Cricket News & Analysis
The news everyone reports, with the numbers almost nobody does. Every figure here comes from our own ball-by-ball database.
South Africa's Women Tour Zimbabwe for the First Time
Five Twenty20 internationals at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, starting 11 September, with Laura Wolvaardt leading. It is a first between these two sides in this country.
📰 News(47)
Verified updates: squads, schedules and selection calls, in our own words with sources linked.
South Africa's Women Tour Zimbabwe for the First Time
Five Twenty20 internationals at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, starting 11 September, with Laura Wolvaardt leading. It is a first between these two sides in this country.
The Women's Asia Cup Reaches Its Semi-Finals, and the Final Cannot Be a 2024 Rematch Yet
Two knockout matches on 10 and 11 September in Dubai, on a square that has hosted every game of the tournament. Expect lower scores than the group stage, not higher.
The Third Test at Edgbaston, and What Pakistan Have to Fix
England won the first Test by an innings and 103 runs. The series concludes in Birmingham from 9 September, with Pakistan ninth in the World Test Championship cycle.
India's Afghanistan Series Is Confirmed. The Bangladesh Tour Is Not.
Three Twenty20 internationals against Afghanistan in Delhi are locked in for mid-September. The white-ball tour of Bangladesh scheduled for the same window has no squads, a diary clash and no government clearance.
Dean Elgar Retires: 86 Tests, 5,347 Runs, and a Hundred Days After Announcing It
The former South Africa captain will finish at the end of the 2026 season with Essex, aged 39, having opened the batting through one of the harder periods to do it.
Padikkal Made 328 Runs in Three Innings and Passed a Record Fleming Set
Two centuries, an average above 109, and the most runs by a visiting number three in a two-Test series in Sri Lanka. His first Test since November 2024 turned into the series of his career.
India Meet Pakistan at the Women's Asia Cup, and India's Year Has Been Difficult
The most-watched fixture in women's cricket comes in the group stage. India arrive as seven-time champions having lost nine of sixteen Twenty20 internationals in 2026.
Namibia Beat South Africa in Windhoek, Then Brevis Made 75 off 32
The tri-series South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia are using to prepare for a World Cup they will co-host opened with the host nation winning by 18 runs.
Kate Cross Retires After 21 Years, 102 Caps and 140 International Wickets
The England and Lancashire seam bowler will finish at the end of the 2026 season, having made her county debut at 13 and taken 239 wickets for the Red Rose.
Dinusha Batted 426 Balls Across the Match to Save Colombo
Sonal Dinusha made 103 and 133 not out at the SSC, becoming the third Sri Lankan to score centuries in both innings of a Test against India. The match was drawn and India took the series 1-0.
The World Test Championship Table Has Bangladesh Above India
Australia lead on 80 per cent. Bangladesh sit fourth. England are seventh after fourteen Tests, having just won one by an innings.
The Hundred 2026: Two First-Time Champions, and a Bowler Who Kept Going
Manchester Super Giants and Trent Rockets both won a maiden title at Lord's. One of the tournament's leading wicket-takers then took eight in a Test the following week.
The Women's Asia Cup Opens in Dubai, and the Smaller Sides Go First
Thailand against Hong Kong China gets the tournament under way. India begin on 30 August, and the group stage runs to early September.
Charlie Dean Captains a Changed England Side for the Ireland ODIs
Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amy Jones, Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell all miss out. Three one-day internationals at Leicester, Derby and Worcester in early September.
The Women's Asia Cup Starts This Week, and India Meet Pakistan on 5 September
Eight teams, one venue, and a T20 tournament running to 13 September. Here is the shape of it, and the fixture that will draw the biggest audience of the lot.
Root's Second Spell as England Captain Starts With an Innings Win
Joe Root replaced Ben Stokes, Stephen Fleming replaced Brendon McCullum, and England's first Test under both finished inside three days.
Starc Becomes the World Test Championship's Leading Wicket-Taker
Six for 12 from ten overs at Mackay took Mitchell Starc past Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon to the top of the World Test Championship wicket list.
Bangladesh Made History in Darwin, Then Were Bowled Out for 64 in Mackay
A first Test win on Australian soil, then their first Test with both innings under 100. Bangladesh's two-match tour of Australia finished level at 1-1 and looked nothing like a drawn series.
England and Pakistan Start at Headingley, the Ground That Refuses to Draw
The first of three Tests begins in Leeds today. Babar Azam leads a Pakistan side with a new batting coach appointed a fortnight ago, at the English venue where, in our records, 17 Tests have produced exactly one draw.
Bangladesh Beat Australia in Darwin, and It Was Not Close
Hasan Mahmud took six for 55, Tanzid Hasan made the first Bangladesh Test hundred on Australian soil, and the tourists won the opening Test by nine wickets.
Australia Drop Weatherald and Recall Renshaw After Darwin
One change to the squad for Mackay. Jake Weatherald pays for scores of 23 and nought, and Matt Renshaw returns for the first time since 2023.
Galle Set for a Final Day: Sri Lanka 84 for 4, Chasing 372
India need six wickets, Sri Lanka need 288 runs. The first Test goes into its last day with the hosts four down and a record chase required.
