Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan smashed a blazing 157 off just 75 balls, while Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 124 for Maharashtra. Mohammed Shami claimed a two-wicket haul, and Bengal’s Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar picked up four wickets each, marking the standout performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on Wednesday. In the match against Services, Haryana won the toss and elected to field first. Chennai Super Kings' pacer Anshul Kamboj showcased his skills with the ball. He claimed three wickets, which collapsed the Services' batting lineup to 41 runs for the loss of three wickets. Later, Kamboj returned with the figures of four wickets for 43 runs. Services failed to recover from early wicket losses and managed 271 for eight, thanks to Irfan Ali’s unbeaten 103. In the match against Uttarakhand, Maharashtra skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad delivered a crucial knock of 124 runs off 113 deliveries while Satyajeet Bacchav and Ramakrishna Ghosh registered the scores of 56 and 47 runs, respectively. With this, the side posted a total of 331 runs for the loss of seven wickets. While Uttarakhand managed to pick up late wickets to slow the momentum, the damage was already done by the skipper's clinical innings. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Goa, Mumbai posted a gigantic total of 444 runs by losing eight wickets. Yashasvi Jaiswal missed out on his well-deserved half-century by just four runs. Along with him, Musheer Khan smashed 60 runs. Later, Musheer's elder brother Sarfaraz registered his ton in just 56 balls. He then went on to score 157 runs in 75 balls, which were laced with nine boundaries and 14 maximums. Mumbai's wicket-keeper Hardik Tamore also accumulated 53 runs in 28 balls to help the team reach a huge total. In a clinical display of pace bowling, Bengal crushed Jammu & Kashmir by nine wickets after bowling them out for a mere 63 runs. The victory was set up by a relentless performance from Bengal's star-studded pace trio. Mohammed Shami provided the early breakthroughs by taking two wickets for 14 runs, dismissing Qamran Iqbal and Yawer Hassan cheaply. The pressure was maintained by Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar, who claimed four-wicket hauls to dismantle the rest of the lineup. Mukesh Kumar was particularly lethal, finishing with the figures of 4-16 in six overs and earning the Player of the Match award, while Akash Deep's 4-32 in 8.4 overs ensured that J&K were bundled out in just 20.4 overs. Bengal then chased down the small target of 64 in only 9.3 overs, with Abishek Porel (unbeaten 30 runs) and Sudip Gharami (unbeaten 25 runs) sealing a dominant win. (With ANI Inputs)
31 December,2025 04:21 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAhead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, Afghanistan has announced their 15-member squad for the marquee event. Star pacer Naveen-ul-Haq and Gulbadin Naib have returned to the squad. Earlier, Naveen had sustained a shoulder injury, which kept him out of action in international cricket. He last made his international appearance in December 2024. Meanwhile, Naib was left out of Afghanistan's white-ball tour of Bangladesh in October, and the experienced left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi has also been included in the squad. Star spinner Rashid Khan will lead Afghanistan's pack in the mega event, scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka. Opening batsman Ibrahim Zadran has been named as Rashid's deputy. Meanwhile, Naib was left out of Afghanistan's white-ball tour of Bangladesh in October, as was the experienced left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi, who has also been included in the squad. "We had good discussions over the past few days and finalized the squad. Gulbadin Naib is a big-match player, and his return boosts our team. We are also pleased to have Naveen Ul Haq back, which enhances the quality of our fast bowling," chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil said. The squad also consists of the likes of spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. His inclusion led to AM Ghazanfar being named as a reserve. In the previous edition of the T20 World Cup, the Afghans had managed to reach the semi-final of the tournament. In the upcoming edition of the global showpiece, the Rashid Khan-led team has been placed in Group D along with teams such as Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. Afghanistan will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign by playing a match against the "Black Caps" on February 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The same squad will also play a three-match T20I series against the West Indies in the UAE ahead of the World Cup, starting January 19. "Afghanistan had a terrific run in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup. We cherish excellent memories from the past, and hope for even better results this year, which will be played in Asian conditions," Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Naseeb Khan said. "Hosting the West Indies team provides us with an incredible opportunity to fine-tune our combination, and prepare adequately for the World Cup," he added. Afghanistan's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026: Rashid Khan (Captain), Ibrahim Zadran (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Abdullah Ahmadzai. Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi. (With PTI Inputs)
