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Ashwani Kumar became the first Indian bowler, and sixth overall, to pick up four or more wickets on IPL debut and on the back of his performance Mumbai Indians wrapped up Kolkata Knight Riders for 116 in their first home game of IPL 2025.The 23-year-old left-arm seamer from Punjab tripled his career tally of wickets – from two to six – over the course of one evening. He dismissed the KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane with his first ball. He took down Rinku Singh and Andre Russell. This league does not present many higher quality of wickets.The most impressive thing about Kumar was how hard he was to line up. He had an orthodox bowling action. His speeds were largely in the early to mid 130kph range. Those are the kind of bowlers that get smashed around in the IPL. But try as they might, KKR were never able to do it. Kumar came to prominence because of his performances in the Sher-E-Punjab T20 trophy last year where he displayed an affinity for the death overs. He didn’t really bowl in that phase of the innings against KKR but he did show why he could find success in high-pressure situations. It was his control of length.Rinku tried to take him down, but one ball after coming down the track and hitting him for four, he was caught on the deep-point boundary. Kumar pulled his length back to surprise the batter. Russell tried to take him down, but one ball after clearing his front leg and smacking him through the line, he was beaten by a bouncer and then knocked over by a 140kph good length delivery that surprised the batter again.Mumbai are almost surely looking at their first win of IPL 2025 after losing their first two games. KKR, meanwhile, were left wondering what had gone wrong. They were put in to bat and they seemed very conscious of putting up a par-plus total, their batters going on the attack even though they lost Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock in the first two overs. Angkrish Raghuvanshi looked good for his 26 off 16 but he fell immediately after the powerplay. That left KKR five down and forced them to bring in Manish Pandey as an Impact Player, which meant they will be going into the bowling innings short of options. The move didn’t work with Pandey falling for 19 off 14.

Fakhar Zaman has dismissed speculation that he is planning to retire from international cricket, and said that he was targeting a return from the injury that cut short his Champions Trophy within the next month.Fakhar, the hero of Pakistan’s 2017 Champions Trophy win with a hundred in the final, strained an oblique muscle chasing a ball in the very first over of Pakistan’s opening game against New Zealand in Karachi. He went off the field immediately, came back later but eventually could only bat at No.4 – instead of his usual opening slot.He struggled visibly with the injury during a 41-ball 24, as Pakistan crashed to a 60-run defeat. Fakhar was distraught in the dressing room after the dismissal and, given the uncertainty surrounding his arrival into the side, and that he turns 35 in April, the fact that it could have been his last game for Pakistan was not lost.But talking to PCB digital, Fakhar confirmed that he was not going anywhere. “I heard about this [retirement rumours] a lot and even my friends messaged me about it, but there’s nothing to it,” he said. “The ODI format is my favourite format. Yes, with my thyroid, there was a thing that I could take more time getting back into it. But I want to play T20s, ODIs, even Tests again. As far as my comeback is concerned, I spoke to the doctor and I can start playing cricket again within the month.”Related

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Fakhar had not played international cricket since the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies last June, where Pakistan were eliminated in the group stage too. He last played an ODI at the 2023 ODI World Cup, another event where Pakistan exited before the knockout stages.In the run-up to this tournament, however, he had been left out of Pakistan’s central contracts. And he had also been issued a show-cause notice after a tweet he put out last September criticising the decision to drop Babar Azam from the Test side. Later, when chairman Mohsin Naqvi organised a “connection camp” to get senior players to air their views, Fakhar was among the most outspoken, singling out a senior official for trenchant criticism.That would seem to be in the past for now, with Fakhar committing to a return with Pakistan. “The doctor has advised me that I can start training again in three weeks. So I think I should be back to playing cricket in a month’s time.”Pakistan were knocked out of the Champions Trophy when they lost to India. Fakhar was replaced by Imam-ul-Haq, a move which only enhanced the scrutiny on their top order’s seemingly outdated methods. In both the defeats, the focus was on laborious innings by Babar (64 off 90 balls against New Zealand) and captain Mohammad Rizwan (46 off 77 balls against India), the former stymying momentum in a big chase and the latter leading to a below-par target being set.Pakistan had already lost Saim Ayub to injury before the tournament and the subsequent loss of Fakhar was a double-whammy that coach Aaqib Javed identified as one of the pivotal reasons for their poor showing. Fakhar has a career strike rate of nearly 94 in ODIs and was clear about the way to play in the modern game.”The biggest thing is the situation. If you are chasing 150-200 runs you go in with a different mindset and if you are chasing 350, you have a different mindset,” Aaqib said. “But strike rate does matter, especially these days. And you have to play risky cricket. Cricket has become so fast-scoring, all teams come with that plan. If you take risks, you can score runs, although yes, you can also lose your wicket doing that.”

Najmul Hossain Shanto has quit as Bangladesh’s T20I captain. BCB president Faruque Ahmed told a local newspaper that Shanto had informed the board of his decision but that he will continue to lead in Tests and ODIs.”Shanto has finally informed us that he will not continue as the T20I captain. We have accepted his decision. There’s however no T20s coming up, so we will not think about a new captain just yet. We have an understanding with Shanto that when he is fit, he will continue as the Test and ODI captain,” Faruque told the Dhaka-based on Thursday.This puts to rest the captaincy debate after Shanto had expressed reluctance towards being all-format captain back in October. At the time Faruque convinced Shanto to continue as captain across formats. Shanto however got injured during an ODI against Afghanistan in November, which prevented him from touring the West Indies.There, Bangladesh handed the Test and ODI captaincy to Mehidy Hasan Miraz. The visitors drew the Test series 1-1, before they lost the ODIs 3-0. Litton Das then led the T20I side to a 3-0 series win. Whether that T20I result pushed the BCB into agreeing with Shanto is unknown, but the fact that Mehidy and Litton were good enough to be considered part of the leadership group was good news for Bangladeshi cricket.Shanto became Bangladesh’s all-format captain in February 2024. The appointment came on the back of impressive stints against New Zealand at home and away, in the absence of then-captain Shakib Al Hasan. Bangladesh’s subsequent T20I performances however were great as they lost bilateral series against Sri Lanka and USA. They managed to reach the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup last June but did not win a match in that round.Shanto too suffered a nosedive in form in the format, scoring just a single fifty in his 24 matches in charge, averaging 18.76 as the T20I captain despite having shown improved form in the format after the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Whether he continues to be part of Bangladesh’s T20I side depends largely on his form during in the ongoing BPL.Bangladesh’s next T20I assignment is likely to be a three-match series against Zimbabwe in March this year. Litton could be a frontrunner for the captaincy given his showing in the West Indies. That said, he has been off colour with the bat in white-ball cricket of late.

New Zealand 186 for 5 (Chapman 42, Hay 41, Robinson 41) beat Sri Lanka 141 (Perera 48, Duffy 4-15) by 45 runsAfter a first T20I which had been more akin to a smash and grab, New Zealand produced a much more team-centred effort to come away comfortable winners in the second T20I, and with it secure the series 2-0. It means Sri Lanka’s long wait for a series win in New Zealand continues.Having been set an imposing target of 187, Sri Lanka’s batting once more threatened for large parts before falling away at the death. Only Pathum Nissanka (37), Kusal Perera (48) and Charith Asalanka (20) provided any innings of substance, but with a long tail in tow, the hosts needed much more than that if they were to overhaul a spirited New Zealand outfit.Jacob Duffy once more was at the forefront of proceedings, as he ensured strong efforts from Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman and Mitch Hay would not be in vain. Duffy’s 4 for 15 was far and away the best bowling effort, as he provided crucial breakthroughs across Sri Lanka’s innings.It was Hay, however, that took home the player-of-the-match award for his 19-ball 41. It was a knock that took New Zealand’s total from a middling one to above par, and put his side ahead of the game – a position which they scarcely looked like letting go of from that point on.Duffy does it againIn the first T20I it was Duffy’s single-over triple-strike that signposted Sri Lanka’s monument collapse. In the second game, while not as explosive – this time he spread his scalps over all four of his overs – his impact was just as telling.Mitchell Santner too was clever in his use of Duffy, bringing him on initially in spells of just one over each, before a critical two-over burst at the death. The tactic worked a charm, as after a wicketless first over, he picked up a wicket off the first delivery of each of his subsequent three overs.Pathum Nissanka was the first to go, bringing an end to the opener’s threatening 38 off 27. Duffy was then brought back in the midst of another threatening stand when Kusal Perera and Charith Asalanka had put on 31 off 20, only for Perera to fall for a 35-ball 48.A third first-ball strike to remove Wanindu Hasaranga, followed by the dismissal of Maheesh Theekshana two balls later, ended another fine day out for Duffy.Mitchell Hay added late impetus for New Zealand•Getty Images

Sri Lankan strike rates a concern?Sri Lanka once more flattered to deceive with the bat, and while this defeat was not anywhere near as egregious as the loss in the first game, there will be question marks surrounding their inability to to finish an innings strongly.Once more a solid platform was laid – 72 for 2 at the halfway mark – but they ended up bowled out for 141 by the start of the 20th over. And among their primary concerns might be an inability to score runs quickly enough.Even the batters that got runs were unable to strike at more than 140 – a stark contrast from New Zealand, who had three batters hit at a rate above 140, including Hay who struck at 215 – while another area to improve might be the running between the wickets; New Zealand ran 14 twos as opposed to Sri Lanka running just five.New Zealand’s controlled aggression Having been asked to bat first once more, only three of the opening 10 overs didn’t include a boundary, and five of those overs went for at least 10 runs. This meant that even Sri Lanka’s better bowlers on the day weren’t ever able to build any sort of concerted pressure, while other were barely allowed to even settle. Much of this was down to the measured intent shown by Robinson and Chapman, with both batters comfortable in using their feet to shift Sri Lanka’s bowlers off their lengths.Theekshana, usually among Sri Lanka’s more economical bowlers, was targeted in particular, going for 20 off his first two before being taken out of the attack. The express Matheesha Pathirana wasn’t safe either, with Chapman twice coming down the track to dispatch him – first over the covers and then a wallop over deep midwicket.More importantly New Zealand were diligent in their running between the wickets, constantly searching for possibilities to turn singles into twos. This meant that while Binura Fernando, Hasaranga and Nuwan Thushara had never really looked under any sort of pressure, New Zealand somehow managed to rack up 86 by the halfway point.Hay finally shinesDespite New Zealand’s strong start, Sri Lanka might have been happy with how the game had panned out by the 18th over. Sixty-six runs and three wickets in the eight overs since the 10th had brought about the distinct possibility that New Zealand might not even make the 172 they had in the first game.And it might have been the case too, if not for Hay. His first three T20Is – all against Sri Lanka – had brought two ducks and a grand total of three runs. But here, against two of Sri Lanka’s wiliest bowlers, Hay belatedly announced himself on the international stage.In a 19-ball cameo – more than doubling the number of deliveries he had faced in his previous three T20Is combined – Hay bludgeoned 41 runs, including four fours and two sixes. Having bided his time initially, taking 12 off 9, he clattered 29 off his next 10.Theekshana was the first to get the treatment, with two monster hits down the ground the highlight of an 18-run penultimate over. Hay then turned his attention to Sri Lanka’s most economical bowler up to that point – Binura – smartly dispatching him for two boundaries, including an audacious scoop, to ensure 34 runs off the final two overs – and 100 off the final 10.

A fast bowler who has 25 Test wickets at 22.68 for the year (Lahiru Kumara), a left-arm swing bowler who averages 24.12 in South Africa (Vishwa Fernando), a skiddy right-arm quick with 68 career wickets at 25.97 (Asitha Fernando), and more good options on the bench.Sri Lanka have likely had better quicks than they have now – Chaminda Vaas took 355 Test wickets, and Lasith Malinga burned hot until the injuries overtook him. But Sri Lanka have probably never had the fast-bowling depth they currently command.In Durban, for example, they left out Kasun Rajitha, who himself averages 25.00 in South Africa and is probably their tallest bowler. They also omitted Milan Rathnayake, who made impressive strides – with bat and ball – in England earlier this year.Dhananjaya de Silva knows few other Sri Lanka captains have commanded these kinds of seam-bowling resources.”I’m very happy, because they know their games now, and what they need to do for the team,” de Silva said of his fast-bowling battery. “I think I need to give a lot of credit to Dimuth Karunaratne, because he was the previous captain, and it’s under his leadership that a lot of these bowlers started and developed. As captain I’m able to reap those rewards, so I’d like to give Dimuth aiya the credit for that.”Sri Lanka are about to begin a Test on a green-tinged South African surface, in Gqeberha, and although they may still choose to pick an XI that features their specialist spinner – Prabath Jayasuriya – they have the option of picking four seamers, as they had done at The Oval earlier this year, to excellent effect.Lahiru Kumara has taken 25 wickets in six Tests this year, at an average of 22.68•AFP/Getty Images

“So far we’re still talking about how many fast bowlers we will play and will only make a decision on that later,” de Silva said. “The track here is quite green.”I think in that England series we learned that we can win matches overseas with our pace attack. They’ve been improving day by day, and we saw the results of that at The Oval. We can’t blame our fast bowlers for the loss in Durban – that’s all on the batsmen, who got out for 40-odd. You can’t win a Test like that.”It was in fact in Karunaratne’s first series as captain that Vishwa took four wickets in a match that Sri Lanka won, in Gqeberha, in 2019. Vishwa isn’t the only Sri Lanka fast bowler in the likely XI for Thursday that has tasted success in South Africa, however. Kumara first burst into the international consciousness with a spectacular nip-backer at Newlands, which crashed into the stumps of no less a batter than Hashim Amla.Kumara has had more modest showings in South Africa since then, and has also been plagued by injuries, particularly with hamstring strains and tears. If he plays on Thursday, which seems exceedingly likely, he will have played seven Tests in 2024, which is his highest tally for a calendar year.”From what I see, Lahiru has been consistent in the last two years, and he’s played a lot of matches,” de Silva said. ” He’d been in and out of the team because of injuries, but now he’s been able to play consistently and learn what his strengths and weaknesses are. He’s able to back those strengths now because he’s played matches at a stretch. I think that’s the main thing that has contributed to his success.”The huge loss in Durban, de Silva said, was almost totally down to the failure of the batting group. Though he himself is a spinner, he’s been a fast-bowling captain, insisting that Sri Lanka play at least two quicks even at home, so they can be more competitive in SENA nations. He’s hoping to reap the rewards of that in Gqeberha.

Australia allrounder Cameron Green will undergo lower spine surgery and looks set to miss at least six months of cricket after being diagnosed with his fifth stress fracture in his lower back.After lengthy consultations with Cricket Australia medical staff over the past two weeks following the initial injury in the UK on September 24, Green is set to follow the same path that Jason Behrendorff, James Pattinson, Ben Dwarshuis and New Zealand quicks Shane Bond and Matt Henry have taken by having screws and a titanium cable fused into his lower back to stabilise the stress fracture and prevent future occurrences. Green has spoken to WA and club team-mate Behrendorff about his experience.Related

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The recovery ranges depending on the player but it is usually a minimum of nine months, although CA believes it will only take six months. That rules him out of the entire summer of cricket, which includes the five Tests against India, the tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy. The IPL, the World Test Championship final in June, if Australia make it, and the three-Test tour of the Caribbean in June and July of next year are possible given CA’s timeframe, especially as a batter only but bowling is a different story.Scans had shown the fracture in the UK but further assessments were required back in Australia as it is understood to be a different fracture to his previous stress injuries. Green has previously had four stress fractures in his lower back, which were recurring through his junior days all the way up to 2019, a year prior to his Test debut.CA’s medical staff are understood to be flummoxed by how this fracture has occurred after successfully managing Green through the past four years of international cricket, although he has always been vulnerable to another fracture given his history. CA released a statement outlining the reasoning for the surgery.”Cam has a unique defect in an adjacent area to the fracture that is believed to be contributing to the injury,” the statement said. “After thorough consultation it was determined Cameron would benefit from the surgery to stabilise the defect and reduce the risk of future recurrence.”He had a routine scan in August, something he does regularly, that showed up clear. That paved the way for him to bowl in the UK. He sent down 21.2 overs in the UK across five T20Is and two ODIs. The most he bowled in a match was the six overs at Chester-le-Street where he did deliver a barrage of short balls as Australia chased wickets, before pulling up sore.There are conflicting views within Australian cricket over his loads in the UK considering how carefully Mitchell Marsh was managed by comparison with the India Test series in mind. Marsh only bowled four overs for the whole tour, and they came in the game after Green flew home.But it is understood there were no indicators that Green was vulnerable in the lead-in and his bowling loads this year have been far lower than in 2021, 2022 and 2023. He bowled more than 230 overs in matches in 2021 and 2022, and 190 overs in 2023. But he had only bowled 124.3 overs to-date in 2024, albeit there were four Test matches to come for him. He was coming off a rare 10-week break from playing prior to the UK tour.The particular surgery Green will have has been very successful for many players including Behrendorff, who underwent the procedure in 2019. CA team physio Nick Jones oversaw Behrendorff’s recovery in 2019-20 when he was with WA having done extensive research on the surgery and the recovery process.ESPNcricinfo understands that the specific type of surgery has been performed on 26 patients over the course of nearly two decades by New Zealand-based surgeons Grahame Inglis and Rowan Schouten with 24 of them successfully returning to full fitness. New Zealand quick Kyle Jamieson is one of the unsuccessful ones so far but his specific case is understood to be very unusual and over the weekend Gary Stead said Jamieson was on track for a comeback during the Super Smash which starts in late December.Dwarshuis had the surgery in 2019 and was back bowling in grade cricket just seven months later and played domestic cricket within 10 months. He has played first-class cricket in the years since but has only appeared in nine red-ball matches.Behrendorff had surgery in October 2019 and did not play until December 2020. He has not returned to play first-class cricket but has had no real problems with his back since then.Pattinson took 12 months to return to first-class cricket and it was another 22 months before he played Test cricket, although he had been out of the Australian set-up for 18 months prior to the surgery due to his injury issues. He retired from professional cricket at just 32 as his body wilted.Henry had the surgery in 2012 when he was just 20 years old. His recent success against Australia in Test cricket earlier this year as a 32-year-old is an indicator of the long-term success that can be had.

Defending champions Auckland Aces will face 2021-22 and 2022-23 winners Northern Districts in the opening fixture of the men’s Super Smash 2024-25 which begins on Boxing Day at Seddon Park in Hamilton. Earlier in the day, Northern Brave will take on Auckland Hearts at the same venue to kickstart the women’s Super Smash.The defending women’s champions Wellington Blaze will begin their hunt for a ninth Super Smash title when they face Northern Brave on New Year’s Day in Hamilton.Last year’s men’s finalists Canterbury Kings will begin their campaign on the second day of the competition in Alexandra against Otago Volts while last season’s women’s finalists Central Hinds will play their opening game against Otago Sparks on December 31.The tournament, which will run from December 26 to February 2 will be played across ten venues in New Zealand and comprise of 64 games – 32 men’s and women’s double-headers.For the first time in the combined history of the competition, the final will be played at a pre-determined venue. The Basin Reserve, in Wellington, will play host to both the men’s and women’s elimination final on February 1 followed by the two finals on Sunday, February 2.”The Super Smash keeps on growing in popularity and it’s really exciting to see it continue to be so accessible to kiwis across the country,” NZC CEO Scott Weenink said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase our game to fans both new and old, while building the profiles of our domestic teams and our rising stars.”It’s fast becoming New Zealand’s favourite summer domestic competition, and with over 1.3 million kiwis tuning in on TV alone last year, we hope to see it reach new heights this summer.”The tournament will run in tandem with New Zealand men’s white-ball series against Sri Lanka which comprises of T20Is and ODIs and will run from December to January 11. The New Zealand women’s players are expected to be part of the entire tournament.

India will have a two-day pink-ball warm-up match ahead of the day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide when they face the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.The floodlit fixture will take place on November 30 and December 1 at Manuka Oval in the gap between the first and second Tests.In the last two seasons the Prime Minister’s XI fixture has a four-day contest featuring West Indies in 2022 (which was also a day-night game) and Pakistan in 2023, having traditionally been a limited-overs match, but the India game has been trimmed to just two days.Related

