Former India batter Mohammad Kaif thinks 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be in the T20I XI within six months and could push Tilak Varma or Shivam Dube out. Kaif points to Dube's patchy form and fielding lapses, and he says Tilak's vice-captaincy won't protect him if the runs dry up. Sooryavanshi missed India's recent T20I series against Afghanistan, but Kaif has watched him tighten his game and add all-round value in the Duleep Trophy.

South Africa fast bowler Kwena Maphaka has been ruled out of the ODI series against Australia with a right hamstring strain. The 20-year-old suffered the injury during training and will undergo further assessments. Lizaad Williams has been added to the squad as his replacement.

Maphaka becomes the fourth Proteas fast bowler to miss the series after Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman and Lungi Ngidi were also ruled out with hamstring injuries. The withdrawals have significantly altered South Africa's bowling options from the squad originally selected. Williams has played eight ODIs since his 2021 debut, taking 16 wickets at an economy rate of 5.88.

The opening ODI against Australia is scheduled for Thursday in Durban. The second match will be played in Johannesburg on Sunday, followed by the series finale in Potchefstroom next Wednesday. South Africa remain uncertain about the availability of Rabada and Ngidi for the three-Test contest that begins shortly after the one-day matches.

Jasprit Bumrah was filmed testing ergonomic pillows at a Japanese bedding store during India's tour. Teammate Axar Patel posted the video on Instagram, showing Bumrah being assessed by specialists for custom-made support.

Bumrah's wife Sanjana Ganesan commented on the reel, writing that he had gone all the way to Japan to do this. Bumrah replied that he would not share the pillow when she asked for it.

The exchange went viral on social media, with fans enjoying the couple's light-hearted banter during the team's downtime in Japan.

The India A Women versus Australia A Women four-day red-ball match has been relocated from Dharamsala to Mohali after prolonged rainfall affected the outfield and ground conditions at the Himachal Pradesh venue. The fixture is now scheduled at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali from September 29 to October 2.

The series began on September 12 and includes three T20 matches, three ODIs, and the single multi-day red-ball game. All previous matches in the series have been held in Mohali using both the new and old stadiums.

Dharamsala's outfield had drawn criticism during the 2023 ODI World Cup. The stadium is equipped with a sub-air drainage system designed to make the outfield playable within 15 to 20 minutes after heavy rainfall.

Former Australia international Ashley Noffke has been appointed head coach of the Netherlands men's cricket team. The 49-year-old succeeds Ryan Cook and has signed a two-year contract through the end of 2028. Noffke will lead the team through qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup and the 2028 T20 World Cup.

Noffke played one international match for Australia and had an extensive first-class career with Queensland, Western Australia and four English counties. He also played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first IPL match in 2008. As a coach, he has won a WBBL title and two Coach of the Year awards with Brisbane Heat.

Noffke will remain with Pakistan through the 2026 Asian Games before taking up the Netherlands role. The PCB has begun the search for a new bowling coach to replace him.

Vansh Bedi, a former Chennai Super Kings player, denied match-fixing claims during the IPL and Delhi Premier League on Tuesday. The 23-year-old said allegations linking him to a Tehelka sting operation were false and defamatory. Bedi said his legal team is taking civil and criminal action.

Bedi was acquired by Chennai for 55 lakh rupees ahead of the 2025 season but did not play a match due to injury. He was part of the Central Delhi Kings in the 2026 Delhi Premier League. The Delhi and District Cricket Association wrote to the BCCI after receiving one report of a corrupt approach during the tournament.

Chennai Super Kings will discuss the allegations at their Annual General Meeting on September 25. The franchise said the reports remain unverified.

Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the injury-management protocols at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru after Varun Chakravarthy spent three to four months at the facility following a hamstring injury. The spinner suffered a fresh side strain shortly after returning to competitive cricket in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.

Ashwin said Chakravarthy should have returned within a month but remained at the CoE for two to three months. He added that players must also evaluate their training methods and workload, citing his own side strain in 2015 that he traced to Olympic lifting.

The remarks follow a PTI report that cited a communication gap between the CoE's medical staff and India's senior selection panel. Ashwin suggested the time has come for separate national teams across the three formats to improve accountability.

Mitchell Starc said relations between Australia and South Africa have improved since the confrontational 2018 series, adding there is "no animosity" ahead of the first Test at Kingsmead on October 9. The teams have shared dressing rooms frequently through franchise T20 competitions in recent seasons.

Starc expects noise from Castle Corner during the ODI on Thursday and the Test, though he said he can ignore the crowd. Recent rain in KwaZulu-Natal has left the pitch less dry than in 2018, when Starc took nine wickets in the series opener.

Australia will be led in the ODI by stand-in captain Mitch Marsh, with several players crossing paths with South African counterparts in the IPL, The Hundred and Major League Cricket.

Usama Shahroon is now acting Director of Domestic Cricket at the PCB, filling a role that's been vacant since Khurram Niazi left in April to join the Capital Development Authority.

Shahroon will manage day-to-day domestic operations while the board hunts for a permanent replacement. It's a position that carries real weight — the domestic structure feeds the pipeline for Pakistan's Test and ODI teams, and months without clear leadership can fracture schedules and planning.

The timing matters. With the next domestic season approaching, the PCB needed someone in the chair. Whether Shahroon becomes permanent or remains a placeholder will depend on how smoothly the board's broader search unfolds.

An ongoing inquiry into alleged online betting and gambling led to Mohammad Rizwan's exclusion from the President's Trophy Grade-I tournament, sources told Geo Super on Tuesday. Rizwan had joined Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and was set to captain the side before the PCB contacted the department and instructed it to send him back. The 34-year-old requested permission to train at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, which the PCB denied. Rizwan is currently practising in his hometown of Peshawar. The Lahore High Court earlier directed the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency not to harass Rizwan while allowing its inquiry to continue. The court order states the NCCIA is investigating matters relating to alleged online betting and gambling involving Rizwan under Section 14 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016.