At the end of a wretched week in Nisshin, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have something real to play for: an Asian Games bronze.

Both teams have a point to prove. Bangladesh recovered well from a poor start in their semi-final against Pakistan, thanks to Towhid Hridoy’s efforts with the bat, but their bowlers couldn’t defend 111 in a 13-overs-a-side game, and Mustafizur Rahman was taken to the cleaners in one of his rare poor outings in T20Is.

The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg will host the 2027 ODI World Cup final, as it did in 2003, as well as the marquee match between India and Pakistan on October 10 at next year’s tournament.  Wanderers, South Africa’s biggest ground with a capacity of over 30,000, has been preferred over Newlands in Cape Town, an iconic ground because of its mountain backdrop.

Newlands will instead host the opening match between India and defending champions Australia on October 7. So, a re-match of the 2023 final kicks off the group stage of the 14th edition of the tournament. Prior to that, the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek will stage the Super Series, a three-team preliminary round which will decide which side makes it to the 12-team main event. Newlands gets a semi-final as well on November 17, with the other knockout game scheduled to take place in SuperSport Park in Tshwane (Centurion) on November 18. Zimbabwe, the co-hosts, are getting five games in the World Cup group stage and they play all of them at home.

The 12 teams – two of whom have yet to be decided – will be divided into two groups of six. Afghanistan, Australia, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and one of the qualifiers make up Group A. Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the other qualifier make up Group B. The two qualifiers will come from a 10 team tournament early next year, with the winner advancing to the group stage and the losing finalist and two losing semi-finalists to play the Super Series. A venue for the qualifiers has yet to be established but it is likely to be played either in South Africa or Namibia. The top eight teams besides the co-hosts in the ICC rankings on September 30 this year gained automatic qualification to the World Cup.

The ICC has introduced a trial allowing pink balls to be used in daytime Test matches, among a series of changes to the Playing Conditions that come into effect for international series beginning on October 1.

The pink-ball provision is aimed at reducing the loss of playing time due to bad light. Its use will require mutual agreement between the two teams before the start of the Test and, once agreed, the ball colour cannot be changed during the match.

Continuing the push to make full use of playing time, the ICC will also clamp down on excessive time-wasting by batters in men’s cricket. A batter who is not ready to face the next delivery within the prescribed time, in the umpires’ view, will receive a warning for the first offence, followed by a final warning for the second. A third and each subsequent offence will result in five penalty runs being awarded to the fielding side, with Code of Conduct provisions potentially invoked for repeated offences.

Time-wasting came into focus during the Lord’s Test in 2025 when India captain Shubman Gill alleged that his confrontation with Zak Crawley stemmed from the England opener and his batting partner Ben Duckett seemingly arriving at the crease 90 seconds late when tasked with seeing out one final over before close of play on Day 3.

In another Test-specific change, following an MCC recommendation, the fall of a wicket in the final over of the day’s play will no longer automatically bring the day’s play to an end. If conditions remain suitable and the over has not been completed, the remaining deliveries will be bowled rather than carried over to the following day.

The ICC has also tightened the specifications for balls used in women’s international cricket, with separate size and weight requirements now in place for men’s, women’s and junior cricket. A new men’s ball must weigh between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (156-163 grams) and measure 22.4-22.9 centimetres in circumference. For women’s cricket, the ball must weigh 5-5.25 ounces (142-149 grams) and measure 21.5-22 centimetres in circumference.

Among other changes following MCC recommendations, the ICC has also clarified the requirements around control of the ball, an area that has frequently come under scrutiny in run-out and stumping decisions. The revised laws make it explicit that mere contact with the ball is insufficient for a dismissal. For a wicket to be valid, the ball must be held with complete control at the moment the stumps are broken. Simply brushing the ball with a hand or glove while dislodging the bails will no longer meet the requirement.

The umpire will also have greater leeway in determining whether a ball is finally settled. The ball no longer necessarily has to be in the bowler’s or wicketkeeper’s hands to be considered finally settled.

Meanwhile, in ODIs and T20Is, the 15-minute interval in T20Is is now fixed, although it can be reduced to a minimum of 10 minutes when time has been lost. The ODI and T20I Playing Conditions are now aligned to allow the ‘Head Coach or their designate’ to enter the field of play at drinks intervals. [Cricbuzz]