Issue #4 · October 24, 2026

A DOUBLE CENTURY AND A DEFEAT. Harry Brook scored 202 against Sri Lanka on Thursday, becoming the first Englishman to score an ODI double century. He reached 200 in just 114 balls, the fastest ever. England finished with a massive 429 for 4. Surely that was enough? Apparently not. Sri Lanka chased down 430 with one ball to spare. Pavan Rathnayake scored 130, while Avishka Fernando and Dasun Shanaka both made 97.

But here's where the story gets even better. Brook's innings broke a 30-year-old record for the highest ODI score in Pakistan. The previous record belonged to Gary Kirsten, who scored 188 not out against the UAE in 1996. Kirsten is now Sri Lanka's head coach. He watched his own record fall from the opposition dressing room, then watched his team pull off one of the greatest chases in ODI history.

THE WEST INDIES' $30 MILLION QUESTION. Cricket West Indies has raised an uncomfortable question: who actually makes the money when international cricket is played? CEO Chris Dehring says India can earn an estimated $20–30 million from hosting a bilateral series, while West Indies receive none of the broadcast revenue. This goes back to a 1997 agreement that allows the host country to keep the broadcasting money. West Indies can still earn sponsorship income from these tours, but the bigger problem remains. Cricket's richest countries keep getting richer, while smaller nations struggle to keep up.

SOUTH AFRICA HIT BACK AGAINST AUSTRALIA. South Africa bounced back from their opening Test defeat with a huge win over Australia, beating them by an innings and 31 runs to level the series 1–1. Australia were bowled out for just 99 in their first innings, leaving them with a mountain to climb. The result sets up a thrilling series decider at Newlands in Cape Town, starting Tuesday. After two very different Tests, it all comes down to one final match.

AN AUSTRALIAN UMPIRE DISCOVERS INDIAN CRICKET. Australian umpire Ben Treloar has spent more than 20 years officiating cricket. This week, he found himself in Delhi, standing in a Ranji Trophy match at the Palam Air Force ground, with military aircraft flying overhead. He spent four days watching Indian spinners work their magic on unfamiliar pitches, officiating nearly 319 overs. Treloar is part of an exchange programme between Cricket Australia and the BCCI. Indian umpire Parashar Joshi will travel to Australia in November for domestic matches.

KENYA'S LONG ROAD BACK TO THE WORLD CUP. Remember when Kenya reached the 2003 Cricket World Cup semi-finals? More than two decades later, they're still trying to return to the biggest stage. This week, Kenya is hosting Jersey, Denmark, Kuwait, Qatar and Papua New Guinea in the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League A. The top two teams will move on to the next stage of qualification for the 2027 World Cup. Kenya opened their home campaign with a 103-run win over Denmark, with Irfan Karim scoring a century. It's a long way from their famous 2003 World Cup run, but the dream of returning to cricket's biggest stage is still alive.

IRELAND ARE GETTING A HEAD START ON THE WORLD CUP. Ireland's five-match ODI tour of Namibia started on Thursday. But there's more to this trip than winning matches. Namibia will co-host the 2027 Cricket World Cup alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe. Ireland see this series as a chance to understand the pitches, weather and playing conditions before the tournament. It's a smart move. Sometimes the best World Cup preparation isn't playing the strongest opponent. It's getting comfortable in the place where you'll eventually play.

THE ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP GOES THROUGH NIGERIA. While the biggest cricket nations play in packed stadiums, another World Cup journey is taking place in Abuja. Nigeria is hosting an African qualifying tournament for the 2028 Men's T20 World Cup, featuring teams including Uganda, Mozambique, Gambia, Zambia and Lesotho. These teams rarely make international headlines, but they're competing for a chance to reach cricket's biggest T20 tournament. A reminder that cricket is growing in places many fans don't even realize play the sport.

NIKI PRASAD.

Imagine bowling your first ball in international cricket and taking a wicket. Now imagine doing it again with your second.

That's exactly what India's 20-year-old Niki Prasad did against Zimbabwe. She didn't get to bowl in her debut match, but in her second international, she dismissed Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano with her very first delivery. The next ball, she trapped Nyasha Gwanzura lbw for a golden duck.

She finished with 2 wickets for just 7 runs as India won by nine wickets. Only two other players had previously taken wickets with their first two deliveries in men's or women's T20 internationals. Not a bad way to introduce yourself.

859 RUNS. STILL NOT A RECORD.

England and Sri Lanka scored a combined 859 runs in Thursday's ODI. That's the second-highest total ever recorded in a men's ODI match.

But the record still belongs to a game played more than 20 years ago.

In March 2006, Australia scored 434 for 4 against South Africa in Johannesburg. South Africa somehow chased it down, finishing on 438 for 9. That's 872 runs in a single match.

Despite bigger bats, smaller boundaries and more aggressive batting, that record has survived for two decades.

England and Sri Lanka came just 13 runs short. Twenty years later, that famous afternoon in Johannesburg still hasn't been beaten.

South Africa and Australia meet in the third and final Test at Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday, October 27. With the series tied 1–1 after South Africa's huge innings victory, everything is on the line.

The ODI tri-series in Pakistan moves to Lahore, where Pakistan face England on October 25 and Sri Lanka on October 27. Sri Lanka then play England on October 29, with the final scheduled for October 31.

India's men continue their T20I series in New Zealand, with matches in Wellington on October 27 and Auckland on October 30. India's women also continue their ODI series against Zimbabwe on October 25 and 28, while Ireland's tour of Namibia resumes on October 27 and 30.

Further down the cricket ladder, the World Cup qualification race continues. Kenya face Jersey on October 25, Kuwait on October 28 and Papua New Guinea on October 31 in Nairobi. Meanwhile, Dubai hosts another round of World Cup League 2, with the UAE, Netherlands and Oman competing for valuable qualification points.

A SIX THAT WAS ONLY WORTH FIVE. In the Canada Super60 semi-final on October 4, USA fast bowler Ali Khan bowled a bouncer to Toronto Sixers captain Kieron Pollard. It went over Pollard’s head and the wicketkeeper’s and cleared the boundary without bouncing. Pollard had not touched it, so the umpires awarded five wides: four for the boundary and one for the wide. Under Law 19.7.1, a six is scored only if the ball has been struck by the bat. The match was played at BC Place in Vancouver, which has a very small boundary.

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