Ashraful moved on as Bangladesh batting coach, India go 2-0 up in NZ, Pakistan v England — cricket digest 25 Oct 2026
BCB reassign Ashraful; Salahuddin to take over Bangladesh batting brief on interim basis
Mohammad Ashraful is no longer Bangladesh men's batting coach after the BCB reassigned him to a new role within the board. Ashraful had been appointed in November 2025, with the BCB confirming the change in a media release.
High Performance coach Mohammad Salahuddin will step in as interim batting coach until a permanent replacement is appointed. Bangladesh’s next assignment is a two-Test series against West Indies starting October 28 in Mirpur.
Tilak holds nerve again as India go 2-0 up on New Zealand in Christchurch thriller
India moved 2-0 ahead in the five-match T20I series after recovering from 70 for 5 to chase 181 in Christchurch, getting home by four wickets with two balls to spare. Tilak Varma anchored the finish with an unbeaten 51 off 26, after New Zealand’s fielding errors reprieved four India batters.
Naman Dhir made 31 and Nitish Kumar Reddy supported Tilak in an unbroken stand of 69 off 30 for the seventh wicket, India’s highest for that wicket in men’s T20Is. Mitchell Santner took 4 for 21 and later said dropped catches and misfields proved costly, while Glenn Phillips’ 70 had earlier lifted New Zealand to 180 for 5.
Pakistan field first in Lahore as Razaullah and Crocombe set for debuts in ODI decider
Pakistan chose to bowl first against England in Lahore, with the match billed as one where victory would secure safe passage to the final. Shaheen Afridi opted to chase on a flat surface under sunny skies, and Pakistan brought Shadab Khan back as an extra spin option at Gaddafi Stadium.
Razaullah is set to make his ODI debut, with Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah sitting out, the latter after dislocating a finger in the warm-ups. England again left out Adil Rashid, and instead handed fast bowler Henry Crocombe an international debut, with Josh Tongue omitted.
Green declares himself fit for Newlands decider, but Australia weigh batting order and bowling balance
Cameron Green has confirmed he is available for the deciding Test against South Africa at Newlands after recovering from an abdominal injury suffered on September 30. He said he feels best suited to batting at No. 4 or No. 5, but will leave the final call to Australia’s selectors, and won’t be able to bowl in the match.
His return is likely to force at least one change from the side beaten by an innings and 31 runs in Gqeberha, with Marnus Labuschagne, Nic Maddinson and Beau Webster all under pressure. Australia are also discussing whether to bring Nathan Lyon back into the XI, with a Boland-versus-Lyon call among the key decisions.
New Zealand shuffle quicks for India T20Is as workload plans kick in
New Zealand Cricket has moved bowlers around its T20I squad against India as part of “planned workload management”. Lockie Ferguson will miss the trip to Wellington for the third T20I, instead heading to Auckland to be available for the fourth and fifth matches on October 30 and November 1.
Matt Henry will sit out the remaining three T20Is and travel to Auckland ahead of the ODI series that begins on November 4. Kyle Jamieson will be available for the third T20I before leaving the squad, Blair Tickner will join for the last three games, Josh Clarkson will be available for the final two, and Matt Fisher will provide cover for the third match only.
Mandhana chooses to bat in Vadodara; India rest Gaud as Zimbabwe bring back captain Nkomo
India opted to bat first in the second ODI against Zimbabwe at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, with Smriti Mandhana winning the toss. India made one change, resting seamer Kranti Gaud and handing left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma an opportunity, with Mandhana saying the decision was about giving Vaishnavi a chance rather than conditions.
Mandhana also confirmed Shafali Verma will continue at No. 3, citing her recent T20I form and her offspin as an extra option. Zimbabwe welcomed back regular captain Josephine Nkomo after a niggle, with Sharne Mayers making way, while Nomvelo Sibanda stayed in the XI after leading in the first ODI.
In brief
- Pakistan left out Shan Masood, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali from their 14-man squad for the home Tests against Sri Lanka, with two more seamers to be added after a three-day tour game.
- Shardul Thakur will miss Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy match as well, sitting out the third-round fixture against Haryana at the BKC complex while he continues to recover from a finger injury.
- Devdutt Padikkal (56*) and Sai Sudharsan (39*) led India A’s response in the first four-day match against New Zealand A, with India A still trailing by 98 runs after reaching 106 for 2 in their second innings.
- A profile traced Kumar Kushagra’s route to an India call-up, including the work he has put in around Jharkhand cricket since returning from an India A assignment.
- Kieron Pollard said he wants Mumbai Indians to play bravely under him as head coach, and spoke about learning from Mahela Jayawardene while aiming to lift recent results.
- Pakistan’s President’s Trophy Grade 1 final between State Bank of Pakistan and Markhor IT Solutions has been shifted again, this time from Karachi to Lahore, and will now start on October 27.
- Sam Konstas followed his recent Sheffield Shield hundred with 149 off 131 balls as New South Wales made 371 for 8 and beat Western Australia by 78 runs in the One-Day Cup.
- Victoria beat Tasmania by 138 runs (DLS) in Hobart after making 304 for 7, then bundling Tasmania out for 137 with Mitch Perry taking 4 for 9.
- The BCB wrote to the Afghanistan Cricket Board over umpiring decisions in U-19 ODIs in Muscat, also raising a concern about an Afghanistan U-19 bowler allegedly delivering 11 overs in the third match.
- Mitchell Santner said New Zealand’s dropped catches and misfields were the difference in the second T20I against India, after they let India recover from 70 for 5 to chase 181.
- A stats round-up noted the Christchurch match was India’s 300th men’s T20I and their 200th outright win in the format.
- Railways batter Ravi Singh, known for his boundary-hitting in white-ball cricket and an IPL stint with Rajasthan Royals, is targeting a stronger impact in the Ranji Trophy.
- Jharkhand outlined their push to turn a “team over individuals” approach into a first Ranji Trophy final, having never gone beyond the semi-finals.
- A feature revisited Ryan Harris’ physically taxing spell in Cape Town in 2014, when Australia needed late overs with the series on the line.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo