India bowling coach Morne Morkel said Mayank Yadav's pace remains his standout quality ahead of the first T20I against West Indies in Lucknow on Tuesday. Morkel highlighted Prince Yadav's journey from net bowler at Lucknow Super Giants to the Indian side as a story of resilience and hard work.

Both players represent LSG and have worked with Morkel at the franchise. Mayank returned to international cricket after almost two years of injuries and took five wickets in the recent T20I series against Zimbabwe. Prince made his ODI and T20I debuts earlier this year.

Morkel noted that managing young players across formats remains challenging due to the packed schedule and rotation policy. Neither Mayank nor Prince was part of India's Asian Games squad that won gold on Saturday.

Pakistan's cricket board has named Shaun Tait as the men's side's latest bowling coach. The former Australia fast bowler takes over from Ashley Noffke, whose departure was announced together with the squads for the coming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka and the ODI tri-series that also features England.

Noffke left the white-ball bowling post after roughly 16 months and has since been contacted about the head-coach job with the Netherlands. Tait, who played three Tests, 35 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Australia, had already worked with Pakistan in the same role from March 2022 until January 2023. His most recent job was with Bangladesh's pace attack.

Pakistan Champions withdrew from the World Championship of Legends on Monday after the Pakistan Cricket Board refused to issue No-Objection Certificates to their players. The team had requested the board to reconsider its decision but the standoff remained unresolved.

The PCB had imposed restrictions following last year's edition when India Champions declined to play Pakistan Champions amid political tensions. The board had sought a written apology from Indian players and assurances on handshakes, conditions the WCL organisers rejected. The withdrawal means the scheduled India-Pakistan match on October 10 will not take place.

The WCL confirmed Pakistan Champions' exit and stated the tournament will continue with six teams. Pakistan Champions finished as runners-up in the previous two editions of the tournament.

India bowling coach Morne Morkel says Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav are still learning their trade. Both pacers play for Lucknow Super Giants, and they've worked with Morkel at franchise level.

Morkel called Mayank's pace his X-factor and noted Prince's rise from net bowler to international cricketer. The hard part, he added, is keeping players sharp when they only get brief international windows before heading back to their states.

Gautam Gambhir will decide who rotates for the West Indies series. Morkel reckons the youngsters still gain from watching the seniors even when they don't get much time on the park.

Pakistan Champions have withdrawn from the ongoing World Championship of Legends Season 3 after the Pakistan Cricket Board refused to issue the required No-Objection Certificates to their players. The withdrawal follows a standoff over conditions the PCB wanted regarding last year's India-Pakistan controversy.

The PCB sought assurances that Indian players would apologise for refusing to play Pakistan in the 2025 edition and would shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts. The WCL management rejected those demands while accepting commercial conditions, leaving the NOC issue unresolved.

Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan had requested the board to reconsider, but the PCB maintained its refusal. The scheduled India-Pakistan clash on October 10 has been cancelled. Pakistan Champions finished runners-up in both previous editions of the tournament.

Ashutosh Sharma has moved from Railways to Gujarat for the 2026-27 domestic season. The 27-year-old is one of three guest players signed by the Gujarat Cricket Association alongside leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi and fast bowler Ashok Sharma.

Gujarat Cricket Association secretary Anil Patel said Ashutosh will strengthen the state's white-ball campaign. He began his senior career with Madhya Pradesh before moving to Railways and has played in the IPL for Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals.

Gujarat will be coached by Monty Desai this season. The team begins its Ranji Trophy campaign against Odisha at the Narendra Modi Stadium on October 5.

KL Rahul said his unbeaten 129 in the third ODI against West Indies was preparation for India's 2027 World Cup campaign. Rahul emphasised the need to spend extended time at the crease in the middle order.

The batter noted that batting against an older, reversing ball has become more challenging since the ball-change rule took effect. He has worked on adapting his game to softer conditions where attacking fields are set in the final overs.

Rahul has scored 1,646 runs at number five in ODIs at an average of 68.58. Ravichandran Ashwin said Rahul receives undue criticism for batting slowly and backed him over Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel for the position.

Twenty-nine-year-old fast bowler Akash Deep is in line for a Test recall after recovering from a lower-back stress injury. The pacer impressed selectors with a match haul of 6 for 68 across two innings in the Irani Cup while bowling nearly 24 overs.

Akash has played 10 Tests since his 2024 debut, taking 28 wickets including a 10-wicket haul in England's first Test at Edgbaston last year. He bowls at his usual pace of 138-140 kph following his return to competitive cricket.

India will play two Tests in New Zealand starting November 19 in Wellington. The Test squad is expected to include 16 or 17 members to accommodate an extra fast bowler option. Auqib Nabi, Mukesh Kumar and Anshul Kamboj are among the additional pace options being considered.

India and West Indies open their five-match T20I series on October 6 at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The black-soil pitch is slow and grips as the match progresses. Kuldeep Yadav's wrist-spin and variations suit the later stages when the surface slows. Axar Patel's left-arm angle and control are expected to trouble right-handers in the middle overs. Akeal Hosein, who played for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026, will lead West Indies spin attack with his mix of pace and turn. The surface historically favours spin in the middle overs and seam movement under lights in the powerplay.

Kent director of cricket Simon Cook and head of women's cricket Lucy Arman have both resigned. Cook, 49, who played for Kent between 2005 and 2012, leaves after three years in charge to pursue a more hands-on coaching role. His departure comes shortly after the men's team earned promotion back to Division One of the County Championship. Arman was appointed in October 2024 and said she was excited to have a break and continue developing her own self-growth. Kent chief executive Michael Wilshaw said both had worked hard to create a long-lasting strategy for the club's professional cricket departments.

The ICC has abandoned plans to revive a global franchise T20 competition similar to the Champions League T20 after opposition from India, Australia and England. The tournament will not return before 2031.

The original CLT20 ran from 2009 to 2014 before being discontinued due to poor viewership and financial losses. The ICC had hoped to create its own club-style event to increase revenue outside bilateral rights.

The Big Three argued there is no calendar space unless other ICC events are reduced. As a result, the Future Tours Programme for 2027-2031 will remain almost identical to the current cycle, with only a possible expansion of the World Test Championship under discussion.