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Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's listing of this week's cricket matches.
This week's cricketing action will feature India travelling to New Zealand for a long tour comprising of five T20Is, three ODI matches and two Test matches beginning with the first T20I in Auckland on Friday, 24th January.
South Africa will host England for the fourth and final Test in a series filled with rivalries and controversy surrounding seamer Kagiso Rabada, while Bangladesh look to begin the new year on a positive note when they face off against hosts Pakistan in the first T20I of the three-match T20I series.
Big Bash League action continues as the tournament nears the end of the league stages while the U-19 Cricket World Cup will be in focus as the latest edition of the competition unearths some of the most talented youngsters around the globe.
Round 6 of India's premier domestic tournament, the Ranji Trophy will culminate on 22nd January while India A will play three ODIs against New Zealand A beginning with the first unofficial ODI on 22nd January.
Also see – Under 19 world cup schedule
Here is the full schedule of matches to be played this week (20th January - 26th January).
India in New Zealand T20I series
1st T20I: Friday, January 24th at Auckland (12.30 PM IST)
2nd T20I: Sunday, January 26th at Auckland (12.30 PM IST)
Post a morale-boosting series to cap off a successful home season, the Men in Blue will travel to New Zealand in their first overseas challenge ahead of the T20 World Cup in October.
With Shikhar Dhawan all but ruled out of the T20I series, it will be interesting to see how the selectors pick the squad, with KL Rahul playing the role of a floater in the side, and his wicket-keeping skills adding an extra dimension to the side, according to skipper Virat Kohli.
England in South Africa, 4th Test match
4th Test: 24th January - 28th January at Johannesburg (1.30 PM IST)
South Africa drew first blood in the series with a 107-run win from the opening game, before England pulled things back in the second Test to claim a massive 189-run win. With South Africa's batting unit crumbling against England in the third Test, it is likely that England will take a 2-1 lead in the series, making it extremely important for South Africa to bring their best onto the field in the fourth Test.
However, they have been dealt a harsh blow with pacer Kagiso Rabada copping a penalty for over-celebrating Joe Root's wicket, as a result of which the former will miss out from participating in the final Test match.
Bangladesh in Pakistan T20I series
1st T20I: Friday, 24th January at Lahore (7 PM IST)
2nd T20I: Saturday, 25th January at Lahore (7 PM IST)
Bangladesh will go into the T20I series without the presence of stalwart Mushfiqur Rahim - who opted out of the tour citing security reasons - but they will be bolstered by the return of southpaw Tamim Iqbal, who will add experience to the side along with skipper Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar.
However, they will also miss out on the services of quite a few support staff members such as batting coach Neil McKenzie, spin consultant Daniel Vettori and fielding coach Ryan Cook, who have all been withdrawn from the squad.
ICC Under-19 World Cup 2020 (All matches at 1.30 PM IST)
Monday, 20th January at Kimberley
England U19 v West Indies U19
Australia U19 v Nigeria U19
Tuesday, 21st January
India U19 v Japan U19 at Bloemfontein
Bangladesh U19 v Scotland U19 at Potchefstroom
Wednesday, 22nd January
New Zealand U19 v Sri Lanka U19 at Bloemfontein
Pakistan U19 v Zimbabwe U19 at Potchefstroom
Afghanistan U19 v United Arab Emirates U19 at Potchefstroom
South Africa U19 v Canada U19 at Potchefstroom
Thursday, 23rd January at Kimberley
Australia U19 v England U19
West Indies U19 v Nigeria U19
Friday, 24th January
India U19 v New Zealand U19 at Bloemfontein
Afghanistan U19 v Canada U19 at Potchefstroom
Pakistan U19 v Bangladesh U19 at Potchefstroom
Saturday, 25th January
Sri Lanka U19 v Japan U19 at Potchefstroom
Zimbabwe U19 v Scotland U19 at Potchefstroom
South Africa U19 v United Arab Emirates U19 at Bloemfontein
England U19 v Nigeria U19 at Kimberley
Defending champions, India U19 made a dominating start at this year's World Cup with a 90-run win against Sri Lanka U19 and will face off against Japan U19 and New Zealand U19 in their remaining group stage fixtures.
Pakistan U19 also picked up a big 7-wicket win over Scotland U19, but the biggest talking point was Afghanistan U19's 7-wicket win over South Africa U19, with wrist spinner Shafiqullah Ghafari claiming 6/15 from 9.1 overs highlighting the country's rise of standards in the spin department.
Ranji Trophy 2019-20, Round 6
Mumbai v Uttar Pradesh at Mumbai
Tamil Nadu v Railways at Chennai
Delhi v Vidarbha at Delhi
Gujarat v Punjab at Valsad
Kerala v Rajasthan at Thiruvananthapuram
Bengal v Hyderabad at West Bengal
Madhya Pradesh v Saurashtra at Indore
Himachal Pradesh v Baroda at Dharamsala
Nagaland v Bihar at Dimapur
Assam v Maharashtra at Guwahati
Sikkim v Mizoram at Bhubaneshwar
Goa v Chandigarh at Porvorim
Puducherry v Arunachal Pradesh at Puducherry
Services v Haryana at Delhi
Odisha v Jammu Kashmir at Cuttack
Jharkhand v Uttarakhand at Ranchi
Chattisgarh v Tripura at Raipur
The sixth round of the domestic four-day competition will continue across the country as some big names such as R Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik among others will be in action for their respective state teams.
With Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Karnataka leading the Elite Group A and B points table, it will be interesting to see how Tamil Nadu fare against Railways and Mumbai do against Uttar Pradesh, with both the big teams needing to pick up wins in order remain in contention for a spot in the knockouts.
India A tour of New Zealand A ODI series
1st unofficial ODI: Wednesday, 22nd January at Lincoln (3.30 AM IST)
2nd unofficial ODI: Friday, 24th January at Christchurch (3.30 AM IST)
3rd unofficial ODI: Sunday, 26th January at Christchurch (3.30 AM IST)
India A, led by Shubman Gill put up an impressive show in the warm-up ODI games ahead of the series as they clinched victories from both games, with Prithvi Shaw's 100-ball 150 and Krunal Pandya's all-round show from both games the major talking points from the matches.
With a couple of top performers set to earn a call-up to the senior side for the tour of NZ, there could be a few changes in place for this three-match ODI series as well.
Big Bash League 2019-20
Monday, 20th January
Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Stars at Sydney (1.10 PM IST)
Perth Scorchers v Sydney Thunder at Perth (4.10 PM IST)
Tuesday, 21st January
Melbourne Renegades v Hobart Hurricanes at Melbourne (1.40 PM IST)
Wednesday, 22nd January
Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Stars at Adelaide (1.40 PM IST)
Thursday, 23rd January
Brisbane Heat v Sydney Sixers at Brisbane (1.40 PM IST)
Friday, 24th January
Hobart Hurricanes v Sydney Thunder at Hobart (12.40 PM IST)
Perth Scorchers v Adelaide Strikers at Perth (3.40 PM IST)
Saturday, 25th January
Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Renegades at Sydney (10.10 AM IST)
Melbourne Stars v Brisbane Heat at Melbourne (1.40 PM IST)
Sunday, 26th January
Sydney Thunder v Perth Scorchers at Sydney (9.15 AM IST)
Adelaide Strikers v Hobart Hurricanes at Adelaide (1.40 PM IST)
With just a week left before the commencement of the knockout stages, the Melbourne Stars are comfortably placed at the top of the points table with 10 wins from 11 matches, all but locking a spot in the qualifier.
The Strikers and Sixers have 13 points from 11 matches with six wins apiece and will look to continue with some momentum towards the knockouts while defending champions Melbourne Renegades will be hoping to finish off their disastrous season with a couple of wins under their belt.
4-Day Franchise Series 2019-20 in South Africa
Monday, 20th January - Thursday, 23rd January (All matches at 1.30 PM IST)
Match 22, Warriors v Cape Cobras
Match 23, Dolphins v Knights
Match 24, Titans v Lions
The Lions have picked up four wins from seven matches this season and are perched on top of the points table while the Knights are placed second with just two wins from seven matches. The Cape Cobras, currently holding the wooden spoon will need to find some source of inspiration when they face off against the Warriors, who have two wins and an equal number of losses from seven encounters.
South Africa Women Tour of New Zealand 2020
1st ODI: Saturday, January 25th at Auckland (4.30 AM IST)
The South African Women's cricket team has not enjoyed the best of results in the recent past, having been subject to a 0-3 loss against hosts India after finishing with a 1-1 draw against Pakistan at home.
However, the New Zealand women will also be coming into this series on the back of a 0-3 loss to Australia and will be keen to make the most use of home conditions to bounce back into form.
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