The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the tournament schedule on Thursday, confirming that the 50-over World Cup will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The tournament will officially begin on October 2 with a three-team Super Series in Windhoek, which will determine the final team to qualify for the group stage.

The 12 remaining teams will be divided into two groups of six, with the group-stage action beginning on October 7 in Cape Town. Defending champions Australia will face runners-up India in the opening match.

Co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe will begin their campaigns on October 9 and 11, respectively. South Africa will play New Zealand in Cape Town, while Zimbabwe will face Afghanistan in Bulawayo.

South Africa and Zimbabwe qualified automatically as hosts, while eight teams secured direct qualification based on the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings at the September 30, 2026 cut-off.

The remaining four places will be decided through the Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The top-placed team will qualify directly for the group stage, while the other three will enter the Super Series for the final group-stage spot.

The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super 7 phase, along with the better-performing fourth-placed team from the two groups.

The Super 7 phase will run from October 25 to November 14, with each team playing six matches. No points will be carried forward from the group stage.

The ICC has pre-seeded teams for the Super 7 phase, with India as A1, Australia as A2, Pakistan as A3, England as AB4, New Zealand as B1, South Africa as B2 and Sri Lanka as B3.

The top four teams in the Super 7 standings will qualify for the semi-finals. The team finishing first will face the fourth-placed side, while the second-placed team will meet the third.

The first semi-final is scheduled for November 17 in Cape Town, while the second will be played on November 18 in Tshwane. Both semi-finals will have reserve days.

The World Cup final will be held at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium on November 21, with November 22 set as the reserve day.

While an incoming batter can be dismissed “timed out” for taking too long to face their first delivery, there is no fixed limit to how much time a batter can take between deliveries.

But in general, a batter is expected to be prepared for a delivery as soon as the fielding team and the bowler are ready.

“If a batter is not ready to face the ball within the prescribed time, a warning will be issued for the first offence, a final warning for the second, and five penalty runs awarded to the fielding side for the third and each subsequent offence,” the ICC said in a statement on Thursday. The warnings are reset at the end of the innings or after 80 overs.

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The ICC also announced tighter regulations for the size and weight of the balls, introducing three distinct specifications for men’s, women’s and junior cricket.

The governing body has also allowed pink balls, which are used in day-night tests, to be trialled in daytime tests by mutual agreement between the teams before the match.

Rashid and Curran return to the squad after recovering from their respective injuries.

Leg-spinner Crane, 29, who is uncapped in the ODI format, earns a call-up eight years after his last England appearance.

Batter Harry Brook will captain the side but wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler misses out with a hamstring injury. Fast bowler Jofra Archer has been rested to manage his workload.

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The tri-series will be in Lahore and Rawalpindi from October 18 to 31. England face Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the tournament. The top two meet in the final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

England squad

Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, James Coles, Jordan Cox, Mason Crane, Henry Crocombe, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Josh Tongue

India hammered Sri Lanka by 124 runs after Pakistan beat Bangladesh by six wickets to set up a mouth-watering final on Saturday at the Korogi Athletic Park Stadium in Nagoya.

India posted an above par 169-7 on a sharply turning pitch after being asked to bat.

Sri Lanka lost two wickets without a run on the board and they crumbled to 45 all out in less than 10 overs of chaos that included three run-outs.

It was Sri Lanka’s lowest total in a men’s T20 international, far below the 77 they scored against South Africa in New York in 2024, their previous worst.

Sri Lanka opted to field and were given an early taste of the power of 15-year-old opening bat Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on his Asian Games debut.

The fearless teenager, who topped the IPL batting charts this year, smoked a whirlwind 38 off 21 balls with six fours and two enormous sixes before falling to a thick edge caught at backward point.

Ishan Kishan was India’s mainstay with a crafted 80 not out, including five sixes.

When Sri Lanka batted, pace bowling great Jasprit Bumrah ripped out two wickets in his first over and from then on it was a question of how long Sri Lanka might last in their chase of 170.

They were 18-5 by the end of the fourth over, with spinner Axar Patel taking two wickets, and there was also a needless run out.

Nuwanidu Fernando decided he would not wait around for a slow death and smacked two sixes off Washington Sundar only to run himself out for 15 two balls later, Sri Lanka’s only batsman to get more than 10.

Sri Lanka were 33-7 after five overs, in total disarray, and the end came rapidly with the last three wickets falling in three balls.

The first was yet another run out, then Abishek Sharma mopped up the last two off two balls.

Smashing Samad

Earlier Abdul Samad smashed an unbeaten 30 off 15 balls as Pakistan thumped Bangladesh by six wickets with nine balls to spare in a semi-final reduced to 13 overs by a wet outfield.

“To be honest, we don’t really care about who will win and who will reach the final,” said Pakistan batsman Saim Ayub, who scored 21 of his side’s 112-4 after Bangladesh posted 111-7.

“All we care about is winning the final, no matter who we are playing against,” he said of the prospect of facing India.

Under clear blue skies, Pakistan soon had Bangladesh reeling at 21-3 and then 45-4 in the sixth over.

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Towhid Hridoy led a recovery with 42 off 25 balls with two fours and four sixes as Bangladesh reached 111-7.

Pakistan lost some early wickets but once Samad and Hasan Nawaz (27 not out) came together at 53-4 in the seventh over the result never looked in doubt.

The pair posted an unbroken stand of 59 in 32 balls as they raced to their target.

Samad put Pakistan in complete control in the 10th over, bowled by Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman.

Nawaz prodded a single off to third man off the first ball.

Bangladesh will play Sri Lanka for the bronze medal, also on Saturday.

Gill, the world’s top-ranked ODI batter, remained unbeaten on 223 off 133 deliveries and brought up the quickest ODI century of his career before converting it into the fastest ​ODI double hundred.

The 27-year-old scored his first ODI double century against New ​Zealand in Hyderabad in 2023.

“When it was 13 overs, it felt like ⁠we had fielded for 25 overs, the way they were batting. Great game. At ​the half time, 400 on the board, there was a bit of pressure. No matter ​the pitch or ground, chasing 400 is not easy. Very proud of that performance and happy to stay unbeaten till the end,” Gill told reporters.

Rohit Sharma set the tone with a 72-ball century, passing ​12,000 ODI runs during a blistering 255-run opening stand with Gill, before Jayden Seales ​ended his innings on 101 shortly after he brought up his 35th ODI hundred.

Virat Kohli made 29 ‌off ⁠19 deliveries before Shamar Joseph dismissed him with India well placed at 320-2.

Ruturaj Gaikwad chipped in with 31 off 37 balls and with the Guwahati surface offering little assistance to the bowlers, Gill guided India to their target with 39 balls to spare.

West Indies had ​looked in complete control ​after posting their ⁠first 400-plus ODI total, with John Campbell, Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo scoring centuries. Three batters making hundreds in the same ODI ​innings – only the sixth time this has happened – helped the touring ​side amass ⁠405-7.

After Keacy Carty’s early dismissal, Campbell blasted a 65-ball century, the fifth-fastest by a West Indian batter, racing to 101 with nine fours and five sixes before falling to Gurnoor Brar.

Captain ⁠Hope ​brought up his 20th ODI century and Jangoo hammered ​114 off 77 balls. Roston Chase maintained the momentum with a late cameo as the visitors plundered 76 runs ​from the final 10 overs.

India overhauled West Indies’ 405-7 with an eight-wicket victory to seal the series, but Gambhir said the run-fest underlined the need for a fairer contest between bat and ball.

“There has to be a bit more of a contest between bat and ball, because I think you talk about cricket — but this is not cricket, this is only batting,” Gambhir told Star Sports.

“Imagine a young bowler bowling on this wicket, and the opposition getting 400 and then we go on to chase 400.

“For the records it’s outstanding, for the crowd it’s outstanding, for the broadcaster it’s outstanding, but as a genuine cricket fan and as a coach, I have to have sympathy for the bowlers as well.”

The 44-year-old said bowlers should not be judged solely by their figures on surfaces that provide virtually no assistance.

“When you bowl on this kind of a wicket, it’s not fair for the bowlers. So we’ve got to give something to the bowlers so there’s at least something which the bowlers can work with,” he said.

“You can’t be hard on bowlers, because sometimes bowling figures are such that they haven’t bowled as poorly as their figures suggest.”

Gambhir added that bowlers already operate under pressure in modern ODI cricket because of fielding restrictions, two new balls and increasingly aggressive batting, making balanced surfaces even more important.

Looking ahead to next year’s 50-over World Cup, Gambhir said India had limited time to settle on their combinations, with the Indian Premier League and bilateral commitments reducing the window for experimentation.

“Right now is the time for us to try different options,” he said. “Just like Auqib (Nabi) got an opportunity, we will similarly try, at least until the Zimbabwe series, to give other people an opportunity and see what they can offer us in this format.”

India lead the three-match series 2-0, with the final ODI scheduled for New Chandigarh on Saturday.

South Africa are 2-0 up in the three-match ODI series which concludes in ​Potchefstroom on Wednesday after beating the World Cup holders fairly convincingly in Durban and ​Johannesburg.

“You want to try and be as clinical as possible in a ⁠series of this magnitude,” Maharaj told a press conference.

“They are the world champions, so it’s ​always nice to build confidence. It is still just over 12 months away from the World ​Cup, but it’s a wonderful stepping stone and foundation to build on.

“It shows character and also shows champion mentality to try and win the series, but it’s about the process that we’re focusing on behind everything and ​letting it play out that way and doing the basics really well,” he said.

South Africa ​co-host next year’s World Cup with neighbours Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Buttler ruled out of Pakistan Tri-series with hamstring injury

Maharaj, along with fellow spinner Bjorn Fortuin and part-timer ‌Aiden ⁠Markram, proved the catalyst for South African success in the first two ODIs, pegging back the Australian batsmen, and Maharaj’s performance suggests he could be crucial in the three-test series that starts at his home ground in Durban on October 9.

“I went back to the drawing board ​after last season’s India ​tour (South Africa won 2-0). ⁠Obviously conditions were slightly different, but I just want to keep evolving from that aspect. And I feel like the best in the world ​always keep trying to evolve and I said, ‘why can’t I be ​that person ⁠and try evolve in a different aspect of the game?’

“I worked on a couple of things and put a little bit more emphasis on the analysis work. I’ve always been someone who has ⁠been a ​scholar of the game and looks at the analysis ​in depth, but just probably looking at it from a different angle in different direction and still not losing that ​feel of the game,” Maharaj said.

The former England captain pulled up while batting during England’s 16-run defeat at Headingley on Thursday. He initially retired hurt before returning to the ​crease later in the innings.

The 36-year-old was replaced by Jordan ​Cox for Sunday’s third ODI at The Oval, where ⁠Cox scored 76 in England’s 223-run win.

“Jos won’t be in ​Pakistan,” McCullum told reporters. “We know he’s an incredible athlete, supremely ​fit and an ultra-professional, so he’ll do everything he can to get back as soon as possible. But it’s hard to judge how long that ​will be.”

England travel to Pakistan for a Tri-series involving the ​hosts and Sri Lanka beginning on October 18. The side will head to ‌Australia ⁠in November for three ODIs and five Twenty20 internationals.

McCullum said Buttler’s absence offered an opportunity to test England’s depth ahead of next year’s 50-over World Cup.

“It’s disappointing not to have Jos, but ​it will be ​good for ⁠us to see where we’re at,” he said.

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“Between now and 14 months’ time, lots of things ​will go wrong. There’ll be selections you think ​will happen ⁠and then someone will get injured, or there’ll be a scheduling issue. You almost have to catastrophise these things a little to ⁠prepare ​yourself for that World Cup.”

Next year’s ​World Cup will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia starting on October ​4.

Sri Lanka had been scheduled to face Nepal, while Bangladesh were set to take on Malaysia.

However, a second consecutive day of no play at the Korogi Sports Park, on the southern outskirts of Nagoya, meant the higher-ranked teams progressed automatically to the last four.

Jarrad Shearer, the games’ sports director,could not hide his disappointment after organisers spent an entire year converting a baseball diamond into a cricket venue, only to see minimal action.

“Cricket, like baseball, you can’t play it in the rain. A year of my life on this, and it rains,” Shearer said.

Sri Lanka will now take on defending champions India, while Bangladesh face Pakistan in the semi-finals on Thursday.

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Bangladesh will be without Najmul Hossain Shanto, however, after the batter was ruled out of the tournament due to a fever and infection.

Despite the washouts, Shearer remained optimistic the weather would clear in time for the top-tier cricket.

“Come tomorrow morning it will be all hands on deck to dry up the areas that aren’t under the covers.

We’ve got some soppers, we’ve got some squeegees, some big old brooms, we’ve got sponges.

“Plus, it’s supposed to be sunny and 32 C (89.6 Fahrenheit), so with any luck we’ll soak up as much water as we can in the morning and the sun will do its work in the afternoon.”

Pakistan went through first against Hong Kong without a ball being bowled under competition rules that say the highest-seeded side progresses.

A few hours later, with rain in the air, India progressed against Afghanistan with no prospect of play for the same reason.

It deprived spectators at the Korogi Athletic Park the chance to see India’s 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in action.

The fearless teenager topped the T20 Indian Premier League batting charts earlier this year.

“We are here for the match but unfortunately it rained. The rain started yesterday, so hard luck for us. We would have been happy to play here with India – our players are in form,” said Afghanistan’s Mohammad Akram.

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“We played two matches here on this ground, so we know the condition very well. But unfortunately the rain has ruined everything.

“We saw the rain on our mobile phones. Everyone was sad.”

Sri Lanka play Nepal and Bangladesh face Malaysia, weather permitting, in the last two quarter-finals on Tuesday.

In a ‌rain-hit match at Sano, India edged Japan in a five-over shootout to lift the Suzuki Cup in the maiden one-off meeting between the men’s sides — a jolt that underlined the danger of underestimating ​any opponent in alien conditions.

India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are seeded ​directly into the last eight, while Nepal, Afghanistan, Malaysia and Hong ⁠Kong advanced from the preliminary groups.

With India’s women having successfully defended their Asian Games ​title, attention now turns to Iyer’s side to emulate them.

“Not just Afghanistan, no team ​can be taken lightly at any stage - just look at how tough Japan made it for us the other day,” Iyer said on Sunday.

Kohli reaches 15,000 ODI runs, second after Tendulkar to achieve feat

“The pitches here cannot be set to a certain ​standard, so to adapt is key. It will be challenging for all the teams.”

Expectation ​remains sky-high for the sport’s most followed team, and Iyer acknowledged the scrutiny that comes with ‌the ⁠jersey.

“Whenever you represent India, there are a lot of expectations, that you have to finish at the top. That is always there,” Iyer said of the “good pressure”.

“When there are expectations, you want to deliver. But I think we shouldn’t think of the ​outcome too much. ​We have set ⁠a standard as a team, and we must try to transcend that in every match.”

Preparation has been complicated by persistent rain ​at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, limiting India to only light ​work on ⁠Sunday, with the forecast uncertain for match day.

“We have to be mentally prepared irrespective of whatever the situation is going to be. We did get a decent chance ⁠to warm ​up and knock the ball around today, and ​now the task is to adapt quickly to the pitch,” he said.

In Monday’s other action, Pakistan face Hong ​Kong in the first quarter-final.

The sudden ‌and shock retirement of captain Ben Stokes, the sacking of Brendon McCullum as test coach and more off-field incidents punctuated recent months as England played Test series against New Zealand and Pakistan and beat both India and Sri ​Lanka in ODI and Twenty20 contests.

They suffered a 2-1 Test series defeat to New Zealand, ​with Stokes quitting and McCullum being sacked, although he kept his role as coach ⁠of the ODI and T20 teams.

Stokes had been left out for the second test against New ​Zealand in June after breaking a team curfew and then announced his retirement from international cricket during the ​third test, which they went on to lose by 160 runs, citing exhaustion.

With Joe Root returning as captain, England were back on track with a one-sided 3-0 Test series win over Pakistan, who were hampered by their own problems ​and proved disjointed opponents.

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But even then the build-up to the second Test was overshadowed by an ​incident involving bowler Brydon Carse outside a nightclub in Derby, where he was handcuffed by police and then dropped ‌from ⁠the England squad.

Root described himself as “hacked off” by the growing list of alcohol-related incidents involving England players after the controversy of last winter’s tours, including Harry Brook being fined £30,000 ($41,000) following an altercation in Wellington as well as reports of drinking during a mid-Ashes series trip to Noosa.

Now they go off again ​for winter action, with ​a tri-series next month ⁠in Pakistan that also includes Sri Lanka, then three ODIs and five T20s in Australia followed by a three-Test series in South Africa with former ​New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming as the new Test coach.

Fleming has promised ​a more ⁠measured approach to the Test side after Stokes and McCullum introduced a brand of cricket quickly nicknamed “Bazball”.

England also have three ODIs in South Africa, who co-host the 2027 Cricket World Cup next October, and the ⁠one-off, pink ​ball, day-night 150th anniversary of Test cricket clash against Australia ​in Melbourne in March.

“I would love to be in charge of the number one Test team in the world. That would ​be my aspiration,” Fleming said last week.

The 37-year-old Kohli reached the milestone with a boundary in the opening ODI against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram and achieved the feat 74 innings quicker than Tendulkar.

Kohli got to the landmark in his 303rd ODI innings, while Tendulkar, who finished his illustrious career with 18,426 runs, took 377 innings to get to 15,000.

Retired Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara is third on the list of all-time ODI scorers with 14,234 runs.

Kohli, who plays only the 50-over format after retiring from Test and ODI cricket, had told broadcasters JioStar on Saturday that the 2027 World Cup would be his last appearance in the showpiece.

He was part of the India side that won the 2011 World Cup under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Kohli and Rohit Sharma, 39, retired from T20 internationals after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup, a year after losing to Australia in the final of the ODI World Cup at home.

The matches in Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town are the first time the teams meet in tests in ​South Africa since the infamous 2018 “Sandpapergate” scandal where the tourists were guilty of trying to alter ​the condition of the ball in the third test at Newlands in Cape Town.

The ⁠fallout led to lengthy bans for Australia captain Steve Smith, and batters David Warner and Cameron ​Bancroft, and a review of the conduct of the Australian team.

The memory of the incident could add extra ​spice to a series that is never short of an edge, with South Africa having defeated Australia in the World Test Championship final last year.

“I’ve got no idea what it’s (fan reception) going to be like,” Markram told reporters on Saturday. “Obviously, 2018 ​was a long time ago, and there will be fans who probably haven’t forgotten what happened.

“But there ​will also be quite a few who have moved on and understand that things look very different now (in the Australia ‌team).

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“We’re ⁠certainly not encouraging anything disrespectful, but you hope the crowd really gets into the game and enjoys watching good cricket.”

New relationships

Markram says the proliferation of Twenty20 leagues has seen adversaries become teammates and helped develop relationships off the pitch.

“I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Mitch (Marsh) during the last IPL (Indian Premier League) ​and with some of the ​other Australian players ⁠here and there as well. That’s what franchise cricket does.

“But I think when you cross the boundary, you forget about all of that. It becomes a battle ​between two teams who are pushing really hard to get results and win ​games of ⁠cricket.”

South Africa lead the current three-match one-day international series 1-0 heading into the second game in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Markram believes it is a good test for both teams ahead of the 2027 Cricket World Cup that will ⁠be co-hosted ​by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

“You naturally want to measure ​your own team and understand where you are. You want to know how you can keep building and make sure you go ​into the next World Cup with plenty of energy,” he said.

Kohli, the leading century-maker in ODIs with 54 hundreds, retired from T20 internationals and Test cricket earlier and now represents India only in the 50-over format.

The 37-year-old batter, who has scored 14,941 runs in one-day internationals, second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 18,426, won the World Cup on home soil in 2011 before suffering defeat in the 2023 final against Australia.

The 2027 edition, to be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October to November, will be Kohli’s fifth ODI World Cup.

“For me, it’s the last World Cup I’m going to play for India,” Kohli told broadcaster JioStar on Saturday.

“That is my motivation and like, you know, to leave everything out there. And of course, the goal is absolutely to win the World Cup and whatever it takes, I’m absolutely ready.”

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Kohli said the demands of a 50-over World Cup made it one of cricket’s toughest challenges, particularly with the tournament set to be played away from home.

“The intensity of a 50-over World Cup is greater than anything. Because now, it’s about 10 games at a Twenty20 level of intensity,” he said.

“But you are playing 2.5 T20 games in one day. And to maintain that intensity for 10 games in a big tournament and World Cup is a big deal. Also now, it’s in foreign conditions. It takes a lot out of you.”

Former captain Rohit Sharma, who also plays only ODIs for India, said he remained fully motivated by the prospect of another World Cup campaign.

“The thought will never cross my mind that the business I had is finished,” Rohit said.

“As long as you’re playing, there is always something to look forward to. And I’m looking forward to the World Cup.”

Kohli and Rohit were both named in India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against West Indies. The opening match will be played in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

The 31-year-old injured his finger while keeping wicket in South Africa’s 67-run win in the first ODI played in Durban on Thursday.

No replacement in the ODI squad has been named, with Alex Carey expected to don the gloves in the second fixture in the series in Johannesburg on Sunday.

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Inglis is now in a race to be fit for the three-match Test series in South Africa that starts on October 9.

Cricket Australia confirmed Inglis would return to Perth for treatment, “with his availability for the three-match Test series subject to further assessment and progress”.

The 46-year-old Pietersen, England’s third-highest run scorer across all formats, was appointed as a specialist mentor to the white-ball teams this month ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

“I’ve got a pretty mad schedule, (but) I wouldn’t say no,” Pietersen told reporters on Friday.

“I have had a conversation with Stephen but I don’t think that necessarily means that I need to be in a dressing room. There’s a lot of time in the lead-up to an Ashes series … and there are conversations that can be had there.

“I’ve certainly had conversations with Flem about language that he would like me to use with the test batters, going into South Africa, and then certainly into the summer next year. I just don’t think I can commit to a lot more time.”

Pietersen teaching England how to face spin, says Brook

Pietersen also reflected on his return to the England fold more than a decade after his controversial departure from international cricket.

An explosive middle-order batter, he scored nearly 14,000 runs across all three formats for England, who last won the ODI World Cup in 2019 on home soil.

However, Pietersen’s England career ended controversially in 2014 in the aftermath of the 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia, amid reported tensions within the dressing room and between the batsman and team management.

Pietersen was the team’s top scorer in the series and, despite remaining keen to play for England, was told he was no longer part of the plans, bringing an acrimonious end to his international career.

“I’m 46, man. That stuff’s so long gone. I’m a completely different person too,” Pietersen said.

“I’ve been lucky to have worn every T-shirt an England cricketer can wear; the good, the bad and the ugly. There are parts to all of their careers which I think I could potentially help them stay away from the ugly.”

In Pietersen’s first series as part of the set-up, England completed a 3-0 whitewash of a spin-heavy Sri Lanka side to replace India at the top of the T20 world rankings.

England scored 305-9 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 321-6, which included a century from captain Kusal Mendis in a high-scoring clash in which Buttler looked to be taking England to a comfortable triumph ​before damaging his hamstring.

He retired hurt on 67, but as Sri Lanka pulled themselves back into ​the contest with key wickets, a limping Buttler came back to the crease, with England ⁠needing 20 runs off the last two overs.

He was, however, only able to add two more runs before ​being caught at deep mid-wicket, with his dismissal effectively ending home hopes.

England had needed only 63 runs off their ​last 10 overs to seal the series but were pinned back by the Sri Lankan bowlers, who got their side over the line for their first success of the tour after suffering a 3-0 whitewash in the Twenty20 internationals.

Sri Lanka skipper Mendis won ​the toss and elected to bat, leading from the front as he scored 121 and shared a second-wicket ​partnership of 137 with Kamindu Mendis, who made 54.

Expensive drop

Kusal Mendis was dropped on 17 by Gus Atkinson at fine leg ‌in ⁠an expensive slip off Jamie Overton’s bowling and had another life one run short of his century when he was given out caught behind off Overton but reviewed immediately and the TV umpire found there had been no nick.

He cover drove the next ball to complete a seventh ODI century.

Pavan Rathnayake added 48 off 39 balls before ​being run out, and ​Janith Liyanage contributed 32 ⁠before becoming Jofra Archer’s only wicket as the England paceman returned expensive figures of 1-65.

England’s reply began in impressive fashion. They took advantage of sub-standard Sri Lankan bowling, ​allowing Tom Banton and Ben Duckett to put together an opening stand of 143 ​inside the opening ⁠20 overs.

But almost out of nowhere, left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage bowled Duckett (67) and had Banton stumped for 73 off 61 balls, before trapping captain Harry Brook for a single. He finished his 10 overs with figures of 3-49.

Buttler turned ⁠the tide ​in England’s favour again before his injury, but stretching to complete ​a run, he looked to suffer a torn muscle.

England won the first ODI by 89 runs at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, and the decider ​will be at The Oval in London on Sunday.

Abrar has reached the number one spot for the first time in his career, overtaking Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan. He is also ranked second in the ODI bowling rankings, while Rashid holds the top spot in that format, with 39 rating points separating the two.

Abrar made his Test debut in December 2022 against England, while his ODI debut came against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in November 2024. He made his T20I debut against New Zealand in Rawalpindi in April 2024.

The right-arm mystery spinner from Karachi has featured in nine T20Is for Pakistan this year, taking 15 wickets. His 15 wickets included six in three matches at home against Australia, as Pakistan completed a 3-0 clean sweep in the series in January/February this year.

Abrar is currently part of the Pakistan squad that will feature in the Asian Games in Japan. The squad is taking part in a four-day training session in Karachi, which will conclude on Thursday.

Abrar said, “When you start playing cricket, you have only one dream to represent Pakistan. Once you achieve that, the next dream is to become world number one.”

He said, “I feel very proud to become the world number one bowler while representing Pakistan. I will continue working hard to achieve more success and win more matches for Pakistan. In the past, I had variations in my bowling, but consistency was an area I needed to improve. I worked hard on my consistency and that work has helped me improve a lot.”

He said, “My teammates always back me and give me confidence. They tell me that I can do the job for the team and their support means a lot to me. My teammates have played a big role in my journey and have always helped boost my confidence. The Asian Games are coming up and my aim is to perform well and help my team win matches and return to Pakistan with a gold medal.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

South Africa posted 297 for eight in their 50 overs and Australia were well on course after a fast start, until poor shot selection caused their charge to collapse and they finished on 230 all out, losing their last nine wickets for 101 runs.

Australia will welcome the likely return of captain Pat Cummins for the second match in the three-game series in Johannesburg on Sunday, but if this series is a fact-finding mission ahead of the 2027 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, there will be much food for thought.

“I’m pretty disappointed,” Australia captain Mitch Marsh said. “South Africa outplayed us. It was a good game of cricket but we fell well short.

“We had our opportunities, I am probably going to sound like a broken record speaking about having partnerships in our batting, but we weren’t able to form many tonight.”

Australia won the toss and decided to bowl, strangling the South African run-rate early on.

But when Breetzke came in at number four, he played conventional cricket shots to get his innings started, before he found a willing partner in big-hitting Marco Jansen.

Breetzke, who averages over 60 with the bat in his 15 ODIs, scored his 112 from 106 deliveries and Jansen equalled his career best with 75 in 59 deliveries.

Australia started their innings in brilliant fashion as Marsh blasted 60 from 36 balls and put on 90 in 9.2 overs for the first wicket with Travis Head (36 from 37 balls).

But too many batters threw their wickets away at the top of the order.

Jansen’s sensational diving one-handed catch in the outfield to dismiss Matt Renshaw (44) left Australia on 215-7, a position they never recovered from.

South African spinners Keshav Maharaj (4-20 in 9.2 overs) and Bjorn Fortuin (2-34 in 8) showed excellent control.

“Very satisfied, all round it was a good fight from the batters and bowlers,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said.

“Looking at how both innings started, we were under pressure in the first 10 overs in each, but we managed to get a very competitive score on that wicket.”

The pace bowler was rested for last week’s three-match series in Zimbabwe, where Marsh steered the side to runaway wins in their ​first two games but then a nerve-wracking, last-gasp triumph ​in Sunday’s final match of the series.

Marsh will continue ⁠in the role as Cummins shrugs off jet lag and ​concentrates on preparing for the three-test series against South Africa that ​starts next month.

“Pat’s main focus is the test group, and a lot of our bowlers and him in particular are preparing for that test ​series,” Marsh explained at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference in Durban.

“I’m ​hopeful that he’ll feature in this series at some stage, but while ‌he’s ⁠not, I’m very happy to do it.”

Cummins has played two out of a possible 31 ODIs since leading the team to the 2023 World Cup title and has not appeared for ​his country in ​the 50-over format ⁠since a nine-wicket loss to Pakistan in Adelaide almost two years ago.

But the 33-year-old could ​return for one or both of the remaining ​two ODIs, ⁠at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday and in Potchefstroom next week.

The two ODI series in Zimbabwe and South Africa offer ⁠an ideal ​chance to get used to conditions ​for next year’s World Cup, which the two southern African countries co-host with ​Namibia.

Bavuma said a fearsome pack of fast bowlers for touring teams to contend with is in South African cricket’s “DNA”, but they have had to cast the net wide for this series.

Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka and Ottneil Baartman were all ruled out with hamstring injuries, while Nandre Burger has a bad back.

It has left an inexperienced seam bowling line-up to take on Australia, with Lizaad Williams, the Jansen twins, Marco and Duan, Gerald Coetzee, Corbin Bosch and Nqobani Mokoena having played only 72 ODIs between them.

“I think we’re going to have to make the most of the bowling resources that we have from the seam department. There are options there. I think it’s just how smartly we approach managing the loads of our fast bowlers,” Bavuma told reporters on Wednesday.

“We want teams, when they come here, to know that they’re going to have to deal with our fast bowlers. That’s part of our DNA.”

South Africa have only played three ODIs in 2026 when a depleted squad swept Namibia 3-0 in a series this month.

But as they prepare to host the 2027 World Cup a year from now, this is a crucial season for the team in the 50-over format.

Starc wary of ‘unknown’ conditions on Australia tour of South Africa

“It’s been a while since this ODI team has come together,” Bavuma said. “I think there’s a strong desire to look after our ODI record of late and ensure that we’re putting our best foot forward out there on the field.

“From a team perspective, we generally know who those core players are (for the World Cup). I don’t think we will move away too much from that,” he added.

“We’ll see new faces coming in, but probably that England series (in January 2027) will be closer to what we think we will have for the World Cup.”

South Africa host Australia in a three-match one-day series starting on Thursday before the teams meet in a three-test series next month, Australia’s first test tour of the country in eight years.

With the tests scheduled for October, when rain is often a major factor in parts of South Africa, Starc said conditions could differ significantly from those traditionally associated with the country.

“There’s an element of the unknown,” Starc told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s part of test cricket and you just adapt to what’s in front of you.”

The 36-year-old, who took nine wickets in Australia’s last test at Durban, said recent wet weather could produce a different surface from the dry conditions that traditionally aid reverse swing.

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“It’s quite muggy and humid,” Starc said. “There has been talk about the rain before we got over here. It’s probably not that typical dry part of the season just yet.

“It could be interesting to see what the weather does over the next couple of days and then for the game as well.”

Starc also praised fast bowler Nathan Ellis, who impressed during Australia’s one-day series in Zimbabwe while several senior quicks were rested.

Ellis helped lead the attack in the absence of Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood and strengthened his case for a regular place in Australia’s one-day side.

“He is really pushing his case as a lock as a pick in the one-day team, and no doubt he’ll look to perform in these three as well,” he said.

The first test of the three-match series begins in Durban on October 9.

After electing to bat, England posted 265 all out in 48.1 overs, before ‌Sri Lanka limped their way to 176 all out in 37 overs in reply as the home side continued their good recent run in the format ahead of next year’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

England ​have won five of their last six ODI fixtures, a run that also includes two victories ​over Sri Lanka in Colombo in January.

“It wasn’t the easiest of surfaces but ⁠we want to be a team that can adapt to conditions and get a win when they ​are not in our favour and I thought we did that very well today,” England captain Harry ​Brook told Sky Sports.

“Jacks is an outstanding player and has been for many years now. The way he has come into this role in the middle order and played his part with the ball has been awesome.”

Their innings was given ​impetus by Brook’s 67 from 69 balls before he holed out at deep cover.

Jacks struck a ​fine unbeaten 46 from 47 balls, while Joe Root was bowled by debutant leg-spinner Sachindu Colombage for 44 from 52 ‌deliveries.

Colombage, ⁠28, picked up 3-44 in his 10 overs with Jos Buttler (31) another of his victims in a promising debut.

The wicket was a little slow, which made stroke-play more challenging, as England’s last five wickets added 69 runs after 300 had seemed on the cards at one point.

Seamer Asitha Fernando managed some swing ​and took 3-53 in ​his 9.1 overs.

Captain Kusal ⁠Mendis scored 42 from 60 balls but Sri Lanka could not stem the flow of wickets and, just as they have throughout the tour, struggled to ​form partnerships.

Flexible Jacks benefitting from new England role with bat and ball

Dunith Wellalage hit a brisk 45 from 36 deliveries but was one ​of three ⁠wickets for spinner Jacks in a single over to end the game.

“The bowlers did really well in the first innings, but our middle order was struggling a little when we were batting. We have to try ⁠and create ​something more special in the middle order and had to ​score more boundaries earlier (in the innings),” Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis said.

The second match in the series will be played in ​Leeds on Thursday, before a final clash at The Oval on Sunday.

When Jacks first came into the ODI side in 2023, he mostly batted in the top three and was bowled sparingly, but as England look ahead to the 2027 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and ​Namibia, his role is evolving.

His first 15 ODIs batting mostly higher up the order ​saw him average 31.20 with the bat and 45.00 with the ball.

But ⁠since dropping down the order to number 6 or 7, in the last 12 matches ​he has played his batting average has risen to 42.83 and his bowling average dropped to ​34.60.

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He was a match-winner against Sri Lanka with his five-wicket haul and an unbeaten 46 with the bat, earning praise from captain Harry Brook.

“The way he has come into this role in the middle order and played ​his part with the ball has been awesome,” Brook told Sky Sports.

Jacks could be particularly ​well suited to the conditions at next year’s World Cup, having played with success for several seasons in ‌South Africa’s ⁠SA20, giving him an understanding of white-ball conditions there.

“It is about playing the situation and going into each game with an open mind, see what the situation is and play accordingly,” Jacks said.

“What we have been doing really well recently is communicating what the pitch is like ​and what sort of ​score we would like. ⁠Joe and Harry were saying … 275-280 would be a good score.

“When I got out there (to bat), I found it quite difficult and thought it ​might be a bit lower, but in 50-over cricket you have ​more time than ⁠you think and we could catch up a little bit in the end.”

Jacks has also previously been used in the opening overs of a bowling innings, but on this occasion came later on.

“Having ⁠batted ​on it, I knew I would play a decent role (with ​the ball). When I bowl does not matter to me, Harry likes to be flexible,” he said.

The second match in ​the three-game series will be played in Leeds on Thursday.

New Zealand host India in five T20s, five one-day internationals (ODIs) and two tests, with the opening T20 in Christchurch on October 22.

Thirteen members of the squad that finished runners-up to India at this year’s T20 World Cup have been retained, with Bracewell and Milne returning after missing the tournament through injury.

Rachin Ravindra, who dislocated his right shoulder during a promotional shoot last week, has been ruled out of the T20 series but is expected to return for the ODIs.

Openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen are set to reunite for the first time since New Zealand’s run to the T20 World Cup final.

Fast bowler Ben Sears was unavailable for selection as he continues his rehabilitation from an ankle injury.

“We’re very fortunate with the depth that we’ve got to call upon, so we’ll look to use all 16 squad members throughout the series as we manage workloads,” coach Rob Walter said.

SQUAD: Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Nathan Smith.‑Reuters

The 36-year-old Wood, who played 38 tests, 70 one-day internationals and 38 Twenty20s, last featured for England in November in the first test of the 4-1 Ashes series defeat by Australia.

“Although this may not come as a surprise given the past year, it just feels like a natural time at the end of my contract,” Wood, who has also dealt with persistent ankle and elbow injuries in his career, wrote on social media.

“I’ve always tried to be resilient and come back from injury to prove people wrong and show everyone what I can do. Unfortunately, this time I lost the battle.

“On medical advice, test cricket and 50-over cricket are not possible, so the England dream has slowly been ground out of me over the last year.”

Wood, capable of bowling ferociously fast spells, broke into England’s test squad in 2015 and bowled Australia’s Nathan Lyon at Trent Bridge to seal their last Ashes victory 11 years ago. He was also among England’s standout bowlers in the 2021-22 series, claiming 17 wickets.

He played a key role in England’s 50-over World Cup victory on home soil in 2019, taking 18 wickets in 10 matches, and was part of the squad which won the T20 World Cup in 2022.

“I got to live out a dream and I hope I can continue playing cricket in some capacity and pursuing other challenges in the future,” Wood added.

Electing to bat, India’s batters struggled on a placid pitch and slow outfield with only skipper Shreyas Iyer (16) managing a double-digit score as they posted 32-4.

The home side scored 30-3 in reply to fall just short of a memorable victory in the first T20 between the sides.

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Japan had used diplomatic channels to line up the high-profile match against India, who planned to use the game to get used to conditions in Japan before beginning their Asian Games title defence.

Cummins and Starc sat ​out the 3-0 series win in ⁠Zimbabwe over the last week but ​will play in the series in South ​Africa, which starts in Durban on Thursday.

Edwards, 26, is in line to make his ODI debut ​after diverting from the Australia A ​tour of India, while fast bowlers Billy Stanlake and ‌Spencer ⁠Johnson return home after competing in Zimbabwe.

Stanlake suffered a side strain and will have medical scans on his return to ​Australia. Johnson ​was ⁠deemed surplus to requirements after playing two of the three matches ​in Harare.

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Edwards has played a ​single ⁠Twenty20 international against Pakistan in January and offers cover with Cameron Green struggling with ⁠a ​sore shoulder, which caused ​him to sit out the three fixtures in Zimbabwe.

Pietersen, England’s third-highest run scorer across all formats, was appointed as a specialist mentor to the white-ball teams this month, in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup.

In the 46-year-old’s first series as part of the set-up, England completed a 3-0 whitewash of a spin-heavy Sri Lanka side to replace India at the top of the Twenty20 world rankings.

“KP has been very good,” Brook told reporters on Monday. “He’s enjoying the role, he’s enjoying himself … He was a hero to many of us growing up, so it’s good to have a man of his calibre in our side.”

The 27-year-old said Pietersen had held a masterclass for the squad on playing spin, adding:

“A lot of it was about picking the length of spin. That is key to facing spin and being able to rotate strike as well as possible.“In ODI cricket that’s an area we probably need to improve as a side. It can make a massive difference to winning games of cricket.

“He (Pietersen) was a hell of a player against spin, alongside (Joe) Root and (Marcus) Trescothick.

They were very good players at playing spin, so it’s about picking their brains and asking them what worked for them and putting that into your game.“

England next host Sri Lanka in a three-match one-day international series, beginning later on Tuesday.

“We can take a hell of a lot of confidence from being unbeaten in the T20s,” Brook said.

“Going into this ODI series we want more of the same. We’re trying to play a higher-octane style of cricket and put them under pressure with bat and ball.

“We want to be one of the fittest sides in the world. To do that, we’ve got to work hard on and off the field. We are trending in the right direction. There are a few touches here and there which we can improve.”