Vaibhav Sooryavanshi & Ayush Mhatre (Agency Image)

The BCCI has named India’s Under-19 squads for the upcoming tour of South Africa and the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set to lead the side on the South Africa tour. Sooryavanshi has been appointed captain for the three-match One-Day series in Benoni, with Aaron George named his deputy. Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra have been ruled out of the South Africa tour after sustaining wrist injuries. Both players will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further treatment and rehabilitation. The duo is expected to rejoin the setup in time for the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup, where they will take on leadership roles.

For the Under-19 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from 15 January to 6 February 2026, Ayush Mhatre will captain the Indian side, with Vihaan Malhotra serving as vice-captain. India’s Under-19 tour of South Africa will consist of three One-Day matches, all to be played at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. The series begins on Saturday, 3 January, followed by the second match on 5 January and the final game on 7 January. The 2026 ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup will feature 16 teams divided into four groups, followed by the Super Six stage, semi-finals and the final, which will be held in Harare. Five-time champions India, who have previously lifted the title in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022, have been placed in Group B alongside New Zealand, the USA and Bangladesh. India will open their World Cup campaign against the USA on 15 January at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. They will then face Bangladesh at the same venue on 17 January, before taking on New Zealand on 24 January.India’s squad for SA tour: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (C), Aaron George (VC), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan, Yuvraj Gohil, Rahul KumarIndia U19 squad for ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026: Ayush Mhatre (C), Vihaan Malhotra (VC), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan.

England’s Ben Stokes celebrates with teammates (AP/PTI)

England produced a stunning Boxing Day result at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, pulling off a memorable four-wicket win over Australia that carried significance well beyond the Ashes scoreline. Although Australia had already sealed the urn with a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, the victory marked a rare and much-needed breakthrough for the visitors, ending a 19-Test winless run in Australia. The result also sent ripples through the ICC World Test Championship 2025–2027 standings. Australia had entered the match with a flawless record and a perfect 100 per cent points percentage. The defeat brought that run to an end, handing them their first loss of the current cycle and opening up the race for the rest of the field.

Australia remain firmly at the top of the table despite the setback, but their points percentage has dropped from 100 to 85.71. While they are still well placed to qualify for the WTC final, the cushion they enjoyed over New Zealand has been reduced, making the contest at the top slightly tighter. For England, the win provided a valuable boost in an otherwise challenging campaign. Ben Stokes’ side have now collected 12 points in the cycle, lifting their points percentage to 35.18. However, they continue to sit seventh in the standings, with significant ground to make up on India and the teams placed above them.

WTC Points Table:

WTC Points Table

New Zealand and South Africa stand to gain the most from Australia finally dropping points. With the leaders no longer perfect, the battle for top spot, and the confidence that comes with it, is very much alive. India currently occupy sixth place with a points percentage of 48.15. With Australia and New Zealand maintaining strong positions, India will need an almost flawless run in their upcoming fixtures to push into the top two. England, while still behind India, will be aiming to close that gap after adding another win to their tally. The focus now shifts to Sydney, where the final Test of the Ashes series begins at the SCG on January 4. Australia will be eager to reassert their authority, while England will hope the momentum from Melbourne helps them climb further up the World Test Championship table.

India’s Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returning to the Vijay Hazare Trophy has injected renewed buzz into India’s premier domestic one-day competition. While the tournament may not enjoy the spectacle or financial scale of the Indian Premier League, it remains the backbone of India’s white-ball domestic structure. The presence of two of the country’s biggest stars has naturally drawn attention not only to the matches themselves, but also to how the competition is organised and how players are compensated. Unlike the IPL, where player salaries are shaped by an auction, earnings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy follow a clearly defined framework. For the 2025–26 season, match fees are governed by a tiered system based on the number of List A appearances a player has made. Experience, rather than star power, determines pay, which places veterans like Kohli and Rohit in the highest bracket.

Players with more than 40 List A matches fall under the senior category and earn Rs 60,000 per match if they are part of the playing XI, and Rs 30,000 if named among the reserves. Those with 21 to 40 List A games are classified as mid-level players, receiving Rs 50,000 per match in the XI and Rs 25,000 as reserves. The junior bracket, comprising players with up to 20 List A appearances, earns Rs 40,000 per match when playing and Rs 20,000 when on the bench. In the current season, Kohli, representing Delhi, and Rohit, turning out for Mumbai, earn the same match fee as any other seasoned domestic cricketer. Having comfortably crossed the 40-match mark, both fall into the senior category and are paid Rs 60,000 per game. This figure stands in stark contrast to their international earnings, with the BCCI paying them Rs 6 lakh per ODI. Match fees, however, are not the only source of income in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Players also receive daily allowances that cover travel, food and accommodation during the tournament. On top of that, individual performances can bring additional rewards, with Man of the Match awards typically carrying a cash prize of Rs 10,000. Teams that progress deep into the competition also benefit from prize money, which is shared among players and support staff.

Thiruvananthapuram: India’s women’s team will seek to continue their dominance and secure a fourth straight victory against Sri Lanka in the fourth T20I in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. At the heart of India’s command stands Renuka Singh, the indefatigable pacer from Himachal who seems to find something extra every time she turns up in Kerala.

Kerala, it appears, has a way of rewarding Renuka’s faith. Each visit to Thiruvananthapuram brings with it an extra spring in her stride and a sharper nip through the air. From her U-19 days to the senior international stage, the venue has steadily become her personal hunting ground. “Kerala is my lucky place,” Renuka said after India’s dominant win over Sri Lanka on Friday. “I played U-19 cricket here as well. Whenever I come here, I take four wickets. I’m always excited to come to Kerala and Thiruvananthapuram is my lucky ground.” In the third T20I, Renuka ripped through Sri Lanka’s middle order with figures of 4/21, a spell that earned her the player-of-the-match award and left the visitors struggling for answers. That medal around her neck tells a deeper story, one built on persistence, preparation and an unwavering belief in process. “I never get five wickets, it’s always four,” she laughs disarmingly, even as she continues to be India’s most dependable pace option in the shortest format. Preparations for Renuka follow a familiar and disciplined path. Before every major assignment, she heads to the National Cricket Academy. “I go to the NCA to prepare for any tournament because it works for me,” she says. “I can do some extra work on my bowling and fitness, and that helps me execute better.” Over the last year, the 29-year-old’s evolution has been unmistakable. No longer just a new-ball bowler relying on swing and seam, Renuka has broadened her repertoire. Slower balls, changes of pace, and subtle variations in length and release are now central to her craft. The timing is deliberate. With a World Cup on the horizon, she knew there was no room for doubt. “For the last six months to a year, I’ve been working on my variations because I knew the World Cup was coming up,” she explained. “There shouldn’t be a doubt in my head. I want to be mentally prepared.” That mental clarity shows most when things don’t go to plan. Even if the first over goes for runs, as it did in the third T20I, Renuka doesn’t retreat. She recalibrates, reads the pitch and commits to the delivery she believes will fetch a wicket. Leadership support from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur helps, but so do the words of a mentor she deeply respects. Jhulan Goswami’s advice — that five-wicket hauls demand extra effort — still echoes. Renuka has just one T20I five-for so far, a 5/15 against England at the 2023 World Cup, and she knows there is more to chase. Former India player and women’s team coach WV Raman sees her value clearly. Renuka, he says, is a “vital cog” in India’s bowling unit: crafty, intelligent and armed with truckloads of variations. “In helpful conditions, she can be a handful. England, host of next year’s T20 World Cup, with its seam-friendly pitches and swinging skies, could well be her stage,” Raman argued. India, buoyed by the recent ODI World Cup success, is shaping its core for the future. In that group, Renuka remains indispensable. In Thiruvananthapuram, and perhaps soon in England, she isn’t just bowling spells, but carving out her signature, one hard-earned wicket at a time.

Australia’s Steve Smith, center, watches a delivery from England’s Brydon Carse, left, on Day 2 of their Ashes cricket test match in Melbourne, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)

Australian captain Steve Smith said excess grass on the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch made batting difficult during the fourth Ashes Test, which ended inside two days as England won by four wickets on Saturday.A total of 36 wickets fell across six sessions, with 20 wickets on the opening day and 16 on the second. England’s win ended their long wait for a Test victory in Australia.

Smith said the 10mm grass left on the surface played a key role in how the pitch behaved.“It probably started quite slow and it’s hard to explain. Not tennis bally normally, that’s from like the moisture of the wicket,” Smith said during the post-match press conference.He added that the thickness of the grass affected how the ball behaved after pitching.“I think because of the thickness of the grass. The ball was just sitting in the grass, if that makes sense to you. Like I felt in the first innings, a couple almost like chipped one to mid on playing a defensive shot that just sort of sat in the grass and it was tricky to drive the ball because of how much it was. The seam was just catching the grass and it was stopping,” he said.Smith said the surface offered too much seam movement, making it hard for batters to settle.“It was tricky. No one could really get in. I think when you see 36 wickets across two days, that’s probably too much,” he said.He suggested that a slightly shorter grass covering might have helped.“It probably did a little bit more than they wanted it to. Maybe if we dropped it down to eight millimetres, it would be about right,” Smith said.England captain Ben Stokes also said a Test match finishing inside two days was “not what you want”, though he added that teams had to deal with the conditions presented.“When you go out there and you’re faced with those conditions, you’ve got to crack on and deal with it,” Stokes said. “But being brutally honest, that’s not really what you want.”

Steve Smith of Australia (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Steve Smith etched his name deeper into Ashes history by overtaking Allan Border to become Australia’s second highest run scorer against England in Test cricket. The milestone came during the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, even though Smith endured a tough match with the bat overall. The veteran batter managed just nine runs in the first innings, falling to Josh Tongue, but showed resistance in the second innings. As wickets tumbled around him on a hostile surface, Smith remained unbeaten on 24 from 39 balls, striking one boundary and standing almost alone as Australia’s batting folded cheaply once again.

Smith’s consistency across Ashes contests now places him above Border in the all-time charts. In 40 Tests against England, he has accumulated 3,553 runs at an average of 55.51, with 12 hundreds and 14 half-centuries in 72 innings. Border finished his career with 3,548 runs against England from 47 Tests at an average of 56.31, including eight centuries and 21 fifties. Only Sir Don Bradman remains ahead of Smith, having scored a staggering 5,028 runs in 37 Tests at an average of 89.78. The match itself turned into a fast-moving, bowler-dominated contest. England won the toss and chose to bowl, a decision that paid immediate dividends. Josh Tongue produced a memorable spell, claiming 5 for 45 to record England’s first-ever five-wicket haul in a Boxing Day Test at the MCG. Australia were dismissed for 152 in 45.2 overs, with Michael Neser top-scoring with 35 and Usman Khawaja adding 29. A brief half-century partnership between Neser and Cameron Green offered some resistance before a run-out sparked another collapse. England’s reply was equally fragile. They were skittled for 110 in just 29.5 overs, with Harry Brook scoring 41 and Gus Atkinson contributing 28. The aggressive Bazball approach faltered again on a pitch offering sharp movement and uneven bounce. Neser led Australia’s bowling with 4 for 45, while hometown favourite Scott Boland picked up 3 for 30, giving Australia a slender first-innings lead of 42. The second innings followed a similar pattern. Australia struggled to cope with the conditions and were bowled out for 132 in 34.3 overs. Only Travis Head, with 46, and Smith, with his unbeaten 24, managed to cross 20. Brydon Carse took 4 for 34 and Ben Stokes supported him with 3 for 24 as England kept the target within reach. Australia set England 175 to win. England made a confident start to the chase, with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett putting on a half-century opening stand. Crawley later added 47 more with Jacob Bethell, placing England firmly in control. Australia mounted a brief comeback, reducing England from 112 for 2 to 165 for 6, but Harry Brook and Jamie Smith held their nerve to guide England to a memorable victory. While the match belonged to the bowlers and the volatile pitch, Smith’s climb past Allan Border ensured the Test also carried a significant moment of individual achievement in Ashes history.

Desert Vipers survived a late wobble to register a five-wicket victory over Sharjah Warriorz at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday, officially knocking the Warriorz out of playoff contention. The win made the Vipers the first side in World ILT20 history to notch up eight group-stage victories.With this result, one of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders or Gulf Giants will claim the final playoff spot when they meet on Sunday, 28 December. Meanwhile, Saturday’s clash between MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals will decide a top-two finish.

Naseem Shah led the bowling effort with three wickets as the Warriorz were restricted to 140/7. Max Holden then anchored the chase with an unbeaten 66 off 46 balls, striking nine fours and a six. Despite Harmeet Singh’s three-wicket burst creating brief pressure, Holden found support from Sam Curran (25 off 28) and Hasan Nawaz (25 not out off 14), with the latter sealing the chase alongside Holden in an unbroken 47-run stand.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Sharjah made early inroads with Sikandar Raza and Richard Ngarava reducing the Vipers to 28/2 inside the powerplay. Curran and Holden steadied the innings with a cautious 64-run partnership before Harmeet struck again in the middle overs. However, the Warriorz could not sustain the pressure as the Vipers crossed the line comfortably.

Qais Ahmad of Desert Vipers

Earlier, the Warriorz innings never fully recovered after slipping to 6/2. Johnson Charles top-scored with 43, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore added 20. Naseem Shah struck at crucial moments, supported by Qais Ahmad’s double blow, as Sharjah failed to push beyond a below-par total.Desert Vipers captain Sam Curran said, “It was great to get a win going into the Qualifier. We read the conditions well and adapted accordingly. Max played an outstanding knock, and Hasan finished things off with some powerful hits at the end. It was also encouraging to see a few batters spend time in the middle. Overall, it’s been a terrific season for us, winning eight of our ten matches.”

Johnson Charles of Sharjah Warriorz

Sharjah Warriorz skipper Sikandar Raza reflected, “Almost everything that could have gone wrong for us this season did. If we had handled some key moments better in a few games, we would already be through. On these pitches, 150 was a competitive score and we seldom managed to reach it, which hurts the most. The positives lie with our bowling — Harmeet has been excellent since coming in, Adil has bowled very well, and as a unit the bowlers kept us in games consistently.”

Brief Scores Sharjah Warriorz: 140/7 in 20 overs (Johnson Charles 43, James Rew 22, Ryan Burl 21 not out; Naseem Shah 3/35, Qais Ahmad 2/30)Desert Vipers: 144/5 in 19.3 overs (Max Holden 66 not out, Hasan Nawaz 25 not out, Sam Curran 25; Harmeet Singh 3/29, Sikandar Raza 1/27)

England’s previous Test win in Australia had come at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2011. (AFP Photo)

NEW DELHI: England finally exorcised their Australian demons, ending an 18-match winless streak Down Under with a dramatic four-wicket victory in the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. The result not only restored pride after a bruising tour but also rewrote several entries in Ashes history, with the contest finishing inside two days in extraordinary fashion.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Having lost the first three Tests at Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, England had already conceded the Ashes in just 11 days of cricket. Questions over preparation, form and direction surrounded the visitors as they arrived in Melbourne. Yet, against the odds, England produced a defiant performance to halt a barren run that had stretched nearly 15 years.

England’s previous Test win in Australia had come at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2011. Since then, they had endured 18 Tests without victory, losing 16 and drawing two. That sequence placed England alongside New Zealand for the most consecutive Tests without a win in Australia, a dubious record that now stands corrected. The victory also carried personal significance for key figures, with Joe Root registering his first Test win in Australia after 18 matches, while Ben Stokes tasted success for the first time in his 13th Test on Australian soil.The Melbourne Test was notable not just for the result, but for its sheer brevity. Completed in 852 balls, it became the fourth-shortest Ashes Test in history. Only three matches from the late 19th century were shorter: Old Trafford (1888), Lord’s (1888), and the Perth Test earlier in this series, which ended in 847 balls. Melbourne 2025 now sits alongside those games as one of the quickest finishes the rivalry has ever seen.It also joined a rare list of Ashes Tests to conclude inside two days. Before this series, the most recent such occurrence had been Nottingham in 1921 (excluding a rest day). Remarkably, the 2025 Ashes has now produced two Tests ending within two days — Perth and Melbourne — underlining the extreme conditions and relentless pace that have defined the contest.From Australia’s perspective, the defeat marked only their third loss in Boxing Day Tests since 2011. Across 15 matches at the MCG during this period, Australia have won 10, drawn two and lost just three — twice to India and now to England. That context makes England’s triumph even more striking.

Shortest completed Ashes Tests (by balls)

Ashes Tests ending inside two days

England’s last Test win in Australia was at the SCG in January 2011. This is the first Test win for Joe Root in 18 Tests in Australia, and the first for Ben Stokes in 13 games.

Most consecutive Tests without a win in Australia

Australia in Boxing Day Tests since 2011

The win was England’s first Test success in Australia since January 2011, ending a run of 16 losses and two draws. (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Staring at a clean sweep, England finally found a way to fight back, winning their first Test on Australian soil in 15 years with a gutsy four-wicket victory in a chaotic fourth Ashes clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. The contest was wrapped up inside two days, restoring some pride for the beleaguered tourists.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!After 20 wickets fell on the opening day, England bowled Australia out for 132 shortly after lunch in front of a bumper crowd of 92,045, leaving themselves a target of 175 for victory. Harry Brook (18*) and Jamie Smith (3*) guided England home amid deafening roars from the travelling “Barmy Army”, with the visitors finishing the chase after losing six wickets. Jacob Bethell made a vital 40, while Zak Crawley chipped in with 37.

England arrived in Melbourne under immense pressure after crashing in the first three Tests, amid questions over their preparation and criticism surrounding a mid-series beach break. But the visitors finally delivered when it mattered and will head to Sydney for the fifth and final Test with renewed confidence.The win was England’s first Test success in Australia since January 2011, ending a run of 16 losses and two draws. Openers Crawley and Ben Duckett set the tone with an ultra-aggressive “Bazball” approach. Duckett struck a boundary off Mitchell Starc in his first over, while Crawley followed up by smashing Michael Neser for a six and a four in successive deliveries.The pair raced to a brisk 50-run opening stand before Duckett was bowled by a searing Starc yorker for 34. England then rolled the dice by sending fast bowler Brydon Carse in at No. 3, but the experiment backfired as he lasted just eight balls before lofting Jhye Richardson to Cameron Green.Crawley was trapped lbw by Scott Boland after a gritty innings, and Bethell was caught by Usman Khawaja off the same bowler. Richardson dismissed Joe Root (15) lbw and Starc removed Ben Stokes (2), but with only 10 runs required, Brook and Smith calmly completed the job.– Atkinson injury –Australia resumed on 4-0 in their second innings after an explosive opening day of searing pace saw 20 wickets fall with the hosts dismissed for 152 and England just 110.It was the most wickets to tumble on the first day of an Ashes Test since 1909, and eclipsed the 19 on day one of the series opener in Perth.With 10 millimetres of grass on the track it was a bowler’s dream, but a host of former greats criticised the pitch for “doing too much” and being “unfair for the batters”.Nightwatchman Boland added two to his overnight four, but his time was always going to be limited and he edged Gus Atkinson to wicketkeeper Smith.Atkinson left the field soon after clutching what appeared to be his left hamstring.Josh Tongue came into the attack on a hat-trick after bagging the last two Australia wickets on day one, but Jake Weatherald whipped his full ball for three.Weatherald needed a decent knock to cement his spot at the top of the order, but he failed again, bowled by Stokes for five leaving a delivery that nipped back.Travis Head was joined by Marnus Labuschagne but he only made eight, caught by Root in the slips off Tongue.Head was in good touch before being bowled on 46 by a peach of a delivery from Carse that beat the outside edge, and when Khawaja (0) and Alex Carey (4) departed in the space of nine balls the momentum was back with England.After reaching lunch at 98-6, Green (19) became the seventh wicket to fall with the score on 119, edging a rising Stokes ball to Harry Brook at slip.Carse bagged Neser and Starc without scoring and Richardson fell to Stokes with the last four wickets tumbling for 13 runs, leaving Steve Smith unbeaten on 24.(With inputs from AFP)

The five-match series against India earlier this year ended in a 2-2 draw, marking Shubman Gill’s first assignment as Test captain. (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Batting legend Alastair Cook said England’s 2-2 home Test series draw against Shubman Gill-led India came against “not a great Indian side”, raising concerns over the team’s preparation for the Ashes, in which they are currently trailing 0-3.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The five-match series against India earlier this year ended level, marking Gill’s first assignment as Test captain. The young batter enjoyed a prolific campaign, scoring 754 runs with four centuries.

Cook, however, felt England’s recent performances had papered over deeper issues, giving a false sense of progress.“They started off with a bang, Key, McCullum and Stokes. I think McCullum won his first eight out of 10 games or something the first year. Since then it’s gone downhill,” Cook said on the opening day of the ongoing Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.“This year I think their percentage of win is like just above 30 percent so it’s a bit of a downward trend.“…I like Rob Key, I like McCullum, I like how they think but I do think they’ve, this last little bit, they have taken our eye off the ball for the bigger series.”Referring to the India series, Cook added, “… they were talking about India, they lost, they drew India and India just got thumped by South Africa. So that Indian side wasn’t a great Indian side either.“So actually it’s a reality, it’s just hit this England Test team and now they’re going to decide how they want to play with what players afterwards.”England have suffered defeats in the first three Tests of the Ashes against Australia, losing by eight wickets in Perth and Brisbane and by 82 runs in Adelaide.