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Mark Butcher: Former English cricketer Mark Butcher has warned against breaking the fast-bowling quartet to fill in all-rounder Sam Curran. Since the retirement of Test captain and iconic all-rounder Ben Stokes, England face a major challenge of roping in the personnel who can fill in his all-round role, even to some extent without distracting the combination. Curran, who was recently ruled out of the rest of the English summer, was mooted as an ideal replacement for the retired Stokes. However,

UP T20 League Governing Council: Pacer Vasu Vats and spinner Vishal Nishad took clinical four-wicket hauls each as Gaur Gorakhpur Lions secured an eight-wicket victory over defending champions Kashi Rudras in the UP T20 League here on Saturday. Chasing a modest target of 139, the Gorakhpur Lions made short work of the pursuit by cruising home in just 14.4 overs at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. Opting to bat first, the Rudras were put under early pressure by Vats, who removed opener Abhishek Goswami

North Delhi Strikers Women: North Delhi Strikers Women produced a disciplined bowling and fielding performance to defend their total of 141/4 and defeat South Delhi Superstarz Women by 10 runs in the Delhi Premier League, making it two wins from two matches and taking them to the top of the points table. Chasing 142, South Delhi Superstarz finished on 131/5 in 20 overs, falling short despite a fighting effort from their middle order. After a difficult start, with wicketkeeper-batter Nishika Sing

Great Barrier Reef Arena: Scrutiny over Australia's top-order batting grew more on Saturday when it failed to inspire another strong start during the ongoing second Test match against Bangladesh at Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay. On a day which was highlighted by epic fast bowling spells from Mitchell Starc and Shoriful Islam, the Aussie top-order batters once again came in the firing line despite the hosts taking a 101-run lead and still having two wickets in hand after bowling the Tigers out

Former New Zealand: Interim head coach Marcus Trescothick has praised Joe Roots calming influence following his winning return as England Test captain, adding that it has brought a pragmatic shift in tactical approach after a tumultuous phase for the national side. Roots second stint as Englands Test skipper got off to a commanding start with a victory over Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley. The result comes at a time when England are recovering from a heavy Ashes defeat in Austr

The Daily Star: Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam believes his team are still firmly in the second Test despite a difficult opening day against Australia, insisting that their chance to turn the contest around will come when they bowl again. Shoriful was the standout performer for Bangladesh on Saturday, claiming 6-35 as Australia reached 165/8 at stumps on Day 1 after bowling the visitors out for just 64 earlier in the day. The message in the dressing room was that the game is far from over and o

Punjab T20 League: The excitement is building up as the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League 2026 is all set to begin on August 30 at the I.S. Bindra Stadium in Chandigarh. Six teams will battle it out for the coveted title, with some of Punjabs finest cricketing talent set to take centre stage. Among the teams in the competition are the Ludhiana Lions, who have made a major statement by picking Indias left-arm pace sensation Arshdeep Singh as their marquee player. The fast bowler is delighted to be part of

Gautam Gambhir: India head coach Gautam Gambhir said his conversations with left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav have been focused on executing solid bowling spells rather than hunting desperately for wickets, as they aim to finalise their combination for the second Test against Sri Lanka starting on Sunday. Kuldeep managed to pick just one wicket in Galle as India sealed a 165run win in the series opener and his position in the team has been subject to immense chatter for the second Test. India

SL vs IND 2nd Test, Cricket Tips: Team India recorded a thumping win over Sri Lanka in the Galle test by 165 runs. That helped them to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The second test will be held at Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, starting at 10 AM IST on August 23 (Sunday). After Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal also got injured and will miss the second test. Sri Lanka have been vulnerable with the bat, and they need a strong performance. For India, it is about maintaining th

World Test Championship: India head coach Gautam Gambhir dismissed concerns over team rankings and heightened media scrutiny, adding that his sole priority is winning trophies rather than acing the popularity contest as his side prepare for the second Test against Sri Lanka, starting at the SSC Ground on Sunday. My job is to win trophies, not views and likes. That's all I believe in and that is the difference between me and everyone, Gambhir told reporters in a pre-match press conference. He als

The Indian Board: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to find the title sponsor of the Indian cricket team for home matches, as not much interest has been shown in acquiring the rights due to the steep pricing. The Indian Board either did not receive bidders for the rights, or they were not up to expectations, despite the deadline for bid submission being kept to August 13. The BCCI had released the invitation on July 20, with the last date for ITT document purchase on August

Wales Cricket Board: Former England captain Ben Stokes has described the decision to exclude Headingley from the 2027 men's Ashes schedule as shambolic, as he joined the growing criticism from players and commentators over the absence of a northern venue for the high-profile series. Stokes expressed his frustration on Instagram stories in response to a post discussing the schedule. Shame is an understatement. Shambolic would be more appropriate. Great win though, wrote Stokes, as he commented in

Indian Premier League: Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians on Saturday have appointed former first-class cricketer Zubin Bharucha as their Director of Performance across the franchise's global ecosystem. Prior to his new role with the Mumbai franchise, Bharucha served as the Director of High Performance at Rajasthan Royals, a position he held from November 2022 until his departure after IPL 2025. ubin Bharucha joins Mumbai Indians as Director of Performance and will w

India U19s: India's teenage prodigy will be passing through the lens of several cricket fans over the next fortnight as he gears up for a red-ball and leadership challenge. The now 15-year-old was made the vice-captain of the Ishan Kishan-led East Zone side for the upcoming Duleep Trophy as the tournament kicks off India's domestic season. Sooryavanshi's appointment in the squad, which had the likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar, opened a new door of discussion. The prod

Captain Simarjeet Singh: Captain Simarjeet Singh opened up about the team's refreshed mindset and lethal bowling partnership with Mayank Yadav after East Delhi Riders delivered a disciplined all-round performance to secure a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Outer Delhi Warriors in their Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2026 clash on Friday. We just tried to give our best as players and return with a strong mentality. Rather than treating every game with extreme pressure or worrying about whether

European T20 Premier League: Former India captain Rahul Dravid believes the game needs players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to develop into all-format cricketers, while stressing the importance of giving the 15-year-old enough time and exposure to red-ball cricket. Sooryavanshi, who has already made an impact in white-ball cricket, is set to feature for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy as he looks to gain more experience in the longer format. Dravid, who coached Sooryavanshi at Rajasthan Royals in IP

World Test Championship: India returned to winning ways in the World Test Championship with their victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test match at the Galle International Stadium on Wednesday. Just four days after their 165-run win, they will hit the ground running in Colombo for the second and final Test of their trip to the island nation, which begins on Sunday as focus remains on one of India's star bowlers, Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist spinner didn't had a great time in the first Test

Assam Cricket Association Stadium: The stage is set for a fitting finale to the inaugural Assam Premier League (APL), with the top two teams from the league stage, Guwahati Royals and Barpeta Braves, set to battle for the title at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium on Sunday. The two sides finished level on 14 points after the league stage, with Guwahati Royals taking top spot on the strength of a superior net run rate of 0.920, ahead of Barpeta Braves at 0.614. The final brings together two

World Test Championship: Mitchell Starc etched his name in the history books as the Australia pacer became the leading wicket-taker in World Test Championship (WTC) history, producing a sensational spell against Bangladesh in the second Test in Mackay on Saturday. Starc tore through Bangladeshs batting line-up and finished with great figures of 6-12 as Australia bowled the visitors out for just 64 after winning the toss and opting to field first. The veteran pacer's stunning spell saw him overta

Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari: After unleashing the 149 kph toe-crushing yorker, breaking the middle stump during the UPT20 League, Kartik Tyagi attributed his tactical evolution to conversations with former South African international Dale Steyn. The sound of wood splintering at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium was both violent and poetic. Charging in during the second over against the Noida Kings, Tyagi unleashed a searing, toe-crushing yorker clocked at 149 kph

Punjab T20 League: Amritsar Soormas captain Abhishek Sharma reflected on leading the side in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League and stated that the biggest reward would be seeing his young teammates use the platform to earn state and IPL opportunities. Leading his hometown team will make the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League a particularly special assignment for Abhishek, who is relishing the opportunity to captain Amritsar Soormas and help shape the next generation of Punjab cricketers. Lifting the trophy wou

Australia lost three quick wickets as Bangladesh fought back on day one of the second Test with the hosts 50-3 at tea after a Mitchell Starc masterclass skittled the visitors for just 64. Skipper Pat Cummins won the toss in Mackay and his bowlers feasted on a fine day, determined to bounce back from a shock nine-wicket loss in the first Test at Darwin. An irrepressible Starc was the destroyer in an incredible spell of swing and seam, taking five wickets in 22 balls during the morning session. Ba

England began Joe Root's second spell as full-time Test captain with a totally dominant innings and 103-run win over Pakistan at his Yorkshire home ground of Headingley on Friday. Three talking points that emerged from what was just England's third win in their last 11 Tests. Cox looks the part Any assessment of England's form at Headingley has to take account of arguably one of the weakest Pakistan teams in decades. But the manner in which Jordan Cox made a maiden Test fifty while batting in wh

A rampant Australia tore through the Bangladesh batting Saturday to dismiss them for just 64 on day one of the second Test with Mitchell Starc taking 6-12 after a bowling masterclass. Skipper Pat Cummins won the toss in Mackay and his bowlers feasted on a fine day, determined to bounce back from a shock nine-wicket loss in the first Test at Darwin. An irrepressible Starc was the destroyer in an incredible spell of swing and seam, taking five wickets in just 22 balls during the morning session to

East Delhi Riders: An all-round performance helped East Delhi Riders register a comfortable seven-wicket win over Outer Delhi Warriors in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2026 fixture. East Delhi Riders produced an impressive bowling effort to bowl out Outer Delhi Warriors for 134 in 19.1 overs. Mayank Yadav, Simarjeet Singh and Ashish Meena led the attack and kept the Warriors under pressure throughout the innings. Outer Delhi Warriors struggled from the beginning and kept losing wickets at regul