Pollard takes charge at Mumbai Indians, India hand 15-year-old Sooryavanshi debut — cricket digest 24 Oct 2026

· Cricombo Editorial

Pollard elevated to Mumbai Indians head coach ahead of IPL 2027

Kieron Pollard has been elevated to head coach of Mumbai Indians, taking over from Mahela Jayawardene, who the franchise parted ways with earlier this month. Pollard, who played only for MI in the IPL from 2010 to 2022 and later served as batting coach, will now lead the side into the next cycle.

A five-time IPL winner with MI as a player (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020), Pollard’s first major task is to finalise the retention list ahead of the November 15 deadline, with the IPL 2027 auction expected about a month later in Goa. He also continues to be involved across MI-linked teams in other leagues, and is set to play for Joburg Super Kings in the coming SA20 season.

Sooryavanshi drafted in as India choose to chase again in Christchurch

India opted to field first in Christchurch despite the match being played on a used pitch, with Shreyas Iyer’s strong toss record improving again after he called correctly. With dew expected to play a role, India stuck with the chase-friendly approach that had worked in the first match at the venue.

An injury to Ishan Kishan opened the door for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, named in the XI and listed at No. 3 on the team sheet. India also made a “tactical” change, bringing in Prince Yadav for Mayank Yadav, while New Zealand rotated their pace options by selecting Jacob Duffy in place of Adam Milne.

Australia’s batting under the microscope as Head calls for a collective day

Travis Head admitted Australia’s recent batting has leaned too heavily on isolated contributions, with the top order struggling to build partnerships across their last four Tests. In seven innings against Bangladesh and South Africa, Australia have not had more than one batter pass fifty in the same innings, a pattern that has fed into two heavy defeats.

Head described the first-innings collapse to 99 all out at St George’s Park as a “s***house day”, and said the group needs to find a way to produce a full-innings effort rather than relying on one player to stand tall. The broader concern has been partnerships: since the start of 2024, Australia have managed only 11 century stands for wickets one to six, with only West Indies recording fewer among World Test Championship nations.

Harmer points to wind trap behind Labuschagne dismissal as SA eye Cape Town

Simon Harmer said he was surprised Marnus Labuschagne fell for a shot that didn’t account for the St George’s Park wind, after the Australia No. 3 advanced down the pitch and tried to hit into the breeze only for the ball to hang and be caught by Marco Jansen. Harmer, who knows the ground well, said the conditions can deceive batters into thinking they have cleared the boundary.

With the series level at 1-1, Harmer said South Africa had taken confidence from being able to apply sustained pressure and expose Australia’s vulnerabilities, while acknowledging his own returns across the two Tests have been below what he wanted. Selection is now a key talking point for Newlands, with Anrich Nortje unlikely for the decider and South Africa weighing pace options, while Australia also face decisions around Labuschagne’s form.

Du Plessis recalls message of support to Smith during 2018 Cape Town fallout

Faf du Plessis has described reaching out to Steven Smith during the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering saga, telling him he had “done nothing wrong” and urging him to stay strong as the media pressure intensified. Du Plessis said he felt empathy given his own experience of being found guilty of altering the ball’s condition in Hobart in 2016.

Du Plessis also recalled appreciating Smith’s public backing at the time, when Smith said du Plessis was “just shining the ball” and noted teams had used different sweets. Smith was banned for one Test by the ICC, before Cricket Australia handed him a year-long ban and removed him as captain, alongside sanctions for David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

In brief

  • Pratika Rawal struck an unbeaten century and Shree Charani took 4 for 23 as India beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets in their first-ever women’s ODI against Zimbabwe.
  • India batter S Meghana has retired from all formats at 30, saying she will stay involved by mentoring the next generation.
  • Harry Brook defended England’s decision to omit Adil Rashid after they failed to defend 429 and lost to Sri Lanka by two wickets.
  • Afghanistan won the UAE ODI tri-series title by beating Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the final in Sharjah, after bowling them out for 169 and chasing it with Ibrahim Zadran making 70 not out.
  • Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said his side must stop depending on batting “rescue missions” after another top-order collapse in the tri-series final loss to Afghanistan.
  • Afghanistan coach Richard Pybus praised a “very diverse but very competent” bowling unit after the tri-series final win over Zimbabwe, urging recognition beyond Rashid Khan’s standout spells.
  • In the Sharjah final, Zimbabwe made two changes and chose to bat first against Afghanistan, while Fazalhaq Farooqi returned for Afghanistan.
  • New Zealand A led India A by 22 after day one in Lincoln, with Simon Keene’s 5 for 24 and Zak Gibson’s 3 for 29 bowling India A out for 113 before Mohammad Nabi struck twice to keep India A in touch.
  • Australia are hoping Steven Smith can turn his tour around in Cape Town, with Newlands bringing added focus given his concussion scare, a neck issue and the ground’s Sandpapergate history.
  • Aaron Finch said Steven Smith shows a very different side away from cricket, including when he’s in New York, in a discussion with Faf du Plessis.
  • South Africa’s series-levelling performance drew particular praise for captain Temba Bavuma after a rain-hit Test turnaround.
  • The men’s and women’s qualifiers for the Los Angeles Olympics have been scheduled for January-February 2028, while the 2029 World Test Championship final is set for June 8-12 in England.
  • Jintimani Kalita made her debut in the first women’s ODI between India and Zimbabwe, with Zimbabwe captain Josephine Nkomo missing out with a niggle.
  • India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said the hype around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is unhelpful, while also highlighting Naman Dhir’s potential.
  • Ishan Kishan was ruled out of India’s second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch with a right adductor strain.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo