Gupta's directive will force boards to justify every bilateral on commercial or competitive grounds.
ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta's call to end 'random' bilaterals signals the sport is moving from an era of free-market scheduling to a curated calendar where every bilateral must carry competitive or commercial value, reshaping how boards plan tours. The change will force smaller boards to justify every tour on commercial or competitive grounds, accelerating a two-tier system where only the big three retain the freedom to schedule freely. Bilateral cricket is decided exclusively by member boards without ICC intervention, and the world body only handles scheduling of multi-national competitions such as the World Cups and the World Test Championship. Gupta said only India, England and Australia can afford to play Tests while other full members struggle to monetise the longest format. The shift also means ODIs will be scheduled primarily around World Cup cycles, reducing the number of standalone bilateral series that have traditionally filled the calendar between major events.
Sumith Fernando, a former coach of Kusal Mendis, has died after an altercation with players over drinking water during a match in Colombo.
A 62-year-old coach who once mentored former Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis during his school days has died following an altercation with players during a cricket match in Colombo. Police said on Thursday that a 17-year-old school cricketer was arrested on Monday on suspicion of assaulting Sumith Fernando and was remanded to child probation custody until August 17 after being produced before a Colombo court on Tuesday.
A dispute over drinking water led to the altercation involving two players on August 8, following which Fernando was taken to hospital. He died on Tuesday while receiving treatment. Fernando was a former coach of Prince of Wales College in the Colombo suburb of Moratuwa and later served as the curator of Bloomfield Cricket & Athletic Club.
Brook admitted the captaincy workload left him tired and welcomed a return to domestic cricket without leadership duties.
England white-ball captain Harry Brook said leading the side against India took a heavy toll and that he was glad to return to The Hundred purely as a batter. England won the recent T20I series 4-0 and the ODI series 2-1.
Brook, who also captained England at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, said the responsibility of captaincy drains energy even after successful results. He is playing for Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred Eliminator at Headingley on Friday.
Brook also spoke about his long-standing relationship with Test captain Joe Root, noting they have played together for Yorkshire since he was 14.
Murali Kartik believes India must start identifying Ravindra Jadeja's successor in the Test side.
Former India spinner Murali Kartik has said the team must begin planning for life without Ravindra Jadeja in Test cricket. Kartik described Jadeja as being on the wrong side of thirty and in the twilight of his career.
Jadeja, 37, remains part of India's squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, but Kartik believes Manav Suthar has the skill set to take over the senior spinner's role. Suthar took seven wickets on his Test debut against Afghanistan and showed promise in the warm-up match against Sri Lanka XI.
Kartik said Jadeja's experience cannot be replaced overnight and that the transition needs to be managed carefully over the next year.
Sri Lanka have recalled 33-year-old Niroshan Dickwella as wicket-keeper for the first Test against India after three years out of the side. Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka were ruled out of the Galle Test beginning August 15.
Dhananjaya de Silva will lead the side with Kamindu Mendis as his deputy. The squad includes uncapped off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha and left-arm pacers Vishwa Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka.
India have named a 15-member squad that includes replacements Auqib Nabi and Sarfaraz Khan for injured Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan. India are fifth in the World Test Championship table after nine matches while Sri Lanka sit sixth after four games in the 2025-27 cycle.
Gupta warned countries cannot sustain cricket without context and competitiveness in bilateral scheduling.
ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta told PTI that the era of randomly scheduled bilateral series has to come to an end. Countries cannot sustain cricket without context, culture, competition and competitiveness, which require significant investment of resources. Gupta said ODIs can continue to survive and thrive because their place is inextricably linked to the men's and women's World Cups. He stressed the need to define what the format stands for and how it should evolve, including the expanse of participation. Bilateral cricket is decided exclusively by member boards without ICC intervention. The world body only handles scheduling of multi-national competitions such as the World Cups and the World Test Championship. Gupta said only India, England and Australia can afford to play Tests while other full members struggle to monetise the longest format. He added that Test cricket needs to be served in a manner appealing to new-age audiences and that prestige events in other sports offer lessons for reinvention.
Ashwin believes Morgan is the leading candidate to replace Fleming at CSK. He said Dhoni's leadership will be central during the transition period.
Ravichandran Ashwin says Eoin Morgan's name keeps coming up whenever Chennai Super Kings talk about their next head coach. The franchise cut ties with Stephen Fleming after another poor season, and early conversations about a replacement have already started. Ashwin told his YouTube channel the timing is still undecided — Morgan might not take over until after the mega auction next year.
Morgan has never coached a franchise or international side since retiring in 2023. Ashwin thinks MS Dhoni will be the steady hand during whatever transition comes next. He figures Dhoni's presence could keep the dressing room stable while the new setup finds its feet.
Murali Kartik says Kuldeep Yadav requires consistent backing to become India's next spin leader in Tests.
Former India spinner Murali Kartik believes Kuldeep Yadav needs a clearly defined role and consistent opportunities to establish himself as India's lead spinner in Test cricket. Kartik said the transition from Ravindra Jadeja makes this an important phase for the wrist-spinner.
Kuldeep has played 18 Tests and taken 79 wickets at an average of 22.35, but his selection has been stop-start. He was omitted from the five-Test tour of England despite questions over his absence during the series.
Kartik said Kuldeep's value lies in his ability to take wickets in different conditions and that he needs certainty in selection to prepare differently for each match.
India and Pakistan can only meet in the final or bronze-medal play-off at the Nagoya Asian Games.
The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash will not be seen in the early stages of the Nagoya Asian Games, with the two arch-rivals placed in separate quarterfinals. India and Pakistan have been directly seeded into the quarterfinals along with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
India have been placed in Quarterfinal 2, while Pakistan will feature in Quarterfinal 1, with both matches scheduled for September 28. The semifinal draw ensures that the two sides cannot meet in the last four, meaning their only possible meeting would come in the gold-medal match or bronze-medal play-off.
The Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4, while the cricket competition will begin on September 17. The women's matches will be played first, with the final scheduled for September 22, before the men's competition takes centre stage.
The 15-year-old India batter turns attention to red-ball cricket ahead of the Duleep Trophy after a breakout IPL and T20I series.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been named East Zone vice-captain for the Duleep Trophy. The 15-year-old just scored his first international fifty against Zimbabwe, and selectors liked the way he handled himself.
Matthew Hayden says the teenager has the temperament for Test cricket. He pointed to the way Sooryavanshi walked into the IPL at his age and stood up to it, treating that as proof he can handle longer formats too.
In IPL 2026 with Rajasthan Royals, he made 776 runs at 237.30, hitting a hundred and five fifties. He collected the Orange Cap, MVP, Emerging Player, Super Striker and Super Sixes awards.
India stuck with Dhruv Jurel over Sarfaraz Khan in the middle order for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle despite the Mumbai batter's recall to the squad.
India omitted Sarfaraz Khan from the playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle despite recalling him as a replacement for injured batter Sai Sudharsan. Dhruv Jurel was preferred in the lower middle order alongside regular wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first with a familiar line-up that included three spinners. Kuldeep Yadav was included ahead of uncapped Saransh Jain, while Prasidh Krishna partnered Mohammed Siraj in the pace attack. The Galle pitch offered an even grass cover and was not expected to turn sharply from day one. Sri Lanka handed a debut to off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha in place of injured batters Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka.
Shubman Gill returned to batting action in India's warm-up match against Sri Lanka XI after missing the first two days with a finger injury.
India captain Shubman Gill returned to action on Sunday, walking out to open the innings in India's chase of 207 against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in the final innings of the Colombo warm-up match. Gill had missed the opening two days after suffering a right ring-finger injury during training in Colombo.
His return comes at an important time for India, with the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle scheduled for August 15. The captain was seen batting in the nets at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground earlier on Sunday before taking his place at the top of the order.
Gill's absence was confirmed at the toss on Friday morning after he sustained an impact injury to his right ring finger during Thursday's practice session. KL Rahul had led the side in his absence during the first two days of the warm-up.
Afghanistan will host India for a three-match T20I series in New Delhi from September 13 to 17, casting doubt over the proposed Bangladesh tour.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board has confirmed a three-match T20I series against India from September 13 to 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. All matches will be played in the Indian capital after the ACB finalised dates with the BCCI.
The schedule clashes with the proposed India tour of Bangladesh, which was due to end on September 13. The third Bangladesh T20I and the first Afghanistan T20I are both set for the same date, making the Bangladesh tour logistically unfeasible unless substantially altered.
The BCCI has not made a public announcement, but the ACB letter states the dates were agreed with Indian authorities. The ACB also informed broadcasters and commercial partners that they could begin preparing for the series.
Afghanistan secured automatic qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup after beating Ireland by 42 runs in the fourth ODI in Belfast. Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran scored centuries while Rashid Khan took six wickets in the second ODI, giving Afghanistan an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
The win confirmed their place among the top eight teams in the ICC ODI Rankings on September 30, 2026, the cut-off for automatic qualification. Afghanistan will join Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh, South Africa and Zimbabwe in the 2027 World Cup.
West Indies, currently ranked 10th, will miss direct qualification despite having two matches in hand against India. The West Indies will enter the World Cup Qualifier that begins in February 2027, marking their third consecutive appearance in the qualifying tournament.
Sharma's unbeaten 28 steered Sunrisers to victory after Issy Wong's late three-wicket burst gave Brave hope.
Deepti Sharma guided Sunrisers Leeds into the women's Hundred final with an unbeaten 28 off 22 balls in a five-wicket win over Southern Brave at The Oval. She also picked up a wicket to take her tournament tally to 13 from nine matches, making her the provisional leading wicket-taker. Sunrisers chased down 115 with 11 balls to spare.
Southern Brave were restricted to 114 for seven, with Lizelle Lee top-scoring on 32 off 25 balls. Annabel Sutherland and Hannah Baker took two wickets each for Sunrisers. Lauren Winfield-Hill made 37 in the chase before being bowled by Issy Wong, who finished with three for 21.
Sharma and Winfield-Hill added 41 runs for the fourth wicket to steady the innings after Sunrisers slipped to 54 for three. They will face Trent Rockets in the final at Lord's on Sunday. Sunrisers are looking to secure back-to-back Hundred titles.
MI London and Welsh Fire both failed to reach the knockout stage of The Hundred after narrow defeats on the final day of the group stage.
MI London were eliminated from The Hundred despite posting a hard-fought two-run victory against Birmingham Phoenix in their final group game at Edgbaston. MI needed to win by 59 or more runs to leapfrog third-placed Sunrisers Leeds on net run-rate and reach the Eliminator. Instead, they finished fourth, level on points with second-placed Manchester Super Giants and Sunrisers, who will face each other in the Eliminator at The Oval on Friday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Welsh Fire were also eliminated as they suffered a six-run defeat by London Spirit in their final group match in Cardiff. The hosts' hopes of progressing were slim even if they had won because of their net run-rate of minus 1.001. Fire ended their campaign in fifth place.
Ellyse Perry hit an unbeaten 62 off 39 balls to guide Birmingham Phoenix to a five-wicket win against MI London.
Birmingham Phoenix prevailed in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon in The Hundred women's competition as Ellyse Perry's composed half-century condemned MI London to a sixth defeat. Both teams had managed a solitary victory heading into this fixture but a fifth-wicket stand of 66 between Perry and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana ensured Phoenix halted a three-match losing streak.
Set a modest target of 122, the hosts were wobbling at 48-4 after Jemima Spence and Davina Perrin fell in the powerplay. Kirstie Gordon took 2 for 20 with her left-arm spin. Perry found a willing partner in Sana, who eventually fell to Nicola Carey when just seven runs were required, and the Aussie superstar secured the win with six balls to spare.
Perry hit seven fours and two sixes in her unbeaten 62 off 39 balls. The victory ensures Phoenix leapfrog MI London and avoid finishing bottom of the women's table, finishing seventh with MI London in eighth place.
Farveez Maharoof believes Gurnoor Brar could be India's X-factor pacer in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah for the Sri Lanka Test series.
Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Farveez Maharoof has backed uncapped pacer Gurnoor Brar to provide India with an X-factor in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Brar, who was included in India's squad for the Test series, made his international debut against Afghanistan in an ODI earlier this year and has picked up 11 wickets in six innings at an average of 32.81. The 25-year-old also boasts impressive numbers in first-class cricket with 62 wickets in 19 matches at an average of 25.24.
Maharoof said Brar impressed during India's warm-up game against Sri Lanka XI, finishing with three wickets and troubling several batters who have already featured in Test cricket. He acknowledged that Brar's lack of Test experience could make his selection a gamble but believes his ability to generate pace and bounce could make him valuable in short spells.
India's squad for Sri Lanka Tests includes Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi.
Farveez Maharoof believes Manav Suthar could make his Test debut ahead of Saransh Jain for the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Farveez Maharoof believes India could opt for three spinners in the opening Test against Sri Lanka, with young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar potentially getting the nod ahead of uncapped off-spinner Saransh Jain. India will be without the retired Ravichandran Ashwin and injured Washington Sundar for the first Test, leaving Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav as the likely first-choice spinners.
Maharoof said Suthar's ability to extract bounce from the surface could outweigh the benefit of having an off-spinner for variation. Suthar claimed seven wickets on his debut against Afghanistan, while Jain picked up seven wickets during India A's tour of Sri Lanka. Maharoof expects India to go into the Test with a balanced attack comprising three spinners and two seamers.
Maharoof also warned that Rishabh Pant remains a major threat for Sri Lanka despite modest returns in the warm-up match. He said Pant can transform a game within half an hour and will be difficult to contain with his unorthodox approach against spin.
Australia have named their strongest pace attack for the first Test against Bangladesh while confirming Litton Das's availability for the tourists.
Australia confirmed their XI for the first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin on Thursday. Captain Pat Cummins will lead an experienced pace attack that includes Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon. Scott Boland was left out of the side. Cameron Green will bat at number five in the lineup. Bangladesh have confirmed wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das is fit to play after recovering from a calf injury. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said the team will wait until match morning to finalise its bowling attack but is leaning toward two spinners and three seamers. This marks Bangladesh's first bilateral Test tour of Australia since 2003.
