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Australia captain Steven Smith withdrew an appeal against Noor Ahmad in the 47th over of Afghanistan’s innings, after wicketkeeper Josh Inglis whipped off the bails at the striker’s end to catch Noor out of his ground before the over was called.Noor had not been attempting a run – he had drifted out of his crease to meet batting partner Azmatullah Omarzai mid-pitch, mistakenly believing that the ball was dead. The ball is live until the umpire calls “over”, however, and umpire Alex Wharf had not yet called.Replays showed Noor to be well out of his ground, but Smith was quick to signal to the umpires that the appeal should not be considered, despite some enthusiasm from Inglis. Noor had just completed a single after Omarzai struck Nathan Ellis through midwicket and called Noor – the No. 10 batter – through, in order to keep strike for the next over.Although Afghanistan were not attempting to gain an advantage, the rules of cricket are clear. Run-outs are a viable dismissal until the ball is dead. If Smith had not withdrawn the appeal, Noor would have been ruled out, likely by third umpire Chris Gaffaney.

Noor had been on three off three balls at the time, and went to make six off eight. But of more consequence was the fact that Afghanistan would have been 248 for 9 after 47 overs had Smith not withdrawn the appeal. They were less likely to have hit the further 25 runs they managed if they had only had one wicket in hand. Noor was eventually dismissed off the last ball of the innings.Australia have in the past upheld appeals against batters ambling out of their crease, even if they were not looking to take a run. Most famously, this occurred in a Test at Lord’s against England in 2023, when Alex Carey underarmed the ball into the stumps after Jonny Bairstow had wandered down the pitch before the ball was deemed dead.Muthiah Muralidaran had also been dismissed in similar circumstances in a Test in Christchurch in 2006, when he had wandered out of the crease to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara on completing a century before the ball was dead (though that had not been at the end of an over). Brendon McCullum broke the stumps on that occasion, and captain Stephen Fleming upheld the appeal.In the 2011 Trent Bridge Test, India recalled Ian Bell to the crease after he had been run-out in similar circumstances at the stroke of tea on day three, when he ran a three and proceeded to walk down the pitch and towards the dressing rooms, before the fielder Praveen Kumar had had a chance to throw the ball in from the boundary. India captain MS Dhoni agreed to recall Bell after England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower approached him during the tea interval with this request.

Australia allrounder Ashleigh Gardner has been named Gujarat Giants captain for WPL 2025, ending fellow national team-mate Beth Mooney’s two-year reign at the helm.”It is an absolute honour for me to be named the captain of Gujarat Giants.” Gardner said in a Giants statement. “I have loved being a part of this team and I am excited to lead this fantastic group in the upcoming season. We have a great mix of young and experienced players and plenty of Indian talent in our squad. I am looking forward to working with the team and making our fans proud.”Related

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Gardner has been a vital cog for Australia across formats, chipping in with her all-round credentials. In the recent Women’s Ashes, she picked up five wickets including a second-innings four-for in the only Test match – a pink-ball affair at the MCG – and scored her maiden ODI century in the third ODI of the series. She missed the T20I leg of the multi-format series with a calf strain but had provided a reminder of her bowling abilities by picking 16 wickets for Sydney Sixers in WBBL 2024.”She is a fierce competitor,” Giants head coach Michael Klinger said. “Her game awareness, tactical acumen, and ability to inspire players make her the ideal choice to captain Gujarat Giants. We believe she will lead from the front and guide the team towards a successful campaign.”Gardner has been with Giants since the inaugural season and the move to elevate her to captaincy was made to free up Mooney, who is also the designated wicketkeeper and the opening batter for them. Gardner was also Giants’ vice-captain for most of the first season after Mooney picked up a calf injury one game into WPL 2023.Gardner is the No. 1-ranked allrounder in ICC’s ODI rankings while Mooney is the leading T20I batter.”I would like to thank Mooney for her highly valued leadership,” Klinger said. “Now, she will be able to focus on wicketkeeping and opening the batting lineup. She continues to be a major leader of our group.”Ahead of the auction for WPL 2025, Giants rejigged their support staff with assistant coach Nooshin Al Khadeer and mentor Mithali Raj parting ways. Australia assistant coach Daniel Marsh joined as the batting coach while IPL team Lucknow Super Giants’ spin-bowling coach Pravin Tambe is the bowling coach.

Defending champions India started their Under-19 Women’s World Cup campaign with a bang, routing West Indies for just 44 before scripting a nine-wicket win. This came just hours after Sri Lanka had skittled Malaysia for 23 earlier on Sunday.In the second game of the day, India’s bowlers cashed in on their decision to bowl first by troubling West Indies with swing and spin. Fast bowler VJ Joshitha handed them a double-blow when she trapped Samara Ramnath in front and on the next ball had Naijanni Cumberbatch caught at slip to a superb diving catch from Sanika Chalke.When left-arm spinners Aayushi Shukla and Parunika Sisodia struck in consecutive overs to remove Jahzara Claxton and Brianna Harricharan respectively for ducks, West Indies were 17 for 4 after 5.1 overs. Three run outs in as many overs added to their woes, and 39 for 7 soon became 44 all out as Shukla and Sisodia wrapped things up. Sisodia finished with 3 for 7 while Joshitha and Shukla picked up two each.India lost only Gongadi Trisha, for 4, in the modest chase as G Kamalini and Chalke finished things off in 4.2 overs.Dahami Sanethma top scored for Sri Lanka with 55•ICC via Getty Images

Hosts Malaysia were shot out for just 23 in their maiden Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup appearance by Sri Lanka, who completed a 139-run win in the first of the two games on Sunday, in Kuala Lumpur.Put in to bat, Sri Lanka rode on quick knocks from opener Sanjana Kavindi (30 off 13) and No. 3 Dahami Sanethma (55 off 52) to score 52 in the powerplay before Sanethma led the innings even as wickets fell at the other end, including two in the 17th over. Cameos from Hiruni Hansika (28 off 21) and Shashini Gimhani (13 off 7) powered them to 162.In reply, Malaysia lasted 14.1 overs as left-arm spinner Chamodi Praboda struck twice in the second over to reduce the hosts to 2 for 3. Manudi Nanayakkara and Limansa Thilakarathna took two wickets each as no Malaysia batter reached double-figures and six were dismissed for ducks. Praboda finished with figures of 4-2-5-3.

“It has been a blurry two days for me. I have been thinking about what I can say.. Do I put this down as a tribute to my all time favorite cricketer ? Maybe I’ll just take the partner angle? Or maybe a love letter from a fan girl? I guess this is a little bit of all of it.”When I saw Ashwins PC, I thought of small and big moments. Many many memories over the last 13-14 years. The big wins , the MOS awards, the quiet silence in our room after an intense game, the sound of the shower running for much longer than usual on some evenings post play , the scratch of pencil over paper as he scribbled thoughts down, the constant streaming of footage videos when he is making a game plan, the calm of meditative breathing before leaving for each game, certain songs playing on repeat while he unwinds.. The times we weeped in joy – after the CT final, after the MCG win, after the Sydney draw, The Gabba win, after making a comeback in T20s…the times we sat in silence and the times when we had our hearts broken.Related

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“Dear Ashwin, from not knowing how to put a kit bag together to following you to stadiums all over the world, rooting for you, watching you and learning from you, it has been an absolute pleasure. The world you introduced me to gave me the privilege to watch and enjoy a sport that I love from close quarters. It also showed me how much passion, hardwork and discipline is needed to keep your head above water. And sometimes even that is not enough. I remember us talking about why you, R Ashwin, had to do all of this and a lot more to even stay relevant in the scheme of things. How awards, the best of stats, the POMs, the accolades, the records didn’t matter if you didn’t sharpen your skill sets constantly and did not put in the work. Sometimes, nothing is enough. As you end your wonderful international run, I only want to tell you that it’s all good.It is all going to be good.It is time to set the burden of being you down. Live life on your terms, make space for those extra calories, make time for your family, make time to do absolutely nothing, share memes all day, create a new bowling variation, bug our kids out of their minds. Just do it all.”

