Report
Gurbaz and Ibrahim set up Afghanistan's series-sweeping show
The openers put on a 159-run partnership to help beat Zimbabwe 3-0
Sreshth Shah
02-Nov-2025
Afghanistan 210 for 3 (Gurbaz 92, Ibrahim 60, Evans 2-33) beat Zimbabwe 201 (Raza 51, Bennett 47, Abdollah 3-42) by nine runs
On a flat pitch in Harare, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided a demonstration of what a modern T20 opening stand looks like with their clean swings of the bat and ruthless targeting of the bowlers. Their 159-run partnership lifted Afghanistan to 210 for 3 and, despite a spirited chase led by Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza, Brian Bennett, and Ryan Burl, the visitors closed out the game to complete a 3-0 series sweep.
Afghanistan's nine-run win on Sunday without Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai - both rested - completed a superb turnaround on the tour after going down by an innings and 73 runs in the one-off Test last month. They have now won 19 out of the 21 T20Is played between the two sides.
Full postDeepti, Shafali star as India savour World Cup glory
Laura Wolvaardt backed up a century in the semi-final with another one in the final but South Africa fell short in a chase of 299
Karthik Krishnaswamy
02-Nov-2025
India 298 for 7 (Shafali 87, Deepti 58, Mandhana 45, Ghosh 34, Khaka 3-58) beat South Africa 246 (Wolvaardt 101, Dercksen 35, Deepti 5-39, Shafali 2-36) by 52 runs
This had been India's World Cup all along. As hosts. As the emerging global powerhouse of women's cricket. As the team that has pushed the sport's hegemonic force harder than any other, defeating it twice in semi-finals. As the team whose time had been too long in coming.
On Sunday, India made it their World Cup by winning it. Shafali Verma capped an extraordinary week with an extraordinary display in the final: 87 off 78 balls to set up a total of 298 for 7, and two unexpected wickets of characteristic cheek at a crucial juncture in a chase that threatened more than once to turn into a nailbiter. Deepti Sharma, a world-class offspinner who has raised her batting to a new level this year, backed up a run-a-ball half-century with a five-wicket haul that combined old-school overspin with new-age defensive skills. India won by 52 runs, and that margin disguised how much tension this final contained.
Full postKamboj, Suthar take India A home after Pant 90
India A lost three quick wickets in the morning session but an unbroken eighth-wicket stand between Suthar and Kamboj helped seal the win
Shashank Kishore
02-Nov-2025
India A 234 (Mhatre 65, Subrayen 5-61) and 277 for 7 (Pant 90, Badoni 34, van Vuuren 3-56) beat South Africa A 309 (Jordan 71, Hamza 66, Rubin 54, Kotian 4-83) and 199 (Hamza 37, Senokwane 37, Kotian 4-26) by three wickets
An unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 62 between Anshul Kamboj and Manav Suthar guided India A to a thrilling three-wicket victory over South Africa A in the first four-day fixture at Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence on Sunday.
India A's chase of 275 looked on shaky grounds when they lost three quick wickets - all to short-pitched bowling - in the morning session. Then Suthar, with a first-class highest of 96, stonewalled the fast bowlers into frustration, allowing Kamboj to feast on some tired bowling in the second session to seal victory.
Full postArshdeep and Washington help India level the series against Australia
Tim David's 74 off 38 took the hosts to 186 for 6 in Hobart but it was not enough
Alex Malcolm
02-Nov-2025
India 188 for 5 (Washington 49*, Ellis 3-36) beat Australia 186 for 6 (David 74, Stoinis 64, Arshdeep 3-35) by five wickets
India finally won a toss and their three inclusions in Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar and Jitesh Sharma all made superb contributions as they withstood a stunning innings from Tim David to cruise to a five-wicket win in Hobart and level the series at 1-1.
Arshdeep was Player of the Match for his 3 for 35, including the key scalps of Travis Head, Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis for a fine 64, to help restrict Australia to 186 for 6 despite David's devastating 74 off 38. Varun Chakravarthy picked up two key wickets and Jasprit Bumrah was also miserly with the ball.
Full postBabar 68, Shaheen three-for headline Pakistan's 2-1 series win
Bosch scored an unbeaten 30 and picked up two wickets but was unable to deny Pakistan a comfortable win
Danyal Rasool
01-Nov-2025
Pakistan 140 for 6 (Babar 68, Agha 33, Bosch 2-24, Williams 2-26) beat South Africa 139 for 9 (Hendricks 34, Shaheen 3-26, Tariq 2-26, Faheem 2-28) by four wickets
Finally, Pakistan's crowd got what they wanted. Babar Azam struck an imperious 68 off 47 balls to take charge of a flagging Pakistani chase of 140, helping them ultimately cruise to the finish line with four wickets and one over to spare. It was his 37th T20I half-century overall, and his first since May 2024, helping Pakistan seal the series 2-1 against South Africa.
The game appeared far from certain despite a relatively modest chase after Saim Ayub holed out softly for a six-ball duck. Corbin Bosch was Pakistan's usual tormentor with a tight pair of overs, with George Linde also typically miserly as the visitors began to squeeze. Sahibzada Farhan and Salman Agha both struggled for touch early, and by the eighth over, the asking rate was beginning to approach eight.
Full postPant dazzles with unbeaten fifty to keep India A alive in 275 chase
Kotian and Kamboj shared seven wickets between them in South Africa A's second innings
Shashank Kishore
01-Nov-2025
India A 234 and 119 for 4 (Pant 64*, Patidar 28, Moreki 2-12, van Vuuren 1-20) need another 156 runs to beat South Africa A 309 and 199 (Hamza 37, Senokwane 37, Kotian 4-26, Kamboj 3-39)
A few hundred fans lined the boundary wall of the BCCI Centre of Excellence, peering through barbed-wire fences for a glimpse of Rishabh Pant in action. Spectator entry was barred, but that didn't deter them as a lot of them spent hours watching from outside.
Their patience was richly rewarded as Pant made a fluent and an unbeaten half-century that carried the promise of much more to come on Sunday. His third-wicket stand of 87 with Rajat Patidar steadied India A after a top-order wobble in pursuit of 275 in the first four-day fixture against South Africa A.
Full postBlair Tickner and Zak Foulkes seal tense win to complete 3-0 sweep of England
England's top order struggled again in ideal seam-bowling conditions in Wellington
Alan Gardner
01-Nov-2025
New Zealand 226 for 8 (Ravindra 46, Overton 2-22) beat England 222 (Overton 68, Tickner 4-64, Duffy 3-56) by two wickets
New Zealand scrambled to a tense two-wicket victory in Wellington to seal a 3-0 sweep of the ODIs after England's top-order was filleted once again. Jamie Overton slammed 68 off 62 from No. 8 to help England make a game of it but the armchair Ashes critics were given plenty more ammunition by another misfiring display before they hop across the Tasman.
It had appeared New Zealand would get the job done in routine fashion, as Daryl Mitchell anchored their chase of 223. But from 188 for 5 they slid to 196 for 8, with Mitchell the eighth man out for 44, edging Sam Curran behind. With more than 10 overs still to be bowled, however, there was time enough for Blair Tickner and Zak Foulkes to tick off the runs required in an unbroken ninth-wicket stand.
Full postRashid three-for, Ibrahim fifty lead Afghanistan to series win
A rapid powerplay meant the Afghanistan batters were never troubled during their chase of 126
Alagappan Muthu
31-Oct-2025
Afghanistan 129 for 3 (Ibrahim 57*, Evans 2-21) beat Zimbabwe 125 (Raza 37, Rashid 3-9. Mujeeb 2-26, Abdollah 2-28) by seven wickets
Afghanistan cruised to a series victory over Zimbabwe, with Ibrahim Zadran backing up a disciplined bowling performance with a half-century of his own. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Abdollah Ahmadzai and Rashid Khan had limited the hosts to 125 all out in Harare, setting up a straight-forward chase.
Mujeeb stifles
Mirza, Faheem and Ayub star as marauding Pakistan make it 1-1
Ayub smashed an unbeaten 71 off 38 balls after Pakistan's seamers rolled South Africa over for 110
Firdose Moonda
31-Oct-2025
Pakistan 112 for 1 (Ayub 71*, Farhan 28*) beat South Africa 110 (Brevis 25, Ashraf 4-23, Mirza 3-14) by nine wickets
From the ruins of Rawalpindi, Pakistan rallied to level the T20I series against South Africa and romped to a nine wicket win in Lahore.
The match was all but over in the first 10 overs, when South Africa slipped to 66 for 6 after stunning spells from left-arm quick Salman Mirza, playing in his sixth T20I, Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf. Pakistan used pace-off balls to excellent effect and South Africa put on one of their poorer displays of shot selection in a performance they will want to forget. Only one batter, Dewald Brevis, got past 20, and only one partnership did the same. With Lhuan-dre Pretorius on the bench, South Africa may want to rethink their line-up heading into tomorrow's decider.
Full postSubrayen five-for puts South Africa A in strong position
Mhatre's 65 gave India A a strong start, but they slumped from 90 for no loss to 234 all out to concede a 75-run first-innings lead
Shashank Kishore
31-Oct-2025
South Africa A 309 (J Hermann 71, Hamza 66, R Hermann 54, Kotian 4-83) and 30 for 0 lead India A 234 (Mhatre 65, Badoni 38, Sai Sudharsan 32, Subrayen 5-61) by 105 runs
Prenelan Subrayen is, in every sense, a marathon man. How else does one describe a cricketer whose spirit refuses to be dimmed, even after the repeated heartbreak of being reported for a suspect action? Each time he has been forced to rebuild, he has returned with more fire, more resolve, more love for his craft than before.
At 32, Subrayen's career is just two Tests old. Earlier this month in Pakistan, he played the first Test in Lahore, and made way when Keshav Maharaj returned from injury for the second Test in Rawalpindi. Then, last week, he learned of his non-selection for the India tour.
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