Latest news with #WTC2025
NDTV
2 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Steve Smith Hits Back At Australia Great After Backlash On Batting Form: "Figure It Out..."
Australia's talismanic batter Steve Smith has come out in defence of batting coach Michael Di Venuto following backlash from former Test wicketkeeper Ian Healy, who claimed the Baggy Greens top-order has "regressed" in recent years during his "friend's" reign. Smith linked up with the Australian team ahead of the second Test against the West Indies in Grenada after missing out on the series opener due to a compound dislocation to his small finger he sustained in the World Test Championship final at Lord's. In the opening Test, Kensington Oval's strip, which played all sorts of tricks on the batters, Australia missed Smith's presence in the middle order. The WTC 2025 finalists were dwindling at 22/3 in the first innings and 65/4 in the second. "Australian cricket's batting head coach and every state batting coach [should be under pressure] because there's not enough runs being scored around the nation," Healy said on SEN Radio, as quoted from the Sydney Morning Herald. "Michael Di Venuto - a friend of mine who is a good coach and a good man - has held the job since mid-2021. In this time, our national team batting has regressed in performance at Test level. That's all that's important to me, the performance. I don't care how you do it or what will make it easier for you - just get it done," he added. Smith refuted Healy's remark about Di Venuto and feels the batting coach has done a "wonderful" job since taking over the position in 2021. For Smith it isn't Di Venuto who goes out on the field to bat, it is up to the players to deliver on the pitch. "Any criticism of 'Diva', [I am] completely against it. He works as hard as anyone. He knows batting inside out. He's seen cricket all around the world. He's done a wonderful job for a long time now, and the boys are really enjoying working with him," Smith said, as quoted from the Sydney Morning Herald. "He's not the one out there actually doing the batting. Guys have to be able to figure it out themselves in the middle, and sometimes you can't have someone holding your hand out there," he added. After cruising to an emphatic 159-run triumph with consummate ease in the opening Test to go 1-0 ahead, Australia will look to take an unassailable lead in the three-match series with the second contest set to kick off on Thursday.
Times of Oman
5 days ago
- Sport
- Times of Oman
After series defeat in Sri Lanka, Najmul Hossain Shanto steps down as Bangladesh Test skipper
Colombo: Najmul Hossain Shanto announced his decision to step down as Bangladesh Test captain after his side endured a 1-0 series defeat against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Saturday. After the opening Test ended in a draw, Bangladesh arrived in Colombo looking to add crucial points in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. Compared to the series opener, Bangladesh batters failed to put up a robust performance and surrendered an emphatic defeat by an innings and 78 runs. In the aftermath of Bangladesh's heartbreaking defeat, Shanto decided to step down from the Test captaincy role and said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo, "I don't want to continue [as captain] in the Test format anymore. This is not personal. I have taken the decision for the betterment of the team. I think this will help the team. I have been a part of the dressing room for the past few years. "I think three captains [for the three international formats] is not sensible. I don't know what the board will feel about this, and I will support their decision. But this is my personal decision. I think three separate captains will be difficult for the team to deal with. I would want that no one feels this decision is emotional, or that I am disappointed by something. I want to make this clear. This is for the betterment of the team," he added. Shanto tried to explain that his decision wasn't personal, considering the timing of it. Earlier this year, he stepped down as T20I captain. Before Bangladesh's departure, Shanto expressed his interest in continuing with the ODI leadership role. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sacked him from his role and replaced him with Mehidy Hasan Miraz. "I just hope people don't see this as a personal issue or think I did this because I felt bad about the ODI captaincy snub. I want to make it clear again: this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here. I already informed the cricket operations department a few days back," he said. With Shanto at the helm, Bangladesh won four out of 14 Tests, which began with a victory over New Zealand in Sylhet in November 2023. The Tigers topped it up with a historic series whitewash in Pakistan in August last year. He became the first Bangladesh captain to hammer twin centuries in a Test in Sri Lanka and averaged 36.24 during his stint. Bangladesh will have time to identify the new Test captain as their next red-ball assignment will be against Ireland in October. As of now, Litton Das leads the T20I side, while Mehidy is the skipper of the ODI team.
India.com
25-06-2025
- Sport
- India.com
Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne Out: Pat Cummins Picks ‘THESE' 2 Star Players As Replacement For Australia's Playing XI For First Test Against West Indies
photoDetails english 2922085 Updated:Jun 25, 2025, 05:10 PM IST Usman Khawaja 1 / 11 Usman Khawaja will continue to open for Australia in the Test; he was the top scorer for Australia in the WTC Cycle 2023-25. He failed in both innings of the WTC final of 2025 against South Africa. Sam Konstas 2 / 11 Sam Konstas has replaced Marnus Labuschagne, whose form was a bit of a question for the selectors, and now Konstas will open with Khawaja, who impressed everyone with his batting against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Cameron Green 3 / 11 Cameron Green will bat at his position, the number 3 spot. He needs to overcome his weakness, which troubled him in the finals of the WTC 2025. Josh Inglis 4 / 11 Josh Inglis replaces Steve Smith, who injured his thumb finger in during fielding in the second innings of the WTC 2025. Josh Inglish returns to the squad and will aim to create an impact. Travis Head 5 / 11 Travis Head will continue to bat No. 5. He was seen struggling with the pace attack in the finals of WTC 2025, although he is one of the finest; he still needs to figure out his weakness. Beau Webster 6 / 11 Beau Webster was the key player in the finals, though he didn't create much impact, but his fifty secured his position in the team. Alex Carey (WK) 7 / 11 Alex Carey will continue to wicket-keeping for Australia and has shown good class in the lower order, stabilizing the innings of Australia. Pat Cummins (C) 8 / 11 Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, has been consistent with his performances and leads the pace attack with his teammates. Mitchell Starc 9 / 11 Mitchell Starc is one of the dependable bowlers of Australia who always shows up when the team needs him. He also scored a half-century with the bat in the first innings of WTC 2025. Josh Hazlewood 10 / 11 Josh Hazlewood is Australia's trustworthy bowler as his height helps him produce extra pace and swing with the new ball. Nathan Lyon 11 / 11 Nathan Lyon is the only spinner Australia trusts, and with over 583 wickets, he continues to perform for his team.
News18
20-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
Why India And England Players Are Wearing Black Armbands On Day 1 Of 1st Test?
Last Updated: India and England players are wearing black armbands on Day 1 of the first Test which is taking place at Headingley in Leeds. India and England players are wearing black armbands in memory of the victims of the Ahmedabad plane attack on Day 1 of the first Test, which is taking place at Headingley in Leeds. More than 250 people lost their lives when an aeroplane crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. 'Both teams will wear black armbands today as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash. Out thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible events that took place in Ahmedabad last week," England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) tweeted on Friday. — BCCI (@BCCI) June 20, 2025 Both teams will wear black armbands today as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the Air India plane thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible events that took place in Ahmedabad last week 🖤 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 20, 2025 Indian players and members of the support staff wore black armbands before the start of the intra-squad match last week, and on Day 3 of the WTC 2025 final, Australian and South African players also wore black armbands in memory of the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash. In the first Test of the five-match series, India will bat first. England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss on Friday and invited India to bat first in Shubman Gill's first Test as India captain. Tamil Nadu batter B Sai Sudharsan is making his Test debut for India at Headingley, and the 23-year-old cricketer will bat at No. 3. Gill will come out at No. 4, and he will be followed by Rishabh Pant and Karun Nair. Nair, who has a triple century to his name in Test cricket, last played a Test match for India in 2017. Ravindra Jadeja is the lone spinner in India's playing XI, and Shardul Thakur has been preferred over Nitish Kumar Reddy for the fast-bowling all-rounder's role. Shardul, who last played a Test match for India in December 2023 against South Africa in Centurion, scored 122 runs in the intra-squad match. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna are the three fast bowlers for India in Leeds. Playing XIs India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna First Published:
India Today
19-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
WTC 2025-27: Australia play most Tests, Sri Lanka least
The new cycle of the World Test Championship has already begun, just days after South Africa were crowned as the champions of the third edition of the tournament. South Africa's win was seen as a story of incredible grit and perseverance, given they had given up hope on the competition midway through the by Aiden Markram's sensational 4th innings hundred and two gritty knocks from captain Temba Bavuma, South Africa beat the mighty Australians, who were favourites to clinch the victory was seen as refreshing from a neutral perspective, as fans saw the result as a win for Test cricket, as the South African team came together for a sensational run in the red-ball format, eventually breaking their 27-year wait for an ICC title. However, there was one thing that laser-eyed fans could not ignore. It was the number of Test matches that South Africa played in their WTC Africa reached the summit clash of the WTC 2025 by playing just 12 Test matches. This was the lowest among all teams in the tournament. In comparison, England played 22, Australia and India 19, and New Zealand and Pakistan did not sit well with many fans that South Africa did not play Australia and England en route to the finals and only played 2 matches at home against India. The argument was that India, Australia, and England play 5 matches against each other, meaning that they compete against tougher opposition more that note, here's the complete breakdown of matches that teams will be playing in the WTC cycle. It needs to be noted that these fixtures were already agreed in advance with the FTP — ICC's Future Tours Tests by TeamAustralia – 22England – 21India – 18New Zealand – 16South Africa – 14West Indies – 14Pakistan – 13Bangladesh – 12Sri Lanka – 12Home Tests by TeamAustralia – 11England – 11India – 9South Africa – 8New Zealand – 7Bangladesh – 6Sri Lanka – 6West Indies – 7Pakistan – 6Away Tests by TeamAustralia – 11England – 10India – 9New Zealand – 9West Indies – 7Pakistan – 7South Africa – 6Bangladesh – 6Sri Lanka – 6WTC 2025–27: Complete Breakdown of SeriesAustralia – Total Tests: 22Home:vs ENG – 5vs BAN – 2vs NZ – 4Away:vs WI – 3vs SA – 3vs IND – 5Bangladesh – Total Tests: 12Home:vs PAK – 2vs WI – 2vs ENG – 2Away:vs SL – 2vs AUS – 2vs SA – 2England – Total Tests: 21Home:vs IND – 5vs NZ – 3vs PAK – 3Away:vs AUS – 5vs SA – 3vs BAN – 2India – Total Tests: 18Home:vs WI – 2vs SA – 2vs AUS – 5advertisementAway:vs ENG – 5vs SL – 2vs NZ – 2New Zealand – Total Tests: 16Home:vs WI – 3vs IND – 2vs SL – 2Away:vs ENG – 3vs AUS – 4vs PAK – 2Pakistan – Total Tests: 13Home:vs SA – 2vs SL – 2vs NZ – 2Away:vs BAN – 2vs WI – 2vs ENG – 3South Africa – Total Tests: 14Home:vs AUS – 3vs BAN – 2vs ENG – 3Away:vs PAK – 2vs IND – 2vs SL – 2Sri Lanka – Total Tests: 12Home:vs BAN – 2vs IND – 2vs SA – 2Away:vs WI – 2vs PAK – 2vs NZ – 2West Indies – Total Tests: 14Home:vs AUS – 3vs SL – 2vs PAK – 2Away:vs IND – 2vs NZ – 3vs BAN – 2Must Watch
