In Case You Missed It: Maiden hundreds, big totals, and T20 World Cup planning
Our best content from the week gone by
Mominul Haque must wear many hats as Bangladesh Test captain • AFP/Getty Images
Sri Lanka are looking at an uphill chase after hundreds by Najmul Hossain Shanto - his first in Tests - and Mominul Haque, and 90 by Tamim Iqbal allowed Bangladesh to declare at 541 for 7. Could this be because of the green pitch Sri Lanka rolled out to favour their seamers, presumably because their spin stocks are at an all-time low? Andrew Fidel Fernando thinks so. And Haque's 11th Test century, and his first away, highlights the frustration of being a long-form specialist in Bangladesh, where Tests are few and far between but you're expected to be world-beating every time you play, says Mohammad Isam.
Zimbabwe beat Pakistan for the first time in a T20I match, ending a nine-match losing streak while also winning their first T20I at home since beating India in 2016. Fast bowler Luke Jongwe took 4 for 18 to dismiss Pakistan for 99 in a chase of 119.
If last week was defined by Sanju Samson's last-man-standing hundred, this week belonged to Devdutt Padikkal's "flawless" maiden century in the tournament that got the Royal Challengers Bangalore a ten-wicket win over a beleaguered Rajasthan Royals. Aakash Chopra has advice on how teams might approach the wildly different pitches in Mumbai and Chennai, the only two venues currently in action, and Andrew Miller has a report card for how England players have fared this week at the IPL.
Coming in sixth place in our poll of the best performances in the history of the IPL so far is McCullum's blitzkrieg that set the tone, and the bar, for the tournament in the very first game.
The England selector's role was made redundant, with responsibility for squad selection now shifting to the coach. Andrew Miller wonders what prompted the change - was it the under-fire rest-and-rotation policy, or simply cost cutting by the ECB? For coach Chris Silverwood, though, thrust into the position of unlikely supremo, it means the responsibility of the England team success or failure will rest entirely on his shoulders, says David Hopps.
Thirty-five years on, Osman Samiuddin looks back at the last-ball six that marked a high point in Pakistan's cricket history.
Himanish Ganjoo calculates how effective a batter or bowler is against a specific type of opponent in each phase of a game.
Also: what's the highest score by a player in his first Test as captain? These and more questions answered in this week's Ask Steven.
Sri Lanka's coach talks to Andrew Fidel Fernando about the talent pool at his disposal, his coaching philosophy, and his strengths as a man manager.
With India firmly in the grip of the second wave of Covid-19 and due to host the T20 World Cup in just a few months, Dr Dave Musker talks about the risks facing the tournament, the steps taken to mitigate them, and learning from the ongoing IPL.
The England bowler on a blockbuster double act he watched live - and wished he were a part of - from the dressing room.
Deepti Unni is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo