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The hours leading up to his retirement announcement were filled with much intrigue and speculation

Alagappan Muthu18-Dec-20240:33

Cummins: Ashwin ‘one of the all-time greats’

A stop-start game which still had plenty of action – there were almost as many wickets (7) as rain breaks (8) on Tuesday, not to mention two high-quality centuries and one all-time great fast bowler carrying his team on his shoulders – faded into the background. Something of a murder-mystery feel took hold. An India player was about to retire. We know how the story ended now but it is worth recounting how it unfolded.There were three suspects. Each of them has carried their team to incredible heights. Each of them will be deeply missed. And as the tour has gone on, one of them especially has come under a fair bit of scrutiny. It actually started as a bit of a joke.Jasprit Bumrah, both before and after leading India to victory in Perth, was asked if he might take Rohit Sharma aside and explore the idea of taking over from him as captain. Bumrah saw where the question was headed and began to smile. “, I won’t tell Rohit. I won’t tell him I will do it,” he said pre-match and reiterated it post-match.Related

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• 'A GOAT retires' – The cricket world reacts to R Ashwin's retirement

When he fell for 10 in Brisbane, his highest score of the series including the practice game in Canberra, he dropped his gloves by the boundary and disappeared down the tunnel. A day later, Sunil Gavaskar went on record to suggest that Rohit would step down as captain if his form does not improve.Just before 2pm, Rohit took his time leaving the field when Australia declared their second innings. Some of his team-mates seemed to wait on him even though that kind of thing is usually reserved for people who had done well or if they knew something the rest of the world didn’t.More drama arrived via social media. Both the rain radar and Rohit took a back seat as a screengrab of some live pictures showed the other two suspects in embrace. One of them was Virat Kohli, who after scoring his century in Perth made a point to mention that he wasn’t the sort to just carry on in a team if he felt he wasn’t contributing. His last three innings were 7, 11 and 3.The other was R Ashwin, and in one of the frames, he seemed to be rubbing his eyes. Retirement limbo is a confusing place to be. Every little moment seems like it might carry meaning. That still of Ashwin rubbing his eyes could just have been dust.R Ashwin’s story has had many highs and lows, but it also has a happy ending•Getty ImagesIt was nice that he was with Kohli in the dressing room and with Rohit at the press conference where he pulled the veil off an evening of high intrigue. Kohli and Ashwin go all out against each other in the nets. It gets so good that people stop what they’re doing and just stare. They have a prosperous relationship as fielder and bowler as well. Kohli has forever been at midwicket for Ashwin against right-hand batters, denying them the chance to get off strike by playing the low-risk, with-the-turn flick and forcing them to be pulled apart by one of the most capable spin bowlers of all time. Like he’s never been short of ideas. The dead ends he hits usually end up with an Ashwin-shaped hole because he kept finding ways through them. He made it to a T20 World Cup years after India had ditched him for the unpredictability of wristspin.Rohit sat beside Ashwin, looking down, lost to the world, until Ashwin started cracking jokes. “We are the last bunch of OGs.” Chuckle. “Thanks for being the journalists that you have been, writing good things and of course, writing nasty things on occasions.” Chuckle.”I have played cricket with Ash since under 17,” Rohit said. “He was an opener batsman then. And then a few years later, we all disappeared. And then suddenly I am hearing news about Tamil Nadu, R Ashwin taking 5 wickets, 7 wickets. And I was wondering who this guy is. Because I played him as a batsman. And then suddenly he has turned out to be a bowler who is taking five wickets.””And then obviously at international cricket we met again. And then we had a long journey together since 2010. So it has been a long time playing together. We all know what he has done for this team. So I don’t need to repeat it again and again. But a true match-winner that India has ever seen.”India have been in transition for a while. Ishant Sharma was the leader of their attack not that long ago. His loss is no longer felt. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were key members of the team’s success both at home and away. Their loss has not been felt all that often. Ashwin’s Test career began in 2011 and ended in 2024. It was the time India became the most dominant home team in the world. Better than the West Indies. Better than Australia.”When you’ve played so much together and shared so many memories, and you see one by one these guys are not in the team you do feel their presence somewhere. But what can you do?” Rohit was answering a question about the players who were no longer there – like Rahane and Pujara – and this Ashwin news had been so heavy that it took Rohit a little bit of time to realise Rahane and Pujara are still active cricketers. “You’ll get me killed (laughs). I’m talking as if all three of them have retired.”Ashwin had been thinking about this for a while, it seems. “Never took you seriously even when you shared this thought a few months back,” Aravind, one of his childhood friends posted on Instagram. Ashwin leaves for Chennai on Thursday. He will have a stand named after him at the ground he went to – and still goes to – as a fan. He will return to it as a Chennai Super King in April. He’s spoken recently about how he put too much of his time and energy into competing for his place in the team, about proving his critics wrong, about essentially letting his life be run by other people and how that experience made him realise that the only thing that mattered was his peace of mind. It is cool that he found it. His story has had highs and lows. But it is nice that it also has a happy ending.

Derbyshire 377 (Andersson 105, Chahal 6-118) and 52 for 4 trail Northamptonshire 550 for 9 dec (Broad 171, Keogh 125*) by 121 runsAllrounder Justin Broad hit a brilliant 171, his second score in excess of 150 this month amid a Northamptonshire run-fest against Derbyshire at Wantage Road as the hosts racked up a mammoth 550 for nine declared.Returning from a wrist injury, Broad struck 18 fours and a six, following his maiden first-class ton, 157 not out at Canterbury at the beginning of July. On a day of records, his 171 was the highest score ever made by a number seven from any team against Derbyshire.With Rob Keogh also striking an excellent unbeaten 125, the pair put on 208, the highest seventh-wicket partnership for Northamptonshire against Derbyshire as the visitors’ attack wilted in the afternoon sunshine.Luis Reece was the pick of Derbyshire’s bowlers, finishing with figures of three for 114.Northamptonshire declared 173 ahead and reduced Derbyshire to 52 for four at stumps, Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal picking up two wickets in two balls. It leaves the visitors with a mountain to climb on a pitch offering turn and bounce, still trailing by 121 at the end of day three of this Rothesay County Championship fixture.Earlier, resuming on 265 for five, Broad and George Bartlett extended their sixth-wicket partnership to 127, also the highest for Northamptonshire against Derbyshire. But after posting 66, his highest score this season, Bartlett was trapped lbw by a Ben Aitchison delivery which nipped back and kept low.Broad and Keogh though looked relatively untroubled by a lacklustre Derbyshire bowling display throughout the morning as they focused on building a partnership and taking a first innings lead, picking up a handful of boundaries along the way. Broad, 64 overnight, deployed the pull against Zak Chappell and on drove handsomely, while Keogh swept and reverse swept against Joe Hawkins’ spin.Broad lunched nervously on 99, but despite flashing outside off stump against Martin Andersson after the break, he took a single off Hawkins to celebrate his first century at home.With the scoring rate accelerating, Keogh drove Andersson sweetly through midwicket to reach his second successive half-century off 112 balls and crunched Andersson through extra cover to bring up the 100 partnership and put Northamptonshire ahead. Broad then punched Blair Tickner down the ground for another boundary.Derbyshire plugged away, trying several short-term experiments to try to force a breakthrough. Andersson bowled consistently wide outside off-stump to Broad, while Aitchison reverted to bowling spin. Then for Chappell, three fielders were stationed in the area between mid-on and short midwicket.But Northamptonshire’s batters continued unabated, Keogh cutting Tickner to backward point to bring up the 150-partnership before passing the previous highest seventh-wicket stand (163) by Josh Cobb and David Willey at Derby in 2015.Frequent Northamptonshire milestones continued to keep the public address announcer busy, Keogh turning Andersson away for two to bring up his century, Broad taking a single next ball off Hawkins to reach his 150.In a scrappy passage of play before tea, Derbyshire’s tired fielders shelled three catches, but picked up one vital wicket in between. First, Keogh, on 101, swept Hawkins firmly to short midwicket where Madsen put down a straightforward chance. Then after Broad smashed Reece through extra cover, Caleb Jewell dropped one at backward point off an attempted reverse sweep.Undeterred, Broad and Keogh celebrated their 200 partnership, Broad swinging Reece for six into the sightscreen as Northamptonshire accelerated further. Broad’s 273-ball knock finally ended though when he hit Reece down the ground again but was caught just inside the ropes.George Scrimshaw won an immediate reprieve when Aitchinson failed to hold a one-handed grab at first slip off Reece. But his intentions were evident as he quickly went on the offensive against Hawkins.Tickner struck after tea castling Scrimshaw with a full and straight delivery, but Keogh found good support from Liam Guthrie (22), Northamptonshire declaring when Hawkins had the Australian caught hitting down the ground.Derbyshire’s reply started ominously when Jewell flashed outside off, Ricardo Vasconcelos snatching the ball at first slip.Promoted to opener Zak Chappell made 22 before Chahal’s double strike. First Chappell reverse swept straight to backward point, then Harry Came was lbw playing back to a slider. Finally skipper Wayne Madsen edged Keogh to Broad at first slip to further compound Derbyshire’s woes.

Some results have been good and some not so, but young C Andre Siddarth, now a part of South Zone for the Duleep Trophy final, has his priorities and roadmap in place

Deivarayan Muthu09-Sep-2025The last domestic season was one of highs for Tamil Nadu teenager C Andre Siddarth. In his maiden Ranji Trophy season, he played a vital role in Tamil Nadu’s run to the knockouts, scoring 612 runs in 12 innings at an average of 68. At 18, he was the second-youngest player, behind Vaibhav Suryavanshi, to be picked in the IPL 2025 auction, earning a deal with Chennai Super Kings (CSK).Before that, in late 2024, he had also made his maiden appearance for India Under-19s in Dubai. His strong form in the previous Ranji season has now earned him a maiden Duleep Trophy call-up. Siddarth, who turned 19 last month, isn’t satisfied, though, and is hungry for more.”I think I had a really good [2024-25] season,” Siddarth said at the CSK High Performance Academy ground on the sidelines of the pre-season Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai. “My takeaway was that at my age I had scored 600 runs. I was happy about it and [also] kind of disappointed. I knew that I had scored five fifties, but if I had scored two-three hundreds, I would have been more satisfied. Still, I’m kind of disappointed from last season.”Related

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While Siddarth didn’t get a game for CSK at IPL 2025, a chat with his captain MS Dhoni during a training session rekindled the hunger to score big.”While we were at the Wankhede [Stadium in Mumbai] during our team practice, he [Dhoni] just told me one thing: ‘stay calm’,” Siddarth said. “I thought everyone says that. But he explained to me that while being calm, one thing that is important is trying to keep your mind blank. Keeping your mind blank is very tough and if you’re not in form or not on song, it’s really tough.”So, it’s about mental strength and you need to be hungry enough. I can’t be satisfied. For example, I got a 111 against Maharashtra [in the Buchi Babu tournament]. I was not satisfied. I wanted to make it a double-hundred that day.”With the experienced Vijay Shankar moving from Tamil Nadu to Tripura, Siddarth might be entrusted with more responsibility in the middle order this season. He has tuned up by working with former India players Robin Singh [consultant] and T Kumaran, the state side’s new bowling coach, at the TNCA academy.”Around a month back, we had a camp at the TNCA. I trained with Robin Singh and T Kumaran sir and it has improved my game,” Siddarth said. They have told me certain stuff that I have to improve and it has been reflecting in my game. It involved all three aspects – batting, fitness and fielding.”

“It [playing in the Duleep Trophy] is not on my mind right now, but it would be a good feeling for anyone. In my mind, it is about how I can improve and rectify my flaws. Because I know that more than the Duleep Trophy, representing my state is more important for me. And winning the Ranji Trophy is more important”

Siddarth is just eight first-class games old, but has displayed the gears and temperament to tailor his batting according to the situation in red-ball cricket.”I personally believe that the mental aspect of the game is more important than any skill,” he said. “I have been putting myself in difficult situations in practice and in my fitness or fielding. I think it has been reflecting in my matches recently. [At my club game], I played and batted 30 balls with [No. 11] Sandeep Warrier at AM Jain [college ground in Chennai].”I had to defend and save the game at the time. Against Maharashtra [at the Buchi Babu tournament], I knew that I had to attack. [Against Jammu and Kashmir], I had a situation where I had to just play for the team. Now I know that I have been equipped enough to take it to the Ranji Trophy.”After his IPL stint with CSK, Siddarth moved to his new TNPL team, Lyca Kovai Kings, but endured a difficult season, managing only 131 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 107.37. He has taken that in his stride and feels he has learnt to ride the lows along with the highs.C Andre Siddarth feels he has learnt to ride the lows along with the highs•ACC”Yes, I didn’t have a good TNPL,” he said. “But it was a matter of just time and I figured it out. I am really grateful for the experience. My fitness, fielding and even my batting has improved a lot since [the training sessions at CSK]. If I think too much about downs, I can’t grow as a cricketer and grow as a person. That’s what I think personally.”Two days after turning out for Tamil Nadu in the Buchi Babu final against Hyderabad in Chennai, Siddarth will join the South Zone side for the Duleep Trophy final in Bengaluru. While playing in the Duleep final will tick another box for Siddarth, his main goal is to help Tamil Nadu win the Ranji Trophy.”It [Playing in the Duleep Trophy] would be a good feeling for anyone,” Siddarth said. “In my mind, it is about how I can improve and rectify my flaws. Because I know that more than the Duleep Trophy, representing my state is more important for me and winning the Ranji Trophy is more important.”Tamil Nadu is still a powerhouse in domestic cricket. In the past two-three years, we have been qualifying [for the knockouts]. I think that this year, we can lift the cup. Winning trophies for Tamil Nadu – that’s the main thing I want to do.”

The last few days have been a whirlwind at Manchester United. The Red Devils suffered another disappointing result at Old Trafford, drawing 1-1 against relegation-threatened West Ham United.

Ruben Amorim’s side struggled to create many substantial chances and could only earn a point against the Hammers.

It was another game where Kobbie Mainoo didn’t play, either. The United academy graduate, a true gem of Carrington, has only played 171 minutes in the Premier League this term.

His lack of minutes has certainly upset United fans, with club legend Paul Scholes even saying on a now-deleted social media post that he is “being ruined.”

However, the 20-year-old’s talent cannot be forgotten.

Mainoo’s rise from the academy ranks

It has been a long time since the Red Devils had an academy graduate as exciting as Mainoo, perhaps as far back as Marcus Rashford all those years ago. The midfielder represents what the club stands for: youth, courage, success.

Mainoo’s rise to the top was nothing short of astronomical. He made his first Premier League start back in late November 2023.

Less than 12 months later, he was a starter for England at the European Championships, playing from minute one against Spain in the final.

In his first tournament, key England midfielder Declan Rice was full of praise for Mainoo. The Arsenal star said his midfield partner “has that leadership and the way he takes the ball and is comfortable,” which is high praise just months into his professional career.

United embrace the academy; it has been the heartbeat of the club for decades upon decades.

Mainoo has done Carrington proud in his 82 appearances so far, with the highlight no doubt his FA Cup final winner in 2024. That is what the Red Devils are all about.

Mainoo’s lack of minutes this season is frustrating, but his talent must be celebrated. Incredibly, United have an academy star who might be even more talented than their number 37.

United’s best academy talent

The Red Devils’ long history of success can largely be attributed to their academy. The Busby Babes, the Class of ‘92, graduates from the 2010s such as Rashford, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, all contributed to silverware.

Perhaps the next great academy graduate from Carrington will be JJ Gabriel.

Despite being just 15 years of age, he is already one of the most highly rated academy players and has been described as potentially being already “better than Premier League players.”

Indeed, Gabriel has shone for the Red Devils’ under-18s this season, playing under the tutelage of Darren Fletcher. In just 11 appearances, he’s found the back of the net ten times and has grabbed one assist.

Those numbers speak for themselves, but given that he is playing three years up, it becomes an even more impressive feat.

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Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

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The versatile attacker, who can play up front or as a winger, is not only consistent but also cashes in when he does score.

He’s bagged two goals in a game once, and a hat-trick twice, including one against Liverpool under-18s last weekend. He also grabbed eight goals and assists in August and September.

Gabriel form in August & September

Opponent

Scoreline

G/A

Everton (A)

0-1

0

Middlesbrough (H)

5-0

2G

Derby (A)

0-4

3G

Burnley (H)

1-0

0

Wolves (A)

0-4

1G, 1A

Man City (H)

2-4

1G

Stats from Transfermarkt

In terms of his technical ability, Gabriel is rated incredibly highly. Alfie Brooks, the youngster’s one-to-one coach, said he could go into a Premier League dressing room and “technically he would be better than all of them. It wouldn’t even be close.”

He has bags of tricks, a low centre of gravity and a good footballing brain.

Mainoo’s talent is doubtless, but Gabriel might well be an even bigger prospect. To receive the sort of praise he has is a testament to his quality, and the numbers he puts up on a weekly basis show how talented he is.

The attacker is someone United fans will hope to see break into the first team in the coming years, playing alongside Mainoo week in, week out.

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Rajat Patidar, batting on 42, will be the key on the third day

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2025Despite Abhimanyu Easwaran’s half-century, Vidarbha’s bowlers put their side on top on the second day in the Irani Cup match against Rest of India. At stumps, Rest of India were 142 for 5, trailing Vidarbha’s first-innings total of 342 by 200. Rajat Patidar, batting on 42, will be the key going into the third day.Vidarbha resumed the day on 280 for 5 with Atharva Taide batting on 118. But their innings did not last long. Yash Thakur and Harsh Dubey fell in successive overs to leave them on 295 for 7.Darshan Nalkande hung around with Taide and the two added a crucial 37 to take the side to 332. Gurnoor Brar broke the stand by having Nalkande caught behind for 20. The end was swift as Saransh Jain picked the remaining two wickets in one over. He bowled Taide for 143 and, two balls later, had Aditya Thakare caught off Ruturaj Gaikwad.Abhimanyu and Aryan Juyal gave Rest of India a steady start of 52 before Nalkande trapped Juyal lbw. Yash Dhull came out with an attacking intent and hit two fours off Dubey, the second of those via an outside edge. But it was Dubey who had the last laugh when he had Dhull stumped for 11.Abhimanyu and Patidar took the side past 100. Abhimanyu brought up a half-century via an inside-edged four off Parth Rekhade before getting lbw in the same over. That triggered a mini-collapse. Gaikwad hit Thakur for back-to-back fours but was caught at deep-backward point off the following delivery. Ishan Kishan did not last long either, Rekhade having him lbw for 1.That left Rest of India at 124 for 5. Patidar and Manav Suthar, though, ensured there were no more setbacks till stumps.

Fast bowler gearing up for the likely knockout game against Bangladesh on Thursday

Danyal Rasool24-Sep-20251:26

Aaron: Pakistan using three pacers up top made the difference

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has rejected the notion that the Pakistan T20I side was in any kind of downturn, pointing out that they had won all but one of their previous four series.Speaking after his three-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, which took Pakistan to victory in Abu Dhabi and put them within one win of playing back-to-back T20 Asia Cup finals, he said the team was “ready to face whoever” in their pursuit of a first Asia Cup title in 13 years.”It’s not that we’re not winning,” Afridi said. “We’ve won most of our last dozen games. It’s true we haven’t won against higher-ranked teams, but most of our recent games haven’t been against them. We were here to win the tri-nation series, and we won that. We are here to win the Asia Cup, and that’s all we’re focused on now.”In Abu Dhabi against Sri Lanka, it was the different tactical approach Pakistan took while bowling that stood out. For the first time in 13 matches, no powerplay over was bowled by a spinner. Medium pacer Hussain Talat was given three overs and his two wickets in his first over – the eighth of the innings – were among the game’s turning points. Talat later revealed he’d been told he would play a role with the ball, but it represented a departure from Pakistan’s recent tendency to give spin bowling prime slots through the innings.Related

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Afridi, who bowled three overs in the powerplay on Tuesday, said it did not mean Pakistan’s quicks were playing second fiddle to the slower bowlers. “I don’t think our fast bowlers are struggling, but in T20 cricket on good wickets, batters have the license to go after the quick bowlers. We’ve been trying to vary our bowling more, and that’s something I’m working on. We were getting swing. Early on, I got breakthroughs, removing two of their main players. That’s the kind of attacking cricket we want to play – get your main bowlers on and finish the game quickly.Despite an upcoming game against Bangladesh on Thursday, which could be a knockout for a place in the final, attention has already begun to focus on Sunday. The possibility of a first India-Pakistan final in the Asia Cup is suddenly looking a lot more likely. Afridi, too, had his eye on it but repeatedly pointed out that neither side had made it that far yet.Shaheen Shah Afridi: ‘I don’t think our fast bowlers are struggling’•AFP/Getty Images”Bangladesh has been playing good cricket of late,” he said of the only team to have denied Pakistan a T20I series win in the last four months. “Whenever you play such teams, you should try to strike first. You shouldn’t give them an opportunity. We’ll have to perform well in all three departments if we are to get past them.”The previous game did represent a stark contrast to Pakistan’s demeanor when compared to the one on Sunday. While there were warm handshakes and even embraces between the Pakistan and Sri Lanka players, against India, there appeared to be a coordinated intent to show their more bellicose side. There were several verbal spats on the field, particularly between India’s openers and Pakistan’s pace bowlers. The increased belligerence from Pakistan did not go unremarked upon by Indian opener Abhishek Sharma, who said Pakistan was “coming at us without any reason.”Following the game, India captain Suryakumar Yadav couldn’t resist a dig at the opposition, saying India’s recent dominance meant the game no longer constituted a rivalry. Afridi resisted the temptation to hit back when offered an opportunity.”That’s his opinion; let him say what he wants. Neither they nor we are in the final. We’ll see how things shape up for the final. We’re just here to win the Asia Cup, and we’ll give our all for that.”

Jeff Stelling has criticised Unai Emery as a result of one moment in Aston Villa’s 1-0 victory against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

Cash leads Villa to victory over Man City

Emery continued his stellar record at home against Man City on Sunday, with the manager overseeing his third straight victory against Pep Guardiola’s side at Villa Park, courtesy of Matty Cash’s first-half strike from just outside the box.

It was a stellar performance from the full-back, who was voted the Player of the Match, and the Poland international has since put pen to paper on a new contract which lasts until 2029.

The Villans have really turned a corner in recent weeks, having picked up victories against some top teams, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on the road earlier this month, and the Premier League table now makes for much better viewing, having moved up to eighth.

The manager has also silenced the talk about his future, after it was reported last month that Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers were all unhappy with the Spaniard, given the slow start they made to the campaign.

The 53-year-old has certainly turned the corner, but Stelling was still left unimpressed with some of the decisions he made on Sunday, calling out the decision to substitute Jadon Sancho in the second-half, having only introduced the winger just before the 30-minute mark.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Stelling came to Sancho’s defence, saying: “He’s a soft target, because over the years it’s been easy to point the finger at him, but I think on this occasion it was wrong to point the finger at him.”

Sancho's Villa career yet to truly take off

It was always going to be a risk signing the 25-year-old, given that he was unable to live up to his huge price tag at Manchester United, and his Villa career is yet to take off, having only featured for 226 minutes across five matches in all competitions.

Emery defended the decision to substitute the former Man United man by pointing out he has done the same thing with other players before and wants to introduce the Englishman slowly: “Yes, sure he’s (Sancho) not happy but I did it before with Morgan Rogers, with Emiliano Buendia, with Leon Bailey, and he played 60 minutes on Thursday,”

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“Today when he (Buendia) was injured, my plan was maybe in case he (Sancho) was going to play 30 minutes, but I decided to play more and he played 45 minutes.”

That said, given the scale of media attention Sancho received at Man United, it was a strange decision from Emery, who risks damaging his summer signing’s confidence, even if the manager didn’t substitute him due to being unhappy with his performance.

SA20 expansion will happen only after the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup, which South Africa will co-host along with Zimbabwe and Namibia, Smith says

Vishal Dikshit14-Nov-2025

Former South Africa captain and current SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith believes there will be a “shift in how things work” in the cricket calendar after 2027, when the current men’s FTP (Future Tours Programme) comes to an end and a fresh cycle of ICC media rights will also be up for grabs. Smith also said most of the focus on South African cricket’s planning is the build-up to the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup, which they will co-host along with Zimbabwe and Namibia, and only after that tournament will they look to expand SA20, which currently has six teams and is three seasons old.Since its inception, SA20 has been played in January-February and has had calendar clashes with the Big Bash League (BBL) and the ILT20 in the UAE, which started in the same year as SA20 (2023). Even though the PSL has moved to the April-May window now, these three T20 leagues also face a calendar crunch with international cricket, often bilateral series, which creates an availability headache for the boards and international teams.”I’m not saying the other leagues will go away, but there’ll certainly be a tier-one of sort of franchise leagues in different windows, so maybe four to five, probably a club World Cup coming,” Smith said at an SA20 event in Mumbai on Wednesday. “I think bilateral cricket is hard. I think when top nations play each other, it gets a lot of interest. Even with the ICC, they have an event a year, but I think the interesting thing to watch is going to be post-2027 FTP cycle when the new cycle kicks in and all the new rights deals get done.Related

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Graeme Smith: 'Would love to have more Indian players' in SA20

“That’s going to be interesting to watch. I think bilateral cricket, if anything, outside of the top teams playing each other, is lacking a little bit of context at the moment with four games here, two games there. There’s no consistency to these things, but obviously it does come with national pride as well, so I think you’re going to probably see a shift in how things work post 2027.”The ODI World Cup that year will be played in October-November, which gives Cricket South Africa exactly two more years to ramp up preparations to host the global event. Smith said the SA20 expansion plans will begin only after the World Cup.”I think for us it’s also where South African cricket is,” he said. “With the 2027 World Cup now, there’s been big investment into stadium infrastructure, lights, the quality of pitches. So we’ve seen that really being developed over the last six months into the year. I think in all the stadiums now you’ll see new lights in the run-up to the 2027 World Cup. Post-season five [of SA20] is where we will look to grow. That has always been the case.Graeme Smith at an SA20 promotional event•SA20

“I think for us there’s a number of elements when you look to grow. Where do you grow? Do you grow in South Africa? Do you grow in Africa? And then also you want to build up your player base. I think one thing that SA20 has got right is that the six teams have been equally competitive. Probably the amount of South African local players has been at a good standard. And if you introduce a new team then you’ve got to look at another 20 to 26 South African players. And you need to make sure that that quality is there to be able to keep all six, seven, eight teams of a high standard.”The fourth season of SA20 will be the first time the tournament will not start in January, but on December 26, as there is no Boxing Day Test scheduled by Cricket South Africa in the FTP. SA20 will be preceded by five T20Is for South Africa in India and will be followed by another three T20Is against West Indies just before the T20 World Cup kicks off on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, making it a “big period” for South Africa in the coming months.”I think it’s an important few months for the South African team, obviously, with the big tour to India, if they can find a way to be successful here across the three formats. It really does set up SA20 beautifully as a kind of highly competitive tournament, playing in front of big crowds and getting players ready for the T20 World Cup which is going to be amazing to watch in India. So I think it’s a big period for the next three months for South African cricket to really build on the successes that they’ve had throughout the year. We’ve seen the World Test Championship final. We’ve seen our ladies do well. And the next three to four months can really be an amazing time for South African cricket.”

CA’s medical staff will look into Khawaja’s back spasm and the coach says the batting order will be discussed leading into the Brisbane Test after Head’s heroics

Alex Malcolm24-Nov-2025

Australia coach Andrew McDonald has said there will be further investigation into Usman Khawaja’s back issue in the lead-up to the Brisbane Test and admitted the selectors have “a lot to consider” around the batting order after Travis Head’s match-winning performance as a stand-in opener.Australia’s players and staff flew to their home cities on Sunday after the first Ashes Test finished inside two days in Perth.Khawaja’s back spasms have become a major talking point, with the 38-year-old unable to open in both innings and only able to bat once in the game. He also dropped a catch at slip before leaving the field in England’s second innings.Related

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McDonald confirmed that the medical staff would look into the injury further as Khawaja has never suffered a back spasm of that nature in his lengthy career.”There was discussions around further investigation to whether it was more serious than what we sort of first anticipated,” McDonald said on Monday. “So we’ll work through that. We’ll get a squad together. We’ll step through everything that we normally step through.”We get to camp in six days’ time. It’s a long way out, a lot of information to gather between now and then, and hopefully Usman is fit and available for selection.”I think anytime you spasm, it’s a result of something going on in your back. So I think that further investigation is just due diligence around that. You spasm for a reason. He hasn’t had it before, so that’s what will probably entail a bit more further investigation.”My gut feel is that it should be okay, but as I said, we’ll wait for that information to present.”McDonald dismissed Khawaja’s age as a reason for the back issue flaring up. Khawaja did play 18 holes of golf on each of three days leading into the Test match (54 holes in total), something he had done previously leading into a Test without issue. But McDonald, like CA chief executive Todd Greenberg, reiterated that it had never caused a problem before.”These things can happen,” McDonald said. “And I don’t think you can join the dots to something around his age. I think it’s just one of those things that’s happened.”Travis Head smashed his way to an extraordinary 69-ball century•Getty Images

McDonald was asked whether Head’s extraordinary performance in the second innings, where he made 123 off 83 balls to win the Test match, would cause a rethink about a permanent change at the top of the order.”We’ve got a lot to consider,” McDonald said. “Batting orders are always debated heavily over a period of time. Middle order players haven’t been sort of the ones that have been the popular ones to open the batting. So we’ll discuss and work through what it looks like.”I think it gave us a little bit of a lens potentially to the future in terms of adjusting batting orders in second innings, which is something that we have discussed. To be able to put different people in different positions with the scenario that was presented. So this one happened probably through a bit more chance and obviously the unfortunate injury to Usman. But I think it really probably opens up that discussion more than, more than anything else for us.”Australia’s selectors do not have a history of making a change off a sample size of one innings. Steven Smith made 91 not out in an unsuccessful fourth innings chase in his fourth innings as an opener but the experiment was shelved after he averaged 28 across eight Test innings in the role.The impact Head had on the pink-ball Test in Adelaide last year, where he made a match-winning century at No. 5 in Australia’s first innings having been shielded from batting in a difficult period under lights on the first night, will also be a key factor in any decision to move him permanently to the top for Brisbane. Head had looked reasonably good in the first innings in Perth when he entered in the 16th over before shovelling a pull shot to mid-on.The potential to be flexible with Head looks more appealing to the coach.”We’ve sort of hypothesized around a middle order player going up to the top order if the second innings happened to flatten out,” McDonald said. “In particular, if we needed quick runs, and the wicket was going to deteriorate. So in our strategy and our planning, we have tabled that from time to time.”We’ve had a conversation around Travis opening the batting for a long period of time, and Trav’s has been on the record this week and previously around that also. I suppose, now that it’s out there, yeah, happy to talk about it. Will we do it? If it presents at the right time, potentially.”

“Once you’re back in, you start looking at what’s on the horizon and it’d be amazing to play in a home T20 World Cup”

Valkerie Baynes26-Jun-2025Two teams, many changes, all to play for. That’s the scenario for India Women’s tour of England, where the hosts of the next two World Cups will face each other, not just for the immediate spoils but with an inevitable big-tournament focus.England have been buoyed by twin 3-0 sweeps of their white-ball series against West Indies after their 16-0 Ashes drubbing but expect a sterner test from an India side featuring a mix of stars, comebacks and inexperience.England have also shaken things up under the new leadership of head coach Charlotte Edwards, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and national selector Lydia Greenway.Related

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Sophie Ecclestone returns for her first international appearances since January, joining fellow left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, who shone on ODI debut against West Indies, as did seamer Em Arlott.Tammy Beaumont, who has been on the fringes of the T20I side since the 2022 Ashes, is in the squad after a hugely successful ODI campaign, reprising her opening partnership with Amy Jones.Against West Indies, the pair amassed 464 runs between them, including 424 in tandem, in two ODIs. With T20I opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge scoring just 17 runs in three innings, Beaumont offers a batting option, especially with former captain Heather Knight sidelined after tearing her hamstring tendon from the bone during that series.Knight says she is on track to be fit for the 50-over World Cup in India later this year, while Beaumont – who has played just five T20Is in three years and was part of the squad but didn’t play against West Indies – hasn’t given up on making it to a home T20 World Cup in the English summer of 2026.Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont were prolific in the ODIs against West Indies•PA Photos/Getty Images”The previous couple of years, I hadn’t overly thought about that Lord’s final and that World Cup here next year,” Beaumont told ESPNcricinfo. “It was something that would be nice to happen, but I can’t get too caught up in it. Getting that call-up for the West Indies T20 series was a little bit of a surprise, but a really nice surprise.”This India series, I’m just trying to really enjoy my T20 cricket and try to contribute in any way I can. Once you’re back in, you start looking at what’s on the horizon and it’d be amazing to play in a home T20 World Cup. For me, it’s just about enjoying every opportunity I get these days.”It’s been proven that if you perform at county level, you’ll get a go and then you’ve just got to perform where you get the chance. That’s something that tends to work pretty well in my brain, play what you see in front of you and, so far, so good.”Rewarding players for performing at domestic level has been a tenet of Edwards’ time in charge since replacing Jon Lewis in April and the India series represents the next step in her task of rebuilding a team which, like India were humbled at the T20 World Cup 2024.

“She’s almost superhuman at times, just to be able to be a mother and a new England captain and perform at the level that she always has done”Tammy Beaumont is in awe of Nat Sciver-Brunt’s all-round game

“It will be a really tough tour and series for us, but a really good test and a really good time for that,” Beaumont said. “They keep finding more and more talent. There’s a lot of names that I haven’t played against before in this squad and that normally throws out some unexpected challenges.”With the WPL, they’re just getting so much talent coming through that’s ready to go. It’s going to be a tough challenge, but really exciting. There’s always a bit of drama with the England-India series, so I’m sure there’ll be some drama coming forward.”This is India’s first visit to England since 2022, a tour which ended in high drama when Charlie Dean was run-out backing up by Deepti Sharma in the third ODI at Lord’s and which seems a long time ago in the context of two T20 World Cups in which both sides have fallen short.The T20I leg which kicks off this tour with five matches from Saturday represents a chance for both sides to stamp their authority before moving their attention to the three ODIs with eyes on the 2025 ODI World Cup.The coach-captain combo of Charlotte Edwards and Nat Sciver-Brunt could face a stern test against India•Getty ImagesWhile Jones and Beaumont made the bulk of England’s runs in the ODIs, Sciver-Brunt still managed to score fifties in the first and third games, the latter while Beaumont was rested and Jones dropped down the order to give others a chance to bat. Sciver-Brunt also struck an unbeaten 55 in the second T20I in Hove, her first series as captain and a new mum after wife Katherine gave birth to their son, Theo, in March with the family travelling together through the West Indies series.”She’s always been great with kids and being with her own son is absolutely no different,” Beaumont said of her skipper. “A lot of us are getting a bit broody watching how good she is with Theo.”Katherine is doing brilliantly as well, making sure Nat can do everything she needs to do and look after the baby and then enjoy that time together and the way that Nat’s handled it, is so typical Nat.”She’s almost superhuman at times, just to be able to be a mother and a new England captain and perform at the level that she always has done. It’s just a testament to her character that she can just always take anything and everything in her stride.”