#icc-interference

#icc-interference

During Saturday's game between the Red Sox and the Reds, Eugenio Suarez challenged Bucknor on back-to-back strike three calls and successfully had them overturned by the robo ump. It doesn't matter that Suarez ultimately grounded out. What matters is that, in a game where the Reds hit two home runs, the loudest cheers came for a pair of successful ABS challenges.

The idea that the Automated Balls and Strikes challenge system is going to constantly humiliate umpires is, to me, a ridiculous concern. We're talking about hundreds of calls in a game, with upwards of 100 games per week, and 99.9% of the time, ABS doesn't even factor into a pitch at all.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has fined Naseem Shah 20 million Pakistani rupees ($71,488) for breaching multiple clauses of his central contract and social media guidelines after he wrote a social media post critical of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

The ongoing discussions regarding future structural changes to the game, such as the introduction of new tournaments (eg. Fifa Club World Cup), further intensify this challenge. These changes have the potential to significantly reduce the downtime available to elite players, affecting their recovery and overall well-being.

The report describes the situation as a 'human rights emergency' and points to what it calls a 'recognizable pattern of authoritarian practices' in the country.

Tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson KC stated that Xerri's behavior was disgraceful, noting the shocking nature of the act and the proximity of his hand to McGrath's open mouth.

A sports agent was, according to the BBC, informed by an official of the ECB that Pakistani players on his list of cricketers looking to sign up for the Hundred would not be considered by teams linked to the IPL. Another agent described the situation as an unwritten rule' across T20 leagues with Indian investment.

Here we have a scenario whereby the ECB's great glossily packaged commercial project, sold as a force for sunlight, modernity, and openness, could end up actively reinforcing the exclusion of cricketers based on race. At which point the whole thing simply collapses. Every part of the Hundred's staging, the beamingly self-righteous tone, the schmaltzy marketing, the prim ECB talk about enshrining equality in its statutes. All of it goes up in smoke if in reality the message is: you're not coming in if you're Pakistani.

The England and Wales Cricket Board and all eight of The Hundred team franchises reaffirm their commitment to ensuring The Hundred continues to be a competition that is inclusive, welcoming and open to all. The Hundred was established to reach new audiences, grow the game of cricket and ensure that everyone—regardless of their ethnicity, gender, faith, nationality or other—can feel they belong in our sport.

When India and Pakistan meet in the T20 World Cup on Sunday, the match will not just be significant for its on-field cricket action but also the political climate that has shrouded the encounter and the tournament itself. The South Asian nations share a decades-old history of wars and hostile relations. The most recent encounter came in May 2025, when the nuclear-armed neighbours were engaged in a four-day cross-border conflict.

Corners and second yellow cards will be added to the scope of the video assistant referee (VAR) for this summer's World Cup. Other rule changes for the 2026 World Cup will include new rules in place to cut down on time wasting by teams to ensure games flow more quickly. This will be achieved by countdowns on goal kicks, throw-ins, and substitutions, which have so often been taken slowly by teams if they're protecting a narrow lead late in games.

Late on Friday morning, after the entire playing surface had spent most of the preceding few days shrouded in plastic sheeting, the sun broke out. The covers were peeled back and the ground staff a huge team of about 70 people, those covers don't move themselves set about trundling their roller slowly across a fresh pitch at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The bad weather had lifted and, finally, work could begin.

After Pakistan announced their boycott of the forthcoming T20I World Cup match against India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) was quick to lament the position the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had put fans in. [Pakistan's] decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, the ICC said in a release, before going on to make special mention of millions in Pakistan, who will now have no India fixture to anticipate.

One poor decision is forgivable, two is careless, but there were a hat-trick of howlers, with Tammy Abraham clearly offside for Aston Villa's opener. Lucas Digne needed his own dedicated review booth, escaping with a yellow card for an agricultural tackle on Jacob Murphy and avoiding a penalty for handball. Officials ruled that Digne handled the ball outside the penalty area, an impressive feat given that he both took off and landed inside the box as he jumped to block a cross.

Our staff put a lot of effort into sending those reports but from now on there's no point. There's no acknowledgement of what we're saying, it's just ignored. We get a reply but the reply is always in agreement with what's happened. It's not good enough. We're not going to waste our time on it, we're going to focus on what we're doing for Cardiff city and try to give our supporters and players the protection they need.

England's two white-ball series in South Africa next year are currently in doubt amid the latest scheduling clash that pits franchise cricket against the international game. As it stands, England's men are due to play three Tests, three one-day internationals and three Twenty20s in South Africa next winter. The white-ball leg of this rare full tour to the country represents an important scouting mission for the World Cup that South Africa are co-hosting in late 2027.