31 December,2025 04:21 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentPakistan's star left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will return home from Australia on Wednesday. With this, his availability in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 is also uncertain. The pacer sustained a knee injury while fielding for Brisbane Heat in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL). Following the blow, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has called Shaheen for treatment and rehabilitation at the High Performance Centre in Lahore. He has struggled in his maiden appearance in the BBL, having spent a long time out from cricket in 2021-22 after undergoing knee surgery following an injury while fielding in a Test in Sri Lanka. A PCB official said that Shaheen had been called back after discussions with Cricket Australia (CA), as the initial feedback was that he required complete rest and time to recover from the injury. He said that the seriousness of the injury and the potential timeline for recovery will be determined after his meeting with the board's doctors. Speaking about his situation, the pacer has expressed disappointment, according to a release by the BBL franchise and is also hopeful of returning to action as early as possible. "I have enjoyed myself a lot playing for Brisbane and I am sad that I will not be able to finish the season with the team," he said in a statement released by the BBL side. "Hopefully, I will be back in the fields soon," he wrote. He represented the Brisbane Heat in the four matches of the ongoing edition of the BBL. The pacer claimed two wickets with an average of 76.50. In his first match, he was taken off the attack after bowling two full-toss deliveries. Shaheen was not included in the Pakistan squad for a three-match T20I series in Sri Lanka (January 7-11) even before he sustained the injury. The "Green Shirts" have been placed in Group A along with teams such as India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA. They will begin their campaign by playing a clash against the Netherlands on February 7 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka. The high-octane clash of the marquee event between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. (With PTI Inputs)
31 December,2025 01:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer England cricket Michael Vaughan has urged Australia's traditional opening batsman Usman Khawaja to retire on his own terms ahead of the fifth and final Test match of the ongoing Ashes series, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The fifth and final Test match of the Ashes series is scheduled to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 4. "I would say to Usman, 'Don't let them decide. You decide your destiny'. When someone has been playing for so long, we've just got to let them decide. Usman has had an incredible career and not many get the chance to say goodbye on their own terms at their own venue," said the former English cricketer as quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald. Khawaja's retirement talks have gained attention, but there has no official statement from him. Later, Australia's head coach, Andrew McDonald, also said that no discussions have taken place with Khawaja about his future in the game. The left-hander has not opened after he suffered back spasms in Perth. He missed the Brisbane Test and was initially left out for Adelaide, only being recalled to bat at No. 4 because of Steve Smith's illness. Further speaking more on Khawaja's uncertain future, Vaughan said that he doesn't think of any better way to draw curtains on one's international career. "If he doesn't do that, he runs the risk of his career ending not on his own terms. I can't think of a better way to say goodbye than at his home ground in an Ashes series. If Uzzie has got the energy and capacity to really want to fight on, yeah, I could see that happening, but leaving in Sydney in an Ashes series sounds pretty good to me," said Vaughan. With the series already in the bag, the Aussies will look to conclude the contest on a high note. They are leading the five-match Ashes Test series by 4-1 against the "Three Lions". On the other hand, the Ben Stokes-led England will be looking to secure a win in the final match in order to end the contest with a few positives. (With ANI Inputs)
31 December,2025 01:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the fifth and final women's T20I match against Sri Lanka, Team India's Deepti Sharma claimed one wicket by conceding 28 runs in her spell of four overs. With this, she achieved the historic feat of becoming the leading wicket-taker in the history of the format with 152 scalps to her name. Speaking about her accomplishment, Deepti said that she always tries to deliver impactful performance for the team, and it is good to carry the winning momentum from the World Cup to the series. "It always feels good when you reach such milestones. I always try to give an impactful performance to help my team. This 5-0 result is a reward for everyone's contributions to the team; it was a complete team performance. It's good to carry on the winning momentum from the ODI World Cup to this T20I series," she said in the press conference. With the bat, she managed to score just seven runs after facing eight balls. Further speaking about the T20 World Cup 2026, she said that the global showpiece is too far to think about it, and the team's focus is on taking one match at a time. "The T20 World Cup is too far to think about at the moment. While the ultimate goal is definitely the World Cup, we are taking it match by match, series by series as series. There's been different match winners for us, and that's great for the team," added the 28-year-old cricketer. Deepti has surpassed Australia's Megan Scutt for the milestone of most wickets in Women's T20Is. Currently, she has 152 wickets to her name in 133 matches at an average of 19.00. The "Women in Blue" registered a 5-0 clean sweep over Sri Lanka as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side defeated Chamari Athapaththu's team by 15 runs in the fifth T20I match between Team India and Sri Lanka. Team India skipper Kaur was named the "Player of the Match" for her crucial half-century. The clean sweep comes as a significant boost for the Indian team ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to take place in June-July next year. (With ANI Inputs)
31 December,2025 11:56 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFollowing Team India's triumph in the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said that her side will be playing their best cricket in the next six months ahead of the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup 2026. In the fifth and final T20I match, the "Women in Blue" secured a win by 15 runs against Sri Lanka. Kaur smashed 68 runs off just 43 deliveries, which was laced with nine boundaries and a maximum. Speaking at the post-match presentation, the Indian skipper said all the hard work done by the team this year paid off and will be looking ahead to repeat the same habits. "2025 has been great for us. All the hard work we have done, this year, we have got the credit. It's about repeating these habits. All of us have played a lot of T20 cricket together. It was about believing we can do that. Sir (coach Amol Muzumdar) spoke about strike rates and lifting the standards. Everyone was happy, and we wanted to set those standards. Going forward, we want to look at this series and think of what we can do ahead," she said. Further, she also said that shifting her game from ODI to T20I was not easy and also said that the upcoming edition of the Women's Premier League will be crucial for all the players. "As a batter, it is my responsibility to give strength to that order and contribute. Shifting to T20 from ODI wasn't easy, but everyone was excited to play. We fought for this, and I am happy how all things came together. Next is WPL, which is important for all of us. Hopefully, we play our best cricket and enjoy ourselves. The next six months are important, we want to keep working hard and raising the bar," added Kaur. With the victory in the fifth match, the "Women in Blue" sealed the series by 5-0 against their distant rivals. Shafali Verma scored 241 runs across five matches in the series with three fifties. In T20Is, she ends the year with 417 runs in 10 matches at an average of 52.12, with four fifties and a best score of an unbeaten 79 runs. (With ANI Inputs)
31 December,2025 11:55 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer cricketer Damien Martyn, who played 67 test matches for Australia, is in a serious condition in a Brisbane hospital, Australian media reported Wednesday. The 54-year-old former right-hand batter had fallen ill in recent days, with Nine Newspapers reporting he is in an induced coma and fighting a bout of meningitis. "Lots of love and prayers sending (at) damienmartyn way. Keep strong and fighting legend. Love to the family," former test teammate Darren Lehmann wrote on social media. Speaking to News Corp., close friend and former Australian Test wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist said: "He is getting the best of treatment and (Martyn's partner) Amanda and his family know that a lot of people are sending their prayers and best wishes". Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg wished Martyn a quick recovery. "I'm saddened to hear of Damien's illness. The best wishes of everyone at CA and in the wider cricket community are with him at this time," said Greenberg. Martyn's seemingly effortless stroke play was his strength, averaging 46.37 with the bat in test matches. Born in Darwin, Martyn earned a test debut at 21 replacing Dean Jones in the 1992-93 home series against West Indies and was Western Australia's captain at 23. His high score of 165 came against New Zealand in 2005, one of his 13 test centuries. Martyn played his final test at Adelaide Oval in the 2006-07 Ashes series before moving into commentary work. Martyn played 208 one-day internationals, averaging 40.8. He was part of Australia's squad that won the 1999 and 2003 World Cups, scoring an unbeaten 88 in the final against India in 2003 while batting with a broken finger, and was also a member of the winning 2006 Champions Trophy squad. 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.
31 December,2025 11:54 AM IST | Brisbane | ANIThe Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) will conduct U-12 selection trials for boys across multiple venues in Mumbai and its extended suburbs in January 2026. Players residing in Mumbai, Thane District, Palghar District and Kharghar are only eligible. They must be born on or after 1-9-2013 or before 31-8-2015. Reporting time is 8.30 am. Online registration form on the MCA website to be filled by January 2. Trial datesJan 5–6: Wankhede Stadium, Churchgate (Churchgate to Dahisar /Colaba to Matunga & Wadala)Jan 10–11: Sainath Sports Club, Virar (Mira Road to Dahanu)Jan 19– 20: Dombivli Gymkhana (Thane to Vangani /Asangaon /Bhiwandi & nearby areas)Jan 24–25: Navi Mumbai Sports Assn, Vashi (Sion to Kurla/GTB Nagar to Kharghar & Airoli/Vidyavihar to Mulund & Powai)
31 December,2025 09:52 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentKartik Chhajer and Shauryakant Upadhayaya helped Swami Vivekanand International School (Borivli) secure an unlikely draw against Dnyandeep Seva Mandal (Nerul) in a boys U-14 Dream Sports Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school Giles Shield league-round match at Karnataka Sports Ground (Cross Maidan), on Tuesday. On the final day of the two-day match, Dnyandeep declared at a commanding 299-8 in their first innings, having secured a lead of 162. Atharv Kalel starred with a fluent 51, while Shivam Singh (49), and Atul Chaudhary (26) also chipped in with useful contributions. Meanwhile, Sanchit Gawade (2-36) was the pick of the Swami Vivekanand bowlers. After being bowled out for 137 on Day One, Swami Vivekanand displayed much greater resilience in the second innings thanks to a splendid ton by Kartik (116) and a solid half-century by Shauryakant (58). The duo snuffed out any chances of a Dnyandeep victory. The Borivli outfit ended the match at 240-3. 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
31 December,2025 09:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamSwashbuckling India opener Shafali Verma has climbed to sixth place in the latest ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings following a string of impressive half-centuries. The 21-year-old has moved up four places after scores of 69 not out off 34 balls in the second T20I against Sri Lanka, followed by unbeaten knocks of 79 off 42 deliveries and 79 off 46 balls in the third and fourth matches in Thiruvananthapuram. Seasoned India all-rounder Deepti Sharma continues her reign at the top in the bowlers’ list with compatriot Renuka Singh Thakur joining her in the top 10.Thakur gained eight places to reach joint-sixth position following a match-winning haul of four for 21 in the third match that India won by eight wickets to seal the series. 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
31 December,2025 09:44 AM IST | London | PTIAustralian all-rounders Ellyse Perry of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Annabel Sutherland of Delhi Capitals on Tuesday withdrew from next month’s Women’s Premier League, citing personal reasons. The WPL announced in a release that Indian all-rounder Sayali Satghare will join RCB in place of Perry, while Australian leg-spinner Alana King will replace Sutherland for DC. 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
31 December,2025 09:41 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIADVERTISEMENT
