The first of those, in July and August, however, is in Sri Lanka, against a team on the wane on pitches that aren't quite the slow deserts they once were.

WSJ: Just One More Peak to Conquer

They can grow in the most hostile of regions such as deserts so don't infringe on land set aside for food crops.

CNN: All about algae: Can pond scum power our future?

Scientists aren't sure if the world's deserts collectively are growing, but the boundaries of some are in flux.

FORBES: A Desert Where?

At a point in human history when natural predations should be less of a reason to flee one's home ground--increasingly we have the means to overcome droughts or infestations, and global warming (if true) isn't yet a reason to uproot--millions are heading to crowded cities or across deserts or oceans to reach more promising lands.

FORBES: On the move