Category: Sports

AUCKLAND: India is set to tour New Zealand for an all-format series later this year, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced on Wednesday.

The Blackcaps will host India for five ODIs and the same number of T20Is, with two Test matches concluding the tour.

According to NZC, this will be the biggest inbound tour in terms of matches (12) in New Zealand’s history. The tour will commence on 22 October with the ODI series and will conclude on 1 December 2026.

The New Zealand Government will back the tour as part of the celebrations for 100 years of sporting relations between New Zealand and India.

After India, New Zealand will host Sri Lanka for another multi-format series. The series will begin with three ODIs followed by three T20Is to be played in January 2027.

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After the white-ball leg, both teams will then play two Test matches to conclude New Zealand’s home summer.

NZC Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Glenn Critchley reflected on the announcement, saying that the India tour will be one of the most significant home summers.

“It simply does not get bigger than India, and we are determined to deliver New Zealanders a tour like no other,” Critchley said.

“This will be about more than just the cricket on the field – it will be a celebration of New Zealand’s shared history and culture with India, and our burgeoning rivalry and friendship through cricket. The passion and following this team has is staggering – not to mention some of the players expected to tour such as Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah – so we are bracing for the intensity and fandom that will accompany the tour.”

“Experiencing the noise, colour and atmosphere of an Indian cricket international is a bucket-list event and I would encourage the Kiwi public to take up the opportunity to witness it first-hand,” he concluded.

India tour of New Zealand schedule

T20Is

22 Oct – 1st T20I, Hagley Oval, Christchurch (8pm NZT)
24 Oct – 2nd T20I, Hagley Oval, Christchurch (8pm NZT)
27 Oct – 3rd T20I, Sky Stadium, Wellington (8pm NZT)
30 Oct – 4th T20I, Eden Park, Auckland (8pm NZT)
1 Nov – 5th T20I, Seddon Park, Hamilton (8pm NZT)

ODIs

4 Nov – 1st ODI, Eden Park, Auckland (3pm NZT)
7 Nov – 2nd ODI, Sky Stadium, Wellington (3pm NZT)
10 Nov – 3rd ODI, Seddon Park, Hamilton (3pm NZT)
13 Nov – 4th ODI, Bay Oval, Tauranga (3pm NZT)
15 Nov – 5th ODI, Bay Oval, Tauranga (3pm NZT)

Test Matches

19–23 Nov – 1st Test, Basin Reserve, Wellington (11am NZT)
27 Nov–1 Dec – 2nd Test, Hagley Oval, Christchurch (11am NZT)

READ: Shaheen Afridi scripts unique record against Australia

DUBAI: Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed climbed to a career-best fourth position in the latest ICC ODI bowlers rankings announced on Wednesday.

Abrar jumped seven places to secure fourth spot with 633 rating points, while Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Afridi was the other notable gainer, climbing four steps to sit on 13th spot.

Both players improved their rankings following performances in the ongoing series against Australia. Besides Abrar Ahmed and Shaheen Afridi, no other Pakistani bowler registered significant gains.

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan continues to lead the ODI bowlers’ rankings, with England’s Jofra Archer behind him in second position. South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj remains third.

In batting, there were no major changes in the top 10 except for Pakistan batter Salman Ali Agha. New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell retained the No. 1 position, while India’s Virat Kohli sits second, followed by Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran in third.

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Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam retained sixth place with 687 points, while Agha slipped four spots and is now 14th.

Meanwhile, in the Test batting rankings, England’s Joe Root maintained the summit position with 880 rating points. His teammate Harry Brook stayed second with 857 points, closely followed by Australia’s Travis Head on 853 points.

New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra entered the top 10 after moving up two places, while India’s Shubman Gill dropped one spot to 10th.

For Pakistan, star duo Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were among the gainers, climbing one place each to 21st and 20th, respectively.

In bowlers, India pacer Jasprit Bumrah remained at the No.1 spot with 879 rating points. Australia’s Mitchell Starc occupies second place, while Pat Cummins moved one place to third with 832 points.

Pakistan spinner Noman Ali remains the country’s only bowler in the Test top 10. He is currently ranked fourth with 817 rating points.

READ: Shaheen Afridi vows to bounce back in final ODI against Australia

England captain Ben Stokes said the “landscape of cricket” has changed as he defended Jofra Archer’s absence from the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s because of the fast bowler’s IPL commitments.

Archer was a member of the Rajasthan Royals team beaten by Gujarat Titans in the IPL qualifier last Friday and is not with England for the first Test against the New Zealand at Lord’s, starting Thursday.

The 31-year-old is now in Barbados, the country of his birth, and will not return to England until after the first Test. The second Test at the Oval begins on June 17, and Archer could now miss that match as well.

Archer, however, still has an England central contract.

Former England captain Michael Atherton has labelled the situation incredibly frustrating, with Simon Doull, a former New Zealand paceman, branding the injury-prone express quick’s absence from the series opener “absolutely ludicrous”.

But Stokes, speaking to reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday, said there were two sides to the story.

“I totally understand people’s frustrations around it, but there is another side to it. A lot of it has to do with the landscape of cricket and where it is at the moment.”

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“A lot of points people are making around Jof and that situation, are to do with the landscape when they were playing. But it’s completely different now. There’s opportunities for cricketers now that there was not 10, 15, 20 years ago,” he said.

“Yes, in an ideal situation, it would be unbelievably great to have everyone who you want available at every single opportunity. That is not the way of cricket at the moment. There is so much more out there for players.”

Stokes said that no one should question Archer’s desire to play for his country.

“There is a situation where it could get messy and players like Jofra might not play for England again if you handle it in a different way, and that is not good for anyone,” he said.

“Jofra has shown that he’s committed and loves playing for England. Just because he’s not available for this first Test match does not change that,” he concluded.

READ: Shaheen Afridi vows to bounce back in final ODI against Australia

LAHORE: Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said extra runs and early wickets proved costly in the second ODI against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.

Speaking in the post-match presentation, Shaheen admitted that conceding extra runs at the back end of the innings proved costly. The skipper added that early wickets and a tricky surface also contributed to his side’s defeat.

“I think we gave away 20-30 extra runs towards the end. We lost wickets early on and that built pressure on us. [Different surface than Pindi] It is a spinning track, not easy to bat on. Yes, in the second innings the ball comes nicely onto the bat, but the way Nathan Ellis bowled well; he bowled stump to stump and that brought him success,” Shaheen said.

Despite the defeat, Shaheen expressed confidence in bouncing back in the final ODI to seal the series.a1`

“We will try to win the game. There’s just a day’s gap, so we won’t look too much at our mistakes,” he stated.

He also highlighted the pitch behavior, noting that bowling in the right channels proved effective and that his side was unable to make proper use of the older ball.

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“Yes, on these wickets, the more you bowl in the line of the stumps, the more it helps since it doesn’t swing much. When it started to reverse, the ball was changed so our bowlers didn’t get much help from the old ball,” he concluded.

Earlier, Australia handed Pakistan a 41-run defeat to level the series 1-1, with the final match to be played on the same venue on Thursday.

Set 232, Pakistan were bowled out for 190 in 44 overs with Shadab Khan remaining the top-scorer for them. He scored 71 off 104, including three sixes and a four.

Nathan Ellis starred with the ball for the visitors, scalping four wickets for 33 in his nine overs. Matthew Short also chipped in with three wickets to his name.

READ: Shaheen Afridi scripts unique record against Australia

LAHORE: Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi achieved a unique feat against Australia, becoming the third Pakistan captain to take a wicket on the first ball of an ODI. 

Shaheen registered the record with Alex Carey’s wicket on the first ball of the innings. Carey chopped on a wider delivery and eventually paid the price.

With this, Shaheen joined Wasim Akram and Waqar Younas in the list of captains to achieve the feat.

Akram was the first to accomplish this feat by dismissing Andy Flower on the very first ball of their ODI against Zimbabwe in 1993. Waqar Younis later achieved the same by taking England’s Marcus Trescothick in 2001.

Pakistan captains to take wicket on the first delivery of ODI

Wasim Akram – 1993 against Zimbabwe in Karachi
Waqar Younis – 2001 against England in Leeds
Shaheen Shah Afridi – 2026 against Australia in Lahore

After Carey’s wicket, Shaheen also dismissed Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Ellis later in the innings, finishing with impressive figures of 3/36 in eight overs.

The left-arm pacer remained crucial in limiting Australia to a 231-run total in 50 overs. He was ably backed by Abrar Ahmed and Arafat Minhas, who took two wickets each.

For Australia, Cameron Green and Josh Inglis scored calculated half-centuries. Inglis made 51 off 74, while Green scored 53 off 92 deliveries.

READ: Shaheen takes three as Pakistan limit Australia to modest total

MUMBAI: India have appointed former all-rounder Sairaj Bahutule as spin bowling coach, the BCCI announced on Tuesday.

Bahutule played two Tests and eight ODIs for India and remained a domestic cricket stalwart with 6176 runs and 630 wickets to his name in first-class cricket.

The 53-year-old will oversee the spin department across formats, with his first assignment coming up in a few days against Afghanistan.

Sairaj Bahutule also served as the Punjab Kings spin-bowling coach in the IPL 2026 and is a richly experienced coach, having worked with numerous domestic teams.

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Following the announcement, he expressed immense pride and described it as an opportunity to nurture Indian spinners.

“Representing India as a player was a matter of immense pride, and the opportunity to contribute to Indian Cricket once again in a coaching capacity is deeply special. I look forward to working with the players and supporting the team’s pursuit of excellence across formats,” he said.

India will be playing international cricket for the first time since the T20 World Cup 2026 triumph in March.

The one-off Test against Afghanistan is scheduled to run from 6 June to 10 June at Mullanpur in New Chandigarh. The fixture will be followed by an ODI series, scheduled to begin on 13 June.

India squads for Afghanistan series

Test Squad:

Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Manav Suthar, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey

ODI Squad:

Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma*, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya*, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey.

Fixtures:

One-off Test – 6 June to 10 June, Mullanpur

1st ODI – 13 June, Dharamsala

2nd ODI – 17 June, Lucknow

3rd ODI – 20 June, Chennai

READ: England announce 12-member squad for first New Zealand Test

LONDON: Emilio Gay and Sonnie Baker are set to make their debuts as England announced the squad for the first Test against New Zealand.

The first Test will begin on 4 June at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Stadium.

Both opener Gay and fast bowler Baker feature for Durham and Hampshire in the County Championship, while Ollie Robinson is also set to return after a two-year hiatus.

Meanwhile, Shoaib Bashir, who remained out of contention in the Ashes 2025, has also been included in the trimmed squad. The off-spinner’s last Test appearance came against India in 2025.

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The players left out of the original 15 squad are James Rew, legspinner Rehan Ahmed, and fast bowler Matt Fisher.

Head coach Brendon McCullum revealed the notion behind Bashir’s inclusion, noting that conditions did not favor him during the Ashes.

“We firmly believe in Bash as an international cricketer,” England head coach Brendon McCullum told BBC Sport.

“When I look back to why he wasn’t required in Australia, it wasn’t to do with how the ball was coming out of his hand per se, we just felt the conditions were not conducive to spin bowling – as did Australia,” he added.

“We remain hugely confident and optimistic about Bash as a cricketer and the role he can play for us.

Regarding Sonnie Baker and Gus Atkinson’s selection, McCullum hinted that they will assess conditions to finalize the playing XI

“We’ll just work out whether we want the extra air speed, if all of a sudden it becomes 35 degrees and flattens out. Or we stick to what’s tried and tested at Lord’s and remain with more of the type of bowlers that’ll extract some movement with some overhead conditions,” he concluded.

England 12-member squad for first Test

Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Ollie Robinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir.

READ: Afghanistan to host T20I series against India in New Delhi

LAHORE: Australia bounced back to beat Pakistan in the second ODI, leveling the three-match ODI series at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.

Set a stiff 231 on a tricky surface, Pakistan lost their way in the middle and were eventually bundled out for 190 in 44 overs.

The home side had a similar start, losing opening batter Maaz Sadaqat for nought in the first over. The dismissal was in the same manner as that of Australia’s Alex Carey earlier in the day.

The introduction of spin in the second over, with only two fielders outside the circle, lit up Sahibzada Farhan’s eyes. The right-hander tried to sweep a leg stump delivery, but found Adam Zampa at fine leg, who took a well-judged catch.

With this, Pakistan were two down for six with Babar Azam and Ghazi Ghori at the crease. The pair provided brief resistance with a 27-run partnership. However, Nathan Ellis trapped Babar Azam lbw to put his side in a dominant position. He only made 16 with the help of two fours.

Pakistan’s slide continued with Salman Ali Agha (7) and Abdul Samad (2) also falling in quick succession. As a result, Pakistan were 58-5 at the end of the powerplay.

The problems deepened with Ghori’s wicket in the 17th over, who departed after hitting five fours in his 37 off 48 deliveries.

With the scorecard 78-6, Arafat Minhas and Shadab Khan paired up to revive Pakistan’s chase. Both batters soaked pressure, sharing a 59-run stand that provided the Green Shirts some respite.

Minhas eventually departed after making 33 off 43 while Shadab continued to resist until his departure in the 45th over. He was the last wicket to fall in the 45th over, stumped off Tanveer Sangha’s bowling. The right-hander top-scored with 71 from 104, hitting three sixes and a four.

For Australia, Nathan Ellis returned with the figures of 4/33 while Matthew Short remained potent with the ball, picking up three wickets.

Earlier, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi’s three-wicket haul, backed by Arafat Minhas and Abrar Ahmed’s two wickets, derailed Australia’s batting lineup in the second ODI at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.

Put into bat first, Australia could only muster 231-9 in their 50 overs with Josh Inglis and Cameron Green scoring fifties.

The visitors were jolted early as Shaheen Afridi castled opening batter Alex Carey for a golden duck. The left-hander’s chop on dismissal gave an early sign of what was coming on this dry surface.

After an early blow, Matthew Short and skipper Josh Inglis shared 46 runs on the second wicket. Short tried to capitalize on the fielding restrictions with a couple of boundaries.

However, once Abrar and Arafat were introduced into the attack, the visitors’ woes compounded.

Abrar first removed Short, who made 15 off 24 with the aid of two fours. Incoming batter Marnus Labuschagne fell prey to Minhas, caught by Salman Ali Agha on five.

Consequently, Australia were reduced to 51-3 at the end of the powerplay with Inglis and Cameron Green at the crease.

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The duo tried to steady the innings, sharing a half-century stand. Both batters took the score over the 100-run mark, particularly Inglis, who remained solid at the crease and raised his half-century.

But it was Arafat again, who broke the threatening stand with Inglis’ wicket, cleaning him up soon after the batter reached his fifty. He made 51 off 74, striking five fours.

With wickets falling at regular intervals, Matt Renshaw came to the fore and added a 65-run partnership with Green. The pair effectively arrested the slide, with Green completing his half-century.

The scorecard read 167 in the 40th over when Abrar removed Green, who made 53 off 92, including a four and two sixes.

After the wicket, Australia lost their way, a pattern they followed from the first ODI. Renshaw was also dismissed in the 44th over. The southpaw hit three fours in his 43 off 43 balls.

The innings quickly unraveled afterward, with the youngster Ollie Peake providing the late lift. The left-hander played a vital cameo of 31 off 32 balls, hitting two maximums and a four.

For Pakistan, Shaheen picked up three wickets while Arafat Minhas, Abrar Ahmed, and Haris Rauf shared six wickets between them.

READ: Ghazi Ghori leaves field during second ODI against Australia

LAHORE: Pakistan wicket-keeper Ghazi Ghori was taken off the field after feeling unwell during the second ODI against Australia. 

Ghazi was subsituted during the 25th over after which the team doctors assessed his condition. In his absence, reserve wicket-keeper Rohail Nazir kept the wickets. Later on, the-23-year-old returned to the field in the 33rd over of the game.

At the time of filing this story, Australia were 128-4 in 33 overs with Cameron Green and Matt Renshaw at the crease.

It is worth mentioning that the ongoing ODI series between Pakistan and Australia is scheduled at 4:30 pm PKT due to sweltering weather conditions.

Earlier, the pitch report also indicated about hot weather conditions with Lahore temperature recorded above 40 C during the day time.

Playing XIs

HEAD TO HEAD

Pakistan and Australia have clashed in a total of 112 One Day International (ODI) matches. The Australian side has emerged dominant, claiming victory in an impressive 71 encounters. Meanwhile, Pakistan has managed to win 37 games. Interestingly, four games ended without a result, and one thrilling match concluded in a tie.

Matches 112, Australia 71, Pakistan 37, No Result 3, Tie 1

It’s worth noting that the ongoing ODI series is Australia’s first 50-over bilateral tour of Pakistan since 2022, when the hosts secured a 2-1 series victory.

READ: Afghanistan to host T20I series against India in New Delhi

Iran’s squad will leave for Spain this weekend en route to their FIFA World Cup 2026 base in Mexico despite still awaiting visas, the head of the country’s football federation said.

The 2026 World Cup is being hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Neither the United States, where Iran will play their three group stage matches, nor Mexico, where the team will be based throughout the tournament, have yet issued visas for the players.

“We will leave for Spain on Saturday, and from there the team will go directly to Tijuana in Mexico,” football federation chief Mehdi Taj said on Monday on a sports programme broadcast on state television.

“We will obtain a Mexican visa tomorrow (Tuesday) or the day after, and then a US visa will be issued quickly,” Taj said.

Iran have been drawn in Group G and will play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21, followed by a game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

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Taj said that the outbreak of the Middle East war on February 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, “changed everything” for Team Melli.

“The situation in the country, and especially the war, has upended all our plans,” Taj said.

“We had arranged good warm-up matches, including one against Spain, which was cancelled” in February.

The Iranians relocated their World Cup base, which initially was planned to be in Tucson in the US state of Arizona, to the northwestern Mexican border city of Tijuana due to tensions over the Middle East war.

Iran are currently preparing for the tournament in Turkey.

On Friday they beat Gambia 3-1 in a friendly in Antalya, where they will play another warm-up match against Mali on Thursday.

Taj complained that the team’s World Cup preparations had been also dogged by “financial difficulties” because of the economic crisis in the country and the sharp depreciation of the rial against the dollar.

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