Just days after occupying the top spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings for all-rounders, Ravichandran Ashwin is set to become a proud recipient of the Arjuna award.
Ashwin and shooter Heena Sidhu were among those named as Arjuna Award winners for this year. They will be conferred with their awards on India's Independence Day - August 15.

Ashwin will become the 47th Indian cricketer, which includes 8 women, to be given the prestigious award.

The Arjuna award, which is given by the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, is in recognition of outstanding achievement in sports.

Saleem Durani (1961) was the first cricketer to be conferred with the Arjuna award while Virat Kohli was given the award last year.

England seamer, Stuart Broad, was struck on the nose by a bouncer from Indian quick, Varun Aaron, at Old Trafford and was forced to retire hurt. It led to speculations that he may have to play with a protective mask in the final Test at The Oval.

However, reports now suggest that the wound is healing quickly and he may not have to wear the protective mask for the final Test of the series.

According to a report that came up in the Mirror, the swelling on Broad's face was going down and that he might be able to play without the mask.

"It was feared he would need extra protection, but the swelling around his battered nose is reducing after he was a hit by a bouncer from Varun Aaron."

It was also reported that the helmet manufacturer, Masuri is ready to offer him with a helmet that promises to prevent such injuries in the future. At present, the England star uses Ayrtek helmet. However, it failed to prevent the injury.

The MD of 'Masuri' helmet manufacturer, Sam Miller said: "Masuri does not sponsor specific players. We believe that when it comes to something as important as head protection, players should be free to choose the best helmet."

As Suresh Raina hit the winning run off Marlon Samuels, the Indian dug-out hugged and high-fived their successive win in the World T20.

There was celebratory joy, but there was also a hint of relief, for India had taken a simple chase to the final over. As MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli clasped hands,Yuvraj Singh walked out. He had just taken off his gear but still wore a part disenchanted, part blank look; his eyes distant, and in sharp contrast to the jubilation around him.

Yuvraj had walked in with 23 needed off 32, consumed 19 of those for his 10 runs and had fallen dabbing a turner straight to slip. One ball later Raina ended the match.

Against Pakistan, he missed a full delivery and was bowled second ball. In both matches, he put down what could have been costly misses - Chris Gayle and Mohammad Hafeez - but India created and converted more chances soon after. His solitary over in the tournament so far went for 13.

Cricket is a game that lends itself easily to analysis, and unfortunately, to over-analysis as well. India are only two games into their campaign in a format where often, any analysis can be over-analysis. It is readily possible to argue in Yuvraj's favour: Anyone can miss a full and straight one early in his innings, especially in the T20 format which requires heavy hitting.

Yuvraj might only have wanted some time in the middle, knowing that India had plenty of deliveries left to put West Indies away, and aware that such an opportunity rarely comes in T20s. Already, many other players have spilled high catches in Mirpur, and there could be a larger reason for it. The height and positioning of the floodlights is being talked about as a possible factor. And for all his deeds with the ball in the past, Yuvraj is and has always been a part-time bowler, and it was only one over anyway.

It is the sum of all these instances, though, that invites concern. This is already Yuvraj's third comeback (of sorts) since recovering from cancer. The first time he was rushed into the 2012 World T20 having played very little competitive cricket and seemed lacking in match fitness. The second comeback also started in the shortest format, with a much leaner Yuvraj carving a match-winning, unbeaten 77 off 35 against Australia in Rajkot in October last year, before struggling in the one-dayers. The third comeback is not strict in definition, for India didn't played any T20s between the Rajkot one and the World T20.

In both the previous phases, Yuvraj has lost his place in one format each. He hasn't played a Test since December 2012, and an ODI since December 2013, missing the tour of New Zealand and the Asia Cup.

 

At the moment, T20 is the only format he has to make his case and it can be misleading for watchers to take cues from. It can also be ruthless on the player, with everything happening so fast, leaving little time to gather your thoughts. Even more so, considering it is a world event.

With bat, ball, on the field, even in the nets, Yuvraj has just not looked comfortable. The confidence does not seem to be there. It shows in the way he has looked forlorn on the boundary after those drops instead of showing some anger or disappointment. He knows, and the world knows, there is so much riding for him on this World T20. Maybe it is the pressure of that knowledge, that this is all he has left for now, at the international stage at least, that is shackling him down.

As any captain would, MS Dhoni backed his senior player after the West Indies match. "Yuvraj is the best player in T20s. Right now he is not in that good a rhythm you can say. It is a bit tough, he has been dropped from ODIs and is coming back in T20s, there is a bit of pressure on the individual. You can say it is a short format and you can go in and express yourself, but when an individual comes into the team, there is some pressure on him.

"It takes one-two matches but we are only hoping if he gets a good flow, a good game, we all know the kind of match-winner he is and he can really turn the game around on his own," Dhoni said. "I am glad he got a bit of time because it will only settle his nerves. We all know how dangerous he can be once he gets going, he will give many more victories. If Yuvi comes back, if he bats really well, he is a good asset to have a No 4."

India can arguably afford to give Yuvraj one more match in the tournament. It should ideally help that their next one is against Bangladesh and not Australia. They will be relieved if Yuvraj comes good in that. If not, they will be in a quandary against Australia. They look good to make the semi-final, and would not want to go in with a short-on-confidence Yuvraj or a short-on-match-practice Ajinkya Raha

Having started a bit inauspiciously this domestic season, missing the first few games in Ranji Trophy, the right-hand attacking opener from Karnataka, Robin Uthappa had a good run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with the bat and is hopeful of making a comeback into the Indian side.
Robin Uthappa top-scored in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 536 runs at an average of 76.57, and keen to deliver in Indian colours if he is presented with an opportunity.
“I believe I have performed well. I believe I should be playing the next level, and I am confident that I will succeed at the highest level. Given a chance I will be able to add value to the team,” Uthappa was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Karnataka had a dream run this season, winning the treble of Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Uthappa was an integral part of the side.
He slammed two consecutive centuries in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, an unbeaten 132 against Gujarat and 133 against Jharkhand, and also picked up 2 wickets in the final with his medium pace.
“It’s a special feeling to be able to win all the three domestic tournaments,” said Uthappa.
“We are a unique bunch of cricketers as each player cares for the team. And to be part of history is more than pleasing,” he reflected on the rare achievement by the Karnataka side this season.
Uthappa last appeared for India in a rain-affected Twenty20 match in South Africa in March 2012.

MS Dhoni has sued Zee media corp, IPS Sampath Kumar and News Nation for defamation. He has approached the Madras High court for compensation of Rs 100 crore.

Dhoni, in his suit, submitted that the defendants Zee Media Corporation Limited, Zee News Editor and Business Head Sudhir Chaudary, IPS officer Sampath Kumar (who initially probed the IPL betting scam) and News Nation network private limited, had been carrying highly defamatory, scandalous and libellous false reports and statements since February 11, 2014.

An interim order has been given by the court preventing the Zee group from telecasting interviews or news related to Dhoni and the fixing scandal. The order, which is effective for two weeks, was passed by Justice S Tamilvanan.

"I am of the view that there is a prima facie case and the balance of convenience is also in favour of the plaintiff. Hence interim injection granted for a period of two weeks," the judge said in his order after perusing Dhoni's affidavit.

Zee TV, meanwhile, have rebutted the allegations in the defamation civil suit filed by Dhoni. The news channel maintained that it has not telecast or shown any footage or dialogue to malign the image of Dhoni. The channel clarified that it had telecast the story that was based on Vindu Dara Singh and IPS officer Sampat Kumar's statements during the sting operation which was telecast on February 24 and 28, 2014 respectively by Zee Media Corporation.

"Zee Media Corporation Limited as a responsible news channel has ideated the story based on the said sting and also on the report filed by Justice Mudgal to the Honorable Supreme Court of India which was widely reported by various media organisations including print media," the channel said in a statement.

"The news channel has done the sting operations based on the facts which were in the public domain as series of stories were already filed/published by various media organisations from February 10 to 1, 2014.

"To further clarify the said issue, Zee Media Corporation Limited has already moved an intervention application along with the evidence in its possession before the Honorable Supreme Court of India in the pending SLP filed by Cricket Association of Bihar," it added.

Sachin won the Cricketer of the Generation award. he talks after receving award.

Sachin Tendulkar believes the ICC needs to organise more Tests, if it wants the format to survive. At the same time, he feels, no player can be forced to play a Test match, because it is the format that will always catch you out if you are not mentally and technically prepared.
Speaking at the seventh annual ESPNcricinfo awards night, in Mumbai, where he was named Cricketer of the Generation, Tendulkar also pointed out how the game has evolved in recent times, in large part due to the influence of limited-overs cricket. Twenty20 cricket, he said, complements Test cricket.
"The ICC should take notice of it and organise more Test matches if they want Test cricket to survive," Tendulkar said, while accepting his award. "[But] I still believe Test cricket is in good hands, players are producing unbelievable cricket. If you see around the world, most matches have results, very few are drawn, which is probably due to T20s, so the formats are complementing each other. If you want more guys to follow cricket, T20 is an ideal format to introduce people to cricket. Gradually they can progress to one-day cricket and Test cricket."
There's no point forcing Test cricket down throats, Tendulkar said, since that would only eat into the quality of the game. "When it comes to players though, you cannot force someone to like Test cricket. If you are passionate about Test cricket, it has to be from within. And if it doesn't exist in some cases, don't force him, leave him, let him play one-day and T20 cricket. Test cricket is the ultimate format and it's one format where the bowlers are always going to get you out. In Tests, you require planning, vision and execution. It doesn't happen that much in T20 cricket, where you can be a hero in three balls."
The game changed, especially in the second half of his 24-year career, Tendulkar said. He pointed out innovations in field placements, batting and bowling styles. Some of those changes, Tendulkar said, resulted in him curbing his aggression as his career progressed. "The field settings were different. Later on in my career when I walked in to bat and I looked towards point, I thought, 'Point is catching so there's a gap.' But later I realised, 'No, no there's deep point already too'. With time, your style of play too changes. Today the kinds of shots played by batsmen are incredible.
"I saw [Zimbabwe batsman] Andy Flower play the reverse sweep consistently in a Test, he was 10-12 years ahead of his time. Twelve years down the line, it has become quite a common shot: [England captain] Alastair Cook was [in the 200s] at Birmingham, and he, of all people, reverse-swept Amit Mishra. The game has changed.

"Now consistently you see 300-plus totals, which is because of the rule changes and also due to T20 cricket. Batsmen are prepared to take chances, bowlers have to develop more variations. In the 90s, I don't think anyone bowled the slower ball bouncer like [South Africa pacer] Shaun Pollock did in the latter stage of his career, now it's a regular variation. So maybe 20 years down the line, who knows how the game will be."
Tendulkar was one of three nominees for the award, presented to mark the first generation of the existence of ESPNcricinfo, which has been online since 1993. Tendulkar recalled facing up to the other two, South Africa allrounder Jacques Kallis and Australian legspinner Shane Warne.
Kallis, Tendulkar said, was an ace planner. "His strength has been his focus and concentration. Kallis used to walk to the wicket and he would be looking down, and I used to jokingly tell our bowlers once he has realised which way the blades of the grass are, he is going to make us field for a long time, so get him out before that.
"Kallis pretended that he was tired, just come in there to bowl six balls and go back to the slips and field, but I knew that his effort ball would soon come. I always knew that one special ball was always round the corner and this was all part of his planning and he was about to execute that."
Tendulkar remembered the early days against Warne, when the two became "good friends". "I first played against Warne in 1992 and you could make that Shane was talented, but he wasn't consistent I felt in the first game," he said. "The next encounter against Warne was in Sri Lanka and I was beaten by his flight. But I decided to go for the big one, I picked the length and fortunately that one went for a six. But Warne being a tricky character he walked up to me and try to instigate me, he said something. My habit was to play the shot and walk over towards the square-leg umpire, that was part of my preparation - not that I wanted to not hear what Warne had to say.
"But I caught him after the game, he came to our dressing room, and I asked him 'Warnie, what were you trying to say to me? Now you can tell me.' From then onwards, we became good friends."
Before Tendulkar was presented the award, his former India team-mate and captain Rahul Dravid and the former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe
aired their views on his career. "He was the kind of cricketer whose respect you wanted to earn," Dravid said. Crowe said: "[West Indies'] Viv Richards was the greatest batsman I played against and his footwork lasted 15 years. Sachin's lasted a decade longer."

MS Dhoni has hoped for a good performance from his bowlers in the upcoming T20 WC in Bangladesh.

Speaking to the press after landing in Dhaka, the Indian captain emphasised the need for the bowlers to execute their plans to become successful. "They have to execute their plans, I think that will really help them. Overall, it will be a good challenge for them," he said.

India have been one country that has not played a lot of T20 internationals in the recent past. In fact, the team has featured in only five T20 internationals since the end of the 2012 T20 WC. While conceding that India's preparations were on the lighter side, Dhoni also noted that almost all the players have the experience of playing at the big stage, a result of having played in the Indian Premier League.
"Most of the teams, if you see, don't play a lot of T20s," Dhoni said. "Especially with the kind of schedule we have, I don't think we'll be able to accommodate more than one or two T20s. That is something that I will always face.

"At the same time, we have got the IPL where we have played with the best players and the standard there is as high as international standards so that really amounts to the experience we need."

After the strenuous tours of South Africa and New Zealand, Dhoni missed the Asia Cup with a side strain. The break seems to have had a rejuvenating effect on the skipper. "I always look at the positive side. For me the positive side was that I got some rest," Dhoni, who led India to victory in the inaugural edition of the T20 WC in 2007, said.

"I was at home, no work, nothing just watching television.

"Overall it was a break for 10-12 days and I am back playing international cricket."

India are placed in a tough pool with defending champions, West Indies, arch-rivals, Pakistan and the dangerous floaters, Australia making up the group. The final spot in the group will be known after the qualifiers.

"The group is very tough and for us all the matches will be important. And we will take learning from the last T20 WC, where we lost just one match. Every game will have its own importance. Before that we have got warm up matches also. We will try out our combinations and see to that that maximum players get chance so that before the first match we can have our playing XI ready," Dhoni said.

India will begin their campaign on March 21st against Pakistan, a team that they have never lost to in ICC tournaments.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes will miss the T20 WC after punching a locker in frustration and breaking his hand.

Stokes reacted to his dismissal for a golden duck in Thursday's narrow victory over West Indies at the Kensington Oval by smashing the locker back in the England dressing room.

The 22-year-old will be replaced in a 15-man squad in Bangladesh by Chris Woakes, who performed impressively with bat and ball in England Lions' recent tour of Sri Lanka.

By contrast, Stokes - who made a maiden century at Perth in this winter's Ashes - has suffered an alarming dip in form, mustering just 13 runs in five limited-overs innings in the Caribbean and taking no wickets.

His self-inflicted injury adds to a list of fitness issues for England, with Joe Root already out of the imminent T20 WC after breaking his thumb when he was hit by a short ball from Ravi Rampaul in a one-day international win in Antigua last week.

Ian Bell was called up to replace Root, while captain Stuart Broad is also a doubt with patella tendinitis - and his deputy Eoin Morgan has been struggling too with his own knee injury.

Stokes said: "I am really disappointed to be missing out on going to a T20 WC with England.

"It was a huge error in judgement following a frustrating tour for me and I deeply regret my behaviour.

"I would like to wish the team all the very best in Bangladesh."

Stokes' misdemeanour is not the first of his otherwise highly-promising career.

It is just 13 months since he was sent home, along with fellow all-rounder Matt Coles, from a Lions tour of Australia after England and Wales Cricket Board management staff lost patience with the pair's persistent late-night drinking.

Shortly before his Test debut in Adelaide last December, Stokes voiced his gratitude to then team director Andy Flower for giving him a "second chance" at an international career.

He repaid the faith with his all-round performances, one of the very few bright spots for England as they descended to an Ashes whitewash.

After breaking the scaphoid bone in his right hand, in a fit of temper, it has yet to be determined how quickly he will be able to recover.

He is to undergo "further assessment" on his return home, with the start of his domestic season for Durham set to start in under a month and England's summer programme beginning with an ODI against Scotland in Aberdeen on May 9.

All-rounder Shahid Afridi may join the Pakistan squad late for the forthcoming T20 World Cup in Bangladesh due to a groin injury he sustained during the recent Asia Cup tournament.

A reliable source in Pakistan Cricket Board said that the team management had been informed that Afridi would not accompany the team which will leave for Bangladesh on Thursday night.

"He will not leave with the team on Thursday night as the Board first wanted him to be cleared in a fitness test by the medical panel before he can join the team for the World T20 Cup," the source told PTI.

Afridi, who was the toast of the nation after powering Pakistan to victories over India and Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, sustained the groin injury in the match against Bangladesh.

The team's cricket consultant Zaheer Abbas confirmed that Afridi played in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka after taking pain killer injections.

"Yes, he was not 100 per cent fit because of his injury but he took pain killer injections and was keen to play and being a senior player who is in form, we took a chance with him," Abbas said.

The source said that after the team returned home from Bangladesh, the trainer had informed the Board that he had advised Afridi against training or running because of his groin injury.

The Board has now decided that Afridi would skip the initial part of the T20 World Cup, including the warm up matches, and join the team after resting and recovering from his groin problem, the source said.

Afridi on returning home said he was disappointed at the defeat in the final but Pakistan had done well to beat India.

"There is no doubt that we need to improve in all departments of the game because we have a very good chance of winning the T20 World Cup," Afridi said.

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has a right toe infection and his availability for the World Twenty20 tournament is in question.

Cricket Australia said on Thursday a final decision on his inclusion in the squad is yet to be made and that his scheduled departure Sunday to Bangladesh may be delayed.

Johnson is receiving treatment in Perth for the infection, which developed from a cut following the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

The 32-year-old Johnson led Australia's 5-0 Ashes home whitewash of England and then the 2-1 away victory over South Africa.

CA's chief medical officer Justin Paoloni says the 32-year-old Johnson will be monitored closely over the next two or three days "until we are happy that the infection has resolved and his toe fully recovered."

India batsman Yuvraj Singh was among three cricketers who underwent random dope tests at the sidelines of the Vijay Hazare Trophy cricket tournament at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday. (Read: Yuvraj Singh backs powerhouse Indian batting to deliver in ICC World T20)

Yuvraj, who had a forgettable 15-run outing in Punjab's embarrassing 137-run loss to Railways in the quarterfinals, gave his urine sample as part of a routine procedure an hour after the match.

Yuvraj gave his sample more than one hour after the match as most of the members of both the teams had left by then.

Before Yuvraj, Railways skipper Mahesh Rawat, who scored a century in the match, gave his sample along with pacer Anureet Singh.

The samples will be sent to the National Anti Doping Agency in New Delhi and the report will be submitted to the BCCI in a confidential manner.

The sports fraternity of the United Arab Emirates is thrilled to bits after news emerged about the decision of the BCCI to play at least 16 first leg matches in the Middle East.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are slated to be the most likely venues for the million dollar league which has caught the attraction all across the cricket playing countries.

N Srinivasan, the BCCI president hoped for the successful staging of matches in the UAE. It is a huge opportunity for the UAE and Im sure they can put up a good show and make it a huge success", he said to Gulf News.

UAE was finalised as one of the venues after South Africa's stiff demand of Rs 180 crore to host the IPL, was turned down by the Indian board and team owners.

The massive Indian diaspora in the Middle East is said to have made the Gulf nation preferred as first choice.
"The UAE was selected to host the matches due to the presence of a large Indian population and so we expect the response for our matches to be excellent. In fact, Bangladesh was also under consideration but the fan factor as well as the cheap travel expenses made us opt for UAE," T C Mathew, IPL Governing Council member as well as the chairman of BCCI's National Cricket Academy said.

The fact that UAE was just an hour and a half behind the Indian time-zone also went in favour of the venues. "The time difference with India and UAE is just one-and-a-half hours and it will be very beneficial for our viewers in India. We were also very impressed with the venues in UAE, especially the Dubai and Abu Dhabi stadiums, which are top-class, and Sharjah Stadium, which looks excellent after undergoing renovation, Mathew said.
With Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah projected as the venues, preparations have already started for the successful hosting of the matches. David East, Chief Executive of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), told Gulf News: All our venues here will be available for the matches. Its a great honour to be selected to host IPL matches. Our board will now work closely with the IPLs event management team to deliver 16 games of high-quality cricket entertainment.
Sharjah, long shunned as an international venue by the Indians, since the match-fixing episode in 2000 is also gearing up to host the show-piece tournament. We will be delighted to host IPL matches here and give the fans another opportunity to enjoy cricket at a venue that has entered the Guinness Book of World Records through hosting the highest number of One Day Internationals," Sharjah Cricket Stadium Chief Manager, Mazhar Khan said.

No two batsmen playing today are more different in outlook than Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Virender Sehwag. If there were a scale that ranked batsmen from most restrained at one end to most forceful at the other, then those two would be placed at either end of the spectrum.

The West Indian with the strange stance is as stodgy as they come.More a prodder, a tapper, a deflector, than full-throated shot-maker,Chanderpaul has been, for years, possibly the games most difficult batsman to dislodge. The left-hander, it appears, views every delivery with suspicion. Its as if he feels each ball is some kind of explosive to be diffused, and so he ensures the danger is neutralized before any scoring opportunities are explored.

Not that he is strokeless. This maker of a 69-ball Test hundred,the fourth fastest in history, is as capable as anyone of dominating the bowling when the mood moves him, but his first and main focus is occupation of the crease, and this approach has borne him much reward.

On the opposite end of the scale is Virender Sehwag. The former Indian opener was the games most assertive Test batsman for years.Quite unlike Chanderpaul, Sehwag's first consideration is attack. Defence is only deliberated when he sees little opportunity for attack. And even then he might decide to attack anyway. What CLR James said of Wilton St. Hill, the highly rated Trinidadian batsman of the early 1900s, applies perfectly to Sehwag: When he was on the go it was the bowler who needed defence, not he.
In 153 matches, Chanderpaul has 11219 runs at an average of 51.93and a strike rate of 43.3, while the Indian opener has 8503 runs from 103 matches at an average of 49.83 and a staggering 82.17 strike rate. To put this into perspective it should be noted that had he faced the same number of deliveries as Chanderpaul and maintained the same scoring rate, he would have made 21,286 runs.

Both Chanderpaul and Sehwag have achieved sizeable success by vastly contrasting means. It is something of a curiosity then that David Warner, currently on a run-scoring spree for Australia, credits both men as having played important roles in his development as a Test cricketer.

The Australian opener took a rather circuitous route to crickets longest form, in that he played T20 for his country before playing a single first-class game. Warner recalls a conversation with Sehwag during which the Indian batsman, much to his astonishment, said,you'll be a much better Test cricketer than you are a T20player. Sehwag went on to explain, "All the fielders are around the bat. If the ball is there in your zone, you're still going to hit it. You're going to have ample opportunities to score runs.You've always got to respect the good ball, but you've got to punish the ball you always punish." The Australian took Sehwag's words to heart, and was able to make his Test debut approximately two years later.

If Sehwag gave him self-belief, Warner credits Chanderpaul with instilling in him the art of spending long periods in the middle. After expressing his amazement at the Guyanese batsman spending six hours with the bowling machine while they were together at Durham, Chanderpaul responded, if you're going to bat for six hours in a game, you might as well practice it. Warner's appreciation of the value of spending time at the crease grew, though he steered clear of Chanderpaul's style of batting.

It was Sehwag who was more Warner's spiritual kin. Both are similar in outlook, and like Sehwag before him, Warner has had to endure much skepticism due to his forthrightness as a Test batsman. Purists scoff at the thought of Test batsmen, and openers in particular, going hell for leather from their first moment in the middle. The doubters (and I was one) should now all have been silenced by the sheer weight of his run scoring, but many were convinced in the beginning that he couldn't last.

Even after he had two Test hundreds to his name, one highly respected commentator pronounced during the 2011-12 visit to the West Indies, that he didn't see a Test Match opener in the pugnacious left-hander. I agreed. At the time he seemed in a hurry to throw away his wicket by attempting the big shot, and though he retains his boundless shot-making ability, he now plays more within his zone as Sehwag advised.

From an inconsistent shot-maker, Warner has grown into an almost indispensable lynchpin of the Australian Test team. These have been his run of scores for the recent Ashes series and the South African tour: 49, 124, 29, 83*, 60, 112, 9, 25, 16, 16, 12, 115, 70, 66, 135,145. And as important as the volume of runs is the rapid rate at which he makes them. Getting Warner early has now got to be the most urgent concern of Australia's opponents.

Five centuries and four half-centuries in sixteen innings is a ratio that would please even Bradman, and Australia undoubtedly wishes for his purple patch to continue for a long time. Sehwag and Chanderpaul must be proud

England batsman Joe Root will miss the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh and be replaced by Ian Bell, the International Cricket Council announced on Monday.

Rising Yorkshire star Root, 23, broke his thumb batting against the West Indies in last week's one-day international in Antigua and England officials have decided he will not recover in time for the World Twenty20, which starts on Sunday.

Bell, who replaced Root in the Caribbean, has now been granted approval by the ICC to be included in the England squad.

