Pakistan captain tore into Pandya in the opening over of the run-chase, smashing five consecutive sixes as they mowed down the 89-run target in just 3.5 overs. Khawaja Nafay followed his captain's lead and blasted two sixes and two fours in the next over off T Natarajan, with Afridi also hitting a four.

The pair added 59 runs for the first wicket in just two overs before Shashank Singh removed Afridi for 35 off eight on the first ball of his over. Nafay went on to make 41 off 12 deliveries before falling to Rahul Tewatia.

 

 

 

 

 

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Things just didn't go well for India captain in this encounter, getting dismissed for a golden duck earlier, and only making it worse with five sixes off five balls. Nitish Rana also struggled with the bat, managing only 19 off 14 balls before he was retired out.

Rahul Tripathi made nine off five balls while Tewatia also had a golden duck. It was Shashank who provided any sort of impetus, smashing 40 runs off 11 deliveries. He hit five sixes and two fours in his knock.

Also read: Hong Kong Sixes 2026, live streaming and TV channels: Where to watch live and match timings

Earlier in the day, Pakistan were stunned by the United Arab Emirates by one wicket, with Khalid Shah blasting 71 in 20 balls to chase down 107. India are scheduled to face the UAE on Saturday, and will have a chance to reach the semi-finals.

Image: Hongkongsixes/instagram

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As for the squads, Alick Athanaze and Keacy Carty will lead the West Indies A 'T20I' and 'ODI' squads, respectively. Athanaze will have capped players in Jewel Andrew, Vitel Lawes, Quentin Sampson, and Kamil Pooran for support. The ODI side will feature Kevlon Anderson, Jediah Blades, Kirk McKenzie, and Oshane Thomas apart from Carty, Athanaze, Lawes and Andrew. It is an important series for the West Indies, with the World Cup qualifiers coming up in February.

England Lions will be led by Thomas Rew in ‘T20Is' and Dan Lawrence in ‘ODIs’, with Rehan Ahmed included in both squads after losing his spot in the England senior men's side. The team includes six other players with ECB contracts - Ben McKinney, Eddie Jack, Liam Patterson-White, Mason Crane, James Coles, and Sam Cook.

Also read: Teenage prodigy leapfrogs brother in England keeper standings with maiden international call-up

WI-A vs England Lions: Full schedule and venues

All three ‘T20Is’ and four ‘ODIs’ start at 2pm local time (11:30pm IST, 6pm UK time). The third ‘ODI’ is a day game and begins at 9:30am local time (7pm IST, 1.30pm UK time).

Squads for England Lions tour of West Indies

West Indies A 'T20I' squad

Alick Athanaze (c), Jewel Andrew, Zachary Carter, Shadrack Descarte, Keon Gaston, Karima Gore, Joshua James, Vitel Lawes, Zishan Motara, Jakeem Pollard, Kamil Pooran, Quentin Sampson, Stewart Thompson.

West Indies A 'ODI' squad

Keacy Carty (c), Kevlon Anderson, Jewel Andrew, Alick Athanaze, Jediah Blades, Rivaldo Clarke, Shadrack Descarte, Jyd Goolie, Vitel Lawes, Kirk McKenzie, Micah McKenzie, Shaqkere Parris, Jakeem Pollard, Shamar Springer, Oshane Thomas.

England Lions 'T20I' squad

Thomas Rew (c), Rehan Ahmed, Scott Currie, Adam Finch, Calvin Harrison, Jack Haynes, Eddie Jack, Ben Mayes, Ben McKinney, Liam Patterson-White, James Rew, Naavya Sharma, Ekansh Singh, Asa Tribe.

England Lions 'ODI' squad

Dan Lawrence (c), Rehan Ahmed, James Coles*, Sam Cook, Mason Crane, Adam Finch, Jack Haynes, Eddie Jack*, Ben Kellaway, Ben Mayes, Ben McKinney, Liam Patterson-White, James Rew, Thomas Rew*, Naavya Sharma, Ekansh Singh, Asa Tribe.

*players will leave after the third 'ODI'

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Having been skittled out for just 112 batting first, Markhor IT Solutions needed an inspiring performance to bring them back in the game, and Jamal stepped up to produce just that. He snared 7 for 32 in the first innings to bowl out State Bank of Pakistan for 172, and keep the deficit to just 60. The seam-bowling all-rounder delivered 14 overs in the innings, including four maidens.

He then starred with the bat as well, scoring 55 from number eight after Atizaz Habib Khan was retired hurt. He was the second top run-getter in the innings behind Abuzar Tariq’s 85, powering the side to 296, setting up a defendable target of 237.

The bowling unit did the rest to bundle out SBP for 185, with Khalid Usman taking four for 38. Jamal took a solitary wicket in this innings after bowling 14 overs for 39 runs.

Aamir Jamal with a brilliant 7-wicket haul in the President’s Trophy final! 🔥🇵🇰 Absolutely dominant spell in the biggest game of the tournament. Another big performance when it matters most. 💪 https://t.co/CgrDkF15m8

— Humais khan (@Humireacts) October 28, 2026

The 30-year-old all-rounder played only three games in the tournament, scoring 118 runs and picking up 10 wickets at an average of 18.20. He had a couple of rough outings heading into the final, having scores of 15, 12, and 32, and going wicketless in three of the four innings.

Jamal was notably one of the seven players to be sent home from England in the middle of the tour after Pakistan lost the second Test at Lord's by 194 runs. He also couldn't find a spot in Pakistan's squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka.

The all-rounder has played nine Tests till date, managing 355 runs at an average of 23.66 with two fifties and 23 wickets at 35.21 apiece with two five-wicket hauls. His last Test appearance for Pakistan was against West Indies in July.

Also read: 483 runs at 53.66: Abdul Razzaq's son signs off stellar President's Trophy campaign with match-saving ton

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At 5-4, Afghanistan were in a precarious situation when Omarzai walked out in the fourth over and went on to pull off a historic rescue act. He powered his side to 221-7 from that position, becoming the first player from full-member sides to score a century from number six or below.

The 26-year-old all-rounder completed his fifty off 31 balls while recovering the innings, and later changed gears rapidly, racing to his century off just 44 balls. He had an able support at the other end in Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, who made 52 off 27 from number seven, and the duo together added 142 runs for the sixth wicket - the highest T20I partnership for the sixth wicket or lower.

Omarzai smashed 12 sixes and five fours in what was his maiden century in this format. In the process, Afghanistan also broke the record for the most runs scored in a men's T20I after the fall of fourth wicket. The previous record was held by India, who made 212-4 from 22-4 against Afghanistan in 2024.

Overall, Omarzai recorded the third-highest individual score in T20Is from number six or lower, behind Belgium’s Shaheryar Butt (125* against the Czech Republic in 2020) and Slovenia's Izaz Ali (118 against Serbia in 2025). No player from the full members had ever scored a century from No.6 or below before him, with Sam Billings’ 87 against West Indies in 2019 being the previous best. Mohammad Nabi scored a 30-ball 89 from No.7 against Ireland in March 2017, but that came before Afghanistan got full-member status, which was later that year in June.

Despite his knock, the victory wasn't straightforward for Afghanistan as Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza scored a century of his own, blasting 106 not out in 56 deliveries. Omarzai made an impact with the ball as well, picking up 1 for 17 in his two overs. With this win, Afghanistan took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, with the final game scheduled to be played on November 1.

Also read: Why a dropped towel saved a Zimbabwe batter from dismissal

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Abdul Samad played a heroic 143-run knock in the second innings to help the defending champions Jammu & Kashmir eke out a draw against Baroda. Puducherry held Uttar Pradesh for a thrilling draw as they finished the day at 211-8 in their second innings. 

The other two matches of the group yielded outright results with Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha winning against Bihar and Goa respectively.

Brief Scores

Jammu & Kashmir 303 & 316-6 (Abdul Samad 143) drew vs Baroda 616 (Priyanshu Moliya 321, Mahesh Pithiya 102)

Madhya Pradesh 407-8d (Saksham Purohit 132, Rajat Patidar 109) beat Bihar 99 (Mangal Mahrour 42, Saransh Jain 7-40) & 134 (Saransh Jain 6-49)

Uttar Pradesh 333 (Karan Sharma 167, Sagar Udeshi 4-62) drew vs Puducherry 172 & 211-8 (Kartik Yadav 6-42)

Vidarbha 442-8 (Dhruv Shorey 168) beat Goa 220 (Yash Kasvankar 63*, Darshan Misal 51, Nachiket Bhute 5-48) & 195 (Manthan Khutkar 70, Harsh Dubey 4-38)

Group B

Three matches of Group B yielded outright results as Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Saurashtra won their respective matches against Andhra, Tripura and Assam. Shreyas Gopal was the star for Karnataka, picking up a five-for in the second innings while Parth Bhut accounted for an eight-wicket haul against Assam. Meanwhile, the match between Hyderabad and Punjab ended in a tame draw 

Brief Scores

Chhattisgarh 231 & 182-5 beat Andhra 231 (SV Rahul 89, Jayant Yadav 4-75) & 184-3d (Ricky Bhui 72*)

Hyderabad 380  (Abhirath Reddy 97, Rahul Radesh 86) drew vs Punjab 431 (Salil Arora 151, Chama Milind 4-79) & 240-6d

Karnataka 490-9d (Aneeshwar Gautam 100) beat Tripura 194 (Bikramkumar Das 51, Shikhar Shetty 5-54) & 180 (Shreyas Gopal 5-36)

Saurashtra 387 (Hetvik Kotak 80) beat Assam 281 (Denish Das 90, Sibsankar Roy 100, Jaydev Unadkat 3-50) & 94 (Parth Bhut 8-17)

Group C

Group C witnessed only one outright result in this round of Ranji Trophy as Bengal rode on a 10-wicket match haul to beat Kerala. Jharkhand vs Delhi and Services vs Odisha matches were affected due to rain, while Maharashtra earned points based on the first-innings lead against Gujarat.

Brief Scores

Jharkhand 131-4 (Utkarsh Singh 53*) drew vs Delhi 515-5d (Ayush Badoni 210*, Sumit Mathur 150*)

Services 40-0 drew vs Odisha 194 (Swastik Samal 39, Pulkit Narang 6-47)

Bengal 350 (Shahbaz Ahmed 121, Aditya Sarvate 4-95) & 198 beat Kerala 141 (Vishnu Vinod 41, Pradipta Pramanik 4-44)) & 120 (Pradipta Pramanik 6-51)

Maharashtra 330 & 141-4 drew vs Gujarat 223 & 446-5d (Aarya Desai 151, Jaymeet Patel 119*)

Group D

Tanush Kotian picked up a staggering eight-wicket haul as Mumbai defeated Haryana by 10 wickets in a Group D fixture while Tamil Nadu thumped Railways by five wickets. Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh played out a high-scoring draw while Rajasthan earned crucial points based on the first-innings lead against Uttarakhand.

Brief Scores

Himachal Pradesh 559-6 (Akash Vashisht 126*, Innesh Mahajan 121) drew vs Chandigarh 685-5d (Nehal Pajni 222, Arjun Azad 147)

Mumbai 430 & 97-0 (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 67*) beat Haryana 270 & 256 (Tanush Kotian 8-81)

Tamil Nadu 165 & 130-5 beat Railways 184 & 108 (Sai Kishore 4-39)

Rajasthan 272 (Kartik Sharma 73, Devendra Bora 6-72) & 290-5d (Karan Lamba 100*) drew vs Uttarakhand 194 (Kookna Ajay Singh 5-66) & 38-0

Plate Group

In the Plate Group, Manipur defeated Arunachal Pradesh despite Techi Doria and Salil Malhotra smashing tons for the latter side in the second innings. Manipur stumbled in the tricky run chase but they eventually got over the line with four wickets in hand. Nagaland earned points based on the first-innings lead of three runs against Sikkim, while Mizoram and Meghalaya were involved in a high-scoring draw.

Brief Scores

Nagaland 187 (Joshua Ozukum 59) & 117-5 drew vs Sikkim 184 (Leeyong Lepcha 43, Imliwati Lemtur 5-40) & 208 (Chetan Bist 97)

Manipur 364 (Jotin Pheiroijam 166, Likha Sonia 4-56) & 180-6 beat Arunachal Pradesh 111 (Ajay Singh 4-27) & 431 (Techi Doria 160, Salil Malhotra 135)

Mizoram 430 (Chinmay Sutar 125) drew vs Meghalaya 562 (Ajay Duhan 239, Kishan Lyngdoh 198) & 60-2

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Tanisha opened the innings for Delhi in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy in Pune, and went berserk right from the first ball, hitting back-to-back fours to start the proceedings. After losing her opening partner Vanshika Lila in the second over, she stitched a 160-run second-wicket stand with Priya Punia (59 off 28) off 66 deliveries.

During the rapid partnership, she brought up her century off just 38 deliveries, the joint third-fastest in women’s T20 cricket. Kiran Navgire holds the record for the fastest hundred, which came off 34 balls for Maharashtra against Punjab, while Sophie Devine is next in the list with a 36-ball hundred for Wellington against Otago.

Tanisha went level with Deandra Dottin, who also smacked a 38-ball century for the West Indies against South Africa in 2010. 

In a stroke-filled 119-run knock, the 23-year-old accumulated 106 runs in boundaries, smashing 25 fours and a six. She got out in the 15th over, with the team’s score reading 230-4. Notably, Tanisha’s swashbuckling innings came within 24 hours after she found no takers at the Women’s Premier League auction on Wednesday in Kochi.

Tanisha was part of the India A squad that toured England earlier this year in July, scoring a half century in the third one-dayer of the series. She was also impressive in the 2026 Delhi Premier League, finishing as the third-highest run-getter with 206 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 117.05 for finalists South Delhi Superstars.

She was also in good touch in the recent series against Australia A in September, accumulating 120 runs in three one-dayers, including a fifty, and a 92 in the only unofficial Test.

Highest totals in domestic women’s T20s, full list: Delhi break all-time record

Delhi couldn’t get the finishing kick to the innings, however, adding only 32 runs off the last five overs, but they scored enough to record the highest-ever total in domestic T20 cricket. Argentina's 427-1 and 333-1 against Chile in 2023/24 remain the top two highest totals in all women's T20s.

Delhi's 262 lands 11th on the overall list of the highest total in women's T20s, including internationals.

Image Credit: Tanisha Singh/Instagram

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All 24 matches of the Hong Kong Sixes will be played at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Kowloon. Nine matches each will take place on Friday and Saturday, with six games, including the final, scheduled for Sunday.

On the first two days, the action will get underway at 8:45am local time (6:15am IST, 1:45am UK time). The last match of the day will commence at 4:05pm local time (1:35pm IST, 9:05am UK time).

On November 1, with only six matches scheduled, the opening game of the day will start at 9:40am local time (7:10am IST, 2:40am UK time), and the tournament will conclude with the Cup final, starting at 3:10pm local time (12:40pm IST, 8:10am UK time).

Hong Kong Sixes 2026, where to watch: Live streaming and TV channels

Where to watch in India?

Sony Sports Network will telecast all the matches of Hong Kong Sixes 2026 in India across its sports channels. Live streaming of the tournament will be available on Fancode.

Where to watch in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lankan fans will be able to watch Hong Kong Sixes live on Sony Sports 2 and Sony Sports 2 HD on Dialog Television. Dialog TV will also live stream all the matches in the country.

Where to watch in Pakistan?

ASports will telecast the competition live in Pakistan, while live streaming will be available on ARY Plus.

Where to watch in Bangladesh?

T Sports will telecast the tournament, while fans in Bangladesh can live stream all the games on Tapmad.

Where to watch in North America?

Cricket fans in the USA can watch Hong Kong Sixes 2026 live on Willow TV.

Where to watch in the UK and MENA countries?

Ary Plus will live stream the tournament for fans in the UK and MENA countries.

Where to watch in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Afghanistan?

Fans in Australia and New Zealand can catch live action from the tournament on YouTube through Sports Central, Sports TV and Sports Hub. Solh Sports will live telecast the tournament in Afghanistan.

Where to watch in South Africa?

Sporty TV will telecast Hong Kong Sixes 2026 in South Africa, while fans can live stream all the games on YouTube through Sports Central, Sports TV and Sports Hub.

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Earlier, Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bat first, only to lose their way in the first 10 overs of their innings. Only Modester Mupachikwa (37), skipper Josephine Nkomo (35) and Chiedza Dhururu (20) crossed 20 as Zimbabwe were skittled for 131 runs in the 40th over of the innings. Left-arm spinner Vaishanvi Sharma accounted for a five-wicket haul for just 39 runs, while Kranti Gaud and Sayali Satghare picked up a couple of scalps each.

India had won the opening game of the series by nine wickets, chasing down 198 in less than 30 overs, while they reigned supreme in the second by 121 runs.

ICC Women’s Championship 2025-2029 updated standings after India vs Zimbabwe

India have started their ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29 campaign with three consecutive wins over Zimbabwe. With six points, the Smriti Mandhana-led side are now seventh. On the other hand, Zimbabwe have lost 11 of their 12 matches in the cycle and remain in 10th place with two points.

Image Credit: BCCI Women/X

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It does not matter how invincible you are with the bat: you can only be there as long as all your partners have not deserted you. For every masterclass that has stood the test of time, there have been near-unseen collaborators holding the other end up.

To qualify for this list of invisible acts, one has to meet at least two criteria. One, they have to be bona-fide tail-enders, so Rahul Dravid (for VVS Laxman’s 281) or Larry Gomes (for Gordon Greenidge’s 214 not out) or even Syed Kirmani (Kapil Dev’s 175 not out) or Chris Cairns (for Nathan Astle’s 222) do not count. Additionally, the fifty-year filter eliminates Stanley Jackson (for Gilbert Jessop’s 104), Lindsay Kline (for Ken Mackay’s 62 not out) and so on.

And two, they cannot be “equals” in their act, which rules out both James Anderson and Monty Panesar from Cardiff 2009. With that in mind, onwards to the list!

12. Michael Holding: 12* (27) vs England, Manchester 1984

Unbroken 106-run stand for last wicket with Viv Richards to take the West Indies to 272-9

This ranks low because despite his No.11 position, Holding was a prolific hitter (more Test sixes than Steve Waugh or Virat Kohli). Here, however, his role was far from that: walking out at 166-9, all he needed was to preserve his wicket as Richards blasted his way to 189 not out, the highest ODI score at the time. Of the unbroken 106 they added for the last wicket, Holding made only a dozen.

11. Pat Cummins: 12*(68) vs Afghanistan, Mumbai 2023

Unbroken 202-run stand for eighth wicket with Glenn Maxwell to help Australia win the game

It is unfair to call Cummins a tail-ender, despite his nickname of 7-11 being inspired by his binary batting avatars. Chasing 292 here, Australia were 91-7 when he arrived. He had to hold one end up, which he did as Maxwell went on a “two legs good, one leg better” mantra. Cummins watched as his partner went on to rewrite a plethora of records en route to scripting arguably the greatest ODI innings of all time.

10. Geoff Allott: 0(77) vs South Africa, Auckland 1998/99

Unbroken 101-minute, 32-run stand for last wicket with Chris Harris to help New Zealand delay the follow-on

A few months before he was the joint-highest wicket-taker at the World Cup, Allott found himself in the middle as New Zealand needed another 102 to avert the follow-on. As Harris hung on for six hours, Allott scored the longest duck in Test history. It kept the South Africans on the field for long enough for them to lose the steam on a flat wicket.

9. Jack Leach: 1*(17) vs Australia, Leeds 2019

Unbroken 76-run stand for last wicket with Ben Stokes to help England win the Test

In 2016, Leach had been the lead act when Somerset put on 31 for the last wicket to beat Surrey. He had already been England’s night-watcher, and had even scored 92 as an opener in a Test. On this occasion however, as Stokes cut loose, Leach kept alternating between defending everything Australia threw at him and wiping his glasses. If the former made him one-half of an iconic win, the latter won him a free lifetime supply from SpecSavers.

8. Vishwa Fernando, 6*(27) vs South Africa, Durban 2018/19

Unbroken 78-run stand for last wicket with Kusal Perera to help Sri Lanka win the Test

Fernando ranks above Leach because (a) he was playing away from home, (b) he still has a single-digit average in first-class cricket, and (c) he faced 10 more balls. His memo was as clear as some of the others on this list: having taken eight wickets already, all he needed was to maximise the duration of the best possible view of Perera’s carnage. Easier done than said, as it turned out: as Perera hammered a star-studded attack to carve arguably the greatest ever Test innings, Fernando stayed put.

7. Clive Eksteen, 4*(89) vs Sri Lanka, Moratuwa 1993

Unbroken 92-minute, 52-run stand for last wicket with Jonty Rhodes to help South Africa save the Test

South Africa needed 365 against four Sri Lankan spinners (including a young Muttiah Muralidaran) on a rank turner. Never in the hunt for a win, the visitors were seven down with three hours left. But Eksteen demonstrated that he could defend spin better than some compatriots, especially during a 66-ball scoreless phase where he dead-batted virtually everything. Jonty Rhodes’ hundred became the talk of the day, but Eksteen played his part by standing between Murali and the tail.

6. Ishant Sharma, 31(92) vs Australia, Mohali 2010/11

81-run ninth-wicket stand with VVS Laxman to bring India within 11 runs of a win

Had Ishant (first-class average 8.48) stayed put, this would have ranked higher on this list. Battling a back spasm, Laxman played his last great innings against Australia … but he was not alone in it. India needed 92 when No.10 Ishant arrived at the crease. When he hit five fours in his 31, Ishant looked every bit a top-order batter. But then he got an lbw that he could not overturn in the absence of DRS. However, he had already done his bit to slash the target to 11.

5. Haris Rauf, 7*(19) vs England, Lahore 2026

Unbroken 89-run stand for last wicket with Shadab Khan to help Pakistan pull off a miracle

When this match is discussed in the future, Shadab will be spoken about very highly, and rightly so. But this absurd 89-run stand would not have been possible without Rauf, who was in control of 17 of the 19 balls he faced and was in no danger from the other two. When England got a decision in their favour, it was against Shadab, not Rauf. When Shadab walked back, it was Rauf who convinced him to review the decision. And when Shadab trusted him to face a full over, Rauf hit the boundary that fetched the win.

4. Chris Old, 29(31) vs Australia, Leeds 1981

67-run stand for ninth wicket with Ian Botham to push England’s lead from 25 to 94 (eventually 129)

Volumes have been written on the 500-1 saga, but a skeleton gist is worth repeating. Following on, England needed 92 to avoid the innings defeat when the seventh wicket fell. As long as Test cricket exists, Botham’s 149 not out will have its rightful place in history, with Graham Dilley’s 56 as the footnote. Not as talked-about is local hero Old’s 29 that helped Botham push Australia’s target to a defendable one. Bob Willis did the rest.

3. Terry Alderman, 21*(69) vs West Indies, Port of Spain 1983/84

Unbroken 105-minute, 61-run stand for last wicket with Allan Border to help Australia save the Test

Border was a player who looked gritty and batted grittier, and this was the grittiest entry on his CV. He played unbeaten innings of 98 and 100, facing 583 balls in the Test (the second-most by anyone without getting dismissed) when his teammates combined for 656. And yet, it might have all gone in vain, for nearly two hours remained when last man Alderman arrived. Australia led by only 25 in the second innings, but Border need not have worried: the No.11 defied his Test average of 4.67 and career-best of 12 not out to save the day.

2. Danny Morrison, 14*(133) v England, Auckland 1996/97

Unbroken 166-minute, 106-run stand for last wicket with Nathan Astle to help New Zealand save the Test

For the second spot, we focused not on the when or what but on the who. Morrison’s 24 ducks in 48 Tests earned him the nickname of The Duckman. New Zealand had just about saved the innings defeat, when last man Morrison joined Astle. They were still there three hours later, when Astle got his hundred and the umpires removed the bails. Morrison, one of Test cricket’s “elite” tail-enders, returned after his most famous innings … but never played another Test match.

1. Courtney Walsh: 0*(5) v Australia, Bridgetown 1999

You cannot describe Walsh’s batting: anything seems banal here

If Walsh qualifies for a batting list, he has to be number one even if it is a five-ball masterpiece: those are the rules. Armed with the technique of a single-blade propeller in Brownian motion, Walsh had to survive three balls. That became four when Jason Gillespie overstepped, but Walsh survived it all while fist-pumping thin air with the bat under his armpit, because … why not? When he had to thwart Glenn McGrath at the other end, he did that too. The cheer he received after every ball might have drowned what they had saved for Lara.

It was no fluke, for Walsh was at it again a year later, this time for 72 minutes to help Jimmy Adams pull off a heist against Pakistan. He does not hold the world record for most wickets anymore, but in 150 years of Test cricket, Walsh is the only No.11 to remain unbeaten in two successful chases.

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Who is Uma Kashvi?

According to Deccan Herald, Kashvi began her cricketing journey at the age of seven at a cricket academy close to her residence. She hasn’t looked back since.

In the BCCI Women’s U15 One-Day Trophy last season, she amassed 516 runs in just six innings at a staggering average of 172 and a strike rate of 166, with three centuries, 83 fours and 12 sixes, while leading Karnataka.

Her impressive showings earned her a place in India’s U19 squad for the Sri Lanka tour in June-July. Kashvi played two ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka, picking up two and four wickets, respectively, with her off-spin bowling.

The 15-year-old then showcased her all-round skills in the Women’s U19 T20 Trophy for Karnataka, scoring 125 runs and picking up 10 wickets in the tournament. Her best knock came against Manipur when she smashed an unbeaten 60 off 34, with seven fours and two sixes. A couple of days later, she delivered her best performance with the ball, accounting for four wickets against Mumbai.

Besides leading the Karnataka in the BCCI U15 Women’s One-Day trophy, she also captained the Bengaluru Blasters in the Maharani T20 League 2025.

Delhi Capitals head coach Jonathan Batty was also impressed by Kashvi's performances and credited the franchise’s scouts for identifying her talents early. 

“We talk about looking for sort of upcoming talent,” he said. “Uma Kashvi, a highly regarded young Indian player. Really bright prospect for the future. Our scouts identified her quite a long time ago. So yeah, a really bright star looking at the future.”

Image Credits: Uma Kashvi/Instagram

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In mardon ka kya bharosa…”

[“One pastry, two fried snacks…

Men? You can never trust these chaps!”]

The popular slogan, with a rhythm as addictive as its rhyme, has become the unlikely soundtrack to a wave of women-led protests across India. What began as anger over women’s safety has found expression in chants that are funny, juvenile, but impossible to get out of your head. “Mere sar mein dard hai, uska karan mard hai” [I have a headache, and men are the reason] is another favourite.

The protests produced hilarious slogans -  many of which were not entirely untrue - as social media was filled with videos of women taking to the streets. But the meme-ification of the messaging should not make us forget why the protests began in the first place.

Women are still fighting for something as basic as the freedom to step outside without having to calculate the risks. The fear of safety spills into almost every aspect of life, sometimes even getting in the way of doing their job to the fullest, as I was recently reminded yet again.

When the India-West Indies series was announced, I had my eyes set on travelling to Lucknow for the first T20I. With family in the city, I planned my trip around the fixture. But as the game approached, I found myself asking the same question that comes up every time I have a match to cover: how would I get back from the stadium at night?

Located along Amar Shaheed Path, away from the city’s main residential areas, the Ekana Cricket Stadium is not easy to reach. With limited public transport nearby, you are only dependent on an auto or a cab. Even then, you may be dropped on the highway, nearly a kilometre from the venue, leaving you to cover the final stretch on foot.

Getting back is worse. After a late game, you are left walking towards the one-way highway in near darkness, hoping to find transport back to the city. Cabs can be hard to find, and waiting alone for one to arrive is hardly reassuring. Even having your own car is not an easy fix, with parking spots nearly two kilometres from the ground. 

Very often, the safest option is to ask someone in the family to drive across and pick you up late at night. I did not want to put mine through that stress, so, despite wanting to watch the match, I hesitated.

And that is what makes me angry. I would like to think of myself as an independent woman. I work, I travel, and I want to do my job without having to negotiate my way around concerns that should not be mine to solve. Yet a cricket match, something I should be looking forward to, becomes another worry. That is a part of women’s freedom which we rarely talk about. It is not always a dramatic confrontation or a headline-grabbing crime; sometimes, it is simply a decision not to go somewhere because the journey back feels unsafe.

My hesitation over a cricket match might seem like a small matter, but it speaks to a much wider frustration that has been playing out across India. In Delhi, protests gathered momentum following the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park in September. In the aftermath, access to public parks after sunset was restricted, while the renowned Lady Shri Ram College, located near the park, temporarily suspended physical classes and shifted to online learning. The measures were intended to keep women safe, but the explanation only sharpened their anger. They were being forced to curb their movements, stay quiet and make do. The students protested for their freedom, demanding a safer society in which they would not have to bear the brunt of others’ actions.

The solutions offered are depressingly familiar: they must adjust, be mindful of what to wear and follow strict curfews. The responsibility to stay safe somehow falls on those most at risk. Why not try the solution proposed at the protests and lock the perpetrators up after sunset instead?

How safe is cricket watching for women?

Samreen Razzaqui, a reporter with a leading Indian newspaper, echoes my concerns about covering a cricket match, pointing to the challenges posed by the location and accessibility of newer stadiums. “A lot of it comes down to logistics and how stadiums are planned.”

These two problems are particularly apparent in smaller Indian cities, where newer stadiums are often built on the outskirts, away from residential areas and established public transport networks. In contrast, grounds in older metropolitan cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai are generally more integrated into the urban landscape, making them relatively easier to reach. But getting to a stadium is only half the problem. For those leaving after a night match, finding a safe and reliable way home can be just as difficult.

“In a Tier 2 city, travelling late at night is still not very reassuring from a safety perspective,” Samreen says. She recalls similar difficulties in Assam and Indore, where road closures and a lack of transport left her struggling to find a way back. After raising concerns about finding a ride following IPL matches, her organisation arranged a cab for her within Delhi. However, the arrangement does not extend to other cities, where she has to rely on hotel cabs and taxis, with the expenses reimbursed by her employer.

“Within Delhi, knowing that transport will be available is extremely reassuring. Most of my worry in the city is about travelling late at night, so there’s nothing to worry about on that front, no matter how late the match finishes. I know I can get home safely and will be dropped at my doorstep. Having that assurance takes a huge burden off my shoulders,” she says.

Melinda Farrell, an Australian journalist who travelled to India for the 2023 ODI World Cup, faced similar difficulties at Ekana Stadium. “Lucknow was actually the biggest issue in 2023. You had to walk so far at night before you could call a cab,” she recounts. When BCCI officials realised her predicament, they insisted that she wait for them to leave and drove her back to her hotel. “They were really helpful and went out of their way to make sure I was safe.”  Even then, this sort of arrangement is an ad hoc one; it is not feasible to offer the same to every woman journalist who covers a game.

Some cricket associations have made arrangements to ease journalists’ journeys home. The Gujarat Cricket Association organises buses for those covering matches in Ahmedabad, where the stadium is on the outskirts of the city. The buses pick up reporters from designated points, offering them a more reliable way to travel after games.

Lavanya Lakshminarayanan, a journalist with Sportstar, recalls how difficult it once was to travel to and from the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje, outside Pune. “It involved coaxing a local auto or car driver to help drop me back”. She also remembers reporters covering the Women’s T20 Challenge pushing the MCA to organise a bus that travelled through central Pune, with journalists making their way to designated pick-up points. “That was incredibly helpful for everyone who came.”

For journalists, the situation can improve with institutional support. But such arrangements are not guaranteed at every venue, and even when they are available, they largely serve those covering the game professionally. What happens to women fans who have no organisation to arrange their transport, no expenses to claim back and no assurance that a ride will be waiting when the match ends? Several venues also install internet jammers that make it extremely difficult for fans reliant on app-based taxis to get home.

Mansi, who has attended matches at venues across Mumbai and Vadodara, says the difficulty is not confined to smaller cities. While Brabourne and Wankhede in Mumbai are relatively easy to reach because of their central locations and proximity to transport links, night matches at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai can finish after the last local trains have stopped running.

At the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, the parking area is pitch-dark and finding a cab is difficult. During the 2026 Women’s Premier League playoffs, Mansi booked a private vehicle to take her to and from the ground and wait throughout the match.

“That cost me Rs. 3,000 per game, which is absurd when you consider I paid Rs. 500 for the tickets,” she exclaims.

Mansi has occasionally left Wankhede before a match ended because getting out through the crowds and navigating packed cab queues and trains can become difficult.

“I have never heard my guy friends ever worry about when and how they will get home. For them, getting to and from is pure logistics, whereas for women the safety of the transportation forms a large part of the equation.”

Radha Lata Gupta, founding member of The Bucket Hat Cult, a travelling group that supports the Indian Women’s Cricket team, says she has felt comfortable alone only in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. In other Indian cities she has visited for cricket games, she tries to find someone to accompany her, particularly at night.

“I think it’s become a default setting for me to not travel alone,” she says. She often takes friends along even when they are not particularly interested in the match. “I suppose that’s partly because it’s fun to have company, but it’s also a much safer and more positive experience.”

Extending metro or train timings for matches can help, but only if a station is accessible from the stadium in the first place. Even then, women may have to navigate packed trains and jostle for room among crowds of men as thousands of spectators head home.

The experience is not necessarily safer abroad, but better transport connections can make travelling to and from stadiums easier. Radha found Perth and Canterbury in the UK easier to navigate alone, pointing to their walkability, well-maintained pavements, signboards and public transport. “In both Perth and Canterbury, I went to the cricket matches alone, and I didn’t have any difficulty.”

Lavanya found that tram and train networks in Melbourne made getting around easier, while Brisbane’s bus connections were relatively straightforward to navigate. In Dubai, she felt particularly comfortable, despite having to walk past deserted construction sites to reach her accommodation. Her experience in India, however, varies from city to city, depending partly on how much faith she has in local systems.

Still, Lavanya is careful to suggest that overseas travel is not always safer. She once waited nearly half an hour for a cab in Brisbane and witnessed men flashing women outside football stadiums in England. What made a difference was the heavy presence of policemen in the areas.

“Women’s safety is a problem everywhere. It’s just maybe the resources to deal with it or the amount of attention it’s given varies from country to country.”

Katya Witney, my colleague at Wisden.com, has found that even established cricket venues in England can make travelling home difficult. While grounds such as Lord’s and The Oval are centrally located, matches elsewhere can leave her facing long walks to stations or rushing to catch the last train. In Canterbury, she has to run along an unlit footpath to reach the station, often using her phone’s torch. Returning to London in the early hours can be equally uncomfortable. “I don't feel massively safe waiting for a taxi outside Euston station.”

Drunken fans add to the unease. “The drinking is actually the main problem for me,” Katya says. Intoxicated men can make journeys home uncomfortable for women, even when no direct incident occurs. “I haven’t actually had a bad experience; I’ve just felt unsafe.”

For women journalists, the problem is compounded by the fact that leaving early is rarely an option. While fans can begin making their way home with the crowd after the final ball, reporters often have to stay back for presentations, interviews, podcast recordings and press conferences, sometimes for another hour or two. By the time their work is done, the crowds have dispersed, and public transport options are often limited.

“The fact that women reporters do have to be on edge for late-night games is one of the most annoying parts of the job,” Lavanya says. “It is taking a while for the world to understand that women don't ideally want the special accommodations, but this isn't a world that allows women to engage with it 24x7 the way it largely lets its men.”

The precautions women take have become almost second nature: carrying pepper spray cans, sharing their live location with someone they trust, staying on a phone call while travelling alone or feigning to be on one. Lavanya recalls being groped in a crowd after a match in Colombo, while Samreen encountered a man who tried to expose himself while she was walking towards her office cab back from a stadium. Yet neither have allowed these experiences to keep them away from the game. As Lavanya puts it, “The safety aspect always works at the back of the mind, but if it's not stopping our male colleagues, it really shouldn't be the first barrier for me.” 

The solutions at stadiums are not particularly complicated: shuttle buses connecting grounds to transport hubs, designated pick-up points, better lighting and public transport that runs in coordination with match timings. Teams leave in escorted buses, but spectators are often left to navigate crowds and traffic on their own.

Yet the problem extends beyond cricket and cannot be solved by transport arrangements alone. When asked what would make travelling to and from matches safer for women, Katya put it simply: “I don’t know what the answer is apart from deep societal change.”

And perhaps that is the saddest part of it all. Even when the right arrangements are made, there is no immediate fix for the fear that follows women far beyond a cricket stadium. It is not just about watching a match, getting home after work or walking down a familiar street. It is about having to think twice before doing the most ordinary things, in places where you should never have to feel afraid.

So we carry on, sometimes in dread, sometimes in hope, and often with the quiet determination to live as normally as we can. Perhaps one day, we will no longer need to turn our fear into humour to make people listen, or wonder whether something as simple as watching a cricket match will end with us making it home safely.

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For years, players had openly campaigned for a women’s version of the IPL. Given how the IPL fundamentally changed cricket forever, it tracked that the WPL would do so too. Until that point, women’s cricket had dealt in one-off moments. The 2017 World Cup final at Lord’s was watched by millions around the world and the 2020 T20 World Cup final saw a packed house at the MCG. But there were still limited examples that those moments could be translated into a gold mine for governing bodies and private investors.

The WPL did just that. IPL owners saw the prospect of a women’s team as a worthy investment, and stumped up the cash. The inaugural auction saw Smriti Mandhana snapped up for more than £300,000 – the kind of money previously barely acknowledged as a possibility for a female player to earn from a single league. Over the following years, teams built dedicated fanbases, both tapping into existing IPL tribalism and establishing their own unique identities. Social media followings for the highest performing players boomed, and moments like Issy Wong’s hat-trick cut through into the mainstream.

However, in the last year, that growth has stunted, and the WPL’s position at the top of the women’s franchise infrastructure now looks vulnerable.

Wednesday’s auction was a sign of that. Last year’s mega-auction triggered the first squad reset in the league’s history. That meant in this year’s mini-auction, only 27 spots were up for grabs – seven of those being for overseas players. The maximum base price players could enter the auction at (INR 50 lakh – roughly £40,000), combined with the scarce slots available meant few high profile, non-retained overseas players put their names in. Only Sophia Dunkley and Sophie Molineux set their reserve prices at the highest level. Absent from the auction list were the likes of Alana King, Alice Capsey, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge.

The salaries for the highest-paid players in the WPL – the likes of Nat Sciver-Brunt, Ash Gardner, along with marquee India players – are still the highest in the world. But salaries for the players who sit in the ranks just below them aren’t high enough to entice a large chunk of overseas players to prioritise it.

In the current international calendar, franchise leagues have correctly hedged their bets that the money on offer will, for the most part, mean players will choose those leagues over international duties. This year however, with England’s T20I series in Sri Lanka set to clash with the end of the tournament, and most players able to earn higher or equivalent salaries in the Hundred and WBBL, most have chosen their country instead.

At the crux of this is the small size of the WPL compared to The Hundred and the WBBL. Without expansion beyond its original five teams, its player-base will always be limited. While that allows for the absolute elite to take centre stage, it doesn’t allow for enough new players to generate interest, and exacerbates the skill and experience gap between the cream of the international crop and up-and-coming Indian domestic players.

Equally, as long as the competition is limited to being played between two venues, the potential to grow the league’s fanbase in India will be limited. ‘Home’ fans will be excluded for a majority of the teams and, more importantly, the league will continue to present an image of a developing competition rather than a fully-fledged one.

The comparison to The Hundred and the WBBL is also important. Private investment in The Hundred this year saw salaries boom for both the highest-paid players and the middle tier. The sale of the WBBL could see the same, and scrapping the overseas draft has already seen salaries grow. WPL salaries, however, have not significantly grown since RCB broke the bank for Smriti Mandhana in 2023. By comparison, Mandhana’s Hundred salary has almost tripled in that time, and the highest earning player’s paycheque has increased almost seven-fold.

Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce is also an interesting case-study. The WPL’s Associate rule allows teams to field an extra overseas player in their XI (although crucially not in their squad) if they come from an Associate country.

The boundaries of Associate and Full Member teams are blurred in women’s cricket – Scotland comfortably beat Ireland in the T20 World Cup this year and ran Sri Lanka close. Bryce is ranked among the top 10 T20I allrounders in the world, but set her base price for the 2027 auction at the lowest point. Given what the premium allrounders often sell for in auctions, Bryce could have demanded a spot without the Associate rule. But, because of the limited spots on offer, Bryce instead entered the auction at the lowest salary base, and ended up as an absolute bargain – UP Warriorz were able to pick her up at roughly £8,000. In contrast, at The Hundred this year, Manchester Supergiants bought her for more than eight times as much, at £65,000.

Money and salaries aren’t a complete indicator of a league’s success, but for the WPL they matter more. Its original impact was built on being able to commercialise the women’s game, but now it doesn’t hold that monopoly. As the WBBL and the Hundred have accelerated, the WPL has stagnated. In order to counter that flatline, the league has to expand, or risk losing its place at the top of the women’s franchise hierarchy.

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Teams are split into four groups - Group A comprises Australia, Hong Kong, and England, Group B includes Bangladesh, Scotland, and Sri Lanka, Group C features India, Pakistan, and the UAE, while Afghanistan, South Africa, and Oman form Group D. The top team from each group will then advance to the semifinals.

India have named a strong squad packed with IPL stars and will be led by Krunal Pandya. Abbas Afridi will continue to lead Pakistan after taking them to their sixth title in the previous season. England will be captained by John Simpson while Chris Green will have the reins of Australia.

As for the nature of the tournament, each side fields six players in six-overs-a-side contests, and everyone barring the keeper has to bowl.

Hong Kong Sixes 2026 – Full Squads

Below are the full team squads, with their respective captains.

India

Krunal Pandya (captain), Shashank Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, T. Natarajan, Kulwant Khejroliya.

Pakistan

Abbas Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Khawaja Nafay, Muhammad Shahzad, Saad Masood.

Australia

Chris Green (captain), Jack Wood, Max Bryant, Nick Hobson, Kane Richardson, Alex Ross, Matt Kelly.

Hong Kong, China

Yasim Murtaza (captain), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Ehsan Khan, Aizaz Khan, Nizakat Khan, Nasrulla Rana.

Bangladesh

Abu Hider Rony (captain), Sabbir Rahman, Habibur Rahman Sohan, Chowdhury Md Rizwan, Ahrar Amin, Md Samiun Basir Ratul, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury.

Sri Lanka

Sangeeth Cooray (captain), Sachitha Jayatilake, Ravindu Fernando, Vishen Halambage, Movin Subasinghe, Muditha Lakshan, Chamindu Wijesinghe.

Afghanistan

Gulbadin Naib (captain), Sedio Pacha, Imran Mir, Karim Janat, Nangeyalai Khan, Farmanullah Safi, Abdul Rahman.

South Africa

Ayabulela Gqamane (captain), Jorich van Schalkwyk, Steve Stolk, Abdullah Bayoumy, Alindile Mhletywa, Heath Richards, Blake Simpson.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Khalid Shah (captain), Ansh Tandon, Maroof Merchant, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Zuhaib, Zahid Ali.

England

John Simpson (captain), Edward Barnard, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Jack Carson, Martin Andersson, Daniel Mousley, Nathan Gilchrist.

Scotland

Finlay McCreath (captain), Jasper Davidson, Jack Jarvis, Mackenzie Jones, Michael Leask, Lyle Robertson, Safyaan Sharif.

Oman

Syed Aamir Kaleem (captain), Shafiq Jan, Usman Ali, Zohaib Amanat, Sami Hassan, Akbar Ali, Muhammad Muzahir.

Image: hongkongsixes/instagram

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Having entered the auction with the biggest purse of INR 3.75 crore, Warriorz were unsurprisingly the most active team. They also acquired Grace Harris, who has played for them in the past, as well as Sneh Rana.

Mumbai Indians made some clever signings, including Disha Kasat and Shweta Sehrawat, who will bolster their batting unit. Delhi Capitals have added more firepower to their squad in the form of Kiran Navgire for INR 75 lakh.

The reigning champions RCB brought in Jess Jonassen and Chloe Tryon to strengthen their squad further. Gujarat Giants acquired Orla Prendergast for INR 30 lakh, making her the first Irish player to be picked in the WPL auction history.

Also read: WPL 2027 auction, live updates: Full list of players sold and unsold, remaining purse and updated squads

WPL 2027 auction: Full squads

Delhi Capitals

Annabel Sutherland*, Chinelle Henry*, Deeya Yadav, Jemimah Rodriguez, Laura Wolvaardt*, Lucy Hamilton*, Mamatha Madiwala, Marizanne Kapp*, Minnu Mani, N Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Niki Prasad, Shafali Verma, Kiran Navgire (INR 75 lakh), Uma Kashvi (INR 10 lakh), Kirstie Gordon* (INR 10 lakh), Nazma Khan (INR 10 lakh).

Gujarat Giants

Anushka Sharma, Ashleigh Gardner*, Beth Mooney*, Bharti Fulmali, Georgia Wareham*, Happy Kumari, Jintimani Kalita, Kanika Ahuja, Kashvee Gautam, Kim Garth*, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Sophie Devine*, Tanuja Kanwer, Yastika Bhatia, G Kamalini (INR 40 lakh), Orla Prendergast* (INR 30 lakh), Samaira Raghav (INR 10 lakh).

Mumbai Indians

Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr*, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews*, Natalie Sciver Brunt*, Nicola Carey*, Rahila Firdous, Sajeevan Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail*, Vaishnavi Sharma, Disha Kasat (INR 10 lakh), Latika Inamdar (INR 10 lakh), Bharti Rawal (INR 10 lakh), Sanika Chalke (INR 10 lakh), Shweta Sehrawat (INR 20 lakh), Akshita Bhagat (INR 10 lakh).

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Arundhati Reddy, Ellyse Perry*, Georgia Voll*, Lauren Bell*, Nadine De Klerk*, Pooja Vastrakar, Prathyoosha Kumar, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Richa Ghosh, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Jess Jonassen* (INR 30 lakh), Tejal Hasabnis (INR 30 lakh), Vrinda Dinesh (INR 10 lakh), Chloe Tryon* (INR 30 lakh).

UP Warriorz

Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Meg Lanning*, Phoebe Litchfield*, Pratika Rawal, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh, Sophie Ecclestone*, Tara Norris*, Sophie Molineux* (INR 1.10 crore), Sneh Rana (INR 30 lakh), Grace Harris* (INR 30 lakh), Sushma Verma (INR 30 lakh), Kathryn Bryce* (INR 10 lakh), Manali Dakshini (INR 10 lakh), Sahana Pawar (INR 10 lakh), Asha Sobhana (INR 30 lakh).

Note: * indicates overseas players.

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That's all from the WPL 2027 auction. All teams have completed their squads. Molineux ends up as the costliest player in this mini auction at INR 1.10 crore while Orla Prendergast became the first Irish player to be picked in the WPL history.

Accelerated round 2

Tejal Hasabnis goes to RCB for INR 30 lakhs.

Asha Sobhana goes to UP Warriorz for INR 30 lakhs.

Vrinda Dinesh acquired by RCB for INR 10 lakhs.

Humaira Kazi goes unsold.

Shweta Sehrawat goes to Mumbai Indians for INR 20 lakhs.

Shraddha Pokharkar goes unsold.

Chloe Tryon acquired by RCB for INR 30 lakhs.

Pranavi Chandra goes unsold.

Amandeep Kaur goes unsold.

Nazma Khan goes to Delhi Capitals for INR 10 lakhs.

Akshita Bhagat goes to Mumbai Indians for INR 10 lakhs.

Accelerated round

Jess Jonassen acquired by RCB for INR 40 lakhs.

Devika Vaidya goes unsold.

Sanika Chalke goes to Mumbai Indians for INR 10 lakhs.

Pranavi Chandra goes unsold.

Ira Jadhav goes unsold.

Tanisha Ohlan goes unsold.

Kathryn Bryce snapped by UP Warriorz for INR 10 lakhs.

Uma Kashvi goes to Delhi Capitals for INR 10 lakhs.

Khushi Bhatia goes unsold.

Kristie Gordon goes to Delhi Capitals for INR 10 lakhs.

Sahana Pawar acquired by UP Warriorz for INR 10 lakhs.

Palak Singh goes unsold.

Samaira Raghav goes to Gujarat Giants for INR 10 lakhs.

Bree Illing goes unsold.

Top 3 buys after Round 10:

Sophie Molineux - INR 1.10 crore.

Kiran Navgire - INR 75 lakhs.

G Kamalini - INR 40 lakhs.

Round 10

Shanu Sen goes unsold.

Samantha Bates goes unsold.

Sonam Yadav goes unsold.

Parunika Sisodia goes unsold.

Bharti Rawal goes to Mumbai Indians for INR 10 lakhs.

Round 9

Eddla Srujana goes unsold.

Rima Ekka goes unsold.

Yashasri S goes unsold.

Shraddha Pokharkar goes unsold.

Shabnam Shakil goes unsold.

Round 8

Sarah Bryce goes unsold.

Shivani Singh goes unsold.

Latika Inamdar acquired by Mumbai Indians for INR 10 lakhs.

Bhavika Ahire goes unsold.

Round 7

Charli Knott goes unsold.

Pragati Singh goes unsold.

Tess Flintoff goes unsold.

Anandita Kishor goes unsold.

Poonam Khemnar goes unsold.

Sujata Dey goes unsold.

Round 6

Moving on to the uncapped players.

Purvaja Verlekar goes unsold.

Vrinda Dinesh goes unsold.

Gautami Naik goes unsold.

Disha Kasat acquired by Mumbai Indians for INR 10 lakhs.

Humairaa Kaazi goes unsold.

Shweta Sehrawat goes unsold.

Round 5

Priya Mishra goes unsold.

Saika Ishaque goes unsold.

Nonkululeko Mlaba goes unsold.

Asha Sobhana goes unsold.

Round 4

Saima Thakor goes unsold.

Tayla Vlaeminck goes unsold.

Mithali Ayodya goes unsold.

Rosemary Mair goes unsold.

Titas Sadhu goes unsold.

Round 3

Uma Chetry goes unsold.

Sushma Verma goes to UP Warriorz for INR 30 lakhs.

Taniyaa Bhatia goes unsold.

Nuzhat Parween goes unsold.

UP Warriorz have expectedly made three great signings in the first couple of rounds. On to the capped wicketkeepers now.

Round 2

Sophie Molineux goes to UP Warriorz for INR 1.10 crore.

Orla Prendergast goes to Gujarat Giants for INR 30 lakhs.

Chamari Athapaththu goes unsold.

Sneh Rana goes to UP Warriorz for INR 30 lakhs.

Grace Harris returns to UP Warriorz for INR 30 lakhs.

Round 1

Raghvi Bist goes unsold.

Tejal Hasabnis goes unsold.

Sophia Dunkley goes unsold.

Ayushi Soni goes unsold.

Kiran Navgire acquired by Delhi Capitals for INR 75 lakhs.

G. Kamalini goes to Gujarat Giants for INR 40 lakhs.

The list of 150 players shortlisted for the auction was released earlier this month. As many as 122 Indian players (22 capped and 100 uncapped) will compete for 20 slots, while 27 overseas players will be following the auction, with only seven slots available.

The auction will begin with a full round of capped players across all disciplines - batters, all-rounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers and spinners, in that specific order. The same will be followed for the uncapped players before the accelerated round gets underway. 

Only two players have registered for the highest base price of INR 50 lakh, while four cricketers have entered at the base price of INR 40 lakh. The rest of the players have kept their base prices at INR 30 lakh and below.

WPL 2027 auction: All you need to know

When: October 28, 2026, 5:30pm local time start (1pm UK time)

Where: Kochi, India

Players: 150

Slots: 27 (7 overseas)

Also Read: WPL 2027 auction, live streaming and TV channels: Where to watch live and start time for Women's Premier League 2027 auction

WPL 2027 auction: Retained and released players list for each team

Delhi Capitals

Retained: Annabel Sutherland*, Jemimah Rodrigues, Chinelle Henry*, Laura Wolvaardt*, Marizanne Kapp*, Niki Prasad, Deeya Yadav, Lucy Hamilton*, Minnu Mani, Shafali Verma, Mamatha Madiwala, Nandni Sharma, Sree Charani.

Released: Lizelle Lee*, Alana King*, Edlaa Srujana, Taniya Bhatia, Sneh Rana, Pragati Singh.

Gujarat Giants

Retained: Anushka Sharma, Bharti Fulmali, Jintimani Kalita, Kim Garth*, Sophie Devine*, Ashleigh Gardner*, Georgia Wareham*, Kanika Ahuja, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Tanuja Kanwer, Beth Mooney*, Happy Kumari, Kashvee Gautam, Renuka Singh, Yastika Bhatia.

Released: Danni Wyatt-Hodge*, Aayushi Soni, Titas Sadhu, Shivani Singh.

Mumbai Indians

Retained: Amanjot Kaur, Hayley Matthews*, Rahila Firdous, Shabnim Ismail*, Amelia Kerr*, Natalie Sciver-Brunt*, Sajeevan Sajana, Vaishnavi Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Nicola Carey*, Sanskriti Gupta, Tara Norris (traded)

Released: Gunalan Kamalini, Milly Illingworth*, Nalla Reddy, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasistha, Saika Ishaque.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Retained: Arundhati Reddy, Lauren Bell*, Prathyoosha Kumar, Richa Ghosh, Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry*, Nadine de Klerk*, Prema Rawat, Sayali Satghare, Georgia Voll*, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil.

Released: Grace Harris*, Linsey Smith*, Gautami Naik, Dayalan Hemalatha.

UP Warriorz

Retained: Deepti Sharma, Meg Lanning*, Shikha Pandey, Sophie Ecclestone*, Harleen Deol, Phoebe Litchfield*, Shipra Giri, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal, Simran Shaikh.

Released: Kiran Navgire, Chloe Tryon*, Amy Jones*, Deandra Dottin*, Asha Sobhana, Shweta Sehrawat.

WPL 2027 auction: Purse remaining and slots available for each team

Image Credit: Women's Premier League/X

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At the end of the 40-match league stage, the team finishing at the top will directly qualify for the final while the third- and fourth-placed sides clash in the Knockout. The winner of that game then takes on the second-placed team in the Challenger for a ticket to the final.

The Hurricanes, who defeated the Perth Scorchers in the final last season, suffered a blow with Danni Wyatt-Hodge getting ruled out but have salvaged it by bringing in Chamari Athapaththu. Brisbane Heat lost veteran all-rounder Jess Jonassen to a hip injury, and have signed Yastika Bhatia, who will be the only Indian player in the tournament.

Also read: WBBL 2026, all you need to know: Full schedule, squads, venues and match timings for Women's Big bash League 2026

WBBL 2026, where to watch: Live streaming and TV channels for Women's Big Bash League 2026

Where to watch in India?

In India, Star Sports Network will telecast the tournament live. Fans can avail online streaming on Fancode.

Where to watch in the UK?

Fans from the United Kingdom can watch the action live on Sky Sport on television as well as digital platforms.

Where to watch in Australia?

Fans in Australia can watch all the WBBL 2026 matches on Fox Sports & Kayo Sports. Additionally, Channel 7 will also broadcast selective matches on free-to-air TV.

Where to watch in New Zealand?

Sky Sport 4 will broadcast the tournament live in New Zealand, with live streaming on Sky Sports Go.

Where to watch in Pakistan?

Those living in Pakistan can witness the live action via Tapmad.

Where to watch in the USA?

The USA fans can watch the season live on Willow.tv.

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The Hurricanes had lifted their maiden trophy in the previous season, beating Perth Scorchers in the final by eight wickets. They will be led by Nicola Carey after Ellyse Villani retired from all forms. Danni Wyatt-Hodge, ruled out for this season, has been replaced by Chamari Athapaththu.

There will be 40 matches in the league stage, with the top team advancing through to the final. The third- and fourth-placed teams will face off in the knockout, whose winner will facing the second-placed side in the Challenger for the other finalist spot. The final is scheduled for December 5.

Also read: WPL 2027 auction, live updates: Full list of players sold and unsold, remaining purse and updated squads

WBBL 2026: Full schedule, venues and match timings

The timings of the matches differ quite a bit in local times due to different time zones. The season opener in Melbourne begins at 3:40pm AEDT (10:10am IST, 5:40am UK) while the night game starts at 7:10am AEDT (1:40pm IST, 9:10am UK).

Squads for Women's Big Bash League 2026

Adelaide Strikers

Tahlia McGrath (c), Maia Bouchier*, Darcie Brown, Emma de Broughe, Maggie Clark, Sophie Ecclestone*, Ellie Johnston, Eleanor Larosa, Anesu Mushangwe*, Bridget Patterson, Maddie Penna, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Ella Wilson, Laura Wolvaardt*

Brisbane Heat

Georgia Redmayne (c), Lily Bassingthwaighte, Bonnie Berry, Yastika Bhatia*, Lucinda Bourke, Sianna Ginger, Sarah Glenn*, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Charli Knott, Annie O'Neil, Grace Parsons, Orla Prendergast*, Catherine White, Mikayla Wrigley

Hobart Hurricanes

Nicola Carey (c), Chamari Athapaththu*, Heather Graham, Ella Hayward, Chinelle Henry*, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee*, Kate Pelle, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Linsey Smith*, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Callie Wilson

Melbourne Renegades

Sophie Molineux (c), Deandra Dottin*, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Milly Illingworth, Sara Kennedy, Hayley Matthews*, Olivia Porter, Sophie Reid, Chloe Tryon*, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb, Annie Wikman

Melbourne Stars

Annabel Sutherland (c), Sophie Day, Charlie Dean*, Kim Garth*, Dani Gibson*, Maisy Gibson, Amy Jones*, Meg Lanning, Carly Leeson, Rhys McKenna, Indigo Noble, Georgia Prestwidge, Zoe Samuel, Naomi Stalenberg

Perth Scorchers

Sophie Devine (c), Chloe Ainsworth, Amy Edgar, Mikayla Friday, Ebony Hoskin, Freya Kemp*, Alana King, Katie Mack, Ines McKeon, Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney, Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo, Fatima Sana*, Ruby Strange

Sydney Sixers

Ellyse Perry (c), Caoimhe Bray, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Alice Capsey*, Lauren Cheatle, Sarah Coyte, Sophia Dunkley*, Ash Gardner, Elsa Hunter, Amelia Kerr*, Grace Lyons, Frankie Nicklin, Eva Ragg, Courtney Sippel

Sydney Thunder

Phoebe Litchfield (c), Jemma Barsby, Sam Bates, Lauren Bell*, Hannah Darlington, Nadine de Klerk*, Lucy Finn, Hasrat Gill, Nicola Hancock, Laura Harris, Heather Knight*, Anika Learoyd, Claire Moore, Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson

Note: * indicates an overseas player.

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With this performance, Jansen ended the four-year reign of Ravindra Jadeja at the top of the all-rounders rankings, earning himself 84 rating points to now sit at 451.

ICC men's Test rankings for all-rounders: Marco Jansen displaces Jadeja

ICC men's Test rankings for bowlers

In the updated rankings for Test bowlers, Jansen jumped five places to claim the top spot and displace Mitchell Starc. Jansen gained 45 rating points after his five-wicket haul. Scott Boland gained three places, while Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood lost two positions each.

ICC men's Test rankings for batters

Bavuma, who scored a magnificent 179 in the second Test to power South Africa to 425-9, jumped three places in the batters rankings to move to second. Steve Smith dropped three places to fifth while Jadeja also lost a spot. Aiden Markram lost two places and dropped out of the top 10.

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However, Lancashire endured a dismal red-ball season, finishing second from bottom in the Division Two standing, and going 11 consecutive matches without a win. The club recently announced that they had hired Paul Farbrace as their new director of cricket, alongside Richard Kenyon as their new chief executive, as they look to rebuild over the winter.

Speaking on Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast, Butcher empathised with Lancashire's predicament: "I completely understand it [releasing Anderson] from the point of view of, Lancashire finishing second from bottom in the second division and needing to literally start from scratch."

"Paul Farbrace has looked at it and gone, ‘do you know what? Sooner or later there will be no Jimmy, we can’t bat, we can’t take wickets other than him, we need to start again and now is a great time to start. Expectations will be extraordinarily low, Jimmy has been absolutely amazing, we hope that someone else will snap him up – which I have a feeling somebody might – but it’s time for us to draw a line under that period and start again’.

"Unfortunately, that’s professional sport. Jimmy’s not going to like it, lots of fans won’t like it. But hopefully, Lancashire fans might understand it in about five or six years time."

Anderson, who will turn 45 next year, stopped short of announcing his retirement from professional cricket in a statement released on social media: "I've supported Lancashire since I was [a] kid, and so to get to play for them for 25 years was a dream come true. I have always found it special walking out to play at Old Trafford and have some incredible memories of doing so including the honour of being captain – if it was up to me it wouldn't have ended like this, but I wish the players and fans all the best for the future."

Several other counties are also reportedly interested in signing Anderson, who is England's leading Test match wicket-taker and has 1,193 first class wickets to his name. 

"I’m not surprised, and I’m also not surprised by Jimmy’s reaction," said Butcher. "Obviously [he has been] man and boy at Lancashire, 50 wickets at 17 or something in the Championship [last year] so the fact that they finished second from bottom last year wasn’t down to him, or it wasn’t down to his performances with the ball."

Anderson's departure was reportedly discussed at a meeting between members and club officials this week, with the club reportedly exploring organising a farewell celebration of Anderson's career.

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Coming in to bat at number three at 36-1, 21-year-old Moliya batted 492 balls for his 321 not out, becoming the player with the highest first-class score for Baroda. Moliya struck 36 fours and a six in his historic knock to power the team to 616 in the first innings.

It wasn't an easy ride as wickets kept falling around and he had to dig deep. After losing two quick wickets, Moliya steadied the innings with a 91-run stand with Deepak Hooda. But Baroda lost three more in no time and were reduced to 197-6.

Mahesh Pithiya provided the much needed support with a century of his own, helping stitch a 238-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Moliya continued after Pithiya’s dismissal, doing the bulk of the scoring and adding 145 with Rasikh Salam Dar (47) for the ninth wicket.

He brought up his triple ton off 467 deliveries, becoming only the second Baroda player to register a triple century after Gul Mohammad (319 in 1947). This isn't the first time he has created history, however, as he hold the record for the fifth-highest score in recorded history for his unbeaten 556 in an Under-14 match.

HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORE FOR BARODA IN FC CRICKET 🫡 🎥 Watch 21-year-old Priyanshu Moliya's marathon 3️⃣2️⃣1️⃣* vs J&K to guide Baroda to a huge total 💯💯💯 Updates ▶️ https://t.co/EdW2xFXzB6 #RanjiTrophy | @mflone_ https://t.co/wCDDlEI7Uc

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 27, 2026

Moliya, who represented India in the 2024 U19 World Cup, had not played a first-class game since February 2024 until this season, and featured in just four List A matches last year. But he found a new lease of life in 2026, hammering back-to-back centuries in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He then made a sublime 132 last week to power Baroda to 416 from a tricky situation and set up a 10-wicket victory over Bihar.

Following the triple century, Moliya now has 1,008 runs from 11 first-class games at an average of 67.20. His List A numbers are also impressive, albeit a short sample size, with 379 runs from seven innings at an average of 63.16 and strike rate of 87.73.

Also read: Ranji Trophy 2026/27 round three, day two: Ayush Badoni slams second consecutive double ton, India spinner picks 13-wicket haul

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The problem, however, lies in the wickets column. Having bowled four overs after the opening powerplay while wickets were falling, Curran was brought back on in the 40th over, with Pakistan nine down. While Shadab Khan was well set, one ball would have sealed England a crucial win. Curran did not look likely at any point to be the one to produce that one magic delivery. Instead, he was picked off by Shadab, who was able to take singles at the end of his overs to retain the strike and not expose Harris Rauf to Gus Atkinson – England’s most likely wicket-taker – at the other end.

It’s not entirely fair to pick that particular spell as typical of Curran’s ODI returns. He was decent at the death in England’s opening match of the tri-series, and was effective in that role against India over the summer. The tri-series and England’s selection in it, however, have created a perfect storm which Curran is currently at the centre of.

England chose to rest Jofra Archer, instead rotating through Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Sonny Baker and Henry Crocombe. Atkinson and Baker are both likely to be around the side which will compete in the World Cup next year. On Baker and Crocombe however, the jury is still out. Archer is the most important piece of England’s ODI pace attack, combining speed and control with the nous needed as a 10-over banker. Dropping Adil Rashid for the second and third ODIs has sharpened the hole Archer has left. Without well-executed pace and mystery spin, they lack both reliability and X-factor.

Those absences leave Curran exposed. He was effective in the summer as a death-specialist when he had the freedom to bowl high-risk variations – chucking slower balls wide outside the off-stump and varying his pace. On a flat track in Rawalpindi, Curran cannot bowl those variations without being whacked. And without the skill and difference both Archer and Rashid offer as England’s other premier bowlers at the end of the innings, there’s no respite.

Perhaps Curran shouldn’t have been put in the position where he’s forced to bowl the bulk of a 10-over spell in conditions which set him up for failure. Too often in Curran’s career, England have tried to force him into a like-for-like replacement for Ben Stokes, as a proper all-rounder and player they can turn to in times of trouble in both disciplines. Curran isn’t that, and nor in recent years has he tried to be. But, England are now in a position where they can’t drop him, even when his performances don’t warrant being retained.

Having been dropped from both of England’s white-ball squads at the end of 2024, Curran banged the door down in franchise T20 leagues for the following nine months. He was recalled for the T20I series against South Africa at the end of the 2025 summer as part of an experimental squad against Ireland. His regeneration as a proper middle-order batter and wildcard powerplay bowler convinced England to recall him to the ODI side for the winter series in New Zealand.

In that series, Curran operated alongside Jacob Bethell as England’s fifth bowler. That balance of six proper batters, Curran and four frontline bowlers was hammered 3-0 – although being bowled out for under 230 in three consecutive matches was their greater problem. A change in balance this summer looked healthier, with Bethell moved up to open, and Will Jacks included as a second all-rounder to provide more options with the ball without compromising on batting power.

Could Sam Curran be England's Ben Stokes replacement in the Test side, or a potential white-ball captaincy candidate? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🤝 @Melbourne https://t.co/OBiRc7vwdt

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 8, 2026

By picking two all-rounders, England avoided the problem they had during the Champions Trophy, where they stacked their batting and compromised by going in without a backup bowler, relying on Liam Livingstone to bowl a full quota. The Curran-Jacks compromise is, in theory, a better option, both batters capable of moving up the order when required, and both with 10 overs in them. Curran also breaks up a steady stream of right-handers in both facets.

However, the promise Curran’s effectiveness in the shorter format brings is better than the reality. Since he was recalled a year ago, Curran has averaged 17.5 with the bat, and 40.3 with the ball. The difference between his batting average and his bowling average is -22.8, the second-worst of any player who has taken 10 wickets and scored 100 runs in the same time period. Even if England wanted to, though, dropping him would put them straight back into their familiar muddle.

Jacks could well be the all-round solution England have been searching for to balance their ODI unit. But, without Curran, replacing him with an extra batter would leave them in the same position they were in New Zealand, using Bethell as a sixth bowler. Replacing Curran with an extra pacer would leave their batting brittle, and likely force them to keep leaving out Rashid in favour of padding out their batting order with Liam Dawson. Playing all three spinners would be the most tempting option, although less attractive on World Cup pitches in South Africa. Whichever way you fudge it, it doesn’t look quite right.

England have invested too much in Curran to lose faith now. The hope is that the role he plays so effectively in T20 leagues, a powerplay wicket-taker and middle-order game-changer – he can also make work across 50 overs. When Archer comes back, and if England can find a way to fit Rashid in, Curran may well find success again with the pressure taken off. But, the team that’s been selected for the tri-series has hung him out to dry, and forced him to try and be the reliable banker England already know he isn’t.

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Also Read: WPL 2027 auction retentions: Full list of players retained by each Women's Premier League team

Of these 146 players, 122 are Indians and the rest overseas. The 28 cricketers in the latter category includes six from Associate Nations and, from the rest, 14 capped players. They will compete for seven spots.

1️⃣4️⃣6️⃣ registered players 2️⃣7️⃣ spots up for grabs 🔨 A look at the Player List breakdown for #TATAWPLAuction 2027 🔢 Catch the #TATAWPL Auction on https://t.co/iijqYiReV7 on October 28 🗓️ https://t.co/6FgeuHVbVU

— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) October 20, 2026

Between them, the five teams have a combined budget of INR 8.15 crore at the auction. UP Warriorz have the biggest purse (INR 3.65 crore), while Mumbai Indians have the smallest (INR 1 crore). The two teams also have to fill most player slots (seven).

Full List of players registered for WPL 2027 auction

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That year, 2024, was also during the peak of clamour regarding Bazball, an approach that divided opinion and inspired books, and a word that found its way into the Collins English dictionary. Over its four-year life cycle, it was almost forgotten that the label was named after the coach, not the captain.

In 2026, these things may seem insignificant. Thanks to the constantly mushrooming T20 leagues, fans have become used to the idea of the celebrity coach. The IPL, the alpha and omega of city-based franchise leagues, debuted with eight high-profile coaches who were followed by television cameras throughout the tournament. And why not? Lalit Modi had modelled the IPL on the NBA, which boasted of celebrity coaches like Pat Riley and Phil Jackson.

However, it would be wrong to credit franchise leagues with the idea of cricket team coaches. They were there before as well, but keeping in tune with its inherent rigidity, cricket was overall late to the party. “Every other sport knelt at the altar of the coach, manager or guru,” noted Gideon Haigh in the 2006 Wisden Almanack. “In cricket, despite a technical rigour and complexity that begat so many instructional books, the captain remained all-powerful.”

The Early era

One can see Haigh’s point. In 1927, legendary American football coach Knute Rockne appeared on the cover of the Time magazine, showcasing how other sports were open to celebrating the idea of the all-powerful coach. Yet cricket was far more resistant. Two years later, “ten former Test players” wrote to the New South Wales Cricket Association to argue against their plans for employing a professional coach. The ex-players wrote that “the natural Australian freedom of style might be sacrificed by the introduction of orthodox teachings”.

The cricket coaches which did exist at that time worked at an individual level. The most famous of them was perhaps Alf Gover, whose South London coaching school had Ken Barrington, Frank Tyson, Viv Richards, and Sunil Gavaskar among its alumni. Three of Ramakant Achrekar’s students – Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, Pravin Amre – featured in the same India XI.

At the team level, Surrey had WT Grayburn and Melbourne Cricket Club had Charles Lawrence in the pre-War era. Later, George Hirst coached at Yorkshire, while Steve Doughty was in charge of their Second XI. But all of this was only at the club level. Sometimes the retired professional would double as ground-staff and net practice in-charge. But for most clubs, and particularly at the international level, it was accepted that the captain should be the go-to man in a Test team. The senior cricketers mentored the youngsters, and that was that.

Of course, the players didn’t tour alone. Boards used to send tour managers along with them – ambassadorial, authoritative figures who managed things on and off the field. They handled logistics and daily allowances, conducted fielding practice sessions and doubled up as net bowlers, prepared end-of-tour conduct reports, and so on. It was an approach that reflected the ethos of that relatively amateur era. For example, sometimes there would be two managers, like England’s during the Bodyline series.

Some of them were strategists, working hand in hand with the captains. South Africa captain Jack Cheetham and manager Ken Viljoen laid out a blueprint ahead of the times. They got rugby great Danie Craven to design a fitness regime; instilled military discipline; analysed rudimentary video reels and scoring charts; and used concrete surfaces to mirror Australian conditions. After they returned with a 2-2 draw from Australia in 1952/53, the board requested the duo to document it all for the next generation – the “Vil-Cheet Plan”. But the Viljoens were exceptions rather than the rule, and their successful approach didn’t catch on for decades.

The beginning of the change

It took something significant for a cricket team to adopt a coach. That came when Australia lost two series against New Zealand, home and away, in the same season in 1985/86. This called for drastic measures.

The board first approached Ian Chappell, but he did not feel cricket teams needed coaches. So they went to Bobby Simpson, who had come out of retirement to lead when Australia’s best had left for Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket. Simpson felt Australia needed a coach because of the “diminishing role of the Australian captain and the almost total destruction of peer influence within Australian cricket” thanks to Packer.

Simpson thus became international cricket’s first long-term Test coach. Sri Lankan fans may object to this claim, for Garry Sobers had indeed coached them in 1982 and 1983, their first years in Test cricket, when he famously fought with the selectors to pick a schoolboy Arjuna Ranatunga. But it was not a long-term appointment.

For the Test coach to work, the first of them had to succeed. And Simpson did succeed. He joined hands with Allan Border to help a team in transition win their first World Cup in 1987, then win 4-0 in England to regain the Ashes in 1989. He was still there in 1994/95 when Australia became the first team in a decade and a half to beat the West Indies in a Test series. He had transformed them to the unofficial Test champions, and launched an era of absolute dominance.

England offered Micky Stewart a similar role in 1986 (though as a “team manager”). In Gower: The Autobiography, the England captain admitted to being unimpressed by Stewart’s “soccer-manager style of bullshit” as well as the ten o'clock bedtime. It was a curious statement from Gower, given how football managers Brian Clough and Tommy Docherty had been as popular as any footballer in the country. But perhaps it spoke to cricket’s continued suspicion of the role of the head coach during this era.

Gower’s successor Mike Gatting warmed up to Stewart, as did his teammates. But it was not until Duncan Fletcher’s appointment in 1999 that England had a coach who would find sustained success. A former Zimbabwean World Cup captain, Fletcher arrived with Western Province and Glamorgan on his coaching CV and immediately impressed new captain Nasser Hussain: “I thought he would be coming to me saying, ‘What’s he like?’ … I soon realised Duncan knew everything about everyone.”

Six years later, Fletcher became the first Test cricket coach to be honoured with an OBE. He was also awarded UK citizenship, but this had precedent: Bangladesh’s qualification for the 1999 World Cup had earned Gordon Greenidge an honorary citizenship status in the country.

Fletcher was part of a 1990s trend of cricket boards recruiting overseas coaches. Former England Test cricketer Bob Woolmer was as synonymous to South Africa’s rise in the 1990s as was the Australian Dav Whatmore to Sri Lanka’s World Cup glory in 1996 – though, to be fair, Whatmore was born in Sri Lanka.

That decade also witnessed unprecedented advancements in television coverage, especially super slow-motion cameras. This was supported by the advancements in computer programs. Woolmer, working with sports scientist Tim Noakes, was a pioneer in this regard, vastly expanding and formalising the type of analysis coaches would be expected to provide.

In his seminal book Woolmer on Cricket, he spoke of his dream of “a dossier of dismissals for all players in Test match cricket, at the touch of a button to be able to tell the bowlers where the best area to bowl would be and what types of pitches these batsmen liked to bat on”. The great visionary was describing concepts from 2026 in the 1990s. All this, after the South African board had asked him to “stick to the basics of coaching”.

But let us return to Fletcher. In October 1999, the month when England appointed Fletcher, Australia took another big leap by hiring John Buchanan, a specialist bat with a first-class average of 12 and no international experience. His career as a cricketer was vastly inferior to those he was expected to coach, which included legends like Steve Waugh, Glenn McGrath, and Shane Warne.

The appointment predictably divided opinions. Warne famously dismissed the idea, saying “I’m a big believer that the coach is something you travel in to get to and from the game”. But the captain Waugh and his successor Ricky Ponting acknowledged Buchanan’s importance, for he elevated ( an admittedly already strong) Australian side to one of the greatest cricket teams in history.

His stint was in stark contrast to India’s in the same year. Coach Kapil Dev and captain Tendulkar, touted as a match made in heaven, turned out to be a short-lived disaster, but even there it led to a transformative appointment. Within a year, India ended up appointing John Wright as their first foreign coach.

It underlined a significant point: a great coach need not have been a great cricketer. None of Buchanan, Tim Nielsen, Graham Ford, Andy Moles, Trevor Bayliss, Adrian Birrell, or Mickey Arthur were international cricketers. Mike Hesson did not even play domestic cricket, yet all of these names have found a lot of success as head coaches.

Perhaps the real turning point came after the epic Ashes series of 2005. Ponting, the losing captain, famously lamented that “it’s a pity that we didn’t have any expert coaches to help our guys out,” while praising England for being “well managed, well skilled” and having “planned well”. It led to almost immediate change, as three months later, Australia appointed Troy Cooley as bowling coach. Cooley had been with England during the Ashes, and his appointment as a specialist skills coach meant that the deuteragonist finally got his screen time.

By this point, Woolmer had moved to Pakistan, while India had transitioned from Wright to Greg Chappell. After the next Ashes, England would replace Fletcher with another Zimbabwean, Andy Flower. But cricket had already taken the next step: the word “coach” now applied to not only an individual but an entire staff. As Australia’s capture of Cooley suggested, all of them were sought after.

Is the broth being spoiled? Perhaps not.

Today’s teams come with a support cast that has specialist coaches for batting, fielding, and bowling (superspecialists, in fact, for some teams have spin- and pace-bowling coaches). There are strength and conditioning coaches and high-profile sports doctors and throwdown specialists. Analysts are near-mandatory as well (how Woolmer would have loved it!). Add to that the very vague role of “mentor”, usually reserved for a celebrity former cricketer. Half a century ago, all these myriad responsibilities came under the manager’s job description.

The supremo of this entire cast goes under the title of the head coach, a figure as central to a contemporary team’s image and performance as the captain, and held just as accountable for its failures. But just as significant is how the most celebrated of them have adjusted to the balance between the high-pressure circuits of league cricket and internationals.

Some, like Phil Simmons, Jason Gillespie, Whatmore, Arthur, Stuart Law, and Moles, have preferred coaching international sides, punctuated only by brief forays into franchise cricket. In contrast, the likes of Ricky Ponting, Daniel Vettori, Tom Moody, Lance Klusener have largely been T20-only coaches, similar to the kind of role Flower has settled into since leaving his England job.

But T20 franchises have loyalists as well. Over the years, Ashish Nehra and Adam Voges have been synonymous with Gujarat Titans and Perth Scorchers. Stephen Fleming had been the same for the Super Kings franchise (in the IPL and beyond) for almost two decades, until he recently succeeded Brendon McCullum as the England Test head coach.

As it stands, coaches for modern sides are on their way to becoming as fluid as modern cricketers. With coaches moving between teams and formats, teams like Surrey, England, or RCB already have directors of cricket in place.

Cricket’s transition from a paternalistic jack-of-all-trades manager to a professional board of coaches has taken its time. As the sport gets more professionalised, coaches are dedicated to every aspect of its myriad skillsets. This increasing specialisation has led to the demand for the CEO-type head coach who can manage the rapidly increasing support staff and connect them to the director of cricket..

The scenario makes many yearn for simpler times, but a professional structure is intrinsic to excellence in any field. Cricket has already been late to the party: it is important to not slide back to amateurism.

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Madhya Pradesh defeated Bihar by an innings and 174 runs on the back of a stunning 13-wicket haul from Saransh Jain. Baroda’s Priyanshu Moliya headlined the day’s play with a brilliant triple century, powering his team to 616 runs in the first innings. Karan Sharma helped UP recover from 67-4 with his unbeaten 162 as they finished the day at 328-9.

Brief Scores

Jammu & Kashmir 6-0 vs Baroda 616 (Priyanshu Moliya 321, Mahesh Pithiya 102)

Madhya Pradesh 407-8d (Saksham Purohit 132, Rajat Patidar 109) beat Bihar 99 (Mangal Mahrour 42, Saransh Jain 7-40) & 134 (Saransh Jain 6-49)

Uttar Pradesh 328-9 (Karan Sharma 162*, Sagar Udeshi 4-62) vs Puducherry

Vidarbha 217-3 (Dhruv Shorey 63*) vs Goa 220 (Yash Kasvankar 63*, Darshan Misal 51, Nachiket Bhute 5-48)

Group B

Salil Arora’s 151-run knock took Punjab past the 400-run mark in the first innings. However, Hyderabad responded strongly, finishing the day at 193-2. Karnataka put up a solid batting display against Tripura to finish the day at 297-7, 103 runs ahead in the first innings. Meanwhile, Saurashtra are banking on Hetvik Kotak to notch up a big score in response to Assam’s 281.

Brief Scores

Chhattisgarh 216-8 (Amandeep Khare 74*) vs Andhra 231 (SV Rahul 89, Jayant Yadav 4-75)

Hyderabad 193-2 (Abhirath Reddy 97, Rahul Radesh 72*) vs Punjab 431 (Salil Arora 151, Chama Milind 4-79)

Karnataka 297-7 (Rohan Patil 72, KV Aneesh 68, Karun Nair 63) vs Tripura 194 (Bikramkumar Das 51, Shikhar Shetty 5-54)

Saurashtra 156-4 (Hetvik Kotak 65*) vs Assam 281 (Denish Das 90, Sibsankar Roy 100, Jaydev Unadkat 3-50)

Group C

Shahbaz Ahmed starred with his all-round skills for Bengal. He helped his team post 350 runs after they started the day at 172-6 with a 121-run knock before picking up two wickets for just eight runs against Kerala. Mohammed Shami also scalped three wickets to reduce Kerala to 101-6 at stumps.

Ayush Badoni led from the front for Delhi, slamming his second consecutive double-century. On the back of his knock, Delhi posted 515 runs before declaring their innings and then reduced Jharkhand to 131-4.

Brief Scores

Jharkhand 131-4 (Utkarsh Singh 53*) vs Delhi 515-5d (Ayush Badoni 210*, Sumit Mathur 150*) vs Jharkhand

Services 13-0 vs Odisha 194 (Swastik Samal 39, Pulkit Narang 6-47)

Kerala 101-6 (Vishnu Vinod 41, Mohammed Shami 3-20, Shahbaz Ahmed 2-8) vs Bengal 350 (Shahbaz Ahmed 121, Aditya Sarvate 4-95)

Maharashtra 278-9 (Saurabh Nawale 95, Siddharth Desai 3-40) vs Gujarat 223 (Abhishek Desai 79, Siddhesh Veer 4-20)

Group D

Nehal Pajni was the star of the day for Chandigarh as he smashed a double century, powering his team to 685 in the first innings before declaring. Mumbai lost their remaining seven wickets for 140 runs on the second day to get bundled out for 430 in the first innings. Haryana finished the day at 108-2 in response and need a solid effort to take a lead.

Sai Kishore powered Tamil Nadu’s comeback against Railways after conceding a 19-run lead in a low-scoring affair. Railways have only one wicket in hand with a total lead of only 126 runs in the second innings. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand were bowled out for 194 in response to Rajasthan’s 272 in the first innings.

Brief Scores

Himachal Pradesh 49-0 vs Chandigarh 685-5d (Nehal Pajni 222, Arjun Azad 147)

Haryana 108-2 vs Mumbai 430 (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 114, Musheer Khan 109)

Railways 184 (Zubair Ali 75, Sonu Yadav 3-46) & 107-9 (Sai Kishore 4-38) vs Tamil Nadu 165 (Baba Indrajith 59, Raj Choudhury 5-41)

Rajasthan 272 (Kartik Sharma 73, Devendra Bora 6-72) & 39-1 vs Uttarakhand 194 (Kookna Ajay Singh 5-66)

Plate Group

Ajay Duhan was the star of the day in the Plate Group as he notched up a brilliant double century against Mizoram. Meghalaya skipper Kishan Lyngdoh was unlucky to miss out on his double ton as he was run out on 198.

Manipur are dominating the proceedings against Arunachal Pradesh after gaining a massive lead of 253 runs in the first innings. In the other game, Nagaland are leading by 49 runs in the second innings with six wickets in hand against Sikkim.

Brief Scores

Nagaland 187 (Joshua Ozukum 59, Ankur Malik 3-23, Abishek Kumar 3-29) & 46-4 vs Sikkim 184 (Leeyong Lepcha 43, Imliwati Lemtur 5-40)

Arunachal Pradesh 111 (Ajay Singh 4-27) & 95-2 vs Manipur 364 (Jotin Pheiroijam 166, Likha Sonia 4-56)

Mizoram 99-2 (Lalhruaizela 51) vs Meghalaya 562 (Ajay Duhan 239, Kishan Lyngdoh 198)

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UP Warriorz have the maximum purse available, having released nine players ahead of the auction. They will enter the auction with INR 3.75 crore, while Mumbai Indians have the smallest purse, INR 90 lakh. Gujarat Giants, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals have INR 1.25 crore, INR 1.15 crore and INR 1.10 crore, respectively, left in their purse.

Among overseas players, Australia’s Sophie Molineux, Grace Harris and Jess Jonassen are expected to be in demand. Chloe Tryon, Deandra Dottin and Alana King, among others, will also likely trigger a bidding war. Notably, only two England players, Sophia Dunkley and Kira Chathli have registered for the auction.

Vrinda Dinesh, Gongadi Trisha and Shweta Sehrawat are expected to be in demand among the Indian players.

The WPL 2027 auction is scheduled to begin at 5.30pm IST (12pm UK).

Also read: Full list of players retained and released by each team ahead of WPL 2027 auction

Women’s Premier League 2027 auction, where to watch: Live streaming and TV channels for WPL 2027

Where to watch in India?

Star Sports Network will telecast the WPL 2027 auction in India. Fans will also be able to follow the live stream of the auction on JioHotstar.

Where to watch in the USA and Canada?

Prime Video will stream the WPL auction ahead of the 2027 season in the USA and Canada.

Note: Broadcast and streaming details for other regions will updated when available.

Watch here: Wisden Women's Cricket Weekly: Big names absent from WPL auction list & could England players miss Sri Lanka T20Is for WPL?

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Abhishek then took control from the second over to power India past the 50-run mark in just 2.2 overs, the joint-fastest for a team in the format. Runs kept leaking from both ends as the southpaw duo sent the New Zealand bowlers to all parts of the ground.

Abhishek Sharma 🤝 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Carnage from India's openers in Wellington 💥🇮🇳 #Cricket #NZvIND https://t.co/Abe97LPqBN

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 27, 2026

By the end of the fifth over, the visitors had already reached 100, the fastest team century in men's T20Is. 18 more runs came in the final over of the powerplay as India broke the world record for the most runs scored in the first six overs of a men's T20I innings. The duo of Abhishek and Sooryavanshi together smashed as many as 11 fours and 10 sixes in the powerplay.

100+ powerplay scores in men’s T20Is, full list

Romania held the record earlier, having chased 116 runs in just 5.4 overs against Serbia in 2021. Among full members, Australia held the record, having amassed 113-1 against Scotland in Edinburgh in 2024. India blasted away the world record without losing a wicket.

India blow New Zealand away to chase 199 in 14 overs

Thanks to Abhishek’s fourth T20I ton and his sensational 133-run opening partnership with Sooryavanshi (45), India gunned down the 199-run target in the 14th over with six wickets in hand. The visitors lost a few quick wickets, but a whirlwind start meant they could easily complete the run chase seal the series with two matches to go.

With a 35-ball century in Wellington, Abhishek Sharma has now scored four hundreds in 69 innings 🇮🇳 Only Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma have more centuries in men's T20Is 💯 #Cricket #NZvIND https://t.co/UYmHVuN38a

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 27, 2026

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State Bank of Pakistan finished the league stage at the top of the table with 107 points after seven matches. They won two and drew five matches and are the only unbeaten team this season so far.

As for Markhor IT Solutions, they surprised many with their performance in their maiden appearance in the top tier of President's Trophy, finishing the league stage in second position with two wins, one defeat and four draws to make the final of the competition. They were promoted to the Grade 1 after winning the President’s Trophy Grade II last season.

Also read: 309* off 339: Recent Pakistan debutant strengthens case as future star on injury comeback

All eyes will be on Mohammad Farooq (703 runs) and Hasan Raza (698 runs), who have been the highest run-getters for Markhor IT Solutions and State Bank of Pakistan, respectively. With the ball, Muhammad Ismail and Khalid Usman have starred for Markhor, picking up 28 and 25 wickets, respectively. For SBP, Sirajuddin (23 wickets) and Shahid Azid (21 wickets) have performed consistently throughout the season.

Also read: 483 runs at 53.66: Abdul Razzaq's son signs off stellar President's Trophy campaign with match-saving ton

President’s Trophy final 2026 where to watch: TV channels and live streaming

Where to watch in Pakistan?

Tapmad/Tamasha will stream the final of the President’s Trophy between State Bank of Pakistan and Markhor IT Solutions in Pakistan.

Where to watch in the rest of the world?

Sports TV YouTube channel will stream this summit clash in the rest of the world.

Also read: 20-year-old domestic Pakistani captain continues golden run with third hundred of debut season

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The 16-year-old batter added 219 runs in just 12.3 overs with Rijak Kohli (43 off 25) for the opening wicket. Even though his team lost another wicket quickly, Aaryan continued finding boundaries regularly, adding 166 runs for the third wicket with Sahib Singh in the last seven overs, with the latter scoring only two runs in the partnership.

On the back of their skipper’s mammoth knock, Sumermal Jain School posted 389 runs for the loss of just two wickets.

🚨TRIPLE CENTURY IN T20 CRICKET BY INDIAN BATTER🚨 🏏 311* Runs ⚡ 93 Balls 🔥 27 Fours 💪🏻 30 Sixes 🚀 334 Strike Rate Sumermal Jain School’s Aaryan Sharma smashed an unbelievable 311* off just 93 balls against Indraprastha World School in the Delhi Schools T20 League 💥😱 https://t.co/LUjA62ZtHl

— Richard Kettlebourogh Fans (@RichKettle07) October 26, 2026

Interestingly, Aaryan is also part of the Delhi U19 team and featured in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy alongside Virender Sehwag’s son, Aaryavir Sehwag. He batted in the middle order and scored 124 runs in three innings, with a best score of 77*. He was also part of the New Delhi Tigers in the Delhi Premier League earlier this year.

As astonishing as it might seem, Aaryan’s triple-century feat in 20-over cricket was first achieved nine years ago, again by a Delhi youngster, Mohit Ahlawat. He was the first player to breach the 300-run mark in the shortest format of the game while featuring in a local T20 league game.

Scorecard of Delhi's Mohit Ahlawat's 300 runs in a T20 match. @mohanstatsman https://t.co/RM2AbldY4S

— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) February 7, 2017

Tanmay Chaudhary came close to scoring a triple ton

Meanwhile, a day before Aaryan smashed an unbeaten 311, Tanmay Chaudhary, leading Modern School, thumped 278* off 77 balls with 22 fours and 27 sixes against Sachdeva Global in a knockout fixture of the same tournament.

Modern School didn’t lose a single wicket in 20 overs, scoring 413 runs, as Tanmay’s opening partner Shivesh Kapoor remained not out on 102 off 47 deliveries. The opposition team were then skittled for just 21 runs in 6.2 overs to go down by a staggering 392 runs.

Image Credits: CricHeroes

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Saransh Jain was the hero for Madhya Pradesh in the Group A fixture, picking up 7-40 to skittled Bihar for just 99 before MP amassed 261 runs on the back of an unbeaten century from Saksham Purohit. Baroda rode on Priyanshu Moliya’s unbeaten 113 to post 259-6 at stumps against Jammu & Kashmir. Uttar Pradesh became 67-4 against Puducherry, while Goa finished on 204-8 against Vidarbha.

Brief Scores

Baroda 259-6 (Priyanshu Moliya 113*, Umar Nazir 2-28) vs Jammu & Kashmir.

Madhya Pradesh 261-3 (Saksham Purohit  113*) vs Bihar 99 (Mangal Mahrour 42, Saransh Jain 7-40)

Uttar Pradesh 67-4 (Madhav Kaushik 23, Ankit Sharma 2-14) vs Pondicherry

Goa 204-8 (Yash Kasvankar 51*, Darshan Misal 51, Nachiket Bhute 4-40) vs Vidarbha

Group B

In Group B, Prabhsimran Singh starred for Punjab with 81 against Hyderabad. They posted 289-6 with Salil Arora remaining unbeaten on 52. Shikhar Shetty scalped a five-wicket haul as Tripura were bundled out for just 194. In response, Karnataka became 10-1 by stumps. Andhra got 231 against Chhattisgarh, while Assam reached 235-6 against Saurashtra.

Brief Scores

Chhattisgarh 35-1 vs Andhra 231 (SV Rahul 89, Jayant Yadav 4-75)

Punjab 289-6 (Prabhsimran Singh 81, Salil Arora 52*, Rakshan Readdi 2-53) vs Hyderabad

Karnataka 10-1 vs Tripura 194 (Bikramkumar Das 51, Shikhar Shetty 5-54)

Assam 235-6 (Denish Das 90, Sibsankar 59*, Jaydev Unadkat 3-27) vs Saurashtra

Group C

Ayush Badoni continued his rich vein of form, smashing an unbeaten 106 for Delhi against Jharkhand. Pulkit Narang ran through Odisha with 6-47 as Services dominated the proceedings. Meanwhile, Bengal struggled against Kerala, mustering only 172-6 in 50 overs of play that was possible. Gujarat were skittled for only 223 as Siddhesh Veer picked up four wickets. In response, Maharashtra lost Prithvi Shaw for a duck as they finished the day at 24-1.

Brief Scores

Delhi 309-5 (Ayush Badoni 106*, Sumit Mathur 50*) vs Jharkhand

Services 13-0 vs Odisha 194 (Swastik Samal 39, Pulkit Narang 6-47)

Bengal 172-6 (Ankur Paul 66, Aditya Sarvate 3-38) vs Kerala

Maharashtra 24-1 vs Gujarat 223 (Abhishek Desai 79, Siddhesh Veer 4-20)

Group D

Chandigarh and Mumbai batters dominated against Himachal Pradesh and Haryana respectively. Arjun Azad and Nehal Pajni slammed tons for Chandigarh as they ended the day at 363-2, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Musheer Khan starred for Mumbai. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu stumbled to 71-3 in response to Railways’ 184 in the first innings, while Uttarakhand bowled out Rajasthan for 272.

Brief Scores

Chandigarh 363-2 (Arjun Azad 147, Nehal Pajni 126*) vs Himachal Pradesh

Mumbai 290-3 (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 114, Musheer Khan 109) vs Haryana

Tamil Nadu 71-3 vs Railways 184 (Zubair Ali 75, Sonu Yadav 3-46)

Uttarakhand 18-0 vs Rajasthan 272 (Kartik Sharma 73, Devendra Bora 6-72)

Plate Group

In the Plate Group, Nagaland could only muster 187 against Sikkim. Fifteen wickets fell on the opening day in Manipur versus Arunachal Pradesh, with the latter being dismissed for just 111. Manipur finished on 165-5. Meanwhile, Meghalaya batters Ajay Duhan and Kishan Lyngdoh smashed unbeaten tons as they plundered 385-2 against Mizoram.

Brief Scores

Sikkim 30-1 vs Nagaland 187 (Joshua Ozukum 59, Ankur Malik 3-23, Abishek Kumar 3-29)

Manipur 165-5 (Karnajit Yumnam 56, Jotin Pheiroijam 52*) vs Arunachal Pradesh 111 (Ajay Singh 4-27)

Meghalaya 385-2 (Ajay Duhan 167*, Kishan Lyngdoh 144*) vs Mizoram

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Bangladesh are currently in fourth place in the World Test Championship points table for the 2025-27 cycle. With a PCT of 55.56 after six Tests, they are in the hunt for a WTC final berth. The West Indies, on the other hand, are languishing in eighth place with a PCT of 20.83 after playing 12 matches in this cycle so far. They are out of the race.

Bangladesh have recalled Taskin Ahmed for the opening Test of this series after resting him for the one-off Test vs Afghanistan. Litton Das, who missed the recently concluded tri-series against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe due to a hip injury, has also returned while Soumya Sarkar has been dropped.

The West Indies will miss Alzarri Joseph and Shai Hope. While Joseph has been withdrawn to manage his workload, Hope has been rested with the World Cup 2027 Qualifiers coming up soon. Keemo Paul, who initially replaced Joseph in the Test squad, has also returned home due to personal and family reasons. Shamar Springer replaced him. The West Indies have also called up 23-year-old batter Kevin Wickham for the first time.

The West Indies last toured Bangladesh in 2021 when they won the two-match Test series 2-0, and will be keen on repeating the heroics again.

Play on all five days of both Test matches will get underway at 9:30am local time (9am IST, 4:30am UK time).

Bangladesh vs West Indies Tests 2026 where to watch: TV channels and live streaming

Where to watch in Bangladesh?

To be announced.

Where to watch in West Indies?

To be announced.

Where to watch in India?

Fancode will stream the BAN vs WI Test series for fans in India.

Where to watch in the rest of the world?

To be announced.

Also Read: Bangladesh vs West Indies Test series, all you need to know: Full schedule, squads, venue and match timings

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Zimbabwe first met Afghanistan in the shortest format in October 2015. Eleven years later, they are still searching for their first ever T20I series win and will be keen to create history. Their confidence will also be high, having made it to the final of the ODI tri-series, ahead of Bangladesh, who failed to win a single game.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan will look to continue their domination over Zimbabwe in this format. They have dropped veteran Mohammad Nabi as well as Darwish Rasooli. Mohammad Akram has been called up after a decent show on debut in the 2026 Asian Games.

Sikandar Raza will continue to lead Zimbabwe, who have left out Innocent Kaia and Graeme Cremer from the squad and replaced them with Tafadzwa Tsiga and Vincent Masekesa.

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe T20Is 2026 where to watch: TV channels and live streaming

Where to watch in Afghanistan?

The three-match T20I series between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will be telecast live on Ariana Television in Afghanistan. The live streaming of these matches will be available on the Etisalat app.

Where to watch in India?

Fancode will stream the AFG vs ZIM T20I series for fans in India.

Where to watch in North America?

North American cricket fans will be able to follow this series live on Willow TV.

Where to watch in Pakistan?

ASports will broadcast the T20I series between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe while Tamasha will stream the matches live.

Where to watch in the rest of the world?

Note: Telecast and streaming details for other regions will be updated once confirmed.

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He stitched a 215-run third-wicket partnership with Sai Sudarshan (91), he joined hands with Yash Rathod (66) to add 142 runs for the fifth wicket as India A dominated the proceedings on day three.

In the process, Padikkal notched up his 12th first-class century off 128 deliveries with a six off Jayden Lennox. He continued to bat with authority and found boundaries at regular intervals, especially after lunch. 

Just when it looked like he would bring up his double ton, Padikkal was strangled down the leg side, off Zak Gibson. However, he was not pleased with the umpire’s decision, and even gestured to the umpire that he didn’t nick the ball at all.

https://t.co/0u6UveAjWd

— ' (@Chixxwalia) October 26, 2026

With no DRS in the game, Padikkal departed for a 248-ball 199 including 24 fours and three sixes. He had been India’s best batter in Sri Lanka earlier this year, scoring two tons in three innings and has found his rhythm just in time ahead of the Test series in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, only last week, Priyansh Arya had become the first Indian in a decade to be dismissed on 199 in first-class cricket during a Ranji Trophy clash against Gujarat. Padikkal is now added to the list and is the first Indian to do so away from home.

India A finish strong on Day three, thanks to Padikkal’s 199

Thanks to Padikkal’s exceptional knock and fifties from Sudarshan and Rathod, India A finished day three on 488-8, with a lead of 284 in the second innings. They will be keen on adding some quick runs on the final morning and setting a challenging target for New Zealand A.

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There will be a total of 32 matches, with the final scheduled to take place on November 21. Eight teams will face each other once in a round-robin league stage, after which the top four teams will advance to the playoffs.

Several big names will feature in the tournament such as David Warner, Shakib Al Hasan, Moeen Ali, Sherfane Rutherford, and Rashid Khan as well as stars from the Nepal team. Sahibzada Farhan is also set to join Karnali Yaks.

Notably, the NPL has been granted List A (T20) status from this season. All the matches will be held at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.

As for the match timings, single match days begin at 4:30 PM NPT (4:15 PM IST, 10:45 AM GMT). The double-headers start with the first match at 12:30pm NPT (12:15pm IST, 6:45am GMT), followed by the second game at 4:30pm NPT.

Nepal Premier League 2026, where to watch: Live streaming and TV channels for NPL 2026

Where to watch in India?

The Indian viewers can catch the NPL 2026 action with live streaming available on Fancode.

Where to watch in Nepal?

In Nepal, NPL 2026 matches will be broadcast live on Himalaya Sports TV. For online viewing, fans can access NetTV platform.

Where to watch in the rest of the world?

NetTV holds the worldwide OTT rights, including India, the Gulf, the UK, Australia, North America, and other regions.

Image: NPL/Instagram

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Afghanistan, who had sent a second-string side in the Asian Games Men's Cricket Competition, have their main squad for this series, led by Ibrahim Zadran. Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has been left out, as is Darwish Rasooli, who led the team in the Asian Games. Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai and Shahidullah have been recalled.

For the visitors, their last T20I assignment was a tri-series against South Africa and Namibia in September, where they lost to the former in the final by 48 runs. Sikandar Raza will continue to lead them. Brad Evans will play only the first two games, with Kundai Matigimu coming in for the third. Vincent Masekesa and Tafadzwa Tsiga could be in line for their T20I debut.

AFG vs ZIM T20Is: Full schedule, venue, and match timings

All three matches will begin at 6:30 PM local time (8 PM IST, 3:30 PM UK) and will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

1st T20I: October 27
2nd T20I: October 29
3rd T20I: November 1

Full squads for Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe T20I series

Afghanistan

Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Akram, Shahidullah, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdullah Tarakhail, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Fareed Ahmad. Reserves: Faridoon Dawoodzai, Qais Ahmad, and Nangyalai Khan.

Zimbabwe

Sikandar Raza (c), Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), Ben Curran, Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, Brian Bennett, Innocent Kaia, Kundai Matigimu, Newman Nyamhuri, Ryan Burl, Vincent Masekesa, Wellington Masakadza, and Wessly Madhevere.

Also read: Why a dropped towel saved a Zimbabwe batter from dismissal

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West Indies defeated Bangladesh 2-0 the last time they toured the country. However, they have a significantly different side this time, with Roston Chase as captain. White-ball captain Shai Hope has been rested for the tour with the World Cup Qualifiers in mind, while Alzarri Joseph withdrew due to workload management. Shamar Springer has replaced Keemo Paul, who was earlier named in place of Joseph.

Bangladesh recently faced Afghanistan in a one-off Test in the UAE that ended in a thrilling draw. Taskin Ahmed, who was rested for that Test, is back in the squad, but Nahid Rana remains sidelined due to an injury.

Bangladesh vs West Indies Test Series: Full Schedule, Venues and Match Timings

Both Test matches will start at 10am local time (9:30am IST, 5am UK).

1st Test, October 28-November 1: Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
2nd Test, November 5-9: Sylhet Internatinal Cricket Stadium, Sylhet

Squads for BAN vs WI Tests

Bangladesh

Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Litton Das (wk), Taskin Ahmed, Jaker Ali, Mominul Haque, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Ebadot Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Shadman Islam, Shoriful Islam, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nayeem Hasan.

West Indies

Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Joshua Da Silva (wk), Amir Jangoo (wk), Joshua Bishop, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Shamar Springer, Kevin Wickham.

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Pakistan have moved away from their usual green kits for the fourth match of the ongoing ODI Tri-series to mark a special occasion on a day all of Gaddafi Stadium will turn pink. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has organised Breast Cancer Awareness Day as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives.

October is internationally observed as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This Pink Day fixture between Pakistan and England serves as a medium to highlight the importance of early detection and adequate treatment. The PCB has partnered with Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Trust Hospital, which is offering fans free of cost screenings between October 24 to 26.

All Pakistan players will wear specially designed pink jerseys in this game, while England team members, match officials, and commentators will don pink ribbons in solidarity with survivors and patients. Apart from clothing, the stumps used for this game are also pink, and the big screens and LED boards will display awareness messages throughout the day.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board recognises the responsibility that comes with the immense following and influence of cricket in our country,” said the PCB COO Sumair Ahmad Syed. “Through this Pink Ribbon initiative, we want to use the platform of international cricket to raise awareness about breast cancer and highlight the importance of early detection and timely medical attention.”

Under this initiative, the PCB also introduced pink-themed limited edition merchandise which fans can buy through their online portal to show their support for the cause. Proceeds from this will go towards the treatment of those who cannot afford it. Last year, Pakistan had observed Pink Day during the T20I series against South Africa.

Signed by stars, auctioned for hope 💗🏏 PCB and Pink Ribbon join hands for breast cancer awareness as Pakistan wear pink against England on 25 October. Special signed shirts from @iShaheenAfridi and @babarazam258 are up for auction, with proceeds supporting treatment for those who cannot afford it. #PinkDay | #PAKvENG | #CricketKaJashan

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 24, 2026

Also read: Pakistan's best ODI batter is hiding in plain sight

As for the match, Pakistan will look to seal their place in the final with a third consecutive win. England, on the other hand, are in as good as a must-win situation, having lost two out of two games.

England lost by 87 runs in the previous clash between these two teams, and were at the receiving end of the second highest run-chase in ODI history, despite Harry Brook recording the fastest double century.

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Do not blame yourself if you have to think hard. It is not your fault that cricket’s middle format is headed towards irrelevance. These days, the people who matter want to keep it that way. 

To be fair, they have had little choice. As T20 leagues forced cricket’s calendar to shrink, the ICC managed to keep Tests relevant through the flawed but relevant World Test Championship. As a result, limited-overs internationals outside the marquee tournaments were reduced to a forgettable footnote. 

Cricket’s middle format has neither Test cricket’s unchallenged prestige nor T20’s cash. Full Members have to play some ODIs, but these are often blink-and-miss hyphens joining the other two formats. The ODI rankings are important for World Cup berths, but too many teams qualify directly for these bilaterals to matter. The Cricket World Cup Super League died with a whimper three years ago.

In a way, ODIs have come full circle from where they were half a century ago: few care for them outside the World Cups. For much of the last fifty years, however, they did rule the world of cricket. And triangular tournaments played a major role in that.

One can see why. Triangulars do not involve the banality of a team facing the same opposition every day. What is more, bilaterals peter out once one team takes an unassailable lead, but a triangular has a final. Fans invariably prefer a well-marketed, hyped-up Big Match to close out a contest. And the incentive of a final brings with it the thrills of qualification calculations (you remember those bonus points, right?). 

Packer, Sharjah, and all that

Annoyed by the Australian board’s refusal to grant him television rights for cricket in the nation, media mogul Kerry Packer launched World Series Cricket, an unsanctioned private cricket league. For the league to work, Packer needed cricket of the highest quality to make the fans turn away from “official” cricket. For that, he needed as many of the mighty West Indians as possible, the superpower of the time. His agents did a splendid job of recruiting enough of them to form a separate team. 

This enabled Packer to launch a triangular, featuring hosts Australia, the West Indies, and a World XI. When the Australian Cricket Board eventually struck a truce, Packer insisted on replicating the idea for every home summer. And so it began. 

The neutral games got over in a day. And even that day was new and exciting, played in coloured clothing with white balls even when the sun was out. Channel Nine added to the drama with state-of-the-art coverage. Most importantly, the cricket was of the highest quality. The board managed to invite the West Indies for four of the first six summers (they obviously won all four). Packer’s tournament was successful in every way the ICC’s 1912 Triangular Test tournament was not.

For a few years, the concept continued only in Australia. Then in June 1983, BCCI president NKP Salve became so riled by the MCC (let us leave that story for another day) that he set his sights on bringing the 1987 World Cup home. In this ambitious task, he found allies in Nur Khan and Gamini Dissanayake, his counterparts in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. On September 19, the three boards (along with Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Singapore) founded the Asian Cricket Council, the first regional organisation that would host international cricket and generate profit.

In 1984, the three Asian Full Members met for the first Asia Cup, in Sharjah. This made the UAE the first ICC Associate Member to host international cricket, and the first country to host a cricket tournament they did not participate in.

The Asia Cup found other homes over the years, but Sharjah grew exponentially in stature as a venue. Its 255 matches are still more than 50 games clear of any other venue in the world. In the 1990s, when the centre of cricket began to shift from England to the Indian subcontinent, Sharjah evolved as the face of ODIs in Asia. Celebrities from India, Pakistan, and beyond flew down to the matches, making it the most glamorous cricketing destination long before franchise cricket came along.

The first chapter of the triangular (and, at times, quadrangular) ODI tournaments thus took place in two continents. Of the first 29 of these contests (until the end of 1992), Australia hosted 15 and Sharjah nine. Three of the other five were Asia Cups.

The 1990s also saw South Africa return from exile and immediately establish themselves as one of the best sides, while Sri Lanka grew at breakneck pace to become world champions. The pool of strong teams suddenly grew enough to have high-quality one-day cricket throughout the year. Triangular ODI contests became the fad, even beyond the traditional powerhouses.

Bangladesh and Kenya, the two fastest rising Associate Nations in the 1990s, were obvious options as eager participants, but it was not just them. Between 1996 and 2008, Full Members played triangular ODI tournaments in Singapore, Morocco, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Ireland, Scotland, and Canada.

Associates hosting 3- or 4-nation tournaments featuring Full Members (excluding Asia Cup and/or matches in Sharjah)

With four years separating World Cups and the Champions Trophy struggling to find relevance, three-nation tournaments became cricket’s lifeline over this period. They produced numerous historical episodes, tactical revolutions, iconic moments, and holistic upheavals.

The list is long and diverse. Some incidents prompted changes to the Laws of Cricket as teams pushed the rules to their limits for an edge. In 1979, With three to defend off the last ball at Sydney, England captain Mike Brearley sent all his fielders to the boundary line. A year later, New Zealand needed seven off one ball when Greg Chappell ordered brother Trevor to bowl underarm.  Cue shock, controversy, and attention.

What about innovations? In 1982/83, Lance Cairns strode out brandishing an Excalibur – he had the shoulder of his bat shaved off – and hit six sixes (including a one-handed one off Dennis Lillee) in the colossal MCG. Nearly a decade later, Javed Miandad used the dimensions of the WACA with characteristic efficiency to carve out an unbeaten 59 with 45 singles and no boundaries to mastermind a chase against the West Indies. In between these two, in 1986 at Sharjah, Gus Logie became the first to win a Player of the Match award for fielding.

Then there were the memories. 

A young Glenn McGrath stunned a star-studded Pakistan in the 1994 Wills Triangular final at Lahore. Michael Bevan lit up New Year’s Day 1996 with the kind of chase that would inspire commentators to add the word “finisher” over the years that followed. In the same summer, Sri Lanka trial-ran Romesh Kaluwitharana at the top in Australia. Combined with Sanath Jayasuriya, this introduced the idea of hitters on both ends to open an ODI – a tactic they rode to the World Cup title a few months later. Soon after, Jayasuriya smashed the fastest ODI hundred in a triangular at a tiny ground in Singapore. But that awe-inspiring record only lasted a few months before it was overhauled by a teenager called Shahid Afridi in a Kenya quadrangular.

The 1994/95 Australian summer featured England and Zimbabwe, prompting the hosts to add Australia A to the mix to give their team more of a challenge (the two home teams played in the final). Two years later however, it was the visitors dishing out the punishment as Pakistan and the West Indies knocked Australia out at the group stage of their own series. 

In 1998 amidst a desert storm, Sachin Tendulkar played one of the most famous innings of his career, adding another iconic moment to Sharjah’s ever expanding list. It came only months after England’s otherwise luckless side stunned all by winning an ODI tournament under the crafty Adam Hollioake at the same venue.

Like much else with cricket in the 1990s, England themselves were late to the party, only hosting their first triangular in 1998. It just lasted until 2005, but that included 2000 (when Zimbabwe topped the league table), 2001 (when Waqar Younis took 13 wickets in two games and Alec Stewart conceded a match), 2002 (when Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif pulled off a miracle in the final), and 2005 (when Bangladesh beat world champions Australia for the first time).

Perhaps the most defining example of the importance of triangulars came in 2003, when world champions Australia dropped the legendary Waugh brothers – stalwarts of the 1999 trophy win – from their World Cup squad. The reason? Australia had failed to make the final of a home triangular (?)  a season prior and that was enough to make huge changes.

Yes, triangular tournaments mattered.

Decline

It is not a coincidence that triangular ODI tournaments began to fade out from the late 2010s, roughly the same time when franchise leagues began to mushroom around the world. Not only did the calendar shrink for individual players but it also became increasingly difficult to get two visiting teams to tour at the same time. 

Of course, it will not be right to put the blame solely on T20s. 

Barring ICC and ACC competitions, India has not hosted a three- or four-nation tournament since 2003, South Africa since 2001, and New Zealand since 1995. Before 2025, Pakistan’s last such effort was the 2004 Paktel Cup. The charm had already been wearing off for some time before T20s truly took over. 

But why did they stop? The ECB was criticised for scheduling a triangular (and a bilateral) in early summer of 2005, because it meant that England ended up playing 10 ODIs before the Ashes even began. That year’s final ended in a tie and England later famously won the Ashes, but in 2006 they split the summer into two bilaterals punctuated by the Test series, and have not hosted a triangular since.

What about Australia? The success of the 2007 World Twenty20 (now the T20 World Cup) meant that T20Is began to be a part of their summer calendar. That meant the generally 15-match traditional triangular had to go. That December, they announced a switch to bilaterals for “the next few years”, but the triangulars only returned twice before disappearing for good.

One can see why. Matches not featuring the hosts seldom drew crowds – on the field or in front of screens. The growing influence of broadcasters turbocharged franchise cricket. In a way, things had come full circle, for Packer and Sharjah were both also created out of broadcaster needs.

Over the past few years, the men’s game has experimented with triangular T20I tournaments. One, in 2017/18, was played across two legs, in Australia and New Zealand. Dinesh Karthik’s finishing touches to the Nidahas final in Sri Lanka became an instant YouTube hit. Aaron Finch’s 172 in Zimbabwe in 2018 is still the men’s T20I world record. Pakistan and New Zealand have both hosted these, as has Sharjah. A recent one in Namibia saw the hosts stun South Africa.

Throughout their 25-year dominance, triangular tournaments were instrumental in the evolution of ODIs and reshaping of the power of cricket’s rulers. As of now, a revival seems unlikely. But even if they do not return, they will forever have their rightful place in the history of cricket.

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The tournament organised by Cricket Canada has been moved to the Caribbean this year and all matches will be played at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Apart from the opening game on October 23 and the final, two matches will be played on each day. 

The first match of the day will get underway at 10am local time (7:30pm IST, 3pm UK), while the second will commence at 7pm local time (4:30am IST - next day, 12am UK - next day).

T20 stars around the globe are set to feature in the tournament. The Canadian and emerging North American players will compete alongside Caribbean and international cricketers. These include, among others, Chadwick Walton, Fabian Allen, Andre Fletcher, Dwaine Pretorius, Azam Khan, Mohammad Amir, Evin Lewis, JJ Smuts and Shakib Al Hasan.

KS Bharat, Unmukt Chand, Rishi Dhawan and Vijay Shankar are among the Indian players participating in the tournament.

GT20 Canada 2026: Full Squads

Brampton Blazers

Hamza Tariq (c), Chadwick Walton, Ethan Gibson, KS Bharat, Yuvraj Samra, Toby Albert, Shreyas Movva, Thomas Draca, Kofi James, Fahad Ahmed, Dillon Douglas, Ravinder Singh, Darron Nedd, Farhan Malik, Shadrack Descarte, Sandeep Singh, Oshane Thomas, Monank Patel

Mississauga Skyhawks

Fabian Allen, Junaid Siddiqui, Azam Khan, Parth Chaudhary, Vijay Shankar, Shubham Dogra, Unmukt Chand, Kairav Sharma, Ali Orr, Wayne Parnell, Rohan Sikri, Zahid Shirzad, Khalid Kail, Jatinder Matharu, Rafiullah, Aaditya Vardharajan, Rayyan Pathan, Shivam Sharma, Gurjot Singh Gosal

Montreal Warriors

Will Bosisto (c), Andre Fletcher, Matthew Tromp, Zachary Carter, Dominic Drakes, Kadeem Alleyne, Aryan Sidhu, Dilraj Deol, Nauman Anwar, Rajinder Kumar, Nicholson Gordon, Sheel Patel, Harsh Thaker, Rishi Dhawan, Kristopher Ramsaran, Sukhjinder Singh, Andrew McCarthy, Ali Sheikh, Tejinder Johal

Toronto Kings

Dwaine Pretorius (c), Ali Nadeem (wk), Aaron Johnson, Dejourn Charles, Evin Lewis, JJ Smuts, Mark Deyal, Akhil Kumar, Obus Pienaar, Ali Khan, Rahkeem Cornwall, Saad Bin Zafar, Mohammad Amir, Anubhav Jawla, Zia Shahzad

Vancouver Guardians

Shakib Al Hasan, George Munsey, Colin Ingram, Tom Abell, Rony Talukdar, Nasir Hossain, Hazratullah Zazai, Kennar Lewis, Zen Malik, Malinda Pushpakumara, Pushpit Sharma, Brad Currie, Jayden Royals, Uday Bhagwan Singh, Shivam Sharma, Ajayveer Hundal, Rana Salman, Padam Joshi, Arun Nag

GT20 Canada 2026: Schedule

GT20 Canada 2026: Telecast and Live Streaming Details

Where to watch in Canada?

ATN, CBC Sports and CBN will broadcast the GT20 Canada for cricket fans in Canada.

Where to watch in India?

United8Sports will telecast all matches of the tournament in India while the live streaming is also available on Zee5.

Where to watch in the UK?

A Sports HD will telecast GT20 Canada live in the United Kingdom while matches can be followed live on ARY Plus.

Where to watch in Pakistan?

Geo Super will telecast this tournament live in Pakistan. Live streaming will be available on Tamasha and Myco.

Where to watch in Sri Lanka?

Fans in Sri Lanka will be able to watch all matches of GT20 Canada on Dialog, PEO TV and Sri Lanka Telecom.

Where to watch in Bangladesh?

T Sports will broadcast all matches of this tournament live in Bangladesh. Myco is the streaming partner of this competition.

Where to watch in Afghanistan?

Solh Sports will telecast and stream GT20 Canada on its platform in Afghanistan.

Where to watch in Middle-East and North Africa?

Myco will stream all matches of the competition in Middle-East and North Africa.

Where to watch in South and Sub-Saharan Africa?

Fans in South and Sub-Saharan Africa will be able to stream all matches of this tournament live on Africa XP and Sports Connect.

Where to watch in Europe?

Fans in European countries will be able to watch the matches of this competition live on Sports Connect and ARY Plus.

Where to watch in the Caribbean and Latin America?

Rush Live and Louder will telecast and stream GT20 Canada live in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Where to watch in the USA?

Cricket fans in the USA will be able to follow matches live on ARY Plus.

Where to watch in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast & Far East Asia?

Sports Connect will stream GT20 Canada live in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast & Far East Asia.

Where to watch in Nepal?

Local broadcaster Action Sports will telecast all matches of GT20 live in Nepal.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.

Konstas steadied the ship with an 81-run partnership for the second wicket with Josh Phillipe (51) off 89 balls, and patiently built his innings before getting to his fifty off 59 balls with a six. He added 85 runs with skipper Lachlan Shaw (44) and another 82 with Jack Edwards (45), bringing up his second List A century off 106 balls in the process.

He upped the ante after getting to three figures, scoring his next 49 runs in 25 balls, and was only dismissed in the 47th over. Riding on his terrific knock, NSW posted a mammoth 371 runs, their second-highest total ever in the format.

Konstas hits form as Australia's top-order woes continue

The 149-run knock was Konstas's fourth consecutive 50-plus score. He scored a 67 in the second unofficial ODI against India A in Puducherry earlier this month, and followed it up with 71 and 151* for NSW in the Sheffield Shield against Western Australia at the WACA.

He took WA to the cleaners again in the One-Day Cup to send a message to the selectors ahead of the upcoming home Test series against New Zealand. With Nic Maddinson struggling on his return in South Africa and Marnus Labuschagne's torrid time continuing, Konstas has forced his way into selection talks. David Warner also backed him to bat at No.3 for Australia after his Shield ton last week.

Konstas hasn't played for Australia since the West Indies tour in July last year. He had made a bright start to his Test career, smashing Jasprit Bumrah for fun on debut in the Boxing Day Test in December 2024 in a 60-run knock. But he could only muster 103 runs in his next nine innings before being eventually dropped.

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Over the past year, Joe Root has had that effect on India, scoring 537 runs in nine innings during their Test series in England. Sonal Dinusha did something similar during India’s tour of Sri Lanka, his 420-minute, unbeaten 133 helping secure a draw after he had already scored two hundreds in the series. And who can forget Virat Kohli nudging Daryl Mitchell away after the New Zealander averaged 176 across three ODIs in India last year, suggesting, “We’ve seen enough of you”? 

Shai Hope recently gave India a similar dose of déjà vu. The West Indies captain finished his white-ball visit with four hundreds in seven innings, becoming only the third visiting batter, after Everton Weekes and Tillakaratne Dilshan, to make as many hundreds on a single tour of India.

Hope began with 104 in the Guwahati ODI before producing 162* off 143 in Chandigarh, leading West Indies to 352, their highest successful chase. He then made 52 in the first T20I in Lucknow before scoring two unbeaten 102s: one in Ranchi, helping West Indies overhaul 250 after losing two wickets in the first over, and another in Hyderabad, where they posted 247 in a 24-run victory. 

The sight of Hope raising his bat against India had begun a year earlier, in New Delhi, when he scored 103 for his first Test hundred in eight years. Asked to follow on, Hope and opener John Campbell mounted a resounding fightback and forced India to bat again, even though the match eventually ended in defeat for West Indies. He followed that with a 140 in his very next Test at Christchurch. After being bowled out for 167 in the first innings and set 531 to win, West Indies looked out of the contest, but Hope’s resistance helped secure an unlikely draw.

Back in 2017, Hope had scored 147 and 118* at Headingley, becoming the first batter to make two first-class hundreds in a match at the ground. He averaged 45.5 in Tests that year, and West Indies appeared to have found a long-term red-ball mainstay. Instead, he went his next 40 innings without a hundred, averaging 18.71. He was eventually dropped from the side in 2021 before making a remarkable comeback last year. 

Since October 2025, he has three hundreds in 15 innings, as compared to two earlier from 78 outings. Hope's ODI record has long been his strongest credential, but in the last year, his stocks have skyrocketed. He is scoring faster - with a strike rate of 95.95 as compared to a career rate of 80.82 - while maintaining the consistency that has defined his ODI career.

T20Is have brought another transformation. His 794 runs in the last year have come at a strike rate of 148.68, with two hundreds. All three of his T20I centuries have come since the start of January 2025. Before this period, he struck at 137.65, indicating his all-round growth.

Speaking on Wisden’s The Scoop, Hope explained how his approach has evolved: “I just tried to look at the mental side of the game more so than the actual physical side.” He has also learnt to trust his strengths rather than become consumed by his weaknesses. Reflecting on his past struggles in Test cricket, he said: “A lot of times we tend to focus on the problem so much that we're driving ourselves into a deeper hole.”

For the West Indies, Hope’s rise comes at a crucial time. Financial pressures, pay cuts and the pull of franchise cricket have complicated the task of keeping leading players committed to the national side. Discussing the monetary realities facing cricketers, Hope acknowledged: “The reality is cricket is no longer just recreational; there's a business side to it as well, and you've got to feed your family.” 

Yet he stressed that representing the West Indies remains deeply meaningful to him. “Once I put on that crest, I always have a different energy and a different love for the game,” he said. As a rare regular across all three formats and the white-ball captain, Hope offers continuity in a team that has often had to rebuild. He also sees a responsibility to inspire the next generation, believing current players must carry forward the legacy of West Indies cricket through their performances and their work beyond the field.

Hope’s importance to West Indies extends beyond his performances on the field, but his recent form also puts him in a wider conversation about the world’s best all-format batters.

Also Read: Smriti Mandhana is even better than you think she is

In the last 12 months, 13 batters have averaged at least 40 in Tests after playing a minimum of five matches. In ODIs, 19 batters from Full Member nations have averaged at least 50 after playing five matches, while 15 batters have struck at 145 or better in T20Is after facing at least 300 balls. Only two appear on all three lists: Harry Brook and Hope, showing how rare it is to sustain high standards across formats in the current era.

Other players also have a claim to being among the world’s best, but each of them have their caveats. Shubman Gill is a leading candidate in Tests and ODIs, but does not play T20Is. Travis Head has produced some of the most destructive innings across formats, but is prone to inconsistency. Ben Duckett was in the conversation not too long ago, but has since fizzled out, while Daryl Mitchell is also in the mix but has scored only one Test hundred in the last three years. Brook is the most obvious contender now following his 202 against England, which made him one of two players to have a Test triple, an ODI double and a T20I hundred.

But Hope, despite his established ODI record and recent resurgence in the other two formats, rarely receives the same attention. The title of the world’s best all-format batter is difficult to claim when so few players manage to excel in all three. Hope may not be the first name that comes to mind, but he makes a compelling case for the hipster’s choice: the less obvious pick in a conversation dominated by bigger names. Perhaps it is time to look beyond the usual suspects and give him the recognition his cricket deserves.

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In reply, Ibrahim Zadran held the Afghanistan innings together with an unbeaten 70 off 96, smashing four fours and a six. He stitched a 68-run stand with his opening partner Rahmanullah Gurbaz (36) and then joined hands with skipper Rahmat Shah (43) to add 82 runs for the third wicket.

