Returning Lancashire captain Tom Bailey struck twice early before Middlesex recovered on the opening day of their County Championship match. Bailey dismissed two Middlesex batters in his first spell after returning from injury.

Middlesex reached lunch at 89 for 2 after the early losses. The visitors lost both openers inside the first hour before steadying the innings.

Bailey's return gives Lancashire a boost ahead of the final weeks of the season. Middlesex need a positive result to stay in touch with the promotion race.

Rain limited play to 10.3 overs on the opening day of the County Championship match between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire at Trent Bridge. Just 10.3 overs were possible before bad light and rain stopped play. The Midlands derby will resume on Friday if weather permits.

Nottinghamshire won the toss and elected to bat first in the Division One fixture. The rain interruption came at a crucial stage of the opening session. Both teams will need to adapt their strategies if the match is further affected by weather.

The limited play means both teams face pressure to make the most of any available time over the remaining three days. Weather forecasts suggest possible improvement on Friday. The result of this match could affect both teams' positions in the Division One table.

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has told the selection committee to draw a line under the players who lost at Lord's and start bringing younger talent through.

The squad was torn up after Pakistan's 194-run defeat. Naqvi wants the focus on the next generation for the Tests still to come, and he wants the process to stay transparent.

The third Test starts at Edgbaston on September 9 with Pakistan already 0-2 down.

Tamil Nadu will begin their 2026-27 Ranji Trophy preparations with a pre-season camp starting on 3 September in Chennai. The state association has appointed a new head coach and expanded the probables group for the upcoming season. Several structural changes have been implemented at the TNCA ahead of the domestic campaign.

The pre-season camp will focus on fitness and skill development for the expanded squad. Tamil Nadu have made significant changes to their coaching and support staff. The association aims to improve their performance in the Ranji Trophy after recent seasons.

The camp will run for several days before the domestic season begins in October. Tamil Nadu will play their opening Ranji Trophy match against a yet-to-be-confirmed opponent. The structural changes at TNCA include modifications to player selection and training protocols.

Bangladesh have recalled Najmul Hossain Shanto and Hasan Mahmud for the T20I squad at the Asian Games. Litton Das returns as captain after missing the Zimbabwe and Australia series with a hamstring injury.

The squad will prepare for the multi-team event in Hangzhou, China. Shanto missed the recent white-ball tours while Mahmud was rested after the Asia Cup.

Bangladesh open their campaign against Malaysia on September 30. The team will train in Dhaka before departing later this month.

England have left Brydon Carse out of their white-ball squads for the Sri Lanka series after an ongoing investigation into a late-night incident in Derby last month. The 31-year-old fast bowler was told to work through the issues that led to his arrest on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly outside a bar while celebrating a County Championship win. He remains available for selection but will miss both the T20Is and ODIs.

The ECB said the decision does not prejudge the outcome of the Cricket Regulator's investigation. Carse has been unavailable since the Derby episode occurred during England's home Test series against New Zealand. Aneurin Donald and Henry Crocombe have been added to cover for injured regulars.

The multi-format white-ball series against Sri Lanka begins later this month. Carse was also omitted from the squad for the third Test against Pakistan.

Hridoy scored an unbeaten 350 to set a new Bangladesh first-class record. The innings surpassed Tamim Iqbal’s previous highest score for a Bangladesh batter in the format.

Hridoy reached the landmark during a domestic four-day match that concluded on Wednesday. His knock included multiple boundaries and helped his team post a substantial total.

Selectors are expected to monitor his red-ball form ahead of Bangladesh’s upcoming tour commitments.

Imam-ul-Haq could face a two-year ban if the PCB inquiry finds he misrepresented his calf injury during the Lord's Test. Both Imam and Mohammad Rizwan were among seven players sent home after the second Test defeat.

The PCB has formed a high-level investigation committee to examine Imam's injury claims. Reports suggest Rizwan is unlikely to be selected for Pakistan in the near future.

Imam has appeared in 31 Tests, 75 ODIs and two T20Is since his 2017 debut. The investigation follows questions from selector Aaqib Javed about how the injury was managed.

Michael Hussey rejected an offer to join England’s coaching staff, according to reports on Wednesday. The former Australia batter’s decision leaves head coach Stephen Fleming searching for additional support after Brendon McCullum’s departure.

Hussey’s move strengthens Australia’s backroom resources ahead of the 2025-26 Ashes series. England had approached him to complete their support staff.

Hussey continues his role with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. The franchise is preparing for the retention window ahead of the 2027 mega auction.

The England all-rounder who dismissed Sachin Tendulkar six times, took 6 for 27 in India's 83 all out at Lord's, and claimed 17 wickets in the 1999 series in England has retired at the age of 30.

He is one of only two players to score a fifty and take ten wickets in the same Lord's Test. His performances were central to England's 2-0 series victory that year.

The player retires after a career that included 31 Tests and 75 ODIs for England.

England have named their squads for the three-match ODI and five-match T20I tour of Australia that begins on 13 November. Harry Brook will captain both sides. Jofra Archer returns for the ODI leg, while Jacob Bethell is back after recovering from a knee injury. Phil Salt also returns after a quadriceps injury.

The ODI squad includes Joe Root, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker and Josh Tongue. Jos Buttler and Saqib Mahmood remain unavailable after hamstring and knee injuries. Four frontline seamers will leave the party after the ODI series to prepare for the Test tour of South Africa.

Somerset wicketkeeper-batter Thomas Rew, 18, and Hampshire seamer Eddie Jack, 21, receive maiden call-ups in the T20I squad. Luke Wood is also recalled. The first ODI is at Optus Stadium in Perth, and the T20I series runs from 21 November to 2 December.

Former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has criticised the PCB for sacking seven players midway through the England Test series. Arthur described the decision as ridiculous and said it undermined team stability.

The PCB released the players after Pakistan's 194-run defeat at Lord's. The board recalled replacements for the third Test at Edgbaston starting September 9.

Arthur's comments add to growing external scrutiny of the board's handling of the tour.

One of the seven players released by the PCB midway through the England Test series initially believed the news was fabricated. The board sacked the players following Pakistan's 194-run defeat at Lord's.

The released players included several who featured in the first two Tests. Replacements have been called up for the third Test at Edgbaston starting September 9.

The development has added to the sense of crisis surrounding Pakistan's tour.

Dasun Shanaka will return to Sri Lanka's white-ball squad for the tour of England after a two-and-a-half-year absence. The former captain was named in the ODI side alongside vice-captain Charith Asalanka, who will lead the T20I team in England. The selectors announced the squad changes on September 2, 2026.

Asalanka received the vice-captaincy role for both formats ahead of the five-match T20I series that begins on September 10. Shanaka last played an ODI in March 2024 and has not featured in the shorter format since his removal from the captaincy in 2023.

The England tour includes five T20Is and three ODIs scheduled through September and October. Sri Lanka's selectors have retained most of the core squad from the recent Asia Cup campaign.

Wasim Jaffer isn't buying the decision. He says Rinku Singh had no reason to sit out against Afghanistan, and the choice leaves the finisher's spot looking more muddled than settled.

Rinku has hovered around the edges all year. A few strong knocks, then back to the bench, and the pattern hasn't changed. Jaffer sees it clearly enough — the talent's there, the trust isn't.

Selectors keep circling the same problem. They pick him, drop him, pick him again, and still haven't given him a run long enough to judge what he actually is in this side.

The BCCI announced a 15-member squad on Tuesday for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan scheduled from 13 to 17 September at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Sanju Samson returns to the side after missing the recent white-ball tours, while Hardik Pandya remains unavailable due to recurring fitness issues that have kept him out for nearly six months.

Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy were included subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI's Centre of Excellence. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi retains his place in the squad following his earlier selection. All three matches will be played in the capital before India travels to defend its Asian Games gold later this month.

The series forms part of India's preparations ahead of next year's ODI World Cup, with the BCCI set to review senior player availability at a meeting in Mumbai on Thursday.