Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has closed the gap on India dynamo Suryakumar Yadav at the top of the ICC Men's T20I Batter Rankings following an excellent end to his side's series against New Zealand.

A major milestone has been ticked off at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium ahead of June's ICC Men's T20 World Cup, with the successful delivery of the pitches that will be used at next month's event.

Hashmatullah Shahidi, who led Afghanistan in last year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, wasn't part of the side, his last T20I appearance coming in 2022.

Selectors opted for a second spinner in Ashton Agar and picked Cameron Green as a back-up all-rounder while remaining loyal to the core of players who helped Australia win an unprecedented sixth 50-over World Cup in India last November.

Amid the ongoing heatwave, while the rest of the coaches looked tense as the Dhaka Premier League fixtures at BKSP hung in balance yesterday, Abahani coach Khaled Mahmud Sujon looked at ease, his calmness embodied by Mosaddek Hossain’s knock that helped clinched the title. Despite the team’s financial muscle, there is more to it than meets the eye in Abahani’s 23rd title, says coach Mahmud as he spoke to Abdullah Al Mehdi of The Daily Star.

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis smashed 62 after he took a wicket on Tuesday to guide Lucknow Super Giants to an IPL win on the eve of Australia's T20 World Cup team announcement.

With Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav certainties after their performances so far in the IPL, two places remained up for grabs. Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal have seized their opportunities and earned recalls with impressive displays in the ongoing tournament.

The rain didn't allow the match to resume and India were declared victorious, as they were 19 runs ahead of the DLS par score.

Cricket Australia postponed a three-match series due to take place in August at a neutral venue, saying the situation for women in the Taliban-ruled country was deteriorating.

Abahani batters Anamul Haque Bijoy and Afif Hossain scored half-centuries to guide their side to a four-wicket win over Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club at the BKSP Ground-4 on Tuesday.

Pant was involved in a near-fatal crash in December 2022 that required him to have multiple surgeries and he missed last year's Indian Premier League (IPL) as well as India's 50-overs World Cup campaign on home soil.

Archer has been passed fit after recovering from a right elbow injury that has kept him out of competitive action since May 2023.

Aiden Markram will captain the squad, which also includes power hitters Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs

Why the starkly different reactions to the same occurrence, you may ask. And the answer is painfully obvious, hidden in plain sight but remains unspoken.

The rule, which was introduced to the tournament last season, allows teams to bring in one substitute at any time for a player in the starting 11.

Australia has invested heavily in women's cricket over the past decade, with the fruits seen in the nation's dominance of global events.

The sports-mad city witnessed a near-packed house at the 66,000 capacity stadium.

Abahani coach and Bangladesh Cricket Board director Khaled Mahmud Sujon echoed the same sentiments of the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) club officials who disapproved the appointment of umpire Shathira Jakir Jessy for the Prime Bank-Mohammedan fixture in Mirpur on Thursday.   

Abahani head coach Khaled Mahmud Sujon lamented the departure of 10 first-team players from his side ahead of a Dhaka Premier League Super League contest against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club at BSKP Ground-4 on Tuesday. 

“We have included Afif Hossain. As Shakib is not in the squad for the first three matches, we have picked Afif in his place,”