India retain Asian Games gold vs Pakistan, de Zorzi ruled out, Fatima Sana to Scorchers — cricket digest 04 Oct 2026

· Cricombo Editorial

India defend Asian Games men’s cricket gold with 19-run win over Pakistan

India beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games men’s cricket final in Nagoya to retain the gold medal, extending their T20 winning run over their rivals. Abhishek Sharma’s 61 and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 drove India to 211 for 6 before Pakistan were held to 192 for 6 despite Hasan Nawaz’s 96 off 51.

As in recent India-Pakistan men’s meetings, the sides again avoided handshakes, including at the toss. Shreyas Iyer described the title as a “collective effort” after India’s back-to-back Asian Games golds.

South Africa lose de Zorzi for Durban Test as hamstring issues mount ahead of Australia series

South Africa will be without Tony de Zorzi for the first Test against Australia in Durban next Friday after he picked up a hamstring niggle while fielding in the third ODI in Potchefstroom. CSA called the injury “mild” but confirmed it was enough to rule him out, and have opted not to name a replacement before selecting their final 15 early next week.

His absence opens the door for a possible debut for No.3 batter Marques Ackerman, with Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder and David Bedingham also in the mix for batting slots. Kagiso Rabada is in the preliminary squad with a call on his availability to be made after an intra-squad match, while Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka and Ottneil Baartman are not being considered for the series but are expected back later in the summer.

Fatima Sana signs with Perth Scorchers for WBBL, set for opening eight matches

Perth Scorchers have signed Pakistan captain Fatima Sana for WBBL 2026-27, starting October 29, in what will be her first stint in the competition. Sana is currently slated to be available for the Scorchers’ first eight matches, with the possibility of an extended stay if she is allowed to miss a Pakistan training camp ahead of the West Indies tour expected to begin in the second week of December.

The 24-year-old becomes only the second Pakistan player to feature in the WBBL after Nida Dar, and this will be her second overseas T20 league appearance of 2026 after making history as the first Pakistan woman to play in The Hundred earlier this year.

Anshul Kamboj handed ODI debut as India bat in New Chandigarh; Gill flags death-overs clarity

India chose to bat against West Indies in New Chandigarh and brought in Anshul Kamboj for an ODI debut after he flew in as an injury replacement. Mohammed Siraj returned after sitting out the first two matches, while Ravindra Jadeja was left out for Nitish Kumar Reddy in a rare XI without either Jadeja or Axar Patel.

West Indies made three changes, adding Jewel Andrew at the top and bringing in Matthew Forde and Gudakesh Motie, with Keacy Carty, Roston Chase and Shamar Joseph omitted. After the series, captain Shubman Gill said India still need to sharpen their fielding and decision-making at the death, pointing to a lack of clarity over when to attack and when to defend in the closing overs.

In brief

  • Sam Harper arrived in South Africa after being called into Australia’s Test squad as cover following Josh Inglis’ fractured finger, capping a rapid rise built on a strong run of recent first-class hundreds and improved keeping.
  • Neil Brand hit 152 for a CSA Invitation XI against Australia in a warm-up where the tourists rotated their quicks, Cameron Green did not feature, and Matt Renshaw’s recovery showed encouraging signs.
  • Titans batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius smashed an unbeaten 188 off 79 balls against the Knights in the CSA T20 Challenge to break Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the highest men’s T20 score.
  • West Indies Women beat Zimbabwe Women by eight wickets in the first T20I after Jahzara Claxton’s all-round effort and Karishma Ramharack’s three-wicket haul, with Afy Fletcher taking two wickets and a West Indies record four catches.
  • Ravichandran Smaran’s unbeaten 126 and a ninth-wicket stand worth 109 with Mukesh Choudhary helped Rest of India stretch their lead to 265 over Jammu & Kashmir on day three of the Irani Cup.
  • The India-West Indies ODI series in India produced a stack of run-scoring landmarks, including Shai Hope’s 162* and a new benchmark for No.5 batters set by KL Rahul.
  • KL Rahul’s third-ODI hundred against West Indies was built around a recovery from 4 for 2 before he accelerated hard at the death to finish the innings with a flourish.
  • West Indies captain Shai Hope drew on an MS Dhoni mantra as he nursed a groin issue to compile a career-best 162* against India and steer a record chase of 352.
  • South Africa’s build-up to the Australia Tests has included a look at how Dane Paterson’s control and experience could complement their pace options.
  • West Indies fast bowler Vitel Lawes spoke about leaning on observation rather than talk as his international career develops during the ODI tour of India.
  • India finished the 2026 Asian Games in fourth on the medal table with 85 medals overall, including 21 golds, after sending 495 athletes across 36 sports to Aichi-Nagoya.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo