Chapman and Ravindra ruled out of New Zealand’s ODI series against India

Chapman and Ravindra ruled out of New Zealand’s ODI series against India

New Zealand will be without Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra for the full five-match ODI series against India, which begins November 4. New Zealand Cricket said an MRI showed Chapman needs another two weeks of rehabilitation for his left hamstring, while Ravindra needs more time to recover from a right shoulder injury before he can field at full capacity.

Tim Seifert, initially selected for the fourth and fifth ODIs, will now be available for the full series. Henry Nicholls is in the squad for the first three matches and Dean Foxcroft for the last two. Matt Henry will join the squad and be assessed for match readiness, while Matt Fisher will remain with the group for the full series as an additional bowling option.

Australia leave Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc out of England white-ball series

Australia have rested Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc for the three-match ODI series against England, which begins in Perth on November 13. Cummins and Hazlewood are also absent from the five-match T20 series starting November 21; Starc has retired from T20 cricket.

Mitchell Marsh will captain the ODI side in Cummins’ absence. Fast bowler Mahli Beardman is named in both squads and could make his ODI debut, while uncapped wicketkeepers Sam Harper and Lachlan Shaw are selected for the T20s.

Afghanistan reach their highest ODI ranking at No. 6

Afghanistan have climbed to sixth in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, their highest position since gaining ODI status in 2009. They have moved ahead of Sri Lanka, having already ranked above Bangladesh, England and the West Indies.

The rise follows a 4-0 away series win over Ireland and an unbeaten run in a tri-series with Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Afghanistan have won 96 of 191 ODIs, and are next scheduled to play Zimbabwe in a two-Test series.

India A name Tilak Varma captain for Rising Stars Asia Cup

Tilak Varma will captain India A at the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha, with Rajat Patidar named vice-captain. The 15-player squad includes Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rinku Singh, Prince Yadav and the returning Harshit Rana.

India A are in Group B with Pakistan A, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates, and open against Nepal on November 20. The tournament runs from November 19 to 29, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the semifinals on November 26 and 27.

Gambhir says India’s inexperienced bowlers face key test in ODI series

India coach Gautam Gambhir called the bowling attack the team’s biggest challenge ahead of the five-match ODI series in New Zealand. With Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya unavailable, Mohammed Siraj, who has played 51 ODIs, is the most experienced fast bowler in the group; Arshdeep Singh has played 18, while Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj have one each.

Gambhir said the bowlers would deserve much of the credit if India succeed, pointing to the greater experience in the batting lineup. He also said Abhishek Sharma had worked on his play against off-spin during the T20I series against New Zealand.

Pakistan fined for slow over rate in tri-series final win

Pakistan have been fined 5% of their match fee after being ruled one over short of the required rate in the ODI Tri-Series final against Sri Lanka in Lahore on October 31. Match referee Jeff Crowe imposed the sanction under the ICC Code of Conduct.

Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi pleaded guilty and accepted the penalty, so no hearing was required. Pakistan won the final by three wickets, chasing 326 with nine balls to spare, with Fakhar Zaman scoring 127.

Salil Arora and Sanvir Singh rescue Punjab with unbeaten centuries

Salil Arora and Sanvir Singh hit unbeaten hundreds to lift Punjab to 276 for 5 against Andhra on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match. Arora was 111 not out and Singh 100 not out, sharing an unbroken 205-run stand for the sixth wicket after Punjab had slumped to 51 for 4.

Arora’s century was his fourth in as many matches this season, following hundreds against Assam, Chhattisgarh and Hyderabad. Andhra had reduced Punjab to 84 for 5 by lunch, but the pair steadied the innings as the pitch eased.

Scorchers defend 124 to beat Stars by 15 runs

Perth Scorchers beat Melbourne Stars by 15 runs in the Women’s Big Bash League on November 2, defending a total of 124 for 9 and bowling the Stars out for 109 in 18.1 overs. Sophie Devine took 4 for 19 and Alana King 3 for 17.

Meg Lanning top-scored for the Stars with 41. King’s three wickets included a double-wicket maiden in the 18th over, helping seal the Scorchers’ win.

Irfan Pathan, Mark Boucher and Waqar Younis named Afghanistan Premier League mentors

Irfan Pathan, Mark Boucher, Waqar Younis, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Azhar Mahmood have been named mentors for the five franchises in the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League. The competition is scheduled to begin on December 27, with its players’ draft set for November 3 in Dubai.

Rashid Khan will captain the Kandahar Warriors, with Pathan as mentor. Boucher will mentor Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s Nangarhar side, while Younis will work with the Paktia team, captained by Rahmat Shah.

Asa Tribe barred from England Lions tour after Kenya trip

Glamorgan batter Asa Tribe cannot join the England Lions squad in Saint Kitts and Nevis after travelling to Kenya to play one-day matches for Jersey. The host country has a 21-day entry restriction for non-nationals who have been in Kenya, according to an England and Wales Cricket Board spokesperson. Tribe has returned to the UK, and the board is in contact with the relevant authorities.

England Lions opened their series against West Indies A with an eight-wicket win. Captain Thomas Rew made 50 not out as the Lions reached their target of 99 in 10.1 overs.

Ireland’s Rebecca Stokell enters voluntary suspension

Ireland Women’s player Rebecca Stokell has accepted responsibility for an inadvertent breach of reporting requirements involving prescription medication and entered a voluntary suspension while the ICC investigates. Cricket Ireland said the substance was acknowledged as non-performance-enhancing.

Stokell said she accepted that she was responsible for following anti-doping rules and had entered the suspension period while awaiting the investigation’s findings. Cricket Ireland said the incident was a reminder of players’ responsibilities under the rules.

Verreynne and Prince reprimanded over dissent in South Africa Test

South Africa batter Kyle Verreynne and batting coach Ashwell Prince have each received an official reprimand and one demerit point for dissent during the third Test against Australia. The ICC said the incident followed a dispute over whether a review request after Marques Ackerman’s dismissal was made within the permitted 15-second window.

Prince and Verreynne admitted the offence and accepted the sanctions, so no formal hearing was held. The ICC said each demerit point was the first recorded for the individual in a rolling 24-month period.

Australia coach backs team after South Africa Test series defeat

Australia coach Andrew McDonald acknowledged that his team underperformed in its 2-1 Test series defeat in South Africa, but defended the squad amid criticism. He said the team would reassess Marnus Labuschagne’s position after he scored 131 runs in the series, while also saying Australia planned for Steve Smith to play against New Zealand despite his neck problem.

McDonald pointed to Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw and Josh Inglis as positives from the tour. Australia’s repeated batting collapses were a feature of the defeat: ABC reported the team had been 4 for 95 or worse in 14 of its previous 25 Test innings.