Bavuma’s South Africa beat Australia to win Test series

South Africa rally to beat Australia and claim Test series

South Africa bounced back from a 214-run defeat in the opening Test to win the three-match series against Australia. The teams’ second Test ended in an innings-and-31-run victory for South Africa, and the hosts also won the decider to claim the series.

The series featured two major reversals: South Africa recovered from 110 for 6 to reach 425 for 9 in the second Test, while Australia built a 100-run first-innings advantage in the decider before South Africa rallied to make 387.

Zaman century powers Pakistan to tri-series title

Fakhar Zaman’s 127 off 99 balls led Pakistan to a three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the ODI tri-series final in Lahore. Chasing 326, Pakistan made 331 for 7 with nine balls to spare, matching the highest successful chase in an ODI final.

Zaman and Saad Baig, who scored 74, put on 149 after Pakistan lost two early wickets. Arafat Minhas and Hasan Nawaz then shared a 94-run stand to finish the chase. Sri Lanka had made 325 for 8, with Kamindu Mendis scoring 131 and Pavan Rathnayake making 77. The win gave Pakistan its first ODI tri-series title since 2008.

Boyle and Foxcroft lift New Zealand A after early collapse

Matthew Boyle and Dean Foxcroft put New Zealand A back in the second unofficial Test against India A, reaching stumps on 218 for 3 after an unbeaten 205-run partnership. Boyle was 107 not out and Foxcroft 80 not out, leaving New Zealand A 128 runs behind.

Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar had reduced the hosts to 13 for 3 inside the first eight overs. India A had earlier been bowled out for 346, with captain Dhruv Jurel scoring 105 and Akash Deep making 68.

Gambhir backs India’s approach after T20I series win

India coach Gautam Gambhir said he can feel mentally drained by the demands of coaching across formats but is prepared to handle the pressure. He said there was no place for fear or excuses in his approach.

India won the five-match T20I series against New Zealand 3-2 after taking the first three games and losing the last two. Gambhir praised the team’s start after a 15-hour flight and one practice session. Captain Shreyas Iyer said India needed to improve its bowling and fielding.

Gardner’s 124 and three wickets lead Sixers past Hurricanes

Ashleigh Gardner struck 124 off 60 balls after Sydney Sixers slumped to 6 for 3, helping them reach 196 against Hobart Hurricanes. Alice Capsey added an unbeaten 54, and the pair shared a 176-run fourth-wicket stand.

Gardner also took three wickets as the Hurricanes were bowled out for 109, giving the Sixers an 87-run win. The result left Sydney 2-0 for the season and Hobart 0-2.

Tasmania beat New South Wales by an innings

Tasmania defeated New South Wales by an innings as the Blues’ top order again failed, Cricket Australia reported. Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson and Kurtis Patterson fell cheaply on day two.

After being forced to follow on, New South Wales were dismissed for 144 in their second innings. Jackson Bird and Owen shared six wickets, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Tilak may join India A; Pant ruled out of third match

Tilak Varma is likely to join India A for its third unofficial Test against New Zealand A, Times of India Cricket reported. The match begins November 7, and the selectors want to give Tilak red-ball experience before he joins India’s ODI squad.

Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the India A match as a precaution after a side strain, Sportstar reported. He had resumed skill training but had no confirmed return date, leaving his availability for the first Test against New Zealand in doubt. Times of India Cricket also reported that Jasprit Bumrah was set to travel to New Zealand on November 1.

Yousuf urges Babar to seek specialist coaching

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf urged Babar Azam to address technical issues with specialist coaching in England or Australia before returning to first-class cricket. Yousuf warned that struggling in domestic matches could further hurt Babar’s confidence.

The advice followed Babar’s duck in Pakistan’s tri-series final win over Sri Lanka. He was scheduled to represent Lahore in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy from November 3, ahead of a two-Test series against Sri Lanka beginning November 9.

Afghanistan beat Australia to win maiden Hong Kong Sixes title

Afghanistan won the Hong Kong Sixes title for the first time, beating Australia by four wickets in the final. Australia made 115 for 4 in six overs; Afghanistan reached 119 for 2 in 5.1 overs.

Imran Mir hit an unbeaten 53 off 14 balls, and Farmanullah Safi made an unbeaten 26 off seven. Afghanistan went through the tournament unbeaten, according to CricTracker.

Muzumdar sees specialist T20 players emerging for India women

India women’s coach Amol Muzumdar said he believes a specialist T20I squad is not far away, pointing to talent coming through the under-15 and under-19 programmes at the Centre of Excellence. He described Indian women’s cricket as being in a healthy state.

Muzumdar said the team’s goal is to dominate and praised the professionalism and athleticism of younger players. India women are in a transition after Smriti Mandhana replaced Harmanpreet Kaur as captain.

Saxena looks to turn rare Mumbai chances into big scores

Divyaansh Saxena has played three first-class matches for Mumbai since his debut three years ago and is aiming to make the most of a new opportunity. The 25-year-old has scored 9, 10 and an unbeaten 30 in his matches this season.

Saxena said it had been frustrating to miss chances despite scoring runs elsewhere. His unbeaten 30 came in a successful chase on a turning pitch, where he partnered Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Mumbai had collected 21 points from its first three Ranji Trophy matches, Sportstar reported.

Duffy relishes prospect of facing former RCB teammate Kohli

New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy said he is looking forward to facing Virat Kohli in the ODI series against India after sharing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru dressing room with him. Duffy praised Kohli’s work ethic and said the two regularly faced each other in practice.

The five-match ODI series was due to begin in Auckland on November 4. Duffy also said the 2027 ODI World Cup was high on his priority list.

Kishan breaks India’s calendar-year T20I run record

Ishan Kishan set an Indian record for most T20I runs in a calendar year with his 61 off 32 balls against New Zealand in Hamilton. His 2026 tally reached 1,220, surpassing Suryakumar Yadav’s previous record of 1,164 in 2022.

The innings also took Kishan past 2,000 T20I runs. He became the seventh Indian to reach the mark, with 2,016 runs in 69 matches. India lost the fifth match by seven wickets but had already secured the series.

Pietersen says consultant role did not require Pakistan trip

Kevin Pietersen said he is a consultant to England’s cricket team, not a full-time employee, and will not travel with the white-ball side for every assignment. His absence during England’s Pakistan trip drew attention after he was seen at a golf tournament in Delhi.

Pietersen said he would join England in Australia for its upcoming white-ball tour. His mentoring contract runs through the 2027 ODI World Cup.