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Champions Trophy 2025 will have no Indian officials with two of the likeliest candidates having excused themselves from travelling to Pakistan.It is understood that Javagal Srinath, one of the most prolific ICC match referees, and Nitin Menon, part of the ICC’s elite panel umpires, had “mutually agreed” with the ICC that they would not undertake any officiating assignments in the Pakistan leg of the tournament.And since all matches in Dubai will feature India and require neutral officials, it automatically rules out Indian match officials. Srinath, the former India fast bowler, is currently officiating India’s bilateral white-ball matches against England, but neutral officials have been the norm at all ICC tournaments.Though Pakistan remains the official host of the Champions Trophy, a hybrid model was adopted after protracted negotiations which allowed India to play all their matches, including the semi-final and the final, should they qualify, in Dubai. The same principle will apply to Pakistan in upcoming ICC tournaments hosted by India in the current cycle, whereby all their games will be played at a neutral venue.The 12-member umpires panel includes the ICC’s Umpire of the Year Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Michael Gough, Paul Reiffel, Chris Gaffaney and Kumar Dharmasena among others. Ahsan Raza is the sole Pakistani umpire on the list.David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle and Andrew Pycroft will be the match referees.Sean Easey, the ICC senior manager – umpires and referees, said: “We always try to name the most suitable and deserving officials for any event, and we are confident this group will do a fine job across the matches in Pakistan and the UAE.”

Match officials for Champions Trophy 2025

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Sharfuddoula, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel WilsonMatch Referees: David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft

Jasprit Bumrah has attained the joint-highest rating points ever for an Indian bowler on the rankings chart after his 9 for 94 in the third Test against Australia in Brisbane.The Indian spearhead, who already heads the rankings list for bowlers, further consolidated his position at the top by adding 14 points to his tally taking it to 904 rating points, 48 clear of second-placed Kagiso Rabada (856). The only other Indian bowler to achieve this tally is the recently-retired R Ashwin who got there after the fourth Test against England in Mumbai in December 2016.Bumrah, who is currently the highest wicket-taker in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Series with 21 scalps in six innings at 10.90, now has a chance to break Ashwin’s record when the two teams meet in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test with the series locked 1-1.

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Meanwhile, Travis Head’s 152 in the first innings of the Brisbane Test on the back of a century in Adelaide has seen him overtake Yashasvi Jaiswal and move to fourth on the batters’ list which is led by Joe Root. Steven Smith also made his way into the top ten of the charts after his 101 in Brisbane, entering at the tenth position, while Rishabh Pant has moved out of the top ten.On the ODI front, Heinrich Klaasen’s three back-to-back fifties against Pakistan have seen him rise eight spots – from 13th to fifth on the batting table. Opener Saim Ayub, who had a breakthrough series against South Africa, with scores of 109, 25 and 101 as Pakistan clean swept the series 3-0, advanced 57 slots to a career-best 23rd position.Babar Azam continues to lead the ODI batting list, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in second and third place, respectively.

South Africa have gambled on the fitness of Keshav Maharaj and Wiaan Mulder, and included both in the Test squad to play Pakistan over the festive season.Maharaj suffered an 11th-hour groin strain in the warm-ups for the first ODI in Paarl on Tuesday and had to be removed from the team sheet just before the toss. He underwent a scan later on Wednesday which revealed a left adductor strain that took him out of the ODI series. He will return home to Durban “for rehabilitation and will be reassessed ahead of the first Test.Left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Senuran Muthusamy is the only other spinner in the squad, which means if Maharaj is unavailable, South Africa may have to cast the net wide for reinforcements.Test coach Shukri Conrad said a decision on any additions to the squad would only be made after the results of the scan are known. “Based on the outcome of that, we’ll do the necessary,” he said. “We’ll see how severe it is, whether it’s only potentially the first Test (he misses) or both Test matches. Once I get the results of the scan, I’ll be in a better position to either replace [or] chat to the other coaches and make up my mind on the back of that.”Given that the first Test takes place at the seamer-friendly SuperSport Park in Centurion, if Maharaj is unavailable for that game, it may not affect South Africa too much. The last time they played there, against India last year, South Africa went in all pace and won.Where they will miss him, is in the brains trust, which suggests he will remain part of the squad. “Kesh is obviously one of the senior players in the side. He is a great sounding board. He’s got a huge amount of experience and he’s such a calming influence in the change room as well,” Conrad said. “And he’s an excellent spinner. Him, KG [Kagiso Rabada] and thankfully we’ve got Marco [Jansen] back – they’re really the triumvirate that will ensure that we get the bulk of the 20 wickets we need to win a Test match.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rabada and Jansen are both currently fit, and part of the ODI squad playing against Pakistan, but South Africa have a quartet of other injured quicks, who could not be considered. Lungi Ngidi (hip), Gerald Coetzee (groin), Nandre Burger (lower back stress fracture) and Lizaad Williams (knee) are all out until next year, which means much hinges on Mulder’s fitness.He broke his right middle finger while batting against Sri Lanka in Durban last month and is in the final phase of his recovery. If he is passed fit for the Boxing Day match, top-order batter Matthew Breetzke will be released from the squad.Mulder will have another scan on Thursday morning to check on his progress, which has been described as being in the final phase of recovery in a Cricket South Africa press release. “He has started hitting balls and doing some work with Kruger [van Wyk, fielding coach] up in Pretoria,” Conrad said. “I’m not going to get ahead of ourselves in terms of where he’s at right now. We’ll see what the scan throws out and then we’ll obviously take it very conservatively. We’re not going to do anything daft and rush him into action if he’s not quite ready yet. But that decision will only be taken pretty much when we get together next week.”As bowling cover, there are two uncapped players in the mix: seam bowlers Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka. Bosch, the son of former international Tertius, has earned his first call-up to an international side. He recently featured for a South African Invitation XI against the England Lions and took 1 for 21 in five overs and has a first-class batting average over 40. “Corbin Bosch adds so much to our attack. On the Highveld, we need a little bit of pace in and Corbin provides that. It [SuperSport Park] is his home ground if he gets to play. And he’s in top form. He’s doing well domestically,” Conrad said. “He had a really good outing against the English Lions last week that I managed to catch a glimpse of. He’s matured nicely from when I last saw him when he was with the [national] academy with me a couple of years ago and he’s turned into a really good cricketer.”Kwena Maphaka is part of the ODI squad currently playing against Pakistan•ICC/Getty Images

Maphaka was called up to the squad that played Sri Lanka as cover when Coetzee was injured but did not play. He is part of the ODI squad currently playing against Pakistan but has yet to debut in the format. Seven other Test players are also in the 50-over playing group: captain Temba Bavuma, Tony de Zorzi, Jansen, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Rabada and Maharaj. Rabada and Jansen both played the opening game but are unlikely to feature in all three matches as South Africa manage their bowling resources.South Africa will have a three-day turnaround between the end of the ODIs and the start of the Tests, which leaves no time for a warm-up match and only two practice sessions which Conrad is happy with. “Teams prepare differently nowadays. Gone are the days of warm-up matches. Guys that are not involved in the ODI squad, will be playing in Titans versus the Warriors (domestic first-class) game. Whatever our preparation looks like, it’s going to be good enough. And we’re really looking forward to playing at Centurion. It’s a ground that we play particularly well at and the guys know the conditions rather well.”In the last ten years, South Africa have only lost one Test at SuperSport Park, to India in 2021. They need one more win to guarantee a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and two Tests to try and achieve that. They face Pakistan at SuperSport Park on Boxing Day and then at Newlands for the annual New Year’s Test.

South Africa squad for Tests against Pakistan

Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk)

Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie has admitted to “frustrations from time to time” over the reduced scope of his job, emphasising the need for clear communication. Gillespie, who, alongside captain Shan Masood, was recently removed from the selection panel, said his current role “wasn’t what he signed up for”, but one he was happy to adapt to.”I think there’s always frustrations from time to time,” Gillespie said, in an interview with . “For me, when I came on board with Pakistan cricket, I was told there was a long-term plan, and we need to make sure our communication’s spot on. I made that a real focus and so you can get frustrated if those things aren’t done how you would like.”It wasn’t what I signed up for, I’ll be completely honest. But this is one of those situations in which you just need to go with the flow. As I said, I’m in a different environment and things are done differently. One can agree or disagree with how things are done, but ultimately I’m here to help the Pakistan team do well, help the players get better, improve. So I’ve put all my focus and energy into that.”Related

