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Political tensions between India and China may have played a part in Vivo’s exit

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2020A week after Vivo’s exit, the BCCI has advertised for its replacement as IPL title sponsors for the 2020 season spanning between August 18 and December 31 this year. Interested parties would need to buy the bid document by August 14 with the BCCI announcing the winning bid four days later.The BCCI has made it clear that only companies with an annual turnover of at least INR 300 crore (US$ 40 million approx.) would be eligible to bid for the IPL title sponsorship.The winning bid, the BCCI has pointed out, would not necessarily need to be the highest bidder and would depend on various other factors. “For the avoidance of doubt, it is clarified that BCCI shall not be obliged to award the Rights to the third party which indicates willingness to pay the highest fees in the course of discussions/ negotiations,” BCCI said in a media release on Monday, signed by board secretary Jay Shah.”BCCI’s decision in this regard will also depend on a number of other relevant factors. It includes, but is not limited to, the manner in which the third party intends to exploit the rights and the potential impact of the same on brand IPL as also the fan/ viewer experience, which will be examined and evaluated by BCCI in the course of discussions/negotiations with interested third parties who submit an EOI.”Vivo had bagged the title sponsorship for two years initially in 2015, and retained the rights signing a five-year contract (2018-22), paying about $341 million. Last week, the BCCI said in a media release, spanning one line, that it had suspended the contract with Vivo only for the 2020 season. Although the BCCI did not lay out any reasoning, the political tensions between India and China over border dispute in June is understood to be the key reason behind Vivo’s exit.The BCCI has not specified whether Vivo would make a comeback although some unconfirmed media reports suggested the Chinese handset manufacturer would retain the IPL title sponsorship for two years from 2021 season.

Both men did not take the field in Australia’s second innings

Sidharth Monga09-Jan-2021An already depleted Indian squad has been stretched further with injuries to Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja during the team’s first innings in the Sydney Test.”Rishabh Pant still has some pain in his elbow. He is currently being treated. Ravindra Jadeja has a dislocation in his left thumb,” said a BCCI spokesperson on Sunday, at the start of the fourth day’s play.*Both men had sustained their injuries on the third day. Pant, hit on the elbow, did not take the field in Australia’s second innings, and went to the hospital for scans. Jadeja, who received a blow to the thumb, didn’t take the field either and though he was initially present at the SCG on the third afternoon, he too was taken to the hospital for scans. Jadeja had earlier missed the T20I series with a concussion and a hamstring injury.Coming into the Sydney Test, India had already lost Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and KL Rahul to injuries, and Virat Kohli to paternity leave. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it is not possible to fly in replacements should a side need them.Pant’s wicketkeeping gloves were taken up by Wriddhiman Saha, a substitution made possible by a recent amendment in the playing conditions allowing wicketkeepers to be replaced by other wicketkeepers. However, should Pant not be available to bat in the second innings, Saha won’t be able to replace him.2:46

Should substitutes be allowed for non-concussion injuries?

Pant was hit in the elbow when trying to pull pat Cummins, but the ball kept low and skidded on to miss the bat. It took a long time and attention from the physio to put Pant back up, but it was apparent he was struggling during the brief time he spent at the wicket after the injury.Jadeja was hit on the left thumb as he fended at a rising delivery from Mitchell Starc. Commentators on air speculated if he had dislocated his thumb, but he, too, carried on batting after treatment from the physio.Should the duo not be available for the next Test, Saha will have to play, but there is no allrounder to replace Jadeja in the squad. India might be forced to look at an extra batsman – Mayank Agarwal in all likelihood – or the spinner Kuldeep Yadav.Recently, Sri Lanka went through similar struggle with injuries in South Africa. Their coach Mickey Arthur tweeted: “This is a very real concern for touring teams in Covid times, bowlers under a lot of stress as conditioning is not what it should be due to bubble restrictions and quarantine…..we paid the price for it in South Africa!”*This story was updated at 11.20 pm GMT, January 9, after a BCCI update on the status of the injured players.

