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📢Jacob Bethell withdraws from The Hundred with knee injury

Jacob Bethell withdraws from The Hundred with knee injury (Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images)

England all-rounder Jacob Bethell has withdrawn from the 2026 edition of The Hundred after sustaining a knee injury. The 22-year-old underwent an MRI scan on his right knee on July 20, and the England medical team is awaiting the results before determining the extent of the injury and the length of his recovery.

Bethell picked up the injury during England's recently concluded ODI series against India. Despite the setback, he produced an outstanding all-round performance in the third ODI at Lord's Cricket Ground, scoring 91 runs and claiming two wickets to help England secure a 2-1 series victory. As a precaution, he has now been ruled out of The Hundred, where he was set to captain Birmingham Phoenix.

The left-handed batter has become one of England's most promising multi-format players over the past year and is currently expected to bat at No. 3 in the upcoming Test series against Pakistan, which begins next month. England will be hoping the injury does not require surgery, as his absence would create a significant void in the middle order and force the team to rethink its plans ahead of the series.

The Hundred was also expected to provide valuable leadership experience for Bethell, who is regarded as one of England's future captains. He previously led England during a T20I series against Ireland last year and is viewed as a potential long-term leadership option. With concerns over managing Harry Brook's workload across all three formats, Bethell has emerged as an alternative candidate for future captaincy responsibilities. In his place Donovan Ferreira will lead the side in The Hundred.

The sixth edition of The Hundred gets underway on Tuesday at The Oval, with MI London taking on Manchester Super Giants. Both teams enter the season under new identities following the ownership auction, with MI London joining the Ambani family's global cricket portfolio, while Manchester Super Giants are owned by Sanjiv Goenka, who also owns the IPL and SA20 franchises of the same name.

Meanwhile, former England cricketer Ben Stokes has once again opted to skip The Hundred and will instead represent Durham in the One-Day Cup.
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📢Abhinav Mukund picks Team India squad for ODI World Cup 2027, surprisingly snubs Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

Abhinav Mukund picked an interesting Indian side for the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is going to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia next year.

The former India opener shared his picks via Cricinfo YouTube channel, where he mentioned Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli in the top three but left out backup opener Yashasvi Jaiswal . However, Mukund did name Ishan Kishan in his squad, who can be a backup to first-choice wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, or even slot in for one of the batters in India's top three. India's T20I skipper and ODI vice-captain also found a place in the side.

In the spin-bowling all-rounder's role, Mukund picked Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, leaving no space for Ravindra Jadeja. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav was the sole specialist spinner in the line-up. Hardik Pandya, on the other hand, was the lone seam-bowling all-rounder.

Considering the wickets in Africa, where the pacers are expected to get good bounce and movement, Mukund named a five-man seam-bowling department, comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, and Gurnoor Brar. However, Mohammed Shami, who hasn't played for the Men in Blue since the Champions Trophy final last year against New Zealand, hasn't found a place in Mukund's XI. Even Arshdeep Singh, who is India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is was not picked.

Abhinav Mukund's Team India XI for 2027 ODI World Cup: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar.

Abhinav Mukund picks five 'Maybe's' for the Indian 2027 ODI World Cup squad

Mukund also mentioned five 'Maybe's' - players who could make it to the side for the marquee event. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad were the only two batters he picked in that category. Meanwhile, seam-bowling all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube made it to that list alongside seamer Arshdeep.

The cricketer-turned-expert also named several cricketers who have not chance of making it to the side like Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, and Tilak Varma among others.
📢India must nurture Vaibhav as a generational talent, says Sikandar Raza

Sikandar Raza and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. (Photo Source: Star Sports/BCCI)

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza has backed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to become a generational talent, urging India not to judge the 15-year-old too quickly after a difficult start to his international cricket journey. The teenage opener broke Sachin Tendulkar's 34-year-old record as India's youngest debutant earlier this month but has struggled with short-pitched bowling in his opening three T20Is against England.

The young batter returned scores of 14, 13 and 15 in his first three innings in international cricket after he replaced Sanju Samson at the top of the order. However, his credentials before his international arrival were exceptional.

Sooryavanshi dominated IPL 2026 with authority, amassing 776 runs across 16 innings at a blazing strike rate of 237.30. His performance earned him three major awards: the Orange Cap, the MVP honour, and the Emerging Player prize. He also shattered Chris Gayle's record by smashing 72 sixes in a single IPL season. At the U19 World Cup final in February, Sooryavanshi produced a knock for the ages, blasting 175 off just 80 balls against England, with 15 fours and 15 sixes, to help India secure the title.

"Vaibhav is a supremely talented cricketer. If a 15-year-old kid is playing international cricket, criticising him after just two or three matches isn't justified. I think Vaibhav has a lot of very good senior cricketers around him. If he is managed and handled well, I think Vaibhav could be a generational talent," Raza said on JioHotstar.

How Sikandar Raza believes India should handle Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Raza stressed that the burden of success should rest with the team's management, not the young batter's shoulders. The opener stepped into international cricket already carrying immense expectations after his record-breaking IPL campaign grabbed global attention long before pulling on an India jersey. The Zimbabwe skipper highlighted that careful management at this early stage remains crucial for the teenager's development.

"To see what he has done over the last year, what he has done for India Under-19, and the fact that he made his international debut at the same age, these are no small feats by any means. You don't get to hear such stories nowadays. Vaibhav is special. It will be important how he is managed and handled," Raza added.

With the first T20I against Zimbabwe set for Thursday, July 23 at the Harare Sports Club, the team management will have a chance to ease the young batter back into form ahead of the three-match series.
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📢Matt Walker becomes Sussex head coach, replacing Paul Farbrace in November

Matt Walker. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Matt Walker will take over as Sussex's head coach from November 1, with Paul Farbrace transitioning into the role of Director of Cricket on the same date. Walker enjoyed a distinguished playing career with Kent and Essex, scoring more than 18,000 runs across all formats before shifting into coaching.

Walker arrives at Hove after eight seasons as head coach at Kent, where he steered the county to promotion to Division One before leading them to Vitality Blast success in 2021 and the One-Day Cup in 2022. He has also coached within the England men's set-up, is currently batting coach at Warwickshire and serves as an assistant coach with Oval Invincibles in The Hundred.

"I am incredibly honoured and excited to have been given the opportunity to become Head Coach of Sussex Cricket," said Walker as quoted by Sussex Express.

"Sussex is a Club I have always admired and one with a proud history. The opportunity to work with this group of players and staff, alongside Paul, was one that really excited me. There is already a strong foundation in place and I'm looking forward to building on that as we strive to help Sussex compete for trophies. I can't wait to get started," he added.

Why did Sussex conduct a thorough search process for the head coach role?

Farbrace said the club conducted a thorough three-stage recruitment involving several excellent candidates from across the cricketing world, and Walker consistently impressed throughout before emerging as the clear choice, bringing excellent reputation within the game and the experience, energy and enthusiasm Sussex sought.

"I'm really looking forward to working alongside him as we tackle the challenges in front of us and build a team capable of competing for trophies," Farbrace added.

Walker's appointment marks another significant step in Sussex's long-term plans as the club looks to build on the progress made in recent seasons. Farbrace will continue as head coach for the remainder of the 2026 season before taking up his revised director of cricket role from 1 November.

For the unversed, Sussex were slammed with a 12-point deduction for the 2026 season after "sustained operating losses" in the preceding financial year. Walker and new club chairman Ed Warner will have to work on a tight budget going forward. The club is under a player salary cap until 2028, and needs to give the ECB a three-year business model and deliver sustainable year-on-year operating profits for the same time span.
📢'I can hit from ball one, but I play according to the situation' - Tilak Varma addresses strike rate criticism ahead of ZIM T20Is

Tilak Varma (Source: BCCI/X)

Tilak Varma pushed back against mounting criticism of his strike rate on recent tours, saying he prioritises adjusting his approach to match what the team needs rather than chasing aggressive batting metrics. The 23-year-old left-handed batter faced questions after his recent form across Ireland and England, where he managed to score runs but at a measured tempo compared to expectations of a specialist middle-order batter.

Recent tours exposed India's challenges in the powerplay phase. Reflecting on the lessons from India's last two T20I series defeats against Ireland and England, Tilak said the squad's focus is firmly on executing its plans and rediscovering winning momentum. The middle order often had to stabilise the innings rather than launch attacks when early batters departed quickly, placing Tilak in a difficult balancing act.

"In this game, you have to bat in different positions, and especially in those conditions, it isn't easy. At the same time, I've always said that I do whatever the team requires. If I have to grind it out for the team, I'll do that. If I have to hit from ball one, I can do that as well," Tilak was quoted as saying by ICC.

Context and match situations shape his approach

Tilak, India's T20I vice-captain, emphasised that the squad's focus remains on executing plans and regaining winning momentum.

"Honestly, it has been a big learning since the last series. And we are just looking forward and we just want to follow our basics and do well in the coming series. In this series, we will execute well and seal our best cricket. We want to get that momentum back again," the Mumbai Indians' batter said.

Tilak warned against underestimating the hosts, citing their victory in the opening match of the previous bilateral series. Shubman Gill-led India lost the first match but won the next four in the five-T20I series in 2024.

The series starts on July 23, with the second and third matches on July 25 and 26 at Harare Sports Club. India have called up three fresh faces to the T20I side in the form of pacers Yash Thakur and Ashok Sharma, as well as explosive opener Prabhsimran Singh. For Tilak, the Zimbabwe tour presents a chance to reset his form and prove that his measured innings can co-exist with his side's attacking brand when conditions demand it.

Shreyas Iyer would be hoping to register his first win as India's T20I skipper. Under his leadership, the Men in Blue lost two matches in Ireland and four in England. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, recently lost a three-match T20I series at home by a 2-1 margin.
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