Root’s 99 seals England’s ODI leveller, Ronchi takes Renegades job — cricket digest 17 Jul 2026

· Cricombo Editorial

Root left stranded on 99 as England square ODI series with India in Cardiff chase

England levelled the three-match ODI series against India at 1-1 with a four-wicket win at Sophia Gardens, chasing 234. Joe Root came in first ball after Jasprit Bumrah removed Ben Duckett and guided the chase throughout, finishing 99 not out as England got home with 35 balls to spare.

Root said he had told Gus Atkinson to focus on winning rather than protecting his chance of a hundred, and Atkinson duly struck the winning runs to end unbeaten on 23. India’s 233 had been built around half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer (66) and Virat Kohli (65), while Jofra Archer led England’s bowling with 3 for 47; the decider is at Lord’s on Sunday.

Luke Ronchi to coach Renegades as Cameron White switches to Stars; Moores stays in new role

Luke Ronchi will take over as Melbourne Renegades coach for the upcoming BBL season, replacing Cameron White, who has been formally appointed head coach of the Melbourne Stars. Peter Moores remains at the Stars, moving into a director of coaching role despite having a year left on his deal as head coach.

Ronchi, 45, will leave New Zealand Cricket after six years as men’s batting coach, though he will stay in post through the end of New Zealand’s India tour at the start of December. He will work with Renegades high performance manager Clint McKay — who will also serve as bowling coach — as the club looks to appoint two assistant coaches and continue building its list when the contracting embargo is expected to lift later this month.

Freedom pull off record T20 chase against MI New York as Gous and Smith outgun Pooran

Washington Freedom pulled off a world-record T20 chase in Major League Cricket’s Eliminator 1 at Oakland’s Coliseum, running down 267 against MI New York. MINY had piled up 266 for 9, with Nicholas Pooran blasting a 31-ball century — the fastest in the MLC — but Freedom’s reply was even more brutal.

Andries Gous smashed 132 off 51 and captain Steven Smith hit a hundred of his own as Freedom got home by six wickets. The match also produced a men’s T20 first: three centuries in the same game, amid a staggering 51 sixes.

New Zealand go 2-1 up in West Indies ODI series after another spin-led collapse in Guyana

New Zealand took a 2-1 lead in the five-match ODI series after beating West Indies by six wickets in Guyana. West Indies were bowled out for 140, losing six wickets for 19 in a late collapse, with Keacy Carty top-scoring with 48.

Left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox starred again with four wickets, continuing a series in which spin has dominated. New Zealand then chased 141 with six wickets in hand, Tom Latham finishing 31 not out.

CSA Awards: Markram, Wolvaardt and Harmer take top honours as de Kock and Ngidi collect multiple prizes

Aiden Markram, Laura Wolvaardt and Simon Harmer were the headline winners at the Cricket South Africa Awards 2026. Harmer was named Test Player of the Year after taking 30 wickets in four matches across the eligibility period, while Markram landed both SA Men’s Player of the Year and SA Men’s Players’ Player of the Year.

Wolvaardt completed a major sweep, winning Women’s Player of the Year, SA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year and Women’s ODI Player of the Year. Quinton de Kock and Lungi Ngidi also picked up multiple awards, with Matthew Breetzke named Men’s ODI International Player of the Year and Dewald Brevis and Kayla Reyneke recognised as the international newcomers of the year.

In brief

  • Rohit Sharma’s scratchy 26 off 47 in Cardiff has intensified scrutiny ahead of the Lord’s ODI decider, despite support from batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.
  • India seamer Gurnoor Brar was warned for a level-one breach and given one demerit point after hurling the ball in Ben Duckett’s direction during the Birmingham ODI.
  • Washington Freedom booked a third straight MLC final by beating San Francisco Unicorns by seven runs, despite Matthew Short’s unbeaten 121 off 56 in a chase of 239.
  • West Indies brought Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul back into their ODI XI in Guyana as New Zealand chose to bowl in the third match, with Nathan Smith replacing Matthew Fisher for the visitors.
  • Zimbabwe are eyeing another T20I series win over Bangladesh in Bulawayo after taking the first match by 32 runs while Bangladesh’s losing run in the format stretched to five.
  • Former England Under-19 captain Hamza Shaikh has left Warwickshire for Leicestershire, joining on loan for the rest of the season ahead of a three-year deal.
  • Punjab batter Nehal Wadhera has moved to Himachal Pradesh for the 2026-27 domestic season, with Prashant Chopra returning to Himachal after a year with Uttarakhand.
  • Mithali Raj said Smriti Mandhana should have been made India captain “two-three years back”, urging clearer succession planning with Harmanpreet Kaur’s fitness in mind.
  • Ben Stokes is set to return for Durham in the One-Day Cup next Tuesday, which would be his first 50-over match in three years following his international retirement.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo