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Five teams, down from seven last year, will take part in the 2025-26 edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Dhaka Capitals and Rangpur Riders are the only surviving teams from the 2024-25 season, with three other franchises – Chattogram, Rajshahi and Sylhet – having gone through ownership changes.This means Chittagong Kings, Durbar Rajshahi and Sylhet Strikers are out of the competition, with Chattogram Royals, Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans taking their place.Fortune Barishal, who won the last two editions of the BPL, and Khulna Tigers are out of the tournament entirely.The BCB’s media department announced the list of participating teams on Thursday, but did not reveal any details of the new ownership.The BPL player draft is set to take place on November 17. The tournament is likely to be held from mid-December 2025 to mid-January 2026.

Sophie Molineux is on track to be fit for the ODI World Cup after being included in Australia’s 15-player squad for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka while legspinner Georgia Wareham has recovered from the injury which forced her to leave the Hundred early.The duo are a key part of Australia’s spin attack which will be a vital component at the World Cup as they look to defend the title won in New Zealand in 2022. Molineux, the left-arm spinner, has been out of action since late last year when she underwent knee surgery. However, she has not quite been given the full green light and may miss the ODI series against India ahead of the tournament.”Sophie Molineux is progressing well in her return from a knee injury, and we anticipate she’ll be available for the World Cup,” Australia physio Kate Beerworth said. “Georgia Wareham also back to full training following her adductor injury during the Hundred.”Australia’s squad, which will be led by Alyssa Healy, does not hold any surprises with Grace Harris taking the final batting spot while Georgia Voll is included after her breakout first year in international cricket.Harris has only played two ODIs since 2016 – and didn’t bat in either match – but the selectors see her as adding depth to the middle-order and also value her experience.”She’s a different player for us,” Shawn Flegler, the national selector, said. “In the role that she might play in ODI cricket, I think it would be more down the bottom and middle order. The way she bats, the experience she’s got in India, that’s probably why she got selected.”She’s a little bit different to some other middle order batters. She can take a game away in a few overs. If she gets that opportunity, I think she could be really good.”Healy recently returned from the foot injury she sustained during last year’s Ashes and flayed 137 not out off 85 balls against India A last month. The hope is that she will be able to keep wicket throughout the tournament.”She knows her body well,” Flegler said. “Like all players, they need to recover well after games. The schedule is pretty tight. But I think our particular schedule, we’ve got breaks in between each game as well. There’s lots of travel involved…it’s a long tournament. So it’s not just Alyssa who’ll be looking after herself. It’ll be the whole squad.”Voll is one of five players – alongside Molineux, Wareham, Phoebe Litchfield and Kim Garth – to be included in their first 50-over World Cup squad.One of the challenges in preparing for the tournament has been some grounds have never hosted women’s cricket while Australia have not played at the R Premadasa in Colombo, where they will face Sri Lanka and Pakistan, since 2016. They have used the men’s set-up to help gather data with coach Shelley Nitschke having spoken with Tom Body, the men’s team analyst.”It’s a little bit of an unknown,” Flegler said. “There’s some grounds that no women’s cricket’s been played at, so even just the data analysis of that has been based on the men’s cricket.”But we’re comfortable with the squad that we’ve got that we can cover, whether it’s a spinning wicket or if they’re flat wickets or if there’s a little bit of pace. All the games are starting at three o’clock, so day and night games. There’s maybe a bit of monsoon weather still hanging around in some places as well.So we’ve just got to be adaptable.”Australia’s squad will be supplemented with the uncapped duo of Nicole Faltum and Charli Knott for the three-match ODI series before the pair return home for the start of the WNCL season.”A World Cup in India is one of cricket’s biggest assignments, but we believe this group is up for the challenge,” Flegler said. “The valuable experience the squad has gained from several subcontinent tours in recent years, as well as exposure through the Women’s Premier League will be beneficial in tackling the unique demands of Indian conditions.”The extended nature of an ODI World Cup can be a challenge, and we believe this group has the depth and versatility to meet those demands.”Australia begin their tournament against New Zealand in Indore on October 1.

Australia squad for Women’s ODI World Cup

Alyssa Healy (capt), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

Grace Harris, Surrey’s matchwinner in the Women’s Vitality Blast final, was proud of her team’s aggressive approach to their five-wicket victory at the Kia Oval on Sunday, but admitted to mixed feelings about getting the better of her sister, Laura, who finished on the losing side for Warwickshire Bears.Grace Harris, the Australia international, top-scored with a typically hard-hitting 63 not out, as Surrey lived up to their favourites tag by cruising to a victory target of 154 with 20 balls to spare. She struck seven fours and two sixes in her 33-ball knock, and found key partners in Sophia Dunkley (23 from 13) and Kira Chathli, whose 16 not out from nine balls included the winning boundary off Issy Wong.That target, however, could have been significantly higher had her sister completed the job that she had threatened during the Bears innings. Laura Harris’ riotous knock of 25 from 11 balls included three fours and two sixes, and it took an exceptionally cool catch from Phoebe Franklin at deep midwicket to dislodge her at the start of the 14th over.”I was a little bit nervous,” Grace told the ECB Reporters Network. “I was thinking at long-off, ‘just hit it down someone else’s throat!’ You want her to do well and it’s not like I would have hashed the job, but if I’d caught it, I would have been a little bit disappointed.”I’m happy she got out when she did because it could have been a 180-chase if she’d hung on.”Surrey’s task looked stiff enough, however, when they lost their third wicket for 42 at the start of the seventh over, with Amu Surenkumar and Hannah Baker settling into a threatening rhythm. Grace, however, struck her third ball for four straight back over Baker’s head to set the tempo for the rest of the chase.”I probably get more nervous on the side-lines than I do out in the middle,” she said. “When I am in the centre, I’m like, ‘this is good fun! How good is it to get a chance to bat!’ Sitting on the side-lines, I say to our group, ‘alright introverts, you are going to have to leave, because I’ve got to chat or I’m going to find this day tough!’Related

• Laura Harris mauls Somerset with 77 off 34

• Harris stars again as Surrey see off Essex challenge

• Issy Wong hits fifty, takes four-for as Bears roar into final

• Grace Harris overpowers Bears as Surrey claim Women's Blast

“Sometimes it is harder to chase 140 than 160,” she added, “because you think if you just knock it around, you’ll just get the runs, whereas with 160 you have to go to pick up a boundary an over. Teams can get too complacent with 140.”She cited the 2023 Women’s Big Bash final as an example. “I’ve been involved in a team which has done that before, chasing 120 in a final with [Brisbane] Heat and we lost to Adelaide Strikers because we just knocked it about and didn’t really take the game on.”So it was fantastic to make sure we stayed with that run-chase. Fair play to the girls on what was a very good squad effort.”Harris added that the credit also belonged to Surrey’s bowlers for the manner in which they restricted the Bears after choosing to field first. Franklin was front and centre of their efforts, and not simply with her crucial catch. Her figures of 2 for 16 included wickets in her second and third overs and a well-completed run-out of Georgia Davis in her fourth.”I think Phoebe has genuinely been our player of the season,” Harris said. “Each game she’s either taken a crucial wicket or hit 20 off 10 at the back end and given us a bit of momentum in lower-scoring games. In any other team she would bat a lot higher and get a lot more opportunity than what she does, but when given the opportunity, she is definitely a player that’s taken it.”She has done so well in this T20 tournament and I have been rather impressed with her skill set. It’s not just the fact she can hit a line and a length, it is the fact she can bowl slower balls as well or come up with a yorker when required. Then at the back end with the bat she fully owns her scoring shots.”For the Bears, the final proved a bridge too far after an impressive win over The Blaze in the semi-final. However, for Wong – who was the player of that match with figures of 4 for 14 and a hard-hitting half-century – there was pleasure to be had in the progress of a young team, and in her own performances in the course of what is turning into a resurgent summer.”I’m really proud of our girls,” Wong said. “We knew it was going to be tough to play two games of cricket against the two best sides in the country and win them both. We have such a young squad. I’m in the oldies when we play football at 23, so we have got so much learning we have taken from this season.”Wong’s displays on Finals Day came after a successful return to the England set-up this year. After some high-profile hiccups in recent seasons, including a torrid spell with Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, she was happy to have rediscovered her love of the game once again.”Outwardly it hasn’t always been like that,” she said. “The last couple of years have been pretty challenging, but it has been nice to come back to what is my best personality for playing cricket. That comes from being in a good place with my skills and tactically as well I feel I’m in a really good place. It’s the best job in the world, isn’t it?”

Big picture: Run fest awaits SA, NZ

Here we are again. South Africa and New Zealand, the two best sides to have never won a World Cup, meet in a knockout match. Both have had their hands on trophy all the way back when it was called the ICC Knockout and possibly meant something else in terms of its significance in the global game. So make no mistake: winning this will not take away the desire for the big one but it will help to tide things over until 2027, when South Africa co-host the event with neighbours Zimbabwe and Namibia.Quietly, South Africa know they are actually building for that but the pressure to return home with something other than disappointment is ever-present. This is another chance to change that. New Zealand, after coming so close to the trophy at the 2019 World Cup, also carry scars but somehow seem less burdened by them. Perhaps a smaller population, with fewer socio-economic fractures that can be plastered over with sporting success helps them; maybe they’re just good at stoicism. Those are things to ponder later in the week when one of these two teams will play a final against a yet-to-be-decided opposition at a yet-to-be-decided venue. For now, they’ve both probably got the knockout they wanted.Facing each other, rather than India or Australia, appears to give them both a better chance of progressing to the final. And doing it in Pakistan, though both teams travelled from Dubai at different times on Monday, likely suits them more. Conditions are good for run-scoring and both have line-ups capable of posting big scores which suggests fans will be in for a run-fest. Their attacks are similarly matched to the point where both were hit by injury-enforced absences amongst the quicks. Some of the more interesting narratives could be around which of the tall men – Marco Jansen and Kyle Jamieson – can extract the most with their height or which of the attacking bowlers, Kagiso Rabada or Matt Henry, has the most success.Related

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A difference could come in the spin resources, where South Africa have chosen to operate with only one specialist in Keshav Maharaj but New Zealand have both captain Mitchell Santner and offspinner Michael Bracewell in their best XI. Maharaj had previously indicated he sees a spinners role as a more defensive one at this event so their economy rates are the numbers to watch here.Overall, this match promises an even contest without the hype that comes with playing a big three nation even though there is plenty of history. New Zealand dumped South Africa out of both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups and though the likes of us will talk about it, it’s worth remembering that the last of those was ten years ago and much cricket has been played since.Then, particularly for South Africa, the results seemed seismic. Now, ICC events happen annually and teams are dusting themselves off and starting again with much greater frequency. Does that mean it matters less if you lose at a crucial stage or even if you win? Ask one of these two, who have both spent the best part of the last three decades trying to win a major trophy and they’re likely to say no. Only one of them will have the chance to do it this time.

Form guide

South Africa: WWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand: LWWWW

In the spotlight: David Miller and Kane Williamson

No one has quite said it yet but could this be the last time 35-year-old David Miller plays in an ODI tournament for South Africa? And if so, what kind of say will he have on it? He has limited opportunity in the tournament so far. He came to bat in the 43rd over against Afghanistan only to smash the winning runs against England, but has had almost-decisive knocks in both South Africa’s previous white-ball knockout games. At the 2023 ODI World Cup, Miller’s century gave South Africa something to defend in the semi-final after they were reduced to 24 for 4; at the 2024 T20 World Cup, he was looking good on 21 off 17 balls before being spectacularly caught on the boundary which could have taken South Africa within touching distance of the trophy. Miller has shown he enjoys the big occasion and has also indicated he is taking things year by year, so chances to play in knockouts are likely becoming fewer. After all his efforts, he will want to play a role in South Africa winning one.2:46

Latham: Scheduling is out of our control

Kane Williamson has back-to-back ODI centuries against South Africa, albeit they were scored six years apart. He made 106* against them in Birmingham in June 2019 and 133* against them at this venue in the tri-series that preceded this tournament, though that was not against a full-strength South African side. Overall, Williamson averages 57.35 against South Africa, his best against any opposition other than Zimbabwe. Though New Zealand have a line-up of creative and crafty hitters, Williamson’s role in New Zealand’s side continues to be of utmost importance as evidenced by his 81 against India in Dubai, where he kept New Zealand in the fight in what was ultimately a losing cause.Like many of the more experienced players at this event, at 34, Williamson may not get another opportunity to win an ODI trophy and will want to make the most of this one.

Team news

Openers Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi have both recovered from the illness that kept them out of the England game and are expected to be available for selection, but de Zorzi is expected to make way for Aiden Markram, who passed his fitness test on Tuesday. George Linde has been called up as a travelling reserve. The bowling make-up – two allrounders, one specialist spinner and two quicks – is expected to be unchanged.South Africa (possible): 1 Temba Bavuma (capt), 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi NgidiMitchell Santner and Temba Bavuma shake hands•AFP/Getty Images

New Zealand’s only question will be which one of Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway or Daryl Mitchell they will leave out. Conway sat out the India match for Mitchell, who played against Pakistan but not Bangladesh. Young and Ravindra both have centuries to their names at this competition which suggests the decision is between Mitchell and Conway, who has scores of 30 and 10 from his outings in the tournament.New Zealand: 1 Will Young, 2 Rachin Ravindra/Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Matt Henry, 10 Kyle Jamieson, 11 Will O’Rourke

Pitch and conditions

In five ODIs this year, the average first innings score is 316.5 and results have been shared between the team batting first and the chasing team. It’s expected to be another belter for the batters and tough outing for bowlers. While Heinrich Klaasen mentioned some drizzle on South Africa’s arrival in the city on Monday, the forecast is mild and clear for the semi-final.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa and New Zealand have played no bilateral white-ball cricket against each other since 2017 but played each other at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups and won a game a piece and the Pakistan tri-nation series, in a match which New Zealand won. In ICC tournaments, they have met 11 times, and New Zealand have won seven of those games.
• South Africa are the only country to have qualified for the knockouts of all of the last seven ICC events – across men’s, women’s and Under-19 tournaments. That includes the 2023 men’s ODI World Cup semi-final, the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup final, the 2025 World Test Championship final, the 2024 men’s Under-19 World Cup semi-final, the 2024 women’s T20 World Cup final and the 2025 women’s Under-19 final.

Quotes“Scheduling is an issue all around but when you do have time to rest and recover, you should. One day cricket can be quite exhausting on the body, and for us, it might be about making sure bowlers are ready for tomorrow. I don’t think they’re going to be doing much today in training.”
New Zealand travelled back to Pakistan from Dubai early on Monday morning and will use Tuesday to recuperate rather than train heavily according to captain Mitchell Santner. “We’ll approach it as we normally would. We obviously want to play our best cricket. We understand New Zealand will obviously come with a certain challenge and we’ll have to prepare accordingly but I think Marco [Jansen] said it, it’s just another game for us. Yes, it’s important but we definitely won’t be blowing it out of proportion. It’s the semi-final, we want to play our best cricket.”

By the time Josh Hazlewood fronted the cameras for his press engagement, the sun finally emerged over Optus Stadium in a welcome sight for the ground staff after unseasonal damp weather hit Perth just days before the first Border-Gavaskar Test.WA Cricket head curator Isaac McDonald has been striving to produce a fast and bouncy wicket that emulates last summer’s Australia-Pakistan Test, where the pitch deteriorated as the match wore on with rearing deliveries contrasted by balls that crept low on big cracks.But McDonald’s plans have taken a turn due to intermittent rain in recent days. Up to 5mm of rain is also forecast on Thursday – match eve – although clear conditions are expected through the Test match.”Yesterday, we pretty much lost the whole day of prep with it [pitch] being under cover,” McDonald told reporters on an overcast Wednesday morning. “We saw the forecast early on, and we started prep a little bit earlier than we normally would.”Related

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Wet weather in Perth this deep into spring is unusual, with the famously warm Western Australia capital usually almost totally dry from November through to April. But the unexpected rain has forced McDonald to adapt.”It’s been quite conditions-based,” he said. “At the moment, we’re leaning towards rolling it a bit more on top to get that firmness, and that happy medium between bat and ball. [It] would be nice if the sun pops out, but we’re really comfortable as a curating team.”McDonald said 8-10mm of grass would be left on a pitch that he didn’t believe would deteriorate like last year’s surface.The Optus Stadium pitch has been under cover because of unseasonal rain in the lead-up to the India Test•Getty Images

“I don’t think this weather is going to make this pitch fall apart,” he said. “There’ll be some deterioration. Grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce. But in terms of big-snake WACA cracks, unfortunately, I don’t think the weather’s going to get us there.”Hazlewood had been almost unplayable against Pakistan last year, as he relentlessly targeted the cracks late on day four to finish with 3 for 13 from 7.2 overs in the second innings. Pakistan were routed for 89, and that capped off Australia’s fourth win in as many Tests at the 60,000-seater ground.”I love playing in Perth. The wicket is always a nice one to bowl pace… [it’s] bouncy and a few cracks potentially,” Hazlewood told reporters amid the sunshine on Wednesday afternoon. “I think the conditions suit us. We’re probably more used to it with that bounce and pace.””I love playing in Perth. The wicket is always a nice one to bowl pace… [it’s] bouncy and a few cracks potentially” – Josh Hazlewood•Getty Images

With Australia’s XI settled after the selection of new opener Nathan McSweeney, the focus in this prolonged series build-up has shone on India, whose line-up is largely unknown despite them having started their preparations in Perth over a week ago.”There are no real secrets behind those closed doors. We have seen a lot of them, we play with them all the time, [and] we play against them,” Hazlewood said. “It’s going to come down to bowling in that area, and batting with patience and trying to outlast them.”While the make-up of India’s batting order remains to be seen, Hazlewood and his fellow bowlers won’t have to come up against the formidable presence of Cheteshwar Pujara, who ground down Australia’s attack in India’s famous series victories in 2018-19 and 2020-21.”I’m pretty happy that Puj isn’t here. He’s obviously one that bats time, [and] makes you really earn his wicket every time,” Hazlewood said.”[But] there’s always young, fresh guys coming into the Indian team that they’re under so much pressure to perform with so many guys nipping at their heels all the time. Whoever they pick in that XI, they’re unbelievable players. It doesn’t really matter who they pick; they’re all great players.”Australia had last won a Test series against India in 2014-15, when Hazlewood had made his debut in the second Test in Brisbane. He underlined the length of Australia’s barren run against India in the format, and said his side were looking forward to end that.”There’s only a couple of us from that series when we won 2-0…. everyone’s really determined [to win this time],” he said. “It’s one that we need to tick off as a group. I think the added fact that it’s a five-Test series, it’s going to be a bit more gruelling. If you win a series against India, in any part of the world, you know you’ve earned it.”

Sydney Sixers have been handed a major boost with Australia captain Alyssa Healy having recovered from her T20 World Cup-ending injury to now be available for the WBBL.Healy, who ruptured the plantar fascia in her right foot against Pakistan in Dubai, which forced her to miss the final group game and semi-final where Australia were eliminated, is available for Friday’s match against Melbourne Stars at North Sydney Oval where she will come up against Meg Lanning.Related

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Speaking after Australia’s semi-final loss against South Africa, Healy admitted she had wrestled with the call over whether to try and play.”It was a really hard decision to make last night as to whether or not we’re going to give it a punt or not,” she said. “I tried to make the ‘team decision’ and sat myself down, instead of taking the risk.””I ruptured my plantar fascia – completely ruptured one and partially ruptured the other. So it was just a matter of function and pain and what I could handle, and, ultimately, I probably only had one game in me, and probably took the wrong risk.”After returning to Australia, Healy hinted that there may have to be some workload management during a season that includes the WBBL, ODI series against India and New Zealand then the Women’s Ashes in January.”There’s a lot of cricket to be played this summer,” she told the podcast, “And with regards getting myself through that, it’s going to be about managing what I can and can’t do and that could be disappointing for me at times throughout the summer because I want to play every single game but there’s potential that might not take place so we’ll just have to see.”Sixers were beaten by defending champions Adelaide Strikers on Tuesday having opened their tournament with an impressive victory over Melbourne Renegades where the winning runs were hit by 15-year-old Caoimhe Bray after Ellyse Perry crunched 81 off 38 balls.Scotland’s Sarah Bryce has been the other standout batter for Sixers with a matchwinner 36 not out against Renegades followed by 62 off 44 balls against Strikers. She retains her place in the squad with Sixers missing New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr who is doubtful for the entire competition after picking up an injury in India.

How did Mumbai Indians (MI) manage to retain their core group of four superstars in Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav – as well as Tilak Varma – within INR 75 crore, the minimum retention amount assigned by IPL for five players?ESPNcricinfo has learned that while MI’s senior management, including Mahela Jayawardene, who recently returned as head coach, was thinking of paying Rohit, Bumrah, Hardik and Suryakumar equal amounts, the players decided the retention order themselves.But the details, as well as the individual amounts, were far from finalised when Jayawardene, along with Mumbai’s senior management including owner Akash Ambani, met the players in early October to review what was a poor IPL 2024, where the five-time champions finished last.Related

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The players and the management met twice during this period. The idea was to talk openly about how the previous season had gone. Part of the conversations involved everyone opening up on what they felt had worked and what hadn’t. The players in question were also asked to seek clarity on whatever they wanted before the retentions were finalised.It is understood that Suryakumar wanted to know what plans the franchise had for him for the future. Having replaced Rohit as the India T20I captain after the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar is keen to lead MI, too, at some point. The franchise has told him that when Hardik replaced Rohit as captain ahead of the 2024 season, the plan was to see him continue in that position at least for the foreseeable future.The franchise is believed to have asked Suryakumar if he had any conditions before retention and also that they wouldn’t be able to promise him anything. Suryakumar told the franchise, later, that he wanted to stay with MI. He is also believed to have told the franchise that he does have captaincy aspirations. This was on October 4, about four weeks before the retention deadline.1:01

Hardik to continue as Mumbai Indians captain

It is understood that the senior group was told at these meetings that the franchise would retain Hardik as the captain as it would be unfair to judge Hardik on last season’s performances where he struggled with form both with bat and ball and made questionable strategic calls in the field. The understanding was that if the right sort of environment was created, it would help both Hardik and Mumbai succeed. The players agreed.Rohit, along with Hardik and Suryakumar, agreed that Bumrah deserved the top retention as well as the top price. Rohit also said he was happy to be the fourth retention behind Bumrah, Suryakumar and Hardik considering he had retired from the T20I format.At the meetings, it was agreed that if the team’s fans were not given clarity about the future the franchise was headed in, there was a danger of the team losing its support base. At one of the meetings, Suryakumar is understood to have said: ” [I will create the atmosphere].”

Kamran Ghulam’s second century in three outings, backed by three wicket-hauls from Mohammad Imran and Salman Agha handed Markhors their third consecutive win, as they beat Dolphins in Faisalabad. The win helped them consolidate their lead at the top of the points table.It was an all-round show from Markhors with Ghulam making 113 off just 110 balls, which included a 122-run third wicket stand with Mohammad Rizwan. That helped Markhors pile up 284 for 9 in their 50 overs. In reply, Dolphins lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 192 with Markhors winning by 92 runs.After Dolphins decided to field, Mir Hamza removed Markhors openers Bismillah Khan and Mohammad Faizan inside five overs. But Ghulam, fresh off a 115 against Panthers last week, continued his good form. He stabilized the innings with Rizwan, who also scored a half-century.Faheem Ashraf picked four wickets for Dolphins but Markhors managed to put up a big score on the board.Dolphins never really got going in the chase. Opener Mohammad Hurraira fell for a 12-ball duck while Muhammad Akhlaq was dismissed by Naseem Shah. Captain Saud Shakeel tried to hold his end up with 41, but got little support from the others.Asif Ali hit a quick 43-ball 50, but the Dolphins batters failed to stitch a solid partnership. Eventually, they were bowled out in 43.5 overs. Markhors employed six bowlers, and each one of them managed to pick at least a wicket.This was Dolphins’ second defeat of the tournament and they are now the only side to not register a single point on the table.

Mark Wood is likely to miss England’s second Test against Sri Lanka and could be a doubt for the remainder of the series due to a right thigh muscle injury sustained late on day three of the first Test in Manchester.Wood experienced discomfort after bowling his second ball of his 11th over, before aborting his run-up for the third. He immediately left the field and was replaced in the attack by Joe Root, who took the wicket of Milan Rathnayake with the fourth delivery – Root’s second – of the 56th over.An ECB statement on Saturday morning before the start of day four said that Wood would not take the field. Around half an hour into play, he left Emirates Old Trafford for a scan to determine the full extent of the damage. England are hopeful the issue is a strain rather than a tear.It seems certain Wood will miss the upcoming Test match at Lord’s, which begins this Thursday, regardless of the results of the scan. And given the 34-year-old’s unique standing as the fastest bowler in the world, England may be reluctant to risk Wood for the final Test at the Kia Oval, which gets underway on September 6.Related

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Olly Stone, the spare fast bowler in the squad, is likely to replace Wood in the XI, and was released to play for Nottinghamshire in their Division One County Championship match with Durham.In terms of squad reinforcements, Sam Curran could come into the reckoning. The allrounder is turning out for Surrey against Lancashire at the Kia Oval – his first red-ball match in over a year – and took 1 for 21 in the first innings. Picking Curran would allow England to operate with the allrounder they are lacking after captain Ben Stokes was ruled out of the rest of the summer with a torn hamstring sustained during the men’s Hundred.The loss of Wood was apparent as stand-in captain Ollie Pope oversaw a wicket-less start to day four. Sri Lanka batted past drinks, and through to a rain interruption shortly before lunch without losing a wicket, as Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal, who brought up his half-century, extended the lead to 153.

At 101 for 5, Sri Lanka were on the verge of an all-too-familiar collapse against India, but they somehow found a way to stay in the contest both with bat and ball and ended up tying the match. Leading Sri Lanka for the first time in ODI cricket, it was Charith Asalanka who sealed the dramatic result by dismissing Shivam Dube and No. 11 Arshdeep Singh off successive balls on a slow, dry Khettarama turner, with the crowd jiving and grooving to his tunes.With India needing five off 18 balls with just two wickets in hand, it was anybody’s game. Dube was threatening to switch into his IPL spin-hitting mode. He had just picked a legbreak from Wanindu Hasaranga and whacked it over wide long-on for six. Asalanka had the option to bring on Asitha Fernando or debutant Mohamed Shiraz, but he took the responsibility upon himself on a surface that had already been used for Qualifier 2 in the LPL last month, and delivered for Sri Lanka.After playing out the first two balls of the 48th over, Dube flayed the third through the covers and tied the scores. Asalanka pinned Dube lbw next ball with a slider from around the wicket for 25 off 24 balls. Dube was originally given not out, but a successful review from Asalanka overturned the on-field decision and brought the crowd alive. Asalanka then put Colombo in party mode when he also had Arshdeep lbw for a duck next ball. Asalanka had darted in another slider from around the wicket, and Arshdeep missed a slog sweep and was trapped in front.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Sri Lanka’s seam attack has been ravaged by injury and illness – no less than five of their fast bowlers are unavailable – but their spin attack is so well stocked that they could afford to leave out Maheesh Theekshana and still field four spinners, including Asalanka. Wristspinner Hasaranga, mystery spinner Akila Dananjaya and left-arm fingerspinner Dunith Wellalage also played their roles with the ball in the win.It was Wellalage who triggered India’s slide by snagging Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma in successive overs after they had forged a 75-run opening stand off 76 balls. Dananjaya, who turned the ball sharply both ways, accounted for Washington Sundar, who had been promoted to No. 4, ahead of both Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. As for Hasaranga, he came away with three wickets, including the big one of Virat Kohli for 24 off 32 balls.Related

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Hasaranga kept Kohli to five off ten balls before he trapped him with a fizzing skidder. Rahul then repaired India’s innings with a 57-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Axar Patel. After having played risk-free cricket for the most part of his innings, Rahul tried to slog-sweep Hasaranga only to miscue it to midwicket for 31 off 43 balls. Axar then looked to helm India’s chase of 231, but Asalanka had him nicking off with a sharp offbreak for 33 off 57 balls. Dube played a late cameo, but it was not enough for India to get across the line.India were on track when Rohit, fresh out of T20I retirement and returning to ODI cricket for the first time since the 2023 ODI World Cup, dominated the powerplay. He charged out of the crease second ball and smashed Asitha over midwicket for six and went on to hit nine more boundaries in the first ten overs. He was responsible for 54 of the 71 runs India had scored in that phase.One of those boundaries – a slog-swept six off Dananjaya – took Rohit to a 33-ball half-century. However, when he looked good for more, Wellalage dislodged him for 58 off 47 balls.In contrast, Sri Lanka had a more sedate powerplay in which they played out 45 dots and scored just 33 runs. Mohammed Siraj and Dube made early inroads for India, but Pathum Nissanka blunted them, and India’s spinners, with a 67-ball half-century. India could have cut his innings short on 20 had Siraj not dropped a difficult chance at fine leg in the powerplay.Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill got India off to a quick start•Getty Images

Wellalage then rallied with the lower order, adding stands of 41 with Janith Liyanage, 36 with Hasaranga and 46 with Dananjaya. Wellalage, who was promoted to No. 7 ahead of Hasaranga, countered Washington’s offspin, hitting him for 20 off 21 balls. He even got inventive, reverse-sweeping Washington over the two slips and ramping Siraj fine of deep third for fours. When Arshdeep pitched one in his arc, Wellalage showed glimpses of his power, too, clearing Siraj at wide long-on. He proceeded to bring up his maiden ODI fifty, off 59 balls.Washington – picked ahead of Riyan Parag, India’s second-most used bowler in the T20I series – though continued to pose a threat with his turn and bounce, as did Kuldeep Yadav. After ripping a couple of deliveries past the outside edge of Asalanka, Kuldeep had the Sri Lanka captain guiding his stock ball straight to Rohit at first slip for 14 off 21 balls.It was Axar who had set the scene for the day when he found immediate turn and bounce to have Nissanka checking his drive to extra cover. Axar then got his fifth ball to kick up and rag away past the outside edge like Rangana Herath used to back in the day in Sri Lanka. With the pitch offering plenty of purchase to the spinners, Axar didn’t go searching for the magic ball and simply tossed the ball up into the footmarks created by Arshdeep.Sri Lanka’s spinners, though, bested India’s and forced an unlikely tie, leaving the visitors needing a strong response if they are to win the ODI series.