AB de Villiers relishing opportunity to lead Proteas sans wicket-keeping gloves

South Africa's one-day international (ODI) captain AB de Villiers has claimed he is looking forward the chance to lead the team against New Zealand without the extra pressure of keeping wickets.

De Villiers said he has always felt a bit rushed trying to captain the side and keep wicket, adding he will probably stand at mid-off and be able to communicate with his bowlers a lot better as well as get a better perspective of the game.

De Villiers had been in charge of the one-day team since 2011 and had conducted affairs in all 13 of those matches from behind the wicket, Sport24 reports.

Dean Jones slams Shane Warne, Ian Chappell for criticizing Oz rotation policy

Dean Jones has slammed former Australian players Ian Chappell and Shane Warne for criticizing selectors' dubious rotation policy, adding that resting over-loaded senior players is important in the long run.

"People hate change. They loathe it. But with the Australian cricket team, and the constant changes within the team, everyone has had an opinion on how it is travelling. The majority of it not complimentary," Jones wrote in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald.

"Now I think it is time for someone to stand up for the Australian selectors and coaching staff. They don't deserve this criticism. It is almost un-Australian the way fans and media have attacked this team," he added.

India beats England by 7 wickets in Ranchi ODI

India thrashed England by 7 wickets in third one-day international of the five-match series at JSCA Stadium here on Saturday, bowling out the visiting team for 155 runs before Virat Kohli returned to the form with 77 runs unbeaten.

Celebration triggered off in the stadium and Indian dressing room as the skipper and the local boy M. S. Dhoni hit the winning runs by pulling Steven Finn to the square-leg boundary.

India first bundled out the visiting team for a worthless 155 in 42.2 overs and then chased down the target with 21.5 overs to spare to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Australia add Jackson Bird to one-day squad

Australian selectors have added fast bowler Jackson Bird to their one-day squad for Sunday's crucial clash against Sri Lanka in Sydney.

Sri Lanka lead the five-match series 2-1 after a four-wicket win in Brisbane on Friday, bowling out Australia inside 27 overs for just 74 runs. "Jackson Bird will join the squad as cover for the fourth Commonwealth Bank Series match in Sydney," Cricket Australia said in a statement late on Friday. 

Monty Panesar cleared to take part in IPL auction

England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar, who had impressed in the recent Test series in India, has been cleared by his county side Sussex to take part in next month's auction of the cash-rich IPL.

Panesar is among three England players to have been given permission to appear in this year's IPL auction, according to Cricinfo. The other two are, his Sussex team-mate Matt Prior and Essex's Ravi Bopara. 

Panesar -- as well as Prior -- had appeared in the IPL auction before without attracting any takers, but his success in the recent Test series in India, where he grabbed 17 wickets in the three matches he played, could boost his chances of being bought by a franchisee.