Seifert Denies Trent Rockets the Double as Manchester Take Their First Title
The Rockets won the women's final at Lord's and lost the men's on the last ball. Manchester Super Giants are champions for the first time.
England and Pakistan Begin at Headingley, Root Against Babar
Three Tests, starting at Leeds on Wednesday, with World Test Championship points on offer and two captains under very different kinds of pressure.
Finals Day at Lord's: Trent Rockets Play Twice, and Could Win Twice
Both Hundred finals are at Lord's on Sunday, and the same club is in both of them. Trent Rockets topped each group stage and now meet Sunrisers Leeds in the women's final and Manchester Super Giants in the men's.
Six Wickets From History: Bangladesh Have Australia in Trouble in Darwin
Australia closed the third day at 161 for 4, still 67 runs behind, and Bangladesh need six wickets to win a Test in Australia for the first time. Josh Hazlewood took six and passed 300 Test wickets, and it may not be enough.
Padikkal's Maiden Test Hundred Puts India in Charge at Galle
India closed the rain-shortened first day on 288 for 2, with Devdutt Padikkal unbeaten on 131 and a question India have been asking for 19 Tests finally answered. Our own venue data says the total they are heading for is the one that matters.
The Hundred: Trent Rockets Wait at Lord's in Both Finals
Manchester Super Giants and Sunrisers Leeds came through Friday's eliminators, and both now face the side that topped the group in each competition. Southern Brave, who won their first five, are out.
Darwin Hosts a Test for the First Time Since 2004
Australia and Bangladesh open a two Test series at Marrara Stadium on 13 August, and Mackay becomes the twelfth Australian venue to hold a Test nine days later. Neither ground appears anywhere in our records, because neither has staged one in the period our data covers.
Bumrah Ruled Out of the Sri Lanka Tests, and Jammu and Kashmir Wait on a First
India will go to Galle without their best fast bowler. Jasprit Bumrah has not recovered from the knee trouble he picked up in England, and the man called up in his place would become the first Test cricketer Jammu and Kashmir has produced.
The CPL Opens on Friday with a New Team and a Ground That Has Never Hosted One
Jamaica Kingsmen play the first match in their history against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons at Arnos Vale on 7 August. Rovman Powell captains, Andre Russell bats, and the Caribbean Premier League runs to seven teams for the first time.
Eight Years for a USA Player, and the Teammate Who Said No
An ICC tribunal has banned Akhilesh Reddy for eight years over the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10. The detail worth reading is not the sentence. It is that the case exists at all because a player he approached refused, and reported it the same day.
Pakistan Bring In Michael Smith as Batting Coach Before the England Tour
The PCB have appointed the South African on a two year deal covering both red and white ball cricket. He joins in time for the three Test series in England that starts on 19 August, and he arrives from the league Pakistan's own players know best.
The Hundred: Rockets Pull Clear in Both Competitions
Trent Rockets won twice again on Wednesday, their men now five wins from six and their women all but through to the knockouts. Welsh Fire's women kept their own hopes alive with a three wicket win built on four cheap wickets.
Two New Eras, No Cricket: Rain Takes the Ireland and Afghanistan Opener
The first of five one day internationals at Bready was abandoned without a ball bowled. It should have been the first match of Rahmat Shah's captaincy and of Gary Wilson's time as Ireland head coach. Both will have to wait until Friday.
Shafique's Unbeaten 160 Turns the Port of Spain Test Pakistan's Way
Abdullah Shafique carried his bat through a Pakistan innings of 387 at Queen's Park Oval, and by the close West Indies were six down and only 60 ahead. The second Test goes into its final day with Pakistan holding the better cards.
Sri Lanka Women Take the Series as Pakistan Avoid the Sweep
Pakistan won the third T20I at Dambulla by four wickets to end the tour with something, but Sri Lanka had already taken the series 2-1. Chamari Athapaththu's numbers in our data explain why she remains the fixture around which this side is built.
The Hundred: Southern Brave Lose Their First, and the Women's Race Tightens
Welsh Fire ended Southern Brave's perfect start in Cardiff, and Sunrisers Leeds edged London Spirit at Headingley. With the competition running to 16 August, here is exactly where both tables stand.
Rain Takes the Scotland Tri-Series Opener Without a Ball Bowled
Scotland's one day international against the United Arab Emirates at Forthill was abandoned on 3 August without play. Five matches remain in a tri-series that carries World Cup League 2 points.
India in Sri Lanka: Sundar Out of the First Test, Bumrah and Sudharsan Awaiting Clearance
The squad for Galle and Colombo has changed since it was named. Washington Sundar misses the first Test through injury, two more places depend on fitness clearance, and India sit fifth in the World Test Championship table with a percentage that leaves little room.
The Hundred: Southern Brave Stay Perfect as the Run-In Begins
Southern Brave's women have now won all five, the latest a five wicket win at Lord's built on Sophie Molineux's 3 for 7. With under two weeks to the knockouts, here is where both competitions stand and what is on today.
West Indies Lead Pakistan 1-0 After a Record Nobody Had Managed Before
Justin Greaves became the first bowler in Test history to take a wicket in five maiden overs in a row, and West Indies won the first Test by 90 runs. The series is settled at Port of Spain, where the second Test begins on 2 August.
CPL 2026 Starts on 7 August with Seven Teams for the First Time
The Caribbean Premier League returns bigger. The Jamaica Kingsmen make it seven franchises, Arnos Vale in St Vincent hosts the opener, and the Trinbago Knight Riders defend the title.
Ajinkya Rahane Retires: The IPL Career Our Ball-by-Ball Data Remembers
Rahane called time on a 16-year career on July 30. The Test numbers will be quoted everywhere, so we went to our own ball-by-ball database instead: 165 IPL innings from 2013 onwards, 4,539 runs, five franchises, and a final season that was quietly his best in three years.
India's Test Squad for Sri Lanka: What Our IPL 2026 Data Says About the Batters Picked
Jadeja is back, Saransh Jain gets a maiden call-up, and Shubman Gill leads a 15-man squad to Galle and Colombo. Everyone has the team list. We ran the picked batters through our own ball-by-ball IPL 2026 database to see who actually arrives in form.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Sold: Aditya Birla Group and US Investors Lead Historic $1.78 Billion Deal
In a monumental shift for the IPL, a consortium featuring the Aditya Birla Group, David Blitzer, and Blackstone has acquired RCB for $1.78 billion.
Rajasthan Royals Sold: US Entrepreneur Kal Somani Leads $1.63 Billion Historic Deal
In one of the most expensive deals in IPL history, Kal Somani and his consortium acquire the Rajasthan Royals franchise for a staggering $1.63 billion.
📊 Analysis(3)
The story everyone has, plus the numbers only we have.
Headingley: 17 Tests, One Draw
England play Pakistan at Leeds from 19 August, at the English ground least likely to produce a stalemate in our entire data. Seventeen Tests there, sixteen results, and the lowest first innings average of any major English venue we hold.
Galle Pays the First Innings Double: 38 Tests in Our Data Before India Arrive
The first innings at Galle averages 385 in our records. The fourth averages 164. That is not a pitch that deteriorates, it is a pitch that changes sport somewhere around tea on day three, and it is where India's two Test tour starts on 15 August.
IPL 2026 by the Numbers: 65 Totals Past 200, and the Highest-Scoring Match We Have on Record
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the title. Behind it sat a season where the average first-innings total reached 186.7, two thirds of all innings passed 200, and one match in Delhi produced 529 runs across 40 overs. Every figure here is from our own ball-by-ball database of all 74 matches.
🎯 Player Spotlight(6)
One player, read through our ball-by-ball data.
Shubman Gill Goes to Galle: The Captain, in Our Numbers
He arrives in Sri Lanka as India's Test captain with a record most people have only seen in fragments. We hold his ball-by-ball data across four competitions, and one number in it is genuinely strange: in Test cricket he has reached three figures more often than fifty.
Buttler Passes Pollard: 51 Off 20 Balls, and T20 Cricket Has a New Leading Run Scorer
Jos Buttler went to the top of T20 cricket's all time run list in Manchester on Wednesday, and he got there in 224 fewer matches than the man he passed. Our own ball-by-ball data explains how: he reaches fifty roughly once every four innings, against a field average of once in eleven.
Imesha Dulani's Unbeaten 101 Gives Sri Lanka the First Women's T20I
Chasing 177 in Dambulla, Imesha Dulani made a hundred and stayed unbeaten to take Sri Lanka home with an over to spare. Match reports call it the first T20I century by a Sri Lankan woman other than Chamari Athapaththu.
A Six Every 4.5 Balls: Inside Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 72-Six Season
Seventy-two sixes in 16 innings, at a strike rate of 237.3, from a batter our database lists as 15 years old. We went through every ball he faced in IPL 2026 to work out whether the numbers survive scrutiny, and where they sit against the rest of the competition.
Sai Sudharsan's Nine Fifties: The IPL 2026 Season That Made Him Undroppable
Nine scores of fifty or more in seventeen innings. In our ball-by-ball record of IPL 2026, no batter in India's Test squad converted starts as relentlessly as Sai Sudharsan. Here is what the numbers actually show.
Player SpotlightPrime Minister's Office (Press Information Bureau) / GODL-IndiaVaibhav Sooryavanshi by the Numbers: What Our Ball-by-Ball Data Says About India's Teenager
He is the most talked-about young batter in Indian cricket, and most of the talk is about potential. We went to our own ball-by-ball records instead. Six T20 international innings, 193 runs from 102 balls, and a six every 7.3 balls.
How our newsroom is different
Most cricket news is the same few facts retold. We start from the same facts, then add what our database says: how a selected player has actually performed ball by ball, what a squad change means in numbers, how a record compares with every season we hold. Where we quote a fact reported elsewhere, we say so and link to the source.
Our database holds 3.8M+ professional deliveries, from Test and one-day international cricket to T20 internationals for men and women, the IPL back to its first season, the Big Bash, the PSL and every men's and women's T20 World Cup, and it grows with each match we cover. When our coverage of something is partial, we say that inside the article rather than quietly rounding it up.