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New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition will kick off on Boxing Day for 32 days and 64 games in all

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2025The Hagley Oval in Christchurch is set to host the Super Smash women’s and men’s elimination and grand finals games for the upcoming season. It means the teams that make it to the last stage will get together for these finals games in the last three days of January, just like it was done at the Basin Reserve in Wellington last season.New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition will kick off on Boxing Day for 32 days and 64 games in all, starting with Northern Brave hosting Auckland’s men’s and women’s teams at Seddon Park in Hamilton.While announcing the fixtures for the next season, an NZC release stated the 2024-25 season was a “watershed one for Super Smash with TVNZ broadcasts reaching over one million people, along with a record 7.3 million views across Super Smash content on NZC’s digital channels.”Related

• Plunket Shield's 100th season to start on November 18

• Former New Zealand international Tom Bruce switches to Scotland

• Men's Ford Trophy to kick off NZ domestic calendar again

Tom Bruce, Central Districts captain and Men’s Player of the Year last season in the Super Smash spoke of the competitive nature of the season which forced players to constantly evolve.”You’ve got BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS scattered across the teams along with plenty of up and coming stars pushing for their chance at the next level,” he said. “With only six teams in the competition, you have to constantly be thinking about evolving your game as you often play similar squads a few times a season.”You’re forced to progress your game as individuals and as a team, otherwise players will figure you out pretty quickly. It’s also great for players to get used to playing in front of a large crowd and a pretty substantial TV audience too.”If they can get a taste of playing in that context, then once they make the step up to BLACKCAPS or WHITE FERNS, they already have some invaluable experience playing in that sort of environment.”Suzanne Pearce, executive manager of the Canterbury Cricket Trust which owns and operates the Hagley Oval, was confident Christchurch hosting the finals games would inspire more youngsters.”We think we have the best ground in New Zealand and it’s a huge vote of confidence in the venue, the city and the cricket community here in Christchurch, so we’re very pleased,” she said.”Our crowds the past few seasons are testament to how loyal the fans are here. It’s a big win, not only for the city but the wider Canterbury region. It’s a chance for our fans to see the best players in the country play some awesome cricket and for those young players coming through to be inspired.”There is something really special about having a world-class international cricket ground in the middle of our city park. You look one way and see the southern alps and see the city and the port hills at the other end.”New Year’s Day will see last season’s finalists – Canterbury and Central Districts – come face to face again, at the Hagley Oval.Canterbury will be chasing their first T20 title in 20 years after coming agonisingly close as runners-up in the past five seasons.The NZC release also said KFC’s “6’s for Surf” will be back too, with KFC pledging $100 for every six hit, with $38,100 donated to Surf Lifesaving NZ last season.

England captain urges his side to take “live and let live” attitude to intense scrutiny by Australian media

Vithushan Ehantharajah02-Dec-20252:29

Miller: England must back their approach to win second Test

“My sponsors will be happy, because I seem to be in the press every four days,” laughed Ben Stokes.Rarely has a day gone by on this England tour that the Test captain has not been long lensed by local paparazzi. The latest shots of Stokes – wearing the odd bit of sponsored stash – were of him e-scootering around central Brisbane with some team-mates (without helmets, a fineable offense that plenty flaunt) at least added a bit of variety to the photo album of touring players. A welcome twist on already tired snaps of airport arrivals and departures, golf and even strolling out of aquariums.It is reasonable to wager that if England were 1-0 up rather than 1-0 down, the focus on them would not be as intense. Winning changes everything. And that may be the big takeaway from the various invasions of privacy. If England cannot square the series in this second Test – a day-night match which starts on Thursday – the vultures will be working overtime.All the squad knew what to expect before heading over. Stokes, Brendon McCullum and even Joe Root made a note of highlighting just how different Ashes tours are. You might get mobbed in India, but you get rushed in Australia.Related

• From Beefy to Broad Ban – inside England's Brisbane angst

• Wood set to miss second Test after long road back from injury

• Will Jacks back in England XI after three years for second Ashes Test

• Khawaja out of Brisbane Test after failing to recover from back spasms

• Ten years since Adelaide, pink-ball Tests remain an Australian speciality

“Before we got out here those conversations happened as a group: ‘This is what it is going to be like, so it is not unexpected’,” said Stokes. “When we got here there were cameras in front of the hotel from 8am, following us on the golf course and even when we went out for some lunch yesterday.”One of the important things on tour when under pressure is to go out, free your mind, enjoy yourself, and whatever is going on in that world, let it be. They are going to be there and film us. The message to the group is please don’t make decisions based on the fact you might get caught on camera. We are human. We need to enjoy countries when we get the opportunity because we live in England where it is miserable, freezing cold and dark at 4pm.”It is what it is. It will probably continue throughout the rest of the tour and I don’t see anything wrong with going out and spending your time off on a golf course or having coffee or lunch, riding on a scooter. It’s fine. If they want to keep doing it, they are all polite and don’t intrude on our personal space. We have a job to do, they have a job to do.”England’s next job is huge. Australia’s dominance in pink ball Tests reads 13 victories out of 14. And though their only defeat came at The Gabba – against West Indies in 2024 – England last won here in 1986.Usually the site of the Ashes opener, there have not been many happy English memories since, barring 2010-11, and that was a draw. Even the team’s Sofitel hotel base has ghosts of Ashes past. It was here that Andrew Strauss, managing director at the time, had to come out and state the 2017-18 cohort were “not thugs”, after Jonny Bairstow’s ‘headbutt’ on Cameron Bancroft came to light, months after Stokes’ incident in Bristol.England confirmed on Tuesday that Will Jacks will be the only change to the XI from Perth, replacing the injured Mark Wood. Jacks was told by Brendon McCullum he had made the cut ahead of Shoaib Bashir after training on Tuesday.Opting for a part-time off spinner who is an accomplished batter is a calculated move. A deeper batting line-up has been forged, and the belief is Jacks’ bowling can provide both a change of pace and enough overs in key stages of the game; whether to cover through to the twilight period when the likes of Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse will be unleashed, or to a second new ball.England have played seven day-night Tests, with Stokes featuring in six of them. Combined with Australia’s back catalogue, there is plenty of evidence to make informed decisions. Players have also been encouraged to go to bed later to get used to the match timings – and the two-hour shift forward from Western Australia. They have even put in a bulk order of sweat bands to help preserve the hardness of the pink Kookaburra in sticky conditions.Ben Stokes practises with the pink ball•Getty Images

Stokes has been practicing what he preaches, though did find himself awoken by drug testers at 6am earlier this week. He has been running point, consuming as much information as he can and distributing it accordingly.His one previous experience leading a day-night match, against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui, was a tactical masterstroke. England declared on 325 for 9 in 58.2 overs as the lights took hold on day one, and prised out three wickets before the close. They then slow-burned their second innings (374 in 73.5 overs) to set the Black Caps 394 before winning by 286.This Test, however, will be a markedly different task. And not just because of their more experienced opponents, or that the floodlights will take over from around 6:30pm, with about half the day’s play to go. It is, at this juncture, Stokes’ most important assignment as captain.”We have amazing resources with information, data, all that kind of stuff,” he said. “I get our analyst to send me over all the info on the day-night cricket that’s been played at the Gabba and also in Australia recently.”There’s daylight, there’s the dusk period, and then also the period when the floodlights do come on. So you’re just trying to give yourself as much information as possible.”We’ve trained here three or four sessions and the humidity is very high. You step out in the sunlight and just start sweating. Something we’ve spoke about is being very conscious of keeping that ball as dry as we possibly can, because as soon as that pink kookaburra goes soft, it’s going to be a lot harder to feel like you can make a breakthrough with anything on the wicket.”We’ve been all around the world where you get a softer ball and making breakthroughs seems a lot harder just because of that soft ball. All those tiny little things we’ve had to consider for this week. I think our liaison officers got tasked with going out and buying about 60 sweat bands for all of us.”The broad cue from previous day-night Tests is once you are ahead, fight to keep it that way. Often, that has come through a more conservative approach, even the use of multiple night watchers. Australia, for instance, are amenable to using night watchers to open the batting during the twilight period.This England team do not have a reputation for being prudent, and their ceding of the first Test was the worst example of this. But contrary to the words that often accompany the covert photographs, this is not a team without care or nous.There is one more evening session on Wednesday for players to get better accustomed to the ball and the light before the real thing begins. And Stokes is unequivocal that history will not hold his team back, nor a lack of belief that they can upset the odds.”Many teams have gone to the Gabba and lost to Australia,” he said. “But this is a brand new outfit. Lots of guys are on their first Ashes tour so this is going to be a new experience for them. So no, it doesn’t hold too much fear. But you also understand that Australia know this is a very good ground for them and we’re excited for that.”Trust is one of the biggest things to have, not only as captain but also as a team and I have complete and utter trust in everyone in the squad but also particularly the 11 guys who have been given the opportunity to play in a Test match.”That’s one thing I’ll always tell the group – I have complete trust and faith in not only your ability but also your decision making in the moment when you are out there to assess the conditions, to assess what is required and to just have that mentality of mindset of ‘I’m going to be the person to influence this game in the right way that we want’.”And that’s all I can keep trying to do. Because if I ever lose that trust or lose that respect from anyone from within the team then it’s probably impossible to get back.”

South Australia captain says Sheffield Shield final is the priority but he would be keen to play county cricket if an opportunity arose

Alex Malcolm07-Mar-2025Nathan McSweeney would grab the opportunity to play county cricket if a chance arose as he pushes to try and win back a spot in Australia’s side with one of the opening slots still to be locked in for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.McSweeney, 25, began the summer debuting as Australia’s Test opener at the the start of the Border-Gavaskar series but was dropped after three Tests for Sam Konstas having run aground against Jasprit Bumrah, scoring just 72 runs in six innings.He was taken on the tour of Sri Lanka but ran the drinks as the spare batter ahead of Konstas who was also left out and sent home to play in the Sheffield Shield with Travis Head moving up to open and Josh Inglis sliding into the middle-order.Related

• Green unlikely to play Shield cricket before county stint

• O'Neill, Boland share nine as McSweeney shines in Junction arm wrestle

• Neser's six-wicket burst leaves Queensland in command

Head will move back to No. 5 for the WTC final leaving a vacancy at the top of the order but Cameron Green’s impending return as batter means Australia’s selectors have a challenge in finding room for him while also finding an opener to partner Usman Khawaja.McSweeney made a gritty 60 off 199 balls for South Australia against a Victoria attack featuring Scott Boland, who took four wickets on a green pitch at the Junction Oval on Friday. Speaking at the end of play, McSweeney was asked whether he felt like the opening spot in the WTC final was a way back into the Test team.”I don’t know,” he said. “All I can do is make runs and get back to being a consistent run-scorer which is what got me the opportunity in the first place. So wherever my spot is, if the opportunity comes I’m happy to bat wherever. And I think my game is suited to that. All I can focus on now is trying to punch out some runs. Hopefully that means South Australia in a Shield final,”He will get a second innings in this game before South Australia host Queensland in the final round of the season. That game and a possible final will be his only playing opportunities before the WTC final unless an opportunity in England presented itself.Nathan McSweeney was dropped after three Tests against India•Getty Images

“I’d love to get over and play some county cricket but at this stage I’m just staying in Adelaide,” McSweeney said. “I haven’t looked too much past the next couple of weeks for us. It’s massive for South Australia. So hopefully we can nail the end of this game and the next couple of weeks leading into hopefully a Shield final. But post that I’d love to head overseas and keep working on my game.”McSweeney’s 60 was a welcome return to some run-scoring form. It was just his third first-class innings since being dropped from the Test side in mid-December having scored 20 and 7 in South Australia’s last game against Tasmania. But he had also registered scores of 28, 8 and 7 in South Australia’s final three 50-over games in the Dean Jones Trophy, which they won in emphatic style thanks in part to his role with the ball in the final.”It was nice to spend some time middle,” McSweeney said. “It’s been a little bit of a stop start season for me, I guess, and I haven’t played heaps of cricket. Not the score I would have liked. But it’s nice to spend some time out there and face plenty of balls and hopefully I can get make use of that in the second innings and really come out and hopefully score a bit more freely.”The selectors were pleased with what he showed technically and temperamentally in his first three Test matches but there were concerns over his scoring limitations, which ultimately was the reason why they opted to omit him. His innings at the Junction Oval perfectly incapsulated both the positives and the negatives of his game.He showed outstanding defensive skill and decision-making to withstand Test-quality spells from Boland but struggled to rotate the strike, particularly in the evening session on day one when he was 9 off 52 balls and the morning session on day two. He got busier and more proactive as the innings wore on before nicking a good delivery from Victoria seamer Fergus O’Neill who also probed with unerring accuracy all innings to claim five wickets.McSweeney’s brief taste of Test cricket has shown him that he needs to keep trusting the foundations of his game but add some different scoring options.”A little bit of both,” McSweeney said. “I think I know a method that works in Shield cricket for me, but you’re also trying to keep learning, keep getting better. And from my experiences in Test cricket, there’s definitely some learnings to try and add and scenarios where I can tinker with my game to hopefully be better for it.”I think it’s also important to know what worked for me leading into that and what makes me a good player. So it’s been an enjoyable last couple of months, a challenging one, no doubt, but I definitely like to think I’m better for it.”McSweeney confirmed that in-form wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey would return to South Australia’s line-up for the Shield final if they get there but confirmed that Head would be unavailable due to IPL duties.

The allrounder played a match-winning role against Perth Scorchers having expected his professional career to be over

AAP15-Jan-2025Tom Andrews was holding down an office job as a financial planner a month ago, but now he’s planning a fairytale BBL title run with the Sydney Thunder alongside superstars David Warner and Sam Konstas.When Tasmania overlooked Andrews for a new contract after the 2022-23 summer, the Darwin-born allrounder accepted that his nine-year professional career was over.He had played 17 first-class matches in that time and 36 one-dayers – a career that may not have hit the highs of former Shield team-mates Travis Head or Adam Zampa, but one he knew he could be proud of.Related

• Konstas, Green and Andrews put Thunder in BBL playoffs

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“I got nine years on contract, so there wasn’t anything in my mind about, ‘What could have happened if I had’ve done this or I had’ve done that?’,” the 30-year-old told AAP. “That sort of made it easier for me to move on.”Andrews packed his bags and moved back to Adelaide, where he’d finished high school and spent six years playing for South Australia.He began studying to become a financial adviser and picked up a job in client services at McInerney Barratt Financial Solutions in the Adelaide CBD.For the first time since Andrews could remember, cricket took a back seat. He kept sending down his left-arm offies for grade-cricket side Port Adelaide, and agreed to help the Adelaide Strikers’ academy team out when they needed him.University studies and full-time work meant even committing to train with the Strikers was a stretch. But Andrews managed to join his much younger teammates on a trip to Sydney for some friendly matches against Sixers and Thunder.A few days later, in mid-December, Andrews received a phone call from Thunder general manager Trent Copeland that changed everything. The injury-hit Thunder were in dire need of reinforcements.”‘Copes’ just called me and he said ‘Do you want to come along?'” Andrews said. “I had to quickly call my bosses and say, ‘Can I have a bit of time off? It’s probably going to be about a month’. I’m very lucky that they let me do that.”2:03

Clarke: Have to keep the faith with Fraser-McGurk

Andrews hasn’t looked back. He has taken the wickets of Australian white-ball international Aaron Hardie and New Zealand star Colin Munro across his six games so far.On Monday, Andrews was player of the match in a win over Perth Scorchers that booked last season’s wooden spooners a spot in the BBL finals. In at No. 9, Andrews blasted 37 runs from 13 deliveries on a tricky ENGIE Stadium pitch that scuppered Warner and Sam Billings in single digits.”I felt like I’ve come in and played my role, which I was happy for,” Andrews said.He now turns his attention to Friday’s clash with Sixers at the SCG, where Thunder can likely confirm a double chance in the finals with victory. After he gets home from training for that match and the upcoming finals, Andrews will be hitting the books: the final year of his university studies began this week.”I pretty much study the rest of the night, that’s when I don’t have cricket training and games on the weekend,” he said.He knows all about unlikely success stories. His return to the cricket pitch is one. When Friday’s game finishes, he’ll turn his attention to helping write another as Thunder eye a second BBL title”It’d be amazing,” Andrews said. “As much as we’re savouring making finals, we have to put our mind on the next step, to not only make finals but hopefully try to win a couple.”

Home attack thwarted in battle between Division Two’s form sides

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 22-Jun-2025A maiden first-class century from young opener Asa Tribe saw Glamorgan lay the foundations for a substantial first-innings score in the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match between Leicestershire and Glamorgan at the UptonSteel County Ground, Grace Road.The 21-year-old Channel Islander, making only his ninth first-class appearance, demonstrated a maturity beyond his years as having got off to a flying start against a much-changed and initially slightly out-of-sorts Foxes attack, he settled down to reach his century off 158 balls, including 14 fours and one maximum.The Leicestershire bowlers improved as the day went on, regaining some control over the scoreboard, but solid contributions from fellow opener Zain-ul-Hassan, Kiran Carlson and latterly Colin Ingram, who ended the day with an unbeaten half-century, ensured the visitors enjoyed much the best of the first day.Given both sides came into the match on the back of a run of victories – four for Leicestershire, three for Glamorgan – the number of changes made to their previous Championship line-ups came as something of a surprise, though injuries played a part. With Ian Holland and Josh Hull unavailable, and Rehan Ahmed nursing a niggle that meant he could not bowl, Leicestershire chose to leave left out regular wicketkeeper Ben Cox – one of their more prolific run-scorers this season – and with Handscomb taking his place behind the stumps, bring in left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis and right-arm seamer Sam Wood for their first first-class outings of the season. Veteran seamer Chris Wright also came back into the side.Glamorgan too gave a spinner, Mason Crane, his first Championship appearance of the season, with Ingram, Ben Kellaway and Ned Leonard also returning. All will have been pleased to see skipper Sam Northeast win the toss and opt to bat first on one of the relaid pitches at the UptonSteel Ground, and certainly there was not too much to encourage the Leicestershire seamers during a first hour in which they gave Tribe in particular too many loose deliveries, meaning that even with his partner playing in a rather more restrained manner, the pair were still able to score at five an over before Zain somewhat unluckily became the only wicket to fall in the morning session, glancing a delivery from Wright down the leg side only for Handscomb to take a diving catch.Leicestershire’s attack improved in both accuracy and length after the break, and Tribe was fortunate when on 72 he edged Ben Green behind the wicket only for Handscomb, diving to his right, to drop the catch. He also lost Northeast, the captain looking less than impressed to be given out caught behind when hooking at a bouncer from Wood, but a cleanly hit straight six off Trevaskis took him into the 90s and he showed few nerves in going on to three figures before edging a tired drive at Logan van Beek, giving Handscomb a third victim behind the stumps.Carlson and Ingram put on 60 for the fourth wicket before Carlson used his feet once too often at Trevaskis and yorked himself, the ball squeezing on to his leg stump. Ingram, in company with Kellaway, worked his way towards his fifty, and although he lost Kellaway, trapped in front by van Beek delivery which came back, reached the landmark off 101 deliveries shortly before the close.

Century stand between Ollie Price and Ben Charlesworth proves decisive before Jack Taylor secures win with unbeaten 50

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-Aug-2025Gloucestershire 240 for 4 (Price 66, Taylor 50*, Charlesworth 50) beat Worcestershire 237 for 8 (Kashif 36, Cullen 35, Ahmed 2-21) by six wicketsGloucestershire maintained their 100 percent record in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup with a powerful six-wicket derby victory over Worcestershire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Jack Taylor’s side ended their opponents’ unbeaten record after restricting them to 237 for 8 with an excellent display with the ball. Josh Shaw set the tone with an opening spell of 6-3-6-0 on his way to 10-3-27-1 as six Rapids batters reached 25 but none made it to 40.As the pitch eased for batting, Gloucestershire advanced comfortably to 240 for 4 with 43 balls to spare. The only century stand of the match, from Oliver Price (66) and Ben Charlesworth (50), proved decisive before skipper Taylor saw his side to victory with an unbeaten 50 off 36 balls, posting his half-century with the winning runs.Gloucestershire chose to bowl and did so impressively with the new ball, led by Shaw’s superb opening spell. On a pitch assisting the seamers, Worcestershire weathered the new ball unscathed but then lost three wickets for 18 runs in 22 balls as they sought to accelerate.Daaryoush Ahmed, on only his second List A appearance, had Isaac Mohammed caught at deep midwicket and trapped the in-form Jake Libby lbw. Brett D’Oliveira struck the first six of the match but edged Craig Miles to wicketkeeper James Bracey in the next over.Kashif Ali (36) and Ethan Brookes (31) added 62 in 13 overs before falling in successive overs. Kashif edged Graeme van Buuren to Bracey and Brookes hoisted Shaw to deep midwicket where Tommy Boorman took a brilliant catch.The pattern of batters getting in then getting out continued. Henry Cullen (35) edged Miles behind, Matthew Waite (28) drilled a low return catch to van Buuren and Tom Taylor (25) was caught right on the deep midwicket boundary off Matt Taylor. It was sharp, strong work in the field from Gloucestershire, though Fateh Singh finished the innings with a flourish when he struck the last two balls, from Miles, for six.Gloucestershire lost Bracey, who edged Khurram Shahzad behind, in the sixth over, and Cameron Bancroft was run out by Libby when he was slow to respond to Price’s call for a single, but Price and Charlesworth produced the day’s most fluent batting. They added 105 in 16 overs before departing in the space of six balls. Price nicked a pull at Shahzad to wicketkeeper Cullen and Charlesworth pulled Waite to deep midwicket.With 80 still needed and two new batters in, the Rapids had a glimmer of hope but those new batters were the vastly experienced Jack Taylor and van Buuren. With the home attack unable to call upon Brookes due to a back niggle, the fifth-wicket pair added an unbroken 82 in 60 balls to take their side to a fifth win out of five and the brink of qualification with three games still to go.

