Big picture: Pride (for India) and WTC points at stake A 2-0 series scoreline heading into the final Test is what most followers of the game would have predicted when this three-match India vs New Zealand series began 15 days back. But barely anyone would have predicted that “2” would not be against India’s name. It’s taken a series of firsts for New Zealand to find themselves in the position…
Mumbai Indians are set to retain their four major Indian players – Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav – along with Tilak Varma ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. With those five capped players retained, MI can use their one right-to-match option only on an uncapped player at the auction. While the individual amounts for each of their retained player is yet to be ascertained, MI…
Punjab Kings are likely to retain only two uncapped players – batters Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh – from their IPL 2024 squad. They will go into the upcoming mega auction with the largest purse, likely in excess of INR 100 crore, and also have four right-to-match options which can be used to buy back their players. ESPNcricinfo has learned PBKS were also keen to retain India fast bowler Arshdeep…
The BCB president Faruque Ahmed has said that Shakib Al Hasan is unlikely to play in the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sharjah. Faruque stated it was Shakib’s decision to opt out of the Afghanistan ODIs, while also hinting of an emotional element about his failure to play what was supposed to be his farewell Test in Dhaka against South Africa from October 21. Shakib has not played any…
Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee will make their returns to international cricket in next month’s T20I series against India at home after a conditioning break. Both players have been part of the CSA domestic T20 Challenge, after Jansen last featured at the T20 World Cup in June and Coetzee at the preceding T20I series against West Indies in May. The pair have worked on a shoulder and hip niggle respectively…
A series defeat at home to New Zealand, sealed by a pair of spinners who had come on this tour with a combined two first-class five-fors, has led to questions about whether there has been a decline in India’s ability to play the turning ball on turning tracks. India head coach Gautam Gambhir wasn’t willing to go that far, but he did highlight a decline in defensive skills as a…
Australia A 99 for 4 trail India A 107 (Doggett 6-15) by eight runs Events on the first day in Mackay were unlikely to have provided a definitive answer about who opens for Australia in Perth, but the selectors will have been left scratching their heads more than ever after Sam Konstas and Cameron Bancroft collected ducks and Marcus Harris couldn’t convert a start for Australia A with Nathan McSweeney…
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram believes India will get looked after ‘amazingly well’ if they travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in February next year and reckons it would be a great thing for cricket. “I think whatever I’m reading there are positive vibes from [the] Indian government and [the] BCCI,” Akram said. “I also read somewhere they will play probably all their games in Lahore. They will probably…
Rishabh Pant will be among the high-profile names at the 2025 IPL mega auction after not being retained by Delhi Capitals (DC). ESPNcricinfo has learned that talks between DC’s ownership group and Pant failed after stretching over the past few months and Wednesday. The franchise, though, has retained four players: the spin pair of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, South Africa batter Tristan Stubbs and uncapped Indian wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel….
Rabada’s average of 7.78 so far is the best, among all South Africans, in a series in which a bowler has taken a minimum of ten wickets. He currently has 14 wickets across the two matches. His efficacy remains unmatched and the only other bowler to take a wicket in the session was Dane Paterson. Mushfiqur Rahim gifted a catch to Tony de Zorzi at square leg to depart for…