In a match seemingly headed for a draw, Raymon Reifer and Jermaine Blackwood each scored 50s as the West Indies declared their second innings on 203-5 on Wednesday’s final day of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

The World Test Championship final will take place at The Oval between June 7 and 11, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed.

There will also be a reserve day on June 12 if necessary as the top two Test sides do battle to see who will lift the mace as world Test champions.

Those two teams are yet to be finalised, although Australia currently top the rankings while India, who they meet in a four-Test series starting on February 9, are second.

Sri Lanka and South Africa sit third and fourth respectively, with the latter set to take on reigning champions New Zealand in a two-Test series in February.

England are in hot pursuit in fifth after winning eight of their past nine Test matches, while West Indies also have a slim chance of making the final.

New Zealand's hopes of retaining the title they claimed by beating India by eight wickets in Southampton in 2021 are already over, having won just two Test matches since that famous victory.

Former Jamaica and West Indies fast-bowler Franklyn Rose is calling on players to have the right frame of mind when representing the region.

The 51-year-old Rose, who played 19 tests and 27 one-day internationals, made this plea in a recent interview with www.usacricketers.com.

He implored players to aspire to be role models, always disciplined and change their attitudes when it comes to international duties.

“Our players need to change their attitudes in the region and I think that is what is affecting our performances over the years, if not our cricket will continue to decline,” Rose commented.

Rose, who took 53 Test wickets, also commented on the standard of First-class cricket in the region.

“We don’t see the bouncy pitches anymore, our fast-bowlers need good pitches to bowl on, we need them to be prepared for international assignments and, again, these come down to the attitude of our players, people blame the administrators but if the players don’t have the right attitude, then things can’t go right” Rose said.

Filling the gap between the youth to senior level is of paramount importance, according to Rose.

“We have got to put things in place to help the youngsters after finishing off at the youth level; we want proper structure, we want good cricket after that youth tournament so we can keep our talented young players in good shape, we don’t want them to have the same attitude from the youth stage and then transfer it to the big stage, so we have got to be smart and change our whole attitude when it comes to our cricket in the Caribbean,” Rose declared.

Since his retirement, Rose has been a steady presence in the United States of America featuring for various clubs in Los Angeles while he has been involved in humanitarian services back in Jamaica.

He performed several coaching roles as well to add to his cricketing criteria.

Like many ex-West Indies players, Rose has reached out to the schools to help with the promotion of cricket. According to Rose, he is doing voluntary coaching with over 30 schools in Jamaica.

“Well, the youths need to be given the chance; I go into schools and try to spot talented players; I always wanted to contribute back to the game; I strongly believe in coaching so I am willing to assist,” Rose said.

Jack Leach feels he belongs in England's Test team as he returns to New Zealand for the first time since he was seriously ill on the 2019 tour.

The bowler, who suffers from Crohn's disease, contracted sepsis four years ago after a bout of food poisoning, and subsequently struggled to hold down a red-ball place.

But back at full fitness, Leach was the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2022 with 46, behind only Australia's Nathan Lyon and South Africa's Kagiso Rabada.

Ahead of England's two-match series later this month, Leach acknowledged he had fears about returning to New Zealand, but that he feels secure now in his place with Ben Stokes' side, which has helped hugely.

"I was on a drip and had antibiotics in the other arm [last time I was here]," said Leach, who reached 100 Test wickets in Pakistan at the end of the year.

"It slowly got worse and worse. I was really struggling for a bit. It wasn't great, but that's all in the past now. I'm having too much fun to get ill now.

"It can be stress-related, so maybe being a little bit more relaxed is actually helping that side of my health as well. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

"I always felt like cricket was an individual sport within a team, but this feels like such a team.

"It's something I feel very lucky to have experienced because it's a lot more enjoyable.

"It's been probably the most important thing for me, that backing and feeling like I belong.

"I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as I can and do as much as I can for the team."

Former England batsman Gary Ballance made an unbeaten century to lead a Zimbabwean fightback on day four of the first Test in Bulawayo.

Day four started with Zimbabwe 114-3 off 41.4 overs, trailing the Windies by 333 runs.

