ICC World Test Championship

India on Friday slipped a rung to sixth position on the World Test Championship standings after New Zealand's comprehensive nine-wicket victory against the West Indies in Wellington propelled them to the third place. Runners-up in the first two WTC cycles, India were placed fifth after they were blanked 2-0 by South Africa at home last month with New Zealand occupying the sixth position. However, the table saw a major turnaround after the Kiwis' big win in the second Test at Basin Reverse on Friday. Former champions Australia continue to hold the top position with 100 percentage points (win-loss percentage) with South Africa in second place with 75 percentage points. Sri Lanka (66.67) and Pakistan (50) occupy the fourth and fifth position respectively. New Zealand have so far accumulated 66.67 percentage points, while India have a win-loss percentage of 48.15. India can drop further down to seventh if England stage a comeback against Australia in the Ashes. The Aussies lead the se

Steve Smith took a brilliant reflex catch to swing momentum just before Ben Stokes' defiant half-century ended in a rush of England wickets Sunday, then he hit the winning runs in the second cricket test to give Australia a 2-0 Ashes lead. Day 4 was a tale of two captains. Set a target of 65 for victory after England was bowled out for 241 in the second innings, Australia raced to an eight-wicket win in 10 overs either side of a 20-minute interval as serious storms brewed to the southwest. Jofra Archer was bowling around 150 kph (93 mph) under the lights and it only fired up Smith. There were some theatrics involving the Australia captain and England's strike pace bowler, with Smith telling Archer to bowl faster after ducking a bouncer. He then ramped him for a boundary and hit the next ball for a six to bring up 1,000 test runs at the Gabba. With Australia at 63-2 and needing just two runs to win, Smith hit a six to finish it and finished unbeaten on 23 from nine deliveries. Jake

Australia have a 1-0 lead going into the 2nd Ashes Test in Gabba and would be looking to take a healthy 2-0 lead in the 5-match Test series.

Australia continue to dominate the leaderboard, maintaining the No. 1 spot after winning all four of their matches in the 2025-27 cycle.

Any hopes of chasing the total have long faded; the pitch has worn considerably, offering sharp turn and uneven bounce, making even basic shot-making a risky endeavour.

It remains unclear whether coach Conrad's choice of words was deliberate or simply an unfortunate slip during the press conference.

India lost their first 2 wickets before stumps and now face a daunting task of batting for 3 full sessions in order to salvage a draw on the final day.

The declaration has handed India a daunting 549-run target to chase, a total that seems nearly impossible to chase down on a deteriorating pitch.

India collapsed from 95/1 to 122/7 on day three against South Africa in Guwahati after losing six wickets for 27 runs. Here's how the dramatic slide unfolded.

At stumps, Senuran Muthusamy was unbeaten on 25 with new batter Kyle Verreynne at the other end as Mohammed Siraj had Tony de Zorzi (28) caught behind.

Australia need 205 runs to win the 1st Ashes Test after bowling England out for 164 in the second innings at Perth. Mitchell Starc claimed a stunning 10-wicket match haul as England collapsed in just

Rishabh Pant becomes only the second wicketkeeper to lead India in Tests after MS Dhoni, who captained in 60 matches between 2008 and 2014.

AUS vs ENG 1st Test Day 1 highlights: 19 wickets fell on Day of Australia vs England first Ashes Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth

With South Africa holding a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, and Shubman Gill ruled out, Pant admitted the situation is far from ideal

Rishabh Pant to lead India in Guwahati Test as Shubman Gill ruled out due to neck spasm. The live toss for IND vs SA 2nd Test will take place at 8:30 AM IST

Australia pacer Mitchell Starc became the first left-arm seamer - and the 21st bowler overall - to claim 100 wickets in Ashes Tests

The live toss for the Australia vs England 1st Test will take place at 7:20 AM IST on Friday. The live streaming of Australia vs England 1st Test will be available on JioHotstar.

The Australia stand-in captain used humour and a pointed throwback to counter Monty Panesar's call for England to exploit sandpapergate.

Two specialist batters, B Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal, are available, along with seam-bowling allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who rejoins the squad after being rested for the first Test.

The loss adds pressure on India, who have now suffered three defeats in the current WTC cycle, including two earlier in England.