South Africa bowl first against Australia in WTC final at Lord's
The conditions in London were overcast, which could assist South Africa's fast bowlers. Australia, the reigning champions, also have a strong pace attack.
Marnus Labuschagne is opening the batting for Australia for the first time in his Test career. (Photo: Getty Images)
SOUTH AFRICA captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bowl against Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord's on Wednesday.
The conditions in London were overcast, which could assist South Africa's fast bowlers. Australia, the reigning champions, also have a strong pace attack.
Marnus Labuschagne is opening the batting for Australia for the first time in his Test career.
"We'll have a bowl first," said Bavuma at the toss. "The surface looks a good one, with solid overhead conditions.
"I'm happy. It's too late now for anything else. We've selected the best team for the conditions."
He added, "It's massive. I think all of us have some sort of allegiance to Lord's. It should be a spectacle of a game."
Australia captain Pat Cummins said they were satisfied with batting first.
"There's a few clouds but that's not unusual for England," Cummins said. "It's dry and might turn later in the match.
"I don't think there's any extra pressure (as defending champions). We've been here before and won it. This week is about enjoying it."
Both teams had announced their playing XIs on Tuesday.
For Australia, all-rounder Beau Webster stays at number six, and Josh Hazlewood has been included in the pace attack ahead of Scott Boland.
South Africa selected Wiaan Mulder at number three and chose Lungi Ngidi over Dane Paterson. Paterson is familiar with the conditions at Lord's, having played for Middlesex this season.
Kagiso Rabada returns to Test cricket after serving a one-month ban earlier this year for cocaine use.
South Africa are aiming to win their first major title since the 1998 ICC Knockout, the predecessor to the Champions Trophy.
Australia, the top-ranked Test team, won the 2023 WTC final against India and have claimed several white-ball titles.
Teams
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wkt), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (capt), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZL), Richard Illingworth (ENG) TV Umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) Match Referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)
ENGLAND captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat in the third Test against India at Lord’s on Thursday.
The decision brought India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah straight back into action after missing the second Test. Bumrah, currently the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, had been rested for the match at Edgbaston, where India defeated England by 336 runs to level the five-match series at 1-1.
Bumrah replaced Prasidh Krishna in the line-up. Akash Deep, who had taken 10 wickets in Birmingham in Bumrah’s absence, retained his place. That win was India’s biggest Test victory away from home in terms of runs.
Stokes had opted to field in both previous matches of the series. England had won the first Test at Headingley by five wickets.
England had already announced their playing eleven for the Lord’s Test, with one change — Jofra Archer returned to the side after more than four years out of Test cricket due to injuries. He replaced Josh Tongue.
India captain Shubman Gill, who has scored 585 runs in the series so far at an average of 146.25 — including innings of 269 and 161 at Edgbaston — said he would also have bowled first.
"I was a bit confused this morning but I would've bowled first," Gill said at the toss. "If there is anything in the wicket, it's in the first day."
The 25-year-old added: "The bowlers are feeling pretty confident. I'm feeling great, as a batsman you feel like you'll always be in the middle."
Stokes said: "The mood's good. It's been a very well fought two Test matches, set up the series nice but we're pushing to leave Lord's leading 2-1. Bodies are all good, a quick turnaround, everyone's fresh."
Teams:
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wkt), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli (C), along with his teammates, celebrates with the trophy after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 final cricket match against Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 4, 2025. (Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)
THE Indian Premier League's business value has been estimated at $18.5 billion (£13.5bn) with reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru its wealthiest franchise, according to a report by an investment bank.
The world's richest cricket tournament has been a top revenue earner for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and in 2020 was estimated to generate more than $11bn (£8bn) a year for the Indian economy.
According to US investment bank Houlihan Lokey, which has valued several sports franchises around the world, the brand value of the 10-team T20 franchise tournament has seen a sharp rise of 13.8 per cent to $3.9bn (£2.8bn) over the past year.
Bengaluru, who along with star player Virat Kohli won their first IPL title this year, have overtaken five-time winners Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to achieve a brand value of $269 million (£196m). Mumbai is second with $242m (£176m), followed by Chennai at $235m (£171m).
The Houlihan Lokey report called the IPL "a global phenomenon" that has become more than just a cricket league.
"The IPL continues to set benchmarks in sports business. Franchise valuations have soared, media rights deals have reached record highs, and brand partnerships have diversified across sectors," Harsh Talikoti from Houlihan Lokey, said in a statement.
"The league's ability to attract global investors and sponsors reflects its status as a premier sports property with enduring appeal."
Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings for the title at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad in June to conclude the 18th edition of the league.
The report said the 2025 final had more than 678 million views on the official streaming platform JioHotstar, surpassing the India-Pakistan clash during the Champions Trophy in February this year.
The IPL, which is broadcast around the world and features top international stars such as Australia's Pat Cummins and England's Jos Buttler, mixes sport and showbusiness in a glitzy format, with a number of teams fronted by Bollywood movie superstars.
Since it launched in 2008 it has inspired a range of other franchise-based leagues in India in sports as diverse as boxing, badminton, poker and kabaddi, and spawned copycat cricket tournaments elsewhere.
(AFP)
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Sri Lanka's players pose with the trophy after winning the third and final one-day international (ODI) cricket match against Bangladesh at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on July 8, 2025. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
SRI LANKA stormed to a 99-run win over Bangladesh in the third and final ODI at Pallekele on Tuesday (8), sealing the three-match series 2-1 with a clinical all-round display.
Set a challenging target of 286, Bangladesh faltered under pressure and were bundled out for 186 inside 40 overs as Sri Lanka flexed their bowling muscle to wrap up the contest with ease.
The victory caps a remarkable turnaround for Sri Lanka in the 50-over format since their dismal World Cup campaign in India in 2023, where they finished ninth and failed to qualify for this year's Champions Trophy.
Since that debacle, they have won seven of nine ODI series, including notable triumphs over heavyweights Australia and India.
"This is probably one of our best games," Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said. "We were under pressure and we wanted to win badly and Kusal Mendis was superb today. When we ended up scoring 285, we knew we had the runs on the board and the bowlers' job became easy."
The architect of the series-deciding win against Bangladesh was indeed Mendis, who silenced his critics with 124 off 114 balls – his sixth ODI hundred.
The wicketkeeper-batter came into the game under fire after his rash dismissal during Sri Lanka's 16-run defeat in the second ODI in Colombo.
But at Pallekele, with the series on the line, Mendis dropped anchor and rebuilt the innings with a mature knock laced with 18 boundaries.
Coming in during the fourth over, he put on a vital 124-run stand for the fourth wicket with skipper Asalanka to lay the foundation for a competitive total.
Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the match. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
"Very pleased with the knock today. Was disappointed with what happened in Colombo. I had got a start and couldn't finish," said Mendis, who was named man of the match and player of the series.
"Here I was determined to bat through the innings and very satisfied."
At one stage the hosts looked set for a 300-plus total, but Bangladesh clawed back with tight death bowling to restrict them to 285 for seven.
The target proved to be a tall ask once the tourists' top order caved in.
Dushmantha Chameera, returning to the fold in this series after more than a year on the sidelines due to injury, hit the deck hard and was a handful with the new ball.
The right-arm quick rattled the stumps of in-form Najmul Hossain Shanto (0) with a gem that jagged back sharply to kiss the top of off.
With Towhid Hridoy then offering some resistance with a half-century, Chameera returned to breach his defence with another sharp in-swinging delivery that crashed through the gate.
The quick finished with three for 51 and was ably supported by Asitha Fernando, who also claimed three wickets. The two sides will now be involved in a three-match T20I series beginning Thursday, also at Pallekele.
"We started off well and we tried to bat positive, but the scoreboard pressure got to us," Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz said.
"But we are rebuilding the team and (there are) a lot of young players... we have a lot of positives."
(AFP)
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Archer was part of the squad for the second Test at Edgbaston but did not play. (Photo: Getty Images)
ENGLAND coach Brendon McCullum said pacer Jofra Archer is "ready to go" as he considers bringing him back for the third Test against India, following a four-year absence due to injury.
Archer was part of the squad for the second Test at Edgbaston but did not play. India won that match by 336 runs on Sunday, levelling the five-match series at 1-1.
The third Test begins at Lord's on Thursday. With little time between games, both teams are likely to make changes to their pace attacks. India have already confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for the second Test, will return.
Archer, who was born in Barbados, made his international debut in 2019 and has played 13 Tests, the last in February 2021. So far this season, the 30-year-old has bowled just 18 first-class overs for Sussex.
England are now considering him for the Lord's Test as they look to strengthen their bowling unit.
"It's hugely exciting, he's buzzing as well," said McCullum.
"He's obviously been through his injuries and his time out of Test cricket, but we all know what he's capable of achieving and we hope that when the opportunity does arrive for him, he's able to recapture and improve on what he's been able to do already."
McCullum also ruled out the possibility of replacing off-spinner Shoaib Bashir with Jacob Bethell.
Bashir, 21, has taken eight wickets in the first two Tests, but they have come at an average of nearly 60. Bethell, who offers more with the bat, bowls left-arm spin but McCullum said the Warwickshire all-rounder would only be considered as a batting option.
"He's a batting option. He's the next one in if something happens, but we don't crowbar anything," said McCullum.
Speaking about Bashir, he added: "We know (Bashir) is not the finished article yet, but I feel like he's getting better and better. As the series wears on, I think we'll see him play quite a big hand."
McCullum said he was hoping to see a more balanced contest between bat and ball in the remaining matches. The first two Tests have produced 11 centuries, with India captain Shubman Gill scoring a total of 585 runs so far, including a big contribution in Birmingham.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Gupta previously served as CEO of JioStar Sports, a role he took up following the $8.5 billion merger between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney’s Indian media assets in November last year. (Photo: X/@HomeOfCricket)
THE International Cricket Council (ICC) has named Sanjog Gupta as its new chief executive officer, replacing Geoff Allardice. The announcement was made on Monday.
Gupta previously served as CEO of JioStar Sports, a role he took up following the $8.5 billion merger between Reliance Industries and Walt Disney’s Indian media assets in November last year. He becomes the ICC’s seventh CEO.
Allardice, who was appointed in November 2021 after serving in an interim capacity for eight months following the suspension of Manu Sawhney, stepped down from the position earlier this year.
Gupta took charge on Monday and said, “These are exciting times for the sport as marquee events grow in stature, commercial avenues widen and opportunities such as the women's game scale in popularity. Cricket’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the rapid acceleration of technology deployment/adoption could act as force-multipliers for the cricket movement around the world.”
ICC chair Jay Shah said Gupta’s experience would support the organisation’s plans. “His deep understanding of the global sports as well as M&E landscape combined with his continued curiosity about the cricket fan’s perspective and passion for technology will prove essential in our ambition to grow the game in the coming years.”
The ICC said over 2,500 applications were received from 25 countries.