“I want to play all the formats and succeed in all the formats… if I want to do that, then this is the challenge I have to go through,” Shubman Gill says about being an all-format player and leader

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-20253:13

Gill outlines the challenges of being an all-format player

Test captain, T20I vice-captain, and now ODI captain as well. Shubman Gill isn’t just one of a vanishing breed of all-format international players but also one holding leadership roles in each of them. He is aware of the toll this can take on him, especially mentally, but he is prepared to take on that challenge in order to achieve his own goals in all three formats.”Physically, most of the time, I feel fine, but sometimes, yes, there is mental fatigue, because when you are constantly playing, there is obviously a certain expectation that I have from myself, and to be able to keep up with my own expectations sometimes becomes the challenge,” Gill said on the eve of the second Test against West Indies in Delhi, in his first press conference since being appointed India’s ODI captain.”But I think that’s the challenge, to be able to play all the formats for India, and I want to play all the formats and succeed in all the formats for the country, and win ICC titles. So, if I want to do that, then this is the challenge I have to go through.”Related

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• Gill inherits the wealth of India's Rohit-Kohli era

Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as ODI captain, and will captain two former full-time captains in Rohit and Virat Kohli when India play three ODIs in Australia later this month. With both Rohit and Kohli in their mid-30s and retired from both the other formats, a certain amount of doubt surrounds their future as ODI players with the next World Cup in that format two years away.”Absolutely,” Gill said, when asked if he saw Rohit and Kohli playing an important role in ODIs leading into that World Cup. “The experience the two of them have [is immense], and there are very few players who can match the number of matches they have won for India.”There are very few players in the world with such skill and quality along with that experience, and we look at it from that perspective.”Gill becoming ODI captain capped a five-month period over which he has become the face of Indian cricket, with his appointment as Test captain in May followed by a Test tour of England in which he scored 754 runs – the second-most by any India batter in a bilateral series – at an average of 75.40. While Gill acknowledged how “exciting” these months had been, he said he wanted to put past achievements behind him and keep looking ahead.”[The ODI captaincy] is obviously is a big responsibility and an even bigger honour, so I’m very excited to lead my country in that format, and yes, the last few months have been very exciting for me, but I’m really looking forward to what the future has,” he said. “I want to stay [in the] present as [much as] possible and don’t really want to look back on what I’ve been able to achieve or what we, as a team, have been able to achieve. Just want to look forward and win everything that we have in the upcoming months.””The challenge is to stay on top for five days in a Test match, and that is more difficult than captaining in a T20 game”•Associated Press

When asked what qualities he had inherited, or would like to inherit from his predecessor Rohit, Gill picked two. “So many qualities that I have inherited from Rohit – the calmness that he possesses, and the kind of friendship that he has among the group is something that I aspire to, these are the qualities that I want to take from him.Asked to compare the task of leading teams in red- and white-ball cricket, Gill felt Test cricket presents captains the stiffest challenge. He was perhaps reflecting on missed opportunities in his first series in charge, in England, where India drew 2-2 when they could have potentially won the five-Test series had they not let momentum slip away from them in a handful of sessions.”I feel in Test matches, the better team [in that match] does come on top at the end of the day because you’ve got more chances and more opportunities to make a comeback,” Gill said. “Whereas in T20, if you have three-four overs of bad period, there might be a case that you are completely taken away from the game. So, it is different in that sense.”When you are playing a Test match, whenever a team wins a Test match, for that particular match, that team deserves to win the Test match because they played better cricket not for two-three hours or not for one day, but consistently over a period of three, four or five days.”So the challenge is to stay on top for five days in a Test match, and that is more difficult than captaining in a T20 game. Whereas, in a T20 game, you get off to a really good start and then you maintain that, then you are sort of able to be on top of the game for the entirety of the game, but in a Test match, you can be on top for two days, but if you don’t turn up on day three, the other team can make a comeback.”0:49

Chopra: ‘Sai Sudharsan needs runs or the pressure will mount’

Gill on Sai Sudharsan: ‘We think he’s the man for us’

Leading into the Delhi Test, there has been a lot of media scrutiny on B Sai Sudharsan, Gill’s opening partner at Gujarat Titans in the IPL, who is under a certain amount of external pressure with an average in the early 20s across his first four Tests, and with a number of other middle-order batters knocking on the door. Gill suggested Sai Sudharsan’s numbers were a little misleading, and said he continues to enjoy the full backing of the team management.”I don’t really think he’s had a lean run,” Gill said. “He got one innings in the first match [in Ahmedabad]. At The Oval, he played a crucial innings of 40 runs [38] on that wicket where the ball was seaming. The match before that, he scored a fifty [61] in Manchester. Not every match everyone is going to score a hundred.”You have to give young players more opportunities. They are still trying to figure out their game. And we believe that you have to first see someone’s potential and then see their game in the entirety, not just judge someone from one, two, three, four matches. Once you have given someone enough matches – six, seven, eight matches – then you can sit back and have a think over it, where he needs to learn, or if he needs to play some more domestic matches or play some more India A games.”But as of now, we think he’s the man for us and he’s someone that can play for India at No. 3 for a very long time.”

The preparation for the T20 World Cup in the middle of next year will be more exhaustive, with a tour of South Africa, home games against Zimbabwe, and a tri-series in Ireland also including West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2025Pakistan will play three ODIs at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore against South Africa from September 16 to 22 in the build-up to the 2025 ODI World Cup before leaving for Sri Lanka, where they will play all their group matches – as well knockout matches, if they qualify for that stage.There is no other cricket scheduled for the team for the rest of 2025 apart from a three-match T20I series in Dublin in early August.The major part of the build-up to the T20 World Cup in England in June-July 2026 will be in South Africa, where they play three ODIs and three T20Is in February-March next year, and the same number of ODIs and T20Is against Zimbabwe at home in April-May. That series was supposed to include five T20Is in addition to the three ODIs according to the future tours programme, but has been trimmed to three.

Women’s international calendar 2025-26

International calendar
Three T20Is vs Ireland, Dublin, Aug 6-10, 2025
Three ODIs vs South Africa, Lahore, Sep 16-22, 2025
Women’s ODI World Cup, India and Sri Lanka, Sep 30-Nov 2, 2025
Three ODIs and three T20Is vs South Africa in South Africa, Feb 7-Mar 2, 2026
Three ODIs and three T20Is vs Zimbabwe in Pakistan, Apr 24-May 11, 2026
T20 tri-series in Ireland, May-June, 2026
Women’s T20 World Cup, England, June 12-July 5, 2026

Domestic calendar
National One-Day Tournament, Karachi, Nov 6-24
National T20 Tournament, Karachi, Mar 24-Apr 17, 2026
Inter-University, Oct 2025

Pathways
Under-19 T20 Tournament, Karachi, Sep 15-Oct 6, 2025
Pakistan U-19 tour to Bangladesh, Dec, 2025

Pakistan will then travel to Ireland for a triangular T20I series also involving West Indies in May-June before travelling to England for the World Cup.The women’s Under-19 team is scheduled to play a national T20 tournament in Karachi from September 15 to October 6. The PCB has said in a statement that the tournament’s top performers would be invited to a three-week skills development camp afterwards too. This, and a conditioning camp, will lay the foundation for the team for their tour of Bangladesh for a five-match T20 series in December this year.On the domestic seniors’ front, the PCB is “actively engaging in discussions with various departments to introduce a departmental tournament for women’s cricket” and “this initiative will provide additional playing opportunities for our women cricketers”, PCB’s head of women’s cricket, Rafia Haider, said.The tournament, if it comes to pass, would slot into the domestic calendar alongside the women’s one-day tournament, which takes place in Karachi from November 6 to 24. The international players are expected to take part in this event, played on a double-league basis and featuring 15 matches.The women’s T20 tournament will be staged in Karachi from March 24 to April 17 next year. An inter-university tournament is scheduled for October 2025 as well, though no schedule or venues have been announced for it yet.

Archie Vaughan and Kesh Fonseka add important runs as spinners loom as key fourth-innings weapon

ECB Reporters Network28-Jan-2025
Thomas Rew’s run-a-ball 71 helped England Men U19s to take a 255-run lead into the final day of the first Youth Test against South Africa Men U19s in Stellenbosch.Leg-spinner Chad Mason claimed four for 97 – his 26 overs more than double than any of his team-mates – as the Young Lions reached the close at 275 for eight.Captain Archie Vaughan (44) and Kesh Fonseka (43) made key contributions at the top of the order while Jack Home was unbeaten on 34 and primarily tasked with extending his side’s lead in the morning.South Africa added a handy 50 runs for the final two wickets this morning to be bowled out for 319 and a lead of 20 runs.

Farhan Ahmed finished with innings-best figures of four for 78 and his spin partnership with Tazeem Ali and Vaughan looms as important on the final day.Mason was the mainstay of the home attack today and after he made the initial breakthrough of Ben Dawkins (33), well caught by Muhammad Bulbulia at first slip, he also got the key wicket of Rew who had counter-attacked to reach his half-century from 54 balls.

“Playing two Test matches back-to-back is always fun and bowling a lot of overs is something I enjoy,” Kuldeep says

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2025Shubman Gill, who has just wrapped up his first Test series win as India captain is “kind of getting used to it [the experience]”, he said after the seven-wicket win over West Indies on Tuesday sealed a 2-0 series win.”It’s about taking the right options in the given situation,” he said in the presentation ceremony when asked what he had learnt after seven Tests (starting with the 2-2 result in England) as the leader of the pack. “I try to make the most probable decision in the given situation that we are in. Sometimes you have to take some bold decisions, that X-factor depending on which player can get you certain runs or get you those wickets.”Four wins in seven Tests is a great start for any Test captain, but when you lead India, it comes with additional scrutiny. In Delhi, it was in response to India enforcing the follow-on after taking a 270-run lead, especially after the 177-run third-wicket stand between century-makers John Campbell and Shai Hope.Related

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“We were around 300 runs ahead and the wicket was quite dead, and we thought even if we scored 500 runs, we have to get six or seven wickets on day five it would be a tough day for us,” Gill explained.The other little niggle was Nitish Kumar Reddy, the fast-bowling allrounder in the XI, not bowling a single over. “[He] didn’t really get to bowl any overs in this match but we don’t want players to only play matches overseas – that puts a lot of pressure on the players,” Gill said. “If we want to groom certain players that we think can help us win matches overseas [we need to find spots for them], because that’s been the challenge for us.”Two of the players who got to bowl a lot and played key roles in the series were Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Two spinners trying to form a partnership after many years of R Ashwin being the lead spinner when at home.”I could get chance to bowl more overs,” Jadeja said with a laugh after collecting his player-of-the-series award. “We’ve been doing wonderful work as a team. We know what brand of cricket we have been playing since last five-six months, so it’s a good sign as a team that we continue to do it for a long period of time.”2:13

Why didn’t Nitish Kumar Reddy bowl a single over in the Delhi Test?

Jadeja has also moved up the batting order in recent times – all the way to No. 6. And the returns have been solid. There was a century in England when India saved a Test they seemed out of in Manchester, and one now in Ahmedabad, along with a number of other impressive scores. “In past so many years, I have been batting at No. 8, No. 9, so my mindset was a little different to what I have right now, but [I’m] just trying to spend more time in the middle when I get the chance.”He’s also got a chance to mentor the younger spinners in the side, like Kuldeep and Washington Sundar. “It’s lovely to have him [Jadeja] around,” Kuldeep said. “He’s someone who has always guided me in tough situations and giving me some advice and it’s really helping me out.”Having sat out the entire tour of England, Kuldeep was back in the XI for the two Tests against West Indies and bowled beautifully, finishing with a chart-topping 12 wickets, including eight in Delhi that earned him the player-of-the-match award.1:15

How Kuldeep beat the challenges of a slow pitch

“In terms of pace, I thought, probably the pace, and the drift, which I got in Ahmedabad, if you compare that to this Test match, there wasn’t any drift here, because of the surface. The wicket was too dry,” he said of the changes he had to make between the two Tests. “Playing two Test matches back-to-back is always fun, and bowling lot of overs and getting the breakthrough in the middle is something I enjoy.”There isn’t much time for the multi-format players, with the first ODI of the series in Australia in a week’s time.Kuldeep will squeeze in as much football-watching as he can: “I’ll watch a few games and we hardly have time, we’re going to fly tomorrow and we have a game on the 19th. So I have to prepare for that.”Gill will leave his preparations – or the planning, at least – till later: “It’s a long flight, maybe we can talk about it there.”