grave, the CWI chief executive, told the newspaper in Barbados. “I think there are more England fans here than the previous tour; we’re up to 7000, at least, here just for the cricket.”And I think [more] people probably would have been here in the masses if it wasn’t the hotel accommodation and flight availability. Most of the hotel rooms are full and overflowing, which is fantastic.”With this game and the two one-day internationals to come, we’re looking at probably almost conservatively US$30 million, US$40 million worth of economic impact, which is brilliant and not just for Barbados but also the millions of people back in the United Kingdom watching the cricket who have never come here on holiday or think they need to get back here on holiday.”

How the game played outOn the tournament’s first night in Sylhet, the Sixers laid a massive egg in front of their home fans as they were bowled out for the second lowest total of BPL 2019 to set up a lopsided victory for Comilla Victorians.Sixers never recovered from a limp Powerplay in which they were reduced to 16 for 5 thanks to a triple-wicket over from spinner Mahedi Hasan. Wahab Riaz then wiped out the tail with a series of full and straight deliveries in an innings that lasted just 14.5 overs.But for Victorians, the memory of being bowled out for 63 three matches earlier seemed fresh in their minds as they pursued the target in conservative fashion. The visitors crawled through their own Powerplay at 24 for 2 before inching their way to victory.Turning points-David Warner was the second wicket in the Mahedi sequence, playing well inside the line of a ball that straightened a fraction to be bowled. Atif Hossain overcompensated next ball playing outside the line of one that went straight on to put Mahedi on a hat-trick.-After Mahedi’s three-wicket over, Nicholas Pooran was given out lbw on a ball from Mohammad Saifuddin that appeared to be pitching outside leg, but DRS was not available for this match.-Victorians looked shaky at 15 for 2 in the chase when Imrul Kayes slashed Sohail Tanvir to Al-Amin Hossain at third man, but a chance was spilled over the rope for six. Kayes and Shamsur Rahman settled thereafter in an unbeaten 59-run stand to close out the match.Star of the day Mahedi suffocated the Sixers from the start and never allowed them to get into the match. He bowled Andre Fletcher with an offspinner’s classic dipping and turning to beat the West Indian through the gate to get things going, then terrorised a trio of lefties as they struggled to adjust to his angle around the wicket.The big missNo DRS. For the first match day of the tournament, the lack of technology hurt the hosts very badly. Not only was Pooran’s lbw decision almost certain to be overturned, but Sabbir Rahman was the victim of another dubious lbw appeal missing a sweep to Liam Dawson on a ball that may have been sliding down leg.Where the teams standVictorians move up to a tie for second place with Chittagong Vikings on six points, two behind Dhaka Dynamites who are first with eight points, though Victorians have a better net run rate than Vikings. Sylhet are in last place, even with Khulna Titans on two points but with a worse net run rate.

The allrounder has been ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the New Zealand tour and faces up to four weeks on the sidelines, according to the physio

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Christchurch30-Dec-2018Angelo Mathews has been ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the New Zealand tour, and will almost certainly miss Sri Lanka’s two Tests in Australia as well early next year, after scans revealed a grade two strain in his left hamstring.Mathews picked up the injury while completing a run late in the afternoon session of day four of the Christchurch Test, immediately pulling up lame, and having to hop between the wickets on his right leg for the remainder of the session. He then retired hurt at tea and did not take the field again.”Angelo had a scan last night, and it’s a grade two hamstring strain,” captain Dinesh Chandimal said after the match. “The physio said he’s out for four weeks.”The injury not only substantially weakened Sri Lanka’s chances of drawing the Christchurch Test – which they have since gone on to lose – it is also a major blow to their hopes in Australia in particular. Mathews was Sri Lanka’s best batsman in New Zealand, hitting 258 runs with only one dismissal against him in the series. His 120 not out in Wellington was especially outstanding, as he batted alongside Kusal Mendis through the entirety of day four to save that Test.And as Mathews having sustained multiple calf and hamstring injuries over the last two years, four weeks might even be a slightly optimistic timeframe for recovery. It has often been the case since 2017, that Mathews has required a few extra weeks to regain full fitness than the team had originally announced.The first Test in Australia begins on January 24, with the second Test due to start on February 1. A more realistic goal may be for Mathews to return in time for Sri Lanka’s first Test of the South Africa series, which starts on February 13.Looking further down the track, Mathews’ latest injury may also affect Sri Lanka’s World Cup plans. In limited-overs cricket, Mathews has generally been a reliable and effective bowler. But although he had just begun to return to the bowling in international cricket following the previous round of injuries, the Sri Lanka think-tank may now decide that Mathews should play purely as a batsman, in order to minimise the risk of a further injury.

