Ellis six off Madhevere seals one-wicket win and 3-0 series sweep for Australia.
Nathan Ellis struck a six off the first ball of the final over and completed the winning single off the penultimate delivery as Australia beat Zimbabwe by one wicket in Harare on Sunday. The win completed a 3-0 ODI series sweep.
Josh Inglis scored 103 and Ellis remained unbeaten on 36 after the last-wicket pair needed 27 runs when they came together. Wessly Madhevere dropped Ellis in the penultimate over and could not defend nine runs in the 50th.
Australia now travel to South Africa for three ODIs starting Thursday; Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza made an unbeaten 81 but rued three missed Australian centuries in the series.
BCB will introduce a six-team franchise structure covering first-class, one-day and T20 domestic cricket from December.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board will launch a six-team franchise competition that unifies the first-class, one-day and T20 domestic tournaments under single ownership rights. The board approved the plan during its fourth meeting on Sunday.
Corporate and financial institutions will be offered three-year ownership stakes, with the T20 tournament scheduled to start in December. Revised match fees were also confirmed: Tk 1.5 lakh for four-day matches, Tk 1 lakh for one-day matches and Tk 80,000 for T20s in the men's game.
The board further sanctioned an IAAF-standard running track at the National Cricket Academy ground and upgrades to dressing rooms at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Pathan believes the all-rounder's bowling ability earned him the spot ahead of the West Indies series.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan said Naman Dhir earned his maiden ODI call-up primarily for his off-spin bowling rather than domestic batting form. Dhir scored 655 runs in 10 innings at an average of 72.28 with a strike rate of 217.61 in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League.
Pathan noted that a player who can bat in multiple positions and bowl handy off-spin has been missing from the ODI setup, especially with Washington Sundar unavailable due to the Asian Games and Riyan Parag carrying injury concerns. In List-A cricket, Dhir has taken seven wickets at an average of 37.14 across 14 matches.
Pathan also said he will watch how many opportunities Yashasvi Jaiswal receives as the backup opener for the 2027 ODI World Cup. India face West Indies in a three-match ODI series starting September 27.
BCCI officials viewed Ajit Agarkar's absence from the early September review meeting as a blessing in disguise because they anticipated a heated clash with VVS Laxman over differences at the Centre of Excellence. The chief selector's contract ends this month, and his reluctance to accept an extension has been linked to disagreements with Laxman, who heads the CoE in Bengaluru.
Agarkar was reportedly unhappy about recurring injuries to senior players and lack of communication with selectors about rehabilitation programmes. Head coach Gautam Gambhir also raised concerns that having a dozen starting-level players unavailable was unfair to young captain Shubman Gill. Laxman has defended the CoE's broader role beyond injury management.
BCCI officials are set to meet Agarkar to discuss a roadmap for his potential renewal ahead of the 2027 World Cup. The board stated he missed the meeting due to logistical reasons while out of station.
Japan sets 2028 World Cup qualification as next goal after Tuesday's T20I against India.
Japan Cricket Association chief operating officer Alan Curr set the target after Tuesday's T20I against India: win the East Asia-Pacific regional final and reach the 2028 T20 World Cup global qualifier. The old pathway would have taken them to the 2026 tournament instead.
Curr said different nations bring different colours to a World Cup and hopes the tournament keeps growing. He added that the match against India is an opportunity to show Japanese fans what international cricket looks like.
The fixture is part of the Sport 75 initiative agreed by the Indian and Japanese prime ministers to boost sports cooperation ahead of India's 2036 Olympic bid.
Roston Chase urged West Indies to restrict T20 cricket for players under 23 outside the CPL to safeguard red-ball skills.
West Indies all-rounder Roston Chase said young players should limit their T20 exposure outside the Caribbean Premier League to protect their red-ball development. Speaking on a Wisden podcast, Chase said the financial rewards and fast pace of T20 cricket are drawing youngsters away from Test cricket. He argued that players under 23 should focus on red-ball cricket before expanding into white-ball formats.
Chase said the fundamentals of red-ball cricket remain essential for long-term progress. He added that building a strong technical base early gives players the foundation to express themselves later in limited-overs cricket. The comments come after West Indies completed a Test series win over Sri Lanka at home.
Chase did not name specific players but stressed that systems and coaching structures must support red-ball growth at the domestic level.
Wasim Akram says Babar should have resigned after second Test loss; PCB sacked seven players and two coaches mid-series.
Wasim Akram believes Babar Azam shouldn't have taken the captaincy in the first place, and should have stepped down after the second Test against England. Instead the PCB sacked seven players and replaced both Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul while the series was still on. Akram's point was simple: a captain who won't back his team can't expect full commitment in return.
BCCI to restrict Ombudsman from handling state-level complaints after state associations raise concerns.
The BCCI will introduce a policy that prevents the Ombudsman from entertaining complaints about local or state-level matters. The move follows objections from several state associations at last week's AGM.
Representatives from Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Baroda, Punjab and Odisha argued that such complaints increase legal costs and should first be handled by state grievance mechanisms.
The new framework will set clear terms of reference for the Ombudsman on complaints involving state associations.
Agarkar preferred Gaikwad for Ireland captaincy; BCCI backed Bumrah instead.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar pushed for Ruturaj Gaikwad to captain the T20I side in Ireland that summer, not Jasprit Bumrah. He worried about Bumrah's workload after the long layoff. The BCCI overruled him. Bumrah led India to a 2-0 series win. That decision, according to The Telegraph, was the first real sign of friction between Agarkar and the board — friction that ran through the rest of his term. His contract ends soon and isn't being renewed.
Jay Shah hailed Mandhana after she topped the women's T20I run charts with 4,788 runs.
ICC chairman Jay Shah praised Smriti Mandhana after she became the leading run-scorer in women's T20I cricket during India's 114-run semi-final win over Bangladesh at the Asian Games. Mandhana reached 4,788 runs in 171 innings, passing former New Zealand captain Suzie Bates. The left-hander needed eight runs to break the record when she walked out at Korogi Sports Park and moved past Bates with a boundary in her first seven deliveries before finishing with 37 off 19 balls.
England plan to rest three frontline pacers from Australia T20Is to preserve them for South Africa Tests.
England are likely to rest Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue from the five-match T20I series in Australia to keep them fresh for the Test series in South Africa that follows. The T20Is begin on November 21 and the first Test starts on December 17. Brendon McCullum said the schedule will be managed to give key players recovery time.
India face Japan in a historic T20I at Sano on Tuesday before the Asian Games, with several regulars rested.
India will play Japan in a one-off T20I at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, marking the first meeting between the sides. The match forms part of the Suzuki Cup and precedes India's Asian Games campaign.
The Japan Cricket Association has upgraded facilities at Sano to host the fixture, with temporary seating and security measures in place. Alan Curr, the JCA's chief operating officer, said the opportunity to host India had drawn significant local interest and media attention.
India have rested several players ahead of the Asian Games, with Jasprit Bumrah and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not in the playing XI. Japan, ranked 41st, view the match as a landmark moment in their development, having expanded registered players from 3,000 to 8,800 over the past decade.
Sano ground upgraded for Tuesday's India T20I; Japan player numbers triple in 12 years.
The Sano International Cricket Ground has received temporary seating, VIP enclosures and ticket gates ahead of Tuesday's T20I between Japan and India. The Japan Cricket Association coordinated the upgrades with a UK-based consultant who has run World Cups and The Hundred.
Japan Cricket Association chief operating officer Alan Curr said the 18-month preparation began with relaying the square using local clay identical to the Nagoya Asian Games facility. The site now doubles as a training hub for ICC Full Members preparing for the Games.
Registered players in Japan have risen from 3,000 to 8,800 in 12 years, and the Japan Cup T20 competition has expanded from 12 teams in 2014 to more than 80. Affiliation with the Japanese Olympic Committee has supplied strength coaches and analysts, while Asian Cricket Council membership has given a 12-month international calendar.
Sano ground upgraded with temporary seating and VIP enclosures for Tuesday's India T20I.
Japan Cricket Association has upgraded the Sano International Cricket Ground ahead of Tuesday's T20I against India. Temporary seating, VIP enclosures and ticket gates have been installed for the Suzuki Cup fixture. The match marks the first senior international between the two nations and celebrates 75 years of diplomatic relations.
Alan Curr, JCA chief operating officer, said the team is excited by the opportunity. A UK-based consultant has assisted with security protocols. Curr noted that registered players in Japan have risen from 3,000 to 8,800 over 12 years.
Affiliation with the Asian Cricket Council and Japanese Olympic Committee has provided a steady calendar and additional support staff. Curr said the Asian Games cricket inclusion has given the sport legitimacy that it lacked before.
Uday Saharan's 601 runs at 150.25 in domestic cricket have put him on the radar of Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and KKR for the 2027 IPL auction.
Former India Under-19 captain Uday Saharan is being monitored by several IPL franchises ahead of the 2027 auction after scoring 601 runs in five innings at an average of 150.25 in the Punjab Inter-State One-Day Tournament. Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders are among the teams reportedly keeping tabs on the 21-year-old opener.
Saharan scored two double centuries and one hundred during the tournament, including 163 in the semi-final and a match-defining double century in the final while chasing 394. He was picked by Bathinda Royals for ₹4.20 lakh in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League but went unsold in the IPL 2026 auction.
Saharan captained India at the 2024 Under-19 World Cup. His current domestic form could significantly change his prospects if he maintains his output heading into the 2027 auction cycle.
Graeme Cremer ends an eight-year absence from ODI cricket as Zimbabwe name an unchanged batting line-up for the series finale against Australia.
Graeme Cremer will play his first ODI in eight years when Zimbabwe face Australia in the third and final match in Harare on Sunday. He replaces Brandon Mavuta, while Trevor Gwandu comes in for Tapiwa Nyamhuri.
Australia have swapped Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett for Josh Hazlewood and Billy Stanlake, who are rested. Cameron Green remains unavailable.
Cremer last played an ODI in 2018 and will share the spin duties with Sikandar Raza on a surface expected to assist turn.
Kerala's Vidarsa Vinod won silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event at her first Asian Games.
Vidarsa Vinod became the first female shooter from Kerala to win a medal at the Asian Games. She was part of India's women's 10m air rifle team that claimed silver behind China in Nagoya on Sunday.
The Indian trio of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vinod scored 1898.0 points. China won gold with 1904.2, while Japan took bronze. Sonam was India's top scorer with 634.1 points.
Vinod, 27, took up shooting in 2018 during her college years. She said the Keralam government's cash prizes for Asian Games medallists provided additional motivation.
Compressed schedule leads to rested stars and split coaching staff for final New Zealand ODIs.
A four-day gap between the fifth ODI and first Test against New Zealand has forced India to rest several players for the final two ODIs in Mount Maunganui. Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj won't play.
Shreyas Iyer will captain the side in those matches. Two coaches will stay with the ODI squad while the other two head early to Wellington for Test preparations.
The schedule was set without input from the team management, according to reports. The overlap affects India's 2027 ODI World Cup preparations.
Shafali's unbeaten hundred powered India to a dominant win and a place in Tuesday's gold-medal match against Sri Lanka.
Shafali Verma scored her first T20I century as India defeated Bangladesh by 114 runs in the Asian Games women's cricket semifinal at Nisshin on Sunday. The opener remained unbeaten on 100 from 49 balls with nine sixes and three fours. India posted 195 for four after Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bat.
Smriti Mandhana made 37 to become the leading run-scorer in women's T20Is, passing New Zealand's Suzie Bates. Harmanpreet Kaur scored 40 as the pair added 94 for the third wicket. Bangladesh were bowled out for 81, with Nandani Sharma and Deepti Sharma each taking three wickets.
India will face Sri Lanka in the gold-medal match on Tuesday. Sri Lanka earlier defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the first semifinal. The result confirms at least a silver medal for the defending champions.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has recommended two changes to India's playing XI for the one-off T20I against Japan on Tuesday. He did not specify the players he wants dropped or brought in.
India will play the match at the Sano International Cricket Ground before beginning their Asian Games campaign on September 28. The team departed for Aichi-Nagoya on Sunday.
Japan has prepared temporary seating and VIP enclosures at Sano to host the expected crowd. The Japan Cricket Association has worked with a UK-based consultant to manage security protocols for the fixture.
