India lose Bumrah for Sri Lanka Tests, Pakistan line up Michael Smith, Fire win thrillers — cricket digest 04 Aug 2026

· Cricombo Editorial

Bumrah ruled out of Sri Lanka Tests as Auqib Nabi earns first India call-up

India have lost Jasprit Bumrah for the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, with Jammu & Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi drafted in as his replacement. Bumrah has not recovered from a left-knee niggle picked up in Cardiff during the second ODI against England last month, continuing issues he has carried since the T20 World Cup.

Nabi, 29, has taken 104 Ranji Trophy wickets across the last two seasons and was part of the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka, where he collected six wickets in two first-class games. India are also without Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy, while Washington Sundar will miss the first Test; the seam options for the tour include Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar. The series begins in Galle on August 15, with a three-day warm-up match in Colombo from August 7.

Pakistan set to appoint Michael Smith as batting coach across formats

Pakistan are set to bring in former South African first-class cricketer and coach Michael Smith as the national side’s batting coach for both red- and white-ball cricket. An agreement has been reached, though the appointment has not yet been formally announced, and his first assignment is expected to be the upcoming tour of England, which includes three Tests starting in Leeds on August 19.

Smith has worked in the PSL with Islamabad United and was Multan Sultans’ assistant coach earlier this season. Pakistan currently have Umar Gul as Test bowling coach but no designated batting coach, with selector Asad Shafiq having occasionally filled that role; Smith is expected to take over fully amid scrutiny of Pakistan’s recent Test batting collapses.

Rampaul urges West Indies quicks to tighten up as Pakistan score freely in Port of Spain

West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul said his fast bowlers need to be more consistent after Pakistan reached 266 for 2 on day two of the second Test in Port of Spain, trailing West Indies’ first-innings 344 by 78. Pakistan have scored at 4.03 an over across 66 overs so far, well ahead of West Indies’ 3.25 in their innings, with Rampaul noting the pitch looked flatter on the second day.

An unbroken 168-run partnership between Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam shaped Pakistan’s response, with Rampaul crediting their defence, shot selection on loose balls and running between the wickets. He also suggested the surface could deteriorate later to bring West Indies’ spinners more into the game, but stressed that control from the seamers is key to creating that opening.

Women’s Asia Cup pencilled in for UAE, but ACC yet to confirm schedule

The Women’s Asia Cup is likely to be staged in the UAE from August 28 to September 13, though the Asian Cricket Council has not formally announced dates, venues or the schedule. Participating boards have been informally asked to block out the window, with an ACC email on July 22 saying the venue was still being finalised and that teams were expected to arrive on August 27, with the final on September 13.

The eight-team T20 tournament is set to feature defending champions Sri Lanka alongside India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand and hosts UAE. The ACC is understood to be awaiting final approval from its leadership, chaired by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, and teams have been seeking clarity for travel and logistics; India’s squad was briefly published by the BCCI before being taken down.

In brief

  • Matt Short returned from injury with 60 not out as Welsh Fire edged Southern Brave by two wickets in The Hundred men’s competition at Cardiff, after Brave made 115 for 8 with Marcus Stoinis hitting 55.
  • In the women’s Hundred at Cardiff, Welsh Fire beat Southern Brave off the last ball, with Heather Graham taking two wickets and then finishing 35 not out in the chase.
  • Kanhaiya Wadhawan will captain a North Zone squad featuring six Jammu & Kashmir players for the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy, with Ayush Badoni named vice-captain and Arshdeep Singh included for a return to red-ball cricket.
  • Allrounder Shashank Singh has left Chhattisgarh to represent Puducherry in the 2026-27 domestic season after being issued an NOC.
  • USA offspinner Akhilesh Reddy has been banned from all cricket for eight years after being found guilty of three breaches of the ICC anti-corruption code relating to the 2025-26 Abu Dhabi T10.
  • England’s appointment of Stephen Fleming as Test head coach and Joe Root’s return as captain were discussed on the Switch Hit podcast.
  • Somerset seamer Craig Overton’s strong season, including his impact for Trent Rockets in The Hundred, has fuelled talk about whether he could be a replacement option for Ben Stokes.
  • A stats feature looked at whether anyone has bowled five successive wicket maidens in a Test before Justin Greaves, and the record for most runs scored before a first century.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo