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Bangladesh have picked batter Saif Hassan in an ODI squad for the first time, and also recalled Nurul Hasan after two years, for the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.Hassan had returned to the T20I squad against Netherlands in August and impressed with his performances, especially in the Asia Cup where he made 61 and 69 in the Super Four matches against Sri Lanka and India. Nurul made a match-winning 23 not out off 13 balls to rescue Bangladesh in the first T20I against Afghanistan. Both batters are consistent performers in the domestic List-A competitions.Litton Das missed out on ODI selection as he continues to recover from the side strain he sustained during the Asia Cup. It had kept him out of the ongoing T20Is against Afghanistan too. The Bangladesh selectors dropped Parvez Hossain Emon from the ODI squad that played Afghanistan in July.A couple of Bangladesh players have also had visa issues. Mohammad Naim, who was picked in the ODI squad, is still in Dhaka because he hasn’t got his UAE visa yet. Soumya Sarkar, who is in the T20I squad for the ongoing series, has also been unable to travel to Sharjah; he is not part of the ODI squad, though. ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Hasan Mahmud, Tanvir Islam and Nahid Rana will travel to the UAE on Friday to join the rest of the squad.Bangladesh play Afghanistan in the second and third T20Is on October 3 and 5 in Sharjah, followed by the ODIs in Abu Dhabi on October 8, 11 and 14.

Bangladesh squad for ODIs vs Afghanistan

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana

Shan Masood is set to lead Pakistan in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The PCB reaffirmed its confidence in the current Test captain after Masood met with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, along with Pakistan’s red-ball coach Azhar Mahmood.A PCB statement said Masood and Mahmood have been given “free hand” of the Test side, without elaborating what specifically that entails. The captain and coach are not in the selection committee for the Test side, which comprises a five-member panel including Aleem Dar, Aqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, and Azhar Ali.There was speculation on Masood’s future after the 2023-25 WTC cycle, where Pakistan finished bottom of the table. He was captain for the entirety of that cycle. Last month, when the PCB announced player contracts for the 2025-26 season, Masood was demoted from the ‘B’ category to ‘D’, the lowest rung of central contracts.Related

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• Gillespie: I was 'completely and utterly blindsided' by the PCB

In that time, the position of Pakistan’s Test coach underwent several changes, including the brief reign of Jason Gillespie, which ended on acrimonious terms. In that context, the PCB’s declaration of confidence in Masood represents a major upswing his fortunes and the possibility of a fresh start. He is Pakistan’s longest-serving current captain, with the ODI and T20I captaincy changing hands multiple times since he took over the red-ball side.While consistency with the bat has remained elusive, Masood made useful contributions at the top of the order, having established himself as an opener over the last four Tests following an extended stint at No. 3. Two big hundreds, one at home against England and one in South Africa, took his average into the mid 30s; it is higher as captain than it has ever been under any other skipper. However, Test wins have been in short supply under Masood, with Pakistan losing nine of 12 matches.Masood’s first test of the new WTC cycle is against defending WTC champions South Africa, who play two Tests in Pakistan in October.

Former Sri Lanka Test cricketer, Kaushal Silva has been appointed the new Hong Kong men’s head coach.His appointment comes ahead of Hong Kong’s Asia Cup campaign, where they will play the tournament opener on September 9 against Afghanistan.Silva played 39 Tests between 2011 and 2018, and has had coaching stints in Sri Lanka, England and Australia since 2019, when he finished up as a player. But this will be the 39-year-old’s first time at the helm of an international side.Related

• Shubman Gill returns to India's T20I squad as vice-captain for Asia Cup

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He was a prolific wicketkeeper-opener in first-class cricket: in 209 matches, he scored 13,932 runs with 41 hundreds, three of which were for the Test side.Burji Shroff, the chairperson of Cricket Hong Kong, China, said in a press release that the appointment aligned with the board’s plans: “Kaushal’s dedication to nurturing and developing talent resonates with our vision for the future of cricket in Hong Kong. We believe that under his guidance, we can not only elevate our competitive standing but also promote the sport within our community.”Silva said his “focus will be on instilling a strong work ethic and a winning mentality amongst the senior squad and working to identify and nurture fresh talent for continued growth”.Hong Kong’s last assignment was the recent Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy, played in Singapore, where they lost to Malaysia in the title round.With Silva’s appointment, they will be looking to further their credentials in Group B of the T20 Asia Cup, where they will also face Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the first group stage.

Having all their first-choice players available helped Bangladesh turn around their six-match losing streak and seal their maiden T20I series wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, captain Litton Das has said.Bangladesh’s 2-1 series win against Pakistan at home came on the back of an away series win in Sri Lanka, with the same margin.”We were facing a [players] crisis in the UAE and Pakistan [in May],” Litton said after winning the recent series against Pakistan. “I didn’t get my best players during those two series. Taskin [Ahmed] wasn’t available. Mustafizur [Rahman] had left for the IPL. We are well aware of Mustafiz’s capability and how dangerous he can be for the opposition. We also had some players unavailable in Pakistan. Those who were there didn’t play up to the mark. I think we had the full set-up against Sri Lanka and Pakistan [this time]. We have to continue playing in such a manner.”Related

• Jaker-Mahedi and Shoriful-Tanzim give Bangladesh first T20I series win against Pakistan

• Jaker Ali: 'I only count match-winning runs, the rest doesn't register'

Mustafizur was at his miserly best against Pakistan, conceding at just 2.86 in two games. Taskin took a total of six wickets, while spinners Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain were crucial in the wins in Sri Lanka. Mustafizur had missed two matches in the UAE, while Taskin had missed the series against UAE and Pakistan due to an ankle injury.Left-arm quick Shoriful Islam wasn’t available for the series against Pakistan in May due to an injury, while Bangladesh couldn’t field Rishad and Nahid Rana in a game against UAE due to visa issues, and Rana skipped the Pakistan tour on personal grounds.Litton credited his bowlers for the victories against Pakistan, who were bowled out for low totals in the first two games of the series. “The bowlers definitely had a huge role in this series win,” he said. “They bowled out Pakistan for 110 runs [in the first T20I]. Then we defended 133 runs [in the second T20I]. Those were big challenges. We bowled well even today.”In Sri Lanka, Bangladesh lost the first T20I but turned it around to win the last two to seal the series. Litton said that the Bangladesh bowlers corrected their execution in the next game, to go on and win the last two T20Is.Mustafizur Rahman was at his miserly best in the Pakistan series•BCB

“I think we didn’t score enough in that game in Kandy, where 180 was a par score,” Litton said. “Sri Lanka were in attacking mode that day. I think we were behind on the execution of our plans. We didn’t bowl where we wanted to bowl at the Sri Lankan batters. We followed the same plan and came back into the series (against Sri Lanka).”Bangladesh’s pace bowlers have combined to take 51 wickets, which is 60.71% of all wickets Bangladesh have taken this year in T20Is. What has also impressed is the size of the pace attack. They have used eight pace bowlers this year, accommodating injuries, but in the last two series, Bangladesh have also had the luxury of rotating their fast bowlers.Litton said workload management will be considered going forward, but they are also looking at a bowler’s skillset to determine their selection. “We are fortunate to have some more really good bowlers,” he said. “We don’t want to lose them early. We want to give them enough opportunities, but we also want to consider their health.”Taskin is returning to cricket after a long injury break. We all know that he will have a high chance of more injuries if he plays continually. Shoriful is the same. He had a groin injury in Pakistan. He also had a similar problem in Sri Lanka. We have to determine who plays when and where.”

Joe Burns has been announced as Italy’s new captain. The former Australia batter had shifted his allegiances to Italy in May this year.Burns, who was born in Brisbane, had qualified for Italy through his mother’s heritage and made his debut for them in June.”I am honoured to take on this role and represent Italy on the international stage,” Burns said in a statement. “For me, it is a return to my family’s roots. Italian cricket has enormous potential and I am excited to contribute to its growth. Together with my team-mates, we are working to achieve ambitious goals and make our fans proud.”Related

• Italy's Thomas Draca makes IPL long list

• ILT20: Dubai Capitals sign Joe Burns

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Fabio Marabini, president of the Italian Cricket Federation, backed Burns to succeed in the leadership role. “Since day one, Joe has shown great generosity and professionalism, putting his experience and competitive spirit at the disposal of the team,” he said. “His choice as captain reflects our ambition to take Italian cricket to new levels. We are also counting on his leadership to play a leading role in the next qualifying stages for the 2026 T20 World Cup.”Burns has played five T20Is so far, all for Italy, scoring 211 runs at an average of 70.33 and strike rate of 144.52. In his most recent T20I, he scored an unbeaten 108 off 55 balls to set up a victory against Romania in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifier Group A.Burns has also attracted interest in franchise T20 cricket, with Dubai Capitals signing him up for the upcoming season of the UAE’s ILT20. Burns has also featured in the Vitality Blast apart from the Big Bash League.In his previous coming, as an Australia Test opener, Burns had scored 1442 runs from 40 innings across 23 matches – between December 2014 and December 2020 – hitting four centuries and averaging 36.97.Italy had also emerged on the IPL radar when Burns’ team-mate Thomas Draca made the long list for the 2025 player auction. The fast bowler, however, didn’t make the final cut.

Gujarat Titans are likely to retain Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan, leaving them with one right-to-match card (RTM) option at the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction.While the amounts for each player are not yet known, 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. If they pay more than INR 51 crore to retain five players, then the higher amount will be deducted from their purse.October 31 is the deadline by which the ten franchises have to submit their list of retained players to the IPL ahead of the mega auction. The teams have been allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction before the 2025 season, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals and two can be uncapped players. While the IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained – INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, INR 14 crore for the fifth, and INR 4 crore for an uncapped player – the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts to their retained players.Gill and Rashid were picked by GT before the auction in 2022, when the franchise had just entered the IPL. While Rashid got INR 15 crore (USD 1.807 million approx. then), Gill got INR 8 crore (USD 963,000 approx. then). While Rashid remains their lead bowling allrounder, Gill was given the GT captaincy for IPL 2024 after Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians.Related

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• KL Rahul unlikely to stay with LSG; set for mega auction

• LSG set to retain Pooran, Mayank and Bishnoi for IPL 2025

• IPL retention: How many players can a team keep? And at what cost?

While the retention of 23-year-old Sudharsan ahead Mohammed Shami and David Miller might be a surprise, GT believe the left-hand batter from Tamil Nadu is a long-term player who can perform a key role in the top order. Sudharsan, who was bought for INR 20 lakhs in 2022, was sixth highest run-maker in IPL 2024 with 527 runs with an average of nearly 48 and strike rate of 141. He is considered as a potential future Test player too by India’s selectors and the team management lead by Gautam Gambhir. It is learned Sudharsan was discussed as a candidate for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Tewatia and Shahrukh, both uncapped allrounders, were among the most expensive buys for GT and have been retained for their power-hitting ability in the lower-middle order. Tewatia, who was bought for INR 9 crore ($1.084 million approx. then) in 2022, has played several impactful knocks as a finisher and has been a key sounding board for GT’s leadership group with his knowledge the domestic Indian players. Shahrukh, who is also a part-time offspinner, is among the strongest hitters in domestic cricket and was bought in 2024 auction for INR 7.4 crore ($891,000 approx. then).

The BBL and WBBL have introduced a new trade window which will allow clubs to sign players and swap draft picks for a brief period after the conclusion of both competitions.There has also been a change to the contracting embargo period – where no players can be signed – which will now begin after the home-and-away part of each tournament rather than after the final. The new 10-day trade period, dubbed the player movement window, will be the only time where clubs can make changes to their list once the embargo begins.For the WBBL, the new trade period will be from December 2 to December 11 and in the BBL it will run from January 28 to February 6. During the two windows, clubs cannot extend contracts of existing players which can only be done before the embargo begins or after it is lifted which is expected to be mid-March.During the new trade window, clubs can:

• Trade a player with another club, although this does not need to be reciprocal
• Sign a player from another club who is in the final year of their current contract.
• Trade overseas draft positions as part or independent of player trades.

Previously, there could be no player signings outside the embargo window although non-binding agreements could be reached. One example of where the new model could have had an impact recently is Melbourne Stars’ interest in Matt Kuhnemann only for Brisbane Heat to be able to persuade him to stay before the contracting embargo period lifted.Clubs will also have to work within squad sizes: for the WBBL, there can be eight players on a list before the trade window and a maximum 10 afterwards and in the BBL the corresponding numbers are 10 and 12.Overseas players signed on multi-year deals count towards those squad sizes. Across both tournaments, that includes Marizanne Kapp, Amelia Kerr, Chamari Athapaththu, Lizelle Lee, Nadine de Klerk, Sophie Devine, Sam Billings, Colin Munro, Tim Seifert, Chris Jordan, Tom Curran and Finn Allen.The ability to trade players has been available in the BBL since 2013 although has been used in a limited capacity. Ahead of this season, Wes Agar was traded from Adelaide Strikers to Sydney Thunder as part of a draft pick exchange between the clubs. In 2023, Adam Zampa and Sam Harper were traded between Melbourne Stars and Renegades.”The introduction of Player Movement Windows immediately following the WBBL|10 and BBL|14 seasons will add another strategic dimension to our Leagues,” Alistair Dobson, the executive general manager of Big Bash Leagues, said. “The windows will add certainty and stability for players and clubs at a crucial period in the list management cycle.”

Nottinghamshire have thrashed Kent by ten wickets in the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury, condemning the hosts to relegation and boosting their own survival hopes into the bargain.Jacob Duffy took 4 for 60 and Robert Lord 3 for 42 as Kent were dismissed for 230 in their second innings.Joey Evison scored 42 to make Nottinghamshire bat again, but the target was a mere 23 and the visitors needed just 3.3 overs to chase it down, Ben Slater finishing on 22 not out with Haseeb Hameed unbeaten on 6.The result ends Kent’s wafer-thin chances of staying in the top flight, while Notts will stay up provided they avoid defeat in the final round of fixtures next week.Kent began day three on 85 for 0, still 123 behind, but even their most pessimistic of fans, a title for which there is some fairly stiff competition this season, would have struggled to imagine a start as grim as this one.Batting conditions were arguably the best they’d been, but they lost Tawanda Muyeye for 60 to the sixth ball of the morning, when he hit Duffy almost vertically and was caught by Dane Schadendorf.Fellow opener Ben Compton was lbw to Lyndon James for 32 and Jack Leaning then swished at a short-pitched ball from Duffy and was caught behind for a third-ball duck.Lord replaced James at the Nackington Road end and had Joe Denly caught by Freddie McCann in the slips for 8 with his third delivery before Duffy sent Daniel Bell-Drummond’s off stump flying for 21. In the next over, the 31st, Lord got Harry Finch for a second-ball duck, the victim of a superb one-handed grab by Schadendorf.Matt Parkinson made 9 before Farhan Ahmed had him caught by McCann at leg slip but when Akeem Jordan then hit a boundary, a lone voice on the Old Dover Road sang: “We will make you bat again,” to the tune of “Bread of Heaven.” His faith, at least, was rewarded.Having begun the day with an over rate of minus four, Notts bowled spin from both ends to get themselves back level before lunch, at which point Kent had eroded the deficit to just 12.Jordan creamed Duffy for six to bring up the 50 partnership and Evison swept Ahmed to bring the scores level, but Ahmed got Jordan lbw with the next ball for 32 and Duffy bowled Nathan Gilchrist for a third-ball duck.A sterile passage of play followed as the fielders stayed on the boundary when Evison had the strike, but as soon as Lord returned from the Pavilion end he had him caught at point.The only question remaining was how long it would take Notts to tick off the runs and Slater did it some style, pulling Jordan for six.Notts take 23 points and Kent three.

Central Sparks turned the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy table upside down by thrashing league leaders Southern Vipers by seven wickets at Worcester.Sparks took full advantage of Vipers’ depletion by international calls to add another emphatic victory to their five-wicket Charlotte Edwards Cup win over Georgia Adams’ side at New Road in June.Put in, Vipers were bowled out for 183 in 48.4 overs as Georgia Elwiss fought a lone battle against a potent attack led by Emily Arlott (4 for 15) and Charis Pavely (4 for 31).Sparks then cruised to a seven-wicket win with 64 balls to spare after a polished opening stand of 95 between Eve Jones (54) and Ami Campbell (48) gave the pursuit a perfect platform.Vipers started solidly with an opening partnership of 64 between Rhianna Southby (36) and Ella McCaughan (26) but were then hit by a superb spell from Arlott. The 26-year-old broke through when Southby top-edged a pull and removed the other opener in her next over when McCaughan drove round an inswinger and was bowled. After Adams and Emily Windsor edged to Arlott to wicketkeeper Abi Freeborn, four wickets had fallen for 28 runs in 57 balls.Eve Jones’ 54 set up the run chase•Getty Images

Elwiss dug in for Vipers but partners came and went as the Sparks’ spinners got to work. Hannah Baker trapped Abi Norgrove lbw on the sweep, and Pavely bowled Nancy Harman with a beauty. Georgia Davis flighted one onto Linsey Smith’s off stump and Pavely added two more wickets in four balls when Mary Taylor was lbw and Freya Davies was bowled through the gate. Last batter Ava Lee lasted 28 balls to help Elwiss add 36 but Vipers still came in well short.They desperately needed to strike early with the ball but Sparks opening pair Jones and Campbell put 50 on the board in 12 overs. The openers turned the chase into a formality with a stand of 95 in 19.3 overs before Campbell sent a low return catch to Lee.Davina Perrin edged Adams to wicketkeeper Southby and the Vipers’ captain removed her Sparks counterpart when Jones was caught on the long on rope but the Sparks skipper departed with her side on the threshold of victory.A dazzling cameo from Katie George (38 not out from 29 balls) saw Sparks over the line and left Vipers still with work to do to qualify and Sparks reflecting on what might have been if they had produced performances of this quality on a consistent basis.

Shubman Gill, India’s vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is, has said he aims to improve his performance in the shortest format, as the team begins to build towards defending their T20 World Cup title in 2026.”My performance in T20Is before the World Cup this year wasn’t how I had expected it to be,” Gill said ahead of the series opener against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. “Hopefully, going forward, in the upcoming cycle – I think we play 30-40 T20Is [before the next T20 World Cup] – I can improve my performance when it comes to batting, and also [we can improve] as a team.”Gill was a reserve player and not part of the squad that just won the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies, where India opened with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. With both senior batters now retired from T20Is, Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was the back-up opener at the World Cup, are now first choice for India at the top of the order”We really enjoy batting with each other. Especially the kind of shots we play, we kind of complement each other,” Gill said of his partnership with Jaiswal. “Being a right-left combination, we have had good partnerships in whatever T20Is we have played before; two partnerships have been 150-plus [too]. So we have a great understanding and communication between us, and I have fun batting with him.”Related

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Gill and Jaiswal strung a couple of big partnerships in the T20Is in Zimbabwe after the T20 World Cup 2024 ended. Gill, who was India’s stand-in captain that series, top-scored with 170 runs at a strike rate of 125.92 in five innings. He was then appointed vice-captain for the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, selected ahead of other opening contenders like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma, who had scored a hundred in Zimbabwe.The series in Sri Lanka is also Gautam Gambhir’s first assignment as India coach after he succeeded Rahul Dravid, whose coaching tenure ended after the T20 World Cup triumph.”We have had just two net sessions together, and this is the first time I am working with him,” Gill said about Gambhir the coach. “But whatever he has told me during these two sessions, his intent and communication have been very clear – he knows what he wants from which player, and what he thinks will work for each player.”India play three T20Is against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on July 27, 28 and 30, followed by three ODIs in Colombo on August 2, 4 and 7.