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On their previous tour of Australia in 2020-21, India lost the day-night Test in Adelaide by eight wickets when they were bundled out for their lowest Test score of 36 in the second innings but famously came back to win the series 2-1 with an historic display in Brisbane.On that occasion Adelaide was the opening Test of a four-match series – which was completed despite the challenges of Covid-19 border closures – whereas this time the series will begin in Perth and includes five Tests.Overall India have played just four day-night Tests, with their most recent in 2022 against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, while Australia have featured in 12 (all at home) with last season’s eight-run loss to West Indies in Brisbane their first defeat against the pink ball.In recent seasons the Prime Minister’s XI has been a strong side which has effectively been an Australia A team. Matt Renshaw has had a particularly profitable time in the last two fixtures with scores of 81, 101 not and 136 not out against West Indies and Pakistan.However, last season’s pitch at Manuka Oval came in for criticism from Pakistan when it was very slow and low and did not provide ideal preparation for the Test in Perth although poor weather had made life difficult for the groundstaff. The final day of the game was abandoned after an overnight storm and ripped off the covers.India have an intra-squad warm-up at the WACA from November 15-18 ahead of the first Test on November 22. They will arrive in Australia on the back of a three-match home Test series against New Zealand.An India A squad will tour Australia from late October and play two four-day matches in Mackay and Melbourne.

Diminishing Test returns after being promoted to a leadership role is not just an Ollie Pope problem.Since assuming the vice-captaincy for the Sri Lanka series, Harry Brook has not been his usual, ruthless self. Starts have been given away throughout and an average of 39.50 from four innings is comfortably his lowest of any series in which he has played more than one match.The struggle is relative, of course. Pope would swap his 7.50 average in a heartbeat, or barter one of his deputy’s three thirty-odd scores that followed an accomplished 56 in the first innings at Manchester. And it is fair to say they are dealing with their new roles very differently.Fresh from victory at Lord’s that gives England an insurmountable 2-0 lead ahead of the third and final Test on Friday, Pope spoke of needing to “block out the criticism”. Balancing captaincy and batting remains a challenge, if only for one more game. The subsequent judgements on his personality, particularly set against the inspirational figure of regular men’s Test captain Ben Stokes, will take longer to dispel.Related

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Brook, on the other hand, seems as he always does. In good touch even without a score of note, and typically unflustered. “It’s not a massive role really, is it?” he said of vice-captaincy.”I haven’t had to do much, to be honest. I think Popey has done an amazing job. I’ve tried to give him a few ideas here and there; he’s taken some and he’s shrugged some off so it’s been good so far.”As for the runs, he is not worried: “[It’s] frustrating to get starts obviously, but I feel like I’m batting really well. And hopefully it’s just a matter of time when a big one comes.”The contrast in dispositions is stark. Irrespective of this secondment as captain, Pope’s England career has been one of spikes even during a consistent run at No. 3 under Stokes. Brook, on the other hand, has churned consistently. Even a 14-innings wait for his fifth Test century – which came against West Indies earlier this summer – featured match-winning half-centuries in last summer’s third and fifth Ashes Tests.It is worth going back to the summer of 2022 for a moment. Upon Stokes’ appointment, Pope picked up and phone and asked for the No. 3 spot. Stokes respected the proactiveness and that Pope was willing to bite the bullet at first-drop. With the top six locked in, Brook carried drinks until he got one innings in the seventh and final Test of that season, against South Africa, after Jonny Bairstow broke his leg.Having been dropped on the 2021-22 Ashes tour, Pope regards that call to Stokes as a sliding doors moment in his career. But it also had a knock-on effect for Brook. Had he featured earlier that summer, there is every chance he would have been the man named as Stokes’ official vice-captain in May of last year, not Pope.Brook has taken a relaxed approach as Ollie Pope’s vice-captain•Getty Images

Pope’s credentials at the time were aligned with his standing in the team; comfortable in a new batting spot, popular in the dressing room through familiarity having debuted in 2018, and, at 25, the ideal age to act as a conduit between the older team-mates and newer players coming through. Had Brook (25 now) picked up more than the six caps at the time of that vice-captaincy selection, he might have been the one leading against Sri Lanka.Nevertheless, captaincy has been a feature of Brook’s 2024 after taking the reins at Northern Superchargers in the men’s Hundred. “It was different, but it was good fun,” he said of the experience, which included working with new head coach Andrew Flintoff.Superchargers narrowly missed out on making the top-three spot on Net Run Rate, losing just two matches. Brook, absent from the first defeat to Trent Rockets as it coincided with the end of the West Indies Test series, impressed tactically, with a matter-of-fact demeanour that allowed him to stay level in a volatile format. He was also Superchargers’ second-highest runscorer with 163.”Obviously I’ve played with Stokesy quite a bit now and watching the way he goes about it I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take a few learnings from him,” Brook said of his captaincy inspiration. With Jos Buttler suffering a setback in his injury recovery for the white ball fixtures against Australia, Brook may get his chance to apply those learnings on the international stage.Asked if he was keen to captain more, Brook responded with a diplomatic “we’ll see”. But it is clear leadership is on the horizon. In a Test squad that currently features seven players aged between 23 and 27, along with a 19 (Josh Hull) and 20-year-old (Shoaib Bashir), Brook is a vital part of the nucleus of England’s present and future.It remains Stokes’ show, of course, reinforced by the allrounder’s presence on the balconies at Emirates Old Trafford and Lord’s. He will be just as visible at the Kia Oval as the hosts chase a first flawless Test summer in 20 years.Should that be achieved, it will be a shared feather in the caps of Stokes and Pope. The lack of resistance from West Indies and Sri Lanka will make it hard conclude England are a force to be reckoned with as they taper towards the 2025-26 Ashes.But the main takeaway already is a clearer idea of England’s next Test captain. And it is Pope’s vice rather than Stokes’.

Gloucestershire 196 for 5 (Hammond 42, Gregory 3-34) beat Somerset 194 for 6 (Banton 77*, Green 47) by five wicketsBen Charlesworth hit the penultimate ball of the match for six to give Gloucestershire a thrilling five-wicket Vitality Blast South Group victory over arch-rivals Somerset at Taunton.The visitors chased down a target of 195, including 13 off the final over bowled by Ben Green, Charlesworth hitting an unbeaten 24 off 13 balls at the death. Miles Hammond contributed 42 and Beau Webster 39.The home side had posted 194 for six, 32 of them coming off a last over that saw Josh Shaw removed from the attack for two full-toss no-balls above waist height. Tom Banton hit six fours and four sixes in his 77 and shared a sixth-wicket stand of 88 in 6.4 overs with Green, who blasted 47 off just 25 deliveries.Somerset reached 58 for two in the six-over powerplay after losing the toss, seeing Will Smeed depart to a catch at cover off David Payne and Tom Kohler-Cadmore caught at mid-off for 22 in the fifth over, bowled by Shaw.Banton was dropped on 11, 12 and 20, Gloucestershire skipper Jack Taylor twice spilling chances at mid-off and Ollie Price failing to hold onto an opportunity at fine-leg.Even so, the visitors continued to take wickets, Marchant de Lange producing three sharp overs. Boundaries dried up, and at 148 for 5 at the end of the 18th over, with Tom Abell, Sean Dickson, and Lewis Gregory dismissed cheaply, Somerset looked short of a competitive total.That changed when Payne went for 14 off the 19th and more so when Green smacked 6,4,4,2 off the first four balls of the final over, sent down by Shaw. Two of the deliveries were above waist high on the full and resulted in no-balls, as well as the umpires ordering the seamer out of the attack.Off-spinner Price was asked to bowl the last four deliveries of the innings and Green collected another four and a six before holing out to wide long-on. Banton had played a key role and Somerset ended their innings with momentum.Cameron Bancroft fell for a five-ball duck at the start of Gloucestershire’s reply, caught at mid-off off Gregory. But by the end of the powerplay, the visitors had raced to 55 for one, James Bracey having hit Riley Meredith for three successive fours and Hammond looking in fine touch.The pair had added 66 in 5.2 overs when Hammond skyed a catch to long-on off Roelof van der Merwe, having hit the previous delivery for six. Bracey, on 31, followed in the next over, miscuing a catch to point to give Gregory a second wicket.Taylor and Webster then kept Gloucestershire on course for victory with sensible cricket before taking 20 off the 15th over, bowled by Jake Ball. Their stand of 65 in 6.1 overs ended when Taylor skyed a catch off Josh Davey with 44 needed from 27 balls.Webster fell to brilliant catch by wicketkeeper Banton off Gregory at the start of the 18th over, the Somerset skipper becoming their leading all-time wicket-taker in T20 cricket, before back-to-back boundaries from Price left Gloucestershire needing 21 off two overs.With Meredith off the field due to a back spasm and unable to send down his last two overs, it fell to Green to bowl at the death and both Price and Charlesworth smashed sixes to seal a remarkable victory.