Mithali Raj regains top spot on ODI Rankings, Smriti Mandhana jumps to third on T20 rankings

WI vs AUS | 1st ODI: Aaron Finch ruled out, Alex Carey to lead the side

Wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey will lead Australia in the first ODI against West Indies after regular limited-overs captain Aaron Finch was ruled out. The right-handed batsman had sustained a knee injury in the fifth T20I against the Caribbean side while batting and his availability would now be assessed on a "day to day basis,” Cricket Australia said in a release. Carey said that he is honoured to lead the Aussie side in Finch’s absence. "I am deeply honoured to be able to lead the team while Aaron recovers," Carey said. "To captain Australia is one of the greatest privileges in sport and an honour I am extremely thankful to receive,” he added. "Finchy is our captain and we will welcome him back with open arms when he is fully fit, so for now I hope I can fill the role to his extremely high standards. To lead this group against the West Indies in the West Indies is a great challenge and one I very much look forward to for as long as I have the opportunity." Australia suffered a 1-4 defeat in the five-match T20I series and would look to turn the tables in the ODI fixtures. The three-match series is slated to begin on July 21 in Barbados and all the games will be played at the same venue.

Zimbabwe - Bangladesh T20 series preponed to conclude on July 25

The upcoming T20 series between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh has been preponed and it will now conclude on July 25 instead of the earlier scheduled date of July 27, Zimbabwe Cricket said in a tweet. The three-game series was supposed to be played on July 23, 25 and 27 but now it will be played on July 22, 23 and 25 as per the revised schedule. However, there is no change in the venue of matches and all of them will be played at the Harare Sports Club in Harare. Bangladesh are on a full tour of Zimbabwe comprising of all formats of the game. In the only Test of the series, the tourists register a big victory by 220 runs and they have also sealed the three-match long ODI series by winning the first two games so far. Zimbabwe have not been able to put up a strong fight against Bangladesh and a gulf between the sides have been brutally exposed by a quality Bangladeshi side. Both the list of leading wicket-taker and highest run-scorer across the Test and ODI series have been dominated by Bangladesh players and Zimbabwe have been handed a harsh reality check about the state of their game.

WI vs AUS | 1st ODI: When & where to watch, pitch report, fantasy XI details

West Indies and Australia are all set to lock horns in the three-match ODI series slated to begin on July 21 in Barbados. The Caribbean side is coming into the series on the back of some brilliant display in the T20I fixtures that they won 4-1. Australia on the side would be looking to make a comeback in the ODI series after they were thumped earlier on the tour. But the visiting team might not have the services of their regular skipper Aaron Finch. According to cricket.com.au, Finch was asked to perform “light duties” during the practice session to manage his knee injury. There hasn’t been any confirmation that Finch would miss the game but the team management will have some work if the right-hander is ruled out. For West Indies, coach Phil Simmons has said that he wants his batsmen to capitalise on the starts they get in order to put some good total of the board. "We are looking for the way we batted to continue and improvements have to be made in the middle overs from 20-39 in order for us to get from 280-290 to the 320-330 we'll need against Australia," Simmons said. "We've been discussing that since the Sri Lanka series so now it's time to put it into action.” Match Details Match: WI vs AUS, 1st ODI, Australia tour of West Indies, 2021 Date: Wednesday, July 21, 2021 Time: 12:00 AM (Jul 21) Venue: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados Probable XI Australia: Josh Philippe, Mitchell Marsh, Moises Henriques, Alex Carey, Matthew Wade (wk), Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Swepson, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc West Indies: Andre Fletcher, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Andre Russell, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas Fantasy XI Alex Carey, Shai Hope (C), Lendl Simmons, Matthew Wade, Kieron Pollard, Mitchell Marsh (VC), Sheldon Cottrell, Hayden Walsh Jr., Adam Zampa, Riley Meredith, Josh Hazlewood West Indies ODI squad: Kieron Pollard (C), Shai Hope (VC), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Anderson Philip, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd Australia squad for ODIs & T20Is: Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Dan Christian, Riley Meredith, Ashton Turner, Jason Behrendorff.

ENG vs PAK | 3rd T20I Preview: Change is the only constant but for distinguished reasons

England are probably one of those sides that can come roaring back at any given stage in the present scenario in limited-overs cricket and they did something similar during the on-going bilateral tie against Pakistan at home. The hosts lost the first match but made a fine return in the second to level the three-match T20I series and take it into the decider. Another major aspect of England cricket is the bold attitude and fearless way of playing the game not just on the field but off it too. The home side rested regular captain Eoin Morgan for the second clash against Pakistan in Leeds. England haven’t really faced much of a problem with their batting barring the opening. While they have lost early wickets in both the clashes, the middle-order especially Livingstone has been one batsman who has held the things from one end. He in fact notched up a ton in the first match which eventually went in vain as England failed to go over the line while chasing 233 but still managed to put 201 before getting bundled out in the last over. The hosts have crossed the 200-run mark in both the matches and this is certainly a good sign as they go into the deciding match. One issue that England were facing was leaking runs but that was resolved in the last match as well. So for now, the bowlers are back in the groove, the middle-order is among runs and they only need a steady start to the innings. On the other hand, Pakistan who generally bank on their bowling attack to win games are struggling at the moment. The bowlers have been hammered for runs all around the park in both the matches. Apart from this, the persisting problem of Babar Azam’s lack of scoring runs while chasing is another major concern. The right-handed batsman hasn’t been impressive whenever he is up for a chase and this is what happened in the second encounter. His scoring rate dips which eventually creates pressure on the other batsmen. The skipper needs to take up the responsibility if Pakistan have to win this series else they might suffer another setback. Match Details Match: England vs Pakistan, Third T20I Date and Time: 20th July 2021, 11:00 pm IST Venue: Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester Pitch Report The track at old Trafford might give some assistance to the batsmen. The pitch can help the batsmen score runs at a brisk pace and with the kind of batting line ups that the sides comprise, a high-voltage drama can be expected. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat and post a big total. Team News England: England captain Eoin Morgan was rested in the second match and is likely to return back for the decider. The team is overall looking in good touch and would look to replicate the second match’s performance. But there is still a void that needs to be filled and that is getting a steady start. The English team has tried a couple of different opening combinations but that haven’t really worked for them. Jos Buttler who led the side in the second match though notched up a fifty. Pakistan: Pakistan are in a spot of bother at the moment as their most dangerous weapon, fast bowling is not looking in good shape. Except for Shaheen Afridi, the bowlers have been hit for plenty and the absence of Hasan Ali has also affected them thoroughly. Another issue is Babar Azam’s striking rate while Pakistan are chasing a target and Mohammad Hafeez’s failure with the bat. The right-hander did show his class in the first match but looked off colour in the second. In all, Pakistan are left with a lot of work before they take the field in the last T20I. Probable XI England: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wk), Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Matthew Parkinson Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Sohaib Maqsood, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Azam Khan, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain Fantasy XI Mohammad Rizwan, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Babar Azam (VC), Mohammad Hafeez, Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali (C), Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Chris Jordan