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Battling Australia force series decider as questions grow for Pakistan

Published

2 weeks ago

2026/06/4

Priyan

Australia produced an impressive all-round performance in the field [Cricinfo]

Quite what either side will ultimately take from this ODI series is debatable, but a patched-up Australia side can be proud of how they adapted to earn a decider against Pakistan in Lahore after being outplayed in the opening match. As a number of ESPNcricinfo feedbackers pointed out, it’s been something of a throwback with a 1990s vibe around the scoring rates. In the first match, 200 wasn’t enough for Australia, but in the second 231 certainly was.

Josh Inglis and Cameron Green put in the hard yards during the first half of the innings – it was especially hard work for Green, who battled for rhythm, but there was satisfaction in his gritty fifty which he acknowledged with a somewhat relieved punch of the air – and their innings allowed Matt Renshaw and latterly 19-year-old Oli Peake to play with a little more freedom.

Renshaw’s form has been especially eye-catching, extending a strong introduction to Australia’s white-ball set-up since late last year, while Peake’s maturity was on show when he did not panic at being 6 off 15 balls and managed to dispatch vital late sixes.

With the ball, Nathan Ellis was ideal for the slow, grippy surface and produced a career-best performance. The spinners all played their role, with Matt Short’s three wickets fitting into the bonus category; his delivery to slide past Salman Agha’s outside edge was an excellent piece of bowling.

Ahead of the match, Pakistan coach Mike Hesson defended the home surfaces the team is playing on before being hoisted by their own petard. Arafat Minhas looks a very exciting find – with bat and ball – while Ghazi Ghori has shown plenty of promise. But a lot of questions remain. Shadab Khan continued to labour with the ball, but his 71 kept Pakistan in the game although he may in the longer run have muddied the waters.

Pakistan have only lost one home bilateral ODI series since 2015nbut, after the recent loss in Bangladesh, a defeat in the decider on Thursday would add to the uncertainty around their game as a whole.

Sahibzada Farhan has forged his reputation in T20s – domestically and internationally – but he’s found life tougher in the early stages of his ODI career. He has made three starts in five innings but not been able to convert; in the first game of this series he gave it away when he picked out long-off. In the second match, he top-edged a sweep in the second over, having already lost his opening partner, and it left Pakistan on the back foot.

Matt Renshaw has been the most fluent batter on show in the first two matches in tough conditions. The left-hand batter has continued his impressive white-ball form with smart placement, good running and putting away the bad ball. His only blip has been falling on both occasions when Australia needed someone to close out the innings, although the two dismissals were against good deliveries. There is argument that he may be worth a go higher up the order.

Pakistan have been unchanged so far and Shadab’s runs will likely keep him in the XI given the balance he brings to the lower order. There is a clamour for Sufyan Moqim to play but it’s tricky to see how he fits in unless they drop a batter or only play one quick.

Pakistan (probable) Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Babar Azam, Ghazi Ghouri (wk), Arafat Minhas, Salman Agha, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi (capt), Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

Australia’s initial thoughts on this series may have been to give most players an outing, but their balance for the second match served them well so Liam Scott will likely have to wait for his debut. Labuschagne has missed out twice in the series – extending a lean time in ODIs – and is under increasing pressure but may cling onto his place for now. There could be consideration given to elevating Renshaw given his fine form.

Australia (probable) Alex Carey, Matt Short, Josh Inglis (capt & wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Oli Peake, Matt Kuhnemann, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha

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Iranian tankers exit US blockade zone before talks to end war

Published

10 hours ago

2026/06/17

Priyan

Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, Tuesday, June 16, 2026 [Aljazeera]

Several tankers carrying Iranian oil have crossed the United States blockade line in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a tracking website, two days before Washington and Tehran are to launch more talks after reaching a framework agreement to end their war.

The TankerTrackers website, which monitors oil shipments and storage, on Wednesday identified Iran’s “first crude oil exports in two months”, citing digital tracking data corroborated by satellite imagery.

The talks on a final settlement to end the war, triggered by US Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, are to begin on Friday at Switzerland’s Burgenstock mountain resort as news that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen sent world oil prices tumbling.

According to TankerTrackers, two National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) tankers – the Diona and Hero 2 – carrying a total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian oil, exited the blockade line on Tuesday while another tanker, Stream, was sailing towards Iranian ports on Wednesday.

A third tanker operated by the NITC and carrying 1 million barrels of Iranian crude sailed past the US Navy’s blockade line in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, according to TankerTrackers.

In a post on X, the maritime tracking service said the Sonia I “exited the blockade line” at 01:11 GMT.

[Aljazeera]

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Canada-Netherlands ODI abandoned due to dangerous pitch in Toronto

Published

15 hours ago

2026/06/17

Priyan

An ODI between Canada and Netherlamds in King City Toronto on Tuesday was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch. The fixture was part of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 competition, which is part of the qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The match was abandoned just 4.1 overs into the Netherlands innings after they had chosen to bat. They were 15 for 1, with Max O’Dowd the batter dismissed for a duck in the second over. The pitch had uneven bounce and the batters were struck several times during the short passage of play.

On June 12, four days before the abandoned match, the ICC had issued a statement saying the pitch at King City that was used for an ODI between USA and the Netherlands on June 8 had been given an “unsatisfactory” rating and one demerit point.

“This was a pitch that fell below the standard expected for this level of cricket,” match referee Phil Thompson had said about the surface for the USA-Netherlands match. “Both captains expressed disappointment with how it turned out, and the match officials assessed it as ‘very poor’. The inconsistent bounce created challenging and potentially unsafe playing conditions. Taking all factors into consideration, I believe the pitch merits an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating.”

According to the ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process, pitches that get an “unsatisfactory” rating will be given one demerit point, while an “unfit” pitch rating will result in three demerit points for the venue. Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period, and an accumulation of six demerit points will result in the venue being suspended from hosting international matches for 12 months (12 demerit points will lead to a 24-month ban).

(Cricinfo)

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Da Silva and Jangoo earn recalls for West Indies’ Tests against Sri Lanka

Published

15 hours ago

2026/06/17

Priyan

Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph are back together (cricinfo)

Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo have earned recalls to West Indies’ squad for the two-match World Test Championship series at home against Sri Lanka starting later this month, while the two Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, are back after missing the tours of India and New Zealand late last year because of injuries.

Trevin Imalch had kept wicket when West Indies last played Test cricket, in New Zealand last December, but Da Silva, 33 Test matches old, has returned after scoring 996 runs across the last two seasons of the West Indies Championship. Imlach, who failed with the bat in New Zealand with a total of 81 runs across six innings – after scoring 33 runs in his only Test in India – has been named captain of a West Indies Select XI to play the Sri Lankans in a tour match in Coolidge from June 18 to 21. Roston Chase will continue to captain the Test side.

West Indies vs Sri Lanka Tests

Jangoo, dropped after only one Test appearance, in Multan in January 2025, where he scored 0 and 30, has returned to the side following a fruitful WI Championship in which he scored 411 runs in seven innings. He finished second on the scorers’ table there, only behind Da Silva, who scored 413 in seven outing. The highlight of Jangoo’s season was the 203 not out he scored for Trinidad & Tobago against Leeward Islands

The pair of Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, meanwhile, last played Test cricket during the home series against Australia in mid-2025.”Every Test series is an opportunity for us to grow as a team and strengthen our identity,” Darren Sammy, the head coach, said in a Cricket West Indies statement. “Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited about the challenge ahead.”For us, it’s about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. The players have been putting in the work, and we’re looking forward to putting on a strong display for our fans across the Caribbean.”

Some of the squad members are currently participating in a high-performance training camp in Antigua, which began on June 12 and will run till June 22. The members of the Test squad who were also part of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka – West Indies lost the ODIs and won the T20Is – will join the camp on June 15. The Tests will be played in North Sound from June 25 to 29 and July 3 to 7.

“This is a key component of our preparations heading into the series, providing players and coaches with valuable time to enhance and improve the skills we want to see sharpened, based on the areas we need to focus our attention on when facing this opponent,” Sammy said about the camp. “It also gives us the opportunity to put clear objectives and plans in place for the conclusion of the summer against Pakistan.

“Additionally, the four-day warm-up game prior to the series provides the chance for some of our Test hopefuls to play in high-intensity action and create the avenue for more competition within the squad ahead of the upcoming and future series.”

West Indies are currently bottom of the nine-team WTC table, having lost seven of their eight games in the ongoing cycle.

West Indies squad for Test series against Sri Lanka

Roston Chase (capt), Jomel Warrican (vice-capt), John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales.

(Cricinfo)