Nicholas Pooran in action against South Africa.
Cricket Line Guru
West Indies players enjoyed big moves in the ICC Men’s T20 International Rankings, which serves as just reward for another convincing 3-0 series sweep of South Africa in Trinidad and Tobago.
Wicketkeeper batsman Nicholas Pooran moved three spots to break into the top 10 after scores of 65 not out, 19 and 35 across the three games. The aggressive left-hander is now the Caribbean side’s highest-ranked batsman in the format, overtaking the injured Brandon King, who slipped one place down to 10 after he sat out the series.
Johnson Charles, who also didn’t feature in the series, also slipped one place down to 11th, while West Indies captain Rovman Powell stood still at number 34.
Shai Hope continues to prove his worth in the games shortest format, as his scores of 51, 41, and an unbeaten 42 saw him jump 32 places up to 40th, overtaking out-of-favour Kyle Mayers, who slipped three spots down to 42nd as the next West Indies players in the top 50.
Despite the loss, South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks also made gains, as he moved up to 13th position.
In the bowling rankings, West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein of moved up four places to second position after taking four wickets in three matches. He was joined by fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who moved 10 slots up to third, while Romario Shepherd moved 13 spots up to 31st position.
Alzarri Joseph, who slipped four spots to 15th, Jason Holder (44th) and left-arm seamer Obed McCoy (50th) are the other West Indies bowlers in the top 50.
Meanwhile, England batter Harry Brook moved up to fourth position, while Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Rizwan have reached career-best positions in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after their fine performances over the past week.
Brook’s scores of 56 and 32 in the first match of their ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka in Manchester lifted him three places to fourth position, just one adrift of his career-best third position attained following his second-innings century against the West Indies at Trent Bridge last month.
Bangladesh batter Mushfiq’s match-winning 191 in the first Test of the WTC series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi has helped him advance seven places to a career-best-equalling 17th position, while Pakistan’s Rizwan is in the top 10 for the first time after scores of 171 not out and 51.
Others to move up the Test rankings include Sri Lanka batters Dinesh Chandimal (up four places to 23rd) and Kamindu Mendis (up eight places to 36th), Bangladesh’s Liton Das (up two places to 27th) and England’s Jamie Smith (up 22 places to 42nd).
In the Test bowling rankings, England’s Chris Woakes is up four places to 16th after taking three wickets each in both innings against Sri Lanka while Asitha Fernando is up 10 places to 17th after also finishing with six wickets in the match.
Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah (up four places to 33rd), England’s new-ball bowler Gus Atkinson (up four places to 42nd) and Matthew Potts (up five places to 57th) are the prominent movers in the bowling rankings.
Carsley: Only the best should be considered for England role
Lee Carsley said he understands his role as interim England head coach for the next three camps, insisting the best person should get the job on a full-time basis.
Carsley kickstarted his Three Lions tenure with a comfortable 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland last weekend, with Declan Rice and Jack Grealish on the scoresheet.
England continue their Nations League campaign on Tuesday against Finland at Wembley, an occasion they will be looking to mark with a win on Harry Kane's 100th international appearance.
Carsley could also become the first manager since Fabio Capello in 2008 to win his first two competitive games in charge.
The only managers to win their first two England games at the helm without conceding a goal are Steve McClaren (2006), Ron Greenwood (1977) and Joe Mercer (1974).
Despite his impressive start, Carsley said he was not thinking about taking on the job permanently just yet.
"I feel like we are a step closer as a team. I try not to think about it too much. The best person should get the job," Carsley said.
"I know my role for the next three camps, and I am comfortable with that."
Carsley also explained his role for the next three camps, saying his full focus remained on the team.
"I think it's quite clear I am doing the three camps," Carsley added.
"I'm really happy with that, if it changes also I'm happy with that. I'm very privileged in the position I'm in, in terms of the Under-21s. I have enjoyed it so far.
"The important thing is the team as opposed to the coaches - they should be the ones in the spotlight and getting the attention."
England's next appointment will be a crucial one, having improved their recent tournament results by reaching the final of the last two European Championships under Gareth Southgate.
Carsley's relationship with the Under-21 team was a pivotal factor in replacing Southgate, having led the side to Euro Under-21 Championship glory last year.
However, the likes of Graham Potter, Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola have all been linked with the permanent role as the Three Lions look to end their wait for an international honour.
And after England supporters got a glimpse of Carsley's style of play at the Aviva Stadium last weekend, the former Republic of Ireland midfielder is aiming to continue that same attacking tempo on his Wembley debut.
"It's important that we are exciting to watch," Carsley said.
"I think when fans come and watch England play at home, they expect attacking football, they expect chances to be created and to play with a tempo."
Kane at the peak of his powers as he takes inspiration from Ronaldo's 900th goal
Harry Kane feels at his peak ahead of his landmark England appearance on Tuesday, taking inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo's latest goal-scoring achievement.
Kane is set to make his 100th England appearance at Wembley in their Nations League fixture with Finland, becoming only the 10th player to reach that milestone.
His landmark appearance will see him awarded with a golden cap ahead of kick-off, the first player to receive one since Wayne Rooney did so in November 2014.
The Bayern Munich striker has made 86 starts for the Three Lions and has 83 goal involvements (66 goals - an England record - and 17 assists) to his name.
He averages a goal every 117 minutes, having 3.5 shots and 1.6 shots on target per 90, creating an average of 1.1 chances per 90.
Since his international debut in 2015, Kane has won 61 of his matches for England, giving him a 61.6% win ratio while also captaining the side to two major tournament finals.
At 31-years-old, many believe his time on the international stage may come to an end soon, but Kane has taken inspiration from Ronaldo, who, at 39-years-old, netted his 900th career goal against Croatia last week.
"I feel in really good shape, both physically and mentally, at a peak in my career," Kane said.
"Watching other players, [Cristiano] Ronaldo scoring his 901st goal, seeing him compete at 39 years old inspires me to play for as long as possible.
"I love this game, I love representing England - more than anything and I don’t want it to end any time soon.
"For me, personally, now it’s about continuing to improve and being consistent both in an England shirt and at club level.
"I’m hungry for more. I’m determined to keep pushing the boundaries."
81 of Kane's 99 caps came under former England head coach Gareth Southgate, with the others coming under Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce, and most recently, Lee Carsley.
Carsley got his reign as the Three Lions' interim boss with an impressive 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, with goals coming from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish.
Kane managed the most shots (four) and touches in the opposition box (nine) at the Aviva Stadium and is enjoying life under the 50-year-old.
"It has been really good. A new energy into the place especially after the disappointing end to the summer," Kane said.
"It has been great to work with the boss so far. He's brought his ideas, how he wants us to play. I think the lads have enjoyed it.
"We've got a good mixture of youth and experience in the team. You're seeing the excited faces of some of the new players."
De Silva lauds Sri Lanka's bowlers in 'special' England victory
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva labelled his side's triumph over England as "special" following their eight-wicket win in the final Test at The Oval.
Pathum Nissanka's unbeaten century led the tourists to victory, having started day four needing just 125 runs with nine wickets in hand.
Despite the loss of Kusal Mendis (39), Sri Lanka were able to halt their seven-match losing streak in Tests against England, claiming their first win against them since June 2014.
Nissanka's unbeaten 127 from 124 deliveries also made him only the fourth batter to log a strike rate of more than 100 when scoring a ton in men's Tests.
De Silva hailed Sri Lanka's resilience in claiming the deserved victory, believing his opening batsman is the best in the business for the Lions.
"It is very special, winning in England. The boys were tough enough to handle the pressure and get into some scenarios," De Silva told BBC Sport.
"It is not comfortable. There was hard work put in by the bowlers and batters. We were there in every match - had positive points. The boys wanted to win in the end.
"Credit to all of the bowlers. They have been on target from ball one. In the second innings, they were spot on.
"He [Nissanka] was in form the last couple of years and doing well in white-ball format. He has proved he is the best opener in Sri Lanka right now."
Kamindu Mendis, who struck 113 from 183 deliveries in the Lions' five-wicket defeat in the first Test, was handed Sri Lanka's Player of the Series after the triumph.
Mendis was consistent with the bat throughout the series, scoring 267 runs across the five innings he was in at the crease.
"It's a good win in these conditions. We did really well, especially the seamers and the batters did really well today," Mendis said.
"In these conditions, you have to face very difficult situations but I just wanted to enjoy it. That's it.
"I just made small changes, not big ones. It's a big deal but you have to be confident in your ability and enjoy your game.
"It's always a challenge facing seamers in England."
Sri Lanka's attentions will now turn to a two-match Test series on home soil against New Zealand, starting on September 18 at the Galle International Stadium.
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