Marcus Stoinis scored 34 and took two wickets as Southern Brave finally won in the Hundred, beating Birmingham Phoenix by 12 runs at the Rose Bowl. Luke Wood chipped in with the ball, and the low-scoring contest never really got away from either side.

Brave's total looked ordinary, but Rashid Khan and Jofra Archer kept Phoenix guessing with their spells. The chase for 129 never settled into a rhythm.

The win ended a three-match losing streak and lifted Brave off the bottom of the table.

The Hundred will run under new ownership in 2026. Minority stakes in several teams have already gone to outside investors, and the ECB plans to sell more. Men's and women's sides will now share points tables and a single trophy for the best overall team. Each franchise gets updated names and kits to match its new backers, but the 100-ball rules stay the same. The ECB wants the changes in place before the next broadcast deal is negotiated.

The Rothesay County Championship stays at 14 matches for 2026 after counties voted down the ECB's 13-game plan. The two-division structure and points system that have run since 2017 remain untouched. The ECB floated the shorter format as a cost-saving move, but a majority said no at last week's meeting. In exchange, the Vitality Blast cuts its group stage from 14 matches to 12, trimming two fixtures from every side. Those changes begin in 2026.

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has indicated she may miss the upcoming ODI series against Ireland to continue rehabilitation for a calf injury. The all-rounder has been forced to play as a specialist batter while managing the issue. She stated she does not want to give up bowling just yet.

The five-match series is scheduled for next month. Sciver-Brunt's decision reflects the cautious approach England are taking with her workload management. The injury has limited her bowling contributions in recent matches.

England face Ireland in a series that also serves as preparation for the upcoming ICC Women's World Cup later this year. The team management will monitor her progress before finalising the squad.

Justin Langer says the ECB hasn't reached out about the vacant Test job. He's coaching Manchester Super Giants now and calls the reports linking him to England just rumours, though he'd think about it if they did ask.

Stephen Fleming is already confirmed as the new head coach. He takes over from Brendon McCullum and starts with the South Africa series later this summer. Marcus Trescothick steps in for the Pakistan Tests next month while the transition happens.

Joe Root stays on as captain under the new setup.

Greece have called up Sam Konstas' brother to their national squad. He's in as they chase a spot at the 2028 T20 World Cup through the European qualifier route.

Sam Konstas is still under contract with Australia and plays Sheffield Shield for New South Wales. His brother adds another player with top-level exposure to Greece's limited-overs group.

Greece sit in the ICC's lower tiers and want to climb the European standings. The 2028 tournament expands the field and opens extra qualification places for associate sides.

The BCCI will hold a review meeting in early August to assess India's white-ball performances across Ireland, England, and Zimbabwe. The meeting will also examine support staff contracts and consider potential changes.

India suffered heavy defeats during the England leg of the tour before securing a 2-0 T20I series win over Zimbabwe. Ishan Kishan scored 81 and Tilak Varma made 60 in the second match, which India won by 90 runs.

Shreyas Iyer, leading India for the first time in the T20I format, praised the aggressive approach of his young squad after the series victory. Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza scored 4 and 0 across the two completed matches.

Roston Chase hurt his right index finger in the Caribbean Premier League and hasn't had much net time since. The finger isn't 100 percent, but the all-rounder still expects to take the field when West Indies host Pakistan for the first Test in Barbados on 4 July.

Teammates have told him they trust him to lead even when he's not fully fit. West Indies have picked a 15-man squad that includes two uncapped players, and medical staff will check Chase 48 hours before the start.

He's taken 23 wickets at 29.4 in his last six Tests and remains the side's most experienced spinner.

Ben Stokes will split the 2026 season between Durham and franchise leagues, rotating his commitments to manage the physical toll of playing across formats. It's a balancing act top players now have to master — county cricket no longer locks them in for five months.

Durham's agreed to work around the plan as part of their broader squad strategy. The specifics — which tournaments, which windows — are still being hammered out, but the framework is set: Stokes plays county cricket in blocks, not as a continuous commitment.

The arrangement reflects a shift in how elite players structure their calendars. Franchise leagues have enough money and reach now that they're not squeezed around the county season anymore — they're equal parts of the puzzle.

Joe Denly has told Kent he will finish up at the end of the 2026 season. The 40-year-old first pulled on a Kent shirt in 2004, left for three years at Middlesex, then came back and stayed.

He played for England in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, yet it is the county that defined him. His first-class debut came more than twenty years ago and he kept turning up, season after season, as one of their most reliable batters.

That long run ends in 2026. Denly leaves behind a career that began in the early 2000s and never really left Kent.

Newly appointed BCB coach educator and Under-23 coach Naved Nawaz is pushing for a dedicated biomechanics laboratory in Bangladesh. He argues it would help fix technical issues and reduce injury rates among fast bowlers — and he wants a localised coaching curriculum to strengthen player development across age groups.

The Under-23 programme will be the testing ground. Catch problems early, Nawaz says, and you can correct flaws before they become career-ending. He's seen the same technical deficiencies repeat in senior fast bowlers, and that's what's driving the push.

There's no timeline yet. First comes the curriculum, then securing the equipment and expertise.