Keemo Paul and Shai Hope sink India as series levels 2-2, Arshdeep hurt before decider

West Indies level series as Arshdeep injury clouds decider

West Indies beat India by 24 runs in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad to level the five-match series 2-2, with Shai Hope smashing an unbeaten 102 off 50 balls to power the tourists to 247 for three. Keemo Paul's five wickets proved decisive as India's chase stalled despite a quickfire 56 off 23 balls from Sanju Samson. Paul removed Samson and Ishan Kishan in the fifth over, and though Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy added 70 for the sixth wicket, India finished short of the target.

Late in the chase, Shamar Joseph kept following a visibly hurt Arshdeep Singh with short balls, drawing an angry on‑air rebuke from Sunil Gavaskar, who said, “Would it not be simpler to just aim at the stumps? He knows that he is moving away to the left. Just aim at the stumps. Don’t aim at him. He is aiming at him.” Arshdeep eventually had to retire hurt, heightening concern ahead of the series decider in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Sanju Samson said after the game there is "no replacement for Jasprit Bumrah," who is resting for workload reasons, leaving India's attack exposed. Samson nonetheless backed Arshdeep and Prince Yadav to grow into bigger roles.

Australia women sweep Bangladesh, Schutt sets Allan Border Field record

Australia completed a 3-0 one-day sweep of Bangladesh with an eight-wicket win in the final match at Allan Border Field, bowling Bangladesh out for 172. Megan Schutt took four for 16 from 10 overs, while Ellyse Perry made 65 not out and Annabel Sutherland 74 not out to finish the chase in the 23rd over.

Schutt finished the series with 10 wickets at an average of 7.1 and now has 28 wickets in 14 one-dayers at that ground, the most of any bowler in history there. Australia remain unbeaten in this cycle of the ICC Women's Championship at six wins from six, while Bangladesh have lost five straight and sit eighth with two points.

Zak Crawley loses England contract, signs back at Kent

England did not renew Zak Crawley's central contract, with the batter and Luke Wood the only two players to lose deals on performance grounds this cycle. Three days later, Crawley signed a one-year extension at Kent. He has not played a Test since last winter's Ashes finale in Sydney and averaged 27.3 across that series.

Crawley called Kent "my boyhood county" and said he is looking forward to helping its young players after the county won promotion back to Division One.

Busy October calendar: India host Zimbabwe, Tests resume, tri-series and Hong Kong Sixes

India’s women host Zimbabwe for their first-ever bilateral series, with three T20Is in Raipur starting October 16 followed by three one-dayers in Vadodara from October 23. It is Smriti Mandhana's first assignment as full-time captain, and the ODIs count toward the ICC Women's Championship.

South Africa and Australia resume their Test series with the second Test starting October 18 at St George's Park in Gqeberha, followed by the third at Newlands from October 27. South Africa trail after losing the first Test by 214 runs in Durban.

Sri Lanka, Pakistan and England begin an ODI tri-series on October 18 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, a round-robin with the top two reaching the October 31 final as World Cup preparation. Separately, Sri Lanka have named their Hong Kong Sixes squad, captained by Sangeeth Cooray, for the tournament running October 30 to November 1 in Kowloon. The World Championship of Legends also reaches its semifinals on Friday at Sharjah, with South Africa Champions facing England Champions and Australia Champions meeting West Indies Champions.

Trent Boult commits to full Big Bash season with Sydney Thunder

CricTracker reports that Trent Boult has committed to the entire BBL 2026-27 season, including finals, pairing with fellow New Zealander Lockie Ferguson at Sydney Thunder. Thunder coach Andrew Flintoff has said he hopes the pairing can fix the club's new-ball wicket-taking after what CricTracker describes as back-to-back last-place finishes, and the outlet notes a potential calendar overlap because the BBL is scheduled to finish January 26 while MI Cape Town’s SA20 campaign, where Boult is expected to play, begins January 20.

Pietersen's gambling sponsorship creates awkward ECB timing

Kevin Pietersen has signed as brand ambassador for gambling company Dafabet but told the ECB he will not promote it while working as England's white-ball mentor, a role covering around 150 days over the next 13 months. The board's anti-corruption code bans players from encouraging anyone to bet on cricket, and it previously investigated Brendon McCullum's own betting-company ambassador deal without finding a breach.

Hardik Pandya ruled out, Santner plots against India's power hitters

Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the India A series against Australia A with a fresh injury and replaced by Suryansh Shedge. That series was meant to prove his fitness to bowl 10 overs ahead of India's five-match ODI tour of New Zealand starting November 4. He has not played an ODI since last year's Champions Trophy final.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said holding India to around 200 would be a good outcome for his bowlers given the power through the lineup of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson and teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. That series starts October 22.

BCCI steps in to rescue Arunachal Pradesh's season

Arunachal Pradesh forfeited its Ranji Trophy opener against Nagaland and missed two age-group tournaments amid an internal legal battle. The BCCI appointed a three-member selection committee so the team can still play Sikkim in Nadiad from October 18. Secretary Devajit Saikia said the board wants to ensure "no player is denied opportunities because of circumstances beyond their control."

Sunrisers bring Natarajan home, Kent trade for Delhi

Sunrisers Hyderabad have brought T Natarajan home for a fraction of his old price, while Zak Crawley's week took him from England's central contract list to a new deal at Kent days later.