Bangladesh reach 317/8 on Day 1 against Afghanistan
Bangladesh squandered a strong start but recovered to reach 317/8 at stumps on the opening day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday. After winning the toss, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto elected to bat, and the decision initially paid off as openers Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Shadman Islam stitched together a commanding 124-run partnership. Tanzid led the charge with an aggressive 83 off just 71 deliveries, striking eight fours and four sixes. Shadman provided stability at the other end, scoring 67 off 111 balls.
Mominul Haque contributed 39, while Shanto made 29 before Afghanistan clawed their way back into the contest with regular wickets. Mushfiqur Rahim fell for a duck, putting Bangladesh under pressure. Wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das steadied the innings with a valuable 53 off 89 deliveries, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz added 24. Mohammad Saleem Safi claimed three wickets, while Ismat Alam picked up two for Afghanistan. Yamin Ahmadzai also took two wickets to restrict Bangladesh’s scoring. Bangladesh finished the day at 317/8 after 84 overs, with Nayeem Hasan unbeaten on 11 and Taijul Islam on four. Afghanistan will aim to wrap up the remaining wickets early on Day 2.
“There is very little room for error on this wicket”: Shreyas Iyer
The second T20I between India and the West Indies was played in Ranchi on Friday (October 9). Batting first, Team India scored 249 for 5 in 20 overs and set a target of 250. Chasing the target, the West Indies won by scoring 252 for 4 in 18.3 overs. This was the West Indies’ highest chase in a T20I. After the match, captain Shreyas Iyer broke his silence on India’s humiliating defeat.
In the post-match presentation, Iyer said, “To be honest, there’s no definitive figure for this, as dew plays a huge role. The target of 249 was also achieved with two overs to spare. So, you can’t put a number on it, or perhaps even predict that we would have tried to score that much.”
He added, “There is very little room for error on this wicket. If you don’t bowl a ball properly, it goes into the stands. You could see how brilliantly they were batting. There were some missed opportunities here and there, but that’s part of the game. But they deserve praise; they batted brilliantly.”
Mike Hussey leaves Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have parted ways with their batting coach Mike Hussey. The decision is part of a larger restructuring exercise ahead of the 2027 season, as per Cricbuzz. The Australian cricketing legend joined CSK in 2008 as a player and has been on the team’s coaching roster since 2018. His removal comes alongside other major changes, including head coach Stephen Fleming’s exit and former bowling coach Eric Simons’s departure. Hussey’s exit from CSK marks the end of an eight-year stint as batting coach, after a six-year playing career.
Steve Smith third highest run-scorer for Australia in Tests
Steve Smith has set a new record in Test cricket. He has become Australia’s third-highest run-scorer in Test history. He achieved this record during the first Test against South Africa in Durban. Smith was dismissed for 25 in the first innings, but managed to surpass Steve Waugh.
Before the start of the Durban Test, Smith had scored 10,920 runs in 125 Test matches. He needed just eight runs to surpass Steve Waugh. He scored 25 in the first innings, taking his total to 10,945. Waugh had scored 10,927 runs in 168 matches.
Only two batters are currently ahead of Steve Smith in terms of all-time run-scorer in Test cricket for Australia. These two batsmen are Allan Border and Ricky Ponting. Former captain Ponting amassed 13,378 runs in his storied career, while Border amassed 11,174.
Sikandar Raza to lead Zimbabwe against Afghanistan
Zimbabwe Cricket has announced its limited-overs squads for the tour of the UAE. During this tour, the team will play an ODI tri-series against hosts Afghanistan and Bangladesh, followed by three T20 Internationals and two Test matches against Afghanistan.
This extended tour will run from October 17 to November 17. The selectors have retained faith in the players who recently featured in white-ball series. With Richard Ngarava still recovering from a back injury, Sikandar Raza will once again captain the ODI squad and lead Zimbabwe in the T20 International series. The ODI squad largely comprises the same players who faced Australia in Harare last month,
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