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Women’s ODI World Cup at four Indian venues and Colombo
The 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup will be played from September 30 to November 2 in Bengaluru, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam and Indore in India, with Colombo in Sri Lanka as a neutral venue.
Though the full schedule is yet to be released by the ICC, it’s likely that all of Pakistan’s league games will be in Colombo according to the hybrid model agreed by the BCCI and PCB. The need for this arrangement arose due to strained relations between the two countries and India playing their 2025 men’s Champions Trophy matches in Dubai instead of in the host country Pakistan. The PCB in turn said Pakistan would not travel to India for future tournaments.
The 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup opener involving India will be played in Benglauru, which will also host the second semi-final on October 30. The first semi-final will be played in Guwahati or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan qualify. The final on November 2 will be held in either Bengaluru or Colombo for similar reasons.
New Chandigarh, which was earlier in the running to host matches, including the final, was dropped from the list of venues. ESPNcricinfo understands the BCCI received internal feedback raising concerns over India potentially playing a final at a venue where they haven’t played a single international fixture.
Bengaluru, in contrast, has regularly hosted games and has attracted strong crowds for international matches as well as the Women’s Premier League.
India are hosting the Women’s ODI World Cup for the first time since 2013. They also hosted the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2016. The format for the 2025 tournament will be the same as in 2022, with each of the eight teams playing the other in a round robin format, with the top four making the semi-finals. A total of 31 matches will be played.
Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka, apart from hosts India, qualified directly for the tournament. The last two spots were taken by Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Lahore earlier this year. The tournament will not feature West Indies, who narrowly missed out on net run rate to Bangladesh.
The Oval, Lord’s to host 2026 Women’s T20 WC semis and final
The 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup in England will begin on June 12 at Edgbaston, Birmingham and end on July 5, with the final at Lord’s. The semi-finals will be played at The Oval on June 30 and July 2.
The tournament will include 12 teams, more than any of its previous editions and up from 10 last year. It comprises 33 matches in 24 days at seven venues, the other four being Manchester, Leeds, Southampton and Bristol.
England, Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies and defending champions New Zealand have already qualified for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup. The remaining four teams will be decided at a qualifying tournament next year.
[Cricinfo]
Residents on both sides of Thailand’s and Cambodia’s border evacuated in droves on Monday as fresh clashes erupted, killing at least five people.
Both sides have each accused the other of starting the violence, which is the most serious confrontation between the two countries since they agreed to a ceasefire in July.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says his country “never wanted violence” but will “use necessary means to preserve its sovereignty”, while Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen accused Thai “invaders” of provoking retaliation.
Since May, escalating tensions between the neighbours have led to more than 40 deaths, as well as import bans and travel restrictions.
On Monday, the Thai army said its troops had responded to Cambodian fire in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani Province, including by launching air strikes along the disputed border; while Phnom Penh’s defence ministry said it was the Thai forces that attacked first, in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province.
At least one Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians have been killed, and about a dozen wounded as a result of Monday’s fighting, according to officials on either side.
For Thai teacher Siksaka Pongsuwan, though, there are other, hidden victims of the clashes: the children living near the border, he warns, are “losing opportunities and… precious time” compared to their peers living in relatively peaceful cities.
Nearly 650 schools across five Thai provinces have been ordered to shut for safety reasons, Thailand’s education minister said, following the fresh tensions that have simmered since Sunday.
Meanwhile, videos on social media show chaotic scenes at schools in Cambodia’s border provinces as parents rushed to take their children home.
And this is not the first time these children have had their education interrupted in recent months.
In July, in the midst of the children’s examinations, five days of intense fighting broke out between the two nations.
In the aftermath, Pongsuwan’s school switched to online classes, but not all students could access them – some lived in households with no internet, while iPads distributed by the schools did not reach everyone.
In Cambodia, former journalist Mech Dara shared several clips of children frantically running out of their schools on his X account.
“How many times [do these] kids have to suffer the shocking environment?” he wrote. “The nonsense fighting bring kids [a] horrible nightmare.”
He also shared a picture of a boy, still in his school uniform, having some food in an underground bunker. “Why does the kid and his family have to eat their meal in the bunker…?” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Pongsuwan told the BBC that he and his neighbours are now torn about whether to evacuate – even as gunfire can be heard every now and then in his village.
“If you ask whether we’re scared, yes we are… Should we leave? Will it really be safer? Or should we stay?” he tells the BBC.
A century-old dispute, reignited
The century-old border dispute between the South East Asian nations dramatically escalated with a Cambodian rocket barrage into Thailand on the morning of 24 July, followed by Thai air strikes.
Days later, Bangkok and Phnom Penh agreed to an ‘immediate and unconditional ceasefire’ brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
In October, both sides signed a ceasefire agreement during a ceremony with US President Donald Trump in Malaysia. At the time, Trump claimed a historic achievement in ending the border conflict.
But just two weeks after that signing, Thailand said it would suspend the implementation of the agreement, after two of its soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion near the Cambodian border.
Cambodia, which nominated Trump for a Nobel peace prize for his role in brokering the ceasefire, has repeatedly claimed it is committed to the deal.
Thailand and Cambodia have been contesting territorial sovereignty along their 800km land border for more than a century, since the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.
[BBC]
New Zealand’s bowling spearhead Matt Henry (calf strain), seam-bowling allrounder Nathan Smith (side strain) and spin-bowling allrounder Mitchell Santner (groin injury) have all been ruled out of the rest of the home Test series against West Indies.
Glenn Phillips, who joined the squad in Christchurch early as a substitute fielder, has officially been added to the Test squad for the remainder of the series, New Zealand Cricket confirmed. This after he proved his match fitness in the Plunket Shield before joining the squad for the first Test, and he could be in contention to be selected in the XI for the second Test.
In another bit of good news for New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell, who put in a long shift as a substitute fielder in the first Test, is set to be available for the second and slot back in as their middle-order mainstay.
Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell had already been sidelined from the second Test in Wellington after suffering a hamstring injury while batting on day one in Christchurch. Mitchell Hay has been added to the squad and could make his Test debut.
Also, a day after uncapped seamer Michael Rae was called up to the Test squad, Kristan Clarke, a seam-bowling allrounder from Northern Districts, was added to it. With Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke managing “return to play” protocols, New Zealand were left scrambling for last-minute replacements, with the Wellington Test set to begin on November 10.
Both Rae and Clarke were pulled out of the third round of the Plunket Shield. Clarke didn’t bowl for ND in the final innings against Otago in Hamilton, with rookie James Naylor stepping in as his replacement.
Clarke, 24, is uncapped in Test cricket, but was recently part of the ODI series against England as a replacement player after Henry had suffered a separate calf injury. He has now earned his maiden Test call-up as a like-for-like replacement for Smith.
“On the cricket field, I’m a bowling allrounder, you know, and I pride myself on trying to offer as much as I can in the game,” Clarke said in October after breaking into the ODI side. “I just want to be a good person around the group also and just offer as much as I can.”
Clarke has played 27 first-class games so far, taking 77 wickets at an average of 33 and scoring 893 runs at an average of 23.50. He was also part of a New Zealand A tour to Bangladesh during the winter. Though bowling is his primary skill, Kristian is also a capable batter and had notched up his maiden century in senior cricket, against Central Districts in the one-day Ford Trophy, in October.
Clarke hails from Te Awamutu, a small town in the Waikato region and played for Waikato Valley in the Hawke Cup before rising up the ranks in New Zealand cricket. His brother Matti Clarke has also played for Waikato Valley in the Hawke Cup.
“Yeah, so [I was] born and raised in Te Awamutu, [and I] still live in Te Awamutu, still at home,” Clarke said. “I hold Te Amuru very dear to my heart – it’s a cool little town and yeah, quiet little place. Just sort of grew up through the cricket system there and then yeah, sort of just went from there.”
While Blair Tickner, who was the reserve seamer at Hagley Oval, comes into the selection frame for Wellington, there might be a toss-up between Rae and Clarke for a potential Test debut at Basin Reserve.
The first Test was drawn after West Indies, faced with a 530-run deficit in the fourth innings, held on for 163.3 overs to pull off a draw, with Justin Greaves (202 not out) and Shai Hope (140) their main men with the bat
New Zealand squad for second Test vs West Indies :
Tom Latham (capt), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell, Zak Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Michael Rae, Kristian Clarke
[Cricinfo]
Latest News
Level III landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale extended till 1600 hrs on Tuesday [09]
The Level III RED landslide warnings issued to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale by the landslide early warning center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] have been extended till 1600 hrs on 09th December 2025.
Accordingly,
The LEVEL III RED warnings issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Hatharaliyadda, Yatinuwara, Ududumbara, Pathahewaheta, Medadumbara, Pasbage Korale, Deltota, Poojapitiya, Ganga Ihala Korale, Panvila, Gangawata Korale, Udapalatha, Harispattuwa, Kundasale, Minipe, Doluwa, Thumpane, Akurana, Udunuwara and Pathadumbara in the Kandy district, Kegalle, Galigamuwa, Mawanella, Bulathkohupitiya, Aranayaka, Yatiyanthota, Rambukkana and Warakapola in the Kegalle district, Mawathagama, Mallawapitiya and Rideegama in the Kurunegala district, and Naula, Wilgamuwa, Pallepola, Ambanganga Korale, Laggala Pallegama, Ukuwela, Rattota, Matale and Yatawatta in the Matale district have been extended.
In the meantime,
LEVEL II AMBER warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Uva Paranagama, Meegahakivula, Badulla, Kandeketiya, Bandarawela, Soranathota, Hali_Ela, Ella, Lunugala, Welimada, Haputhale, Passara and Haldummulla in the Badulla district, Dehiowita, Ruwanwella and Deraniyagala in the Kegalle district, Alawwa and Polgahawela in the Kurunegala district, Ambagamuwa Korale, Hanguranketha, Mathurata, Norwood, Kothmale West, Nuwara Eliya, Thalawakele, Nildandahinna, Walapane and Kothmale East in the Nuwara Eliya district, and Kahawatta, Godakawela and Kolonne in the Ratnapura district.
LEVEL I YELLOW warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Yakkalamulla and Elpitiya in the Galle district, Attanagalla, Mirigama and Divulapitiya in the Gampaha district, Narammala in the Kurunegala district, and Eheliyagoda, Opanayake, Kalawana, Imbulpe, Kaltota, Kiriella, Kuruwita, Nivithigala, Ayagama, Pelmadulla, Balangoda, Elapatha and Ratnapura in the Ratnapura district
Thousands flee Thai-Cambodia border after deadly clashes
Henry, Santner, Nathan Smith ruled out of rest of West Indies Test series
Level III landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale extended till 1600 hrs on Tuesday [09]
President chairs Nuwara Eliya District Special Coordinating Committee Meeting
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