"The ICC has confirmed that the Event Technical Committee of the T20 WC Bangladesh 2014 has approved Ian Bell as a replacement player for Joe Root in the England men?s squad for the tournament that will be staged in Bangladesh from 16 March to 6 April," a statement from the global governing body said.

Bell has represented England in seven Twenty20 internationals, in which he has scored 175 runs at an average of just under 30.

England's opening World Twenty20 group match is against New Zealand on March 20.

Before then they conclude a three-match series against reigning World Twenty20 champions the West Indies in Barbados with fixtures on Tuesday and Thursday.

England lost the first match of the series, also at Barbados' Kensington Oval, by 27 runs on Sunday.

Stuart Broad, England's Twenty20 captain, will miss the remainder of the West Indies series after suffering a knee injury but the fast bowling all-rounder said Sunday he expected to be fully recovered in time for Bangladesh.

Shane Watson has been named captain of Rajasthan for the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League. The Australian all-rounder will take over the reins from Rahul Dravid, who retired from T20 cricket after leading the perennial underdogs to the play-offs last year.

Watson, a former Australian vice-captain has been in the news for the wrong reasons over the past year, starting with his suspension by former coach Mickey Arthur in India during a Test series in the course of what came to be known as 'homework gate'.

Watson, considered to be one of the best all-rounders in the world, has played a crucial role for the inaugural champions for six years, having scored 1887 runs at an average of 38.51 and a strike rate of 143.82 besides snaring 54 wickets from 61 matches.

Watson is the second Australian after Shane Warne to lead the side, currently embroiled in a controversy around co-owner Raj Kundra, who has been accused of betting on his own team.

"I am honoured to lead Rajasthan, an extraordinary team which has always given me amazing opportunities.
"My aim will be to continue playing our best cricket and maintain the winning momentum. We all want to repeat the 2008 IPL success and last season, we were quite close to that. I am confident that we can do it again," Watson said.

Dravid will continue with the side as a mentor and help develop the young talent in the squad. "Watson has been with the team since the first season and is familiar with the players and the staff," he said.

"The squad is a bunch of extremely energetic and talented players who know their roles perfectly well and I am sure they will thrive under Watson's inspiring leadership."

Indian middle order batsman Virat Kohli has regained the number one position in the ICC ODI Batting rankings announced at the end of the Asia Cup.

Kohli came into the tournament trailing AB de Villiers by just two rating points, but a tournament aggregate of 189 runs, including a superb 136 against Bangladesh helped him garner 12 rating points, going past the South African skipper in the process.

Kohli ended the tournament with 881 rating points while AB de Villiers is second with 872 points. There are two more Indians amongst the top-10 with skipper, MS Dhoni placed sixth with 783 points and Shikhar Dhawan eighth with 723 points.

Rohit Sharma moved up one rank to be at 22nd while Ravindra Jadeja gained 12 places to be placed at the 50th position. Sri Lankan batsman, Lahiru Thirimanne was biggest gainer though, he moved up 29 spots to 39th place in the latest rankings, also his career best position.

Amongst bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja was the biggest gainer amongst the Indians, gaining four spots to be ranked fifth in the charts. His fellow counterpart, Ravichandran Ashwin also gained seven positions and is now placed at the 14th position.

The Asia Cup tournament was also the last set of matches before the April 1st cut-off date in team rankings in ODIs. Despite failing to make it to the final, India guaranteed themselves USD 75,000 for finishing second in the team ratings behind Australia. They finished with 113 points, just one point above the third placed Sri Lanka.

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Raina has said he piled too much pressure on himself of late even as critics were "obsessed" about his numbers. Raina was dropped from the India XI during the ODIs in New Zealand with just one fifty-plus score in his previous 24 innings and was not picked for the Asia Cup in Bangladesh. He is part of the side for the World T20, though, and wants to do well after taking tips from former India captain Sourav Ganguly on matters as varied as making a comeback and handling the short ball.

ID	Rat.	Name	Nat.
1	922	A.B. de Villiers
2	879	K.C. Sangakkara
3	876	S. Chanderpaul
4	873	H.M. Amla
5	871	D.A. Warner
6	842	R.L. Taylor
7	824	Misbah-ul-Haq
8	819	C.A. Pujara
9	818	M.J. Clarke
10	784	V. Kohli