The United Arab Emirates (UAE) squad of 17 to play in the forthcoming Asia Cup 2025 has been named and Muhammad Waseem is to captain the side. The event will take place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi starting September 9, with the UAE starting their World Cup journey against India on September 10 in Dubai.
Key Inclusions
Right-arm quick Matiullah Khan and left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh are the two notable inductees into the squad. Both had been part of earlier international tours but were not included for the ongoing T20I tri-series involving Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Matiullah Khan (32) – has played one ODI and five T20Is for the UAE and the right-handed batsman all-rounder’s last appearance for the Oman as a player was during the July 2019 Pearl of Africa Series against Nigeria.
Simranjeet Singh(35)– With five ODIs and 11 T20 internationals, he has experience at the highest level. His most recent appearance was against Kuwait in the Gulf T20I Championship in December 2024.
The other members of the squad are the same which is currently involved in the tri-series.
Group Challenge
UAE are grouped along with India, Pakistan and Oman in Group A. The first two from each group will progress to the Super Fours. They have never defeated India or Pakistan in any format but enjoy an upper hand over Oman with five T20I wins in as many matches.
This would be UAE’s first Asia Cup since 2016 when, too, the competition was played in the T20 format in Bangladesh.
St Lucia Kings qualified for the CPL 2025 playoffs with a crushing seven-wicket victory over Trinbago Knight Riders in Tarouba. Their spinners, led by Tabraiz Shamsi, ran through TKR for only 109 in the first innings before the batting line-up chased the target down in just 12 overs to storm to the top of the points table. The win also ended Knight Riders’ five-match winning streak.
Electing to bowl, Kings got off to an early start when Khary Pierre dismissed Colin Munro for a duck in the first over of the game. Darren Bravo fell shortly after, to leave TKR rocking. Skipper Nicholas Pooran tried to lead a fightback with a fluent 30, but they kept losing wickets at the other end. From the moment Roston Chase had Alex Hales bowled for 9 and then the leg side pendulum had Pooran caught behind, it all unraveled.
Those telling blows were struck by Shamsi. The left-arm wrist-spinner bamboozled Akeal Hosein with a wrong ’un, and then ended the threats of both Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, the Knight Riders’ two shining lights. His 3 for 12 in four overs contained no boundaries conceded – a testament to his control and guile. Chase (2 for 19), Pierre (2 for 31) and Delano Potgieter (2 for 6) also made important contributions as TKR capitulated for a score well short of what they’d have hoped for.
Pursing 110, Tim Seifert started in blockbusting fashion with the very first ball. The New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter struck 25 off his first 10 balls with the help of a six and couple of boundaries to give Kings a rousing start. He would eventually be out for 36 off 19, but his aggression had already tipped the balance in Kings’ favour. Ackeem Auguste pitched in with 28 off 18 in a rapid partnership but it was Roston Chase and Tim David who ensured there were no hiccups as they finished the match with 53 balls to spare.
Not only did this win assure St Lucia Kings a spot in the playoffs but also ensured that they were on top of the table with four wins in as many games. It was a reality check for the Knight Riders, whose one-dimensional batting against spin was laid bare.
Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, who is one of the premier all rounders has reached the ultimate level as he occupied the top spot in the ICC’s ODI rankings for all rounders for the first time in his career. The 39-year-old served a reminder of his glorious past in the two-match series against Sri Lanka in Harare where he notched up 92 runs in the first ODI and then bettered it with an unbeaten 59 to finish with 151 runs to go with a wicket. His sheer all-down-the-order influence saw him go past Afghanistan’s pair of Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi, who are now ranked second and third respectively.
And bowlers, too, are being shaken up. Keshav Maharaj, the left-arm spinner from South Africa, has now taken over as the outright No. 1 ODI bowler, breaking the tie with Maheesh Theekshana of Sri Lanka. Maharaj’s ascension began with his beguiling 4 for 22 against England in Leeds, which propelled South Africa to a thumping opening victory in the series.
Pathum Nissanka, the opening batsman of Sri Lanka with 198 runs, who was also named Player of the Series in the series against Zimbabwe, moved up seven places to 13th in the ODI batting rankings. Liyanage’s team mate Janith Liyanage also advanced 13 places to 29th, and Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams moved up three places to 47th.
The T20I rankings meanwhile saw movement following the latest update. Afghanistan batters Ibrahim Zadran (up 12 places to 20th) and Sediqullah Atal (up 346 places to 127th) were notable gainers after their successive wins over UAE and Pakistan. Pakistan players: -Hasan Nawaz advanced into joint-31st among batsmen, Sufiyan Muqeem (22nd), Shaheen Shah Afridi (26th) and Mohammad Nawaz (43rd) moved upwards in the bowling rankings.
While the Duleep Trophy 2025-26 semi-final is poised to ignite, West Zone – armed with a strong line-up of Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shardul Thakur – are all set to face Central Zone in Bengaluru from September 4 to 7.
Big Picture: Star Power vs Emerging Talent
West Zone comes into this encounter with a strong and quality packed batting line up. Iyer, looking to translate his domestic form onto the national stage, has his eyes set on a big score after being left out of the Asia Cup squad. Jaiswal, who is a Test regular, wants to continue keeping the red-ball practice ahead of the major series at home.
Сentral zone should not be ruled out despite the absentees. Led by run-scoring char Mian Rajat Patidar from the semifinal, promising youngsters like Danish Malewar and Shubham Sharma haver delivered under pressure, and they aren’t easy opposition.
Team News & Key Changes
West Zone are much improved thanks to a full-strength side but have had to come to terms with the loss of Sarfaraz Khan, who was ruled out with a quadricep injury. Shivalik Sharma has been appointed to take his place.
Central Zone had the rough ride:
The original captain and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel has been ruled out with dengue fever and will not play the semi-final.
Akshay Wadkar has been brought in the squad to replace him as wicketkeeper.
Kuldeep Yadav has also pulled out on account of his Asia Cup commitments paving way for Yash Thakur.
Spotlight Players
Shreyas Iyer: With two eye-catching IPL seasons, Iyer is now looking for red-ball success to get back into the reckoning for India’s Test tours to West Indies and Australia.
Yashasvi Jaiswal: Test debut is out of question but now all he got to worry about not losing his form. A strong performance here could further solidify his red-ball credentials.
Shardul Thakur: West Zone’s captain will be looking at all-round contributions – with the ball and bat – after some ordinary results in Tests in recent times.
Rajat Patidar: The hero of Central’s quarterfinal win, having led from the front with a great hundred, Patidar will have to play a crucial role for Central in providing stability to their batting along with Danish Malewar and Shubham Sharma.
Central Zone (Probable): Rajat Patidar (vc), Akshay Wadkar (wk), Aryan Juyal, Danish Malewar, Shubham Sharma, Yash Rathod, Deepak Chahar, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Aditya Thakare. (Jurel and Kuldeep unavailable)
Pitch & Conditions
The semi-final is being played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Recent quarter-final games were prone to high-scoring fare, but steady rain and overcast skies should help the seamers on the first morning. Later on this batting paradise, the surface might also turn and reward bowlers who can hold their patience and line.
Oval Invincibles 168 for 5 (Jacks 72, Cox 40) beat Trent Rockets 142 for 8 (Stoinis 64, Sowter 3-25) by 26 runs
History repeated itself once again at Lord’s on Saturday night. The Oval Invincibles confirmed their status as the best men’s team in the Hundred’s history as they won a third straight title with a 26-run defeat of Trent Rockets.
Previously finals had been white-knuckle rides; this felt like a procession. Their record now stands at 21 victories, a single draw, and only five defeats in three seasons, which speaks of their ruthlessness in a format which was supposed to thrive on the unexpected.
Captain Sam Billings received the golden ‘H’ trophy at the end of a third consecutive summer of dominance with the evergreen heads of the long-servers Will Jacks, Jordan Cox, and Nathan Sowter lording it on the biggest night of all.
Sowter’s Big-Stage Heroics
Few narratives epitomise the the Invincibles spirit better than Nathan Sowter’s. Now cut loose by Middlesex and pondering his cricketing future, the legspinner has become an unlikely hero for the London franchise.
Brought in when the Rockets were gliding along at 35 without loss, Sowter transformed the match with a seven-ball blitz. Joe root holed out to long on, Rehan Ahmed missed a straight delivery and Tom Banton miscued to long off. Sure enough, Rockets were soon 38 for 3.
Sowter didn’t stop there – he pouched a fine outfield catch later, and ended with 3-25, outshining his more illustrious spin partner Adam Zampa, who had jetted in from Australia for the final.
Jacks and Cox Lay the Platform
Will Jacks was quick to makle a statement, thumping boundaries off David Willey in the first over and breaking the 1,000-run mark in the Invincibles’ run chase to boot. His 41-ball 72 was the foundation of the innings, full of fearless shots both through the off and leg side.
Jordan Cox, the leading run-scorer in the tournament, joined him to contribute a fluent 40 off 30 balls, the pair combining in an 87-run partnership that took the wind out of the Rockets’ threadbare attack.
The Invincibles slowed towards the end of their course, but 168 was daunting when you considered the quality of that partnership.
Rockets’ Bad Luck Continues
This final felt, for the Trent Rockets, like a particularly cruel case of deja vu. Already missing Adam Hose, Tom Alsop, and Max Holden – and Sam Cook with a broken thumb in the Eliminator, Lockie Ferguson in the warm-ups were the closest to fitness they had after Curran.
Debutant Dillon Pennington received a last-minute call-up just moments before the toss and he responded brilliantly, claiming the wicket of Tawanda Muyeye with his very first delivery. His 1 for 23 shone out of an otherwise luckless bowling performance, which was made worse when George Linde hurt his finger mid-spell.
A few late fireworks from Marcus Stoinis, who struck five sixes in an enterprising 64 from 38 balls, gave Australia renewed impetus, but alone the chase never got going. By the time he was trapped in front by Saqib Mahmood with the final delivery, the Invincibles were already celebrating.
A Legacy of Dominance
The Oval Invincibles, in completing the three-peat, have joined a rare club in short-form cricket. It is how they blend continuity, belief and balance that has made them all but unassailable. But even their dominance could lead to change: there are already murmurings the ECB will oversee a so-called squad reset for 2026, modelled on the mega-auctions that form part of the IPL, to ensure competition continues to be unpredictable.
For now, however, the Invincibles remain. “On any given Sunday” in the men’s Hundred it is a hard truth to avoid: the Invincibles just always find a way to win.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday declared a record prize pool of USD 13.88 million, which makes the tournament the most valuable women’s cricket event to date, for the next edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup in 2025. This is almost a four times increase from USD 3.5 million on offer in the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand, as it is even higher than the USD 10 million prize money for the 2023 Men’s T20 World Cup in India.
The tournament winners will collect $4.48 million – 239 per cent more than Australia collected when they last claimed the title in 2012. The runners-up will pocket USD 2.24 million – a substantial leap from the USD 600,000 England received three years ago. Each of the losing semi-finalists will also take home USD 1.12 million, up from USD 300,000 previously.
No group-stage team will get less than USD 250,000 and they will get USD 34,314 per win in the group stages. In order to provide an additional incentive to make the top six, runners-up from the fifth and sixth place teams will each earn USD 700,000, with the losing finalists on the seventh and eighth place sides receiving USD 280,000 each.
Mr. Shah called the announcement a “transformational step for women’s cricket.” In a statement, he said, “Our message is simple: women cricketers must know they will be treated equally to male cricketers if they decide to take up the sport professionally. This increase in prize money reflects our commitment to make competitions more inclusive and accessible and constitutes a much-needed investment to make the game more attractive to women worldwide.”
Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 The 13th edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2 in 2025. Australia, the defending champions, will be aiming to defend their crown amid increasing interest worldwide in women’s cricket.
With tickets due to go on sale online later this week, hope is growing for what could be the most revolutionary Women’s World Cup yet.
