Australia has announced its ODI squad as it starts the buildup to the ODI World Cup in 2027. This squad will play ODI series in Zimbabwe and South Africa in September.

After a string of poor returns, Manus Labuschange has been dropped from the ODI squad. He still awaits the fate of test position for the coming tour to South Africa. Recent speculation has Labuschange remaining in the test squad for that series, but battling for a position in the team.

Joel Davies (22) and Ollie Peak (19) have both been included in the squad after promising performances in series in the sub-continent. The batting lineup remains largely unchanged (other than for Labuschange) with all of Australia’s key batsman and batting allrounders included. Marsh, Head, Inglis, Connolly, Green and Renshaw look to be the backbone of the lineup supported by Carey, Peake and Davies

Australia’s ODI bowling “cartel” of Cummins, Starc, Ellis, Hazlewood and Zampa are all available, although Cummins and Starc will only play the South African series. The bowling stocks are supported by Bartlett, Johnson, Stanlake and Davies. Spencer Johnson and Billy Stanlake are both finding their feet again in international cricket after injury woes over recent years.

On paper it looks a strong squad as Australia starts the defence of the ODI World Cup in South Africa in late 2027.

(Getty Images, Espncricinfo)

In a span of six days of cricket, Australia was crushed and then crushed their Bangladeshi opponents in return. But where does that leave the Green caps now? First though, Australian Player Ratings:

Travis Head: 4/10 - Chopping on all three innings in the series, each for less then 30 runs would usually be unacceptable, but in a series where so many failed with the bat; Head walks away with the third highest average. In general he was guilty of looking mildly unfocused while out in the middle, and he was unable to bat in his aggressive style. His bowling wasn’t terrible but did not bring Australia any relief during the first innings in Darwin.

Jake Weatherald (1st Test Only): 1/10 - Weatherald was the first casualty of the series, but likely won’t be the last with Labuschagne’s head already on the chopping block. But still, there was good reason why the hometown opener was dropped. While in the first innings he managed a decent 23, his second innings duck ensured him to be dropped. His overall technique seems relatively flawed and while he got less chances than some of his other batting partners, it eventually became clear that he had to go.

Matt Renshaw: (2nd Test Only): 2/10 - Renshaw has had some strong first class and One Day seasons as of late, so he must have seen his Test call up as a huge chance to tpobve his skill. Unfortunately his test return was largely unimpressive as he was dismissed for a meek 8. He was not a negative in the field though, and Australia will likely give him the entirety of the South African tour to figure out his place at the top of the order.

Marnus Labuschagne: 2/10 - Labuschagne is out of lives; it’s as simple as that. Yes, was he unlucky at some points during these two tests, yes he was. But the South African born opener should have considered himself lucky to even be in the team at that point as he has failed to score a century since the fourth ashes test in 2023. His time in the team seems to be at its end though, as Ricky Ponting has called for his head alongside the general public. He gets a second point though for his decent 30 odd in a losing cause.

Steven Smith: 7/10 - 37 year old Steve Smith still remains the backbone of Australia’s batting cause, and this series showed his unmatched skill. Bringing up 157 runs at an average of 52.3, Smith was one out of two Australian batsmen to show such aptitude on these difficulty pitches. He arguably should have had his first test hundred against the Bangladeshis, but the first innings collapse forced him into a difficult position leading him to get out on 71. His next two innings were slightly less memorable but still decent as he scored in the mid 40s. His only real batting fault was not converting, but he still saved Australia from even more embarrassment especially in the first match. Smith had a mixed series in the field, as he dropped two easy catches but still took four more to draw level with Root on 219.

Cameron Green 8/10 - Green was the only member of the Australian team to improve during this series. Originally his spot in the team seemed dubious, and that idea only gained ground when he was dismissed for 20 odd due to a losse shot in the first innings. But Green was ready to prove his doubters wrong as he toiled alongside Smith to try and give Australia any shot in the fourth innings at Darwin, even bringing up his first century on home soil in the process. Then in Mackay he backed in up with a solid 65 with only Smith as support once more. Green’s performances show that something has finally started to click for the young batsmen, and outside of one unusually sloppy dropped catch in Darwin, he’s had his best series to date.

Alex Carey - 3/10 - There’s not too much to say for Alex Carey over the series. His batting was below his usual standards especially considering his heroics last season but given the team’s performance, that fact won’t be harped on for too long. Rating him above other failures with the bat though, largely comes from his keeping which was up to his usual standard. And it is because of that keeping as well as his pervious heroics that Alex Carey remains a far distance away from the chopping block.

Beu Webster - 2/10 - Webster is a bit complicated as in fairness this series was only his second and third tests back after a long break during the majority of the ashes. Still, Webster missed out here with both the bat and the ball as he failed to make any impact. When it comes to potentially dropping the all rounder, it should be done on a case by case basis. Unlike others like Labuschagne, Webster has not shown himself to be complete out of form, but going into South Africa, Australia must consider not playing the all rounder especially if it means bolstering their batting line up.

Pat Cummins - 6/10 - Out of Australia’s pacers, their captain was arguably the worst, but don’t mistake that title for meaning he was bad. Cummins was probably below par in the first Bangladeshi innings of the Darwin match but in Mackay he offered vital support to Starc. Cummins leaves the series the same way he entered, one of the best bowlers in the world. The only question is his captaincy, where he chose to bat first in Darwin and probably overbowled Nathan Lyon. His captaincy also probably continues to keep Scott Boland out of the team, a fact which may come back to bite him if his standards drop.

Mitchell Starc - 8/10 - The eventual man of the series, there shouldn’t be many notes for Mitchell Starc. In Darwin, he was slightly off his radar, but his twelve wicket hall in the series, including his ten-fer show his unmatched skill. In this writer’s opinion, he is clearly the best test bowler in the world at the minute, a fact the rankings are beginning to reflect (having him at 3).

Nathan Lyon - 2/10 - Lyon was by far the worst of the Australian bowlers, and while his overs did seemingly manage to save Australia from over-rate penalties, he was expensive and largely fruitless in both matches. The questions about Lyon are not completely about his form as a bowler, but rather the necessity of constantly carrying a spinner in modern day Australian conditions. That idea will loom large over his head as Australia moves onto South Africa where they will face further challenges on wickets largely controlled by pace.

Josh Hazlewood - 7/10 - A good pundit can admit when he’s wrong, a while some of my past critique did seem to reign true, Hazlewood obviously performed very well. The pacemen took 8 wickets in Darwin out of the 11 on offer and while he made no impact in Mackay, his spot for the South African tour should remain the same barring injury management rotation. The only real knock against him should be for consistency both inter match, and inter spell. But other then that Hazlewood has more then proved that he is still an essential member of the team,

Reaction:

As an Australian Supporter, I am left with a feeling of confusion coming out of this series. The second test proved the team is still a formidable force, but there are clearly problems that need to be ironed out. The loss of crucial WTC points is a concern even as Australia remains top of the table, and while there is to be much discussion about the test’s themselves, Sheffield Shield Cricket and the ground’s pitches also needs to be called into question in general. Lastly Australia’s batting issues continue, but it was more of an unforeseen bowling issue that cost Australia the first match which was unexpected.

Review:

• Despite popular belief, Australia’s old guard was not the issue here. As 4/5 of the core of said guard actually performed. It was instead Australia’s middle guard which failed.

• Australia needs to be very careful going into South Africa where they must seek to at least retain the series trophy to rescore their grip on a third consecutive WTC final.

• On that train of thought, player rotation with both and ball is essential as both Scott Boland and Nathan McSweeney should come in during that tour.

• It is an overall positive though that Darwin and Mackay finally got some games, which were long past due. The more test cricket being played is for the better, both for Australia and also for the world.

• Lastly as much credit goes to Australia for their faults in that first test, one has to admit that Bangladesh was just the better team on the day. While this article was written from an Australia perspective, no one should take anything away from the rise of the Bangladeshi team who now seek to beat the South Africans in their next test tour.

Top Men’s Test Batters 16 to 20

No. 20: Younis Khan (Pakistan): 118 tests, 10,099 runs, 34 tons, 52.1 average

The only Pakistan batter to exceed 10,000 test runs and at an average of 52.1, Younis Khan was a leading part of the team from 2000 to 2017. His 34 centuries were spread across all opponents and he scored centuries against all nine test nations that he played against. His average was higher against some of the stronger opponents including India (88.1 average) and Australia (57.4 average). He averaged 59.3 in Pakistan and an impressive 50.7 away from home.

No. 19: Greg Chappell (Australia): 87 tests, 7,110 runs, 24 tons, 53.9 average

Greg Chappell was the best Australian batter of the 1970s into the mid 1980s. Although he lost 2.5 years of test cricket at his peak due to World Series Cricket (“WSC”), he still managed to score over 7,000 test runs, 24 centuries and an average of 53.9. He was the highest scorer in WSC with 1,415 runs, five centuries and an average of 56.6. Given many consider WSC amongst the most competitive cricket ever played, this is an outstanding achievement and an indication of what his test record may have been without the interruption of WSC.

No. 18: Rahul Dravid (India): 164 tests, 13,288 runs, 36 tons, 52.3 average

Rahul Dravid was a run-making machine for India from 1996 to 2012, compiling 13,288 test runs, 36 tons at an average of 52.3. He scored centuries against all nine test nations that he played against, but saved his best for England (60.9), Pakistan (53.7), West Indies (63.8) and New Zealand (63.8). Although his returns were more modest against Australia and South Africa, he still averaged 53.0 away compared to a home average of 51.4. Dravid achieved all of this while batting in the shadow of Sachin Tendulkar.

No. 17: Alan Border (Australia): 156 tests, 11,174 runs, 27 tons, 50.6 average

Alan Border was the uncompromisingly tough and tenacious leading batter and captain of the Australian team from the mid-1980s. He compiled 11,174 runs, 27 centuries and an average of 50.6, despite having the lowest conversion ratio in the Top 25 (converting 50s to 100s). He averaged 56.6 in away tests, a massive 10.7 runs above his average of 45.9 in Australia. He averaged over 50 against England, India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, but struggled more against the great West Indies sides of his era (39.5 average). Captain grumpy lead Australia through one of its toughest periods in test cricket and into the start of a halcyon period in the mid 1990s.

No. 16: Herbert Sutcliffe (England): 54 tests, 4,555 runs, 16 tons, 60.7 average

Hebert Sutcliffe was a giant of the pre-World War II period for England playing 54 tests after his debut in 1924. Despite not playing his first test until he was nearly 30, he compiled 4,555 test runs, 16 centuries and an average of 60.7 (second highest average of Top 25). He scored 50+ in a staggering 46.4% of the innings he played, once again second only to Don Bradman. Half of his tests were against Australia and he averaged 66.9 in Ashes contests. In England he averaged 64.6 and away from home he averaged 56.3. He retired in 1935 just short of his 41^st birthday.

Statistical Summary

(Getty Images, Josh Hazlewood, 2025)

In less then 48 hours, Australia will embark on a one year journey that will take them to all corners of the globe as they attempt to play up to 110 days of test match cricket. Before their first game against Bangladesh, there are many questions and rightfully so. But in all of these narratives, one sticks out as strange; Hazlewood’s comeback.

Now this is not to say that Hazlewood is not in Australias best bowling attack at his fittest, but thats exactly the issue, Hazlewood is extremely fragile. As over Australia’s last 16 matches, the right armer has only managed to play 5. That is by far the least for any Australian main line bowler (Starc, Lyon, Boland, Cummins, Hazlewood) and he has only been able to play one home test in 2 years.

In the time when he has been missing in action, Australia has turned to Scott Boland, and the 37 year old has done more than fit that position. Boland and Starc have largely carried a back up bowling attack in the absence of Hazlewood (2024 and 2025) and Cummins (2025). In the time since the first Indian test match, Boland has taken 47 wickets in 9 matches compared to Hazlewood’s 21 wickets in 5 matches. The idea that Boland is not playing against Bangladesh with Cameron Green, Lyon and Hazlewood all walking back into the side is honestly ridiculous. Particularly the former two who have done little to none to help Australia’s recent campaigns.

While it is one thing to sympathize with Boland, what truly does Hazlewood in is his injuries. Having missed so many of Australia’s last few tests, his services must now be diminished. Arguably Australia should have withheld him until the ever important South African tour, but yet they have decided to risk their best bowler on Bangladesh. And while it is one thing if Hazlewood was a one format bowler, but he is also the backbone of Australia’s white ball sides. Australia missed out on their last two trophy campaigns in no small part because Hazlewood was injured in test cricket. In conclusion, Australia has pacemen to spare in Test Cricket, but they can’t spare their limited over stalwart especially in relatively unimportant matches.

Lastly, it is not clear that Hazlewood’s bowling impact is having the positive effect that Australia’s selectors would hope. Stingy to a fault, Hazlewood is very successful in tying down his end. However, he struggles to take early wickets which means the opposing batsmen attempt to go after Mitchell Starc. On occasion this works, and Starc removes the batsmen quickly, but too often it causes Starc to lose his length and therefore takes Australia’s most valuable bowler out of the game. This leads to Cummins having to clean up the mess (a bowler with far less concern about being hit for runs), but Australia have already given away an advantage. Boland’s direct influence into the game is the exact opposite, as while he too is stingy, he often is met with more success in the early overs.

Overall it is for these reasons that one should raise their eyebrows on Josh Hazlewood’s return tomorrow. But what do you think?

Top Men’s Test Batters 21 to 25

No. 25: Steve Waugh (Australia): 168 tests, 10,927 runs, 32 tons, 51.1 average

Steve Waugh started out as the answer to Australia’s long search for a multi-format all-rounder and finished his career as generational batter and captain during arguably Australia’s strongest period of cricket dominance. After a slow start, he averaged only 36.3 after 80 test innings. In his next, 180 test innings he averaged 58.1 with grinding efficiency and a hard-nosed approach that defined Australian cricket.

No. 24: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies): 164 tests, 11,867 runs, 30 tons, 51.4 av.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s career of almost 20 years started at the tail end of the great West Indian teams through the early 1990s. As a 22 year old he produced a number of early promising innings before his run making slowed in his late 20s and early 30s. A late career resurgence saw his test average go from 44.9 after 175 test innings to a career average of 51.4 by the time he retired at almost 41 years old.

No. 23: Virat Kohli (India): 123 tests, 9,230 runs, 30 tons, 46.9 average

Virat Kohli is generally regarded as the best all-format batter in the history of men’s cricket. His test career peaked in 2018 when he his average reached 54.0 after 130 test innings and he achieved his peak ICC rating of 937 (11th highest all-time). A sustained slump at the backend of his test career impacted his career record. He struggled outside of off-stump for over five years until his retirement from tests in early 2025. In the absence of this slump, he almost certainly would have been higher on this list.

No. 22: AB de Villiers (South Africa): 114 tests, 8,765 runs, 22 tons, 50.7 average

AB de Villiers is more known for his 360 degrees batting style and his brilliance in international and franchise white ball cricket. Despite this, he also had an outstanding test career and was the backbone of a strong South African team. His test career peaked in 2014 when his ICC ranking hit 935 (13th highest all-time). His away average of 55.2 is the 9th highest of any of the players evaluated and is evidence of his ability to bat in any conditions.

No. 21: Javed Miandad (Pakistan): 124 tests, 8,832 runs, 23 tons, 52.6 average

Javed Miandad was a fierce and uncompromising competitor and a key component of the rise of Pakistan cricket in the 1980s and early 1990s. In home conditions he was unstoppable averaging 61.4, but he had success everywhere else except against possibly the greatest pace attack in history in the West Indies. His average of 67.5 against India stands at testament to the fact that he saved his best for the toughest battles.

Statistical Summary

Introduction

Ranking the greatest men’s batters in the 150+ years of test cricket is one of the most challenging and awesome tasks in cricket analysis.

To complete this task, we selected a group of over 100 test cricketers with the best test records of all-time. These players were then ranked across a wide range of metric and performance indicators. All these metrics were used to rank and select the Top 25 Men’s Test Batters of All-Time.

This analysis does not consider all the factors that may be relevant to assessing a particular player’s performance. It is based solely on the statistical performance of each player in test cricket and does not take account of any of the following.

· The different eras of the players included in the analysis and the impact of changes in batting conditions, including wickets (e.g. the era of uncovered wickets), vast changes to cricket bats, the evolution of protective equipment (e.g. introduction of helmets), the different balls used in test cricket (e.g. Dukes v. Kookaburra ball), changes to test match playing conditions (e.g. endless test matches, day-night test matches, introduction of daily over requirements etc.) and a wide range of other pitch/equipment factors that differ between eras.

• Eras of batting dominance versus bowling dominance.

• The different home conditions of each player and how that may have impacted their batting statistics.

• Eras and careers interrupted by war and other exogenous events (e.g. COVID).

• Controversial events in test cricket including Bodyline, Sandpaper Gate, Hanse Cronje scandal and others.

• The teams that different players were part of (dominant teams, rebuilding teams, weaker teams) and the players they played with (i.e. skills of the players in your team will impact when and how you get to bat).

• A range of other factors that could contribute to a team’s success and a player’s statistical performance.

Criteria for Selecting the All-Time Top 25

A group of over 100 all-time great batters were evaluated consisting of players that had played 80+ test innings (around 50 test matches). This excludes all players with outstanding records over short periods of time (e.g. Pollock, Voges etc.) as they are considered too small a sample size. The group evaluated was selected both on their aggregate test contribution and their match performance as measure by batting average and other metric.

In evaluating the Top 25 of All-Time, a range of metrics were considered.

• Test career runs aggregate.

• Test career average per innings and average per test.

• Tons scored, fifties scored and combined scores over 50.

• Test strike rate.

• Peak test rating by ICC (indication of the height of the players peak).

• Percentage of team runs scored (indication of relative performance in games played).

• Home country average (players should be dominant at home).

• Away country average (great players can score in all conditions).

• Home v. Away performance (average at home v. away).

• Comparison to Don Bradman in terms of aggregate runs and batting average over a batter’s first 80 test innings.

Test Career Aggregate

This group includes all the so-called “10K Giants” (i.e players that have scored more than 10,000 test runs). Sachin Tendulkar leads this group as he has since his retirement in 2013 with the highest number of total tests, total innings, total runs and total centuries. Joe Root is catching up fast and will potentially pass the Little Master in next few years. All the players in the table are retired, except Root and Steve Smith. It makes you wonder whether given changes to international cricket we will see any other 10K Giants.

Test Career Average

Don Bradman roams wild and on his own in terms of test average despite having retired almost 80 years ago. His test batting average continues to look unassailable for now and potentially forever. He remains almost 40 runs ahead of his nearest rival (99.94 v. 60.73 average).

Career Tons and 50+ Scores

Once again, this group is dominated by the 10K Giants. Sachin Tendulkar leads with 51 tons and 68 fifties. Although Joe Root looks to have a good chance to pass Tendulkar, he remains ten centuries ahead of Root at a record of 51.

Strike Rate

These players were the harbingers of a new era. Players such as Sehwag, Gilchrist and Warner struck in tests at rates closer to ODI cricket. The other notable names on this list are the legendary West Indians Viv Richards and Brian Lara. Those two players transcended the game and took it to new places in their respective generations.

Peak ICC Rating

This is close to a list of greatest players of all-time based on each player’s peak period of performance. As you would expect, Donald Bradman leads all-time with a rating of 961 rating. Steve Smith reached the second highest peak of all-time at 947 in 2017. No one else has been near that level since. This list includes immortals, such as Hobbs, Hutton, Richards, Ponting, Sobers, May, Sangakkara and Kohli.

Percentage of Team Runs Scored

Percentage of team runs scored is an indication of the contribution of the player to the team result and the relative performance of the player compared to others in the games he played. Bradman again leads this category by a margin followed by Lara, Hutton and Hobbs.

Home and Away Test Averages

Great test players should be dominant at home and should be able to play in all conditions around the world. The difference between their home average and their away average indicates how strong (or weak) they were outside of their home conditions and how they were able to adapt to foreign conditions. Once again, Don Bradman is a singularity averaging 102.84 outside of Australia. Ken Barrington, Wally Hammond, Graeme Smith and Allan Border had the highest away averages relative to their home averages.

Comparing All Other Batter’s to the Don

Don Bradman played 80 test innings. If you compare this to the first 80 innings of every other player in the group evaluated, it indicates the dominance of a single player.

The closest players include all-time greats such as Herbert Sutcliffe, Jack Hobbs, Steve Smith, Everton Weekes and Len Hutton. All those players scored less than 65% of the runs that Bradman scored in his 80 innings. His average of 99.94 dwarfs the next highest average of 62.32.

Top 25 All-time Greatest Test Men’s Batters

The Top 25 of All-time will be announced over the coming weeks. The announcements will be a countdown in installments. Watch out for the first installment that will include the all-time top men’s batters 21 to 25.

The telegram reported this morning, that Stephan Fleming; former CSK head coach, has been made England’s new test coach. This follows the dramatic firing of Mccullum after the resignation of Ben Stokes. Whether or not Fleming sticks to the Bazball philosophy is yet to be seen, but his marks a significant change for English Cricket. Mccullum remains the coach of England’s white ball teams and no new test captain has been named. The official announcement is yet to come, but it seems that after nearly half a decade, England is back where they started.

Australia has announced its squad for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay during August. It is a squad with virtually no surprises and is dominated by the veterans of Australian test cricket.

Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald and Beau Webster.

Sir Garfield Sobers (28 July 1936 – 17 July 2026) was a Barbadian cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. A highly skilled and aggressive batsman, a versatile bowler and an excellent fielder, he is widely considered to be cricket’s greatest ever all-rounder and one of the greatest cricketers of all time.

Sobers made his first-class debut for Barbados at the age of 16 in 1953, and his Test debut for the West Indies the following year in 1954. Originally playing mainly as a bowler , he was soon promoted up the batting order. Against Pakistan in 1958, Sobers scored his maiden Test century at 21 years old and proceeded to amass as score of 365 not out. This established a new record for the highest individual score in a test cricket innings. His record stood for 36 years and was not broken until Brian Lara scored 375 in 1994. Sobers was made captain of the West Indies in 1965, a role which he held until 1972. He also captained a Rest of the World XI during their 1970 tour of England.

Overall, Sobers played 93 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78, and taking 235 wickets at an average of 34.03. He has the fifth-highest batting average in Test cricket in the list of cricketers with more than 5,000 test runs. In his 383 first-class matches, he scored over 28,000 runs and took over 1,000 wickets, having spent time with South Australia and Nottinghamshire towards the end of his career. Sobers was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 for his services to cricket. By an act of Parliament in 1998, Sobers was named as one of the eleven National Heroes of Barbados. In 2009, Sobers was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

A colossus of cricket has fallen, but his epic feats will not soon be forgotten and his legend will live on as part of the soul of cricket.

As many have pointed out the termination of Brendon McCullum as test coach of England (following the melodramatic mid-test retirement of his partner Ben Stokes) represents the death of Bazball.

A very sick patient finally passed away. Is that a reason to be sad? I am not sure. It is a very confusing time.

This team has lost seven of their last nine test matches, including the last one against New Zealand which seemed like a case of self-flagellation or an adolescent tantrum. Any other major cricket nation in the world would be baying for change, but not in England. This is a sad moment and time to give praise to the great “achievements” of Bazball. I remain confused.

Anyway it looks like England is looking for a new coach. I have many suggestions and have written an article on the Golden Rules for Test Coaches & Selectors. Please give it a read.

Australia defeated England today in the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup at Lords in dominating fashion. This is the seventh Women’s T20 World Cup won by the Australian women’s team out of ten tournaments held by the ICC. It is the first major ICC trophy won by Australia since February 2024 (Mens U19 World Cup).

Australia won the toss and elected to bat. England made a relatively conservative start on that appeared to be a slow and gripping wicket. A the end of the power play England was 39/2. Through the middle overs, the Australian bowlers were successful in keeping scoring tight and England was 93/4 after 14 overs. England did accelerate in the last six overs and managed to close the innings at 150/4. Nat Sciver-Brunt the England captain again top scored (as she did in the semi final against South Africa) to be not out on 58 off 53 balls. There were also contributions by Alice Capsey with 23 (20 balls) and particularly Freya Kemp with 44 (28 balls) at the end. The Australian bowling was overall very good. Kim Garth (1-20 off 4 overs) and Lucy Hamilton (1-19 off 3 overs) were strong with the new ball, while Georgia Wareham (0-9 off 2 overs) and captain Sophie Molineux (1-32 off 4 overs) were effective with spin.

In response Australia started very aggressively with Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney opening the batting in commanding fashion. The first ball of the innings was driven by Voll to the boundary for a four. At the end of the power play Australia was at 62/1 (after losing Voll chopping back onto her stumps for 9 off 6 balls) and had established a platform to win the game. They went on to complete the run chase at 152/3 in 17.4 overs. Beth Mooney with 64 off 49 balls and Phoebe Litchfield with 48 off 34 balls batted brilliantly and put on a partnership of 100 runs before Litchfield was out. Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner got Australia over the line. All the England bowlers were relatively expensive, but the best were Linsey Smith (0-30 off 4 overs) and Sophie Ecclestone (1-24 off 3.2 overs).

Australia has now won seven out of the ten Women’s T20 World Cups held by the ICC. The Australian women’s cricket team has won in total fourteen ICC World Cup titles (seven Women’s T20 World Cups and seven out of thirteen Women’s ODI World Cups). A truly dominant display over an extended period at the highest level by a team that continues to raise the bar.

The two undefeated teams in the tournament will fittingly meet in the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup on Sunday at Lords. After a convincing win over South Africa today at the Oval, England have won the right to face Australia in the final. Both teams moved through the pool stage and the semi finals in dominating fashion.

In what has been a dramatic week in English cricket, the English Women’s team now have the opportunity to win a T20 World Cup at home. Standing in their way is an imposing Australian team that would love to win another World Cup at the home of cricket. The stage is set for a potential epic final between the two old foes of world cricket.

England plays South Africa in the second semi final of the Women’s T20 World Cup tomorrow at the Oval.

Hometown favorites England has been very strong in the tournament to date and were undefeated in the pool stage. They have weapons that can turn a game with both the bat and the ball. England is loaded with stars like Nat Sciver-Brunt (all-rounder), Sophie Ecclestone (bowler), Danni Wyatt-Hodge (batter) and Heather Knight (batter). They come into the semi-final after a convincing win over New Zealand in their last pool game and a strong win over the West Indies the game prior.

South Africa have won their last four games after a heavy loss to Australia in their first pool game. Their advancement to the semi finals hinged on Australia beating India in their last pool game at Lords. South Africa is stacked with x-factor players including Laura Wolvaardt (captain and batter), Marizanne Kapp (all-rounder), Shabnim Ismail (fast bowler) and Tazmin Brits (batter). South Africa (mens and women's teams) have a reputation as a tough and unpredictable opponent in playoff matches. No matter what happens, South Africa will keep fighting to the end.

The winner of this second semi final will meet Australia in the final at Lords on Sunday. The powerful Australian team demolished the West Indies in the first semi final and look virtually unstoppable. This has all the ingredients of a cracker of a final.

The criteria used to rank the matches consists of three components. First, the importance of a match in the tournament is taken into account with important exciting matches with strong narratives being given better rankings. Second, the overall quality of the cricket played in the match is also a consideration which means standalone one-sided performances are not ranked highly. Lastly, the match must have been played from the 1996 tournament onwards.

This is the second installment of a three part series and the matches will be presented in reverse order. A countdown to the top ranked ODI World Cup match of the last thirty years. This first part presents the matches ranked 4 to 6. You can read the last entry of the series here:

But the ranking so far is as follows:

10th: Aus vs NZ 2023

9th: NZ vs Aus 2015

8th: Aus vs Ind 2003

7th Ind vs SL 2011

If you would change any of our rankings please share your opinion in the comments below, but without further ado here are some more of the best ODI World Cup matches in the last 30 years of tournaments.

6th Ranked Match - Aus vs Ind 2023

(ICC, Getty Images, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, November, 19, 2023)

The next two matches are rather similar in their nature and narratives, but the most recent World Cup final just fell short of the top 5.

Over 2 billion people won’t ever forget this one and for good reason, as the World Cup final played out like a tragedy to the Indians, but to the Australians it was the completion of a hero’s redemption. The men in yellow started their campaign with two significant losses to the Indians and the South Africans before going undefeated. The Indians meanwhile had won every match prior to this one, and seemed set on making the final a show of their power. But Australia’s wins against Afghanistan and South Africa had given them the surprising momentum and girt to go into this contest with confidence, and while they had been more scrappy, they were determined to win their sixth ODI World Cup.

The match began in India’s favor as Rohit Sharma blasted ball after ball to the boundary fence, but the Australians would receive a reprieve through the wicket of Shubman Gill as he failed to clear the in field. Sharma was seemingly unbothered though as his six hitting ability took India from 30/1 to 70/1. Australia in desperation turned to Glenn Maxwell who Sharma dispatched for a six and four. Off the fourth ball of the over though Sharma would mistime his shot and Travis Head was forced to backtrack in a desperate attempt to take the catch. As the crowd watched in anticipation Head kept his nerve to dive and secure the wicket of Sharma.

The fall of Sharma was followed in close succession by the wicket of Sheryas Iyer leaving Virat Kohli and KL Rahul being forced to rebuild. Cummins would lead the attack from the front as Glenn Maxwell and David Warner’s excellent fielding began to squeeze the Indians. Unable to score boundaries, the Indian pair were forced to play anchor innings. After 56 balls, Kohli would raise his bat for a World Cup fifty and for a moment it looked like the Indians were just about to find a second gear. But Captain Cummins had other plans as he forced Kohli to chop on and expose the lower order to the Australian bowlers.

While KL Rahul would offer some resistance in the form of a slow half century, he too would eventually fall as Jadeja and Suryakumar Yadav failed to make significant contributions to the host’s total. Mohammed Shami would eventually break the deadlock in the last over as he hit a four down the ground but it was no use as India was bowled out for 241.

David Warner and Travis Head would come to the crease as the commentators debated the factor of dew. Warner would edge the ball into the slip cordon but the Indians could not take the chance as it ran away for four runs. Shami, though, would rectify the mistake as he removed Warner who once again edged the ball but this time right into the hands of Virat Kohli. The over 100,000 fans that were in the sea of blue at Ahmedbad rightfully celeberated the wicket as belief returned to the oddly silent group. But a Mitchell Marsh six would once again silence the ground. However Marsh was perhaps being too aggressive as he too would soon be bowled leaving Australia two down for just 41. In came Steve Smith and Indian fans perhaps would have been worried about a repeat of the 2023 WTC final where Head and Smith put on a 300 run partnership. And for a moment it looked to be just that when Smith hit a four down the ground but just like his opposite number on the Indian team; Smith too would be dismissed with only that boundary. In fairness to the great, the ball was revealed to be going down leg but failing to review, Australia were suddenly 45/3.

But if Indian fans believed that Travis Head would join the collapse, they were sorely mistaken as the South Australian refused to backdown, hitting six after six. On the other Marnus Labuschagne would hold his ground as Head batted brilliantly. The opener would bring up a century off 95 balls when he scrambled for a single nearly getting run out, but there was nothing the Indians could do as he raised his bat to a silent stadium. Labuschagne too would score 50 runs and the match was quickly being limited to only one result. With only 2 runs needed, Head went for another six only to miscue it to Shubman Gill. It was of little use though as Glenn Maxwell came out to hit a solitary four and win Australia their sixth World Cup.

While exciting with its twists and turns; what makes the match truly the best of the best is its great narrative. The team who had lost their first two matches, a team who pundits had counted out, a team who had come back from impossible odds over and over again lifted the World Cup; after going undefeated after match 3 beating the only two sides who had tasted victory over them. Meanwhile in their moment of triumph the Indians fell which proved that in this great sport no one is truly invincible and anything can happen.

5th Ranked Match - SL vs Aus 1996

(Getty Images, Ricky Ponting, Romesh Kaluwitharana, March 17 1996)

In many ways this next match was both a parallel to the previous one, as well as an inverse. Just like in 2023, the strongest team in the tournament faced a quiet underdog with one of them hosting. But unlike in 2023, that strongest team was not a subcontinent nation but instead the Australians themselves, and the underdogs were the hosts. Now there is much debate about the pitch that this match was played on, but just looking at the narrative for Sri Lanka, it is clear why this match makes the top 5.

Now to say Sri Lanka were underdogs at the time might have been controversial; but knowing what this Australian team went onto accomplish makes this victory only more special. Both teams reached the final reasonably easily as Australia blew out New Zealand and Sri Lanka would have won in a romp against India if it wasn’t for the latter’s forfeit (late in the game Indian fans attempted to set the stadium ablaze causing the umpire to award the match to Sri Lanka).

However many would have expected an Australian victory at this point for a couple of key reasons; first that the Sri Lankans had topped their group largely due to Australia and the West Indies refusing to play them and second their squad was largely unknown compared to the likes of that Australian team. None the less the hosts would win the toss and choose to bowl first.

Australia’s double Marks walked out to bat as they attempted to show the world their star power. And for a while they would prove to be just that as the pair reached 36 without loss. But Vaas would have other plans as managed to remove Waugh for just 12. Following Mark Waugh’s dismissal, the Captain, Taylor, was joined in the middle by Ricky Ponting. Having debuted that year Ponting had a point to prove and in an 101 partnership with Taylor, he showed the world what was to come.

However the Sri Lankans would have the last laugh as Taylor would mistime his shot and soon after Ponting would let one through the gate both to de Silva. This left Australia 152/3 with Steve Waugh at the crease. In perhaps a tactical move to save the blasters for the lower order, Australia would send in Shane Warne to bat through the middle. Arguably this was Australia’s biggest mistake in the match, as the spinner came down the pitch to block Muralidaran only to get stumped. With the door now firmly opened the Sri Lankans took their opportunity as Waugh would also go onto sky his shot only to be caught by de Silva. Australia had slipped from 152/3 to 170/5. This meant that in the last 12 overs Australia was forced to send time stabilizing as Law and Bevan tried to get in on a difficult pitch.

This worked for a while but Jayasuriya would remove Law and de Silva would pick up his third in the form of Ian Healy not long after. Reiffel and Bevan managed to combine for a while to see Australia through to the end, but they only managed to put up 241 a throughly below par total given that they were 152/3 after 30.4 overs. Coincidentally this was the same total set in 2023 and in 2019.

In similar fashion to 2023, the Sri Lankans were in early trouble when star player Jayasuriya was run out after a brilliant pice of keeping from Healy. Kaluwitharana would then mistime his shot off Fleming’s bowling leaving Sri Lanka 24/2. But then walked in de silva a man who had already starred with the ball, and was ready to do the same with the bat. Combing with Gurusinha, he saw out the Australian attack including McGrath and Warne, the latter of which proved to be largely ineffectual despite Sri Lanka’s natural spinning conditions. The two would play in opposite ways with Gurusinha anchoring and de Silva attacking. The two would bring up an 100 run partnership and both would pass 50 before Gurusinha was clean bowled by Reffiel. Where Sri Lanka differed from Australia though was instead of sending in a bowler, Ranatunga steadied the ship while still scoring fast which let de Silva continue his attack until the latter raised his bet to a well made century. Soon after they would hit the winning runs and for the first time in their history, Sri Lanka were the champions of the world.

This match has striking similarities to 2023, but the victory of the Sri Lankans was arguably more miraculous than the previous one. The strategic prowess that was showed on that field is what enabled the victory and it showed the sport that Sri Lanka had come to play as a serious nation. This was also the first time that a hosting nation had won the tournament, a feat which wouldn’t be repeated until 2011.

4th Ranked Match - Aus vs AFG 2023

(Getty Images, Glenn Maxwell November, 7, 2023)

Are three matches from the most recent World Cup each involving the same team perhaps a little too much, yes maybe, but who would leave this game out. However each of these games deserve to make this list for different reasons and this one is pretty simple. In the qualification we wrote that individual performances do not make a match great, but what Maxwell did here was exceptional enough to break that rule. However I also want to note that Zadran’s innings is in it’s own right is very important too, and the narrative that these two men created makes Australia versus Afghanistan truly one of the greatest matches ever.

Before the tournament started, no one thought much of this fixture. It seemed like a “slam dunk” for the Australians who would have probably qualified for the semis in one of the two previous matches. However as the weeks went by it seemed clear to everyone that this match was earmarked for a thriller. The Australians had lost their first two matches but had managed to go undefeated as they beat Sri Lanka, Pakistan, The Netherlands, New Zealand and England in consecutive games. But the Afghanis had showed up to challenge the supposed comeback of the men in yellow aiming to add another two points to their eight. If the Australians were to win the match they were guaranteed to make the semis and likely to finish in 2nd/3rd. Meanwhile the Afghanis needed a win to keep their dream run going.

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Afghanistan got off to a flying start. As Zadran and Gurbaz would get through the first 7 overs without loss. At the end of the eighth, though, Hazlewood removed Gurbaz leaving the Afghani’s 38/1. Ramat Shah would then offer support to Zadran who continued on his boundary hitting ways before Shah too, was removed, this time by Maxwell.

The next man to support Zadran was Shahidi, the captain. Zadran and Shahidi combined for a nearly 100 run parntherhip which largely came off of the efforts of the former. Starc managed some respite as he clean bowled Shahidi but it appeared to be too little, too late, as Omarzai and Nabi hit the ball hard each contributing handy runs. Zadran would raise his bat to an excellently made century which announced his talent to the world. It was the perfect combination of boundary hitting and control which let him remain in the middle at the end of the innings. But it was Rashid Khan’s tail end heroics that pushed Afghanistan’s score to 293. Australia appeared to be in deep trouble.

Warner and Head walked out to bat with some form but the South Australian would be dismissed only two balls into his innings by Naveen ul-Haq. Warner was largely forced back into his shell as Marsh tried to desperately counterattack. In a very similar situation to the World Cup final, Australia reached the 40s without another loss, but Marsh would miss a ball again from Naveen ul-Haq and was dismissed for 24. Unfortunately for the Australians, Steve Smith had suffered from vertigo and was not made available for selection; this meant that Marnus Labuschagne was the next man to the crease. With the Australians already sliding, Omazari took the ball in hand and hit Warner’s stumps. The relative youngster Josh Inglis stood no chance as he too was dismissed by Omazari off the very next ball. Then walked in the man of the night, Glenn Maxwell.

Maxwell was troubled from the start of his innings as he barely survived Omazari’s hat trick ball. But eventually he was able to somewhat settle into the pitch with Marnus Labuschagne as his partner. However, when Rashid Khan came on to bowl, disaster struck and Labuschagne was run out for 14. With Stoinis being the last recognized batsmen, Australia was in dire straits. And Stoinis couldn’t help his side as he was dismissed by Khan in the next over. Mitchell Starc entered the fray but he couldn’t make much change to the scoreboard as he was deemed out on ball to Rashid Khan, which he was later revealed not to have edged.

Australia were 7 down with only 91 runs on the board. The win predictor had them at a .4% percent chance of winning from there. But with his nation on the brink of defeat, Pat Cummins walked out to the middle. And then the chance to make it an assured victory came when Maxwell mistimed one, but the Afghanis couldn’t capitalize. Before reaching 50, Maxwell had given two catch opportunities and had an overturned lbw. For some, he looked like a walking wicket but fortune favored the brave that day as he began to hit six after six.

Cummins on his part held down his end as he faced over 10 overs of bowling playing a crucial role. But it was Maxwell as he hit the ball to both sides of the ground that was the star of the day. At certain points it looked like the Afghanis were bowling into his hitting arc as he played the switch hit. But his innings was not without adversity, cramps began to control his legs and multiple times he couldn’t even stand. Even as Adam Zampa waited on the boundary edge to enter the fray, Maxwell refused to give up. He brought up a century and then a 150, and his belief made Australians believe.

There was shock on the faces of everyone on the ground when Maxwell, not even moving his legs, hit the winning six to bring up his 201*. Later on Ian Smith perfectly summed up this innings, “Im not sure I’ve seen this before and Im not sure i’ll see it again,”. While the Afghani’s bowling and batting made this a memorable game, Maxwell’s 201* became more than just cricket, it became a sporting legend.

Australia plays the West Indies in the first semi final of the Women’s T20 World Cup today at the Oval.

Australia has put in a strong performance so far in the competition winning all of its pool matches in dominating style. For a team that was going through a transition phase after the retirement of Alyssa Healy, the Australian team has bounced back strongly. The team has exceptionally strong batting and bowling depth with a vast array of all-rounders in the team.

The West Indies have been a bit patchier in the tournament so far. After three wins to start, they lost their last two games to England and Ireland. Despite this the team is filled with stars including captain Hayley Matthews, all-rounder Chenille Henry and the highly experienced Deandra Dottin.

Australia has won the three games the teams have played in 2026, but will go into the game very cautious of the dangerous x-factor West Indian team. The winner will play the winner of the second semi-final between England and South Africa in the final.

When a cricketer hits 10k test runs it is an achievement, and this community has just hit its own special achievement as we passed 10k views today. Thank you so much for the support, and we’ll continue to post our best work!

The dramatic nature of Ben Stokes’ mid-test retirement announcement was consistent with the dramatic nature of his career. Unfortunately, what followed for England was equally consistent with the cult of personality that has consumed English cricket during the Stokes era. Their apparent total disregard for a series deciding test match against New Zealand was bizarre.

After the announcement of Ben Stokes’ retirement from international cricket, the English players, administrators and supporters appeared to lose all interest in actually playing cricket. Their only focus became celebrating the great man Ben Stokes. To that end, they once again followed him blindly in a display of totally “brainless” cricket that befitted the end of the Bazball lunacy.

From the moment that Stokes unilaterally decided to open the batting (relegating poor Emilio Gay to come in at six), the dye was cast. Stokes proceeded to attempt to put on a display of T20 batting and win the test on his own. However, the combination of his declining skills and the strength of the New Zealand bowling meant that he was out for a scratchy 30 off 20 balls. The whole episode came off as self-indulgent by Stokes.

Even as the leading man left the field for the last time, his subservient teammates proceeded to try follow him off the cliff. Duckett, Brook and even Root played outrageous strokes given the game situation and the size of the run chase. Bethell was out for a duck not offering a stroke after four balls. England finished the day 4-103 chasing 373 to win on an increasingly challenging wicket. They now have one more day and six wickets to try and recover from a hole they dug themselves.

At the end of the day, you are left thinking what was all this about? Why would any team or group of players in a professional sport have so much disregard for winning and their own performance? The only conclusion is that this is the final act of a team consumed by one personality and what we saw was a futile and misguided attempt for the “ship to go down with the captain”.

I would recommend you read the following article on Ben Stokes retirement by Simon Smale of the ABC.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-29/ben-stokes-retirement-main-character-energy/106854166?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

What we saw today were the last rites of Bazball and at the same time an act of extreme violence towards English cricket. Complete agreement with the following article from Vithushan Ehantharajah at ESPN Cricinfo.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/eng-vs-nz-stokes-stokes-england-s-flames-as-his-church-becomes-a-funeral-pyre-1543515/

Ben Stokes, England’s captain, has admitted he was burnt out even before Lord's Test which culminated in nightclub episode. He says that he "loved every single moment" of his four-year tenure as captain of the England test team. However, he admitted that the demands of the role drained him, to the point where he realized - in the wake of last winter's 4-1 defeat in the Ashes - that he simply didn't "have any more fight left in me".

The challenges of a test series in Australia leads to the end of a career for yet another test cricket great.

Ben Stokes has announced his retirement from international cricket and the current test against New Zealand is likely to be his last. He finishes his 15 year career with over 7,000 test runs and over 250 test wickets.