In Case You Missed It: Records, reprieves and rejections

It's been a week of gripping Test matches and unpredictable T20s, all played with one eye on the weather. England have nearly secured their first whitewash in Asia, India have levelled their T20 series against Australia, and New Zealand managed a nail-biter of a win against Pakistan. Here's your weekly catch up on the biggest stories of last week.

Women's T20 World Cup: Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham help Australia lift fourth title
England's quest to be double world champions ended in a whimper after a batting implosion, as Australia's romped to their fourth World T20 win. That the two most obvious contenders made the finals, says Melinda Farrell, is a direct reflection of the investment made by their boards in women's domestic cricket.

Sophie Molineux keeps calm and bowls on
For the 20-year-old Australia slow left-armer, it has been about sticking to her plans under attack and pressing on.

Lucky tossers or worthy challengers? Are England really ready to bid for No. 1?
Joe Root's men are on the brink of sealing a memorable away series whitewash, but can their recent failings be forgotten that quickly, asks George Dobell.

Shakib al-Hasan becomes the quickest to 3000 runs-200 wickets double
The Bangladesh allrounder got there in his 54th Test, one fewer than Ian Botham, while also becoming the first bowler from his country to get 200 Test wickets

The fifth-narrowest win in Test cricket
In a memorable finish in Abu Dhabi, New Zealand won by four runs, handing Pakistan their narrowest defeat in Test cricket, and found themselves on the list of the five narrowest Test wins ever. Needless to say, people had some feelings about it.

Rahul Johri back at work at BCCI after contentious clean chit
Rahul Johri is set to continue in his position as BCCI CEO after the panel investigating allegations of sexual harassment against him did not find him guilty .

PCB's case against BCCI dismissed by ICC dispute panel
The PCB's attempt to claim damages worth US$63 million from the BCCI have met with a final failure - the ICC said the judgement was "binding and non-appealable".

The hits and misses from a low-key PSL 2019 player draft
The usually glitzy Pakistan Super League draft flew under the radar this year. Ian Bell, who last played for England in 2015, proved to be a surprise pick, while Shahid Afridi found a new home, and Brendon McCullum was overlooked. How do the six PSL teams stack up after the draft? Danyal Rasool does a SWOT analysis.

Smith, Warner, Bancroft bans to stand as CA rejects submission
The Australian Cricketers' Association called for a rethink of the players' bans after the cultural review findings indicated that Cricket Australia had contributed to the atmosphere that eventually led to the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. CA has, however, threw out the claim after convening an extraordinary board meeting.

After Mithali Raj's benching, her manager lashes out at captain
With India crashing out in the Women's T20 World Cup semi-final, questions were asked about the wisdom of dropping top scorer Mithali Raj for the game. Raj's manager had harsh words for captain Harmanpreet Kaur in an unprecedented outburst, but Kaur defended her decision. Shashank Kishore says India's gamble on youth over experience cost them a place in the final.

In Colombo, three is not a crowd
Learn more about Sri Lanka's three international cricket stadiums - the SSC, P Sara and the Premadasa - and you will understand the island nation a bit better as a country.

Watch: 'No one in the Indian team can beat me at chess'
India's Yuzvendra Chahal on his legspin idol, his 3am friends, and wanting to meet John Cena

When I'm 84
The great Lance Gibbs watches the CPL final and looks back in laughter, and a little annoyance, at a life in cricket

'When I really wanted things to go well, I tried to control the outcome through OCD'
Neil McKenzie had rituals and habits that even the most superstitious batsmen would consider obsessive. He talks to Sidharth Monga about why he did the things he did