Afghanistan chased down the 170-run target in the 35th over to win the tri-series. Zadran was named the player of the match for his brilliant knock, while Rashid took home the player of the series award for picking up 11 wickets in the tournament.

Latest men’s ODI team rankings after Afghanistan tri-series

Afghanistan’s tri-series win has helped them overtake England in the rankings, with the latter recently losing to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. Afghanistan gained two points to jump from eighth to seventh place, while England lost two points after the twin losses to slip from sixth to eighth. 

With England's slump in the rankings, Sri Lanka have jumped to sixth. Zimbabwe have also gained two points after making the final of the tri-series but remain in 11th place. Bangladesh failed to win a single game in the tri-series and lost two points but retained their ninth position in the rankings.

Image Credit: Afghanistan Cricket Board/X

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And with all due respect to passionate fans of the KFC Presents Bank Al Falah Trophy, despite the ridiculous numbers, it was precisely the sort of match that will be lost in time, like tears in the rain. Being a KFC presents Bank Al Falah partisan myself, I felt it was important that we try and grab onto these ephemeral memories, and create a whole list out of them. 

What follows is a very personal and definitely incomplete list of epic yet meaningless ODI games. Some of these are part of obscure tournaments, many are run-of-the-mill bilaterals, and none took place in an ICC event. Completely free of the drama and context of a World Cup, these games nonetheless live long in the memory. By definition, there will be games missed out and games you disagree with. That’s the whole point.

#20 Sri Lanka almost chase 400

India 414-7 (V Sehwag 146 MS Dhoni 72) beat Sri Lanka 411-8 (T Dilshan 160, K Sangakkara 90) by 3 runs 

1st ODI, Rajkot, December 15, 2009

If the first innings felt unreal, the second innings felt like an acid trip, even if both followed similar scripts. The star batters went on a rampage at the top, there was a middle order collapse in the 300s, and then the lower order persisted till the end. Sadly for Sri Lanka, a nerveless 49th over by Zaheer Khan broke their back as they ended up just short of a wild chase.

#19 A last-ball six…to tie

England 286-8 (J Buttler 93, C Wokes 95*) tied with Sri Lanka 286-9 (A Matthews 73) 

1st ODI, Nottingham, June 21, 2016

A last ball six that ends up being forgotten? That is an epic level of meaninglessness. For our older readers, I was tempted to put up Asif Mujtaba’s lone hand against Australia a lifetime ago. But there was an equally fun example more recently, as first Buttler and then Chris Woakes rescued England against Sri Lanka. The visitors were celebrating on the penultimate ball but Liam Plunkett smashed a six to tie it.

#18 Stoinis makes it look easy

New Zealand 286-9 (N Broom 73, M Guptill 61) beat Australia 280-10 (M Stoinis 146*) by 6 runs

1st ODI, Auckland, January 30, 2017 

This is one of those games where Australia broke me - it truly felt like anyone in a yellow cricket kit could choose to become invincible at any point, and there was nothing the rest of us could do about it. Australia were 67-6 at one point, and only one batter scored over 30. It mattered little to Marcus Stoinis, who rampaged an unbeaten 146 to guide his team within six runs of New Zealand’s total. He monopolised the strike, hitting 54 in partnership with No.11 Josh Hazlewood, who didn’t face a ball. Then disaster struck. Kane Williamson stationed himself almost on the pitch to save the single. Hazlewood set off anyway. And a direct hit sealed a Blackcaps victory.

#17 A Bevan masterclass

Australia 173-9 (M Bevan 78) beat West Indies 172-9 (C Hooper 93, P Reiffel 4-29) by 1 wicket (0 balls remaining)

5th ODI, Sydney, January 1, 1996

Michael Bevan was like one of those artists whose greatest work came well ahead of its time, before people could truly appreciate the nuances of what he was doing. A get-out-of-jail-free card for Australia in the lower order, this match was a classic example. The West Indies seemed to be routing the Aussies when they had them at 38-6, only for Bevan to rally the tail around for a nerveless chase before smashing a four off the last ball to win it.

#16 Buttler as Batman

England 208-9 (J Buttler 110*) beat Australia 205-10 (T Head 56, M Ali 4-46) by 1 wicket (with 9 balls remaining)

5th ODI, Manchester, June 24, 2018 

This match ensured a 5-0 series rout of Australia, but at least this game was close. Australia had felt extremely careless as they got all out within 35 overs, yet England collapsed spectacularly as well to leave a rather impossible chase. But with Jos Buttler as Batman and Adil Rashid as Robin, the comeback was on. Local hero Buttler survived the late loss of Rahid as the hosts pulled off an audacious victory.

#15 A chaotic tie

West Indies 244-5 (D Haynes 82, C Hooper 69*) tied with Pakistan 244-6 (I ul Haq 53)

5th ODI, Georgetown, April 3, 1993 

With the memories of their epic series from the 1980s still fresh, the West Indies and Pakistan served up a phenomenal run of ODIs and Test matches. The hosts ran up a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, before the defending world champions clawed it back to 2-2. Both Carl Hooper and Desmond Haynes seemed to have the chase under control, but a late wobble took the match to the final over, and then the final ball. The West Indies seemed to have gotten the two runs they needed for a win, but a crowd invasion meant that the match referee was compelled to declare the match, and therefore the series, as a tie.

#14 Ross Taylor rampages England

New Zealand 339-5 (R Taylor 181*) beat England 335-9 (J Bairstow 138, J Root 102) by 5 wickets (with 3 balls remaining) 

4th ODI, Dunedin, March 7 2018

Losing both openers for ducks in a huge chase should generally be the end of things, but Ross Taylor had other ideas in mind. An absolutely brutal and unbeaten score of 181 followed, which was made more impressive by the fact that Taylor was injured after reaching his century. He was aided by some late-order hitting as the Kiwis pulled off a stunning chase.

#13 The Razzler’s last stand

Pakistan 289-9 (A Razzaq 109*) beat South Africa 286-8 (C Ingram 100) by 1 wicket (with 1 ball remaining)

2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi, October 31, 2010

There were a couple of options for an epic and meaningless Pakistan-South Africa game. The most recent one was Fakhar Zaman’s incredible lone hand of 193 in an innings where the team extras (25) were the third highest scorers. But I have to go with Abdul Razzaq’s blitzkrieg instead. He came in when the match seemed lost, and his exploits felt purely academic for most of the chase. But he kept smashing sixes for fun, and his ninth and tenth ones took his team to a win with a ball to spare.

#12 New Zealand’s Mac attack

New Zealand 350-9 (C McMillan 117, B McCullum 86*) beat Australia 346-5 (M Hayden 181*) by 1 wicket (with 3 balls remaining)

3rd ODI, Hamilton, February 20, 2007

Matthew Hayden was a singularly demoralising figure. Often seeming broader than the entire pitch, he looked like an adult playing with kids at his most imperious. That’s certainly how it felt in this game as he scored 181* and the hosts meekly collapsed to 46-4. But Craig McMillan and Brendon McCullum decided to bully the bully, and roared back into the game. McMillan got the century but it was Baz who was left with the tail to shepherd a tense chase home.

#11 Dougie scoops his way to victory

Zimbabwe 277-9 (D Marillier 56*, A Campbell 84, Z Khan 4-47) beat India 274-6 (VVS Laxman 75, S Ganguly 57) by 1 wicket (with 2 balls remaining)

1st ODI, Faridabad, March 7, 2002 

You know it’s an obscure game when it can be referred to as the Dougie Marillier game. The little-known creator of the scoop shot, this was a signature innings. Zimbabwe looked dead in the water when Marillier came out, and launched a stunning assault with 56* off 24, with several boundaries off his unpatented scoop shot. You wish there were better marketers for this innings though - one match report described the hugely influential invention as “the Dougie shot”. 

#10 200 In a losing cause

Sri Lanka 430-8 (P Rathnayake 130, D Shanaka 97, A Fernando 97) beat England 429-4 (H Brook 202) by 2 wickets (with 1 ball left)

3rd Match, Rawalpindi, October 22, 2026

The match that inspired this article, and a hugely deserving addition to the list. Harry Brook continued his love affair with batting in Pakistan for his best ODI innings yet, and Sri Lanka’s woeful recent form did not suggest that the ‘Pindi crowd was in for a classic. Yet the chasing side batted with utmost belief, as each departing batter was replaced by one just as belligerent. There was a hundred and two 97s, but Janith Liyanage’s 61 off 27 at the death might have been the best effort.

#9 Malinga and Mathews magic

Sri Lanka 243-9 (A Mathews 77*, L Malinga 56, X Doherty 4-46) beat Australia 239-8 (M Hussey 71, T Perera 5-46) by 1 wicket (with 34 balls remaining)

1st ODI, Melbourne, November 3, 2010

Many of the matches on this list are the cricket version of the Undertaker GIF, as a team rose from the dead. Sri Lanka were 107-8 chasing 243, but then Angelo Mathews found a mainstay in Lasith Malinga as the Lankan Lions put together the highest ninth-wicket partnership in ODIs at that point. Pleasingly, it was also Australia’s sixth consecutive defeat in ODIs.

#8 Salim Malik’s lone hand

Pakistan 241-8 (S Malik 72, R Shastri 4-38) beat India 238-6 (K Srikkanth 123) by 2 wickets (with 3 balls remaining, 40 overs match)

2nd ODI, Kolkata, February 18, 1987

During the ‘90s, Salim Malik was known by unscrupulous fans like myself as Salim Satta, with the suffix being a slang for fixer. Whenever I did make such a comment, an older fan would inevitably point to this game as proof of his greatness. Not only did Salim’s 72 (36) help pull off a chase that was around eight an over when he entered, but he played this entire epic with a broken arm. Not many better ways to stun your archrivals at home.

#7 A Scottish stunner

Scotland 371-5 (C MacLeod 140*, G Munsey 55) beat England 365-10 (J Bairstow 105) by 6 runs

Only ODI, Edinburgh, June 10, 2018

I must admit that the first time I saw this scorecard, it felt riddled with typos. Scotland amassed a massive 371 against a solid bowling attack, thanks to Calum MacLeod’s stunning 141. The hosts then sparked a middle-order collapse when the world no.1 ranked side seemed to be cruising. Liam Plunkett and Moeen Ali wrested back control of the game, but the Scots held their nerves to eke out a famous win.

#6 Heeeeere’s Kohli

India 321-3 (V Kohli 133, G Gambhir 63) beat Sri Lanka 320-4 (T Dilshan 160, K Sangakkara 105) by 7 wickets (with 80 balls remaining)

11th Match, Hobart, February 28, 2012

It's hard to find meaningless games for a player as semiotically rich as Virat Kohli, but we have a couple of shouts. You could go with his insane 183 in a huge chase against one of his favourite victims, Pakistan. But instead I’ve gone with his epic century as India chased down 321 in 37 overs to keep their hopes of qualifying for the tri-series final alive.. It was one of the first great Kohli chases, and like all of them, this went from impossible to improbable to imminently over very quickly.

#5 Desert Storm

Australia 284-7 (M Bevan 101, M Waugh 81) beat India 250-5 (S Tendulkar 143) by 26 runs (revised target)

6th Match, Sharjah, April 22, 1998

To get an idea of how impactful this game was, consider that it has a nickname despite the fact that the team it celebrates lost the match. Michael Bevan scored a hundred in a quintessentially Bevan innings, and only one scored more than 35 for a woeful Indian side. But some obscure batter from Mumbai went absolutely berserk, manhandling the Australians by himself, and doing enough to secure passage to the final despite defeat. Arguably the second-biggest star of the night was an actual desert storm, which briefly seemed to be the only thing that could stop Sachin Tendulkar that night.

#4 A last-ball six that wasn’t

India 349-7 (R Dravid 99, V Sehwag 79) beat Pakistan 344-8 (I ul Haq 122) by 5 runs

1st ODI, Karachi, March 13, 2004

I am not being facetious when I say that I had a spiritual experience watching this game from the stands. The first match in a relentlessly hyped, and eventually unforgettable tour, India seemed to have run away with the game thanks to a Rahul Dravid 99. Pakistan were never out of the chase but never totally in it either until the final ten overs began. The National Stadium was absolutely heaving in a fantastically tense finish, until Moin Khan failed to hit a six needed off the last ball.

#3 The Yuvi-Kaif game, aka the 'shirtless Ganguly' game

India 326-8 (M Kaif 87*, Y Singh 69) beat England 325-5 (N Hussain 115, M Trescothick 109) by 2 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)

Final, Lord’s, July 13, 2002 

There are two types of people in the world - those who call this the Yuvi-Kaif game, and those that call it the shirtless Ganguly game. Nasser Hussain made a century and stuck three fingers that may as well have been one finger up at the press box. India looked done and dusted chasing a massive total, but then Yuvraj and Kaif defined the template for ODI chases. A match where the past of Indian cricket gave away to its future.

#2 Miandad’s last-ball six

Pakistan 248-9 (J Miandad 116*) beat India 245-7 (S Gavaskar 92) by one wicket with 0 balls remaining

Final, Sharjah, April 18, 1986

It is a bit of a cheat code to include this match in the list, given that it happened in a now forgotten tournament, and more importantly that it was one of the most meaningful games in Pakistan’s history. It launched a golden age of Pakistan cricket and also solidified Sharjah as the new heart of cricket. As for the match itself, world champions India had seen their star batters shine as they put on a big total. In reply, it was only Miandad’s century that held together a flailing chase, as no one else crossed 34. Needing four off the last ball, he dispatched a full toss by Chetan Sharma somewhere between midwicket and infinity.

#1 The 438 game

South Africa 438-9 (H Gibbs 175, N Bracken 5-67) beat Australia 434-4 (R Ponting 165) by one wicket with one ball remaining

5th ODI, Wanderers, March 12, 2006

When Australia scored 434 in their first innings, it felt like watching something perverse and unseemly. It was the first time that 400 had been breached, and it felt like an absolute annihilation of South Africa. However, Jacques Kallis famously announced in the dressing room that Australia were 15 runs short. Perhaps shocked by the taciturn Kallis making jokes, a hungover Herschelle Gibbs led the most unbelievable chase in ODI history. A late wobble meant the match was tense right till the end, when Mark Boucher, in the company of genuine tail-ender Makhaya Ntini, squeaked the winning runs.

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Only four batters reached double figures, while five bagged ducks, including KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar. Skipper Dhruv Jurel was dismissed for one off 13 as India A batted for just 39.3 overs to be bowled out for 113. Yash Rathod was the only one who could hold his own, remaining unbeaten on 44 off 49, with three fours and as many sixes, even as wickets fell all around him. 

Apart from him, only Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal managed to spend some time in the middle, scoring 17 off 45 and 32 off 77, respectively. Anshul Kamboj was the other batter to reach double figures with 10 runs. 

Interestingly, all of the top five batters, apart from Sai, were caught by the wicketkeeper or in the slips. Simon Keene was the wrecker-in-chief, picking up five wickets for just 24 runs. He dismissed Sai and Jurel before cleaning up the tail by sending back Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep and Mukesh Choudhary.

 

 

 

 

 

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Zak Gibson supported him well with three wickets, dismissing Jaiswal, Padikkal and Washington Sundar, while Fraser Sheat and Kristian Clarke scalped a wicket each.

In response, New Zealand A openers Rhys Mariu and Curtis Heaphy stitched 132 runs together as Indian bowlers struggled to make early inroads. However, Mukesh and Nabi plucked three wickets in seven deliveries close to stumps as the hosts finished the day at 135-3.

India have historically struggled in New Zealand in Tests

India’s batting struggles in New Zealand are well documented. They haven’t won a Test in the country since 2009, when they also last won a Test series in New Zealand. On their last tour to the country in 2020, India failed to cross the 250-run mark across four innings.

Overall, India have won only five out of 25 Tests in New Zealand, losing 10 and drawing as many. Since 1976, they have won only one Test in the country and the senior team will have to play out of their skin to improve the record.

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Sciver-Brunt was retained by Mumbai Indians for the upcoming season, and is one of the WPL's highest-earning players, taking home around £320,000 for playing in the competition. She is one of only two England players who were retained by their WPL sides for the 2027 edition, with Sophie Ecclestone set to play for UP Warriorz. The auction player list announced this week featured only two English players in Sophia Dunkley and Kira Chathli.

If Sciver-Brunt does miss England's T20I series in Sri Lanka, she will have captained England in just four of the 14 T20Is the side will have played in the preceding 12 month period. She missed their T20I series' against New Zealand and India this summer with a calf injury, with the same injury meaning she played only four of England's matches in the T20 World Cup. 

Speaking on Wisden Women's Weekly Podcast, Lauren Winfield-Hill urged Sciver-Brunt to play the T20I series in Sri Lanka. "She absolutely should be there in my opinion if she wants to continue captaining England," said Winfield-Hill. "It's not a good look.

"You can't talk about playing for England means the world for you unless you back that up with your actions. It'll be interesting how it all plays out, and money always talks. The amount of money that she's on vs what she would be earning for England would be significant. But I just think if you want to continue as England captain you should be playing for England."

The T20I series between England and Sri Lanka was originally meant to be played after the WPL had finished. However, with the Champions Trophy having been moved to the February window, the ECB and SLC have agreed to moved the series forward before the start of the tournament. 

Winfield-Hill also drew parallel to Harry Brook's decision to withdraw from the IPL to prioritise his comitments to England. He pulled out of the 2025 edition of the tournament, and subsequently was banned from entering the auction for two years.

"I hate to draw parallels to the men's game, but you've got to have huge respect for Harry Brook and the decision that he made on the IPL," said Winfield-Hill. "And that was before he was England captain. 'That is a shit load of money, but I care about playing for England.'"

The WPL auction will take place on October 28 in Kochi. England will begin their T20I series against Sri Lanka on February 1.

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Several India Test regulars - Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar and Akash Deep - have been picked in the A squad to prepare for the senior men's Test series to follow. 

As for New Zealand A, 19 players have been named in the squad, including 11 Black Caps. The NZC have also announced 13-member squads for each of the three unofficial Tests. The remaining members, during each match, will participate in the Ford Trophy, New Zealand's premier domestic 50-over competition. Rhys Mariu will lead New Zealand A in the first two matches while the captain for the last Test is yet to be named. 

NZ-A vs IND-A unofficial Tests 2026, where to watch live: Live streaming and TV channels

Where to watch in India?

Sony Sports Network will telecast the unofficial Test series between New Zealand A and India A in India. Live streaming of the series will be available on SonyLIV.

Where to watch in New Zealand?

New Zealand Cricket’s YouTube channel will stream the series live in New Zealand.

New Zealand A Men take-on an India A side featuring Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar and Rishabh Pant in three Four-Day matches, starting tomorrow in Lincoln. Watch all matches LIVE on NZC YouTube 📺 https://t.co/HS0sTWVgfF

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) October 23, 2026

Where to watch in the rest of the world?

Fans from the rest of the world will also be able to follow the live action of this series on New Zealand Cricket’s YouTube channel.

Also Read: NZ-A vs IND-A unofficial Tests, all you need to know: Full schedule, squads, venue and match timings for India A tour of New Zealand

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Razzaq walked out at seven in the second innings with his team struggling at 149-5, joining hands with Hussain Talat (108) to add 109 runs for the sixth wicket. He added a further 120 with Haseebullah Khan (53) for the seventh wicket to force the opposition to settle for a draw.

In the process, the 22-year-old notched up his third first-class century and second of the season. Razzaq remained unbeaten on 111 off 151 deliveries with eight fours and six sixes and his team’s score read 383-7 when the two teams decided to shake hands for a draw.

Also Read: 20-year-old domestic Pakistani captain continues golden run with third hundred of debut season

It also marked a memorable game for the youngster after a 64, with seven fours and two sixes, in the first innings. His knock had taken Ghani to 232, but Imam-ul-Haq's double ton on return after England axing, propelled Oil & Gas to 410-9 declared, giving his side a 1780run lead.

A fifty and a century in the final round of the President’s Trophy took Razzaq’s tally to 483 runs in 11 innings at an average of 53.66, with two centuries and three fifties. He was the second-highest run-scorer of the season for his side.

His first hundred of the season had come against eventual finalists, State Bank of Pakistan, where he scored 101, but Ghani lost the game by an innings and 18 runs. Unlike his all-rounder father, Abdul Razzaq, Ali is a part-time medium-fast bowler and picked up two wickets in seven innings after bowling 26.4 overs in the season.

Despite his terrific efforts with the bat, Ghani couldn’t make it to the final of the President’s Trophy, finishing third with 90 points 90 points in seven matches with two wins, two losses and three draws. Markhor IT Solutions joined SBP in the final.

Overall, the 22-year-old has scored 987 runs in 16 first-class matches at 39.48, with three hundreds and six fifties.

Razzaq also made the headlines earlier this year when he slammed 26 runs in an over in the National T20 Cup on his debut in the format. He smashed 45 runs off 26 deliveries for Lahore Blues against Multan Regions.

Image Credit: Ghani Cricket/Instagram

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Labuschagne’s scores in four innings of the ongoing South Africa tour read: 37, 37, 14 and 39. He had entered the series on the back of disappointing outings against Bangladesh, where he fell for single digits in two of the three innings. Labuschagne hasn't scored a Test hundred in 47 innings, a period spanning over three years, and gave away his wicket at a crucial moment in the second innings of the Gqeberha Test, when Australia were trying to save the match.

Naturally, the scrutiny on his spot has increased further, with his former teammate Usman Khawaja suggesting there are multiple candidates from the Sheffield Shield 'doing the same as Marnus', who could potentially take his spot in the Test team. 

“We've got plenty of players in Sheffield Shield cricket who are very good players, who are pretty much averaging and doing the same as Marnus in that respect,” Khawaja said on Fox Cricket. “You've got Kurtis Patterson right now who is scoring the house down. Marnus averages 38 in Sheffield Shield cricket, Kurtis is about 39. He's just scored a hundred, he's been scoring runs the other day.

“Peter Handscomb, 39 (average), terrific player. Cameron Bancroft, only 32 years old, also at 38 (average). You have Marcus Harris as well. These are all Test players. Jack Clayton, who is a young guy that I played with. He’s scored six centuries averaging 38 and no one talks about him.”

"So the narrative of when people devalue Shield cricket, it frustrates me because I'm like, OK, if Marnus is good enough to play for Australia with that Sheffield Shield record, why can't any of these guys play?" Khawaja further argued.

How Khawaja's candidates to replace Labuschagne stack up

All but one of the five names that Khawaja has pitched have previously played Test cricket for Australia. Patterson’s two appearances in the format came in 2019 against Sri Lanka, when he also smashed a century. Overall, he has played 122 first-class matches so far and has begun the ongoing Shield season with a century and a fifty in three innings.

Handscomb has played 20 Tests for Australia, with both his hundreds in the format coming from No.5, though he hasn't featured in Tests for three years now. His recent run of form leaves a lot to be desired as well. He recently bagged a pair in the unofficial Test series against India A, and hasn't scored a fifty in his last 10 matches across formats, dating back to Feabruary this year. But he was the top-scorer in the previous Shield season, with 724 runs in 11 matches.

Bancroft and Harris, with 10 and 14 Test appearances, respectively, haven't enjoyed the best of forms recently as well. The latter scored twin fifties in his latest Shield outing, ending a run of 12 innings without a 50+ score in first-class cricket. Bancroft, meanwhile, was the third-highest scorer in last Shield season, but is yet to hit the straps this term.

Clayton, the only uncapped player among Khawaja's candidates, has 2472 runs at 38 in 42 first-class matches, with six centuries and 14 fifties. He has also started the ongoing domestic season in style, hitting three fifties in six matches across formats.

Also Read: Australia's brittle batting is costing them all-time greatness

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Two years ago, sisters Honor and Cat Black decided it was time for change. Having grown up frustrated by playing cricket in kit designed for boys and men, they founded Maiden to address the gender kit gap. Maiden now creates clothing, teamwear and equipment specifically for women and girls, guided by its principle: “Built for her. Not adapted for his.”

Since it was founded in 2024, Maiden has worked with clubs, schools, universities and county boards across the UK, and has built a community of more than 350 ambassadors. Recently, Honor and Cat were featured on BBC One’s Dragon’s Den, receiving offers of investment from all five dragons, and have expanded into the US.

This week, Maiden launched its new Player Advisory Board at The Oval, which also marked the start of a 12 month partnership with Wisden. Over the next 12 months, Maiden will have a regular presence across our Women’s Cricket Weekly podcast and wider channels. We’ll be working together to raise Maiden’s profile, bring the brand to life and collaborate on other opportunities throughout the year.

The player advisory board features former and current professional players: Alex Hartley, Phoebe Graham, Naomi Dattani, Fi Morris and Mia Rogers, who will advise on product development, equipment and bat strategy, player sponsorship and wider business decisions, helping ensure their experiences shape what Maiden creates and how it grows.

“Until around two years ago, even the shorts we were given as professional players had pouches designed for boxes,” said Morris. “Some of the best players in the world have still been playing in kit designed for men. Earlier this year, I was involved in a situation where the men’s measurements had been used for a women’s game. How is this still happening when we’re full-time professionals?”

Hartley, who was part of England’s iconic 2017 World Cup win at Lord’s, remembers struggling with pads that were too heavy, and straps that did not fit during her playing career. “Pads for me were always a nightmare,” she said. “The straps were always too long and the pads too big and too heavy.”

Maiden co-founder Honor Black said: “More people than ever watched this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup, but too many players are still being told to make do with kit that was never made for them. Cat and I know that feeling, and I don’t want the next generation to feel the way I did.

“If we’re going to grow cricket, it has to start at grassroots, with girls feeling the game has got them, and that starts with the kit. Bringing the best players into the business means we build what female cricketers actually need, not what they’re expected to put up with.”

Browse Maiden's kit range at www.maiden-cricket.com 

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Smriti Mandhana’s stint as India’s full-time captain started with a brilliant T20I series win, and the team would be keen to carry that form into the 50-over format. Mandhana has so far led India in four ODIs, winning all of them. India will also get their ICC Women's ODI Championship 2025/26-29 cycle underway with the Zimbabwe series.

They will miss fast bowler Renuka Singh, who has been ruled out due to injury. Jintimani Kalita has been named her replacement. Tejal Hasabnis, Yastika Bhatia, Vaishnavi Sharma, Nandani Sharma and Sayali Satghare have been included in the squad, while G Kamalini, Jemimah Rodrigues, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana and Kashvee Gautam are missing from the side that toured Australia in March this year.

As for Zimbabwe, they will continue with the same squad that featured in the T20I series, which the visitors started brilliantly, having India at 19-4 in the opening game. Also fresh off an ODI win over the West Indies, Zimbabwe would be confident of putting up a better showing in the 50-over leg against India. 

IND-W vs ZIM-W T20Is 2026, where to watch live: Live streaming and TV channels

Where to watch in India?

Star Sports Network will telecast the India-Zimbabwe ODI series in India. The live streaming of all matches will also be available on JioHotstar. DD Sports will also broadcast the series live on DD Free Dish.

🏏 भारत और जिम्बाब्वे महिला टीम के बीच पहले वनडे मुकाबले में होगी रोमांचक भिड़ंत। 🔥 LIVE प्रसारण देखें DD Sports (DD Free Dish) पर। 📺 #INDvZIM #TeamIndia https://t.co/vhkXfAXuhh

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) October 23, 2026

Where to watch in the UK?

TNT Sports 1 will telecast this series live for fans in the UK.

Where to watch in Australia?

Live telecast of the IND-W vs ZIM-W ODI series will be available on Fox Cricket in Australia. Foxtel and Kayo Sports will also stream the series live for fans in the country.

Where to watch in the USA and Canada?

Fans in the USA and Canada will be able to catch all the live action from the India vs Zimbabwe women ODI series on Willow TV 2.

Note: Telecast and streaming details for other countries will be updated when available.

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As for the A tour, India have named a few Test regulars to help them get accustomed to the conditions ahead of the Test series. Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, and Akash Deep will all feature for India A in the series.

Dhruv Jurel, the backup wicketkeeper of the senior team, will lead the A squad. Rishabh Pant was also picked, only to be later ruled out of the first two matches due to a side strain. Jharkhand wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra was called up as his replacement.

Meanwhile, Rhys Mariu will lead New Zealand A in the first two matches. The hosts have made a few changes in the 13-member squad announced for each game. 

All 12 days of the three four-dayers are scheduled to get underway at 10:30am local time (3am IST, 10:30pm UK time - previous day).

NZ-A vs IND-A unofficial Tests 2026: Full Schedule

NZ-A vs IND-A Unofficial Tests 2026: Squads

New Zealand A

1st Unofficial Test

Rhys Mariu (C), Matthew Boyle, Max Chu, Kristian Clarke, Dean Foxcroft, Zak Gibson, Mitchell Hay, Curtis Heaphy, Simon Keene, Jayden Lennox, Jarrod McKay, Tim Robinson, Fraser Sheat

2nd Unofficial Test

Rhys Mariu (C), Matthew Boyle, Kristian Clarke, Matthew Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Zak Gibson, Mitchell Hay, Curtis Heaphy, Simon Keane, Jayden Lennox, Jarrod McKay, Tim Robinson, Fraser Sheat

3rd Unofficial Test

Adithya Ashok, Matthew Boyle, Max Chu, Dean Foxcroft, Curtis Heaphy, Simon Keene, Nick Kelly, Ben Lister, Rhys Mariu, Jarrod McKay, Henry Nicholls, Cameron Paul, Fraser Sheat

India A

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant (wk, for third 'Test'), Dhruv Jurel (c, wk), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar Kushagra (wk, for first two 'Tests').

Also Read: Why are India prioritising Test cricket with the 2027 ODI World Cup approaching?

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When Australia came out to bat in the third session on the third day, opener Nic Maddinson fell in the first over. Australia capitulated on day four, going from 65-4 to 99 all out, with Jansen taking a five-for to add to his half century. South Africa invited the visitors to follow on, who lost three quick wickets towards the end of the day to finish at 150-4 and leave themselves a mountain to climb on the last day to save the Test.

Travis Head led the Australia fightback, scoring a century before chopping one onto his stumps to trigger a slide that the visitors couldn’t recover from. They were eventually bowled out for 295 to lose by an innings and 31 runs.

Updated WTC 2025-27 points table after South Africa beat Australia to level the series

South Africa remain third in the WTC standings with the win, while Australia are still at the top. But standings will change if the hosts win the series in Cape Town.

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It was yet another series where Australia dominated the White Ferns, but the opening game was anything but one-sided. Chasing 163, the hosts were well placed at 102-2 but collapsed, only to win by just two wickets in the end. Ellyse Perry was the star for them, smashing 52 runs off 30 deliveries.

In the second game, Ashleigh Gardner stepped up, scoring 84 off just 45 deliveries as Australia posted 167 runs batting first. Gardner and Georgia Wareham starred with the ball, picking up two and three wickets, respectively, as New Zealand fell 40 runs short to concede the series.

ICC women’s T20I team rankings: Updated table after AUS-W vs NZ-W T20I series

With this series win, Australia strengthened their top spot in the rankings, gaining one point. They have 292 rating points now, 16 more than second-placed England. Meanwhile, New Zealand lost one rating point but remain in fourth place in the rankings.

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“It's a massive hole,” Kalra said. “I mean, India's trying various ways to fill it, the hole is massive. And I think their bigger concern will be: can they actually get him ready for one-day cricket? Just look at him… his last T20 game was the T20 World Cup final. His last one-day game was the Champions Trophy final.

“They want to get him ready for that one-day format because then that gives them balance in the squad. He’s a guy who can bat at seven and eight, have that enforcer role at the bottom of the innings, which is very important in South Africa, and a guy who's going to be able to bowl ten overs for you in a one-day game.”

Hardik Pandya is key for India’s success in white-ball cricket

Pandya's importance to the team can be outlined by the fact that more often than not, India finish on the right side of the result when he plays and struggle when he doesn’t.

Since June 30, 2024, India have won all eight ODIs with Hardik in the XI. Whereas without him, they have won only 10 out of 21 ODIs. Similarly in T20Is, after the 2024 T20 World Cup, India have won 32 out of their 38 matches with him and only 19 in 34 without him (including the series-opening win against New Zealand).

Notably, India have won their last three ICC trophies, the Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026, with Hardik part of the line-up. They fell in the final of the ODI World Cup in 2023 after Hardik picked up a tournament-ending injury in the group stage.

Hardik Pandya hasn’t played for India since the 2026 T20 World Cup final in March, and his last ODI appearance came all the way back in March 2025 🇮🇳 With the 2027 World Cup in South Africa less than a year away now, how should India replace the all-rounder if his injury issues persist and he’s unavailable for the tournament? 🤔 Watch the latest episode of The Scoop for the full discussion 👉 https://t.co/RJCYl8BA6C #Cricket

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 21, 2026

Who takes Pandya's spot if he doesn’t get fit for 2027 ODI World Cup?

India are hoping for the 32-year-old to regain full fitness and get enough match practice under his belt in the lead up to the World Cup. But to address the elephant in the room, what if Pandya is injured and ruled out of the mega event next year? Do they have enough in their arsenal to replace him?

India have tried all of Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube and Suryansh Shedge in his stead. But they are not Hardik. Reddy is probably the favourite to take the seam-bowling all-round spot, but he is also injury-prone and hasn’t made a telling impact in his 17 international white-ball appearances so far.

“So the priority will be to try and get Hardik ready for that because everyone else who's been tried is not Hardik Pandya,” Kalra added. “They are ‘Hardik Pandya-light’. You've got someone like a Nitish Kumar Reddy. They've invested in him, but he's not quite delivered, only played a few games in this T20 format, doesn't seem to have the bowling stocks of a Hardik Pandya or the variation and the pace as well.”

“Dube, I think the impact player rule has really put his bowling on the back burner, and as a result, he barely bowls in the IPL, and as a result, he’s not getting too many opportunities,” he added. “And you look at someone like Suryansh Shedge, who's been brought in, who's done well in A cricket, but again too raw, someone they will want to invest in.”

Dube has only three wickets to show in the six ODIs he has played so far and has never completed his quota of 10 overs. The most he’s bowled in an ODI is 7.5 overs, doing so on his debut in December 2019. He recently featured in two ODIs in July 2026 against England, returning to the format after two years, and bowled only six overs in each game.

His record is better in the shortest format, having picked up 40 wickets in 53 innings in T20Is. But since the World Cup final earlier this year, he didn't bowl in five out of his 16 T20I appearnces, taking nine wickets in them. He completed his quota of four overs only once and was handed only one over in six of those matches.

As for Shedge, the last of his three T20I appearances came in July against Zimbabwe. He is yet to pick up a wicket and has scored only eight runs with the bat. His performances for India A in the recent unofficial ODI series against Australia A have built some hope, however, where he scored a half-century and picked up five wickets, including a four-wicket haul in the series opener.

“But you know, that gold dust player, the seam bowling all-rounder is someone that India desperately need,” Kalra further stated. “Hardik is no spring chicken now. He's thirty-two with that kind of body, getting injured as often, India are really concerned. Because I think the two players that India want back fully firing for that South Africa World Cup, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.”

Also Read: What's going on with Hardik Pandya? A brief timeline of his recent spate of injuries

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With the One Day Cup having been reduced to a development competition, stuffed with teenagers and without Hundred players, the knowledge gap of constructing an ODI innings among England’s new generation of batters was evident.

However, from winter to summer in 2026, England won all three of the bilateral ODI series they played, including overpowering Champions Trophy winners India. Having had doubts cast over whether they might actually qualify for the 2027 World Cup, they will likely go into next year’s competition in a far better place than they went into the last.

Nevertheless, there are still questions over their ability to compete in unfavourable conditions against the best teams in the world. They rely too often, as ever, on Joe Root to make the bulk of the runs when posting big totals, or one of their supremely talented virtuosos in Brook or Jacob Bethell to produce a one-off blitz. Ever-present also is the need to find a seam bowler who can bat in the top six and justify a place there on batting merit, a gap they haven’t been able to properly fill since Ben Stokes’s last ODI three years ago.

Those issues were clear to see in the first match of the tri-series in Rawalpindi. While Arafat Minhas hit a better than a run-a-ball 59 at No.7 before taking six-for, Sam Curran holed out looking for a release, having faced 18 balls without a boundary after being promoted to No.5. Will Jacks, while superb with the ball, was the wicket which all but sealed the game, mishitting a ball from Minhas to short mid-wicket.

With that being said, many of the strides England have made in ODIs over the last 18 months have been genuine.

In the period between the 2023 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, England were one of only three teams to score their runs quicker than a run a ball. However, they scored fewer runs on average than almost any other full member, at 29.77 per wicket. In contrast, over the last 18 months England have continued to score their runs at better than a run a ball, but now their average runs have picked up dramatically, at 37.73 per wicket.

During their Champions Trophy campaign, Phil Salt in particular drew criticism for his approach as a 50-over opener. In his 33 ODI innings, only once did Salt face more than 30 balls before getting out, falling into his natural role as a T20I opener instead of switching his skillset for the longer format. The same could be said of Jamie Smith, who had only played 15 List A games before making his England debut in 2023, and was catapulted into the Champions Trophy squad as a top-order batter after seven ODI caps.

While Salt hasn’t played an ODI for England since the Champions Trophy, Smith was dropped after a difficult series in New Zealand at the end of last year. Both were, to some extent, rolls of the dice – Salt picked off the back of his T20 prowess, and Smith as a hunch after a brilliant start as a lower-order Test batter. In their places, England have hedged their bets on hunches once again, but this time based on better foundations.

Jacob Bethell’s extreme talent has to some extent transcended his limited experience in the 50-over format, while Tom Banton’s multi-format potential and the experience gained from being in and out of England squads in his early 20s has allowed him to take his opportunity this time around. Harry Brook has also strung together greater 50-over consistency, combined with a growing tactical awareness on the field.

Prioritising all-rounders has also been a key aspect of England’s post-Champions Trophy transformation. During the Champions Trophy England had no all-rounders in their top-six excluding Joe Root, with Liam Livingstone their only way of getting some overs out of their batters. The fallibilities of that balance were shown in their first group game against Australia, where Brydon Carse had a poor outing but was still required to bowl seven overs.

While neither Curran nor Jacks has fully embraced an all-round role, both have given England greater flexibility with the ball. Curran at the death has made the bowling line-up more coherent, while Jacks’ transformation from top-order power-hitter to spin-bowling innings-finisher saw him play several useful innings over the summer.

Questions persist over whether England have made significant leaps to challenge the best teams in the world in challenging conditions, and their collapse in Rawalpindi against Pakistan – who claimed series-wins against Australia and South Africa in the last year – will do nothing to quieten them. Regardless of that, however, their benchmark this winter is significantly higher than it was 12 months ago.

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Arif smashed 120 runs off 110 deliveries, with a staggering 17 fours and two sixes against State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) at the National Ground in Islamabad. This was his third century of the season, having also made his first-class debut as captain. 

His previous two centuries came against Ghani and Oil & Gas Development Company Limited, scoring 122 and 105 respectively in the first innings of each game. With his 120-run knock against SBP, the 20-year-old took his tally to a stunning 722 runs in 12 innings at an average of 72.22 with three centuries and four half-centuries.

What a knock from Tayyab Arif!🔥💯 His third hundred of the season at just 20, with 727 runs at an average of 66, just three short of Taha’s tournament-leading tally of 730 in the President’s Trophy Grade-I.👏 The way he took on Sirajuddin was a joy to watch. The maturity, the fluency, the confidence. This lad has been batting beautifully.⭐️

— Pavilion Post (@CricinsightsX) October 22, 2026

As for the match against Kingsmen Academy, Arif came out to bat at three in the second innings after they lost Maaz Sadaqat for a six-ball duck in the first over. Arif then stitched a 140-run partnership for the second wicket with Muhammad Huraira (57) before adding 90 more for the third wicket with Muhammad Suleman (59).

In the process, Arif notched up his second consecutive century, even as his knock enabled his team to set up a quick declaration on the final day. Kingsmen Academy smashed 321 runs for the loss of three wickets in just 44 overs and set a target of 295 for SBP.

For the unversed, Kingsmen Academy posted 371 runs in the first innings when Arif endured a rare failure, mustering only five runs. However, four other batters, Maaz, Saud Shakeel, Usman Khan and Muhammad Shayan, scored half-centuries to propel their team’s score.

In response, State Bank of Pakistan rode on an unbeaten century from Ali Shan and scored 398 runs, gaining a 27-run lead in the first innings. The match seemed to be headed towards a tame draw, but Arif’s century helped the Kingsmen set a challenging target on the last day. At the time of writing, SBP were 64-2 after 12 overs, with the match set up for an exciting finish.

Also Read: Under-investigation Pakistan duo answer critics with statement knocks on domestic return

Image Credit: X/Pavilion Post and Tayyab Arif/Instagram

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Under Clause 2.1.4 of the ICC Men’s Test Match Playing Conditions published in September 2017, both on-field umpires must be from countries other than those of the competing teams. According to the latest Playing Conditions, the third umpire acts as the emergency on-field umpire, and the fourth umpire as the emergency third umpire. Clause 2.2 allows an umpire to be replaced in exceptional circumstances, including illness or injury.

According to the guidelines, Kettleborough should have moved to officiate on the field, while Jacobs should have taken over the role of the TV umpire. However, Jacobs stood as the on-field umpire, while Kettleborough remained the TV umpire.

A tweet suggested Jacobs could not take over as TV umpire because he had never officiated in that role. However, Jacobs has previously served as a TV umpire in three international matches: two men’s T20Is and one women’s ODI.

Chris Gaffaney was taken ill on the first morning. Arno was 4th umpire but couldn’t do 3rd ump because he’s never been TV ump before. So Kettleborough stayed 3rd and Jacobs made his unexpected debut.

— Neil Manthorp (@NeilManthorp) October 19, 2026

Jacobs played 144 first-class games, scoring 8,492 runs at 38.08 with 17 hundreds. He also played 164 List A games, averaging 33.11. 

The left-hander also shares a first-class connection with South Africa spinner Simon Harmer, who is currently playing in the Test. Harmer made his top-tier first-class debut for Warriors in March 2011, with Jacobs also featuring for the side. More than 15 years later, Jacobs has made his Test umpiring debut in a match with Harmer in the XI. 

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This was a guy who honestly hadn’t deserved his brief run in the national short-form side at that point, and wasn’t seen as T20 material by most observers, let alone being captain. He wasn’t even the best Pakistani player in his own PSL side, which was led by the much more established Shadab Khan. Back then, many had expected him to be appointed national skipper instead. 

Flanking Salman on the stage that day was Aqib Javed - an elite-level chaos agent who has increasingly gotten more powerful in Pakistan cricket since. He compounded the confusion I was feeling then by announcing that Shadab would be Salman Ali Agha’s vice-captain. Reading back his explanation now, Aqib sounded like a man trying to convince himself more than others. "The reason for Shadab coming back is that he has good captaincy experience, plus also his mindset is to play aggressive cricket. His mindset is important because as vice-captain, with Agha also thinking that way, Shadab will be good. The combination is good."

The only way to make sense of the whole brouhaha was assuming that Aqib had chosen Salman to avoid the fallouts that had happened with more high-profile skippers like Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam. Much like handing Shan Masood the Test captaincy, the Pakistan brains trust apparently tried to avoid controversy by controversially appointing two captains who would struggle to make the XI otherwise.

Salman promised “fearless and high-risk” cricket for his team going forward, and at the very least, he certainly delivered a better side. The team had been in freefall for much of the two years before, but Salman’s reign halted that. His only losses in tournament play came to England and India, while his team beat the likes of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and was only knocked out of the T20 World Cup on a net run rate tie-breaker. For a team that had previously lost to the USA and struggled to defeat Canada and Ireland, this was definitely an improvement, and certainly better results than under more celebrated predecessors.

Eventually, after 50 matches as skipper and having raised the subterranean bar for his team, Salman was dropped from both captaincy and the squad altogether a few weeks ago. At least this latest dropping was far less humiliating than the one in the summer, when he was part of a mid-tour purge just one match after being appointed interim captain.  

But while I was confused about Salman Ali Agha in March ‘25, I have a lot of clarity about him now. For starters, I have a clear sense of his strength of character. The Test captaincy-to-culling was ruthless and cruel from the PCB, but he responded to that by smashing a triple century in first-class cricket right after. 

And days after losing the poisoned chalice that was the T20I captaincy, he struck a superlative century in his first international innings since.

That hundred came in an ODI, which is not only the sole format he hasn’t been appointed national captain in, but is also by far and away his best one. At the time of his appointment to the T20I role his numbers in the format were mediocre. Instead, where he had shown considerable promise in his young career was in ODIs, averaging 41 at a strike-rate of 97. His numbers since then have only improved, and he has levelled up across several skills.

A good way to understand his current standing is to look at this comparison by Cricviz, which rates him as Pakistan’s best ODI batter, above the likes of Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam. As the chart shows, Salman is a well-rounded ODI batter, comfortable against pace, elite against spin, and prolific everywhere in the innings but especially in the middle.

 

However, by far his greatest importance to the side is his comfort with scoring heavily from low down the order - no other Pakistani has scored more hundreds batting outside the top four - which is particularly useful for a lineup as brittle as Pakistan’s. He has repeatedly shown an ability to stay calm and stabilise a flailing innings without losing any sense of urgency. His latest hundred against Sri Lanka was a perfect example of that, as he arrested a collapse and then served as the foundation others built around. 

His numbers become absolutely phenomenal when Pakistan lose the toss, averaging almost 60 when they do. If the comeback innings after being dropped spoke to his strength, then these numbers scream it out loud. When things go against the script – an early collapse, a disadvantageous toss – is when he truly begins to shine.

He hasn’t played enough ODIs outside of Asia to be truly confident in how he will fare in different conditions, but at least he has an encouraging record in South Africa and Zimbabwe, which will be hosting the next ODI World Cup in less than a year. Moreover, his comfort down the order is exceedingly rare for his side. Most Pakistani white-ball sides of late have repeatedly tried to fit half a dozen openers in their lineup, with those shunted down the order often struggling to find their form.

For all that, there remains a non-zero chance that he might not make it to the World Cup at all. Of course, there is always the fear of injury, but far more worrying is the chaos that grips Pakistan cricket every few weeks, when all pretense of rationality is thrown out the window. Pakistan cricket is still under the increasingly irrational influence of Aqib Javed, who has a Stalinist approach to selection choices. Who is to say that Salman will survive the insanity Pakistan cricket surely has in store for the next 12 months?

But even if something untoward happens to his spot in the side, at least I won’t have any confusion about him anymore. This is a guy who has braved all the ridiculousness of his board by doing his absolute best, even in situations he isn’t suited for. This is a guy who’s risen above and beyond expectations, whenever he’s been asked to. And this is a guy who is clearly his team’s best ODI batter right now, even if no one in his country realises it. 

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Asked whether Namibia should have been guaranteed a place at the tournament given their status as co-hosts, Erasmus believed they should have been.

“I obviously believe so because I want to play in it. I think from a player's perspective, it's obviously the pinnacle, especially in white-ball cricket,” he said on Wisden’s The Scoop episode.

“It's obviously not our decision that we make as players, but as administration and as a proponent of world cricket and Associate cricket, I think that we should have, yes.”

Erasmus was particularly critical of the number of qualifying rounds the Associate teams must navigate before reaching the World Cup itself.

“It's sort of the joke that goes around in Associate cricket, that we play qualifiers to qualify, and then play in a qualifying round,” he said.

“I think it is sometimes arduous and a little bit uninspirational in a sense for the player. You feel like you've gone another step forward, but then when you get to the next step, it's just sort of the same thing.”

How Namibia's World Cup qualification pathway works

The 2027 World Cup will feature 14 teams, an expansion from the 10-team tournaments held in 2019 and 2023. However, the expansion has not meant automatic qualification for all three co-hosts.

South Africa and Zimbabwe secured direct entry as Full Member hosts, while eight other teams qualified through their positions in the ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings at the September 30, 2026 cut-off. The remaining four places will be decided through the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

Namibia's route to the tournament is tied to the ICC's multi-tier qualification structure for Associate teams. The first stage was League 2, an ODI competition in which eight teams played a 36-match cycle. The top four finishers earned places in the final World Cup Qualifier, while the bottom four went through a separate Qualifier Play-Off alongside teams emerging from the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Challenge League.

The Qualifier Play-Offs will feature eight teams, with four advancing to the final 10-team qualifier, from where ten teams will advance to the main tournament.

Namibia's immediate route depends on the final League 2 standings. As of October 19, they were fifth with 33 points after completing their 36 matches. Oman, also on 33 points, still have four matches remaining and could claim the fourth direct qualifying spot. If Oman finish ahead of Namibia, the latter will have to contest the Qualifier Play-Off to keep their World Cup hopes alive. If Namibia secure fourth place, they can advance directly to the final qualifier.

However, even reaching the final qualifier would not guarantee a place at the World Cup, with only four of its 10 teams progressing.

Once in the World Cup, the challenges will not stop: The ICC has also introduced a new format for the tournament itself, where the winner of the 10-team qualifying tournament will progress directly to the group stage. The teams finishing second, third and fourth will have to compete in a Super Series for one final spot in the main event. 

Erasmus expressed concern that the 50-over World Cup has become increasingly difficult for Associate nations to reach. “Obviously, the 50-over World Cup has gone to fewer teams over the last couple of editions. It feels like the last three or four editions have been a little bit more elitist, if you want to call it that,” he said.

Asked about the Qualifier Play-Off, Erasmus revealed even the venue and dates were unclear at the time of the interview. “No, we don't know. My coach doesn't know. I just happened to ask him before this. But I think it's all very last minute, as it is with lots of our other tours and tournaments.

“The rumour is that it's either in Nepal or in Oman and it's starting on the 28th of November till the 20th December.”

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Karnataka will be without both KL Rahul and R Smaran, both of whom have joined the India A side for their New Zealand tour. Yashasvi Jaiswal will be unavailable for Mumbai for the same reason.

Ranji Trophy, round two, day four, live updates

Brief scores at the end of round two:

• Baroda 416 & 4-0 beat Bihar 166 & 251 (Mangal Mahrour 138, Bhargav Bhatt 6-53).

