Hobart Hurricanes have signed Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain for the first eight games of KFC BBL 16 after he took 15 wickets in 12 matches during his debut season last year. The 24-year-old won the club's BBL player of the year award in BBL 15 and made it clear he wanted to return. General manager Salliann Beams said the franchise explored every opportunity to bring him back despite signing Adam Zampa.

Rishad becomes the first Bangladesh player to feature in the BBL in over a decade after Shakib Al Hasan. He will join Zampa to give the Hurricanes two contrasting white-ball leg-spinners with 560 T20 wickets between them, 235 of those in internationals. Beams said the combination offers flexibility depending on conditions and match-ups.

The Hurricanes have now signed 17 of their maximum 18 allocated players for the season that begins against Brisbane Heat on December 17. Rishad first joined Hobart through the now-scrapped overseas player draft but could not play in BBL 14 due to BPL commitments.

South Africa replaced Tristan Stubbs with Matthew Breetzke and confirmed Ryan Rickelton as wicketkeeper for the second Test against Australia in Gqeberha starting Sunday. Stubbs was the only change from the squad that lost the first Test in Durban by 214 runs.

Breetzke earned the call-up on the back of his recent ODI form, including a century against Australia last month. Head coach Shukri Conrad said Rickelton's move behind the stumps creates decisions over whether he continues to open or moves down the order.

Kagiso Rabada is expected to return after missing the Durban Test with a hamstring niggle. Heavy rain is forecast for the opening day at St George's Park.

Former South Africa batter Herschelle Gibbs called for Kagiso Rabada's return and two batting changes ahead of the second Test against Australia in Gqeberha. Gibbs wants Simon Harmer dropped to accommodate Rabada and suggested Ryan Rickelton shift down the order to keep wickets.

He also proposed dropping Kyle Verreynne for uncapped batter Marques Ackerman. South Africa lost the first Test in Durban by 214 runs after failing to chase 421, with Josh Hazlewood taking six wickets in the second innings.

The second Test begins on Sunday. Rain is forecast for the opening day.

West Indies captain Shai Hope said carrying his Player of the Match awards home may create luggage issues after collecting a third trophy on the India tour. He spoke after leading his side to a 24-run victory that levelled the T20I series 2-2.

Hope scored an unbeaten 102 off 50 balls in Hyderabad, his fourth century across formats on the trip. He has accumulated 539 runs in seven innings against India this year at an average of 134.75.

The decider is scheduled for October 17 at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Hope said the surface held more than expected, making 247 for three a defendable total.

Sunil Gavaskar criticised West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph for bowling short-pitched deliveries at Arshdeep Singh during the final over of the fourth T20I in Hyderabad. Joseph struck the left-arm quick on the arm, forcing Arshdeep to retire hurt with India still needing 35 runs from the remaining three balls.

Gavaskar said Joseph should have aimed at the stumps rather than following the batter. Arshdeep was in visible pain after the blow and received immediate medical attention before attempting to continue. Captain Shreyas Iyer signalled from the dugout for Arshdeep to return to the pavilion once the injury appeared serious.

Sanju Samson later confirmed Arshdeep was applying ice to his shoulder after the match. The series is now level at 2-2 ahead of the decider at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.

Shreevats Goswami criticised West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph for bowling a series of short-pitched deliveries at Arshdeep Singh in the final over of the fourth T20I in Hyderabad. Arshdeep was struck on the shoulder and required treatment before retiring hurt as India were bowled out for 223 chasing 248. Goswami said Joseph appeared to be trying to hit the batter rather than aiming at the stumps when the result was already decided.

Sunil Gavaskar also questioned Joseph's approach on air, asking why the pacer aimed at the body when the stumps were available. Captain Shreyas Iyer declared India's innings with three balls remaining after Arshdeep's injury. Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson said Arshdeep was icing his shoulder and the team hoped for a quick recovery.

West Indies won by 24 runs to level the series at 2-2 ahead of the deciding match in Bengaluru on Saturday. Shamar took two wickets in four matches across the series at an economy rate above 14.

England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler and former pacer Stuart Broad placed Jasprit Bumrah third in their list of the top ten bowlers of the 21st century. Shane Warne and James Anderson occupy the top two spots on the list compiled during their podcast.

Glenn McGrath ranks fourth, Pat Cummins fifth and Muttiah Muralitharan sixth. Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Shaun Pollock and Mitchell Starc complete the top ten. Bumrah has taken 511 wickets in 243 international matches including 18 five-wicket hauls.

Notable omissions from the list include Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Lyon, Ravindra Jadeja, Anil Kumble and Tim Southee. The ranking comes from Buttler and Broad's discussion on the For the Love of Cricket podcast.

Sanju Samson said India cannot find a direct replacement for Jasprit Bumrah but believes the team has promising pace-bowling options capable of improving with experience. The wicketkeeper-batter spoke after India's 24-run defeat to West Indies in the fourth T20I at Hyderabad.

Samson backed Mayank Yadav and Arshdeep Singh despite both conceding 52 runs in their four overs. He pointed to Tilak Varma's dismissal as the turning point in the chase after scoring 56 off 23 balls himself.

The series is level at 2-2 ahead of the decider in Bengaluru on Saturday. Samson said the team remains charged up and credited West Indies for dominating in two games on the tour.

Left-arm seamer T Natarajan is heading back to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Delhi Capitals traded him on Wednesday for Rs 5 crore, half the Rs 10.75 crore they paid at the 2025 mega auction.

Natarajan spent five seasons with SRH from 2020 to 2024. His best year was 2024, when 19 wickets helped them reach the final. Across 73 IPL matches he has 72 wickets. Zeeshan Ansari goes the other way at his listed price of Rs 40 lakh and will give Delhi another spin option.

Delhi Capitals appointed Sourav Ganguly as head coach and Yuvraj Singh as assistant coach earlier this year. They also acquired Rishabh Pant from Lucknow Super Giants in a previous trade.

Smriti Mandhana said India will use the upcoming six-match series against Zimbabwe to set standards ahead of the Women's Champions Trophy in February 2027. The three-match T20I series begins on October 16 in Raipur and marks Mandhana's first assignment as full-time captain after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down earlier this month.

Mandhana has led India on an interim basis in 18 T20Is and four ODIs before taking the permanent role. She has 4,867 T20I runs at an average of 31.00 and a strike rate of 127, including two centuries and 37 fifties. The ODI series follows the T20Is with matches in Vadodara on October 23, 25 and 28.

India's T20I squad includes Niki Prasad and Jintimani Kalita as new faces while Nandani Sharma joins the ODI squad. The six T20Is before the Champions Trophy give the team a limited window to refine combinations and approach.

Sai Sudharsan said national selectors asked him to play Ranji Trophy matches instead of continuing with India A. He arrived in Jaipur late on October 10 for Tamil Nadu's Ranji opener against Rajasthan after finishing a game in Puducherry. Sudharsan spoke to interim chief selector Pragyan Ojha after the first day's play and was told the move would help his preparation for India's tour of New Zealand. He has been watching old videos of India's Tests in New Zealand to study conditions and has noted the windy weather, good bounce and lateral movement. The 24-year-old missed the Test series in Sri Lanka due to a toe stress fracture but said he views the injury as an opportunity to improve his habits and body management. He arrived in Jaipur around 10.40 p.m. on the eve of the match.

Prithvi Shaw said he has stopped using social media and avoids public attention to focus on cricket, family and personal improvement. The 26-year-old spoke after captaining Maharashtra to a 127-run victory over Services in the Ranji Trophy at Palam on Wednesday.

Shaw scored 70 in the first innings and praised younger teammates for their smart approach. He revealed he plays GTA, FIFA and a cricket career mode on PlayStation to stay motivated after difficult days on the field.

Shaw said he dislikes paparazzi attention and prefers to stay home rather than go out for dinners. He described his drive to return to the Indian team as internal rather than about proving others wrong. Shaw has not played for India since 2021 and moved from Mumbai to Maharashtra after being dropped from the Ranji squad last season.

Kevin Pietersen has informed the England and Wales Cricket Board that he will not promote betting while serving as England's white-ball batting coach despite signing a contract as brand ambassador for Dafabet. The former England batter is contracted to work as a mentor for Brendon McCullum's white-ball team for around 150 days over the next 13 months until the conclusion of the 2027 50-over World Cup.

The ECB's anti-corruption code prohibits participants from soliciting or encouraging bets on any aspect of matches or competitions. Pietersen announced his partnership with the Philippines-based company on Tuesday but has reassured the ECB that he will not promote Dafabet during his England commitments. His duties include winter tours of Australia and South Africa plus all England's domestic white-ball matches next summer.

The ECB does not accept advertising revenue from gambling companies and has banned Hundred franchises from betting sponsorships from next year. Pietersen's commitment will prove restrictive given the extent of his coaching responsibilities over the next year.