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Gillespie had long-term ambitions when he took the role earlier this year. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, he had cautioned against the dangers of “people on one-or two-year contracts” prioritising self-preservation over long-term development. “If everyone has that approach,” he said at the time, “nothing long-term gets done.”The last fortnight has seen those fears play out with near-forensic accuracy. After a chastening innings defeat in the first Test against England, Pakistan announced a new selection panel that took the number of selectors involved with the side since 2021 past two dozen. Gillespie and Masood were not consulted over the squad for the second Test or the kind of pitch Pakistan prepared; they were formally taken off all selection duties, with Gillespie admitting his role was that of a “match-day strategist”.”A lot’s changed. Since I’ve been involved, we’re already on our third selection panel. These are the things you just got to take it all in your stride and understand that we’re in a different environment and go with the flow. I ask a lot of questions and ask for clarity, which as head coach I’m well within my rights to ask.Masood and Gillespie were not consulted over the squad for the second Test•Associated Press

“But I want to make it really clear that everyone in Pakistan wants what’s best and there’s a lot of very passionate people here. That’s driving me to continue to help the players, and it’s been a great experience so far working with them. I really excited about what the future holds and as a coach.”Gillespie also acknowledged there was a learning curve to his own experiences, and felt it was only natural it would take time for him to settle at the PCB.”Lots of things change in Pakistan at the drop of a hat. You just sort of take that in your stride and understand that this is the environment you’re in. I’ve got to always remember that I’m a foreigner in Pakistan and I’ve got to respect that and that things are probably done differently to what I’m used to or what I expect in the environment I’ve come from in Australia. So not saying one way is the right way or the wrong way or whatever, it’s just different and you just have to adjust and adapt.”Gillespie’s relationship with the players, though, has never really been in question. He praised captain Masood as “the epitome of calm”, and said he viewed taking care of the players as his primary role. It is a note he has struck through his brief tenure, and one he asked former Pakistan players to help him with.”I’m very protective of players and very protective of staff I work with and just want to make sure that the environment that we’re trying to create is a safe space for everyone and if that gets eroded then that can lead to a bit of frustration.”A lot of former players have their own space on social media, YouTube, whatever, and they’re paid to have an opinion. One thing that I have noticed here is that the players notice everything and if they get some positive feedback from former players they idolised as kids, that goes a long way when they get some positive reinforcement. But it can have the opposite effect, too if there’s a lot of criticism of by those former players.”Pakistan are currently in the midst of their busiest Test season this century. The ongoing Test is the fifth of the season, with four more to follow after this. Former captain Babar Azam’s involvement – or lack thereof – remains a point of contention, and though Gillespie pointed out he had no say in whether he would return, he threw his weight behind what he called “one of the best players in the world”.”What I will say is that Babar is a fine player. He’s had a bit of a lean patch, but I don’t think there’s many great players around that have never had a lean patch. I’m very confident Babar will be back scoring a lot of runs for Pakistan in all formats. He’s just too good a player, works really hard at his game, is very precise with his preparation. I fully expect him to have a huge role going forward in the next little while for Pakistan.”

South Africa completed the highest successful chase in Abu Dhabi and notched up a win in the first T20I to keep their unbeaten record against Ireland intact.It was officially a home fixture for Ireland but was played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium to solve cost and infrastructure challenges in Ireland. Ironically, South Africa seemed to be more familiar with conditions. After spending last week playing Afghanistan on dry, slow pitches in Sharjah, South Africa had adapted to the demands of the heat, and unlike in Sharjah, where the bounce was low, there was good bounce and carry in Abu Dhabi. Full, slower balls proved to be best wicket-taking options and South Africa understood that while Ireland struggled with dew and moisture in the field.South Africa’s strikes in the powerplay and at the end of Ireland’s innings meant that although Ireland scored their second-highest T20I total against them, they did not have enough. Ireland were pegged back after almost every acceleration but a fourth-wicket stand of 59 runs off 41 balls between Curtis Campher and Neil Rock anchored the innings.In reply, Reeza Hendricks and Ryan Rickelton shared in South Africa’s third-highest opening stand, and highest away from home, in T20Is and reached important milestones of their own. Hendricks scored his first fifty in 15 T20I innings and Rickelton registered a career-best 76, which was also his first international half-century. They complemented each other well, with Rickelton hitting high and hard over the leg side and Hendricks playing the classy off-side shots he has become known for. Neither stayed to the end, but South Africa got there with 14 balls to spare.

Push and pull in the powerplay

Ross Adair, not due to play this game until Lorcan Tucker was injured in training, made the first statement of intent when he hit a Lizaad Williams short ball over mid-on for the first boundary of the innings. He went on to take another 10 runs off Williams’ first over on the tour, after he missed out on the ODIs against Afghanistan, and hit Wiaan Mulder over his head for four before South Africa struck back. With Ross Adair’s strength down the ground, Aiden Markram placed Tristan Stubbs on the long-on boundary and he was in a good position to take the catch that dismissed the batter, who tried one big shot too many. Then it was the turn of another overlooked player from the Afghanistan matches, Ottneil Baartman, who struck with his third ball when he bowled Paul Stirling with a delivery that angled in and sailed through the bat-pad gap. But South Africa could not claim the early advantage.Campher, playing in his 100th international for Ireland, took five balls to get his eye in and then drove Baartman through mid-off and for two more fours to get his run-scoring underway. At the end of powerplay, Ireland finished on 63 for 2, their second-best against South Africa, after scoring 67 for 2 in Bristol in 2022.

Peter’s timely breakthrough

In his third T20I, legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter had to wait until the 11th over to be called on and it was a fairly tough introduction. Campher and Neil Rock were settled, South Africa were rattled after they dropped Campher on 17 at the end of the ninth over and then misfielded to allow four at the end of the 10th. Rock hit Peter for four in an over that cost eight and he was replaced by Bjorn Fortuin and allowed to change ends. And then he struck. Peter bowled Rock with a delivery that straightened as he tried to sweep and ended a partnership that was threatening to take the game away. That wicket would prove crucial in the target Ireland ended up setting South Africa.File photo: Patrick Kruger took four wickets•AFP/Getty Images

Death-bowling heroics from Williams and Kruger

At 163 for 5 after 18 overs, Ireland would have been eyeing a total over 180 but an excellent last couple of overs from South Africa’s seamers kept them to 171. Williams bowled the 19th over and, with a wide slip in place, stuck to a selection of wide yorkers. All Ireland managed were singles off every ball in that over. Then it was over to Patrick Kruger, who took pace off with immediate success. Dockrell played a swipe too early and was caught behind. Off the next ball, Fionn Hand tried to ramp Kruger but could only get the ball as far as short fine leg. Kruger’s hat-trick ball missed everything and cost a bye. His penultimate delivery brought another wicket as Mark Adair tried to hit him over the off side and was caught by Wiaan Mulder. Kruger finished with a triple-wicket maiden and South Africa only conceded eight runs in the last two overs.

Hendricks, Rickelton redeem themselves and South Africa’s batting

The big picture of South Africa’s batting woes against Afghanistan aside, the opening batters had questions over their form going into this game. Hendricks had only gone past 30 in three of his last 12 T20Is while Rickelton had a top score of 27 from eight white-ball internationals. Were they the best combination sans Quinton de Kock? Yes, they said, as they grabbed the chase by the scruff of the neck in the powerplay. Rickelton got the ball rolling with back-to-back boundaries off Mark Adair and showed his ability against the short and full balls. Hendricks only faced four balls in the first three overs but when given more of the strike, he made the most of it. He smashes four fours in six deliveries, to bring up 2000 runs in T20I cricket. Rickelton finished off the powerplay hitting Hand for two enormous sixes and South Africa were 58 for 0 in the powerplay. Two overs later, Rickelton reached his fifty off 30 deliveries. South Africa were 97 without loss at the halfway stage and the horse had bolted.

Cricket South Africa has confirmed it will continue to engage Afghanistan in bilateral fixtures because it does not believe in punishing the men’s team for the Taliban’s actions in their home country.CSA’s statement comes in response to severe criticism including from activist organisation Lawyers for Human Rights, which said that by playing Afghanistan, South Africa were tacitly endorsing a repressive regime and called for CSA to boycott Afghanistan. The Taliban government has not only banned women from playing sport but from most areas of public life which the South African government has expressed grave concern over while not calling for outright sanction. CSA has taken a similar approach.In a statement issued on Thursday, CSA confirmed that although it believes “women’s cricket deserves equal recognition and success,” it would not unilaterally isolate the Afghanistan men’s team for its country’s government policy.Related

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“CSA remains mindful that gender equity should never come at the expense of one gender over another,” the statement said. “We recognise that advocating for the advancement of one gender should not undermine the rights of the other. CSA believes there is no justification for subjecting Afghan cricket players – both male and female – to secondary persecution for the actions of the Taliban. We will continue to engage with member countries within the formal structures of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to address this matter.”CSA’s stance is also in line with the position of the ICC, which is wary of banning Afghanistan despite their being the only Full Member without a women’s side. ESPNcricinfo understands that among the complexities of forcing the ACB field a women’s team is the risk it could take of retribution from the Taliban, which could include putting those women’s lives at risk.Cricket Australia, on the other hand, has taken the opposite position and on advice from its government has refused to play Afghanistan bilaterally in protest against human rights abuses. CSA does not believe this tactic will be effective and prefers to apply a wide lens on the issue. “Gender advocacy in cricket should never be advanced by meting out punishment on innocent cricket administrators and players for the misdemeanours of a regime that stands to lose nothing from that punishment,” its statement said.South Africa are in a unique position to comment such as this because they were banned from international sport themselves from 1970, as a global response to the Apartheid regime. One of the continued discussion points of their isolation was what it would do to sporting careers. At the time, only white South Africans were allowed to represent South Africa, while people of colour had no hope of a professional sports career. South Africa were readmitted after two decades and questions over racial representation remain part of their reality. When asked whether the banning of their organisation also punished administrators and players, an insider pointed out that while it did, it was not effective in advocating for change. “The apartheid government continued with its atrocious policies despite their athletes being banned from international sport. What truly broke the camel’s back were economic sanctions.”CSA also argues that the situation at the ACB is slightly different as there were steps being taken to have a women’s team prior to the Taliban takeover. “Any measures we consider must take into account the progress made by the Afghanistan Cricket Board in promoting women’s cricket prior to the Taliban’s ban on female participation in sports in August 2021.”In 2020, the ACB pledged contracts to 25 female players, which showed steps towards creating a women’s team were being made. Those players attended a training camp and were due to play against Oman but the games did not take place. Many of them are now in exile in Australia and have called on the ICC to support the creation of a refugee team for them based at the East Asian Cricket office. It is not known if any of the refugee sportswomen are in South Africa.CSA’s statement is also a nod to the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) who, last week, issued an advisory supporting the promotion of women in cricket and called on CSA to use its leverage to highlight rights for Afghan women. Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s ODI captain, echoed SACA’s sentiments and called women’s rights “something that is quite strong within my own values.”South Africa and Afghanistan are currently playing a three-match ODI series in the UAE. Bavuma missed the first match, which South Africa lost by six wickets, with illness. The second and third ODIs are scheduled to be played on Friday and Sunday. This three-match contest was not on the original Future Tours Programme (FTP) and was sought by CSA and the ACB with a view to preparing for next year’s Champions Trophy.

Ali Maiden, England’s assistant coach, when they won the 2017 ODI World Cup, will leave Yorkshire’s men at the end of the season after his appointment as the first head coach of Bears women.Maiden has predominantly been working in the men’s game in recent years but was an assistant coach to Ashley Noffke when London Spirit won the Hundred this year, and said he had been actively seeking a return to the women’s game. He will join the Bears – who are based at Edgbaston – on November 1 and begin preparations for the 2025 season.”I’m hugely excited to be joining Bears Women at the start,” Maiden said. “I’ve spoken to several people at the club and it’s clear they’re passionate about women’s cricket, forming a successful side, and encouraging more women and girls into the sport. I’ve had various coaching and head coach roles and been looking for an opportunity to get back into women’s cricket.”Maiden was an assistant coach in London Spirit’s Hundred success•Getty Images

The Bears – who are run by Warwickshire – are one of eight ‘Tier 1’ sides who will compete in England’s new domestic structure for women’s cricket from 2025. Laura MacLeod will be their director of cricket and they have confirmed the signings of five players: Emily Arlott, Hannah Baker, Chloe Brewer, Katie George and Charis Pavely.Maiden will leave Yorkshire’s men at the end of the season after three years in his role, working closely with their batters. Colin Graves, their chair, said: “Everyone at the club wishes Ali all the best in his future career and thank him for his contribution to Yorkshire CCC over the last three seasons.”

CA = Cricket Australia contract | R = Rookie contract