• Pondicherry 177 & 98-1 (Ritesh Gudge 47*) drew Madhya Pradesh 345 (Rajat Patidar 122, Sagar Trivedi 4-44).

• Vidarbha 305 (Ravikumar Samarth 143, Umar Nazir Mir 4-56) & 81-7 (Mandar Mhale 25, Sunil Kumar 4-30) beat Jammu & Kashmir 260 & 123 (Nachiket Bhute 5-48).

• Uttar Pradesh 202 (Rinku Singh 118*) & 197 (Aryan Juyal 74, Yash Kasvankar 5-69) beat Goa 164 (Zeeshan Ansari 5-45) & 167 (Suyash Prabhudessai 72, Kartik Yadav 5-37).

• Punjab 456 (Uday Saharan 161, Salil Arora 107) & 86-3 beat Chhattisgarh 206 & 335 (Ayush Pandey 111).

• Hyderabad 275 & 306-7d (Kodimela Himateja 123*, Kavuri Saiteja 4-40) beat Andhra 184 & 130 (Tanay Thyagarajan 6-35).

• Saurashtra 349 & 137-2 (Chirag Jani 63*) drew Karnataka 342 & 243-7d (Aneesh KV 79).

• Assam 334 & 36-1 beat Tripura 62 & 307 (Manisankar Murasingh 161, Mohit Thakur 5-101).

• Kerala 404 (Mohammed Azharuddeen 139, Sachin Baby 112) beat Odisha 225 & 143 (Jalaj Saxena 5-34).

• Gujarat 479 (Manan Hingarajia 123) & 15-1 drew Delhi 648-6d (Ayush Badoni 217, Priyansh Arya 199).

• Jharkhand 169 & 344-8 (Shikhar Mohan 127) drew Maharashtra 527-5 (Digvijay Patil 148, Ankit Bawne 169*, Ruturaj Gaikwad 101*).

• Bengal 184 & 146 beat Services 122 & 148 (Nitin Tanwar 49, Pradipta Pramanik 4-48).

• Mumbai 528-8d (Sarfaraz Khan 154, Akash Anand 117*) beat Himachal Pradesh 140 & 291 (Mohit Avasthi 5-44).

• Tamil Nadu 313 (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 136, Baba Indrajith 77, Mayank Mishra 5-118) beat Uttarakhand 134 & 113 (R Sai Kishore 6-34).

• Railways 338 & 176-2 (Mohammad Saif 103) drew Rajasthan 497 (Sachin Yadav 194, Karan Lamba 194).

• Haryana 245 (Yashvardhan Dalal 95, Nishant Sindhu 92) defeated Chandigarh 103 & 118 (Nishant Sindhu 6-27).

• Nagaland 516 (Sedezhalie Rupero 113, Rongsen Jonathan 118) drew Mizoram 581-9d (Chinmay Sutar 400*, Jehu Anderson 69).

• Meghalaya 380 (Kevin Christopher 110, Pheiroijam Jotin 5-79) & 172 (Rahul Dalal 39, Jotin Pheiroijam 4-21) beat Manipur 277 & 272 (Rex Rajkumar 51).

• Sikkim 572-5d (Parth Palawat 151, Gurinder Singh 146, Nilesh Lamichaney 134) beat Arunachal Pradesh 121 & 123 (Satyajeet Bachhav 5-27).

Punjab vs Chhattisgarh, New Chandigarh: Punjab have beaten Chattisgarh by seven wickets, chasing 86 in the fourth innings. Shubman Gill did not bat.

Delhi vs Gujarat, New Delhi: Delhi had to settle for a draw despite enforcing a follow-on after Gujarat managed 479 in the first innings.

Himachal Pradesh vs Mumbai, Bilaspur: Mumbai have defeated Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 97 runs. Mohit Avasthi starred in the second innings with 5 for 44.

Kerala vs Odisha, Trivandrum: Kerala completed their victory over Odisha by an innings and 36 runs. Having enforced the follow-on, Jalaj Saxena starred for them in the second innings with 5 for 36.

Andhra vs Hyderabad, Mulapadu: Hyderabad hammered the hosts by 267 runs with Tanay Thyagarajan, who claimed a five-for in the first innings, taking 6 for 35 to finish the game.

Ranji Trophy, round two, day three, live updates

Brief Scores at the end of Day three

Baroda 416 & 4-0 beat Bihar 166 & 251 (Mangal Mahrour 138, Bhargav Bhatt 6-53)

Pondicherry 177 & 98-1 (Ritesh Gudge 47*) vs Madhya Pradesh 345 (Rajat Patidar 122, Sagar Trivedi 4-44)

Vidarbha 305 (Ravikumar Samarth 143, Umar Nazir Mir 4-56) & 81-7(Mandar Mhale 25, Sunil Kumar 4-30) beat Jammu & Kashmir 260 & 123 (Nachiket Bhute 5-48)

Uttar Pradesh 202 (Rinku Singh 118*) & 197 (Aryan Juyal 74, Yash Kasvankar 5-69) beat Goa 164 (Zeeshan Ansari 5-45) & 167 (Suyash Prabhudessai 72, Kartik Yadav 5-37)

Chhattisgarh 206 & 123-3 (Ayush Pandey 59*) vs Punjab 456 (Uday Saharan 161, Salil Arora 107).

Andhra 184 & 7-2 vs Hyderabad 275 & 306-7d (Kodimela Himateja 123*, Kavuri Saiteja 4-40)

Karnataka 342 & 99-2 vs Saurashtra 349 (Sammar Gajjar 79, Vidwath Kaverappa 4-57)

Assam 334 & 36-1 beat Tripura 62 & 307 (Manisankar Murasingh 161, Mohit Thakur 5-101)

Odisha 225 (Gourav Choudhary 50, Vaisakh Chandran 4-40) & 102-4 (Gourav Choudhary 53, Jalaj Saxena (2-15) vs Kerala 404 (Mohammed Azharuddeen 139, Sachin Baby 112).

Gujarat 363-5 (Manan Hingarajia 108*) vs Delhi 648-6d (Ayush Badoni 217, Priyansh Arya 199).

Jharkhand 169 (Vicky Ostwal 4-39, Pradeep Dadhe 3-35) & 130-1 (Shikhar Mohan 74*) vs Maharashtra 527-5 (Digvijay Patil 148, Ankit Bawne 169*, Ruturaj Gaikwad 101*)

Bengal 184 & 146 beat Services 122 & 148 (Nitin Tanwar 49, Pradipta Pramanik 4-48)

Himachal Pradesh 140 (Tushar Deshpande 4-46) & 144-3 vs Mumbai 528-8d-4 (Sarfaraz Khan 154, Akash Anand 117*)

Tamil Nadu 313 (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 136, Baba Indrajith 77, Mayank Mishra 5-118) beat Uttarakhand 134 & 113 (R Sai Kishore 6-34)

Railways 305-6 (Eshaan Goyal 64) vs Rajasthan 497 (Sachin Yadav 194, Karan Lamba 194).

Haryana 245 (Yashvardhan Dalal 95, Nishant Sindhu 92) defeated Chandigarh 103 & 118 (Nishant Sindhu 6-27).

Nagaland 324-3 (Sedezhalie Rupero 108*) vs Mizoram 581-9d (Chinmay Sutar 400*, Jehu Anderson 69).

Manipur 277 (Karnajit Yumnam 100) & 11-0 vs Meghalaya 380 (Kevin Christopher 110, Pheiroijam Jotin 5-79) & 172 (Rahul Dalal 39, Jotin Pheiroijam 4-21)

Sikkim 572-5d (Parth Palawat 151, Gurinder Singh 146, Nilesh Lamichaney 134) beat Arunachal Pradesh 121 & 123 (Satyajeet Bachhav 5-27)

Tamil Nadu vs Uttarakhand, Chennai: R Sai Kishore has completed a stunning 10-wicket haul in the game against Uttarakhand as Tamil Nadu win by an innings and 66 runs.

Maharashtra vs Jharkhand, Pune: Ruturaj Gaikwad has notched up a brilliant century. He is unbeaten on 101 alongside Ankit Bawne who has scored 169 so far. Maharashtra have piled on 527 runs for the loss of five wickets with a lead of 358 runs.

Pondicherry vs Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry: Rajat Patidar dismissed for 122 this morning after notching up his century on Day 2. MP bundled out for 345 runs in the morning session as they took a 168-run lead in the first innings. 

Maharashtra vs Jharkhand, Pune: Ruturaj Gaikwad, batting at seven, has brought up his half-century. He is batting on 61 alongside Ankit Bawne who is on 144 as Maharashtra have piled on 459-5 so far in response to Jharkhand's 169.

Punjab vs Chhattisgarh, New Chandigarh: Harpreet Brar adds to his five-wicket haul with a sixth on day three to reduce Chhattisgarh to 129-7.

Mumbai vs Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur: Sarfaraz Khan was dismissed for a 228-ball 154. Mumbai still going strong at 481-7.

Ranji Trophy, round two, day two

Brief scores at the end of day two:

• Bihar 4-0 & 166 vs Baroda 416 (Priyanshu Moliya 132, Deepak Hooda 70, Amod Yadav 5-139).

• Madhya Pradesh 302-5 (Rajat Patidar 107*, Gaurav Yadav 5-70) vs Puducherry 177.

• Vidarbha 253-7 (Ravikumar Samarth 133*, Umar Nazir Mir 4-49) vs Jammu & Kashmir 260.

• Uttar Pradesh 102-4 (Aryan Juyal 60*) & 202 (Rinku Singh 118*) vs Goa 164 (Zeeshan Ansari 5-45).

• Chhattisgarh 72-5 (Harpreet Brar 5-21) vs Punjab 456 (Uday Saharan 161, Salil Arora 107).

• Hyderabad 78-1 & 275 vs Andhra (Shaik Rasheed 61, Tanay Thyagarajan 5-63).

• Saurashtra 164-4 (Harvik Desai 77, Abhilash Shetty 2-26) vs Karnataka 342 (Manvanth Kumar 135).

• Tripura 143-5 f/o (Manisankar Murasingh 59*) & 62 (Mohit Thakur 3-6) vs Assam 334.

• Odisha 114-3 (Gourav Choudhary 50, Aditya Sarwate 2-27) vs Kerala 404 (Mohammed Azharuddeen 139, Sachin Baby 112).

• Gujarat 98-2 (Hrithik Shokeen 2-40) vs Delhi 648-6d (Ayush Badoni 217, Priyansh Arya 199).

• Maharashtra 403-5 (Digvijay Patil 148, Ankit Bawne 120*) vs Jharkhand 169 (Vicky Ostwal 4-39, Pradeep Dadhe 3-35).

• Services 12-0 & 122 (Shahbaz Ahmed 4-31, Aamir Gani 4-35) vs Bengal 184 & 142 (Rahul Singh 5-39).

• Mumbai 398-4 (Sarfaraz Khan 139*, Siddhesh Lad 87) vs Himachal Pradesh 140 (Tushar Deshpande 4-46).

• Uttarakhand 9-1 & 134 vs Tamil Nadu 313 (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 136, Baba Indrajith 77, Mayank Mishra 5-118).

• Railways 46-1 vs Rajasthan 497 (Sachin Yadav 194, Karan Lamba 194).

• Haryana 245 (Yashvardhan Dalal 95, Nishant Sindhu 92) defeated Chandigarh 103 & 118 (Nishant Sindhu 6-27).

• Nagaland 50-1 vs Mizoram 581-9d (Chinmay Sutar 400*, Jehu Anderson 69).

• Manipur 173-2 (Karnajit Yumnam 93*) vs Meghalaya 380 (Kevin Christopher 110, Pheiroijam Jotin 5-79).

• Sikkim 477-4 (Parth Palawat 151, Nilesh Lamichaney 134) vs Arunachal Pradesh 121.

Himachal Pradesh vs Mumbai, Bilaspur: Missed out on just 1 in the previous game, Sarfaraz Khan made up for it with an unbeaten 139 to put Mumbai in the driving seat at 398-4.

Haryana vs Chandigarh, Rohtak: Haryana defeated Chandigarh by an innings and 24 runs within two days. Nishant Sindhu was the architect for them with 92 in the first innings and a six-wicket haul in the second.

Nagaland vs Mizoram, Dimapur: Chinmay Sutar made history, becoming only the second Indian to score 400 in First-Class cricket. He batted 517 balls, hitting 46 fours and seven sixes before Mizoram declared on 581-9.

Rajasthan vs Railways, Jaipur: Rajasthan opener Sachin Yadav and Karan Lamba both fell six short of their double centuries. Rajasthan at 450-5 batting first.

Maharashtra vs Jharkhand, Pune: Maharashtra have taken a 119-run lead in the first innings, with Digvijay Patil batting on 134 not out and Ankit Bawne supporting well with an unbeaten 78. Maharashtra at 288-3. 

Himachal Pradesh vs Mumbai, Bilaspur: After Siddhesh Lad fell 13 short of a century, Sarfaraz Khan has taken the reins with 48 not out to help Mumbai build a 110-run lead in the first innings. 

Baroda vs Bihar, Vadodara: Priyanshu Moliya's superb 132 has helped Baroda take a strong first innings lead against Bihar. Baroda at 265-5, leading by 99 runs. 

Delhi vs Gujarat, New Delhi: Delhi have breached the 600-run mark on the back of Ayush Badoni's spectacular knock of 217 off 246 deliveries.

Punjab vs Chhattisgarh, New Chandigarh: Uday Saharan was dismissed for 167, while Salil Arora also fell after making 107. The pair has put Punjab in a commanding position at 422-7.

Kerala vs Odisha, Trivandrum: Mohammed Azharuddeen has registered a century against Odisha to help his side reach 326-8 batting first.

Karnataka vs Saurashtra, Bengaluru: Manvanth Kumar, unbeaten on 86 overnight, has brought up his century and is currently batting on 130 to rescue Karanataka from 194-8 to 334-8.

Delhi vs Gujarat, New Delhi: Ayush Badoni, unbeaten on 115 overnight, has completed his 150 in the first session on day two.

Himachal Pradesh vs Mumbai, Bilaspur: Captain Siddhesh Lad and Musheer Khan both brought up their respective half-centuries in the first session on day two, taking Mumbai past Himachal's first-innings total of 140. They are 154-2 at the time of writing.

Ranji Trophy, round two, day one

Brief scores at the end of day one:

• Baroda 77-3 vs Bihar 166 (Bipin Saurabh 58, Raj Limbani 4-36).

• Madhya Pradesh 23-2 vs Puducherry 177 (Ravi Kiran 3-51, Saransh Jain 2-36).

• Jammu & Kashmir 260 (Kawalpreet Singh 96, Nachiket Bhute 3-41) vs Vidarbha.

• Goa 43-0 vs Uttar Pradesh 202 (Rinku Singh 118*, Yash Kasvankar 5-86).

• Punjab 269-4 (Uday Saharan 106*) vs Chhattisgarh.

• Andhra 9-0 vs Hyderabad 275 (Abhirath Reddy 67, Rahul Radesh 58*, Tripurana Vijay 4-90).

• Karnataka 281-8 (Manvanth Kumar 86*, Jaydev Unadkat 3-49) vs Saurashtra.

• Assam 228-6 (Sibsankar Roy 54, Sandip Sarkar 3-64) vs Tripura.

• Kerala 245-6 (Sachin Baby 112, Mohammed Azharuddeen 72*) vs Odisha.

• Delhi 381-4 (Priyansh Arya 199, Ayush Badoni 115*) vs Gujarat.

• Maharashtra 85-3 vs Jharkhand 169 (Vicky Ostwal 4-39, Pradeep Dadhe 3-35).

• Services 83-5 vs Bengal 184 (Abhimanyu Easwaran 56, Pulkit Narang 5-63).

• Mumbai 107-2 (Musheer Khan 34*, Siddhesh Lad 32*) vs Himachal Pradesh 140 (Tushar Deshpande 4-46).

• Tamil Nadu 85-2 vs Uttarakhand 134 (Avneesh Sudha 54, Gurjapneet Singh 4-36, R Sai Kishore 4-40).

• Rajasthan 247-2 (Sachin Yadav 115*, Karan Lamba 89*) vs Railways.

• Haryana 139-4 (Yashvardhan Dalan 63*, Nishant Sindhu 46*) vs Chandigarh 103 (Ajith Chahal 3-17, Aman Kumar 3-21).

• Mizoram 331-5 (Chinmay Sutar 180*, Neizekho Rupreo 2-63) vs Nagaland.

• Meghalaya 325-6 (Kevin Christopher 110, Swastic Chettri 63*) vs Manipur.

• Sikkim 126-1 (Nilesh Lamichaney 75*) vs Arunachal Pradesh 121 (Kranthi Kumar 5-20).

Uttar Pradesh vs Goa, Kanpur: Rinku Singh produces a stunning knock of 118 with little support from the other end to push Uttar Pradesh to 202.

Tamil Nadu vs Uttarakhand, Chennai: Gurjapneet Singh and Sai Kishore have snapped up four wickets each as Tamil Nadu skittle out Uttarakhand for 134.

Rajasthan vs Railways, Jaipur: Rajasthan opener Sachin Yadav slammed a century to help his team reach 220-2.

Puducherry vs Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry: Saransh Jain was amongst the wickets for Madhya Pradesh with 2 for 36 as they restricted Puducherry to 177 in the first innings.

Jammu & Kashmir vs Vidarbha, Sri Nagar: Kawalpreet Singh is keeping the scoreboard ticking for the defending champions against Vidarbha, currently batting on 80 with J&K at 184-5.

Maharashtra vs Jharkhand, Pune: Maharashtra have bowled out Jharkhand for 169 on the back of Vicky Otswal's 4 for 39. Pradeep Dadhe and Tanay Sanghavi also claimed three scalps each.

Delhi vs Gujarat, New Delhi:Priyansh Arya has brought up a sensational century off just 127 balls against Gujarat, currently batting 105. Delhi at 200-3.

Kerala vs Odisha, Trivandrum: Sachin Baby is fighting for Kerala on an unbeaten 55, with the team struggling at 117-5.

Services vs Bengal, New Delhi: Abhimanyu Easwaran scored a fifty but wickets kept tumbling for Bengal, currently at 151-8. Pulkit Narang has taken a five-wicket haul for Services.

Tamil Nadu vs Uttarakhand, Chennai: Gurjapneet Singh has taken three scalps while Sai Kishore has bagged two as Tamil Nadu have dismantled Uttarakhand to 53-6.

Uttar Pradesh vs Goa, Kanpur: UP have had a disastrous start in this game, losing half the side for 93 runs, with Rinku Singh giving a lone fight on unbeaten 31.

Haryana vs Chandigarh, Rohtak: Aman Kumar and Ajith Chahal have snared three wickets each to put Haryana in a strong position. Chandigarh at 79-8 batting first.

Baroda vs Bihar, Vadodara: Raj Limabani has produced a magnificent spell, conceding just three runs in eight overs and picking up three wickets to reduce Bihar to 87-5.

Andhra vs Hyderabad, Mulapadu: Abhirath Reddy is batting on 67 not out to get Hyderabad off to a good start at 120-1.

Himachal Pradesh vs Mumbai, Bilaspur: Mumbai have reduced Himachal Pradesh to 95-7, with Tushar Deshpande taking three wickets and Sylvester D'Souza claiming two.

Punjab vs Chhattisgarh, New Chandigarh: Shubman Gill's return for Punjab was short-lived as he was knocked over by Ajay Mandal for just one run off five balls. Punjab at 89-3.

Here’s the list of Ranji Trophy round two fixtures

The second round's play will commence at 9:30am local time at most venues. In Shillong, however, for the Plate division matchup between Meghalaya and Manipur, play will start at 8:30am, and similarly for the Nagaland vs Mizoram game in Dimapur. The Assam vs Tripura game in Guwahati begins at 8.45am.

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Three of the four matches in Ranji Trophy 2026/27 Group A had an outright result, with Baroda, Vidarbha and Uttar Pradesh winning their respective matches against Bihar, J&K and Goa.

Madhya Pradesh, however, had to settle for a draw despite taking a huge first innings lead of 168 runs after rain denied any further action on the final day.

Scores:

• Baroda 416 & 4-0 beat Bihar 166 & 251 (Mangal Mahrour 138, Bhargav Bhatt 6-53)
• Pondicherry 177 & 98-1 (Ritesh Gudge 47*) drew Madhya Pradesh 345 (Rajat Patidar 122, Sagar Trivedi 4-44)
• Vidarbha 305 (Ravikumar Samarth 143, Umar Nazir Mir 4-56) & 81-7(Mandar Mhale 25, Sunil Kumar 4-30) beat Jammu & Kashmir 260 & 123 (Nachiket Bhute 5-48)
• Uttar Pradesh 202 (Rinku Singh 118*) & 197 (Aryan Juyal 74, Yash Kasvankar 5-69) beat Goa 164 (Zeeshan Ansari 5-45) & 167 (Suyash Prabhudessai 72, Kartik Yadav 5-37)

Group B

In Group B, Hyderabad defeated Andhra by 267 runs with spinner Tanay Thyagarajan taking 6 for 35, his third consecutive five-wicket haul. Assam beat Tripura by nine wickets, chasing down a target of 36 runs. Punjab registered a victory as well, beating Chhattisgarh by seven wickets, chasing 86 with Shubman Gill opting not to bat.

Saurashtra batted out 42 overs on the final day to draw the match against Karnataka. Parth Bhut took eight wickets across two innings.

Scores:

• Punjab 456 (Uday Saharan 161, Salil Arora 107) & 86-3 beat Chhattisgarh 206 & 335 (Ayush Pandey 111).
• Hyderabad 275 & 306-7d (Kodimela Himateja 123*, Kavuri Saiteja 4-40) beat Andhra 184 & 130 (Tanay Thyagarajan 6-35).
• Saurashtra 349 & 137-2 (Chirag Jani 63*) drew Karnataka 342 & 243-7d (Aneesh KV 79).
• Assam 334 & 36-1 beat Tripura 62 & 307 (Manisankar Murasingh 161, Mohit Thakur 5-101).

Group C

Bengal defeated Services by 60 runs in Group C on the back of a brilliant four-wicket haul by Pradipta Pramanik. Jalaj Saxena took 5 for 34 on day four as Kerala smashed Odisha by an innings and 36 runs.

Jharkhand managed to draw against Maharashtra by batting 136 overs in their second innings, with Shikhar Mohan scoring 127. The ninth pair batted 35 balls before they shook hands. Delhi enforced the follow-on against Gujarat after bowling them out for 479, but it wasn't enough for a result.

Scores:

• Kerala 404 (Mohammed Azharuddeen 139, Sachin Baby 112) beat Odisha 225 & 143 (Jalaj Saxena 5-34).
• Gujarat 479 (Manan Hingarajia 123) & 15-1 drew Delhi 648-6d (Ayush Badoni 217, Priyansh Arya 199).
• Jharkhand 169 & 344-8 (Shikhar Mohan 127) drew Maharashtra 527-5 (Digvijay Patil 148, Ankit Bawne 169*, Ruturaj Gaikwad 101*)
• Bengal 184 & 146 beat Services 122 & 148 (Nitin Tanwar 49, Pradipta Pramanik 4-48)

Group D

Tushar Deshpande finished with six wickets in the match while Mohit Avasthi took 5 for 44 runs in the second innings as Mumbai defeated Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 97 runs. Rajasthan had to settle for a draw after Railways made 176-2 in their second innings, following on.

Scores:

• Mumbai 528-8d (Sarfaraz Khan 154, Akash Anand 117*) beat Himachal Pradesh 140 & 291 (Mohit Avasthi 5-44).
• Tamil Nadu 313 (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 136, Baba Indrajith 77, Mayank Mishra 5-118) beat Uttarakhand 134 & 113 (R Sai Kishore 6-34)
• Railways 338 & 176-2 (Mohammad Saif 103) drew Rajasthan 497 (Sachin Yadav 194, Karan Lamba 194).
• Haryana 245 (Yashvardhan Dalal 95, Nishant Sindhu 92) defeated Chandigarh 103 & 118 (Nishant Sindhu 6-27).

Plate Group

The Plate group gave a thrilling finish as Manipur fell just three runs short of the target, chasing 276. Rex Rajkumar, who made 51 off 63, added 46 runs for the final wicket but could not get them over the line.

Nagaland drew against Mizoram, scoring 516 in response to 581 with centuries from Sedezhalie Rupero and Rongsen Jonathan. Satyajeet Bacchav’s five-wicket haul helped Sikkim beat Arunachal by an innings and 328 runs.

Scores:

• Nagaland 516 (Sedezhalie Rupero 113, Rongsen Jonathan 118) vs Mizoram 581-9d (Chinmay Sutar 400*, Jehu Anderson 69).
• Meghalaya 380 (Kevin Christopher 110, Pheiroijam Jotin 5-79) & 172 (Rahul Dalal 39, Jotin Pheiroijam 4-21) beat Manipur 277 & 272 (Rex Rajkumar 51).
• Sikkim 572-5d (Parth Palawat 151, Gurinder Singh 146, Nilesh Lamichaney 134) beat Arunachal Pradesh 121 & 123 (Satyajeet Bachhav 5-27).

Also read: When the first Ranji Trophy 400 turned into a standoff over Bradman’s record

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