After a whitewash from either side in the two limited-overs series, India and New Zealand head into the World Test Championship series with all to play for. Two of the top Test teams clash in a country that has proved to be an enigma for several visiting sides in the recent past. Sparks are expected to fly and fly they will as these teams head into each other.
Watch out for:
Cheteshwar Pujara
The Saurashtra middle-order batsman does not have too many commitments in a year in international cricket given that Test cricket is the only format he plays. However, in his few outings in whites, Pujara maintains his class and form, a credit to his incredible skills as a batsman. Recently, in the warm-up game ahead of the first Test, Pujara scored a ton with India struggling at 5 for 3 against New Zealand XI.
Smith and Warner back in South Africa
The last time David Warner and Steven Smith were in South Africa, they had their heads hung down in shame with the ball-tampering saga taking the center stage. Now as they return to the country, Smith has showcased his form in the Ashes and in ODIs, Warner has thrived with a triple ton in Tests and runs in the World Cup. But in T20Is, where South Africa just finished a humdinger against England, Australia will need these two at their best.
Watch out for:
Quinton de Kock
This baby-faced assassin is in the form of his life after being elevated to captain the team. He top-scored in the Test series and ODIs and finished just behind Eoin Morgan in the T20I series where his frenetic six-hitting (14 of them in the T20Is) had the crowd in a frenzy. De Kock will be itching to go after some Aussie bowlers in another T20 series.
West Indies in Sri Lanka in a low profile series
West Indies arrive in the island nation for three ODIs and two T20Is with the hosts having just had mixed luck in the two formats against Pakistan and India. Windies, meanwhile, have played Ireland lately and will hope to test Lanka in their backyard in the limited-overs matches. First up this week are the ODIs where the teams will have a chance to test their future players for the 2023 World Cup.
Watch out for:
Kieron Pollard
The West Indies all-rounder has been a more responsible player since taking over captaincy duties. As a skipper across formats, Pollard strikes at a rate of 140 with the bat and averages over 30. Importantly, he has started bowling more too and his cutters were quite a handful in the recent series against Afghanistan, India and Ireland.
An even more low-profile series in Bangladesh
Zimbabwe are back travelling and playing Tests and it's only ideal that their first tour is to Bangladesh. A strong side at home, the Tigers will hope to give the Test whipping boys a hard time although the visitors come off the back of a reasonably good series against Sri Lanka back at home. The series has a one-off Test match, three ODIs and two T20Is with the lone Test game to be played this week.
Watch out for:
Sikander Raza
The batsman turned batting all-rounder was a star player in the recent series against Sri Lanka, grabbing a career-best haul of 7 for 113 aside from making 72 and 34 in either innings with the bat. He will be used for a lot more overs this series in Bangladesh and will have a key role to play with the bat.
The biennial Women's T20 World Cup
The Women's T20 World Cup often goes under the radar when it comes to international matches. This Friday, the two-week long tournament kicks off in Australia with 10 teams tussling it out for the final prize. This is the seventh edition of the tournament with Australia having won four of the six editions so far. India and England have also enjoyed a good run of form recently and could be the title contenders.
Watch out for:
Smriti Mandhana
Since the start of 2019, Indian opener Smriti Mandhana is the highest run-scorer in T20Is with 621 runs in 19 innings at an average of 34.5 with six half-centuries. She also strikes at a rate close to 130 and is an influential batter at the top of the order for India. Expect some fireworks from her this tournament in Australia.
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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar
