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India are 1-0 up, but their playing XI has more more changes than Australia’s, who will field Boland instead of the injured Hazlewood

Andrew McGlashan05-Dec-20242:05

Finch: India look a lot better with Rohit at No. 5

Big picture: Huge test for Australia

Was Perth a case of a very fine team having a bad few days and another playing as well as they possibly could, or the signs of a very fine team that has peaked and is now on the slide against one good enough to take advantage? Perhaps it’s somewhere between all that. The next few days in Adelaide should give us a clearer idea of how this Test series will unfold.Another win for India and Australia would need a comeback only seen once before in Test history: the 1936-37 Australia side, led by Don Bradman, is the only one to come from 2-0 down to win a five-match series. Although without rain in Manchester last year, England may well have etched their name alongside them. Should Australia prevail with the pink ball in Adelaide, as they have every time at this ground, then 1-1 with three to play sets up a tantalising prospect for what follows.Related

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• Has 2024 been annus horribilis for Australia's batters?

• Australia's Bumrah problem: how to prep for a one-of-a-kind genius?

It seems odd to say for the side 1-0 up after a 295-run victory, but there are a few moving parts for India. They were bowled out for 36 in their previous day-night Test in Adelaide (although that record collapse came in the day time) while their last floodlit Test came in 2022. Even for a player as experienced as KL Rahul, who spoke in some detail about the challenges of facing the pink ball, it will be a first.Then there’s the return of captain Rohit Sharma and fellow top-order batter Shubman Gill, meaning a rejig of the batting, along with a debate around whether there will be any changes to the bowling attack. Rohit confirmed that Rahul will continue to open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, while he will bat “somewhere in the middle”. It was noted with some surprise by Nathan Lyon that 850-plus Test wickets – between R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – sat on the bench last week. But India are selecting from a position of strength.Australia have issues of their own from the loss of Josh Hazlewood to a side injury (Scott Boland is a handy replacement), concerns over the productivity of the batting and uncertainty over how much of a bowling workload Mitchell Marsh can manage even though there is an expectation he will take the ball in Adelaide.There has been no baby-out-with-the-bathwater reaction from Australia to what happened in Perth – which in itself has annoyed some people – although if they can’t turn things around in Adelaide that philosophy will surely be tested. There has been surprise within the squad at the strength of reaction to the opening loss, but that emphasises the expectations of the team on home soil and a record that, overall, is incredibly successful. However, make no mistake, this is a vital Test for them.

Form guide

Australia LWWLW
India WLLLW5:13

Cummins on pink-ball Tests: ‘Not a huge shift from red-ball cricket’

In the spotlight: Pat Cummins and Rohit Sharma

Pat Cummins had a very managed build-up to the opening Test and came into the series without a four-day game under his belt, instead playing a domestic one-dayer and two ODIs. He is experienced enough to know what works for him – and the preparation was done in close coordination with coaches – but he didn’t have a huge impact in Perth, even when Australia bowled India out for 150 on the first day. There is significant credit in the bank for Cummins, but in the absence of Hazlewood, this is a Test where the Australia captain will need to be at his best. “Was reasonably happy with how I bowled, felt like it came out alright,” Cummins said. “Overall pretty happy with the rhythm.”There will also be plenty of focus on his opposite number. Rohit Sharma is back having missed the first Test for the birth of his second child and with him came an interesting batting debate which has seen the captain take a decision for team. Rahul and Jaiswal, who combined so successfully in the second innings in Perth with a record stand of 201, will stay at the top. There are rumblings about Rohit’s form, too, with a top score of 52 in his last ten innings, while Jasprit Bumrah impressive marshalling the side in Perth has added another strand. Rohit’s highest Test score in Australia, an unbeaten 63 at the MCG in 2018-19, came at No. 6.

Team news: One change for Australia, rejig for India

Boland comes in for the injured Hazlewood as Australia’s one change. It will be Boland’s first home Test in two years having not been needed at all last season. He has taken seven wickets at 13.71 in two day-nighters.Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Nathan McSweeney, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott BolandThe positions of Rahul and Jaiswal are set. Rohit will bat in the middle, but where? Gill is expected to slot back in at No. 3. Virat Kohli is at No. 4. So Rohit could be in at No. 5 ahead of Rishabh Pant. Washington Sundar’s batting could again see him preferred over Ashwin despite the latter’s good record in Adelaide. Allrounder Nitesh Kumar Reddy is expected to retain his place.India (possible): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rohit Sharma (capt), 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Nitesh Kumar Reddy, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj7:56

KL Rahul: ‘Focus is on winning each session and not worry about whole game’

Pitch and conditions: Chance of thunderstorm on day one

Damien Hough, the Adelaide Oval groundsman, is now very attuned to producing surfaces for day-night Test cricket. This season, he has also made one for a pink-ball Sheffield Shield game and the Test strip will have the same amount of grass – 6mm – left on. “Whether it’s a red ball or a pink one, we’re trying to replicate the Shield and the Test preparation… very similar preparations,” Hough said. “The Shield pitch showed if you didn’t get a new ball under lights, and you had a couple of set batters in, you’re able to see through some night-time cricket.” Lyon, meanwhile, said he expected the surface to take turn.There are showers and thunderstorms forecast for the opening day, which appear likely to interrupt play and could stretch into the second day as well, but after that the weather is fine so there should be plenty of time for a result.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won all seven day-night Tests in Adelaide. The closest margin was three wickets in the first of them against New Zealand in 2015-16.
• Bumrah needs one wicket to become the first bowler to reach 50 in Tests this year.
• If Virat Kohli scores another Adelaide hundred he would become the first overseas batter to have four at the ground.

Quotes

“Any Test there’s pressure, when you are down there’s that little bit more, especially when you are home. But we’ve been in similar situations, whether it’s World Cups or other series where you are in a kind of must-win situation – we aren’t quite there yet. But everyone has a lot of personal pride, professional pride, so there’s pressure on you any time you play from that, let alone the scoreboard being down 1-0.”

Epic 235-run stand grinds Pakistan down after three wickets in morning session

Firdose Moonda03-Jan-2025South Africa 316 for 4 (Rickelton 176*, Bavuma 106) vs PakistanRyan Rickelton, promoted to open the batting in Tony de Zorzi’s injury-enforced absence, and Temba Bavuma, enjoying the form of his career, both scored hundreds on a perfect batting day at Newlands. The pair shared a 235-run stand, the highest fourth-wicket partnership by a South African pair against Pakistan and at Newlands.The pair played perfectly complementary roles, with Rickelton scoring heavily on the off side (102 of his 176 runs came there) and Bavuma plundering the on-side. Together, they reeled off some exquisite drives and while Rickelton’s runs came in the areas straight down the ground, Bavuma was excellent on the flick and pull.The volume of runs tells as much about the flatness of the pitch as it does about Pakistan’s attack, which lacked genuine pace. That may have been the only way to force an error on a surface that is playing exponentially better than it did last last year when a vicious pitch saw the match end in 107 overs. Then, 23 wickets fell on the opening day. Now, the same strip which has similar mottled green patches, has played placidly and is expected to get better for batting over the next day and a half.The ease of conditions aside, the runs still had to be scored. Rickelton and Bavuma put on a fine display against a Pakistan side that suffered an early blow. They lost Saim Ayub to what has turned out to be a match-ending injury. Ayub twisted his ankle in the field and was taken to hospital for further scans. The PCB confirmed he would take no further part in the Test, and the extent of his injury would be assessed by specialists in London.While shoulders dropped after Ayub was stretchered off, Pakistan came back well and took three wickets in the last 40 minutes of the morning session. Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, newly installed at No.3, and Tristan Stubbs will all question their shots after they got through Mohammad Abbas’ initial spell, where he posed the greatest threat.Abbas bowled 19.3 consecutive overs at SuperSport Park last weekend for a career-best 6 for 54 and took the new ball at Newlands. His first delivery hit Markam on the front pad and Pakistan thought they had the first wicket. Umpire Nitin Menon was unmoved so they reviewed but replays showed it was clipping the top of off. Markram survived on umpire’s call.Rickelton was the more free-flowing of the opening pair and scored seven boundaries to Markram’s three, in an opening stand worth 61. Rickelton offered one chance in that time, when an edge off Khurram Shahzad fell short of second slip and South Africa went on their highest first-wicket partnership since March 2023. Against the run of play, Markram eventually offered a chance when drove Shahzad loosely to the substitute fielder Abdullah Shafique. After three ducks in the ODIs and no game time since, Shafique was under pressure and the ball went straight into and out of his hands. Markram was on 17.Temba Bavuma celebrates his fourth Test century•Gallo Images/Getty Images

No actual damage was done as, in the next over, Markram slashed at a ball that just moved away and inside-edged through to Mohammad Rizwan. Abbas’ return after a seven-over break found Mulder’s outside edge to give Pakistan a second wicket. And Pakistan burgled another on the stroke of lunch when Stubbs stayed back to a tossed-up ball from part-time spinner Salman Agha and edged to Rizwan.Pakistan squandered the opportunity to maximise their advantage after the break when they stuck with Aamer Jamal at one end and Agha on the other instead of bringing on one of their strike bowlers and allowed Bavuma to ease in. Bavuma got his first runs when he steered Jamal to deep third and unfurled a series of gorgeous drives to continue his fine form this summer.Masood brought Mir Hamza on five overs after the break and Shahzad after eight overs. By then, Rickelton was into the 60s. He hit two boundaries off Shahzad’s first second-session over and the sting was taken out of Pakistan’s attack. They allowed South Africa easy run-scoring opportunities with the field spread and a variety of lengths.Rickelton entered the 90s with back-to-back boundaries off Shahzad and quietly worked his way to 99. He only faced one ball in the next two overs as Bavuma kept strike but when Agha bowled one on his pads, he whipped it away to bring up a second hundred in three Tests. Two overs later Bavuma brought up fifty off 82 balls and South Africa went to tea on 184 for 3.The evening session was all South Africa as Rickelton and Bavuma filled their boots. Bavuma smashed the innings’ first six when he mowed Agha over mid-wicket, and Pakistan may have been left to wonder about the wisdom of not employing a specialist spinner, even just as a holding bowler at that point. Rickelton scored South Africa’s second six, over mid-wicket, in an over where he took 14 runs off Jamal.He reached 150 with a cover-driven four off Khurram, with Bavuma 11 away from a hundred. He got there seven overs later, with a single off Jamal and ran almost to the long-on boundary, pumping his arms in celebration before swishing his bat wildly at the media end. Bavuma’s emotions may have gotten the better of him when he edged Agha to Rizwan 17 minutes before the end of play. Since taking over as captain, Bavuma has scored three of his four Test hundreds and averages 57.78.Rickleton and Bedingham saw out the day which Pakistan ended 10 overs short of the required 90.

It was a second successive loss this season for defending champions Heat, this one coming in front of 30,122 fans at the Gabba

AAP29-Dec-2024Sydney Sixers have maintained their unbeaten start to the BBL with an eight-wicket demolition of Brisbane Heat.With the Gabba a sell-out for the rematch of last year’s final, the 30,122 – mostly home fans – were kept quiet for most of the Heat innings as the Sixers bowlers turned the screws to restrict the hosts to 138 for 9. Sixers made short work of the chase with opener Josh Philippe (66 not out) and No. 3 Kurtis Patterson (32 off 20) severe on Heat bowlers, who were mostly too short.Philippe was all class in his 17th BBL half-century and was the rock on which the run chase was built as Sixers reached their target off the first ball of the 17th over.Sixers captain Moises Henriques became the fourth player in BBL history to score 3000 runs.Left-armer Ben Dwarshuis (4 for 32) earlier continued his outstanding form for Sixers and is now the leading wicket taker in this summer’s BBL with 10 wickets. He was on a hat-trick in the final over when Matthew Kuhnemann smashed a return catch low and to his right but the ball burst through his outstretched hand. He was named the Player of the Match and said it was another step towards Sixers’ ultimate goal after the heartbreak of last year’s final loss to Heat.”It doesn’t quite get revenge for what happened last year but we are a step closer to getting into the final and going a step further this year,” Dwarshuis told AAP. “It’s been a really good team start to the season. With the bat and ball everyone has contributed.”Josh is in great touch and it makes a big difference when guys at the top of the order are scoring runs. We are building pressure throughout the innings with the ball. All the bowlers are doing their job and I am the one getting the wickets for now. It is nice to be getting the accolades.”Jordan Silk held a spectacular catch to remove Jimmy Peirson•Getty Images

