Former Australia batter Usman Khawaja has alleged racial abuse by an MCC member during the 2023 Ashes Test at Lord's in his autobiography. He recalled hostile behaviour from spectators following Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal, which led to three MCC members being punished. Khawaja also claimed Australia's entire team knew about the 2018 sandpaper ball-tampering scandal.

England have announced a 15-member squad for their South Africa Test tour, with Joe Root as captain. Liam Patterson-White earns his maiden call-up after an impressive County Championship season, while Jacob Bethell returns from injury. Shoaib Bashir and Ollie Pope miss out, while Dan Lawrence returns. The three-Test series begins in Johannesburg on December 17.

Smriti Mandhana will captain India across all three formats on their December tour of South Africa, featuring one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is. Deepti Sharma will be vice-captain in Tests and ODIs, while Shafali Verma will deputise in T20Is. Vaishnavi Sharma replaces Sneh Rana in the ODI squad, while three young players feature in T20Is.

KL Rahul’s batting position sparked debate after India’s second ODI against New Zealand, as Krishnamachari Srikkanth criticised sending Axar Patel ahead of him. Axar managed just seven runs, while Rahul looked comfortable. Srikkanth called it unfair to Rahul, but Sunil Gavaskar defended the move, explaining that promoting a left-hander can disrupt bowlers’ rhythm.

Mike Hesson will continue as Pakistan's interim Test head coach until the current World Test Championship cycle ends, including next year's New Zealand series. The PCB will review his future after the 2027 World Cup. His growing influence over team selection has sparked criticism, with Babar Azam admitting he has no role in picking players, despite being the Test captain.

Pakistan's U-19 fielders produced a comedy of errors against India in the Asia Cup when three players rushed towards a high catch but moved away at the last moment, allowing the ball to drop. The confusion sparked an angry exchange among teammates. Earlier, Arjun Rajput's 107 helped India recover from a poor start and post 208 runs.

Jalandhar's Arjun Rajput rescued India with a brilliant 107 off 85 balls against Pakistan in the U-19 Asia Cup after the team slipped to 22/3. The 18-year-old has enjoyed an impressive rise, scoring 695 runs in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. Coming from a humble family background, his father supported his cricketing ambitions while earning a living selling kulchas.

The ILT20’s fifth season introduces a new ‘batter zone’ rule for determining Wides and extends the 60-second stop clock to batting teams. Batters must be ready within a minute, with five penalty runs for repeated delays after two warnings. Playing XIs must also include UAE, Afghanistan and Associate players. The tournament runs from November 21 to December 20.

India pacer Gurnoor Brar credited Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Umesh Yadav for their valuable guidance following his career-best 4/30 against New Zealand. He highlighted the importance of backing, discipline and learning from setbacks. Brar's impressive spell helped India bowl New Zealand out for 134, securing a rain-affected four-wicket victory and a 2-0 series lead.

Mohammed Shami announced his retirement from Test cricket on Friday, exactly 13 years after making his debut against West Indies in 2013. The 36-year-old fast bowler signed off with 229 wickets from 64 Tests, including six five-wicket hauls. Shami last played a Test in June 2023 against Australia, sharing an emotional farewell message on Instagram.

Brian Devine, nicknamed "Clicky Ponting", has been banned from cricket for two years after a viral video showed him allegedly faking an edge by clicking his fingers. Saltburn CC’s second XI has also been relegated and handed a 60-point deduction. While several public figures criticised the incident, cricket commentators felt the backlash against the amateur cricketer was excessive.

India will face New Zealand in the second ODI at Wellington on November 7, aiming to extend their 1-0 series lead after a five-wicket win in Auckland, powered by Virat Kohli’s 74. However, rain threatens the match, with a 60% precipitation chance. The pitch initially favours pacers, while improving batting conditions and evening dew could favour chasers.