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He was allowed to play a local T20 tournament in Faisalabad recently and still has “a lot of cricket left” in him

Umar Farooq22-Apr-2022Pakistan opening batter Abid Ali has been cleared to resume his international career four months after undergoing angioplasty. He was diagnosed with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) in December last year after he complained of chest pain while batting in a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match and had to undergo angioplasty a day later.Abid had been on conservative cardiac rehabilitation since December last year and was allowed to play a local T20 tournament in Faisalabad recently. He started with walking on treadmills and was gradually allowed to run at a certain pace in the field. He started hitting the nets last month at the High Performance Centre in Lahore and he was cleared to play competitive cricket by the PCB after undergoing several tests.”I am really excited to be back with the prospect of playing for Pakistan again,” Abid told ESPNcricinfo. “Doctors cleared me to go back in the field and I can finally return to live a normal life. I will be on medicines for some time because of the stents implanted but overall, physically, I am feeling great. I am diving, running, jogging, batting and it’s really great to be normal again. There were doubts if I could play again with a heart condition but I didn’t lose hope. I stopped thinking about cricket for some time and focused on regaining a healthy life first. It was tough but the recovery has been great with all the extensive rehabilitation.”Related

• Abid Ali undergoes angioplasty day after being hospitalised

• Abid Ali diagnosed with heart condition

In Abid’s absence, Pakistan had to rejig the opening combination in Tests by promoting Imam-ul-Haq to partner Abdullah Shafiq, with Shan Masood as third opening option. Pakistan’s next Test series is in Sri Lanka in July-August and it’s too early to say if the selectors will consider Abid for that. Pakistan currently have an off-season going on with the domestic season set to start in September, and there is hardly any competitive cricket coming up for Abid to prove his form. But the batter is upbeat about using this time to get fitter.”I am not sure what is the status of my national selection right now but I am fully set for my comeback,” Abid said. “PCB has been of great help throughout, taking very good care of me. I am thankful for their support and guidance. For now, I started with the shorter format by playing three-four games in the Ramzan tournament in Faisalabad and it went well.”These two games have given me confidence to revive my cricketing career. This is just the start and I am working hard on my fitness to stay in contention for selection. I had a good last series scoring good runs (against Bangladesh) and was in good nick when I fell in Karachi (with chest pain). I need to work very hard to catch up on the lost time and I am quite hopeful that I will be able to achieve that. I still have a lot of cricket left in me and I don’t want to sit back. Cricket has been my life.”Abid last played completive cricket in December when he returned to his domestic side, Central Punjab, following the Bangladesh tour, where he was Player of the Series for the Tests after scoring 263 runs at 87.66. He was playing his sixth first-class game of the season and had scored 766 runs at an average of 51.89 with three hundreds. On the last day of the game against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi, he had crossed a half-century when he complained of discomfort around his shoulder and chest area before he was rushed to the hospital. Since his angioplasty, he was under the care of a consultant cardiologist who is liaising with the PCB medical team for his treatment.Abid, 34, was the highest run-scorer in Tests for Pakistan until December since his debut in 2019, and in 2021 he was sixth in the world with 695 runs in nine Tests at 49.64, including a double-hundred against Zimbabwe in Harare.He made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi in 2019 after spending 12 years in domestic cricket for 7116 runs in 106 first-class games. He began his Test career at the age of 31 with a century, and also became the only player in history to reach three figures on both Test and ODI debuts.

The tournament starts on December 13; Scorchers begin defence against Sixers

Andrew McGlashan14-Jul-2022The BBL will once again stretch into early February as it faces a “critical” season to rebound from the disruption of Covid-19, which has seen it at the centre of the rights dispute with Seven, as Cricket Australia prioritises the return of crowds to stadiums.Last season’s edition came to a conclusion across the Australia Day weekend at the end of January, but this time the final will be on February 4. This is largely the trade-off for the tournament starting later in December with the first game on the 13th of the month compared to December 5 last year.”We’ve been clear since the end of last season given the disruption of two years that rebounding really strongly this season is such a critical thing for us to achieve,” Alistair Dobson, the general manager of Big Bash leagues, told ESPNcricinfo. “This season is one of if not the most important seasons we’ve had in recent years.””Right at the top of list was crowds and attendances at games. We are still learning broadly about what fans’ behaviours are in terms of getting back to big sporting events. We are watching the winter codes really closely and hearing from them about the opportunities and challenges.Related

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“We have certainly had one if not both eyes on how we can schedule a season that gives families, kids, and everyone who loves the BBL the chance to get back to the games. So that’s certainly been our key priority along with all the other things we keep in mind, particularly around our broadcasters and club workloads.”The opening game, which sees Sydney Thunder play Melbourne Stars in Canberra, takes place the day after the completion of the Australia-West Indies Test series in Adelaide. CA has scheduled the opening Test of the season in Perth so, along with the traditional day-night match having also been completed, it means there will be no clashes between Tests and BBL. The cancellation of the South Africa ODI series has now also freed up January after the Sydney Test.Australia’s tour to India is expected to start in early February but the league is confident that players will be available until the end of the finals series.The likes of Glenn Maxwell should now be available for the whole competition after the South Africa ODI series was cancelled•Getty Images

“Starting after the day-night Test is the best place, that mid-December window is a bit more traditional, a bit closer to the school holidays,” Dobson said. “We do our best to schedule as many matches if not all of them inside the summer holiday window and we’ve been able to finish the regular season within that January period.”Without any other day-night Tests in the window we have a clear run at primetime, then post the Sydney Test we have a great run of weekend and afternoon matches.”Defending champions Perth Scorchers will get their campaign underway with a home match against Sydney Sixers at Optus Stadium in a re-run of the last two finals. Scorchers were only able to play one game at home last season due to Western Australia’s border restrictions. They then have a run of four home games out of five in late December and early January.

Key dates

December 13 Opening night
December 24 Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades
December 26 Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers
December 31 Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars
January 1 Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers and Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers
January 25 Regular season concludes
January 27 Eliminator
January 28 Qualifier
January 29 Knockout
February 2 Challenger
February 4 Final

Sixers also have a run of home matches over the Christmas period with three consecutive games at the SCG from December 22 to December 28.The two Melbourne derbies will take place on January 3 (MCG) and January 14 (Marvel) and the Sydney head-to-heads on January 8 (Showground Stadium) and January 21 (SCG).Hobart Hurricanes will host their traditional Christmas Eve fixture, this year against Melbourne Renegades, which will be one of 12 afternoon games albeit three of them are in Perth so broadcast at primetime in the major east coast market.There will be a double-header on Boxing Day (Sixers vs Stars and Scorchers vs Strikers) and New Year’s Day (Renegades vs Scorchers and Heat vs Sixers). The regular season comes to an end on January 25 with finals week beginning on January 27 with the Eliminator.Matches will also be played at three new venues: Albury, Cairns and North Sydney Oval.The tournament will have a draft for overseas players this season, which is likely to be held midway through August.It is expected that the X-Factor and Bash Boost point playing conditions will be scrapped but the Power Surge – where two overs of the powerplay are taken after the 10th over – will remain.There is also hope that DRS will be in place for the first time after Covid border restrictions halted attempts to introduce it in recent seasons although it remains a complex undertaking.”It creates an incredible logistical challenge around having to move significant [DRS] kit from one day to the next with a couple of games a day,” Dobson said. “But we are into the final phase with them and we are confident we’ll be able to resolve any of those issues.”

BBL12 fixtures

December 13: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars, Manuka Oval
December 14: Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Sixers, Adelaide Oval
December 15: Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades, Cazalys Stadium (Cairns)
December 16: Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes, MCG
December 16: Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers, Sydney Showground
December 17: Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers, Optus Stadium
December 18: Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Thunder, Marvel Stadium
December 19: Hobart Hurricanes vs Perth Scorchers, University of Tasmania Stadium
December 20: Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder, Adelaide Oval
December 21: Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat, GMHBA Stadium (Geelong)
December 22: Sydney Sixers vs Hobart Hurricanes, SCG
December 23: Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers, CitiPower Centre
December 23: Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers, Gabba
December 24: Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades, Blundstone Arena
December 26: Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars, SCG
December 26: Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers, Optus Stadium
December 27: Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat, Sydney Showground
December 28: Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Renegades, SCG
December 29: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder, Metricon Stadium
December 29: Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars, Optus Stadium
December 30: Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers, GMHBA Stadium (Geelong)
December 31: Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes, Lavington Sports Ground (Albury)
December 31: Adelaide Striker vs Melbourne Stars, Adelaide Oval
January 1: Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers, Marvel Stadium
January 1: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers, Gabba
January 2: Hobart Hurricanes vs Adelaide Strikers, Blundstone Arena
January 3: Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades, MCG
January 4: Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat, North Sydney Oval
January 4: Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder, Optus Stadium
January 5: Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Oval
January 6: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers, MCG
January 7: Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes, Marvel Stadium
January 7: Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat, Optus Stadium
January 8: Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers, Sydney Showground
January 9: Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars, Blundstone Arena
January 10: Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Renegades, Adelaide Oval
January 11: Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers, Gabba
January 12: Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers, MCG
January 13: Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers, Sydney Showground
January 14: Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat, Adelaide Oval
January 14: Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars, Marvel Stadium
January 15: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder, Blundstone Arena
January 15: Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers, SCG
January 16: Melbourne Stars vs Brisbane Heat, MCG
January 17: Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers, C.ex Coffs International Stadium
January 18: Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes, Optus Stadium
January 19: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades, Manuka Oval
January 20: Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers, Adelaide Oval
January 20: Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes, Gabba
January 21: Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder, SCG
January 22: Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars, Gabba
January 22: Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades, Optus Stadium
January 23: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers, Blundstone Arena
January 24: Melbourne Renegades vs Adelaide Strikers, Marvel Stadium
January 25: Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat, University of Tasmania Stadium
January 25: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder, MCG
January 27: Eliminator, TBC
January 28: Qualifier, TBC
January 29: Knockout, TBC
February 2: Challenger, TBC
February 4: The Final, TBC

After a string of low scores, Shafique notched up his first century in more than a year in “extreme heat” in Multan

Danyal Rasool07-Oct-2024An emotional Abdullah Shafique said he was relieved to put the “challenges of failure” behind him after just his second hundred in two years. Having been through a prolonged slump after a blistering start to Test cricket that once put him on the cusp of becoming the fastest cricketer ever to reach 1000 Test runs, Shafique put together a 253-run stand with captain Shan Masood, managing a stirring century of his own.”A sportsman has to face challenges and go through failure,” Shafique said. “I’m thankful to the team management and the captain for trusting me and giving me a fair run. You face a lot of mental challenges and lots of doubts, but you have to overcome it all and perform.”Shafique’s gratitude to his captain is well placed. Pakistan’s impatience for poor form and alacrity with which they have tended to drop struggling players is lore by this point. But Masood, upon assuming the captaincy, stressed the need for players to feel secure in the side, making an impassioned case for keeping faith in him.Related

• Masood, Shafique hundreds see Pakistan take control

• Shan Masood's statement of intent sets out Pakistan's stall for the series

“Saim [Ayub] scored two 50s in the last two Tests, if we’d dropped him after the first Test, I’ve had that happen to me; it’s not nice,” he had said. “When I was out of the team for two years, I averaged over 60 in List A cricket, but Imam [ul-Haq-] and Fakhar [Zaman] were consistently performing. I didn’t complain that I wasn’t being selected, because I understood the level of competition was high. If the coach was backing the players, they were doing the right thing.”Shafique, though, knows there were ultimately limits to Pakistan’s selectors’ endurance. Since he scored a hundred in the first Test against England two years ago, he averaged 24.57 in 21 innings; he crossed 30 just five times, and managed one hundred and one half-century. With a difficult tour of South Africa coming up over the festive period, he was well aware he needed to vindicate his captain.”It was a very important day as the first one of the series,” Shafique said. The whole team understood the value of setting the tone up front because that’s the mode in which the team plays thereafter. The wicket is challenging to bat on a fresh pitch with the new ball, but the partnership between me and Shan gave the team a big boost.”After Ayub fell early, Pakistan might have feared another probing day with the bat, but Masood took the attack to England’s bowlers, with Shafique content playing second fiddle. As the scoreboard began to slant in Pakistan’s favour, there were glimpses of Shafique’s style and panache; he brought up his half-century with a six, and went from 94 to 100 with perhaps the shot of the day, an elegant gallop forward to drive Jack Leach into the long-on advertising hoardings.”It’s a challenge batting for long because of this extreme heat in Multan. But you can’t let yourself make excuses and keep trying to do what you are required to do. How well you take your opportunity is what matters. It’s not just the batter but the whole team which is confident when you do well.”Pakistan seem never to have lost their confidence in Shafique. Across two sessions as England’s bowlers toiled in Multan, Shafique went about demonstrating why that was.

Lynn’s 87 in vain as Adelaide Strikers lose a fourth straight game

AAP02-Jan-2023Hobart Hurricanes overcame a brutal knock from a resurgent Chris Lynn to notch a crucial win over Adelaide Strikers.Lynn hit a 58-ball 87 on Monday night at Blundstone Arena, his highest score of the summer, as the Strikers posted 177 for 6. It proved not enough, with Hurricanes’ top order giving Lynn, now the tournament’s top-scorer, a taste of his own medicine.Openers Caleb Jewell (54 from 28 balls) and Ben McDermott (53 from 33) got the chase off to a flying start with an 86-run partnership off 49 balls.Jewell, named Player of the Match, opened ahead of Matthew Wade and D’Arcy Short and clobbered four sixes, including one off Rashid Khan who was unusually expensive.Short and Tim David both finished unbeaten on 27, guiding Hurricanes home with 16 balls to spare. The win, Hurricanes’ third from six matches, lifts them off the bottom of the table. Strikers, meanwhile, have lost four straight after a promising 3-0 start to the tournament.Lynn, who was let go by Brisbane Heat in the off-season, earlier struck nine fours and three sixes after Strikers won the toss and elected to bat. He fell in the final over to a sharp outfield catch from Jewell off the bowling of young seamer Mitch Owen.Lynn shared a 72-run partnership with Matthew Short after the loss of opener Henry Hunt early. He upped the ante late alongside New Zealand’s Colin de Grandhomme who provided a cameo. Lynn took a particular liking to Short in the 14th over, hitting two fours and a six in an over that went for 16 runs.Spinner Patrick Dooley was the most economical Hurricanes bowler, going for 25 runs from his four overs and also picking up the wicket of Adam Hose.Strikers, who opted to rest the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Henry Thornton, could have an injury concern with Peter Siddle appearing to bowl in pain.

With Washington Sundar likely to miss a chunk of the TNPL, he went to Trichy Grand Cholas for a fairly low price of INR 6 lakh

Deivarayan Muthu15-Feb-2025Vijay Shankar, Swapnil Singh, M Mohammed and C Andre Siddarth were among the major buys at the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2025 mega auction that was held in Chennai on Saturday.Former UAE international Karthik Meiyappan, who has now moved back to Chennai, his city of birth, headed to Madurai Panthers for INR 9.2 lakh. The wristspinner had bagged a hat-trick in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and brings with him the experience of having played in the ILT20 and Global T20 Canada.In the lead-up to the auction, the likes of R Ashwin and Varun Chakravarthy (both Dindigul Dragons), Shahrukh Khan and Sai Sudharsan (both Lyca Kovai Kings) and Tamil Nadu captain R Sai Kishore (Tiruppur Tamizhans) were retained by the franchises.Vijay had kicked off the auction by triggering a bidding war, having at least four of the eight franchises, including Ashwin’s Dindigul, raising the paddle for his all-round skills before Chepauk Super Gillies scooped him up for INR 18 lakh. It was Mohammed who fetched the highest bid of INR 18.8 lakh, with Salem Spartans staving off competition from his former team Kovai Kings and Madurai.Mohammed hasn’t played in the IPL yet but has had a stint with Punjab Kings as a net bowler in the past. Swapnil, the UP-born left-arm fingerspinner, who often bowls in the powerplay for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), was picked by Chepauk for INR 10.8 lakh. In the IPL 2025 auction, RCB had used their right-to-match card to get Swapnil back for INR 50 lakh.Karthik Meiyappan bagged a hat-trick for UAE in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia•ICC via Getty Images

Swapnil, who had started his domestic career with Baroda, left the side during the Covid-19 pandemic after not getting regular game-time with them. He moved to Uttarakhand as an outstation player and since he has enrolled himself into TNCA’s first-division league, he is eligible to play in the TNPL.Sudharsan had returned to action from sports hernia in Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy quarter-final clash against Vidarbha recently, but his availability for the TNPL is unclear as he might be picked in the India A or India squad for the England tour. In a bid to fill that void, Kovai Kings snapped up Siddarth for INR 8.4 lakh. Siddarth, the nephew of former Tamil Nadu stalwart and current national selector S Sharath, has also broken into the IPL, earning a deal worth INR 30 lakh with Chennai Super Kings. Siddarth had also played for India Under-19s in the 50-overs Under-19 Asia Cup in late 2024.With Washington Sundar set to slot into Ashwin’s spot as the frontline offspinner in India’s Test side, and likely to miss a chunk of the TNPL, he went to Trichy Grand Cholas for a low price of INR 6 lakh.Dindigul are the defending champions of the TNPL, having won their maiden title under Ashwin’s leadership in August 2024.

Half-centuries from the top three and three wickets apiece for Bishnoi and Prasidh set up India’s dominant display

Himanshu Agrawal26-Nov-2023India hammered as many as 111 runs in their last seven overs – at nearly 16 runs an over – to post a mammoth total of 235, their fifth-highest in T20Is. During that phase, Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh, Suryakumar Yadav, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma combined to clobber ten sixes and five fours, after India had managed only three sixes in the first 12 overs of their innings.That surge in the scoring rate proved to be the difference in the end as India posted the second-highest T20I total against Australia, who fell short for a 44-run loss after Ravi Bishnoi and Prasidh Krishna broke their back with three wickets apiece.The only time Australia threatened India was when Marcus Stoinis and Tim David belted 81 off 38 deliveries together for the fifth wicket after Australia were 58 for 4 in the eighth over. But Bishnoi had David caught for 37 off 22 in the 14th over, and when Stoinis fell to Mukesh Kumar for 45 from 25 in the next over, it was all but a formality for India.Australia’s middle and lower order crumbled to lose 5 for 16 to hand India a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Jaiswal goes 4, 4, 4, 6, 6

That the pitch at the Greenfield International Stadium was on the slower side was evident as early as the second over of India’s innings, when Nathan Ellis’ slower deliveries had already forced mistimed shots from India’s openers. Yashasvi Jaiswal, however, ensured the powerplay ended with a tall total total of 77.Jaiswal alone smashed 53 from 25 balls inside the first six, with nine fours and two sixes. The fun had begun when he targeted Glenn Maxwell in the third over, lofting inside-out over cover and slog-sweeping behind square for a four each. And come the fourth, Jaiswal bashed Sean Abbott for 4, 4, 4, 6, 6 off the first five balls. It started with two slashed boundaries to point, and finished with two pulls for sixes over deep square leg.But it was the four in between which was the most delightful: Jaiswal waited for a shortish delivery just outside off, before guiding it very late and past the wicketkeeper for four. The tone was set, even as he departed with one ball in the powerplay remaining.

Kishan switches gears before death overs

After the powerplay, Kishan and Gaikwad could tick off only 47 runs in the next seven overs. Much of that control from Australia was down to birthday boy Tanveer Sangha, who gave away just 17 from his first three overs, and Adam Zampa’s second over that went for eight.But Kishan, whose first 26 runs had consumed 22 balls, rammed another 26 from his next ten as India headed into the death overs. He first hit a six and a four off Maxwell in the 14th over, before spoiling Sangha’s day with two more sixes in the 15th. The second of those took him to a half-century, before Stoinis ended his stay on 52 off 32 balls.

Rinku repeats finishing heroics

Suryakumar’s stay lasted for just 10 balls for 19 runs, and with 14 balls left, Rinku arrived and faced nine of them. Six of those deliveries went either to or over the boundary, as he cracked an unbeaten 31 at a strike rate of 344.44. After Abbott’s first over was taken for 24 by Jaiswal, it was Rinku’s turn to pummel 4, 6, 4, 4, 6 off him in the 19th over. Three of those hits were pulled, which went for a four each to deep midwicket and deep square leg, with one of them flying for six over midwicket.And like Jaiswal, one of those shots stood out, when Rinku reached out to a low, dipping full toss outside off while the ball was angling across, and sent that soaring over Abbott’s head for six. The bat turned in his hands, but the ball still ended miles back.

Australia’s off-track chase

Both captains expected dew to play a role in the second half of the match, and naturally, Matthew Wade had opted to bowl. But dew had set in even while India were batting, and the hosts left Australia with a required rate of nearly 12 an over. That pressure forced them to keep swinging, and despite motoring along to 31 without loss in the first two overs, they soon lost 4 for 27 by the eighth over.One of those wickets came when a sharp, well-judged catch by Tilak sent the first T20I’s centurion Josh Inglis back for 2, with Bishnoi grabbing two wickets out of the first four. That is when Stoinis and David got together and counter-attacked, but a meltdown either side of that rapid partnership left Australia in must-win territory ahead of the third T20I.

Pending clearance from their government, Pakistan will play their World Cup matches in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2023Unlike the other teams, who have their league matches spread across most of the ten venues for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, Pakistan will play their nine league matches in only five cities, according to the schedule released by the ICC and BCCI in Mumbai on Tuesday.Pakistan begin their campaign by playing the two qualifiers from the tournament in Zimbabwe in Hyderabad on October 6 and 12, before travelling to Ahmedabad to take on India on October 15. They then travel to Bengaluru to play Australia on October 20, and onward to Chennai, where they play Afghanistan on October 23 and South Africa on October 27.The PCB had requested the ICC to swap venues for their fixtures against Afghanistan and Australia (they wanted to play Afghanistan in Bengaluru and Australia in Chennai) a request that has not been granted.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Pakistan then head east to Kolkata for their fixture against Bangladesh on October 31 and back to Bengaluru for their match against New Zealand on November 4. Their final league match, which will take place on the last day of the league phase, is against England in Kolkata on November 12. If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play the game in Kolkata.They will gear up for the 2023 tournament in India with warm-up games against New Zealand and Australia on September 29 and October 3 in Hyderabad.Related

• PCB writes to Pakistan government for travel clearance for ODI World Cup

• England to begin World Cup title defence against New Zealand on October 5

• Australia to open World Cup campaign against India on October 8

• 2023 ODI World Cup schedule finally out; India vs Pakistan in Ahmedabad on October 15

• Pakistan wants venues swapped for World Cup matches

The World Cup schedule was finally released at an event in Mumbai just 100 days before the start of the tournament on October 5. In comparison, the fixtures for the 2019 World Cup in England and the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand were released more than 12 months in advance.The tournament will be played across ten venues in India, with the semi-finals in Mumbai and Kolkata on November 15 and 16, and the final in Ahmedabad on November 19. The knockout games all have a reserve day provisioned. The format will be the same as it was in 2019, with ten teams playing each other once in the league phase and the top four qualifying for the semi-finals.India qualified for the event as hosts, while Afghanistan, Australia, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa made it by finishing in the top eight of the 2020-2023 World Cup Super League. The remaining two qualifiers will be identified at the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, which is being played by Sri Lanka, West Indies, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, UAE, USA and Zimbabwe.

But will Pakistan travel to India at all?

Despite the World Cup schedule being announced, there is still no official confirmation from Pakistan that they will travel to India. Due to strained political relations between the two countries, Pakistan have not toured India since the 2016 men’s T20 World Cup. The latest word on the matter was that Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs was evaluating the team’s participation in the World Cup and would convey its view to the PCB in due course.”The PCB requires the Government of Pakistan’s clearance for any tour to India, including the match venues. We are liaising with our government for guidance, and as soon as we hear something from them, we will update the Event Authority (ICC),” PCB communications director Sami Ul Hasan said. “This position is consistent to what we had told the ICC a couple of weeks ago when they shared with us the draft schedule and sought our feedback.”It is understood that with the term of the ruling government in Pakistan ending in August, the decision on whether the team will travel to India will be deferred until the next government takes charge. This being an election year, the government will not make a formal announcement at this stage, though tentative permission has been given. The final decision will be taken closer to the departure date, like it was when India hosted the 2016 World Cup.Back then, Nawaz Sharif’s government gave the team last-hour clearance to travel after sending a delegation to India for security reconnaissance. The PCB had threatened to pull out of the T20 World Cup in India unless they had assurance from the Indian government regarding the security of the Pakistan team, which eventually resulted in the India-Pakistan match moving from Dharamsala to Kolkata.

The board launched a plan to boost participation and attendance among multicultural communities

Andrew McGlashan22-Dec-2023Cricket Australia has set a target of nearly doubling the number of players from South Asian backgrounds in the professional game by 2027 as part of an overall plan to boost participation and attendance among multicultural communities.The aim is to have 8% South Asian representation at first-class, state and W/BBL level by 2027, up from the current figure of 4.2%. They have also set the goals of doubling the number of people from South Asian backgrounds who attend matches in Australia each year from 100,000 to 200,000 and increasing the number of those registered to play from 70,000 to 100,000 by 2027.Last year’s men’s T20 World Cup, which saw more than 90,000 attend the India vs Pakistan match at the MCG, highlighted the opportunity for Cricket Australia to grow the game.Related

• Usman Khawaja to contest ICC armband charge, says it was for a bereavement

However, one of the big challenges has been converting a large following into a pathway for player talent, as well as broader representation in the running of the sport.Usman Khawaja, Alana King and Lisa Sthalekar have been key figures in putting the new Multicultural Action Plan together, which was launched at the MCG on Friday. While there has been specific focus on South Asian growth, the plan – and the funding that comes with it – covers all multicultural communities.”I was out of the Australian team and thought what can I do about this, what legacy do I want to leave, what can I actually do to make this game to be in a batter place,” Khawaja said. “The first thing I said is we have such great participation of South Asian communities and multicultural communities in Australia but we never see that reflected in the Australian cricket team, both male and female, especially the male team over the last 100 years.”For me, personally, I felt we needed to do things a little differently. Cricket Australia has always been great supporters of multiculturalism in Australia… but it hasn’t equated to more participation at the highest levels.”He drew on an example of when he was asked by someone how they could become a coach. “I said I wasn’t exactly sure, because unless you were a past player or had been in the system before it’s so hard to crack this system. The issue is that for a long time Cricket Australia has been a very white-dominated sport.”Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan before moving to Australia aged five, said that when he was growing up, he would struggle to relate to his team-mates and that coaches did not have an understanding of some of his experiences. But he stressed that sport had helped bring down barriers for him. He added that it was vital to have multicultural representation in all facets of the game including board level and CA staff.Usman Khawaja spoke about how having broader representation can alleviate stereotypes•Getty Images

“We couldn’t be stronger that we want to make every single cricket environment, whether that’s clubs, playing, coaching, administering, just the most inclusive places we possibly can,” CA chief executive Nick Hockley said. “The metrics [show] that we are not yet representative of the community we serve.”Khawaja further explained that having broader representation in the sport can help alleviate stereotypes, again talking from personal experience of when he was observing Ramadan during his time with New South Wales.”I was told I was lazy growing up,” he said. “There was a stereotype that subcontinent cricketers didn’t try hard enough. There wasn’t a way to break that down. All my coaches were white Australian, selectors were white Australian, they didn’t really understand me or my culture.”Doing Ramadan as a Muslim, at New South Wales no one had any idea what I was doing. From the naked eye, you think ‘Uzzie isn’t training hard enough, he’s not working hard enough’. It’s 6.30 in the arvo [afternoon] and I haven’t eaten or drunk all day and I’m cooked. But we are doing a fitness session and I’m still out there. Yes, I’m lagging behind but I’m still doing the work. So it’s those little things that you can break down if you have someone from subcontinental background.”

The women will also host Zimbabwe, for the first time, and South Africa for limited-overs matches in early 2026

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2025New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have announced a busy international schedule for both the men’s (BlackCaps) and the women’s (White Ferns) national teams. The men will host Australia, England, South Africa and West Indies across formats, while the women have 14 games lined up, against South Africa and Zimbabwe. All this, along with their respective World Cups: the women play the ODI World Cup through September and October in India and Sri Lanka and the men take part in the T20 World Cup early next year, also in India and Sri Lanka.Australia, England and West Indies will visit New Zealand before Christmas for men’s fixtures, with the T20 World Cup taking place soon after, followed by South Africa’s tour, which will feature double-headers with the women’s games. Australia will play three T20Is, all in October. The England series comprises three T20Is and three ODIs, starting in October and running into November. Then West Indies will feature in five T20Is, three ODIs, and three Tests to round off the tour, which starts on November 5 and runs till December 22.The women don’t have any fixtures scheduled before the ODI World Cup, and get into action in February 2026 with three ODIs and three T20Is beginning February and ending in March against Zimbabwe in what will be the team’s first visit to New Zealand for a bilateral series.This will be followed by the double-header T20I series against South Africa. Both the men and the women will play five T20Is between March 15 and March 25, and the women will then play a series of three ODIs between late March and early April.This adds up to 46 days of international cricket across nine venues in New Zealand.”It feels like a marquee summer,” Kyle Jamieson said in a NZC statement. “The calibre of opposition means we’ll be constantly tested for the duration of the season and that’s what you want as a cricketer.”It’s great to have another three-Test series at home and I’m sure the fans will get in behind the Test team as they have in seasons gone by. It’s always special to play in front of a home crowd and we’re hoping Kiwis will get out in force to support us once again this summer.”Compared to the 25 matches, including three Tests, that the men will play, the women have 14 fixtures lined up.”We can’t wait for the international season and the chance to play in another ICC Cricket World Cup,” Georgia Plimmer said. “We want to play as much cricket as we can, especially in front of our home fans and it’s exciting to have a 14-game home summer to prepare for.”It’s great to see more T20I doubleheaders as they are such a great experience for teams and fans alike and it was awesome to see such strong crowds last season.”

New Zealand men’s fixtures

Against Australia

• Oct 1 – 1st T20I, Mount Maunganui
• Oct 3 – 2nd T20I, Mount Maunganui
• Oct 4 – 3rd T20I, Mount Maunganui

Against England

• Oct 18 – 1st T20I, Christchurch
• Oct 20 – 2nd T20I, Christchurch
• Oct 23 – 3rd T20I, Auckland
• Oct 26 – 1st ODI, Mount Maunganui
• Oct 29 – 2nd ODI, Hamilton
• Nov 1 – 3rd ODI, Wellington

Against West Indies

• Nov 5 – 1st T20I, Auckland
• Nov 6 – 2nd T20I, Auckland
• Nov 9 – 3rd T20I, Nelson
• Nov 10 – 4th T20I, Nelson
• Nov 13 – 5th T20I, Dunedin
• Nov 16 – 1st ODI, Christchurch
• Nov 19 – 2nd ODI, Napier
• Nov 22 – 3rd ODI, Hamilton
• Dec 2-6 – 1st Test, Christchurch
• Dec 10-14 – 2nd Test, Wellington
• Dec 18-22 – 3rd Test, Mount Maunganui

Against South Africa

• Mar 15 – 1st T20I, Mount Maunganui
• Mar 17 – 2nd T20I, Hamilton
• Mar 20 – 3rd T20I, Auckland
• Mar 22 – 4th T20I, Wellington
• Mar 25 – 5th T20I, Christchurch

New Zealand women’s fixtures

Against Zimbabwe

• Feb 25 – 1st T20I, Hamilton
• Feb 27 – 2nd T20I, Hamilton
• Mar 1 – 3rd T20I, Hamilton
• Mar 5 – 1st ODI, Dunedin
• Mar 8 – 2nd ODI, Dunedin
• Mar 11 – 3rd ODI, Dunedin

Against South Africa

• Mar 15 – 1st T20I, Mount Maunganui
• Mar 17 – 2nd T20I, Hamilton
• Mar 20 – 3rd T20I, Auckland
• Mar 22 – 4th T20I, Wellington
• Mar 25 – 5th T20I, Christchurch
• Mar 29 – 1st ODI, Christchurch
• Apr 1 – 2nd ODI, Wellington
• Apr 4 – 3rd ODI, Wellington