Sri Lanka on Friday named Dasun Shanaka as skipper of its preliminary 25-member squad for the T20 World Cup as the co-hosts sacked Charith Asalanka as the leader of side. Pramodaya Wickramasingha, who is back as the chairman of selectors, said Asalanka’s poor batting form and Shanaka’s experience in playing three previous World Cups were factors in the decision. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 December,2025 09:15 AM IST | Colombo | PTIProminent India players such as Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav will not compete in at least the first two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy as the selectors are keen to blood youngsters in the Mumbai side. Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube will also miss the initial games. “Rohit, Jaiswal, Dube and even Rahane will not be a part of the Mumbai squad for at least first two matches as the selection panel is going ahead with a young squad,” Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil told PTI. “Yashasvi is undergoing treatment for a stomach issue and he should be alright soon. We thought that the youngsters should be given a chance. But whenever they will be available, they will be accommodated,” he said. “But for the first two matches we are experimenting with youngsters,” Patil added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 December,2025 09:13 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIAfter England skipper Ben Stokes didn’t bowl on Day Three of the third Test of the Ashes series at the Adelaide Oval, assistant coach Jeetan Patel said that the all-rounder is “pretty knackered” and believed that he is “fit to bowl.” Stokes batted for over five hours to score 83 in England’s first innings. “He might be a bit tired and just needs a bit of time to himself right now. He’s pretty fit to bowl. He’s just pretty knackered, and he’s taken a lot out of himself to get through to this point in the game,” Patel told reporters. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 December,2025 09:09 AM IST | Adelaide | IANSTravis Head continued his love affair with his home Adelaide Oval Friday by slamming a fourth century in as many Tests on the ground, with the aggressive Australian opener “in the best space” for years. In doing so, he joined rarified company with only three other Australians notching centuries in four successive Tests at the same venue. Donald Bradman managed the feat twice, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Leeds in England, while Michael Clarke did so at Adelaide and Steve Smith likewise at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. “Didn’t think I’d get one, so to get four, it’s not too bad,” said the 31-year-old. Brook drops Head on 99 His unbeaten 142 drove Australia to a 356-run lead over England to put them in control of the third Test and on the cusp of retaining the Ashes. Head’s crucial ton, his 11th, came off a composed 146 balls although he almost didn’t get there, dropped on 99 by Harry Brook. Undeterred, he slammed Joe Root for a boundary next over to bring up the milestone, dropping to his knees and kissing the ground in celebration. Carey unbeaten on 52 He walked off at stumps with his arm draped around South Australian teammate Alex Carey, who played a key supporting role with an unbeaten 52. Head fell for 10 in the first dig in Adelaide and said he was striving for consistency. “There’s no doubt I want to be the most consistent batter I possibly can be,” he said. “When I go out there I want my teammates to know what to expect. In terms of mindset, I’m a lot different to others, I just love game day. I’m not one for the lead-up. You don’t get runs in the nets, you get runs in the middle. I’m probably in the best space I’ve been in the last sort of four or five years,” he added. “Just enjoying people’s company, enjoying playing, but also not playing and being away from that with family. That gives you a good perspective, and I’ve got a good balance.” 87.33Travis Head’s average across eight Tests at Adelaide 11No. of tons Travis Head has scored in 63 Tests 2No. of centuries Travis Head has scored in his last five innings since becoming an opener This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 December,2025 09:06 AM IST | Adelaide | AFPSkipper Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill’s indifferent form is a massive concern, but the national selection committee is unlikely to make any shocking changes when it picks the 15-member squad for next year’s T20 World Cup here on Saturday. The BCCI would be at liberty to replace any of the named 15 till the start of the T20 World Cup on February 7. While nobody in the BCCI is spelling it out, the global event in India could well be the last for Suryakumar as national T20 skipper. He is already 35 and has been out of form for the past one year. The committee will also pick the T20 squad for New Zealand, which will be the same as the one chosen for the T20 World Cup. For the time being, there aren’t any slots up for grabs, although Gill’s position has repeatedly come under scanner, while an in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal waits in the wings. It remains to be seen if the selectors name Jaiswal as an extra player for the New Zealand series just to observe him, in case he is needed during the mega-event to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The reserve opener’s slot currently belongs to Sanju Samson, who was wrongfully displaced from his position when the selection committee and an important member of the team think-tank decided to fix something that wasn’t broken. Had the T20 World Cup been six months away, there was every possibility of the selection committee looking at alternative options for leadership. However, what has worked in Suryakumar’s favour is an early T20 World Cup and form deserting his deputy Gill, who was being seen as the all-format captain after taking over the reins of the Test and ODI sides. But with only five games left before the opening World Cup match against the United States of America in Mumbai on February 7, no selection panel would want to break continuity. 192No. of runs scored by Shubman Gill in his last 10 international innings (T20Is, Tests and ODIs) 12Suryakumar Yadav’s highest score in the just-concluded T20I series vs South Africa. The skipper scored 33 runs @ 8.50 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 December,2025 09:02 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIVice-captain Vihaan Malhotra’s (61 not out off 45 balls) exhilarating stroke-play was well complemented by Aaron George’s (58 not out off 49 balls) composure as India U-19 set up a U-19 Asia Cup summit date with arch-rivals Pakistan after crushing Sri Lanka colts by eight wickets in a rain-curtailed semi-final here on Friday. After rain reduced the match to 20-over per side, the Indian bowling unit restricted Sri Lanka to 138-8 in 20 overs. In reply, India chased down the target in 18 overs. India’s eighth appearance in the final was built on the unbroken 114-run stand for the third wicket between Malhotra and George. In the other semi-final, Pakistan beat Bangladesh by eight wickets. Brief scoresSL 138-8 in 20 overs (C Heenatigala 42, V Dinsara 32, S Seneviratne 30; H Patel 2-31, K Chouhan 2-36) lost to India 139-2 in 18 overs (V Malhotra 61*, A George 58*; R Nimsara 2-31) by eight wickets This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 December,2025 08:59 AM IST | Dubai | PTIHardik Pandya (63) hit the second-fastest T20I fifty for India, while Tilak Varma produced a fluent 73 as the hosts beat South Africa by 30 runs in the fifth and final contest to win the five-match T20I series 3-1 here on Friday. Chasing a mammoth 232-run target, the Proteas managed 201-8 in 20 overs. Opener Quinton de Kock gave the visitors some hope with a blistering 65 off 35 balls before they tumbled. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the bowlers for India with 4-53, while pacer Jasprit Bumrah finished with figures of 2-17. Umpire Rohan Pandit receives treatment after being hit on the knee by a Sanju Samson shot in Ahmedabad Arshdeep Singh (1-47) and Pandya (1-41) claimed one wicket each. Earlier, in a whirlwind knock laden with five sixes and as many fours, Pandya’s seventh half-century (63 off 25 balls) came off only 16 balls. He put on 105 off only 44 balls in a brilliant fourth wicket partnership with Tilak, just when the momentum had slowed down for India. If Pandya produced a minute-a-mile knock, Tilak once again showed his repertoire of strokes around the ground, making 73 off 42 balls with 10 fours and a six. Pandya walked out amidst chants of his name at his former IPL home ground as out-of-sorts India captain Suryakumar Yadav (5) endured yet another failure. It was Pandya’s brute force in the strokes that he played which stood out, sending the ball flying far nto the stands of the world’s largest stadium. 16No. of balls taken by Hardik Pandya to score a half-century, the second-fastest by an Indian after Yuvraj Singh (12 balls) 10No. of 200-plus totals by India batting first in 22 innings after the 2024 T20 WC, the most by any team SixNo. of 50-plus scores for Quinton de Kock against India, the most by any player Brief scoresIndia 231-5 in 20 overs (T Varma 73, H Pandya 63, S Samson 37, A Sharma 34; C Bosch 2-44) beat South Africa 201-8 in 20 overs (Q de Kock 65, D Brevis 31, V Chakravarthy 4-53, J Bumrah 2-17) by 30 runs This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 December,2025 08:56 AM IST | Ahmedabad | AgenciesIn the fifth T20I match against South Africa, Team India emerged victorious by 30 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With this, the "Men in Blue" clinched the series by 3-1. In an attempt to chase a target of 232 runs, the Proteas managed to reach 201 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs. Quinton de Kock was the highest run-scorer for the side. Facing 35 balls, he smashed 65 runs, including nine boundaries and three maximums. Dewald Brevis also scored 31 runs in 17 balls, with the help of three boundaries and two maximums. Team India's mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy returned with the figures of four wickets for 53 runs in four overs. Lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah registered two wickets to his name by conceding 17 runs in four overs. Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya managed to pick up one wicket each. Having put to bat first, Team India posted a total of 231 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. Swashbuckling opening batsman, Abhishek Sharma, smashed 34 runs off 21 deliveries. His knock was laced with six boundaries and a maximum. Fellow opening batsman Sanju Samson accumulated 37 runs in 22 balls, including four boundaries and two maximums. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav continued his poor form as he returned to the pavilion on just five runs after facing seven balls. Tilak Varma delivered a blistering knock of 73 runs. Facing 42 balls, the left-hander smashed 10 boundaries and a maximum. Team India's premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya showcased his immense power. In just 25 balls, the right-hander smashed 63 runs, with the help of five boundaries and the same number of maximums. Later, Shivam Dube scored an unbeaten 10 runs in just three balls, including a boundary and a maximum. With this, the "Men in Blue" posted a total of 231 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. Corbin Bosch was the most successful bowler for South Africa. Bowling three overs, he bagged two wickets by conceding 44 runs. George Linde and Ottniel Baartman registered one wicket each. Completing his quota of four overs, Linde was smashed for 46 runs, whereas Baartman leaked 39 runs in three overs. Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, and Donovan Ferreira went wicketless in the fifth T20I match against Team India. Bowling four overs, Ngidi gave away 29 runs, and Jansen was smashed for 50 runs. Ferreira also bowled two overs and leaked 20 runs.
19 December,2025 11:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the final match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Jharkhand defeated Haryana by 69 runs and clinched their first title in the league's history. Following the triumph, skipper Ishan Kishan has expressed confidence in Jharkhand team's future success by saying that every player in the side wants to dominate and win the matches. "We'll lift more trophies in the future. This year, our mindset shifted - every player wanted to dominate and win," he said. Speaking about expecting a call in Team India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, the left-hander said that he is currently focused on performing in the matches. He is also aware of the tough competition to make the cut to the national team. "As for the World Cup squad selection, I focus on performing; that's my job. I don't worry about it. Every player hopes to make the Indian team, but it's tough competition, and we give our best shot," said Kishan. The 27-year-old cricketer last made his international appearance in November 2023 and has sent a loud message to national selectors and blazed his way to a 45-ball century, finishing with 101 runs. This victory marks the first time Jharkhand has ever lifted the premier domestic T20 trophy, joining the elite list of Indian domestic champions. For Ishan Kishan, the century was his fifth in SMAT history, equaling the record for the most hundreds in the tournament and cementing his status as one of the most explosive white-ball players in the country. Currently, the "Men in Blue" are leading the five-match T20I series 2-1 and will aim to secure a win in Ahmedabad to seal the series. The fifth and final clash of the series is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 19, 2026. Later, the side will lock horns against New Zealand for the shortest format series. The five-match T20I series against the "Black Caps" would start from January 21. The series will also serve as a preparatory contest for both teams ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. (With ANI Inputs)
19 December,2025 10:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentTeam India's vice-captain, Shubman Gill, has sustained an injury on his right foot and will not feature in the fifth and final T20I match against South Africa. The final clash of the ongoing series between the "Men in Blue" and the Proteas is underway at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. In a statement, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that Gill sustained a blow to his right foot and will miss the series-deciding clash against the Aiden Markram-led South Africa. 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: Shubman Gill sustained an impact injury to his right foot while batting in the nets on 16th December in Lucknow. After consulting a specialist and getting treatment with the BCCI medical team, he is improving but will be unavailable for selection for the final… — BCCI (@BCCI) December 19, 2025 Team India's think tank has named Sanju Samson as the 26-year-old cricketer's replacement. Meanwhile, Markram won the toss and elected to bowl first against the Suryakumar Yadav-led Team India. The "Men in Blue" have made two changes ahead of the clash with Kuldeep Yadav making way for Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah replacing Harshit Rana. South Africa, on the other hand, has picked David Miller ahead of Tristan Stubbs. Having a lead of 2-1 in the five-match T20I series, the "Men in Blue" under Yadav's leadership will be aiming to secure a win to clinch the series, while the Proteas will be looking to secure a draw. The series serves as a preparatory contest for both the teams ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which will be hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka. Before the global showpiece, the "Men in Blue" will also play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand. IND vs SA 5th T20I: Confirmed Playing XI India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy. South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (C), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
19 December,2025 10:19 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the fifth T20I match against Team India, South Africa skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The "Men in Blue" have made two changes for the clash — Kuldeep Yadav has made way for Washington Sundar while Jasprit Bumrah has replaced Harshit Rana. Also, Sanju Samson was included in place of Vice-captain Shubman Gill. The Indian Vice-Captain was ruled out of the last two games due to a toe injury. Meanwhile, the South African side has picked David Miller over Tristan Stubbs. After winning the toss, the visitors' captain, Markram, said, "We'll bowl first, hoping for dew later and a batting-friendly surface. The Ahmedabad pitch looks good, and we aim to chase down a target. There's a lot at stake, not just for the series but also with the World Cup on the horizon. Our focus is on finishing the tour positively and levelling the series. George Linde comes in for Anrich Nortje, adding spin to our attack". With a lead of 2-1 in the five-match T20I series, the "Men in Blue" under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav will be aiming to secure a win to clinch the series. On the other hand, the Proteas will be looking to secure a draw by winning the clash in Ahmedabad. Following the toss, Suryakumar said, "We were keen to bat first, given the wicket's promising look. The pitch should hold up well, with minimal dew expected later, so we plan to stack up runs and defend them. The Narendra Modi Stadium is an incredible venue, with an electric atmosphere even when it's not fully packed. We're focused on playing fearless cricket and expressing ourselves, rather than just thinking about the series. Our team combination has a couple of changes, with Bumrah in for Harshit and Washington replacing Kuldeep". The series serves as a preparatory contest for both the teams ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. IND vs SA 5th T20I: Confirmed Playing XI India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy. South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (C), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
19 December,2025 10:18 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
