Vijay Shankar makes a last-minute decision to leave Tamil Nadu
All-rounder Vijay Shankar has made a late call to leave his home team, Tamil Nadu, ahead of the 2025–26 domestic season. After 13 years with Tamil Nadu, he decided that it was time for him to leave the team.
The 34-year-old received a No Objection Certificate from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. This means he can now represent any other state of his choice.
Despite being a senior player, Vijay was not getting consistent opportunities in Tamil Nadu’s playing XI. He was even dropped from the Buchi Babu Tournament’s second round, which made him look for a new team to secure more game time.
His time in TN was full of incredible feats and achievements. Vijay made 3142 runs in 81 Ranji innings at an average of 44.25. He scored 11 hundreds and 16 fifties while taking 43 wickets with his medium pace. His best Ranji season came in 2014–15 when he scored 577 runs at 57.70.
Siraj sets the record straight after India’s recent Test
Mohammed Siraj delivered a statement performance in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, finishing as the highest wicket-taker with 23 scalps across five Tests. His efforts proved decisive in India’s two victories, both of which came when Jasprit Bumrah was absent. Siraj’s performance averaged 25 and struck every 44 balls in those crucial games.
The Hyderabad pacer admitted that criticism over India’s reliance on Bumrah pushed him to raise his game. He called it a moment to ‘stop the talk’ and show he could lead the attack. Siraj took six wickets at Edgbaston and nine at The Oval, while also keeping teammates such as Akash Deep motivated throughout the series.
In his words, ‘the world had forgotten who Siraj was’, and he wanted his bowling to provide the answer. While acknowledging Bumrah’s unmatched class, he underlined that he can be India’s most trusted option in his absence.
Despite his heroics, Siraj was overlooked for the Asia Cup 2025 squad, even after bowling a series-high 185.3 overs. Selection may have passed him by this time, yet his role in India’s 2-2 draw with England confirmed his value as a leader of the attack.
Australia dealt a big Ashes blow with Morris’ long-term injury
Lance Morris will be sidelined for the next 12 months after undergoing back surgery. That rules him out for all of Australia’s cricket fixtures, including the big Ashes series against England. The 27-year-old has been on the fringe of being a regular for the Australian national team. He was initially selected for this past week’s One-Day International match against South Africa.
Morris knows this is the right decision
Despite the heartbreak of missing cricket, the back surgery was worthwhile. Morris feels he needed to do this.
He said, ‘I feel this is the most logical way to realise my full potential and return to my very best cricket for the Perth Scorchers, Western Australia, and Australia long in the future’.
Morris would have made his Ashes debut in November 2025. He was on track to be part of that Australian team, but that won’t happen due to this injury.
New Zealand faces three injury issues before the Australia series
New Zealand's cricket team faces a tough challenge as they prepare for the upcoming T20I series against Australia. Three key players will miss the matches due to injuries. Will O'Rourke, a promising young bowler, has a stress fracture in his lower back. This injury will keep him out for at least three months.
Glenn Phillips is also sidelined as he recovers from a groin injury. He’ll be reassessed in a month. Finn Allen, another key player, is set for surgery on his right foot, which will keep him out for three months.
Adding to the team's worries, captain Mitchell Santner is dealing with groin pain. He’ll undergo surgery and needs a month to recover. His leadership and skills are vital for the team, especially in these crucial matches.
New Zealand must adapt quickly and find new talent to step up in this critical series against Australia.
Ravi Bopara at 40: Runs, coaching, and England dream
Ravi Bopara is enjoying the later part of his cricket career with the same energy he’s always had. The former England all-rounder is also starting to move into coaching. Now 40, he still plays for Northamptonshire. This season, he’s scored key runs in T20 games, including an unbeaten 84 from 45 balls against Derbyshire.
While his bowling may have slowed down, he still makes a mark with the bat. Currently, achieving 10,000 career runs is among his goals. So far, he has played 171 games for England in different formats. Since then, he hasn't played international cricket. Still, his career highlights like scoring three Test hundreds in a row in 2009 stand out.
Looking back on his journey, Bopara says he often took on too much and wished he had played with more freedom. After leaving Essex in 2019, his career in franchise cricket has grown. He’s done especially well in the Pakistan Super League, where he’s now head coach of Karachi Kings.
Even though he didn’t play in The Hundred this year, Bopara stays hopeful about opportunities that may come later. Looking forward, his goal is simple: 'One day, I want to coach England’, he says with a smile, still driven by the game’s tests and openings.
Rockets are about level with the Invincibles after a victory against the Originals
Rehan Ahmed shone with bat and ball as Trent Rockets beat Manchester Originals by seven wickets in the Hundred.
At the beginning of the game, Manchester is already struggling as Rockets captain David Willey delivered 20 of the first 30 balls and took 3 for 11. This removed Ben McKinney for a duck before dismissing Jos Buttler and Rachin Ravindra, from which they never recovered.
Rehan added to the damage, removing Heinrich Klaasen and captain Phil Salt, finishing with 2 for 14. Catches from Joe Root and George Linde kept the pressure on, while Sam Cook also struck.
They lost a couple of early wickets, with Joe Root and Tom Banton falling, leaving them 22 for 2. However, Rehan played with confidence, scoring 45 from 35 deliveries, and shared a steady stand with Tom Moores. The hosts reached their target with 26 balls to spare, sealing their fourth win in five.
Curran and Cox power Invincibles to victory in The Hundred Men's clash
Oval Invincibles stayed top of the Hundred table with a strong seven-wicket win over Southern Brave at the Utilita Bowl. Sam Curran was the star of the night, taking three wickets for 21 runs and later hitting an unbeaten 50 from 32 balls. He shared a 101-run partnership with Jordan Cox, who continued his fine form with 56 from 37 balls.
Chasing 134, the Invincibles had a shaky start as Craig Overton dismissed both openers, Will Jacks and Tawanda Muyeye. Cox eventually fell to Tymal Mills, but captain Sam Billings hit three boundaries to seal the win with 11 balls left.
The Brave collapsed early as Jason Behrendorff and Tom Curran struck before Rashid Khan ripped through the middle order with three quick wickets. At 44 for 6, Hilton Cartwright (42) and Jordan Thompson briefly resisted, but Sam Curran’s late wickets and a run-out wrapped up the innings for 133.
Colin Munro powered the Trinbago Knight Riders to victory with a stunning knock of 120 runs, steering his side past St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to a 12-run win in the Caribbean Premier League.
The 38-year-old former New Zealand star smashed 14 fours and six sixes in 57 balls, partnering Alex Hales (47) for 114 runs to lift Trinbago to 231-5, the seventh-best total recorded in CPL history.
The Patriots answered with an 80-run opening from Kyle Mayers (32) and Andre Fletcher (41), but both fell quickly to spinners Usman Tariq and Akeal Hosein. Captain Jason Holder hit 44 off 22, yet the chase ended short at 219-7.
With this result, the Knight Riders are third in the CPL table, while the Patriots slipped to fourth.
Munro’s strong showing set up Trinbago’s season and proved once more that he can deliver big runs from the top of the line-up.
Root responds to Warner’s Ashes sledge, confident ahead of Australia Tour
England’s top cricket batter, Joe Root, has responded to a playful pre-Ashes jab from Australia’s David Warner. Warner joked that Root needs to ‘take the surfboard off his front leg,’ referring to Root’s occasional leg-before-wicket (lbw) dismissals.
Root brushed it off, calling it ‘all part of the fun,’ and said he’s more focused than ever on finally scoring his first Test century in Australia.
Root will be central to England’s Ashes campaign in November, as they seek their first win since 2015. With over 150 Test caps and 537 runs in five Tests against India this summer, he feels ready. He is ranked second among all-time Test run-scorers.
He admits past Ashes tours were marred by distractions, from captaincy pressures to COVID-19 rules and off-field incidents. This time, Root wants to enjoy the experience, focus on his game, and help England win their first Ashes in Australia.
South Africa's impressive win highlights Brevis’ T20 masterclass
Dewald Brevis took centre stage in the second T20 match against Australia at Darwin. The South African scored an unbeaten 125 runs off 56 balls. He hit 12 fours and eight sixes, helping South Africa reach 218 runs for 7 wickets.
Brevis reached his century in 41 balls, the second fastest in South African T20 history. This was his first hundred in international cricket. His strong hitting broke Australia’s nine-game winning streak in T20s.
Brevis and Tristan Stubbs built a big partnership of 126 runs in less than 10 overs. Stubbs added 31 runs and played a steady role as Brevis attacked.
Australia struggled to keep up. Tim David was the only batsman to score well, with 50 runs from 24 balls. Alex Carey, brought in late to replace Josh Inglis, scored 26 runs.
South Africa won by 53 runs, tying the series at one match each. The final game will be in Cairns.
