India become number one Test side overtaking Australia

India's players pose with the trophy after winning the fifth and last Test cricket match between India and England at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on March 9, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 10 March 2024
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India become number one Test side overtaking Australia

  • India clinch number one spot after beating England 4-1 in five-match series
  • India are already the number one team in One-Day and T20 internationals

NEW DELHI: India have climbed to the number one spot in Test cricket rankings following an emphatic 4-1 series victory against England.

The Indian team moved past Australia who are now second in the table, according to the rankings released by the International Cricket Council late Saturday.

India lost the opening Test against England before bouncing back to win the remaining four matches, including the final game which ended in Dharamsala on Saturday.

In January, India had slipped to second place in Test rankings after a drawn 1-1 series against South Africa.

Australia overtook India at the top after sweeping the three-Test series at home against Pakistan.

Currently Australia lead the two-Test series against New Zealand 1-0 following their 172-run victory in Wellington.

India will remain at the top regardless of the outcome of the second New Zealand-Australia Test in Christchurch.

India are already the number one team in one-day and T20 internationals.

They are also at the top of the ICC World Test Championship Standings table


Islamabad says over 580 Afghan Taliban militants killed as Pakistan, Afghanistan fighting continues

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Islamabad says over 580 Afghan Taliban militants killed as Pakistan, Afghanistan fighting continues

  • Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched an attack on Pakistani military installations
  • Islamabad has since been pounding parts of Afghanistan where it says militant targets are present, Kabul denies the allegation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed 583 Afghan Taliban fighters, wounded more than 795 and struck 64 locations inside Afghanistan in air attacks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday, as fighting between the two neighbors entered the second week.

Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border.

Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.

“Summary of Afghan Taliban losses: 583 Killed, 795+ Injured, 242 Check posts destroyed, 38 Posts captured & destroyed, 213 tanks, armored vehicles, artillery guns destroyed,” Tarar said on X.

The statement came hours after Pakistan’s security forces successfully foiled an infiltration attempt by militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border in the

Chaman sector, according to a security official. The group, estimated to comprise three to four militant formations, attempted to breach the border fence under the cover of darkness.

“Troops detected the movement in time and engaged the militants as they attempted to cut through the border fence,” said the security official, seeking anonymity. “During the exchange of fire, one foreign terrorist was killed while the remaining militants fled the area.”

Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups such as the TTP on its soil and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Islamabad to address its security challenges without blaming Kabul.

Afghanistan has called for dialogue to resolve the conflict. Pakistan, however, has rejected talks with Kabul, saying its operation “Ghazab Lil Haq” — meaning Wrath for Truth — will continue until its objectives are achieved.

Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies, including the European Union and the United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.