India hit 600th Test in Galle; Hazlewood reaches 300; Babar hand scare — cricket digest 15 Aug 2026
India choose to bat in landmark 600th Test as Padikkal steps in; Sri Lanka hand debut to Nuwantha
India opted to bat first against Sri Lanka in Galle after Shubman Gill won only his third toss in nine Tests as captain, on a surface expected to offer less turn than is typical there. With B Sai Sudharsan injured, Devdutt Padikkal came in at No. 3, while India went with three frontline spinners alongside Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
Sri Lanka made a surprise call by handing a debut to 25-year-old offspinner Keshara Nuwantha in place of Ramesh Mendis. Nishan Madushka filled in for the injured Pathum Nissanka, and Niroshan Dickwella returned to the Test side after three years, with both teams needing a 2-0 series sweep to keep their World Test Championship final hopes realistic.
Hazlewood joins Australia’s 300-wicket club with six-for as Bangladesh set the tone in Darwin
Josh Hazlewood became the ninth Australian to reach 300 Test wickets after taking his 14th five-wicket haul in the first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin, finishing with 6 for 89. It also made Australia’s current quartet of Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon the only Test attack to have played together with each member past 300 wickets.
Bangladesh’s first-innings 426 gave them a 228-run lead, and at tea on day three Australia were 51 for 2 in their second innings, still 177 behind. Hasan Mahmud struck twice to remove both openers, after Bangladesh had been built around hundreds and key contributions from Tanzid Hasan (101), Najmul Hossain Shanto (84) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (65).
Babar Azam sits out rest of tour game after right-hand blow, but is expected back for England Tests
Pakistan captain Babar Azam will take no further part in the three-day practice match against a PCC Select XI in Beckenham after being struck on the bottom hand by a rising delivery from Hampshire quick Manny Lumsden. He was 5 not out when the ball hit and did not bat again, with Pakistan describing the decision as a precaution.
The PCB expects Babar to be available early next week and he is set to train with the squad at Headingley on August 17 ahead of the first Test against England, which begins on August 19. Shan Masood, who fractured an index finger earlier in the year, has recovered and has been training in England.
Cricket Australia flags ODI squeeze: Greenberg wants more context, but warns of revenue hit
Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg said bilateral ODIs need more meaning and jeopardy, while acknowledging the financial challenge if they are stripped from the Future Tours Programme. He was responding to ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta’s view that the era of “randomly scheduled” bilateral series should end, even as ODIs remain tied to the World Cup.
Greenberg, part of the ICC group shaping the 2028-31 FTP, also backed Australia coach Andrew McDonald’s push for larger squads at this year’s ODI World Cup and said the issue has been raised with the ICC. He added CA supported the principle of fewer teams in the ODI World Cup, with a bigger T20 World Cup offering more Associate participation.
Ashwin to captain Dublin Guardians as Vijay Shankar signs; Rathour appointed head coach for ETPL launch
R Ashwin will lead and mentor Dublin Guardians in the inaugural European T20 Premier League, with Vijay Shankar joining the franchise for his second overseas T20 stint since retiring from the IPL and Indian domestic cricket in May. Former India batting coach Vikram Rathour has been named head coach, with Ed Joyce, Mitchell McClenaghan and John Mooney on the support staff.
Dublin’s overseas group includes Daryl Mitchell, Harmeet Singh and Sanjay Krishnamurthi, while Rahul Dravid is a co-owner of the franchise. The ETPL runs from August 26 to September 20 across Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, featuring teams from Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Rodrigues ruled out of Women’s Asia Cup and Asian Games; Rawal earns first T20I call-up
India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup in the UAE and next month’s Asian Games in Japan after a high-grade tear to her right hamstring, sustained during Southern Brave’s Hundred match against Welsh Fire. Pratika Rawal has been drafted into the Asia Cup squad for her maiden T20I call-up, with the BCCI yet to name a replacement for the Asian Games.
Rawal has recently returned from the injury that kept her out of the Lord’s Test last month and had been set to join Warwickshire for the One-Day Cup. India begin their Asia Cup campaign against Thailand on August 30, with Pakistan and Hong Kong also in their group.
In brief
- Manchester Super Giants beat Sunrisers Leeds by 20 runs at the Kia Oval to reach the Men’s Hundred final, with Paul Walter (80) and Josh Tongue (4-26) key in defending 186 for 4.
- Josh Tongue, along with Gus Atkinson and Ben Duckett, faces a tight turnaround from Sunday’s Men’s Hundred final into England’s first Test against Pakistan, starting three days later.
- Sunrisers Leeds beat Southern Brave by five wickets at the Oval to book their place in Sunday’s Women’s Hundred final, with Deepti Sharma finishing the chase after Lauren Winfield-Hill’s 37.
- Nottinghamshire chased down 274 to beat Yorkshire by three wickets in the One-Day Cup, recovering from 1 for 3 thanks to hundreds from Jack Haynes (116*) and Kyle Verreynne (105).
- Durham thrashed Lancashire by 162 runs in the One-Day Cup eliminator at Emirates Old Trafford and will play Middlesex in Sunday’s semi-final at Radlett after David Bedingham’s 104 set up 349 for 8.
- St Lucia Kings beat Antigua and Barbuda Falcons by three wickets (DLS) in a rain-reduced CPL game in Gros Islet, with Matthew Forde starring with 4-29 and key runs in a chase of 52 from eight overs.
- In Beckenham, the PCC Select XI’s Emilio Gay made a pair in the tour game against Pakistan, while Shoaib Bashir took 4-76 in Pakistan’s first innings of 238.
- Hasan Mahmud removed both Australia openers at tea on day three in Darwin as Australia, 51 for 2 in their second innings, trailed Bangladesh by 177 runs after conceding a 228-run first-innings deficit.
- Ireland head into the final ODI against Afghanistan looking to avoid a 4-0 sweep, after a much-improved batting performance in the fourth match.
- Shubman Gill said India’s unusually long lead-in to the Sri Lanka series has helped players adjust to conditions as they try to revive their World Test Championship campaign.
- Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said Niroshan Dickwella was recalled for the first Test against India because, in Galle, the side prioritises the best glovework behind the stumps.
- India’s 600th men’s Test prompted a look at how their win-loss record has shifted across eras, including comparisons of home and away results and captaincy returns.
- A statistical breakdown traced India’s rise across blocks of 100 Tests as they became the third men’s team, after England and Australia, to reach 600 matches.
- A data-led piece examined dot-ball percentages across bowlers’ careers, alongside boundary rates conceded, from a bowler’s perspective.
- Bangladesh’s top order was praised for adaptable Test-match batting against Australia in Darwin, led by Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto.
- Bangladesh’s decision to turn Tanzid Hasan into a Test opener was spotlighted after his century against Australia in Darwin rewarded the selectors’ faith.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo