Players must smile even as they are abused, harassed and vilified. In India it's worse than elsewhere

There is no way India can have thrown Yuvraj out of their World Cup plans, but if a message was to be sent it had to be sent early enough

Who'd a thunk it? Zimbabwe finished the league stage at the top of the table, winning comprehensively all their 50-over matches, and losing the one that was truncated to 26

A lack of hunger, an unbalanced team, and some basic on-field errors have marked a lacklustre Indian campaign

Just to prove that their first win over India wasn't an upset at all, Zimbabwe won even more convincingly - with a bonus point this time, making their qualification for the final a distinct possibility

For their second match, which is potentially crucial to their chances of making the final, both India and Zimbabwe will want to bring their A game

That both India and Sri Lanka have rested their main players for the Zimbabwe tri-series is a small mercy, as some new contests might be seen

Zimbabwe were the stronger of the two sides, which showed in the assured manner of a tall chase, set up by Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza's fliers and finished off with ten balls to spare by a cool debutant, Charles Ervine

Cricinfo previews the opening match of the tri-series between Zimbabwe and India

Nuwan Kulasekara found the perfect lines and lengths for the slow and low track that the USA has dished out, and ripped the heart out of New Zealand's batting

While the focus has been on India's inability to play short bowling, their poor preparation and the issue of player fatigue have been brushed under the carpet

It is tempting to look at these matches - two Twenty20 internationals between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, being played in the USA - as precisely the reason why tournaments like IPL prosper

India's IPL stars have been exposed at the World Twenty20 again. Apart from technical shortcomings, it suggests a shocking lack of respect for the international game and its challenges

Both sides got mauled in their first Super Eights match, one of them is likely to be out by the time they are through with each other

The match started with a maiden. Silence before a storm that absolutely blew India out of its way

Suresh Raina overcame a jittery start to score only the third century in Twenty20 internationals, and India's 186 was too much on a difficult pitch and big outfield

Cricinfo previews the Group C match between India and South Africa

Afghanistan certainly weren't overawed, but India had little trouble in overcoming them in their opening game of the World Twenty20

Afghanistan make their big-screen debut on Saturday's morning show, a sleeper that suddenly became a smash hit by defying every script written for them

Kirsten blamed fatigue last year, not much has changed on that account. Can India inspire themselves to a different result?