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Seamer Codi Yusuf will also be playing his first Test when South Africa face Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Saturday

Firdose Moonda27-Jun-2025At 22 years old, Dewald Brevis has already experienced the highs of being in the spotlight as a burgeoning superstar, the lows of being labelled not good enough, and the feeling that comes with a fresh start.Brevis was relatively fresh off the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, where he was the leading run-scorer and Shukri Conrad was the coach, when he was picked in South Africa’s T20I squad for a series against Australia in 2023. It was seen as the fast-tracking of a prodigious talent, who may even have parachuted into that year’s ODI World Cup squad. But Brevis was dismissed playing aggressive shots for scores of 5 and 0 in the first two matches against Australia and was dropped for the third game. That was the end of the experiment, and Brevis was not considered for the national side again, until now.”That moment being there, and then being left out for a few years, that was quite tough. But I was young as well,” Brevis said from Bulawayo, where he is set to make his Test debut against Zimbabwe on Saturday. “I’m grateful for how I handled that, and the people I had around me. It made me much more hungry for the game and to perform. I knew what I had to do and I put in the work and I kept believing.Related

• Debutant Pretorius, Bosch lead South Africa's dominance

• Pretorius, Brevis to debut as SA renew Test ties with Zimbabwe

• Conrad confident Maphaka can be 'main dog' in SA pace attack

• Glimpse into SA's future: Young squad set for Zimbabwe

“To be able to return and it being in the Test side, that’s very special. For me, it’s the pinnacle format. You can play all the leagues, you can play T20 and 50-over cricket, but there’s something about Test cricket. That’s really the ultimate.”One of the ways Brevis dealt with things was by accepting that he would have to do the hard yards in the domestic system, away from the glare of expectation. Since 2023-24, in two seasons of the first-class competition, Brevis averaged over 44, quietly collected four hundreds, and proved himself patient enough to play the long game – literally and figuratively.At the same time, Brevis has also shown what he is capable of in the shorter formats – emphatically. He smashed 162 off 57 balls in a T20 against Knights in 2022. He was the third-highest run-scorer in the One-day Challenge in 2023-24, and the second-highest in 2024-25. He was the title-winning finisher at the SA20 earlier this year, scored two fifties in six innings at the IPL, and also got a deal with Hampshire for the T20 Blast.Now Brevis hopes to combine what he has learnt on the largely forgotten fields of the first-class game and the spotlight of T20 leagues to make good the potential he showed three years ago, also under Conrad.”I just want to be the same guy that plays all formats. I’m not really trying to make any big changes,” he said. “It’s all about watching the ball and just being true to myself. The key fact is we all know you have to bat longer. In order to bat longer, you have to take it ball by ball and not change the way you play a ball. So I’m not going to change anything.”Brevis will debut alongside Lhuan-dre Pretorius, another prodigy who was South Africa’s leading run-scorer at the 2024 Under-19 World Cup, and Codi Yusuf, who is at the other end of the spectrum. At 27, Yusuf could be considered a late bloomer who started as a batter and then started bowling spin, until a net session changed his mind.”In high school, one of the guys hit me out of the nets,” he said. “I went to fetch the ball, and I said, ‘Guys, I’m gonna run in and just bowl pace.’ I ran in, bowled pace and hit the guy. I was like, ‘I’m not going to bowl another ball of spin from this day onwards’, and that’s how it happened.”This county season, Codi Yusuf took 17 wickets at 20.94 in four matches for Durham•Getty Images

Yusuf’s career meandered through the semi-professional ranks at Mpumalanga before he moved to Lions. Over the last two seasons, he has been their leading seamer in the first-class competition. Yusuf finished ninth on the wicket-takers’ list in 2023-24 and joint-fifth last summer, along with Lutho Sipamla. The benefits of working with bowling coach Allan Donald were clear to see.”He doesn’t do a lot of technical stuff with me, but he definitely helps the way I think about the game and approach it,” Yusuf said. “This past season, I’ve taken on a little bit more of a leading role. I play with my heart, and try to work as hard as I can and be ready for the opportunity when it comes.”In the last few months, several opportunities have come for Yusuf. He enjoyed a stint in first-class cricket for Durham, for whom he took 17 wickets in four matches at 20.94. “Bowling with the Dukes ball in English conditions is quite different to bowling in South Africa,” he said. “I took a lot of learnings out of that.”He also met one of his heroes, Ben Stokes and, by coincidence, will wear the same number as him – 55 – on his national shirt. “I just gave a few numbers, and I’m quite happy it’s 55,” he said. “I look up to Ben Stokes, and I see he’s number 55 as well. So I’m happy about that.”

Stand-in captain backs Khawaja to bounce back from back spasm; hopeful of Cummins return at Brisbane

Tristan Lavalette22-Nov-2025

Travis Head made a flying start to Australia’s fourth innings•Getty Images

Still in a whirlwind following a frenetic first Ashes Test, skipper Steven Smith was non-committal over whether Travis Head would continue to open the batting after his 69-ball century powered Australia to a crushing eight-wicket victory at Perth. Head opened the batting for the first time in a Test innings outside of South Asia, replacing Usman Khawaja who had spent some time off the ground in England’s second innings due to back spasms.His elevation, after Marnus Labuschagne had been given the task in the first innings, proved a game-changer and he smashed 123 off 83 balls to knock England’s all-out pace attack off the lengths that had proved so effective on the opening day.The opening positions have been a cause for concern for Australia for some time. With Khawaja, 38, under pressure and Jake Weatherald posting scores of 0 and 23 in his debut, there could be a push for Head to take the role on an ongoing basis in this series.”Let’s just digest this first, the last couple of hours have been pretty incredible,” Smith told reporters after the match. “It’s probably too early to say anything on that, but what we just witnessed was quite incredible. I’m glad to have been in the house to see it.”We didn’t like how things functioned in the first innings with Marn going up top and me batting three. So Trav took it on and played one of the great Ashes knocks.”Related

• Khawaja's back issues to be examined as Australia float flexible batting order

• Smith given out after Real Time Snicko confusion; 'correct decision,' says Taufel

• Head: 'It's not going to get much bigger than this'

• Bareknuckle Baz-brawl produces Ashes all-nighter for the ages

• Travis Head's 69-ball ton secures remarkable two-day win for Australia

Khawaja was forced off the field during England’s second innings in a recurrence of back spasms he first experienced on day one. He was fit to take the field on day two, but felt further pain after stretching high for a ball that flew above him in the slips.”He was reasonable this morning. I actually thought it was his knee at one point,” Smith said. “Fortunately, it was the same thing [back spasms]. He [Khawaja] said before that it’s probably one of the best back spasms he’s ever had given the circumstances [of Head’s century].Smith said the circumstances around Khawaja’s ill-timed absence in the field in England’s first innings, making him ineligible to open the batting, was a “little frustrating”. Khawaja eventually batted at No.4 and was dismissed for just 2.”Wasn’t ideal, it all happened pretty quickly,” he said. “I got told, I think just before we got the last wicket….that he needed to be on the field to go and bat.”I think that’s why we landed where we landed yesterday [with Labuschagne opening]. Today we had a little bit more time to go through it and work it out.”I mean, those things can happen in the game. No one’s fault. Move on.”Much like Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg, Smith defended Khawaja’s decision to play golf prior to the Test match. “He’s not moving particularly well in there, the old fella, but his preparation was the same as it’s been for every Test match I think that he’s played,” he said.”There was nothing out of whack there by any stretch. Unfortunately, he just pulled up a bit lame early in the game. That happens when your back goes.”I’ve been there myself when your back seizes up and it’s not a nice place to be. So I can feel his pain right now.”Offspinner Nathan Lyon had very little to do in the match, bowling just two overs in the seam-friendly conditions. But he did cop a blow to his hip while batting and was visibly wincing in the field.”He’s got a few bruises, keeps showing them off. He’s tough though, he’ll be fine,” Smith said.There has been no update on quick Josh Hazlewood amid fears that he might miss the entire series with a hamstring injury. But Pat Cummins has revealed that he’s a chance of returning for the second Test in Brisbane starting on December 4, as he progresses well from a lower back injury.”It’s on track and pulling up pretty well. [I’m] half a chance for the next game,” Cummins said on the Fox Sports broadcast. “I’m pretty hopeful and it’s probably better than it was a few weeks ago.”

Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra and Will O’Rourke also return to the white-ball squads after being rested for the Sri Lanka tour

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2024Hard-hitting middle-order batter Bevon Jacobs has been handed his maiden New Zealand call-up by being picked for the upcoming three-match home T20I series against Sri Lanka.Jacobs was part of the New Zealand XI side that took on Sri Lanka in a 10-overs-a-side tour match in Lincoln on Monday, although he did not get a chance to bat.Jacobs’ call-up comes barely a month after he was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 auction, joining New Zealand internationals Trent Boult and the new white-ball captain Mitchell Santner. Jacobs’ maiden IPL contract came after an impressive Super Smash campaign last season, where he hit 134 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 188.73 while batting as a finisher.Related

• For T20 sensation Jacobs, things seem to happen sooner than expected

• Who is Bevon Jacobs, Mumbai Indians' latest under-the-radar recruit?

• Santner named New Zealand's white-ball captain

• Wellalage dropped, Rajapaksa retained in Sri Lanka T20I squad for New Zealand tour

• Champions Trophy: India vs Pakistan on February 23 in UAE

“It’s obviously an exciting time for Bevon and his family,” NZC selector Sam Wells said. “He’s a promising player with a lot of talent and we’re looking forward to exposing him to international cricket.”He’s clearly got a lot of power with the bat, but he’s also shown in the longer formats that he has a decent technique and temperament.”Having come through the system at Auckland, Jacobs had made a switch to Canterbury for whom he made his List A and T20 debuts just over a year ago. But he returned to Auckland ahead of the ongoing home summer, and made his first-class debut for Auckland last month, with scores of 75 and 79.After narrowly missing out on another half-century in his second before, he racked up 80 against his old team, Canterbury.Fast bowler Zakary Foulkes, wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay and top-order batter Tim Robinson are also part of the T20I squad, and could play their first international home games, having made their debuts abroad earlier in the year.Foulkes and Robinson debuted in the T20Is in Pakistan in April, while Hay’s debut came in Sri Lanka in November. Hay is set to keep wickets in the T20Is, and will be cover for Tom Latham in the ODIs that follow.While Jacobs, Foulkes and Robinson have only been called up for the T20Is, Latham, Will Young and Will O’Rourke will join the squad for the one-dayers. O’Rourke has been rested for the T20Is after a heavy Test workload, having featured in all eight Tests against Sri Lanka, India and England.Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra will be back in white-ball action for New Zealand•Associated Press

The series against Sri Lanka will also see Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell and Matt Henry make a return to the white-ball squads, having been rested during their tour of Sri Lanka to prepare for the home Tests against England.New Zealand will miss many big names, due to their commitments to various franchise T20 leagues. Lockie Ferguson, Finn Allen, Adam Milne and Tim Seifert are away at the BBL, while Kane Williamson and Devon Conway are part of the SA20, which is scheduled to begin on January 9.Ben Sears and Kyle Jamieson remain unavailable as they are still recuperating from knee and back injuries respectively.The team will be coached by Luke Ronchi, with regular head coach Gary Stead taking a break. Ronchi will have Jacob Oram for support as the bowling coach, while Craig McMillan will look after the batting and fielding.This will be New Zealand’s final ODI bilateral series before the Champions Trophy, where they will take on hosts Pakistan in the tournament opener.New Zealand also will play a tri-series in Pakistan, also featuring South Africa, before the Champions Trophy begins.”As with the squads that recently toured Sri Lanka, we’re keen to keep exposing new talent to the big stage and it’s nice to have an experienced core of players around them,” Wells said. “The Champions Trophy, like all ICC pinnacle events, is an obvious incentive for players and I know many will be keen to put their best foot forward in the ODI series to be in the frame for selection.”The T20Is will be played on December 28, 30 and January 2 before the ODIs on January 5, 8 and 11.

New Zealand T20I squad vs Sri Lanka

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Nathan Smith

New Zealand ODI squad vs Sri Lanka

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Will Young

Indian allrounders Krunal Pandya and Nitish Rana were sought after by RCB and RR

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-20242:04

Moody: Curran poses a left-hand conundrum with bat for CSK

Bhuvneshwar Kumar emerged as the most expensive player sold in the early bidding on day two of the IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) buying him for INR 10.75 crore (US$ 1.28 million approx.).Fast bowlers were in high demand with Deepak Chahar going to Mumbai Indians (MI) for INR 9.25 crore ($1.10 million approx.), Akash Deep to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 8 crore ($0.95 million approx.), Mukesh Kumar to Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 8 crore ($0.95 million approx.), pace-bowling allrounder Marco Jansen to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for INR 7 crore ($0.83 million approx.), and Tushar Deshpande to Rajasthan Royals (RR) for INR 6.50 crore ($0.77 million approx.).RCB and RR also went up against each other for Indian spin allrounders, with RCB snapping up Krunal Pandya for INR 5.75 crore ($0.68 million approx.)and RR getting Nitish Rana for INR 4.20 crore ($0.50 million approx.).Related

• The surprises: No takers for Warner, Thakur

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A large number of players were unsold in the early bidding, including established IPL names like Shardul Thakur, Kane Williamson and Ajinkya Rahane. There were no takers for Prithvi Shaw either, despite his base price being only INR 75 lakh. On day one, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow were among the high-profile players to go unsold.Records were broken on day one of the IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah, when PBKS first bought Shreyas Iyer for INR 26.75 crore and then LSG bought Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crore, making them the most expensive players in the history of the league.

The boards were informed of the change a day before Mumbai were scheduled to fly to Lahli for the game

Shashank Kishore05-Feb-2025The BCCI has shifted the Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Haryana and Mumbai from Lahli, Haryana’s home venue, to Kolkata, a neutral venue. The development has affected the travel plans of both the teams – the game is scheduled to start on Saturday – and taken the “hosts” by surprise, since the BCCI hasn’t provided Haryana with a reason for the switch officially.Mumbai were due to arrive in Lahli on Wednesday morning. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is now making arrangements for them to fly out to Kolkata by Wednesday evening. Haryana, like Mumbai, are expected to reach Kolkata late on Wednesday. “Yes, we have received a communication from BCCI that our quarter-final against Haryana will be played at the Eden Gardens,” MCA president Ajinkya Naik told PTI.ESPNcricinfo understands that the weather in Lahli has been clear over the past few days, and the Haryana Cricket Association was confident of hosting the match at the Bansi Lal Stadium, which had hosted all their three home games this season. ESPNcricinfo reached out to a senior HCA official, but they chose not to comment on the issue.Related

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• A low-key Ranji return for Rahul; Saurashtra, Mumbai, TN qualify for knockouts

• Stats – How significant was Virat Kohli's 12-year hiatus from the Ranji Trophy?

• Mumbai pick Suryakumar and Dube for Ranji quarter-final against Haryana

Like Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, too, won’t enjoy home advantage after their quarter-final against Kerala was shifted from Jammu to the MCA Stadium in Pune.In this case, though, the shift came about because the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), it is understood, was concerned about the ground conditions following a harsh winter and conveyed the same to the BCCI.JKCA had been keen on hosting the game in Mumbai or Ahmedabad but were informed that those venues would be unavailable, and a decision was made to host the game in Pune instead.The other two knockout games – Vidarbha vs Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra vs Gujarat – would be played in Nagpur (Civil Lines Stadium) and Rajkot (Niranjan Shah Stadium) respectively, as per the current norms where the group toppers are recognised as the host teams.Vidarbha’s 40 points owing to six outright wins in seven games are the most by any team in the group stage this season. Gujarat, meanwhile, have the third-highest points (32), behind J&K’s 35.

Leg spinner runs through host’s middle and lower order to boost Glamorgan’s title hopes

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-Jul-2025Glamorgan 261 and 95 for 2 (Carlson 43*, Anderson 2-20) vs Lancashire A career-best 6 for 19 by Mason Crane led a superb bowling effort from Glamorgan that has put the visitors firmly in the ascendancy after two days at Emirates Old Trafford.Having been bowled out for 261 in their first innings of this Rothesay County Championship division two promotion battle, second-placed Glamorgan hit back strongly to dismiss fourth-placed Lancashire for 137 before reaching the close on 95 for 2 in their second innings to lead by 219 runs.The day turned Glamorgan’s way during a dramatic afternoon session following the introduction of Crane into the attack. The leg spinner ran through the Lancashire middle and lower order after producing an outstanding 10.3 over spell from the James Anderson End that was chiefly responsible for the hosts losing their last seven wickets for 30 runs.Anderson, on his 43rd birthday, took two early wickets in one over when Glamorgan began their second innings but a steadying partnership of 71 between Sam Northeast and Kiran Carlson has the visitors well-placed to push home their strong advantage tomorrow.Following a delay of one hour due to rain, Lancashire took just eight deliveries to wrap up the Glamorgan first innings for the addition of one run to their overnight score of 260 for 8, Tom Bailey trapping Crane lbw for 9 and Anderson having Ned Leonard caught behind for 4.In testing, seaming conditions Asitha Fernando had early reward trapping Luke Wells lbw for 2 and it took some determined and, at times, dogged batting from Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon in a partnership of 45 to prevent further damage to the Lancashire reply.It took a superb one-handed catch by Asa Tribe at bat-pad to dismiss Jennings for 28 off spinner Ben Kellaway shortly before lunch and Glamorgan made further inroads soon after the break, Fernando rewarded for a fine spell when having Bohannon lbw for 32.The introduction of Crane into the attack transformed the afternoon as the leg spinner produced a devastating burst of 5 for 12 in 41 balls on a wicket that has taken spin from the start to put the visitors firmly in charge.If the first of the five was a touch fortunate, Marcus Harris hitting a full toss to Kellaway at mid-on for 30, the rest were a result of some excellent leg spin that the Lancashire batters failed to master.Phil Salt edged behind for 8, Matty Hurst (21) top-edged a sweep that deflected off wicketkeeper Chris Cooke to Colin Ingram at slip, Chris Green drove a catch back to the bowler for 2 while Tom Hartley was lbw three balls later.That left Lancashire reeling on 132 for 8 by the tea interval and Glamorgan wrapped up the innings five overs after the break when Fernando gained a third lbw verdict against Bailey and Crane took his sixth after George Balderson chipped to Kiran Carlson at midwicket.Leading by 119 runs, Glamorgan lost Zain ul Hassan bowled for 12 shouldering arms to Anderson who then took a smart, tumbling catch off his own bowling five balls later to dismiss Tribe for 11.Northeast (26 not out) and Carlson (43 not out) steadied matters with their unbroken partnership during the final hour of the day to leave Glamorgan in a strong position going into day three.

BCCI hasn’t specified which selectors are going to be replaced

Shashank Kishore22-Aug-2025The Ajit Agarkar-led senior India men’s selection panel is set to have two new members, with the BCCI inviting fresh applications for the positions via a press release on Friday. Applicants have until 5pm IST on September 10 to apply.It isn’t immediately clear which two zones will have new selectors. No member of the current panel has, however, exceeded the cumulative five-year-period rule that’s in place.With Agarkar’s contract set to run until the 2026 T20 World Cup and Ajay Ratra only recently inducted (in October 2024), it’s likely two of SS Das (Central), Subroto Bannerjee (East) and S Sharath (South) will be replaced.Having been appointed chairman of the junior panel in 2021, Sharath was promoted to the senior selection committee in 2023. Das, meanwhile, briefly served as interim chairman of the senior panel in the wake of Chetan Sharma’s ouster.Das was subsequently replaced in the role by Agarkar, who is likely to remain chairman, with his contract having been extended until the end of next year’s T20 World Cup in February-March. Bannerjee, meanwhile, joined the panel in early 2023.The new applicants must have been retired from playing at least five years ago, and must have played a minimum of seven Tests or 30 first-class matches; or ten ODIs and 20 first-class matches. Additionally, they shouldn’t have been part of any cricket committee of the BCCI for a cumulative five years.The women’s selection panel is also set for an overhaul, with the term of the Neetu David-led committee ending in September. The squad for the women’s ODI World Cup, which David & Co picked earlier this week, was their last assignment.As things stand, Shyama Shaw is the only one likely to remain, having come on board only in 2023. The other members of the panel who will have to relinquish their roles are David, Aarti Vaidya and Renu Margrate. Currently, there is no woman selector representing the South.There’s also likely to be one change in the junior selection panel currently headed by former Karnataka wicketkeeper Thilak Naidu. The other members of that panel are Ranadeb Bose (East), Harvinder Singh Sodhi (North), Pathik Patel (West) and Krishen Mohan (Central). Naidu was brought on board as chairman in 2023 when Sharath earned a promotion to the senior panel.

Afghanistan are also without Mujeeb Ur Rahman at the Champions Trophy, though he played the entire SA20 for Paarl Royals

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2025AM Ghazanfar, the 18-year-old right-arm fingerspinner who has made such a bright start to his ODI career, has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025 because of a “fracture in the L4 vertebra”. Left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote, who was originally in the list of reserves, has now replaced Ghazanfar in the main squad.The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), which tweeted out the news on Wednesday morning, said that Ghazanfar sustained the injury during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe late last year, and “will be sidelined for a minimum of four months and will remain under treatment during this period”. That means he will also be out of the IPL that is set to be played from March 21 to May 25. Ghazanfar had bagged his maiden IPL contract recently, with Mumbai Indians.Ghazanfar, who has 21 wickets from 11 ODIs so far, played three games for MI Emirates in the UAE’s ILT20 league in January after the tour of Zimbabwe. He wasn’t as effective as MI Emirates would have hoped him to be, though, bowling 7.1 overs in those three games, and picking up just one wicket with an economy rate of 9.48.