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Root was ranked the world’s best five-day batsman four years ago and had been in the top 10 since August 2014. However, he has struggled for runs of late and made just 13 across two innings in England’s heavy first Test defeat to New Zealand. Smith, who made only four in Australia’s recent win over Pakistan, remains at the top of the rankings, though his lead over Kohli is just three points following the India captain’s 27th century against Bangladesh....

Bangladesh, the defending champions, have had good preparation ahead of the showpiece event. Their first warm-up fixture against Pakistan got abandoned before they beat Zimbabwe comprehensively in their next warm-up game. Batting first, Bangladesh posted 277 on the board. They then knocked over Zimbabwe for 110, and will look to repeat the same performance in their tournament opener. England, meanwhile, beat PNG in their warm-up fixture. Their other warm-up games against Afghanistan and UAE got cancelled....

The West Indies beat Australia by eight wickets in the final at the Eden Gardens here. For the West Indies, Hayley Matthews (66) and captain Stafanie Taylor (59) were the top two run-scorers chasing Australia’s total of 148/5. “Full credit to the West Indies, the way they came out with the bat, disappointing for us did not quite get the result we wanted. Congratulations West Indies,” skipper Meg said at the post-match presentation ceremony here....

With the current team in great form, the selectors wouldn’t want to shuffle around the players, but a plethora of players have impressed one and all with their performances in the domestic leagues and IPL. Here are three such players who can make their dream World Cup debut next year if the officials decide to give them a chance. #3 Siddharth Kaul Part of the Indian team that won the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, Siddharth Kaul had to wait quite a long time to make his debut in the senior team....

According to data published by the Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Clearinghouse (TRAC), referrals for federal criminal prosecution dropped to their lowest point this fiscal year at the end of March, with referrals declining from 1,000 a week in the first half of the month to around 400 a week by the end of March. The drop was noticed across federal law enforcement agencies, with both the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agencies seeing a significant decline in the number of criminal cases they referred to federal prosecutors in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak....

An immigration rights group called FIEL Houston said arrests had taken place Monday morning in the El Paraiso Apartments west Houston, but that “few people answered the door.” The number of arrests haven’t been confirmed, according to KHOU, who obtained this message from ICE. “Due to law-enforcement sensitivities and the safety and security of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, the agency will not offer specific details related to enforcement operations,” an official from ICE wrote....

Williams defeated world No.2 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2 in New York on Wednesday. After her win, Williams was asked if she was surprising herself with her performance. After laughing at the question she confidently replied “I’m just Serena” much to the delight of the crowd and social media users. Huffington Post front page editor Philip Lewis shared a video of the exchange on his Twitter page and the clip has been viewed more than 200,000 times....

The South Indian outfit were brought down by DSK Shivajians in their last fixture where goals from Kim and Quero saw the Loni-based outfit get the better of Chennai. The newbie franchise has registered just one point until now, following a 0-0 result against fellow newcomers Minerva Punjab in the opening weekend. Chennai City have conceded four goals in three games but their main concern is their misfiring attack and cohesion-less midfield....

Now, it has come to light that the Kolkata giants have been allowed to print only 20,000 tickets for their home game against defending I-League champions Aizawl FC. In Case You Didn’t Know The Salt Lake Stadium has been a hotbed of controversy, with three teams (East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and ATK) hosting their games at the iconic venue in the I-League and the ISL, respectively. East Bengal had also announced during the preseason, that they will give a number of their tickets away to school children, in order to attract more interest....

Mumbai FC kick-started the tie in a 4-2-3-1 shape with youngster Hitesh Sharma making a return in the attack since his last appearance in the month of February against Southerners Chennai City FC. Right winger Thoi Singh was placed on the bench as Faroukh Choudhary operated in the right midfield with Siam Hanghal taking charge of the things on the left. As for the visiting side, the Reds and Golds’ boss went ahead with the same formation as the Mumbaikars’....

High on confidence after consecutive wins over Minerva Punjab and Mumbai FC, the Reds are raring to go against Chennai, who travelled to the pine city right after their home match against Aizawl FC in which they registered their maiden win of the season. Tuesday’s encounter in Shillong will test the fitness levels and game preparedness of both sides, especially the visitors, considering the tight fixture they are dealing with....

Olson revealed via his Twitter that a con-man posing to be from one of the academies made him lose practically everything as per a three year contract. Olson further goes on to say that Minerva Punjab owner Ranjit Bajaj stepped in and has since provided him with legal aid to rescue the hapless situation. In case you didn’t know… Ranjit Bajaj is the owner of Minerva Punjab and has given all in his pursuit to make the club achieve success....

Enrique Esqueda, who was introduced in the 2nd half, lived up to his reputation with two fine goals as East Bengal overcame an early scare to win the match. Chencho Gyeltsen, who is fondly called Bhutanese Ronaldo for his style of play, scored as early as the 3rd minute of the match to put the visitors ahead in a crucial game. East Bengal looked completely clueless in the first half as they failed to create enough chances thanks to a tight defending from Varney Kallon and former East Bengal player Eduardo Ferreira....

Both the clubs have played two matches and ended up with the same fates. NEROCA, on their first match at home, lost to East Bengal before drawing with Gokulam Kerala in their next match. Aizawl lost their first match against Shillong Lajong and put up an inspiring draw against Mohun Bagan. This will be the first home match for Aizawl this season. Both the teams have a single point from their opening two matches but NEROCA sit last on the table due to inferior goal difference....

But soon, their performance began to dip drastically as they suffered two back-to-back losses, one at home to league leaders Chennai City FC and then away to Aizwal FC, who were bottom of the table then. Suddenly, one of the biggest and most successful Indian clubs, which looked extremely formidable on paper after being taken over by a rich investor, a new foreign coaching staff and some high profile signings, looked no different than any other average small budget clubs in the country....

On December 23, I-League broadcaster Star Sports announced that they will show only 30 from the remaining 60 matches from December 29. After their poor coverage in the previous matches, this came as a death-knell for many I-League clubs, who have been garnering support each day with their performances. The move invited strong criticism and protest from all the corners, with clubs and fans venting their anger on social media....

Sancho is in line to make his international bow after the teenager earned a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for upcoming matches against Croatia and Spain. The 18-year-old – who left Premier League giants Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund last year – has starred this season with one goal and eight assists in 10 appearances in Germany’s top flight. While Sancho misses his family and England, the attacker believes he made the right decision moving to Dortmund....

The Russian played on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the third consecutive round, overcoming American teenager Sofia Kenin 7-5 6-2 on Friday. Sharapova is featuring at a grand slam for the first time since the 2016 Australian Open after serving a 15-month doping ban. Fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki, who lost on Court 17 in the second round, described the decision to put Sharapova on Ashe frequently as “questionable”, but the five-time major winner said scheduling was not a concern....

Albion are hoping to build on their 3-1 victory over Arsenal with a win against the Red Devils on Saturday at a ground that Fletcher said still “feels like home”. The 33-year-old made 223 Premier League appearances in a 12-year spell at Old Trafford, winning four league titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League amongst a glut of honours, and he remained an important part of the squad under David Moyes’ spell as manager in 2013-14....

The Serbian summoned the chair umpire to take note of a threat to footing during his straight-sets victory over Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round on Tuesday. A heat wave during the lead-up to the tournament, which persisted during the early rounds, has left organisers struggling to preserve the quality of the grass in SW19. And while he acknowledged the challenge conditions have posed, Djokovic, a three-time singles champion at the All England Club, has made no attempt to disguise his displeasure at being presented with a sub-par stage on which to perform....