Heat opener Tom Banton (19 off 12) launched spinner Akeal Hosein for six off the second delivery of the match with an audacious reverse sweep but Sixers kept the hosts to just 24 runs in the powerplay. Heat captain Colin Munro is yet to reach double figures in this BBL campaign and was out of sorts again before being brilliantly caught at deep midwicket by Jordan Silk, who sprinted to his right before diving to complete the dismissal.It was Silk’s 81st catch in the BBL but his 82nd was from another planet when he sprinted and dived full length to snare the ball in his right hand millimetres from the turf to dismiss Jimmy Peirson, also at midwicket.Nathan McSweeney (34 off 29) top scored for the Heat but lacked support.The victory took Sixers to eight points after four matches, four clear of five other sides including the defending champions Heat, who have now lost two in a row.Sixers were far superior in the field where Silk set the bar high and his teammates all lifted. Heat bumbled in the field. Munro and Paul Walter were left looking at each other as the ball bounced between them when Philippe skied a swipe early in his innings.

Klaasen admits the travel is “not ideal for the bodies” but is all part of the job

Firdose Moonda03-Mar-20251:49

Is Klaasen among the best batters against spin?

South Africa have taken the 18-hour stopover in Dubai between matches in Pakistan in their stride and used the opportunity to “get out and walk and have some nice steak” between the end of the Champions Trophy group stage and their semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday.They are one of two teams, the other being Australia, who left Pakistan after their last pool match, in case they were required to play in Tuesday’s semi-final against India in Dubai. Australia are confirmed for that match, so South Africa have returned to Pakistan and viewed the quick flights as just another part of the tournament.”We knew that there was a big possibility that we might have to fly up and down,” Heinrich Klaasen said in Lahore. “It’s not ideal for the bodies, but at least we had some time to get out and walk around and get loose and just had some nice steak, to be fair. We knew it’s going to happen and it’s part of the scheduling so two teams had to do it, and unfortunately, we were one of them.”Related

• South Africa, New Zealand gear up for run-fest as even contest beckons

• Klaasen scores fifth successive fifty, wants to be 'the best in the world'

• India vs Australia in Dubai semi-final; NZ vs SA in Lahore semi

• SA, Australia travel to Dubai due to tangled scheduling

South Africa left Karachi on Sunday morning after confirming their final-four spot with a seven-wicket victory over England. They flew back to Pakistan on Monday at 11am, later than New Zealand, who left at 4am after losing to India on Sunday evening. As a result, Klaasen expects South Africa to be slightly more rested, especially since they did not have to leave Pakistan, as the other teams in Group A did, during the league stage.”We haven’t really travelled a lot in this competition,” he said. “It was obviously just a crazy 18 hours. They [New Zealand] played a game and they had to travel six hours after the game. We had at least that off time and we could stretch our legs and recover as well before we had to come back. I think our bodies will be in a better position than their bodies but it’s part of professional cricket at this moment. You just have to suck it up and go back and see if you can recover well and just get the job done at the end of the day.”Part of the downtime for three of the South Africa players, including Marco Jansen, also included night golf in Dubai. Though the teams are allowed to go out of their hotels in Pakistan to play golf, South Africa have not made use of this provision and have remained in their hotels, as necessitated by the security situation in the country, which is not the case in Dubai, where they are allowed out. Several other squad members used the time in Dubai to visit a mall and Klaasen confirmed none of them, apart from some support staff, watched the match between India and New Zealand.As it turns out, South Africa won’t need any intel into conditions in Dubai unless both they and India reach the final, but Klaasen pointed out obvious differences. “The conditions are quite different,” he said. “The conditions in Pakistan are quite nice to bat on, so the bowlers have a harder job to do. In Dubai, the wickets are slow, but you still have to play good cricket.”Regardless of where you play, you still need to beat two good teams. If we beat New Zealand and India beat Australia, we still have to beat India there. Or if Australia beat them, we still have to beat a good Australian team to win this trophy. Regardless of where you play, you just have to play good cricket.”After reaching a third successive knockout fixture in an ICC event, South Africa may argue that they have done exactly that – played good cricket – over the last two years and are hoping to pick up a major trophy after winning a World Cup semi-final for the first time at last year’s T20 tournament. The majority of that squad is also at this Champions Trophy and ready to go one step further.”The nerves are a little bit less because we have a little bit more experience in the semi-final department now. We’re playing good cricket,” Klaasen said. “Since I’ve been around from 2018, we have played some incredible cricket. We just had some bad luck here and there and one or two games that didn’t go our way, but we’ve been playing good cricket. It’s the rewards that we’re seeing now. The boys are holding a little bit more composure in the bigger moments in the game. Hopefully, we can get into another final. We’ve got the experience now. The big boys need to step up on Wednesday.”South Africa haven’t lost a game so far in the Champions Trophy•Associated Press

However far South Africa go, they have already eased pre-event concerns about poor form, which included being clean swept in an ODI home series for the first time, by Pakistan, and being on a six-match losing streak. White-ball coach Rob Walter put those results down to being without his first-choice players, who he believed will stand up when it counted, and he has been proven right. Klaasen asked South Africans to expect more of the same in future bilateral events, which will be used to blood players at the expense of results to ensure that the best can come together when it matters most.”The public needs to understand that after the ICC event, you’re trying to explore a little bit as a group, see what’s out there and give guys opportunities so when they need to come in as back-up players, at least they’ve got international experience,” he said. “You can’t expect a young guy to just come in and perform and win every game.”We were in a position over the last couple of years where we really tried to broaden our group a little bit. And with that will come some losses. And as long as your main team and the guys that are your first picks bring it everytime we need to come play, then I don’t see the issue.”

“He’s pretty calm and measured when he speaks, but on the field, he’s got a bit of fight about him”

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2025Shubman Gill’s leadership will combine the “intensity” of Virat Kohli and the “more laid-back” leadership of Rohit Sharma in his first series as India’s Test captain against England, according to Jos Buttler.Buttler played under Gill’s captaincy in the IPL this year, with his Gujarat Titans (GT) side qualifying for the playoffs and both men scoring more than 500 runs each in the campaign. Speaking on , his new podcast with Stuart Broad, Buttler said that Gill will be “his own man” while combining the best traits of his two predecessors.”He’s a really impressive player and an impressive young man,” Buttler said. “He’s pretty calm and measured when he speaks, but [it’s] interesting, I feel like on the field he’s got a bit of fight about him; a bit of intensity, quite passionate. I think he’ll be a mix of Kohli and Rohit.Related

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“Kohli [was] that sort of real aggressive [character], really transformed the Indian team, in your face, up for the contest. Rohit [was] a bit on the other side, a bit more laid back, very cool, calm, collected customer, but with that sort of fight. I feel like, from my time knowing Shubman so far, he’ll be a bit in the middle. He’s obviously learned from those two guys… but he’ll be very much his own man.”Buttler has spent more time in India than any other England player of his era, and said it is hard for English fans to comprehend the “stardom” of India’s best players. He predicted that one of Gill’s biggest challenges will be to ensure that he does not let the captaincy affect his batting – as happened with Buttler towards the end of his England’s white-ball captaincy.”He talked about compartmentalising batting and captaining; so when he’s batting he just wants to be a batter, and then he will try and work on his captaincy and try and separate the two roles,” Butler said. “When you’re doing such a big job as being captain of the Indian cricket team, he’ll have to try and do that well and have some good people supporting him.”I don’t think we can quite understand the level of interest and the stardom that these guys have. You see it around the IPL, you’re aware of it, but actually living that yourself… I think they say the Indian Test captain is like the third or fourth-most influential person in India, behind the Prime Minister etc. – so you really are put up on that pedestal.”It’s going to be a huge job for him. He’s obviously captained two seasons of IPL cricket, which is a big, pressurised job and he’s sort of the prince. Kohli is the king, Shubman is the prince: that’s the narrative that they spin out there, and I feel that he’s the coming man… Stepping into that No. 4, it’s big shoes, isn’t it? Coming behind Virat, and Sachin Tendulkar before that as well. That’s obviously a huge role.”India’s tour of England will begin with the first Test in Leeds from June 20.

Maxwell expects to re-join a power-packed middle-order when Travis Head returns

Alex Malcolm28-Jul-2025Glenn Maxwell expects his move to open the batting in the T20I series against West Indies will be brief once Travis Head makes a likely return for the home series against South Africa in August as Australia look to settle their line-up as they build towards the 2026 World Cup.Maxwell batted at No. 5 in the first game of the series, one slot lower than his customary No. 4 position where he has batted 61 times in his career, to allow Cameron Green an opportunity at second drop.He was then shifted to open for just the fourth time in his career when Tim David returned from injury for game two in the absence of the resting Head and injured back-up opener Matthew Short.Related

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• 'He's playing beautifully' – Is Green Australia's new T20 middle-order fulcrum?

Maxwell, who has scored 145 not out and 66 in previous T20Is opening the batting, was promoted to the top in the main because Australia anticipated a lot of spin to be bowled in the powerplay. While that was the case in Jamaica, both sides have veered away from spin bowlers at the tiny Warner Park in St Kitts.Maxwell returned scores of 12 off 10, 20 off 7 and 47 off 18 and looked ominous in all three innings. But he insists he is unlikely to stay there beyond this series with Head likely to partner skipper Mitchell Marsh moving forward while Josh Inglis looks settled at No. 3.”It’s been great fun being at the top, but I’m sure I’m just warming Heady’s seat until he comes back,” Maxwell said. “I think the way we’re probably going to set up our T20 side heading forward is you’ve got Travis up the top, you’ve got Mitch Marsh who is captaining us brilliantly at the moment.”Ingo is doing a great job at No.3 and the rest of the order falls into place around that. We’ve got some unbelievable power hitting at the moment, we’ve seen some guys really put their hand up – Tim David, Mitch Owen and Cameron Green – throughout the middle.”They’re three pretty big blokes with big reach and they hit the ball an absolute mile so it’s great to have those guys with that extra bit of power in the middle-order.”It’s not something we’ve had an abundance of over the years and to have that at our disposal at the moment is pretty exciting.”Cameron Green has been in sparkling form at No. 4•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

Green’s growth at No. 4 and David’s century in his first opportunity batting inside the powerplay at No. 5 for Australia outside of rain-shortened matches, gives the selectors a multitude of options heading towards the World Cup in terms of how they shape the middle-order.Maxwell’s record at No. 4 is exceptional, having scored four T20I centuries in that position, but his best performances in franchise cricket over the last eight months have come at No. 6. He was BBL player of the tournament and won Melbourne Stars four games in a row with scores of 20* off 10, 58* off 32, and 90 off 52 at No. 6 plus 76* off 32 at No. 5. After a difficult IPL for Punjab Kings, he made an unbeaten 106 off 49 balls in MLC at No. 6 for Washington Freedom last month.Green’s consistency and his ability to handle pace in the powerplay, as well as spin post powerplay, could see Maxwell deployed later in the order in Australia’s first choice XI.”It’s been great to see the growth of some of the guys and Greeny in this series has been absolutely outstanding,” Maxwell said. “We’re seeing him turn into a really consistent and solid T20 player and it’s just so exciting for Australian cricket to see these guys with this sort of power and it’s going to be dangerous for a lot of teams heading forward.”A middle-order of Green, David, Maxwell and Owen in some kind of combination is as powerful as Australia have ever produced while Marcus Stoinis still remains in consideration despite not playing in the West Indies series or the upcoming South Africa series.Maxwell remains a key contributor with the ball and in the field. He took two key wickets in the second T20I in Kingston and remains a vital match-up for left-handers in particular while his ability to bowl in the powerplay in India and Sri Lanka will also be crucial for Australia’s plans.Meanwhile at nearing 37, three years on from a broken leg that effectively ended his ODI career, he still remains Australia’s best outfielder with three stunning pieces of work in the fourth T20I on Saturday having a significant outcome on the match.”I practice a hell of a lot,” Maxwell said. “It’s something I pride myself on, making sure that I can create opportunities on the boundary line, and feel like I’m spreading the boundary a little bit longer and making the batters hit it a little bit further.”

Venue yet to get police approvals to host matches following the stampede that caused the deaths of 11 people during RCB’s victory celebrations on June 4

Shashank Kishore12-Aug-2025The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru could be in danger of losing its Women’s World Cup matches after the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) missed the August 10 deadline set by the BCCI to secure police approvals to host the games at the venue.The Greenfields Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram is being mooted as an alternative.Bengaluru is, for the moment, scheduled to host the tournament opener between India and Sri Lanka on September 30, and matches between England and South Africa (October 3), India and Bangladesh (October 26), the second semi-final on October 30, and possibly the final on November 2.As things stand, the Greenfields Stadium is preparing to host the second season of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) from August 21 to September 7. However, the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) is believed to have a back-up plan in place, with the KCL being moved to another venue, should they be required as World Cup hosts.Related

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As per the ICC guidelines, a venue has to be handed over to the organisers at least a month prior to the tournament. This means a decision will need to be taken by the BCCI and ICC within a week since Thiruvananthapuram is also likely to be allotted World Cup warm-up fixtures on September 25 and 27.According to the police commissioner’s office, the KSCA hadn’t got clearance for the Chinnaswamy Stadium as of Monday, when the ICC marked the 50-day countdown to the tournament with an event in Mumbai. ESPNcricinfo has contacted KSCA CEO Subhendu Ghosh but has yet to receive a response.The KSCA is currently hosting its T20 competition, the Maharaja Trophy, in Mysore. The tournament also had to also be moved out of the Chinnaswamy Stadium after the KSCA failed to secure police permission despite offering to play the matches behind closed doors.As a final attempt at securing police approvals, the KSCA is believed to be exploring the possibility of conducting World Cup matches with a reduced capacity. It’s unclear whether the BCCI would approve such a proposal considering the Chinnaswamy Stadium is also the venue for the final if Pakistan don’t qualify.The KSCA has been in trouble since June 4, when 11 people died and more than 50 were injured around the premises of the Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory parade after winning IPL 2025. In the aftermath of the incident, secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam resigned citing moral responsibility.Late last month, a committee tasked by the state government to investigate the stampede deemed the Chinnaswamy “unsafe” for large-scale events. The commission “strongly recommended” that large-scale events be relocated to venues that were “better suited” to handle significant crowds.The uncertainty could potentially upset plans of several teams which had hoped to be based in Bengaluru to train at a number of practice venues, including the KSCA facility in Alur on the city’s outskirts, in the lead-up to the tournament.

Hosts UAE eliminated after a sloppy display in the field, and eventually fell well short in a chase of 172

Danyal Rasool04-Sep-2025Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Nawaz punished an error-strewn display in the field from the UAE, helping Pakistan recover from a jittery 80 for 5 and seal a 31-run win. Having set UAE 172 to win, Abrar Ahmed, playing his first game this series, helped run through the top and middle order, removing each of Muhammad Waseem, Asif Khan, Rahul Chopra and Harshit Kaushik. UAE would end up folding with limited resistance, and the result guarantees Pakistan and Afghanistan passage through to the final on Sunday, with the hosts eliminated.Pakistan soon ran into trouble after winning the toss and opting to bat. Sahibzada Farhan made a brisk start once more but couldn’t find staying power, holing out to the short onside boundary. It is the fourth game in a row he has been unable to convert a start, and Saim Ayub fell soon after.Related

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UAE dragged Pakistan back post-powerplay, but sloppiness in the field was a harbinger of what was to follow. After Zaman and Nawaz were each put down off an excellent Haider Ali over, Pakistan found their opportunity to cut loose, flaying the UAE for 69 in the final four overs to post 171.The hosts’ response never truly got going, as if they were unsure how to pace the chase. Waseem was circumspect for once, and Alishan Sharafu wasn’t as belligerent at the top as he would be later on during his half-century, and the asking rate only climbed. Abrar was superb through his spell, and ran through the top order, getting rid of each of Waseem, Asif Khan and Rahul Chopra. Sharafu attempted to reignite a flagging chase with a sublime display of power-hitting at the backend, and while it did plenty to burnish his reputation, UAE’s fate in this tournament had already been sealed.Drops lose matchesDespite a vastly improved bowling showing, the first innings was littered with errors in the field for the UAE, who made their bowlers’ jobs much harder than they already were. It all came to a head in the 16th over.Left-arm spinner Haider Ali had conceded just six runs in his first three overs, getting rid of Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz in the process. His final over represented a chance to break the burgeoning sixth-wicket stand between Fakhar and Nawaz, with the possibility of running through the tail afterwards. Having nearly yorked Fakhar first ball, he drew Nawaz into a miscue off the penultimate delivery, only for midwicket to grass it. So he made sure the catch Fakhar offered up the next ball was as easy as it could be, arrowing straight down to long-on. That, too, would somehow be dropped by Sharafu, to howls of anguish from the bowler. That frustration would become even more acute by what followed. The wheels come offBy the end of the 16th over, Pakistan were stuttering at 108 for 5, with the UAE dragging them below seven per over. They had had multiple chances to get rid of the Fakhar-Nawaz pairing, but so far, the damage was manageable. But it was now, the first delivery after those two dropped chances, that the momentum swung on a dime.Fakhar clipped Junaid Siddique for six over long-off, and though he got out of that over, the boundaries soon began to rain down. Fakhar smashed Muhammad Jawadullah for a pair of boundaries to bring up his half-century, but the real carnage came in the final two overs. Nawaz, who had found his innings a struggle until then, lashed Siddique for two fours and two sixes off the final four balls of the 19th, before Fakhar plundered five boundaries on the trot to finish the innings off. The final two overs had gone for 42, and the final five for 74. UAE were never to recover.UAE had no answer to Abrar Ahmed’s wiles•Emirates Cricket Board

