Last week I wrote about teams filling holes (effectively or not) as the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 got underway. This week the tournament has excited and frustrated in equal measure.
We have seen some breathtaking tight finishes, wonderful individual performances but the last few days have been marred by bad weather.
India maintained their winning record at the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 with an eight-wicket victory over Pakistan, eventually escaping the rain showers in Birmingham.
Shikhar Dhawan made 48 as India reached an adjusted target of 102 in 22 overs having earlier dismissed Pakistan for 165 in 39.4 overs.
There may be little more than pride at stake for Pakistan when they take on arch-rivals India in tomorrow's ICC Champions Trophy Group B clash at Edgbaston, but captain Misbah-ul-Haq says he is relishing the task of taking them on.
Misbah, who averages 41 against India in ODIs, says that despite the fact that Pakistan have already been eliminated following defeats to South Africa and West Indies, the match is an important one.
In the latest of our ICC Champions Trophy 2013 discussion videos, John Pennington and Chetan Narula review the latest action and look back at the tournament so far.
They discuss India's fine win over West Indies, the form of the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, assess what went wrong for Pakistan and just why Australia are also struggling.
When Misbah-ul-Haq picked out Hashim Amla at mid-wicket, the partisan Pakistan crowd at the glittering Edgbaston stadium in England's second city started to head for the exits; a fate that now seemingly awaits their team in the tournament.
Their hopes of progression hang by a thread after South Africa prevailed by 67 runs in the fifth match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq top scored for his side in their ICC Champions Trophy 2013 opener against West Indies but his side went on to lose by two wickets.
Ahead of today's vital clash against South Africa, he predicts a good contest and says that is important for his players not to dwell on the West Indies match, but instead look forward to their next game.
Every single sports team, from your local club's junior team to the best Test, One-Day International and Twenty20 International sides in the world, go through the same processes of having to replace key players who suffer injuries, retire, or move on.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2013, falling right between two World Cups, has seen most of the competing teams without major stars - some by accident, some by design. Others, like Sri Lanka and West Indies, will soon be forced to replace some of their stalwarts.
Day two of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 saw West Indies beat Pakistan by two wickets in a close encounter at The Oval where Pakistan almost defended 170.
Despite 96 not out from Misbah-ul-Haq and three wickets from Saeed Ajmal, it wasn't to be, and led by Chris Gayle, Kemar Roach and Marlon Samuels, West Indies got home with time to spare.
Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, in our latest Mr Predictor cricket betting programme, the Cricket World team assesses the chances of each of the eight competing teams and looks at the odds on the leading batsmen and bowlers.
Plus, we get the thoughts of Chris Gayle as he reminisces on his side's 2004 success before giving his preview of the tournament and look out for a 3,432-1 triple as a suggested bet!
Pakistan powered to a six-wicket win over South Africa to lay down a significant marker ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, where the two sides will meet in the group stages.
A fine performance in the field from Pakistan enabled them to dismiss South Africa for 202 and as Imran Farhat and Mohammad Hafeez both scored half-centuries, they reached their target with 27 balls to spare.
Edgbaston was a bleak picture for most of the day as the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 warm-up match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The dismal weather which held up England during their second Test victory over New Zealand has also played havoc with the domestic programme and this international friendly went the same way.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Committee has concluded its two-day meeting at Lord's with a number of recommendations for both the Chief Executives' Committee.
The Committee, made up of current and former players, officials and cricket journalists, discussed a range of pertinent topics including Test cricket, One-Day International cricket and the switch-hit.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq is well aware of the huge levels of anticipation ahead of his side's ICC Champions Trophy clash with India on 15th June but is keen that his side prepares fully for all three of their group games.
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 champions open their campaign against West Indies on 7th June and end their group stage against India after playing South Africa on 10th June.
The battle for this week's Cricket World Player of the Week award is a close contest between four men. Kamran Akmal and Kevin O'Brien both played starring roles in the highly entertaining ODI series in Clontarf, while Graeme Swann and Joe Root excelled during the rain-hit second Test at Headingley.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have signed an agreement for England and Wales to host the 2019 World Cup.
The tournament will be held in June 2019 at 10 venues with 10 teams competing after the agreement was signed during meetings in Dubai.
Having come so close to recording another major scalp on Thursday, Ireland were once again left to rue a missed opportunity as Pakistan finalised their preparations for the Champions Trophy with a thrilling two-wicket win in the second One-Day International at Clontarf.
With the visitors staring down the barrel of an upset defeat, Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz smashed the Irish bowling attack to all corners of the picturesque Dublin venue as they added 93 for the eighth wicket.
Ireland once again underlined their ability to compete with the heavyweights of world cricket, coming close to recording another famous victory over Pakistan but in the end had to settle for a tie in the first One-Day International in Dublin.
Paul Stirling's second successive century against Pakistan got Phil Simmons' side off to the perfect start in their pursuit of 276 before Kevin O'Brien's explosive innings of 84 meant the game went into the final over.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that Elite Panel umpire Asad Rauf has been withdrawn from standing in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.
The Pakistani official is reportedly under investigation by Mumbai Police who are conducting enquiries into spot-fixing and corruption in cricket.
A round-up of the weekend's action including Stuart Broad's inspirational spell at Lord's to hand England a 170-run victory over New Zealand, Aaron Finch and Luke Wright in the runs for Pune Warriors, Sunrisers Hyderabad beating Kolkata Knight Riders to reach the IPL play-offs and a washout in Edinburgh.
The second and final One-Day International between Scotland and Pakistan was abandoned without a ball being bowled at a wet Raeburns Place in Edinburgh.
After several inspections throughout the day, the umpires were left with no choice but to call the game off, meaning Pakistan take the series 1-0 courtesy of their 96-run in the opening game two days ago.