The Red Devils will now have a chance to go one better at Wembley and lift a first major women's honour, having lost to the Blues in last year's final

Two weeks ago, a quadruple was still on the cards for Emma Hayes in her final season in charge of Chelsea. Now, only two trophies remain on the table, the Blues defeated in last month's Continental Cup final before being beaten 2-1 on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-finals by Manchester United, who have a real chance of a first major honour as they prepare to face Tottenham at Wembley next month.

The Red Devils were the underdogs against the holders and reigning English champions, but they got off to a flying start when Lucia Garcia broke the deadlock inside the first minute. It was terrific work by Leah Galton down the left, who capitalised on Eve Perisset's error and put in a perfect cross for her team-mate to shock the Blues. Before Chelsea could create a real chance to equalise, it was two, Ella Toone getting the better of Melanie Leupolz before catching the opposition out with another fantastic delivery, this one converted by surprise starter Rachel Williams.

From there, Chelsea started to put United under real pressure. Erin Cuthbert saw a shot deflect just wide, Mary Earps made a flying save to thwart Lauren James and then the net rippled, James powerfully converting Niamh Charles' cut-back in first-half stoppage-time. That momentum continued after the break, James again bringing the best out of England team-mate Earps before Chelsea were left feeling aggrieved by a couple of penalty shouts that went ignored, first for a Katie Zelem handball and then a foul by Williams on Charles.

However, just as we looked poised for a grand finale, the chances seemed to dry up. Hayes threw on all of her attacking assets – Catarina Macario, Fran Kirby and Aggie Beever-Jones were among the five names introduced – yet it was almost too much, the XI on the pitch almost getting in each other's way in a gung-ho, going-for-it formation.

And so United, who could've even added a third, saw it out and will be returning to Wembley next month, a year on from their narrow 1-0 loss to Chelsea in last season's final. Hayes' Blues, meanwhile, need to pick themselves up and target glory in the Women's Super League and Champions League, after another trophy went begging.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Leigh Sports Village…

Getty ImagesLOSER: Emma Hayes

Hayes' time in charge of Chelsea has been truly remarkable. She's transformed this club from one that had never won a major trophy to the most dominant in English women's football, winning six WSL titles, five FA Cups and two League Cups. For her final season with the Blues to end without another flurry of trophies would be cruel, then. And yet, it could well end without any.

Sunday's defeat means only the WSL and the Champions League remain. Chelsea have never won the latter and will have to beat defending champions Barcelona to stand a chance of ending that wait – the Catalans arguably having the best team in women's football.

Even retaining the WSL looks extremely tricky. The Blues have been champions of England for four successive seasons, but are locked into a fierce battle with Manchester City to uphold that status, the Cityzens three points clear, having played a game more, with Chelsea having five matches remaining. It's going to be anything but easy to pick up one trophy then, never mind two, after United ensured their chances of a treble suffered the same fate as those quadruple hopes.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: Marc Skinner

In a week which has seen United fans express their frustration at reports of head coach Marc Skinner being offered a new deal, the 41-year-old ensured the Red Devils will return to Wembley for a second successive season and with a massive chance of lifting a trophy.

Eyebrows were raised when his team was revealed, with Williams offered a rare start in a massive game, but it paid off as United thrived in picking up the flick-ons she contributed, while her headed goal for United's second was classic, brilliant centre-forward play.

Sometimes it has felt like United have gone into these big games without playing to their strengths, instead trying to go toe-to-toe with the established 'big three' and coming up short. On Sunday, they accepted they wouldn't have a lot of the ball, made the most of it when they did, and were clinical in a fantastic first half.

They rode their luck, but Skinner's game plan produced a monumental result, a first win over Chelsea and an FA Cup final which brightens up a season that, to this point, had been very disappointing. And he deserves credit for that.

LOSER: Eve Perisset

Perisset has been one of Chelsea's most impressive performers this season. She has probably flown under the radar a little bit, but she shouldn't have. She's been a rock at full-back, offered a lot going forward and is a reliable performer on set pieces.

Football is a brutal sport though and it was the France star who was at fault for United's opening goal on Sunday, failing to get enough on her pass as Galton pounced and delivered a cross for Garcia to break the deadlock.

"Eve Perisset has been outstanding for us," Hayes noted afterwards, "and the game can turn quite quickly." It shouldn't be forgotten what an excellent player she has been this season, but Sunday was tough for her, up against a real nuisance in Galton.

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Getty ImagesWINNER: Rachel Williams

Williams might not have the star profile of some of United's players, but she was the match-winner on Sunday thanks to an excellent first-half header. Her aerial ability, tireless running and clever movement caused Chelsea plenty of problems in the opening stages, with her flick-on inside the first minute leading to the goal that broke the deadlock.

"If you were Chelsea and you were predicting our starting line-up, you wouldn't have put Rachel in from the start, right?" Skinner said. "We knew that would give us an edge from the off. Of course, it's an incredible moment to score so early and it settles the game, I get that. But what we wanted to do is give their back-four three real threats, and that's not just with the ball, it's without the ball. It's Rachel's flick, it's Leah being aggressive, and then Lucia crashing in the back zone."

Williams has been used very well as a super-sub during her time with the club, and here she was showing that she can play a role from the start in these huge matches too, the type of which she would rarely be in the XI for. She knows exactly what she is good at and she plays to maximise her abilities in an intelligent and effective way. It worked a treat in this game.

Robert Lewandowski has answered questions about his future at Barcelona and the possibility of heading to the United States or Saudi Arabia.

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• Lewandowski quizzed over Barcelona future

• Contract with Catalans until 2026

• MLS & Saudi Pro League speculation

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Lewandowski appears committed to the remaining two years on his contract at Barcelona, despite heading toward his 36th birthday. The striker is also on course to record his lowest goal tally since 2010-11 – his first year after leaving Poland. In his "heart and head" it doesn't make sense leaving for the likes of Major League Soccer or the Saudi Pro League.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  A goal return of just 13 goals in 29 La Liga appearances (20 in all competitions) is a sudden drop-off for Lewandowski and has come as a surprise for a player whose goalscoring instinct seems to have got better since his 30th birthday – mirroring the careers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Karim Benzema. He has been linked with a sunset move to less competitive leagues as a result.

• WHAT LEWANDOWSKI SAID

  Lewandowski told : "Saying goodbye [to Barcelona] is definitely out of the question for me [this summer]. I feel physically good again now. I had physical problems in the first half of the season. Things got better in 2024. As long as I continue to feel as good as I do now and notice in training that no one is outrunning me, I want to keep playing. As of today, I say: This will continue for at least two more years. Only when I notice that I am no longer physically at top level and am in pain would I start to think. That's not the case.

  "I haven't bothered with [Saudi Arabia] for a second so far. Neither Saudi Arabia nor to the USA. That doesn't make sense at the moment. At some point it's about what my heart and my head say. When I'm 38 years old and the pain comes, I have to ask myself: Do I even want to continue? But I don't want to plan that far yet. Currently I say: I can definitely play at this highest level by 2026."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LEWANDOWSKI & BARCELONA?

  With Real Madrid away and clear at the top of La Liga, but Champions League qualification also all but mathematically assured, there isn't much more than pride to play for. Barcelona will hope to finish the season well and go into the summer with optimism for 2024-25, now that Xavi is staying on. After Monday's clash with Valencia, only fixtures against Girona, Real Sociedad, Almeria, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla remain.

She as been ruled out of the T20I series starting Friday against Sri Lanka after the re-occurrence of a groin injury

Liam Brickhill31-Jan-2019Allrounder Chloe Tryon has been ruled out of the T20I series starting Friday against Sri Lanka after the re-occurrence of a groin injury. It is hoped that Tryon, who is the vice-captain, will recover in time to return for the ODI series starting on 11 February in Potchefstroom.Tryon’s absence has given Suné Luus a lifeline who has been recalled to the team after she was dropped from the original squad. She rejoins a squad that is playing the three-match series as a televised double-header alongside the men’s games against Pakistan starting this Friday at Newlands.Tryon, 25, has played 52 T20Is for South Africa, in which she has struck the ball at 137.86. Captain Dane van Niekerk said that her team would miss Tryon’s big-hitting ability, but she hoped the youngsters being trialled in South Africa’s top order would step in to fill the gap.”It’s a massive blow,” van Niekerk said. “We know how explosive she’s been, and she can hit the ball as far as anyone in the world at the moment. It is a massive blow, but it’s also an opportunity for us, for people within the side to stick up their hands and put some pressure on Chloe as well – to say ‘hey, I can do this job’. We’ve got some powerful hitters – that’s one thing we pride ourselves on, that we’ve got some big hitters, some of the biggest in the world.”Faye Tunnicliffe, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk and Lara Goodall were drafted into the set-up for the three T20Is against Sri Lanka. Saarah Smith also makes a return after recovering from a fractured finger suffered during the World T20.”[Tryon’s absence] doesn’t change things a lot, because we have a lot of batting power within the side, and with the youngsters coming in I’m really excited to see what they do,” van Niekerk said.

Victoria held on to beat South Australia by six runs in their ING Cup match at the MCG

AAP25-Feb-2019
ScorecardVictoria held on to beat South Australia by six runs in their ING Cup match at the MCG. Chasing Victoria’s 8 for 260, the Redbacks needed 15 runs from Ian Hewett’s final over but could manage just eight and finished on 8 for 254.Hewett finished the day on a high note after spilling two catches in the field by having South Australia’s captain Darren Lehmann LBW for 44 off the third-last ball of the match. Hewett had earlier dropped both Greg Blewett and Mark Cosgrove – mistakes that looked to have cost his side dearly. But he followed Lehmann’s dismissal by removing Mark Cleary (0) first ball and finished with 3 for 41.South Australia looked to be headed for victory with Blewett’s return to form in the one-dayers with 98, including a 122-run stand with Cosgrove (55). But the Bushrangers hit back when Andrew McDonald had Blewett out LBW in the 43rd over and his dismissal was the first of a fall of 5 for 41. With Blewett and Cosgrove out of the way, it was left to captain Lehmann to get SA home but his exit effectively ended his side’s hopes.Hewett gave Cosgrove a let-off at mid-off when the left-hander was on 29 and then spilled a chance off Blewett (then 89) at deep cover, and to add insult, the ball trickled to the boundary. Blewett had made just 96 runs in six limited overs innings before today.Earlier, Victoria made a bright start with the bat then slumped to 5 for 168 with a third of the innings remaining, as the adventurous batting it used with devastating effect to beat New South Wales last week looked to become its downfall.Jonathan Moss (59) and David Hussey (32) fell to catches just as they hit full stride. But Graeme Rummans (51) made the most of a rare start for Victoria – just his second in both competitions this season – and shared in a sixth wicket stand of 65 stand with McDonald (28).From there, Hewett (15 not out) and wicketkeeper Peter Roach (7) played tip and run and in their search for quick runs towards the close, even ran into each other mid-pitch. Roach was out LBW to Shaun Tait off the last ball of the innings.

After the Krishnagiri Stadium in Wayanad received scathing feedback for producing spicy pitches for Kerala’s Ranji Trophy knockout matches, it rolled out a more benign surface for the opening day of the first unofficial Test. By stumps, England Lions held the advantage, getting to 303 for 5 thanks to well-paced fifties from Ben Duckett and Sam Hain, and handy contributions from the middle order.Fear of extra moisture under the surface delayed the start by half an hour, and with both sides unsure as to how the pitch would behave, India A captain Ankit Bawne sent England Lions in.The new ball, however, didn’t do any tricks for either Shardul Thakur or Navdeep Saini, and Duckett and Max Holden got off to a brisk start, the two left-handers putting on 82 for the first wicket in 23.3 overs. Holden, the less aggressive of the two, hit four fours in getting to 26 before Saini got him to edge one to the keeper.Duckett felt India A’s fast bowlers may have been unclear in their approach. “They tried too many things,” he said at the end of the day’s play. “Maybe they searched a little bit more with the new ball. The three of them bowled fairly good pace. The wicket was slow, maybe it quickened up towards the end. I felt comfortable against all of them.”Today, they bowled quite wide to me. Maybe they could have bowled a bit straighter.”Duckett feasted on the width, cover-driving Thakur for successive fours in the 33rd over. He raised his fifty by caressing one to the point boundary, and England got to lunch at 92 for 1.With the pitch offering minimal help, India’s quicks tried different approaches. While Avesh Khan went at full throttle relentlessly, Thakur and Saini mixed up their pace and waited for errors in judgment.Thakur finally reaped the reward, getting Duckett to drag one on at 80. Avesh then got Ollie Pope with one that sped through him and crashed into his off stump.Then on, Hain kept the momentum going, making India’s bowlers, especially spinners Jalaj Saxena and Shahbaz Nadeem, toil hard. Even as the Lions lost Pope and captain Sam Billings after the second drinks break, Hain carried on, grinding his way to his fifty in the afternoon heat, allowing himself only a few moments of flamboyance. His dismissal came off a poor shot, though, as he top-edged a pull off Saxena to the keeper.That was the last wicket India would take on the day, as Steven Mullaney and Will Jacks put on an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 65. Jacks ended the day on 40 and the composed Mullaney on 39, leaving the Lions looking poised for a big total.

The ten participating teams will play two warm-ups each

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2019India will take on New Zealand and Bangladesh in warm-up fixtures preceding the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales.The games will be played at The Oval and Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens respectively on May 25 and May 28, while the remaining fixtures, squeezed between May 24 and May 28, will be spread across Bristol and Southampton in addition to the two venues.Each of the ten teams will play two warm-up matches and have the luxury of fielding their entire 15-member squads, as these fixtures won’t carry ODI status.Pakistan will take on Afghanistan in the first warm-up in Bristol on May 24, and hosts England, who kickstart the main event against South Africa at The Oval on May 30, will meet Australia on May 25 for their first warm-up in Southampton.”It is always a huge milestone announcing an exciting warm-up schedule for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup as it really highlights just how close we are to the action getting underway this summer,” World Cup managing director Steve Elworthy said.”These games provide another fantastic opportunity for fans to see world-class players at their local venue and allows the tournament to engage local schools and communities with another chance to get involved with the Cricket World Cup.”