Top Stories: Things that made news in the cricket world today

Virat Kohli slips to 10th in ICC T20I rankings, Babar Azam retains his top spot

• Despite suffering a thumping defeat against New Zealand in the ODI series, the Men in Blue were ecstatic with their performance in the T20I series, where they decimated the Kiwis in all three departments.
•  Over the years, India has managed to stitch together a robust squad in the shortest format.
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Faf du Plessis steps down as South Africa’s Test and T20I captain

• Despite Cricket South Africa’s overhaul since the appointment of Graeme Smith as their director, one thing which was looming over the Proteas side lately was the departure of skipper Faf du Plessis from the Test format.
• The right-hander was under scrutiny, especially after South Africa’s Test series loss against England and his woeful form with the willow. Du Plessis had earlier stated that he won’t be resigning from the Test captaincy duties before the West Indies series.
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‘I certainly have my eyes on T20 World Cup’ – Shardul Thakur to learn from mistakes made against New Zealand

• In 2018, he could last only 10 balls in his debut Test as a leg injury saw him leaving the field in the match against the West Indies in Hyderabad.
• Even as bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur waits to play in the second Test of his career, he has continued to represent India in the limited-overs formats.
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South Africa announce their squad for T20I series against Australia; AB de Villiers still absent

• After suffering defeat by thin margins in the recently-concluded T20I series against England, South Africa are now set to lock horns with Australia in a three-match T20I series starting from February 21.
• The Quinton de Kock-led side, which exhibited a competitive performance against England in the wake of an overhaul, will be eager to deliver a similar kind of performance against the Aussies.
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New selection panel to be revealed in the first week of March, says CAC member Madan Lal

• The new selection panel may be named in the first week of March as revealed by new CAC member Madan Lal. Former chief selector MSK Prasad and Gagan Khoda have finished their tenures, which began in 2016.
• The decision to not give them an extension was taken at the BCCI Annual General Meeting, which was held in December 2019.
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‘My dream has now been fulfilled’ – Navdeep Saini gears up for New Zealand Tests

• Paceman Navdeep Saini has come up the steps towards a promising international career well and now, the Delhi bowler is looking forward to making it to the red-ball format as well.
• The bowler has been picked for the Indian Test side for the upcoming two-match series in New Zealand and he is relishing every minute following his maiden call-up in the traditional variant. The 27-year-old has featured in five ODIs and 10 T20Is so far to pick 18 wickets.
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Eoin Morgan will be Kolkata Knight Riders’ trump card in IPL 2020, believes Harsha Bhogle

• Morgan was less accomplished a player when he had last featured in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
• But after guiding England to their maiden World Cup title win at home in 2019, Eoin Morgan’s name has become hot in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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‘Maybe Sachin wants to put him off’ – Steve Waugh takes a light-hearted jibe at the Master Blaster for praising Marnus Labuschagne

• Steve Waugh, the former Australian captain, doesn’t quite agree with Sachin Tendulkar’s words on Marnus Labuschagne.
• The legendary Indian batsman earlier said that he was awestruck by Marnus’ batting during the Lord’s Test after Steve Smith was ruled out due to concussion.
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‘Alex Hales has to rebuild trust to get selected’ – Eoin Morgan after winning T20I series against South Africa

• Ever since he missed England’s World Cup bus last year after being banned for three weeks for recreational drug use, Alex Hales has remained a largely forgotten name.
• But that he is not out of the picture was made evident by the Three Lions’ limited-overs captain.
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‘Indian players are all very helpful guys more than willing to share their experiences’ – Ish Sodhi

• New Zealand and India share a connection that goes beyond the conventional field of cricket. There have been generations of Indians who moved to New Zealand for better opportunities and their descendants have represented the country in sports.
• Dipak Patel, Jeetan Patel, Jeet Raval, and Ish Sodhi are just some of the examples who have made New Zealand and their Indian roots proud.
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Ireland head coach Graham Ford to return home to recover from injury

•  Ireland Men’s Head Coach Graham Ford will return to Dublin this week as part of a rehabilitation plan after sustaining an injury that will inhibit him from being fully involved in the Wolves tour.
• Ford, who was due to fulfil an Assistant Coach role during the Ireland Wolves series against Namibia, had travelled to South Africa ahead of the squad.
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‘India have the best fast-bowling attack in the world at home’ – Steve Waugh

• Former Australia captain Steve Waugh feels India have the best fast-bowling attack in the world in home conditions.
• The World Cup-winning captain is currently in Berlin, Germany, to attend the 20th anniversary of Laureus World Sports Awards set to be held on Monday and feature some of the world’s top sporting personalities and outfits.
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After U19 World Cup exploits, Yashasvi Jaiswal excited to share Rajasthan Royals dressing room with Steve Smith, Ben Stokes

• India U19 left-hand batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal had a terrific run with the bat in the recently concluded World Cup for the colts in South Africa.
• The cricketer, who hails from a humble background, scored 400 runs in six matches in the competition to top the table of run-getters and bagged the Man-of-the-Series award.
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All-Stars match to take place on March 25 at the Wankhede Stadium

• There’s a lot of excitement around the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• The T20 tournament kicks off on March 29 with the opening match between defending Champions Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings, captained by MS Dhoni. But before the extravaganza gets underway in Mumbai, the fans will also be treated to a delight in the All-Stars match.
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