Beginning on Wednesday, the men in blue will play two Test matches in Bangladesh. If they succeed there, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy competition that follows might end up being one of the biggest in recent memory.
Pakistan, who had a good chance of securing top WTC standings before the series find themselves in difficulty as they have slipped to No. 6 on the table.
Pakistan Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has ruled out the possibility of early elections. Speaking on Geo News programme 'Jirga', Sadiq said that the ruling coalition government will complete its term and elections will be held in due time.
The speedster's injury has added to the team's woes as Pakistan's fast-bowling resources are already depleted due to the absence of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Harris Rauf. Rauf debuted in the first Test but injured his quadriceps and is now out of the series.
Australia have named Michael Neser as Hazlewood's replacement for the second test against the West Indies. The replacement is the second for the Aussies after Scott Boland was roped in for injured Pat Cummins.
In 57 Tests that he has played since his debut in 2014, Buttler has scored 2,907 runs, with two centuries and 18 fifties. In his most recent Test appearance during the Ashes against Australia, Buttler could score only 11 runs across both innings of the fourth Test
Labuschagne, who was just two points behind Root before the two ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Tests completed over the past week, now enjoys a healthy lead at the top even as Root has slipped to fourth place behind Steve Smith and Babar Azam.
Rauf injured his right quad while fielding on the first day of the first Test in Rawalpindi and did not bowl during England's second innings as the visitors won by 74 runs.