Najmul Hossain Shanto* and Mushfiqur Rahim have both been ruled out of Bangladesh’s upcoming two-Test series in the West Indies. While Mushfiqur has a finger injury, Shanto has a groin strain. The absence of Mushfiqur means Bangladesh will go into a Test series for the first time in 16 years without any of Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal or him.Mushfiqur, a veteran of 94 Tests, has also been suffering from a shoulder injury since the Pakistan Test series in August. He suffered the finger injury during the first ODI against Afghanistan in Sharjah last week.Shanto, who will also miss the third and final ODI against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Monday, sustained the injury during the second ODI, a BCB statement said. He left the field, and scans later confirmed the nature of the injury.”We have received the team physio’s report and the scan report, which has confirmed a Grade II strain on his left groin,” BCB senior physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury said in a statement. “This will require a period of rest and rehabilitation. We will reassess his condition after two weeks. He will return home from the UAE to continue his rehab.”Mehidy Hasan Miraz will captain the side in Shanto’s absence.Shahadat Hossain, the 22-year-old right-hand top-order batter, has been named Shanto’s replacement.He has played four Tests after debuting against New Zealand last year, and has an average of 14.75 with a highest score of 31. He was dropped for the home Tests against South Africa in October, and averages 26.33 in four matches in the National Cricket League, including a century in his last game. Possible alternatives could have been Amite Hasan, who has 466 runs at an average of 77.66 in the NCL, and Anamul Haque and Amit Majumder, who have also crossed the 400-run mark in the competition.Mushfiqur Rahim had hurt his shoulder during the Test series against Pakistan in August•AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh have also left out Khaled Ahmed and Nayeem Hasan, but will welcome Litton Das back in the fold after the wicketkeeper-batter missed the second Test against South Africa in Chattogram, and the three ODIs against Afghanistan due to fever.The touring party has a strong pace attack, including Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam and Nahid Rana. Uncapped left-arm spinner Hasan Murad has been added to the spin department that includes vice-captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam.Bangladesh have kept faith in their regular top-order batters Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Zakir Hasan. Shanto and Mominul Haque will bat at No. 3 and 4 respectively. Mushfiqur’s role could fall on Jaker Ali or Mahidul Islam Ankon, with Litton back with the gloves, and likely to bat at No. 7.Bangladesh will start the tour with a four-day warm-up game at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua, followed by the first Test in Antigua from November 22. The second Test is in Jamaica, starting November 30. The visitors will then play three ODIs and as many T20Is, but their white-ball squad hasn’t been announced yet.Bangladesh Test squad: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shahadat Hossain, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Litton Das (wk), Jaker Ali, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Hasan Murad

Dom Sibley batted for more than four hours for his third century of the season to ensure there was no last-day embarrassment before Surrey lifted aloft the Vitality County Championship trophy following an attritional draw at Chelmsford.Surrey savoured the traditional champagne-spraying celebrations for the third successive year after a season in which they won eight of their 14 matches. However, apart from Sibley’s 189-ball 125, they were comprehensively second best against Essex as underlined by the fact they only collected two bonus points from the game.Sibley’s innings was a mixture of forcefulness, chiefly through the covers, and watchfulness as he dominated half-century stands with Dan Lawrence and Josh Blake before he was sixth man out with Surrey still nominally 143 runs shy of making Essex bat again.The finale to the Championship season petered out in comedy as Essex bowlers changed bowling styles before handshakes were exchanged at 4.10pm with Surrey 267 for 7.Essex, bowling sensibly at the time, had taken three wickets in 10 overs in the morning to introduce a little frisson to proceedings, but the game meandered towards the draw that had been inevitable since rain washed out all but 111 minutes’ play on the first two days. The draw meant Essex finished fourth, two points behind one-time title contenders Somerset.Yousef Majid extended his nightwatchman duties by just over half-an-hour on a cold, grey morning before he tried to play Harmer to leg but popped up a catch in the opposite direction to short extra cover.Jamie Porter’s sequence of four successful maidens was broken when Sibley drove him straight back so fiercely it almost cut the bowler in half on its way to the boundary. He was equally aggressive against Harmer, coming down the wicket and swiping him past midwicket for another of his 17 fours.Ryan Patel had already been missed at slip by Ben Allison, fielding in place of the injured Dean Elgar, before he was unbalanced by Porter and departed lbw. Ben Geddes did not last long, beaten by one from Harmer that turned and jagged back his off-stump.Sibley dominated the first fifty of the fifth-wicket stand with Dan Lawrence amid a flurry of pushed and well-placed boundaries. Lawrence contributed just 14 of them, and 27 of the 75 runs they eventually put on before Shane Snater trapped him lbw.Runs dried up at that point: seven came off 43 balls and 10 overs passed without a boundary before Sibley stroked back Sam Cook for his 14th four to reach three figures from 168 balls. He celebrated by going down on one knee and launching Matt Critchley out of the ground over long leg for only the second six of the match.However, Critchley gained a measure of revenge when Sibley drove uppishly towards mid-off where Cook took the catch. Harmer was eventually rested and his replacement, Tom Westley, struck with his sixth ball as Ollie Sykes’s debut lasted two balls.With little enthusiasm from the participants, the first over after tea, bowled by Westley, took eight minutes to complete – and 16 minutes for three overs of spin – with questions about changing the ball and sundry other time-wasting manoeuvres.To enforce the sense of farce pace bowler Cook came in off three paces to send down six balls of spin and spinners Critchley and Harmer took the new-ball with a variety of medium-paced dibbly-dobblies to an equally unfamiliar slip cordon of Cook, Porter and Allison.

Big Picture

After a T20 series where the view was longer-term to 2026, a number of big names were missing and the decider was washed out on a horrid day in Manchester, it feels like this upcoming five-match ODI series – yes, old-school and, yes, probably overkill – has a little more immediate relevance with an eye on next year’s Champions Trophy as some key multi-format players return.To highlight the shrinking relevance of bilateral ODIs, this is just the second series for both England and Australia since their contrasting World Cup campaigns last year: England lost 2-1 in West Indies last December while Australia beat the same opposition 3-0 in February. Quiz question: name the XIs these two teams put out in the final matches of those series (no cheating by clicking here and here).Related

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One significant player who won’t feature in these matches is Jos Buttler after a setback in the recovery from his calf injury. It means Harry Brook joins the list of England captains for the season, and it’s probably not insignificant given the feeling he is a genuine long-term option to lead the side. There will also be plenty of interest in how Jofra Archer goes in his first 50-over appearance in 18 months. It will be a significant increase in workload for him, although he will be carefully managed.Australia, meanwhile, have had an influx of senior names with Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc all part of the series. Alex Carey is also in the squad but, in ODIs, he is now Josh Inglis’ understudy after being dropped early in last year’s World Cup. Either way, the tour will include his return to Lord’s next week, the scene of a dramatic storyline in Carey’s career.Steven Smith was among those Australia players joining for the ODI leg•PA Photos/Getty Images

At the other end of the experience scale – you couldn’t actually go much further – is the call-up of quick bowler Mahli Beardman as a back-up player. With just one professional game under his belt it has certainly generated a talking point and, though he isn’t officially part of the squad yet, it wouldn’t take much more than some general soreness among the other fast bowlers for him to make a further step up.”He’s a ripping young kid,” Mitchell Marsh, a fellow West Australian, said. “For a 19-year-old he’s got a lot of talent, he showed that during the Under-19 World Cup. I think he’s going to learn a lot by being here. I’ve certainly faced him in the nets a few times. We’ve seen over the history of Australian cricket we’ve got a long list of guys who have been plucked, I guess, out of nowhere but Mahli is certainly extremely talented and bowls fast.”

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LWLWW
Australia WWWWW

In the spotlight: Jofra Archer and Glenn Maxwell

The A-word will never be far away. So much of what England are doing at the moment is with an eye on the 2025-26 Ashes and the rehabilitation of Jofra Archer is at the top of that list. This match will be his first 50-over game – international or domestic – since March 2023 having until now been kept on a diet of T20 action in a carefully-managed return to action. That step-by-step approach will continue and there’s a chance he may not even bowl his full allocation of 10 overs, but it marks another significant step in Archer’s comeback and another stage towards what is hoped is an eventual return to Test cricket.Glenn Maxwell was rested for the series against West Indies earlier this year so hasn’t played an ODI since the World Cup final. After his horror leg injury in late 2022, the effects of which he still has to manage, he is another player who will be carefully handled by the selectors. At the age of 35 he’s one of those who may not be around come the next ODI World Cup in 2027, so the Champions Trophy could be a 50-over farewell for one of the most dynamic white-ball cricketers there has ever been.Jofra Archer’s previous ODI was in March 2023•AFP

Team news: Archer plays; opening question for Australia

Ben Duckett will open for the first time in his ODI career with stand-in captain Brook slotting in at No. 4. Jamie Smith has been confirmed as wicketkeeper and it is likely he would have done so even if Buttler had been fit. Archer will play the opening match of the series. Jacob Bethell is in line for a debut and the final decision would appear to be who goes at No. 6 with Liam Livingstone’s bowling likely to swing things his way to allow Brook to spread overs between him, Bethell and Will Jacks.England: (probable) 1 Ben Duckett, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Will Jacks, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Jamie Smith (wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Jacob Bethell, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece TopleyAustralia’s squad has been reportedly hit by a virus after captain Mitchell Marsh missed the second T20I with the illness. It may severely stretch their already thin squad for the first ODI with a number of senior players affected. As in T20s, Australia are searching for a long-term replacement for David Warner. Inglis and Jake Fraser-McGurk ended up there against West Indies after Travis Head was rested following the opening game so there are no shortage of options. Marsh has previously had success there, too, and if he goes in up top it potentially creates room for both Smith and Labuschagne. Inglis did not train much ahead of the opening match due to quad soreness so there may be a question mark over whether he plays. If so, Carey would come in.Australia: (possible) 1 Travis Head, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Steven Smith, 4 Cameron Green, 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Josh Inglis/Alex Carey (wk), 7 Glenn Maxwell/Matthew Short, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Mitchell Starc/Ben Dwarshuis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood/Aaron Hardie

Pitch and conditions

Trent Bridge can be a great place to bat in one-day cricket: since 2010 it has the highest average and strike-rate of all England and Wales venues. But the ball can also swing which gives the bowlers a chance. The sunny weather is set to hold on for at least the start of the series.

Stats and trivia

• Australia are on a 12-match winning streak in ODIs. A victory in Nottingham would put this side joint second with Sri Lanka, behind Australia’s own 21-match run in 2003.
• Adam Zampa will play his 100th ODI: since the 2020 tour of England he has taken 94 wickets at 21.71
• The last time the sides met in an ODI at Trent Bridge, England made a then world-record 481 for 6. It is one of only four times the teams have met in a one-dayer at this venue.

Quotes

“That’s a long way away yet. Personally, I’m just going to try and concentrate on each game and I’d probably urge everybody else to try and do that as well.”
“It’s certainly a busy schedule and there are times when we might have to manage guys through and playing five games in 10 days is certainly a big ask but we’ll manage that the best we can.”

Rahul Dravid says Indian cricket has evolved into an “extremely powerful” force, thanks to the growing talent pool that now extends to even the remotest corners of the country.Dravid, who coached India to the T20 World Cup triumph in June, said a strong club cricket culture has a lot to do with bucking the old trend of city cricketers dominating the passage to the national team.”If you look at Indian cricket today, Indian cricket is extremely strong, it’s extremely powerful,” Dravid said during the 50-year celebration of Mount Joy Cricket Club. “One of the big reasons for that is that talent comes from everywhere, from all over the country.””If you go back to the time of, say, GR Vishwanath or even when I was starting out, most of the talent came from the big cities or a few states.”Even if there were talented boys in smaller places, they had to come to the big cities to play cricket. But today I think you see in Indian cricket that boys are coming from everywhere.”Dravid said it’s getting reflected in the standards of domestic cricket in India.”You just look at the standard of the Ranji Trophy. In the old days when you played in the South Zone, other than playing Hyderabad or Tamil Nadu, I think it is fair to say, without being disrespectful, that a lot of other teams you could take it not for granted but you could certainly take it a little bit more lightly.”I don’t think there is any team in the South Zone today that you can walk in and say you will beat comfortably.”Hailing the club cricket structure in the country, particularly in Karnataka, Dravid said the system has allowed the sport to remain accessible to all.”We need clubs to be strong. We need cricket not to be concentrated in the hands of a few people. We need cricket to be egalitarian, we need it to be all over the place.”You cannot have talent or facilities concentrated only in one or two places. To get the best out of talent, we need to ensure that young boys and girls are getting access to good infrastructure in every part.”Dravid briefly revisited his club career to underscore the need for that system to thrive.”After the practice, HAL [Hindustan Aeronautics Limited] would give us two eggs and one small glass of milk. I would always stay back for that glass of milk and those eggs. Not because I wanted the milk and eggs. But because I wanted to sit and listen to the likes of BK Kumar or Nandan talking about cricket. And it used to be great fun to listen to them and learn so much from them.”

Jos Buttler has been ruled out of the Hundred with a calf injury, after missing Manchester Originals’ first three matches.Buttler, who has been backed to continue as England’s white-ball captain by managing director Rob Key, took a short break from the game after the T20 World Cup and is understood to have sustained the injury while preparing for the Hundred. An initial scan was inconclusive, raising hopes he would be available towards the end of the competition, but his withdrawal was confirmed on Saturday.Key confirmed earlier this week that Buttler would continue as captain after Matthew Mott lost his job as England’s white-ball coach, with Marcus Trescothick due to fill that role on an interim basis during September’s series against Australia. At this stage, he appears likely to be fit in time for the first T20I on September 11.Related

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“Gutted to be missing the Hundred this year,” Buttler wrote on his Instagram story. “Best of luck to the Manchester Originals for the rest of the campaign. Working hard to be 100% fit asap [as soon as possible].”Buttler has suffered several calf injuries in recent years, including a strain two years ago which ruled him out of England’s seven T20Is in Pakistan and briefly threatened his participation in the T20 World Cup 2022.The Originals were losing finalists in the last two editions of the men’s Hundred but are winless this year in Buttler’s absence. Phil Salt, his opening partner, has deputised as captain but has managed only 23 runs in three innings, and their batting line-up has looked noticeably short at the start of the season.Simon Katich, the Originals’ coach, had initially lined up Keaton Jennings, Lancashire’s club captain, as a replacement but the move stalled amid confusion over Buttler’s status, and Jennings has since signed for London Spirit. The Originals are yet to confirm a new replacement ahead of Sunday’s match against Northern Superchargers.

Western Storm vs Thunder – no resultHeavy rain in Cardiff severely dented the prospects of either Western Storm or Thunder qualifying for the latter stages of the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Needing to win if they were to make up lost ground on those above them in the table, the two sides were frustrated by the elements that caused their showdown at Sophia Gardens to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.With no opportunity to remove the covers and Glamorgan and Hampshire Hawks scheduled to contest a Vitality Blast South Group fixture at 6.30pm, umpires Anna Harris and Ant Harris had no choice but to call the women’s game off at 3.25pm.Already trailing runaway leaders The Blaze and South East Stars by a considerable distance, Thunder remain in fifth place, with ground to make up on Southern Vipers and Central Sparks, who have a game in hand. Cast adrift at the wrong end of the table, Storm are effectively out of the running.Thunder will hope for better conditions when they return to action against Central Sparks at Edgbaston tomorrow, while Storm will attempt to secure only their second win of the campaign when they meet fellow strugglers Northern Diamonds at Headingley on Sunday.