The Zimbabweans were in further trouble when half-centurion Innocent Kaia was struck plumb in front by Alzarri Joseph for 67.

Wicketkeeper Tafazdwa Tsiga then joined Balance at the crease, facing five balls and making only two before Joseph dismissed him in a similar fashion, leaving Zimbabwe 132-5 after 51 overs at that point.

Brad Evans then made his way to the middle and added a further 15 runs with Balance before he was caught behind off the bowling of Kemar Roach for seven.

The fall of that wicket was the start of somewhat of a revival for Zimbabwe as Wellington Masakadza then joined Balance at the crease.

The pair put on a partnership of 45 for the seventh wicket, more importantly, batting for 24 overs and four balls in the process.

This pair worked and frustrated the West Indian bowlers, something that the next pair capitalized on as Balance and Brandon Mavuta, who took his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests in the West Indies first innings, put on what may very well be a match-saving 135-run eighth-wicket partnership.

Mavuta, who had a previous highest Test score of six, made his maiden half-century off 107 balls before being bowled by Jason Holder for 56 off 132 balls just after the tea break.

Just before tea, Ballance brought up his maiden Test hundred for Zimbabwe, having previously making four for England, off 190 balls.

After Mavuta was dismissed, Ballance had partnerships of 14 with Victor Nyauchi, who made 13, and 38 with Richard Ngarava, who finished 19*, as the hosts declared on 379-9 off 125 overs, trailing the West Indies by 68 runs.

Ballance finished not out on 137 from 231 balls, hitting 12 fours and two sixes.

Alzarri Joseph led the way with the ball for the Windies with 3-75 off his 26 overs. Gudakesh Motie and Jason Holder also bagged two wickets each.

At stumps, the West Indies were 21-0 off 13 overs in their second innings with Kraigg Brathwaite on 11 and Tagenarine Chanderpaul on 10.  

Scores: West Indies 447-6 declared off 143 overs (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 207*, Kraigg Brathwaite 182, Brandon Mavuta 5-140) and 21-0 off 13 overs (Kraigg brathwaite 11*, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 10*)

Zimbabwe 379-9 off 125 overs (Gary Ballance 137*, Innocent Kaia 67, Brandon Mavuta 56, Alzarri Joseph 3-75, Jason Holder 2-55, Gudakesh Motie 2-110)

Cameron Green looks set to miss Australia's first Test against India, with vice-captain Steve Smith suggesting it will be unlikely the all-rounder features in Nagpur.

Green suffered a fractured finger during the Boxing Day Test with South Africa in December, and has not played a first-class match since then.

He sustained a further knock to the injury while in a training camp ahead of Thursday's opening match, casting further doubt on his participation.

Now, Smith has indicated it will be a long shot for Green to feature at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, with the tourists reluctant to rush him back into the fray.

"I don't think he is [going to play]," he said. "I don't think he has even faced fast bowlers. So I dare say he won't be playing.

"Who knows [though]? I'm not entirely sure. We'll wait and see. But it's unlikely, I think."

Having eschewed a warm-up game ahead of the four-match series, Australia will be heading into their clash in Nagpur with only a few days on Indian surfaces under their belt.

Smith is reluctant to speculate how the pitch will affect his side's selections when it comes to their bowling attack, adding: "It's pretty dry.

"There's a section that's quite dry. Other than that, I can't really get a good gauge on it. I don't think there will be a heap of bounce in the wicket.

"I think for the seamers, it will be quite skiddy and maybe [have] a bit of up-and-down movement as the game goes on. The cracks felt quite loose. We'll wait and see when we get out there."

Australia's T20 captain Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from all international cricket.

The 36-year-old called it quits in ODIs last September, but continued to captain Australia later in the year in the T20 format as they looked to defend their World Cup title on home soil.

However, Finch's side failed to reach the semi-finals despite the right-handed batsman top-scoring in a group-stage victory over Ireland, one that ultimately ended up being his last international match.

Finch has called it a day after a fantastic international career, during which he set the record for the highest score in a T20I with his 172-run innings against Zimbabwe in 2018.

He played for Australia 254 times across the three formats with 146 ODIs and 103 T20Is, as well as five Test matches.

Finch will continue playing for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League after racking up 3,120 T20I runs, putting him sixth in the all-time rankings.

Finch told reporters at the MCG: "Realising that I won’t be playing on until the next T20 World Cup in 2024, now is the right moment to step down and give the team time to plan and build towards that event.

"I also want to say a huge thank you to all the fans who have supported me throughout my international career."

Finch captained his country in 76 T20Is and 55 ODIs, with his finest hour as Australia skipper coming in 2021 when he led them to the T20 World Cup, while he was also part of the team that won the 50-over Cricket World Cup in 2015.

Finch added: "Team success is what you play the game for and the maiden T20 World Cup win in 2021 and lifting the ODI World Cup on home soil in 2015 will be the two memories I cherish the most.

"To be able to represent Australia for 12 years and play with and against some of the greatest players of all time has been an incredible honour."

A maiden Test double hundred from Tagenarine Chanderpaul and a 12^th Test century from captain Kraigg Brathwaite have put the West Indies in an excellent position after day three of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

The day began with Chanderpaul and Brathwaite resuming from their overnight score of 221-0 with Brathwaite on 116 and Chanderpaul on 101.

The pair took their opening partnership to 336 before Brathwaite was trapped leg before wicket to Wellington Masakadza for 182. His knock lasted 312 balls and included eight fours.

With the Windies 336-1, Kyle Mayers was promoted to number three to provide quick runs and did that, contributing 20 off just 24 balls before he became the first of Brandon Mavuta’s five wickets.

The 25-year-old leg spinner then claimed the wickets of Raymon Reifer (2), Jermaine Blackwood (5), Roston Chase (7) and Jason Holder (11) to complete his maiden Test five-wicket haul.

During all that, Chanderpaul brought up his maiden Test double ton off 416 balls, finishing up not out on 207 off 467 balls as the West Indies declared on 447-6 after 143 overs.

Mavuta ended with figures of 5-140 off 41 overs.

The Zimbabwean reply started well as openers Innocent Kaia and Tanunurwa Makoni saw off the West Indian new ball pair of Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph in the process of bringing up their 50-run partnership in the 21^st over.

Makoni’s resistance ended in the 27^th over when he flashed at a wide one from Joseph, being easily caught by Kyle Mayers at slip with the partnership at 63.

Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie then got in on the action in the 32^nd over when he produced a feint edge off Chamu Chibhabha which West Indies wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva safely held. Chibhabha made nine.

Kaia then brought up his maiden Test fifty off 98 balls.

With the Zimbabweans seemingly heading towards stumps with eight wickets in the shed, West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite decided to try his hand at bowling the last over of the day.

The decision proved to be a genius one as Brathwaite removed opposite number Craig Ervine for 13 to leave the hosts 114-3 off 41.4 overs at stumps, trailing the Windies by 333 runs.

Scores: West Indies 447-6 declared off 143 overs (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 207*, Kraigg Brathwaite 182, Brandon Mavuta 5-140) Zimbabwe 114-3 off 41.4 overs (Innocent Kaia 59*, Tanunurwa Makoni 33, Kraigg Brathwaite 1-5, Gudakesh Motie 1-25, Alzarri Joseph 1-25)

The Guyana Harpy Eagles have a 9.8-point lead at the top of the table after round one of the 2023 West Indies Championship.

The Harpy Eagles, who won five straight titles from 2015-2019, have 20 points after hammering defending champions Barbados Pride, who are last with 4.8 points, by 183 runs in round one at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

The Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and the Windward Islands Volcanoes are second and third with 10.2 and 8.4 points, respectively, after playing to a draw at the St. George’s Cricket Ground in Grenada.

Fourth is occupied by the Leeward Islands Hurricanes with 7.4 points after narrowly missing out on an outright win over the Jamaica Scorpions at Coolidge. Their round one opponents are fifth with 6.2 points.

Round two gets underway on February 8 with Jamaica facing Barbados at Coolidge, the Leeward Islands facing Trinidad & Tobago at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and the Grenada National Stadium hosting Guyana and the Windward Islands.

West Indies Women lost their ICC Women’s World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand by 32 runs in Cape Town on Monday.

Chasing 123-5 made by the Kiwis, the West Indies limped to 91-7 in their 20 overs.

Maddy Green top scored for New Zealand with 47 from 37 balls after her team had slipped to 32-3 in the seventh over. Suzie Bates and Green added 26 for the fourth wicket before the former was dismissed for 30.

Green and Brooke Halliday then added 56 for the fifth that took the score to 114 when Halliday was run out for 24 in the 20^th over.

Green added the remaining runs before the innings closed.

Captain Hayley Matthews was the best of the West Indies bowlers with 1-6 from her two overs. There was also a wicket each for Chinelle Henry, Karishman Ramharack and Shakera Selman.

As has become the norm in recent matches, the West Indies lost wickets early and were 25-3 in the eighth over.

Matthews had scored 15 of the West Indies’ 20 runs before she was dismissed.

Shemaine Campbelle top scored with 26 and Chinelle Henry with 23 were the only batters into double figures as they put on 51 for the fourth wicket.

Amelia Kerr who accounted for Henry’s wicket finished with figures of 3-20 from her four overs as the Caribbean women slumped to defeat.

This was the West Indies Women’s 13^th loss in 14 matches since their last win which came against New Zealand in September 2022.

Steve Smith believes a series triumph in India would represent a bigger achievement for Australia than winning the Ashes.

Australia begin a four-match tour of India in Nagpur on Thursday, as they bid to win three successive men's Test series for the first time since doing so between November 2015 and February 2016.

The tourists are under no illusions as to the size of the task awaiting them in India, with their hosts only losing one of their last 15 Tests on home soil against Australia (W11 D3).

Having helped Australia to a crushing 4-0 series win over old rivals England in the last Ashes series in 2021-22, Smith believes a successful tour of India would beat that achievement.

"I think if we could win in India, that'd be bigger than an Ashes series," Smith told cricket.com.au.

"It's a difficult place to win a Test match, let alone a series, so if we were able to topple that mountain, it would be huge."

Team-mate David Warner echoed Smith's thoughts, saying: "Being a part of that last Ashes was fantastic, but to go to India and beat India is the toughest challenge in Test cricket for us.

"I'm really looking forward to the tour, it's always a hard graft and one thing I'm looking forward to is applying myself against the best spinners in the world."

While India have claimed victory in six of their last eight red-ball series against Australia, the tourists enter Thursday's first contest in excellent form, topping the world Test rankings and boasting a collective batting average of 46 since the start of 2022, the best of any team in that time.

Captain Pat Cummins also believes a series win in India would rank among the team's finest achievements, adding: "Winning a series in India is like an away Ashes series, but even more rare.

"I think that really is a career highlight, an era-defining series, if you can win one over there. So that's our opportunity and we can't wait.

West Indies openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul broke a long-standing record for Test opening partnerships on Monday’s third day of the first Test against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo as the West Indies went to lunch on 374-2.

Resuming from their overnight score of 221-0 with Brathwaite on 116 and Chanderpaul on 101, the pair took their opening partnership to 336 before Brathwaite was trapped leg before wicket to Wellington Masakadza for 182. The score broke the record for the best-ever West Indies opening partnership of 298 by the West Indies iconic opening pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes that was made against England in 1990.

They also became the first opening pair to bat in excess of 100 overs in an innings in the 21st century only the second opening pair to face over 600 deliveries in a Test innings, falling just short of the record held by Sri Lanka’s Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya, who had played 114.2 overs against Pakistan.

It is also the ninth-highest opening partnership in Test cricket history and the first time that both West Indies openers have gone past 150 in the same innings.

Brathwaite’s marathon knock lasted 312 balls and included 18 fours.

In a bid to accelerate the scoring rate, Kyle Mayers, who replaced Brathwaite scored 20 from 24 balls in a partnership of 37 with Chanderpaul before was bowled by Brandon Mavuta with the score at 373.

Dropped at deep backward square leg on 150, Chanderpaul remains unbeaten on 161 with Raymon Reifer on one at the other end.

Masakadza has so far taken 1-53 from 22 overs while Mavuda has figures of 1-99 from the 32 overs he has bowled so far.

Usman Khawaja "went Usain Bolt" to make his flight to India after a series of hold-ups delayed the batsman's departure from Australia ahead of this week's first Test.

