Fleming sets England’s Test agenda, Falcons lift CPL, Renegades sale begins — cricket digest 21 Sep 2026

· Cricombo Editorial

Fleming targets No. 1 ranking and a sharper England identity, with WTC a priority

Stephen Fleming has said he wants to take England back to the top of the ICC Test rankings and believes the side must treat the World Test Championship with greater seriousness as part of a broader shift in identity. Speaking at Old Trafford ahead of England’s final T20I against Sri Lanka, he stressed that how players represent England — including standards such as over-rates — will be central to the work ahead.

Fleming, appointed in July on a deal running to September 2030, has begun in-person meetings with Joe Root and has spent the week visiting counties after watching four Championship matches. A day after assault charges were dropped against Brydon Carse (who now faces an investigation from the Cricket Regulator), Fleming said the onus would be on players to drive the changes, and added he would not press Ben Stokes on his decision to retire from international cricket.

Falcons’ first CPL title sealed by Moqim’s late surge as Shadab stars across the tournament

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons won the CPL for the first time in their third season, with a strong Pakistani imprint on the campaign. Sufyan Moqim followed up his Qualifier 1 impact by taking 4 for 14 in the final to help restrict Jamaica Kingsmen, and he dedicated his player-of-the-match award to bowling coach Curtly Ambrose on the eve of Ambrose’s 63rd birthday.

Shadab Khan finished as player of the tournament, scoring 132 runs at a strike rate of 227.58 and taking 11 wickets at 4.89 an over. He said feeling “mentally free” in his role helped him find rhythm again, after a difficult couple of years, with Pakistan’s next T20I assignment due in Sri Lanka in October after the ongoing Asian Games in Japan.

Renegades sale process starts this week as BBL privatisation takes first concrete step

The Melbourne Renegades will begin the first phase of a sale process this week, with Cricket Australia, Cricket Victoria and consultant Raine Group inviting expressions of interest to buy 100% of the club. The EOI window is expected to run for around four weeks, after which shortlisted parties will be asked for indicative bids, with a preferred owner hoped for by the start of the men’s BBL season on December 12.

Cricket Victoria chief executive Nick Cummins said the process will be limited to known high-net-worth individuals or investors, with an initial pool understood to be 20 to 30 interested parties. Several IPL owners may engage, and the final stage is expected to involve fewer than five bidders, with “best fit” criteria likely to matter as well as price.

Australia call up Jack Edwards for South Africa ODIs as Stanlake is ruled out and Johnson heads home

New South Wales allrounder Jack Edwards has been added to Australia’s ODI squad for the upcoming South Africa series after Billy Stanlake suffered a tour-ending side strain. Spencer Johnson has also been released to manage his workload, with Australia balancing resources ahead of a three-match ODI series starting in Durban on Thursday, followed by games in Johannesburg and Potchefstroom before attention turns to the Tests.

Edwards, who debuted in T20Is against Pakistan earlier this year but is uncapped in ODIs, was with Australia A in India when he was called up. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are set to bolster the pace group in South Africa, while Cameron Green’s shoulder issue has been played down after he trained during the Harare leg of the Zimbabwe tour.

In brief

  • Ryan Higgins’ 100 set up Middlesex’s 31-run Metro Bank One-Day Cup final win over Leicestershire at Trent Bridge, ending a 36-year wait for List A silverware.
  • Toby Roland-Jones played a key role in Middlesex’s One-Day Cup final success, delivering a decisive spell at the top of Leicestershire’s chase after Higgins’ hundred had put his side in control.
  • Josh Inglis said Australia’s one-wicket win over Zimbabwe — after his 103 left a tense finish — was valuable experience with a World Cup 12 months away, praising Nathan Ellis’ late hitting.
  • Tasmania thrashed Western Australia by nine wickets in the One-Day Cup at the WACA after Riley Meredith (4 for 11) and Beau Webster (3 for 31) helped bowl WA out for 115.
  • Edinburgh Castle Rockers became inaugural European T20 Premier League champions, chasing down 150 to beat Belfast Wolves by seven wickets with Andries Gous finishing 90 not out.
  • Shafali Verma smashed an unbeaten 49-ball 100 as India hammered Bangladesh by 114 runs in the women’s Asian Games semi-final, setting up a gold-medal match against Sri Lanka.
  • Smriti Mandhana became the leading run-scorer in women’s T20Is during India’s Asian Games win over Bangladesh, while Shafali’s nine sixes in her century were the joint-second-most in a women’s T20I innings.
  • Vidarbha opener Aman Mokhade, fresh off a standout 2025-26 domestic season, said he is still not the “best version” of himself as he looks to impress for India A against Australia A.
  • A look at how Afghanistan came to host India in Delhi, marking a first for the fixture being staged in India with Afghanistan as the home team.
  • Japan’s city of Sano is preparing for India’s historic T20I visit, with local organisers noting cricket’s small but steadily growing footprint in the country.
  • Sufyan Moqim’s 4 for 14 set up Antigua and Barbuda Falcons’ eight-wicket win over Jamaica Kingsmen in the CPL final, after Kingsmen were held to 170 for 9 despite Maaz Sadaqat’s 114.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo