Steve Smith ruled out until Australia’s December Tests against New Zealand

Steve Smith ruled out until Australia’s December Tests against New Zealand

Cricket Australia says Steve Smith has a cervical facet joint injury and is not expected to be available for selection until the home Test series against New Zealand in December. Smith developed neck pain on the fourth day of the second Test against South Africa and withdrew from the series decider in Cape Town after scans confirmed the injury and limited range of motion.

Smith’s absence opened the door for Josh Inglis, who was unbeaten on 85 as Australia reached 330 for 4 in reply to South Africa’s 329. Matt Renshaw made 74, Cameron Green scored 65 and Alex Carey was 51 not out.

BCCI plans to consider adding teams to the WPL

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the board plans to hold discussions about increasing the Women’s Premier League from its current five teams. He said the conversations would also consider other areas for improvement and involve players, coaches, selectors and other stakeholders.

At the WPL auction, Australia captain Sophie Molineux was the most expensive signing, joining UP Warriorz for ₹1.10 crore. Delhi Capitals bought Kiran Navgire for ₹75 lakh, while 15-year-old Uma Kashvi joined the Capitals for ₹10 lakh, becoming the youngest player to secure a WPL contract, according to Hindustan Times.

Mumbai Indians part ways with Malinga and two other coaches

Mumbai Indians announced that Lasith Malinga, Paras Mhambrey and Carl Hopkinson are leaving the men’s team coaching setup. Malinga played a leading role in four of the franchise’s IPL title-winning campaigns before returning as a mentor and coach; he rejoined as bowling coach in 2024.

The departures follow the club’s decision to part ways with head coach Mahela Jayawardene. Kieron Pollard, previously the batting coach, has been elevated to head coach.

New Zealand call up Fisher after Ferguson injury

New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson will miss the rest of the T20I series against India after scans showed a low-grade tear in his right calf. Matt Fisher has been named as his replacement for the fourth and fifth matches.

Matt Henry also has a low-grade tear, requiring an estimated one to two weeks of recovery. New Zealand coach Rob Walter said the team hoped both fast bowlers would be involved in the ODI series against India.

Ireland captain Stirling out with broken finger; White retires

Ireland captain Paul Stirling will return home after breaking a finger on his left hand while fielding against Namibia. Tim Tector has been called up for the remaining two matches of the tour; he has played eight T20Is for Ireland but is uncapped in ODIs.

Ireland leg-spinner Ben White has announced his retirement from representative cricket at 28. Cricket Ireland and the ICC report that he finished with 41 international wickets across the three formats, and was part of Ireland’s squads for three T20 World Cups.

Ranji Trophy round three brings wins for several contenders

Vidarbha beat Goa by an innings and 27 runs, with Harsh Dubey taking four wickets after the innings break, and secured a bonus point. Mumbai beat Haryana by 10 wickets, while Karnataka defeated Tripura by an innings and 116 runs.

Bengal beat Kerala by 287 runs and Tamil Nadu defeated Railways by five wickets, according to Hindustan Times. The Hindu’s round-up also reported wins for Saurashtra and Chhattisgarh.

Waqar Younis picks Tendulkar, Kohli and Dhoni in rapid-fire comparisons

Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis chose Sachin Tendulkar over Inzamam-ul-Haq, Virat Kohli over Babar Azam and MS Dhoni over Javed Miandad in a rapid-fire interview. He also picked Jasprit Bumrah over Shaheen Afridi and selected Saeed Anwar over Virender Sehwag.