Khawaja was forced to remain in Brisbane after not receiving a visa in time to make his scheduled flight last week, before two delayed flights further frustrated his bid to reach India. 

The batter was eventually forced to race through Delhi Airport to make the final leg of his journey to Bangalore, where he met up with his Australia team-mates ahead of the four-Test tour.

"I went Usain Bolt trying to make my connection," Khawaja told cricket.com.au. "I somehow got on that flight – the last flight of the whole night – and got here. 

"From the time I left Melbourne to here it was 24 hours. That's just life, you just have to deal with it. It's no biggie, I'm here now and ready to go."

While the delay meant Khawaja only managed a single training session before Australia departed for Nagpur ahead of the first Test starting on Thursday, he does not believe it will have an impact when the series gets under way.

He also shrugged off David Warner's claim of being "exhausted" ahead of the tour, saying: "Trying to get on seven different flights to get to India, then get here – we're all tired, we're all fatigued.

"That's just part and parcel of being a cricketer. Once you're on the field, it's just game on. It's the same with Davey.

"I've scored runs a lot of times when I have been tired and fatigued, you just have to find a way sometimes. I'm sure Davey will find a way."

India have only lost one of their last 15 men's Tests at home to Australia, while their current run of three successive series triumphs against the Aussies is the longest in their history.

However, Australia have only lost one of their last 10 Test series (W7 D2), and they could rack up three consecutive series wins for the first time since February 2016.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored his maiden Test century and Captain Kraigg Brathwaite scored his 12^th as the West Indies closed another rain shortened second day in the first Test against Zimbabwe on 221-0 at Bulawayo.

The West Indies had resumed from their overnight score of 112-0 with both batsmen on 55.

In the 48 overs possible on Sunday because of a wet outfield caused by heavy downpour on Saturday, the 26-year-old Chanderpaul, playing in only his third Test, progressed to score 101 not out.

His 100 came up off 296 balls and included 10 fours and a six. It was the first time since 2013 that a West Indies opener other than Brathwaite had scored a Test century.

Brathwaite, meanwhile, had scored yet another century to be unbeaten on 116. His ton that included only seven fours came from 226 balls.

The 221-run opening stand marked the first time West Indies has put on a double-century opening partnership since 2012 and was just the 10th double century opening partnership in West Indies history and the seventh pair to do so.

The partnership was also the highest ever opening stand against Zimbabwe.

The 150-run stand came up in 67.2 overs while the 200-run partnership was achieved in 83.2 overs.

Josh Hazlewood's rotten luck with injuries has continued after he was ruled out of the opening Test between India and Australia.

Hazlewood, who has played only four Tests in the last two years, will not feature in Nagpur on Thursday due to an Achilles issue, with Scott Boland in line to play instead.

A side injury suffered against West Indies in November saw Hazlewood miss not only the second Test of that series, but also the first two matches against South Africa in December.

He returned for the final Test of that series, taking 5-57 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but will now have to recover from another niggle.

Hazlewood joins fellow paceman Mitchell Starc in missing the first Test of the four-match India series, while all-rounder Cameron Green is also a doubt, meaning an overseas bow for Boland is likely.

Boland has taken 28 wickets across his six Test appearances.

Discussing the injury, Hazlewood said: "It's still lingering from the [Sydney] Test match [against South Africa].

"We obviously bowled after a lot of rain and the jump-offs were quite soft, where we were taking off from and they ended up replacing them as well.

"It sort of worked to a degree, but just that extra load jumping off a soft ground to bowl and again first Test match your body is not used to that sort of workload as well.

"So we thought we'd give it a few days here straight off the bat and try and get over the hump and have a bowl from Tuesday and hope it goes well."

Boland has the full backing of his team-mate, however.

"Scotty has bowled plenty at the MCG when it was a flat wicket, it probably wasn't swinging or reverse swinging so he knows how to work hard for a long period of time," Hazlewood said.

"You've got Lance Morris who has worked hard on reverse swing for the last month and then a nice lead in here with a few sessions.

"The guys are excited first of all to play in the subcontinent, they both haven't yet, but they're very well qualified to do so."