It is the absorbing second Test match between New Zealand and India in Bangalore that provides this week's winner. Ross Taylor hit a sublime 113 in the visitors' total of 365, but that effort was bettered by Virat Kohli, who scored 154 runs across two innings to help India to a series clean sweep.
To much fanfare, Andrew Strauss announced his retirement from professional cricket on Wednesday. Amongst all the discussion over whether this opens the door for Kevin Pietersen's imminent return and over how big a part the whole Pietersen saga played in Strauss' departure, an important issue has been largely glossed over. Just who is going to be England's new Test opener?
Last week's MVP ratings didn't lie as South Africa, whose players dominated our Test Match dream team, were victorious over England in the final test match and claimed the number one world ranking spot.
Next on the agenda for the South African touring party is a One Day International series against England. This week's MVP dream team will look at the world's best ODI team.
This week the cricket community managed to leave the Kevin Pietersen saga behind it and move on to more (joyous) topics of conversation, namely discussions about Prince Harry's naked antics in Las Vegas.
It is fair to say that cricketers gave Harry the big thumbs up. Mark Butcher (@markbutcher72) tweeted, "What's the point of being an unmarried heir to the throne if you can't get some in Vegas? #harry."
This week John Pryor looks back through time at some of the most famous dropped catches in cricket history. The number one Test match ranking changed hands in dramatic fashion this weekend; needing to win the final match of the series versus South Africa in order to hold on to top spot England went into the final day still needed 329 runs with only eight wickets remaining. Sadly for the home side it was not to be and they fell just 51 runs short of their target. Understandably, areas in which England failed to perform have been highlighted within the England setup and in the media.
This weeks dream team selection focuses on the Test match arena, using the latest Cricket World Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ratings system. John Pryor picks the best XI.
It's do or die this week for England as they must win the final Test match against South Africa to maintain their number one world ranking. So what are their chances? Based on this week's Test match dream team it appears that England will need nothing short of a miracle to overturn a team which has five players in the line-up.
Cricket Twitter this week was a continuation of the Kevin Pietersen saga which has gripped the headlines. The usual characters voiced their opinions on the topic which has the potential to divide what was thought to be a very stable dressing room.
This week John Pryor discusses the circumstances in sport which mean that not coming first can be good enough.
Amidst the subsidiary aims of sport there is one primary aim, winning. No sportsman or woman would enter the field of play without the aim to be victorious, though sometimes not winning can be enough.
On the opening day of the 2012 Under-19 World Cup in Australia, Daniel Grummitt takes a look at how many of England's players from the tournament's 2002 edition made the step up to become a member of the senior team's currently number one ranked ODI side.
John Pryor highlights and discusses a range of the most entertaining and controversial tweets of the week by cricketers and cricket pundits. This week's range of subjects includes Kevin Pietersen, the Olympics and more Kevin Pietersen.
Twitter this week was dominated by reactions to Kevin Pietersen's controversial statement that the next Test Match at Lord's might well be his final one for England.
In his weekly column John Pryor discusses whether cricket should feature in future Olympic games and the controversies which would surround its inclusion. The London Olympics is moving into its final week but the hype around this monumental event is not diminishing, primarily as a result of the unprecedented success of team GB.
York batsman Duncan Snell has been named as this month's Gunn & Moore Cricket World batting performer of the month. Across four matches, he hit 364 runs at an average of 121.33. The highlight was his twin centuries in York's wins on the 21st and 22nd July against Driffield Town and Scarborough. Against the former, he hit 118 off 144 balls in his side's total of 302 for six, while in the latter he was even more impressive, batting throughout the innings to make 139 off 144 balls in their total of 331 for four.
John Pryor highlights and discusses a range of the most entertaining and controversial tweets of the week by cricketers and cricket pundits. This week's range of subjects includes England-South Africa, dead balls and the Olympics.
With the Olympics gripping the nation one would be justified in assuming that few would be talking about cricket on Twitter...but luckily for us they would be wrong.
This week's dream team selection focuses on Twenty20 International cricket, using the latest Cricket World Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ratings system. John Pryor picks the best XI.
With the cricket world starting to look forward to the upcoming ICC World Twenty20, this week's team of the week will focus on the T20 dream team.
Cricket World caught up with Sussex batsman and former Cricket World MVP Luke Wells to discuss all things Sussex, Luke's form and aims, his winter in Sri Lanka, the ICC World Twenty20, England versus South Africa and the Olympics.
Wells spoke confidently and enthusiastically about the form of Sussex this year and their potential to convert that form into trophies towards the end of the season.
John Pryor highlights and discusses a range of the most entertaining and controversial tweets of the week by cricketers and cricket pundits. This week's range of subjects includes South Africa's win at The Oval, the Friends Life t20 and the Olympics.
There has been a rich dichotomy between the emotions expressed by English cricketers at the beginning and end of this week.
This weeks dream team selection focuses once again on the Test Match arena, using the latest Cricket World Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ratings system. John Pryor picks the best XI.
With England's disappointing performance last week making the headlines and the West-Indies versus New Zealand series getting under way let's see how things have changed from our last Test Match dream team...
In his latest column, Daniel Grummitt writes that England's bowlers were down on pace at The Oval and asks whether the punishing international schedule is to blame.
Back after a short break, John Pryor returns with a column highlighting the part international sports stars can play in the development of young fans and players, using his own chance encounters with, among others Andrew Flintoff and Liam Plunkett, as examples.
Role models in sport are hugely important for the development of younger generations; this is most obviously depicted in football where every young footballer has their favourite players name printed on the back of their shirt.
There can only be one possible winner of this week's award following South African batsman Hashim Amla's record-breaking 311 not out in the First Test against England. He was the first South African to make a Test triple hundred, going past AB de Villiers' previous best of 278, and made the highest score in a Test in England since Graham Gooch hit 333 not out against India in 1990.
Six county cricketers have each had the dreaded news from their employers over the past week that their services will no longer be required next season. Some will, of course, inevitably, find new teams, but others will not be so lucky. So what exactly does happen to a county cricketer when his dreams of playing the game professionally are shattered so suddenly?
Teenager Jake Libby has won the Gunn & Moore Cricket World batting performance award for June. The 19-year-old from Pensilva in Cornwall hit 452 runs at an average of 90.4 across six matches in June for his club Callington.
He began the month in fine fashion, hitting two centuries over the Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend (117 against St Austell and 145 against Grampound Road), and followed that up with an innings of 117 not out against St Just the following Saturday.
John Pryor highlights and discusses a range of the most entertaining and controversial tweets of the week by cricketers and cricket pundits.
Twitter was a place of both celebration and sorrow this week...
With the England versus Australia series coming to a conclusion and the West Indies versus New Zealand series underway, Cricket World's Most Valuable Player (MVP) dream team once again presents the dream One-Day International (ODI) team.
An easy question: What do Mark Boucher, Mark Ramprakash, Michael Di Venuto and Tatenda Taibu all have in common?
Answer: As anyone who has been following cricket with even half an eye over the past couple of weeks will know, they have all announced their retirement for varying reasons recently, writes Daniel Grummitt.
The world of cricket was rocked this week by the news that South African wicket-keeper Mark Boucher had announced his retirement from international cricket following a freak injury sustained in a pre-tour warm up match versus Somerset.
In his weekly column, John Pryor reflects on the changing nature of injuries and how cricketers and teams deal with them.
Since coming back from his international exile following his falling-out with the WICB, he has torn the New Zealand bowlers to shreds in all four matches played so far on their tour of Florida and the Caribbean. His comeback began with a 51-ball 53 in England last month, but really ignited with back-to-back half centuries against the hapless Kiwis at Lauderdale last weekend, before reaching a climax with his 20th ODI century in the second ODI on Saturday.
The talking stops soon - today, in fact - and South Africa hit balls in anger as they begin their tour of England. Perhaps with England's recent success in Australia in mind, they play a pair of warm-up matches ahead of the opening Test on 19th July.
With the bulk of England's Test side still concerned with finishing off a struggling Australian side, there is a slight danger that it will be South Africa's players who will head into the series with better preparation behind.
John Pryor highlights and discusses a range of the most entertaining and controversial tweets of the week by cricketers and cricket pundits.
With the funeral of Tom Maynard taking place this week, Twitter was justifiably full of tributes for the young Surrey star...
This week we turn to the Test Match arena for our Cricket World Most Valuable Player (MVP) team of the week.
With the Sri-Lanka vs Pakistan series currently taking place and anticipation mounting about the South African tour of England, it is interesting to see which nationalities are dominating the Test match MVP rating, writes John Pryor.
Franchises have increasingly been talked about in recent days as the saviour of England's Twenty20 competition - the group stages of which will splutter, amidst the rain, to their conclusion this weekend.
Daniel Grummitt makes the case against franchises being the answer to county cricket's problems.
In no sport is the captain more important than cricket; he is the puppet master and the chess player moving his pieces into place, writes John Pryor.
It is the captain who takes the plaudits when the team wins and must answer questions when they lose. Not only is the captain involved in important decisions on the field, he is also part of the selection panel and the public face of the team.
Eoin Morgan is this week's deserving winner. The 25 year-old regained the form that appeared, at times, to have deserted him over the winter, by hitting 89 not out off just 63 balls in England's opening ODI against Australia at Lord's, and followed that up with an unbeaten 43 in the second match.
The arrival of Australia for this five-match One-Day International series has elicited plenty of talking points already such as the scheduling of the series itself and what, if any pointers, it can give us for next year's Ashes contest, writes John Pennington.
I don't feel it will tell us an awful lot about a Test series 12 months down the line. I doubt the winning captain will be talking about how this series was the launchpad for Ashes success when interviewed at The Oval next August.
Introducing a new column to cricketworld.com which highlights and discusses a range of the most entertaining and controversial tweets of the week by cricketers and cricket pundits. By John Pryor.
Twitter has become the medium through which cricketers communicate with their fans, whether it be the expression of their personal opinions or entertaining match assessments, Twitter has provided the world of cricket with political controversy, humour and a wealth of topics to discuss.
England may well be the number one Test team in the world, Australia the number one ODI team, but what is the most valuable team this week based on our unique Cricket World® MVP Ratings system?
John Pryor introduces our latest MVP feature - with the England vs Australia ODI series just beginning and the number one world ranking up for grabs, this week's dream team will consist of the most valuable ODI players.
When picking this week's award winner, it is hard to look beyond the Tri-Nations tournament in Zimbabwe and that competition's man of the series, Hamilton Masakadza, who struck 205 runs from his four matches last week - including three half centuries - to lead the hosts to what was an unexpected, albeit very popular, triumph.
The Gunn and Moore Cricket World batting performance of the month for May has been awarded to Ian Sutcliffe of Hightown Cricket Club.
Former club captain, Ian Sutcliffe, scored an amazing 151 not out in Hightown's 49-run win over Rainford in the Liverpool Premier League.
