Cricket | DD News

March 23, 2026 10:52 AM

New Zealand endorses new private T20 league, wants more focus on women

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has named the proposed NZ20 franchise league as its preferred option to replace the nation's 21-year-old Super Smash but wants women's competition included in the proposal. The new league's backers have proposed a six-team league of privately owned franchises and hope to launch the first tournament by January 2027. NZC said its board had given in-principle support for NZ20 contingent on resolving key commercial, governance and structural matters. "While not a final c...

March 23, 2026 10:41 AM

Rwanda’s Fanny Utagushimaninde becomes youngest to score T20I century

Rwanda's Fanny Utagushimaninde became the youngest cricketer to score a T20 international century during her team's 122‑run win over Ghana at the Nigeria Invitational Women's T20I Tournament in Lagos on Saturday. Utagushimaninde, aged 15 years and 223 days, smashed an unbeaten 111 off 65 balls, surpassing the previous record held by Uganda's Prosscovia Alako, who was 16 years and 233 days old when she struck 116 against Mali in Kigali in 2019. The Rwandan opener also became the first woman t...

March 19, 2026 11:15 AM

Jos Buttler hopeful of England return despite T20 World Cup struggles

Former England captain Jos Buttler said he still wants to play for the national side after taking a break from cricket in the wake of their semi-final exit from the Twenty20 World Cup. The 35-year-old managed only 87 runs in eight matches at the tournament as England were eliminated by India earlier this month, and he has recorded only one half-century across his last four International Cricket Council events. Buttler said he hopes to be part of England's squad when they host India for a white...

March 19, 2026 11:13 AM

England batter Ollie Pope hopeful of test recall after Ashes axe

England batter Ollie Pope said he remains hopeful of returning to the national test side after accepting that his omission following a poor Ashes series was the right call. Pope was dropped after managing just 125 runs in six innings during England's 4-1 Ashes defeat to Australia in January, with Jacob Bethell replacing him at number three for the last two tests. "I guess I knew where I stood," Pope said. "Getting dropped is tough. I didn't want to get dropped of course, but it was the right ...

March 19, 2026 11:14 AM

Australia captain Sophie Molineux fit for West Indies tour ahead of T20 World Cup

Australia received a boost in their build-up to this year's women's Twenty20 World Cup after captain Sophie Molineux said she was fit and ready to return for the upcoming white-ball series against West Indies. The 28-year-old was ruled out of the remainder of Australia's multi-format series against India after suffering lower back issues following the opening one-day international in Brisbane last month. The white-ball tour of West Indies begins on Friday. "(I will be) playing in the T20s, (I...

March 11, 2026 9:18 PM

IPL 2026: Champions RCB to host SRH in tournament opener

Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will start the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28 after the Indian cricket board on Wednesday announced the schedule for the first phase of the campaign. The BCCI released only the first phase of the schedule, covering matches from March 28 to April 12, as three states are scheduled to undergo State Assembly elections. The remaining fixtures will be released once the poll dates a...

March 11, 2026 8:17 PM

Bat-ball balance hit for six at T20 World Cup

Twenty20 was designed to favour batters, but few anticipated the bowlers' bloodbath that unfolded across four weeks in India and Sri Lanka at the just-concluded Twenty20 World Cup. The 20-team tournament became a high-octane showcase of power-hitting, redefining the upper limits of scoring and rewriting what a "par" total looks like in this format. A staggering 780 sixes were hit in this year's tournament, a 50.87% jump from the 517 hammered in the 2024 edition in West Indies and the United St...

March 11, 2026 8:14 PM

Afghanistan-SL series in UAE postponed amid Middle East crisis

The limited-overs series between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka scheduled for March in the United Arab Emirates has been postponed due to the crisis in the Middle East, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Wednesday. The teams were due to play three Twenty20s in Sharjah and three One-Day Internationals in Dubai between March 13 and March 25. The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have affected countries throughout the Gulf, disrupting travel in some of the world's busiest transit hubs and for...

March 11, 2026 7:21 PM

NZ’s Santner, Conway to play limited role in South Africa T20 series

Mitchell Santner and Devon Conway will play a limited role in New Zealand's Twenty20 series against South Africa to allow them some rest after playing at the recently concluded World Cup, New Zealand Cricket said on Wednesday. The five-match series against the Proteas begins in Tauranga next Sunday, a week to the day after New Zealand were beaten by 96 runs in the World Cup final against India in Ahmedabad. Captain Santner and wicketkeeper-batter Conway will play Sunday's match and the two tha...

March 11, 2026 7:19 PM

Quick-witted wife saves Shivam Dube’s train ruse

India's Twenty20 World Cup hero Shivam Dube thought a train ride in disguise would keep him incognito - until a ticket-checker yelled his name. But just when Dube feared his ruse would fall apart, his quick-witted wife saved the day for the 32-year-old. Dube planned to return home soon after India won the World Cup, beating New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday to be with his four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter. With all flights to Mumbai fully booked on Monday, Dube decided...