Cricket

India's dominance at home is under threat as they face the prospect of a historic whitewash against New Zealand in the third and final Test in Mumbai. The Kiwis have already secured an unassailable 2-0 lead, putting India's top spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) table in jeopardy.The defeats in Bengaluru and Pune have exposed the fragility of India's batting lineup, with key players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma failing to deliver. This has raised concerns about India's ability to qualify for the WTC final, which requires a top-two finish in the 2023-25 cycle.Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali believes that the Indian batsmen need to step up and score runs in the Mumbai Test. He emphasized the importance of Kohli and Sharma finding form, as well as other batsmen like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, and KL Rahul.Ali also suggested that India should consider playing a spin-heavy lineup on a turning track at the Wankhede Stadium. He believes that this would test the New Zealand batting, especially if left-armer Mitchell Santner is able to exploit the conditions.While the New Zealand spinners have been impressive, Ali praised the performances of their left-handed batsmen, Tom Latham, Rachin Ravindra, and Devon Conway. He believes that India will need to do their homework and come up with a plan to counter their threat.A win in the Mumbai Test is crucial for India's morale ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. A 3-0 whitewash at home would put them in a difficult position when they travel Down Under.

Josh Hazlewood will make his long-awaited return to competitive cricket for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match against Queensland, marking his first appearance of the season. The experienced fast bowler had been sidelined due to illness but is now set to ramp up his preparations for the upcoming Test series against India.Hazlewood's inclusion in the NSW squad comes as Nathan Lyon has been rested after bowling a significant number of overs in the previous two Shield matches. The legspinner is expected to return for the Test series but will not feature in the upcoming fixture.The absence of Lyon and several other players due to international and Australia A commitments has significantly impacted the teams for round three of the Shield. NSW will be without Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Sam Konstas, and Josh Phillippe, while Queensland will miss Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Mark Steketee, Gurinder Sandhu, and Callum Vidler.Despite the player unavailability, both NSW and Queensland have named strong squads. NSW will welcome back allrounder Jack Edwards from a hamstring injury, while Tanveer Sangha will replace Lyon as the legspinner. Queensland will be led by Mitchell Swepson, with Usman Khawaja and Matthew Renshaw providing experience in the batting lineup.South Australia, who are also missing key players due to national and Australia A call-ups, will be captained by Alex Carey. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been in excellent form and will be looking to continue his run-scoring against Victoria.The upcoming round of Shield matches will provide valuable preparation for the players involved in the upcoming Test series against India. Hazlewood's return will be particularly important for NSW, as he aims to regain match fitness and sharpness ahead of the first Test in Nagpur.

Brisbane Heat's Grace Parsons emerged as a star in her second WBBL match, leading her team to a historic 28-run victory over Melbourne Renegades. The 21-year-old legspinner claimed 3 for 22 in four overs, turning the tide after Renegades had started strongly in pursuit of Heat's 169 for 8.Parsons' heroics marked the first time in WBBL history that Heat had begun a season with consecutive wins. Renegades had made a blistering start thanks to Hayley Matthews' 35 off 28, but Parsons' double-wicket maiden in her opening over halted their momentum.The turning point came when Deandra Dottin was controversially given out lbw after the ball deflected off her glove onto her pad. Despite Dottin's call for a review, the absence of DRS in this match proved costly for Renegades.Courtney Webb's run-out and Sophie Molineux's dismissal in the 10th over further compounded Renegades' woes, leaving them reeling at 71 for 5. Shikha Pandey's excellent bowling continued to restrict Renegades, despite Naomi Stalenberg's quickfire 38.Parsons' performance was particularly impressive given her shoulder injury last year, which sidelined her for the entire WBBL season despite being Queensland's leading wicket-taker in the WNCL. Her talent has earned her a spot in Australia A against India, signaling a promising future.Parsons credits her development to former Heat legspinner Amelia Kerr and spin bowling coach Cameron Boyce. "Learning off Amelia the last three years has been really special," she said. "Our spin bowling coach at the Heat is amazing, and it's been cool to pick his brain."Earlier, Georgia Redmayne and Lauren Winfield-Hill had set the innings up with a 66-run partnership. Redmayne's stylish square drives and Winfield-Hill's strike rotation kept the scoreboard ticking. Charli Knott and Dottin's dismissals threatened to derail Heat, but Laura Harris' quickfire 31 during the power surge boosted the total.Jess Jonassen's unbeaten 25 helped Heat reach a competitive 169 for 8, which proved too much for Renegades despite Parsons' heroics.

Ben Stokes, the England cricket captain, has appealed for the return of precious items stolen during a burglary at his home while he was away in Pakistan for the Test series. The incident occurred on October 17th at his residence in Castle Eden, North East England, while his wife, Claire, and two young children were present.Stokes expressed relief that his family escaped physical harm but acknowledged the emotional and mental impact of the trauma. He was playing in the second Test in Multan when the break-in took place and returned home earlier this week after the conclusion of the series, which England lost 2-1.Among the stolen items were jewelry, a designer bag, and Stokes' OBE medal, awarded in 2020 for his services to cricket. The medal held particular significance as it commemorated England's ODI World Cup triumph in 2019, where Stokes played a pivotal role, and his heroic performance in the Headingley Test against Australia in the Ashes."The worst aspect of this crime is that it occurred while my family was home," Stokes said in a statement. "Thankfully, they were unharmed, but the experience has understandably affected them emotionally and mentally."Stokes emphasized that his primary motivation in sharing photographs of the stolen items was not to recover material possessions but to apprehend the perpetrators. He urged anyone with information to contact Durham Constabulary and provided the contact number and crime reference.The burglary has left Stokes and his family shaken, but they are determined to move forward. Stokes expressed gratitude for the support they have received and urged the public to remain vigilant against such crimes.

England's white-ball team embarks on a fourth tour of the Caribbean in three years, seeking to continue their post-World Cup reboot under the impending influence of Brendon McCullum. Despite the absence of key multi-format players, this series presents an opportunity for the next generation to stake their claim in the Bazball era.Liam Livingstone, recently elevated to the captaincy, leads a squad featuring five potential ODI debutants, including Jordan Cox and Jafer Chohan. Established names like Sam Curran and Phil Salt will also be eager to prove their worth in the absence of Jos Buttler and Harry Brook.West Indies, with their proud home record against England, will pose a formidable challenge. Led by Evin Lewis, who recently returned to form with a match-winning century, and the pace prowess of Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales, they have the firepower to blunt England's aggressive batting.The series will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Ground in Antigua, where West Indies have won five of their last six matches. However, England will be buoyed by their recent victory at the same venue in December 2023.With the Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand looming, this series provides a valuable opportunity for England to experiment and assess their options. The focus will be on individual performances and the development of a cohesive strategy under the Bazball philosophy.

Rajasthan Royals have finalized their retention list ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, with Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Sandeep Sharma set to remain with the franchise.Samson, the team's captain, has been a consistent performer for the Royals, leading them to the playoffs in IPL 2024. He scored 531 runs in the season, his highest tally in the IPL. Jaiswal, the young opener, has also been impressive, scoring 435 runs in IPL 2024. Parag, a versatile all-rounder, had a breakout season in 2024, scoring 573 runs and making his T20I debut for India.Sandeep Sharma, the experienced pacer, has been a key part of the Royals' bowling attack, taking 13 wickets in IPL 2024. He qualifies as an uncapped player due to not playing international cricket for five years.However, England's Jos Buttler and India's Yuzvendra Chahal, who were key players in the Royals' run to the finals in IPL 2022, are not part of the retention list. The Royals can still use their two right-to-match options to buy them back at the auction.The Royals are also considering retaining wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who has impressed with his cameos in the lower order. If Jurel is retained, the Royals will lose at least INR 65 crore from their overall purse, leaving them INR 55 crore at the auction.The IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained, but the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts. The Royals will lose at least INR 47 crore from their purse for retaining four players.The deadline for franchises to submit their list of retained players is October 31. The teams can retain up to six players each, with a maximum of five capped internationals and two uncapped players.

Gujarat Titans (GT), the reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, are set to retain five key players ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction. The franchise is likely to hold onto Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, and Shahrukh Khan, leaving them with one right-to-match (RTM) card for the auction.Gill and Rashid were acquired by GT before the 2022 auction, while Sudharsan, Tewatia, and Shahrukh were bought in subsequent auctions. Gill, the 23-year-old opener, has been a consistent performer for GT, scoring over 500 runs in each of the past two seasons. He was appointed captain for IPL 2024 after Hardik Pandya's departure.Rashid, the Afghan leg-spinner, is one of the most sought-after bowlers in the IPL. He has been GT's leading wicket-taker in both seasons, with 32 wickets in 2022 and 24 wickets in 2024.Sudharsan, a left-handed batter from Tamil Nadu, has emerged as a promising talent for GT. He was the sixth-highest run-scorer in IPL 2024, with 527 runs at an average of nearly 48. He is considered a potential future Test player for India.Tewatia and Shahrukh are both uncapped all-rounders who have been retained for their power-hitting abilities. Tewatia has played several impactful knocks as a finisher, while Shahrukh is one of the strongest hitters in domestic cricket.GT will have at least INR 51 crore deducted from their purse of INR 120 crore for retaining three international players and two uncapped players. The amounts for each player are not yet known, but GT is free to pay more or less than the minimum deductions set by the IPL.The deadline for franchises to submit their list of retained players is October 31. The mega auction is expected to be held in December or January.

Bangladesh's batting woes continued on day two of the second Test against South Africa in Chattogram, as they stumbled to 38-4 in response to the visitors' mammoth first innings of 575-6.The hosts' reply got off to a disastrous start, with Kagiso Rabada dismissing Shadman Islam for a duck in the first over. Zakir Hasan soon followed, edging a Rabada delivery to the wicketkeeper for two.Mahmudul Hasan Joy briefly threatened with a 10-ball 10, but he fell to Dane Paterson, driving an outside-off delivery to Aiden Markram at second slip. Hasan Mahmud, sent in as a nightwatchman, was deceived by Keshav Maharaj's sharp turn and was bowled for a duck.South Africa's total was their second-highest against Bangladesh, behind only their 583-7 at the same venue in 2008. Wiaan Mulder (105 not out), Tony de Zorzi (177), and Tristan Stubbs (106) all scored maiden Test centuries for the Proteas.Senuran Muthusamy remained unbeaten on 68 at the declaration, while Ryan Rickelton was the only batsman to fall in the second session, edging a Nahid Rana delivery to the wicketkeeper for 12.Earlier, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam had pegged back South Africa in the morning with three wickets in three overs, claiming his second five-wicket haul of the series. He dismissed David Bedingham, De Zorzi, and Kyle Verreynne to leave the visitors on 391-4.South Africa won the opening Test inside four days, with Rabada taking 6-46 in the second innings. Bangladesh have played 24 Tests in Chattogram but have won only two, with seven drawn.

Rishabh Pant, India's premier wicketkeeper-batter, is poised to enter the IPL 2025 auction, potentially sparking a bidding war among multiple franchises. According to reports, Pant will not be retained by his current team, Delhi Capitals, ahead of the October 31 deadline.Pant's departure from DC stems from concerns over his leadership abilities in the T20 format. Despite his consistent performances for India and a successful return to the IPL after a serious accident, the DC management reportedly believes he lacks the necessary qualities to lead the team."Pant wanted captaincy and involvement in appointing coaches and support staff, but many in the DC setup are not convinced about his T20 game," a source told the Times of India. "They didn't want to let him go, but they didn't see him leading the side."With Pant's exit, DC is likely to explore captaincy options in the mega auction. Shreyas Iyer, who previously led the team to success, is a potential target. Axar Patel is another option, but the franchise may prefer to seek external candidates.Former India player Aakash Chopra predicts a fierce bidding war for Pant's services. "If Pant enters the auction, he will break the bank," Chopra said. "RCB, Punjab, Delhi, KKR, CSK, Mumbai, and Gujarat all need a keeper-batter, and Pant fits the bill perfectly."Pant's availability in the auction could significantly impact the dynamics of the IPL. His all-round abilities and star power make him a highly sought-after player. The bidding war for his services is expected to reach unprecedented heights, with multiple franchises vying for his signature.