Abrar’s career-bestAbrar had lost his place to Sufiyan Muqeem in the starting eleven, but spent that time honing more than just a flashy new haircut. Given his first opportunity, the 26-year-old wasted no time making a statement. In a dazzling display of modern legspin bowling, all of his variations were on display in the shop window, and on a spinning surface, the UAE could not muster a response. A brave over in the powerplay, where he packed the offside and challenged Waseem to beat it, yielded just two, and he snared his man off the first ball of the second sliced wildly towards point.Taken out of the attack, he returned for the 13th over, and his impact was instant once more. He had the courage once again to float one to big hitting Asif Khan, whose eyes lit up as he succumbed to temptation, leathering it high into the Sharjah sky. Shaheen Afridi and Nawaz orbited around it before narrowly avoiding a collision as Afridi held on, and while Rahul Chopra was unfortunate to be adjudged lbw off a googly two balls later, Abrar had earned his luck. He would sign off his spell with the scalp of Kaushik, and ensuring he finished with his best-ever T20 figures, 4-0-9-4 a true reflection of his artistry.

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Celtic fans are in a panic over the fitness of Filip Benkovic.

When Brendan Rodgers mentioned a knock at Tuesday’s media conference it didn’t seem too concerning, with Jozo Simunovic and Kris Ajer linking up for the double header versus St Johnstone. A double header against Valencia next month is an entirely different prospect.

The loss of Dedryck Boyata and Benkovic has been a summer time bomb that Celtic fans have dreaded. But if it becomes reality now, there could be pressure on what remains of the transfer window to bring in a ready-to-play replacement.

The story of a season ending injury was first reported by The Scottish Sun and needless to say, it has created quite the reaction amongst Celtic supporters.

Rightly so – the 21-year-old has been in excellent form during his season-long loan from Leicester City, making 26 appearances for the Scottish champions in all competitions.

Here’s a quick look at how Hoops fans reacted to the news on Twitter…

Leicester City have been rather disappointing in recent times as they’ve failed to win in any of their last five Premier League fixtures, so things aren’t looking promising. 

The Foxes will be desperate to return to winning ways against Crystal Palace at the weekend, with Claude Puel needing to get the best out of his players immediately.

Interestingly, it appears as if the Midlands club could lose on their star players, as according to Peter Schmeichel in an interview with BeIN Sports (via The Sun), Kasper Schmeichel could quit Leicester City.

Peter Schmeichel says his son Kasper could quit Leicester because he is not happy under boss Claude Puel.

Indeed, the Dane has been one of the standout performers for the Foxes in years gone by, so they must do everything they can to keep him at the King Power Stadium.

Here’s what Peter Schmeichel had to say:

“Leicester City are a really good football club.

“They’ve got good players they just don’t have the manager who can get the best out of them.

“Of course he wants to challenge himself like any other player.

“But I don’t think he wants to go to Europe.

“I think he loves England too much, I think he likes the Premier League too much, so it’s a difficult one.”

THE VERDICT:

Kasper Schmeichel, who is valued at £10.8 million (by Transfermarkt), has always been a consistent performer in-between the sticks for the Foxes and his leadership is second to none on the field.

But, with Claude Puel failing to rally his troops at this moment in time, the Foxes could end up losing the shot-stopper as he clearly doesn’t want to be a part of what’s going on at the King Power Stadium at the moment.