The three teams have combined to play just 23 Tests since 2017

Tristan Lavalette17-Feb-2023As they trudged off the Queens Sports Club after suffering a second successive Test thrashing, Zimbabwe were left disappointed at being comprehensively outplayed by West Indies.Defeat in this recently-concluded two-match series, however, was almost inconsequential for a nation emerging from an 18-month hiatus from Test cricket. Before hosting West Indies this month, Zimbabwe played only 14 Tests from 2017-22: in part because ongoing financial strife forced them to, and also because enticing bigger Full Members while not being part of the nine-team World Test Championship (WTC) has proven something of an impossible sell for them.Ireland and Afghanistan, who became Full Members by gaining Test status in 2017, are also not part of the WTC, and similarly have barely played Test cricket; Ireland have had only three Tests since, while Afghanistan just six. But when the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the period 2023-27 was released last August, these three teams were allocated significantly more Tests: Afghanistan (21), Zimbabwe (20) and Ireland (12).Related

• Raza and Burl back, Zimbabwe name full-strength squad for ODIs against Netherlands

• Afghanistan cricket plunged into crisis as ICC funds-flow hits snags

• ICC puts onus on boards to make international calendar manageable

• ICC: 'Volume of ODIs and T20Is in the calendar is up to every member'

Until that announcement, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan had combined to play just 23 Tests since 2017; none of them played another for the rest of 2022 as well. So while the Test numbers were a positive, the problem was that precious few in the new FTP were scheduled against the cash cows of India, England and Australia. Zimbabwe, notably, were allocated 109 matches across formats, with not a single one – even in the shorter formats – being against cricket’s three biggest draw cards.During ICC meetings in Melbourne last November, while he contemplated running for ICC chair, Zimbabwe Cricket boss Tavengwa Mukuhlani used his leverage to push for a working group focused at looking into current and future FTP bilateral planning arrangements. Mukuhlani, along with ECB’s Martin Darlow and New Zealand Cricket’s Martin Snedden, will be comprising that group, which is expected to be ratified at next month’s ICC board meetings. They haven’t met formally, although they had discussions on the sidelines in Melbourne.The working group is open for Full Members to address concerns heightened amid international cricket’s shrinking calendar as T20 leagues sprout worldwide. It is expected to have a particular focus on the three countries not part of the WTC too, even as the abolition of the ODI World Cup Super League has also raised an alarm for smaller nations over future ODI fixtures.”We believe Zimbabwe is a Test nation. We can’t just let that slip simply because nations don’t want to play us,” Mukuhlani told ESPNcricinfo. “We have something to preserve and defend. We want to play Tests. We know it will cost us money, but we can’t put a value on playing Test cricket.”Zimbabwe have not played any of the so-called Big Three teams in Test cricket since September 2005, when they had hosted India for two Tests. Last year, they ended a 19-year drought of touring Australia other than for a World Cup, for a series which was part of the Super League, and where they famously won the third ODI, although their push for a one-off Test was rebuffed by CA.This year’s match remains Ireland’s only Test against England, India or Australia through to 2027•Getty Images

Mukuhlani said discussions were ongoing over Zimbabwe hosting India for a white-ball series later in the year after the countries played a three-match ODI series last August in Harare. But their relationship with England has long proved thorny due to strained political ties during the latter years of the reign of Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe.The two countries have not played each other bilaterally since 2004 – and not at all since September 2007, when they had met in the inaugural ICC World T20 – although Zimbabwe’s political situation is different since Mugabe was ousted from power in 2017.Both the ZC and ECB have confirmed that there are no longer political issues preventing the countries from playing each other; but such a bilateral arrangement still remains stalled for the foreseeable future.”England for us is big money – the second biggest behind India,” Mukuhlani said. “We want England to tour us. It’s a conversation we’ve had for many years. There is great willingness from the ECB, and there have been signs in recent times. But nothing tangible has ever happened on their end. But we know they – like other countries – are struggling to find gaps in the schedule.”Mukuhlani said he would advocate through the working group for countries touring South Africa to make a stopover in Zimbabwe; even as England last month were in South Africa for a three-match ODI series, but won’t be returning there until 2026-27. He also planned to propose annual triangular or quadrangular white-ball series during April-May for countries with limited or no players competing in the IPL, such as Zimbabwe and Pakistan.”I’ve been trying to raise these issues for a long time, so hopefully now there is a proper platform to air them,” Mukuhlani said of the working group.Afghanistan are set to end a two-year Test wait with a series in Bangladesh mid-year•Abu Dhabi Cricket

Unlike Zimbabwe, Ireland play England imminently with a one-off Test scheduled in June at Lord’s. Cricket Ireland administrators had hoped it would become an annual fixture in the English summer, but this year’s match remains Ireland’s only Test against England, India or Australia through to 2027. Before that fixture, they will be breaking a four-year drought in the format when they meet Bangladesh in a one-off Test in Dhaka in April.”Our players are keen [to play Tests], but we have to be realistic,” Ireland’s ICC board director Ross McCollum said.Ireland’s only home Test was their debut in the format against Pakistan in 2018 which cost around a million Euros; and they aren’t scheduled to host a Test until the middle of next year against Zimbabwe.”With the budget we have, it is much easier to play away,” McCollum said. “Our annual turnover is around 10-12 million [Euros], so it’s a sizeable chunk out of that to host Tests. Ideally we want to play Test cricket. But only a few countries are financially able to play Test cricket and can put bums on seats.”While they strive for more Test opportunities, these smaller nations realise that an expanded WTC remains unlikely.”I think [WTC] is important because it creates context,” McCollum said. “Ideally it would have been expanded to 12 members, and I would have liked to have seen two leagues with promotion and relegation. But some countries didn’t want it because they might have fallen into relegation, and 12 teams in one division is too hard because of the crammed calendar.”Afghanistan, meanwhile, are set to end a two-year Test wait with a series in Bangladesh scheduled for mid-year. Their FTP is marked by a historic tour of Australia in 2026, which includes a one-off Test, but relations between the two countries are currently frayed. CA recently pulled out of an ODI series against Afghanistan set for March due to the Taliban’s ban on university education for girls.It was met with fierce condemnation from the Afghanistan Cricket Board and their players, including Rashid Khan, who threatened to boycott the BBL. But amid the politicking, Afghanistan’s future is murky beyond the playing field, as the sport’s administrators grapple with the apparent erosion of women’s cricket development since the Taliban seized control. The Afghanistan issue is set to be debated at the ICC meetings next month.

England Lions keeper-batter will replace Dan Lawrence in middle order at new club

Matt Roller28-Jul-2023Kent are “disappointed” that Jordan Cox, the wicketkeeper-batter who toured Pakistan with England’s T20I squad last year, has turned down the offer of a contract extension in order to join Essex.Cox informed the club on Monday of his desire to leave at the end of this season and has signed a three-year deal with Essex where he is seen as a long-term replacement for Dan Lawrence, who is leaving for Surrey.Cox went to school in Essex – at Felsted, 10 miles north of Chelmsford – where he worked closely with Jason Gallian. Gallian became chair of Essex’s cricket committee earlier this year and the pair have maintained a good relationship.Cox’s departure is a major blow for Kent, the county where he has played since the age of 10. He played a significant role in the club’s Blast win two years ago, scoring 58 not out in the final before setting up a remarkable relay catch during Somerset’s run chase with sensational athleticism on the boundary rope.Related

• 'All three formats would be awesome' – Jordan Cox in dreamland after maiden Test call-up

• Lawrence signs for Surrey after turning down Essex extension

• Air Jordan finds the hang-time as Cox serves up a night to remember

• Robinson agrees switch from Kent to Durham

• 'I thought I'd slipped under the radar – next thing I know I'm on a tour'

“We’re disappointed that Jordan has decided to move on from Kent next year,” Paul Downton, Kent’s director of cricket, said in a terse club statement. “He has made a name for himself as a Kent cricketer and has been extremely well supported by the club.”Downton, who is leaving his role at the end of the season, added: “That said, we would like to thank Jordan for his contributions to Kent Cricket and wish him well with his cricket in the future.”He is the second keeper-batter academy graduate to leave Kent in the last 12 months, after Ollie Robinson joined Durham at the end of last year. Robinson has thrived since moving north, scoring three Championship hundreds this season and finishing the Blast as Durham’s top run-scorer.There has been a logjam of wicketkeeper-batters at the county, with club captain Sam Billings generally taking the gloves when he has been available – though Cox had kept wicket in Kent’s last six Championship games with Billings taking a break from first-class cricket after a lean run of form.Billings tweeted on Friday night that he was “disappointed” to see Cox leave the club, but added: “As a club I don’t think we could have supported his journey any more & at times prioritised his development over others.He added: “Opportunities for young players now are endless. Good advice & support networks are paramount to navigate through a career especially in the early (most important) stages of development.”Essex have used three different wicketkeepers this year – Adam Rossington, Michael Pepper and Will Buttleman – but none has scored heavily in the Championship. Cox has not been given any guarantees around keeping wicket, but is likely to have opportunities with the gloves at some stage.Cox said it was “a real honour” to sign for Essex•Getty Images

Anthony McGrath, their head coach, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to secure the signing of Jordan, who is a young, hungry cricketer looking to impress in all formats.”He will add real depth and quality to our batting line-up, as well as strengthening our wicket-keeping ranks too, and we are all very much looking forward to working with him.”Cox said it was “a real honour” to sign for Essex, adding: “The team is full of talent, they are going places, and I can only see the group getting better over the coming seasons. I’m excited to join them and contribute to what I hope will be a successful future.”I’d like to thank everyone at Kent for everything they have done for me to get me where I am today. I’ll miss my team-mates, coaches and the staff at Kent but I feel that now is the time for me to move on.”The club will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will always look back on my time here fondly. I will continue to give my all for Kent during the rest of my time here.”

Could England breach 500? With Jos Buttler in world-beating mood, more carnage is on the cards

Alan Gardner18-Jun-2022

Big picture

Well, how do you follow that? The logical answer – if logic has anything to do with what happened in Amstelveen on Friday – is that England will aim to top 500. And on the back of a record-breaking display, headlined by Jos Buttler’s berserker 162 off 70 balls, few would bet against them racking up a similar score in the event that they again bat first.There was an element of Stick Cricket about the way Buttler dismantled the Dutch, sixes punched into the trees around the ground as if casually tapping away at a keyboard. If only office work was this fun.Coming off the back of a prolific IPL, and given licence to unleash at No. 4, it was easy to see why he was described by Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, as “the best white-ball cricketer in the world at the moment”.Related

• Phil Salt on fast track behind trailblazer Jason Roy

• Unburdened, unshackled, unbelievable: Buttler channels AB de Villiers

• Eoin Morgan: Jos Buttler is in a 'world of his own'

England’s white-ball revolution is now so deeply seeded within the ranks of the domestic game that the two men who joined Buttler in reaching three figures were both doing so for the first time in ODIs. Dawid Malan has long been involved across formats, of course – and became only the second England men’s player to score hundreds in all three – but Phil Salt was making just his fourth appearance, and did a decent Jonny-Bairstow-impression at the top of the order.Liam Livingstone’s 17-ball fifty, meanwhile, was his first in ODIs, as well as another England record. Those involved in the Test squad – including Bairstow, Joe Root and the captain, Ben Stokes – won’t be worrying about their places in the pecking order yet, but it serves as a reminder of the depth available to England in white-ball cricket. (As did another record total in the Blast later on Friday.)To be fair to Netherlands, aside from a couple of dropped catches that might have stalled England’s rampage, they did not do too much wrong. Although the captain, Pieter Seelaar, may not opt to insert the visitors again. “Getting Jason Roy out was a good moment,” he laughed afterwards, recalling the early dismissal that left England 1 for 1 in the second over. All bar one of the 26 sixes hit (another record) cleared the boundary-riders comfortably.In the face of such an unprecedented chase, Netherlands did well to bat through the overs, bar two balls, and make sure that the margin defeat was not similarly record-breaking.Without some of their best players, who have opted to remain playing in county cricket, there was clearly a gulf in talent. But the core of this Netherlands side – players such as Seelaar, Max O’Dowd, Tom Cooper, Scott Edwards and Logan van Beek – have plenty of experience at bouncing back from adversity. “This will make us better cricketers in the future,” Seelaar added, and the Dutch will be hoping to prove that straight away.Max O’Dowd has become a banker at the top of the order, averaging 45.61 in ODIs•ICC via Getty

Form guide

Netherlands: LLLLL
England: WWWWW

In the spotlight

Despite the carnage visited upon the VRA ground by England’s batters, it was a Netherlands player who landed the KNVB with a repair bill for smashing a window pane to go with the estimated €1,000 hit for lost balls. Max O’Dowd gave a glimpse of his range during a run-a-ball 55, which included some Shane Watson-esque clumping down the ground. The Auckland-born opener has become a banker at the top of the order, averaging 45.61 in ODIs. He is also the only man to have scored a T20I hundred for Netherlands – and might need to tap into that mindset if England are going to be challenged.Centre stage. Name in lights. Place booked in the hall of fame. Jos Buttler will have harder day’s work, but there is no doubting he is currently in his pomp as a white-ball batter. Without sounding like a broken record, there were several he narrowly missed out on – a 47-ball hundred was one slower than his best; getting to 150 in 65 balls was also a single delivery behind AB de Villiers; with 14 sixes, he was three short of the high-water mark in ODIs. But if England continue to deploy him at No. 4, having cottoned on to his brilliance, then there may be further chances to go above and beyond.

Team news

Netherlands seem likely to stick with the spin-heavy strategy, but could bring in either Tim Pringle – the slow left-armer whose dad Chris played for New Zealand – or 19-year-old legspinner Shariz Ahmad. If keeps his spot, it will be an important test of character for Philippe Boissevain, who conceded 108 from his ten overs.Netherlands (possible): 1 Vikramjit Singh, 2 Max O’Dowd, 3 Musa Ahmed, 4 Tom Cooper, 5 Bas de Leede, 6 Scott Edwards (wk), 7 Pieter Seelaar (capt), 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Shane Snater, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Philippe Boissevain/Tim Pringle.Brydon Carse might come on if Sam Curran is given rest•Getty Images

Morgan is usually reluctant to rotate for the sake of it, and has previously suggested he will try to play all three games despite recent injury problems. Sam Curran, who bowled nine overs on Friday, is perhaps likeliest to get a rest, with Brydon Carse primed to come in and offer some right-arm variation to the seam-bowling department.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Jos Buttler (wk), 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Brydon Carse/Sam Curran, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

As evidenced by England’s world-record 26 sixes, the Amstelveen boundaries are eminently clearable – although the same pitch will be used as for Friday’s run-fest, which might slow down some of the scoring. An even bigger crowd is expected, but they may also have to contend with some rain interrupting proceedings.

Stats and trivia

• England’s 498 for 4 was a new high in ODIs (you may have heard). They are now responsible for the top three scores in the format. England also became only the second team to have three centurions in an innings after South Africa, who have done so twice.
• Amstelveen has regained the record for the highest ODI total, which it previously held for Sri Lanka’s 443 for 9 against Netherlands in 2006, before England twice eclipsed that score at Trent Bridge.
• During the course of the destruction, Buttler became the tenth Englishman to 4000 ODI runs.
• Roy is set to play his 100th ODI. Cooper needs one more run for 1000 in ODIs.
• Two Netherlands milestones are in sight for Seelaar. His 58th cap will draw him level with Peter Borren for most appearances; and he needs one more wicket to replace Mudassar Bukhari as Netherlands’ leading bowler in ODIs.

Quotes

“You can’t drop the best batsman in the world twice in one over. Phil Salt was [also] dropped on 30 or 40. I’m not going to say it would be a completely different game, but you probably won’t be looking at 498.”
“We don’t take days like this for granted at all. We earned the right to give it a nudge today, that doesn’t mean that on Sunday or Wednesday we’ll not be up against it. We’ve worked incredibly hard to earn days like today.”

The England batter picked up a ball that had stopped in the crease by his feet

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2024England batter Hamza Shaikh ensured his time at the Under-19 World Cup would not be forgotten when he was given out obstructed the field against Zimbabwe.In the 17th over, Shaikh defended a ball down by his feet and Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Ryan Kamwemba started to come from behind the stumps to collect it. Then, with the ball stationary in the crease, Shaikh bent down to pick it up to pass it back to the fielders, as is often seen from batters.Kamwemba and the bowler, Ryan Simbi, led the appeal and it was sent upstairs by on-field officials Donovan Koch and Masudur Rahman where third umpire Nigel Duguid gave it out.Previously it would have been handled the ball, but that mode of dismissal was combined with obstructed the field in 2017 with MCC saying they were effectively the same thing. The relevant Law, 37.4, reads: “Either batter is out Obstructing the field if, at any time while the ball is in play and, without the consent of a fielder, he/she uses the bat or any part of his/her person to return the ball to any fielder”.Unsurprisingly, there was reaction on social media. “Oh get a grip,” Stuart Broad posted on X. “He’s passing a stationary ball back to the fielder? Doing him a favour! Cant give that out.”Sam Billings retweeted a video of the dismissal, simply adding: “Wow.”Late last year Mushfiqur Rahim was given out obstructed the field in a Test against New Zealand when he punched a delivery away after defending it down into the crease.

SRH have sealed a top-four finish for the first time since IPL 2020

Karthik Krishnaswamy16-May-20242:36

Do Gujarat need to buy some power-hitters?

Sunrisers Hyderabad sealed a place in the playoffs of IPL 2024, with one point from their washed-out game against Gujarat Titans ensuring they will finish the league stage in the top four. They now have 15 points with one game remaining, against Punjab Kings on May 19.It was their first playoff qualification since IPL 2020, after finishing last in the league in 2021 and 2023, and in eighth place in 2022.SRH’s hopes of a top-two finish, however, took a hit. They can still achieve it – they need to beat PBKS and hope that Rajasthan Royals, who currently have 16 points, lose their last league game against table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders – but it is no longer entirely within their hands.GT’s campaign came to a gloomy end, with their last two matches – against KKR at home on May 13 and this one in Hyderabad – washed out without a ball bowled. They finished the season with 12 points, which currently puts them third from bottom, but they could slip down one place if PBKS beat SRH.The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium was under covers for most of Thursday evening. A brief dry spell led to the announcement of an 8pm toss and an 8.15pm start, but rain returned almost immediately, and did not let up in any meaningful way thereafter. The match was called off at 10.10pm, two hours and 40 minutes after its scheduled start.

Australia name a 15-player group for the Melbourne, Sydney, and Hobart Tests; Khawaja could be considered to open

Andrew McGlashan20-Dec-2021Josh Hazlewood has returned to Australia’s squad for the remainder of the Ashes, while captain Pat Cummins is available again for Melbourne following his Covid-enforced absence in Adelaide.Australia have named a 15-player group to cover the Melbourne, Sydney, and Hobart matches, which includes all those who featured in the second Test along with Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Swepson.Related

• Smith: 'That's the best I've seen Starc bowl in a while'

• Jhye Richardson relieved with comeback five-for after 'tough' first innings in Adelaide

• Harris' unconvincing start unlikely to affect his place in the XI

• Text snub: How Australia came close to losing more bowlers

• Cummins is as much the ideal captain as Joe Root isn't

Hazlewood was ruled out of Adelaide with a side strain he sustained at the Gabba. He was replaced by Jhye Richardson with Michael Neser then being handed a last-minute debut when Cummins was forced to withdraw on the morning of the game.Naming the squad for all three remaining Tests would appear to be a show of faith in opener Marcus Harris, who has struggled so far, although Khawaja could be considered as an opener.Mitchell Starc has appeared to be battling a back problem during England’s second innings – although it has not affected his performance – which may put a question mark against him for Melbourne given the tight turnaround between matches.If any of Australia’s big three quicks are not available for the third Test, it will be a decision between Richardson and Neser to fill the breach. Neser took a wicket with the second ball of his Test career and produced an excellent spell to claim Dawid Malan on the fourth evening. Richardson was expensive in the first innings but bowled excellently in the second innings with a brute of a delivery removing Haseeb Hameed.The Melbourne pitch for this year’s Ashes Test will likely be very different to the one which produced a tame draw in 2017-18. The surface has improved in recent seasons, and there was significant life in the Sheffield Shield pitch earlier in the summer.The SCG, the venue for the fourth Test, produced a draw last season against India when the visitors were able to bat out the final day. This series will then conclude with a second day-night match in Hobart following the shift away from Perth due to border restrictions.Australia squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.

Sri Lanka last hosted the men’s T20 World Cup in 2012, India in 2016

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Sep-2025The 2026 men’s T20 World Cup is likely to be played between February 7 and March 8. The tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and will comprise 20 teams.The matches will be played in at least five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka. The final will be in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan is playing. India and Pakistan are not playing in each other’s countries due to strained political relations between the two governments at present.While the ICC is still finalising the schedule, ESPNcricinfo has learned that it has identified the window and informed the participating countries.Related

• Dates for next three IPL seasons revealed

• Italy's long road to T20WC qualification

At present, 15 teams have been confirmed for the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup: India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands and Italy, who have qualified for a World Cup for the first time. Of the remaining five teams, two will come from the Africa regional qualifier and three from the Asia and East Asia Pacific qualifier.The format will be the same as the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, where the 20 teams were divided into four groups of five each, with the top two from each group qualifying for the Super Eight round, where once again the eight teams were divided into two groups of four. The top two from each Super Eight group progressed to the semi-finals. India are the reigning champions, having beaten South Africa in the final in Barbados. The entire tournament comprised 55 matches.India are hosting several marquee events in the first four months of 2026 starting with the WPL, dates for which are yet to be finalised. The BCCI has earmarked a window between early January and early February for the five-team tournament. The WPL will be followed by the men’s T20 World Cup, after which the BCCI will host the IPL, with the tentative window being March 15 to May 31. India also host New Zealand for ODIs and T20Is from January 11 to 31.

A four-day defeat loomed until Greaves and Hope dug in to give West Indies some hope against New Zealand’s tired attack

Shashank Kishore05-Dec-2025A depleted New Zealand attack – effectively reduced to just two-and-a-half frontline bowlers – was made to toil as a defiant West Indies rearguard stretched the contest into a fifth day on an increasingly docile Hagley Oval surface.Forced off the field on day three by an eye infection, Shai Hope returned with sunglasses under his helmet to compile an unbeaten 116. It followed his first-innings 56 and marked his second century in three innings, a seamless extension of the defiance he showed while stonewalling India for long periods in New Delhi in October.If Hope was the fulcrum, Justin Greaves was the anchor beside him. He reined in his instincts to play a composed, almost uncharacteristically restrained hand to finish 55 not out off 143 balls. His unbroken fifth-wicket partnership with Hope was worth 140 as New Zealand’s attack toiled under the blazing Christchurch sun.Related

• Blundell, Smith, Henry sustain injuries in Christchurch; Jamieson returns to Plunket Shield

Nathan Smith did not come out to bat and spent the entire innings off the field with a side strain. When Matt Henry left the field after the 35th over – later heading to hospital next door for scans – with West Indies 92 for 4, New Zealand may have hoped to finish off the game quickly.But with his bowling resources rapidly thinning, Tom Latham – already standing in with the gloves due to Tom Blundell’s torn hamstring that ruled him out of not just this Test but the next – was left to lean heavily on Rachin Ravindra and Michael Bracewell’s part-time spin around pacer Jacob Duffy. On a surface that only got easier to bat on against the old ball, Hope and Greaves settled in and applied themselves admirably.Having begun with positive intent, Hope was tested periodically with the short ball, Duffy setting a square leg halfway to the rope along with a short leg and fine leg for the pull. Hope mostly swayed and ducked out of harm’s way, and on the rare occasions he was tempted into the shot, he did well to keep it down. He brought up his fourth Test century off 139 deliveries.Duffy employed a similar plan to Greaves, whose natural game is far more instinctive. But to his credit, Greaves appeared to take a cue from Hope, choosing restraint instead. He played only when the ball was at his body, using his height to ride the bounce and fend safely. While he was a lot more enterprising against spin, the fundamental of his knock was crease occupation.Justin Greaves played a composed knock of 55 not out off 143 balls•Getty Images

Hope and Greaves laid down the template for those who perished prior to their arrival. Tagenarine Chanderpaul and John Campbell were put through a stern new ball test by Foulkes and Henry as they repeatedly tested both their edges in an engaging first spell. Chanderpaul’s propensity to shuffle across got him into trouble more often than not, and was out to a short ball that he inside-edged to the keeper for 6 off 45 balls.Campbell – out an over earlier – was taken out by Foulkes as he jabbed at an away-swinger with no feet movement as Bracewell took a superb low catch at second slip. In the overs prior to his dismissal, Campbell wore a blow on his boot as he smashed one back off an inside-edge, making him groan in discomfort. This may have eventually had a hand in his dismissal.Alick Athanaze never got going, and the frustration of being unable to score had him attempt a pull, only to be rushed into the stroke by Bracewell. He only managed to toe-end a pull to mid-on. And when Roston Chase fell in eerily similar fashion to his dismissal in the first innings – nibbling at a Henry away-swinger while being rooted to the crease – West Indies were collapsing swiftly and were 72 for 4.A four-day defeat loomed until Greaves and Hope dug in to give West Indies some hope even as New Zealand’s tired attack wheeled away in the hope of a mistake. That wasn’t to come, as West Indies took the fight into the final day even though hopes of scaling down the 531-run target they were set seem just a pipe dream for now.Earlier in the morning, New Zealand surprised many by choosing to bat on. Perhaps this was to give their bowlers more rest on a placid surface, considering the slew of injuries. Kemar Roach picked up three of the four wickets to fall, finishing with figures of 5 for 78 to take his wickets tally to 290.