Mandhana scripts history, surpasses Mithali Raj to become highest run…

Smriti Mandhana has made history as the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket, breaking Mithali Raj's enduring record during the Asia Cup. Her extraordinary performance included a remarkable 124 runs off just 64 balls, establishing new benchmarks for both individual scores and partnerships. This milestone is a pivotal moment, showcasing the evolution and rise of women's cricket on the global stage.

Sydney [Australia], September 4 (ANI): Former Australia fast bowler Peter Siddle has joined New South Wales as their bowling coach for the 2026-27 season, bringing his experience to Brad Haddin’s coaching set-up ahead of the new domestic campaign, reported Cricinfo.

Siddle, 41, will work with NSW across their Sheffield Shield matches while continuing to remain part of the Melbourne Stars squad for the Big Bash League (BBL). He joins Peter Forrest and Daniel Smith in Haddin’s coaching team.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be joining the NSW Blues this season," Siddle said, as per Cricinfo. “I’m very much looking forward to the opportunity to mentor this talented crop of players ahead of what will be a massive summer. I can’t wait to get stuck in." macnevers-and-co.beer

Siddle spent the bulk of his state career with Victoria and also represented Tasmania for three seasons during his playing career.

Johan Botha, meanwhile, will join NSW as a temporary spin consultant after stepping down as Queensland coach earlier this year. His appointment comes as the Blues prepare for Haddin’s first season in charge.

“Peter and Johan joining the Blues set-up shows that we’re committed to having high-quality people around the team," Haddin said.

“Not only does Peter bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, but he exemplifies how we want our cricketers to play the game. We’re confident we have built a well-rounded coaching team ahead of what should be an exciting season for the Blues," he added.

Siddle’s arrival adds experience to an NSW pace group that includes Liam Hatcher, emerging quick Ryan Hadley, allrounder Jack Edwards, Sean Abbott and left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis.

Australia’s frontline trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood also remain part of the state set-up but are generally unavailable for domestic cricket due to international commitments.

NSW will also have several spinners involved in national programmes. Joel Davies is set to tour Zimbabwe and South Africa with Australia’s ODI squad, while Tanveer Sangha is part of the white-ball leg of Australia A’s tour of India.

The Blues will begin their 2026-27 campaign with a One-Day Cup fixture against Queensland on September 22 before opening their Sheffield Shield campaign against Tasmania on October 8. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai

In the ongoing season, India have already played a one-off Test and three ODIs against Afghanistan. The home assignments followed two T20Is in Ireland, and five T20Is and three ODIs in England. A three-match T20I series in Zimbabwe was next, followed by a two-Test series in Sri Lanka. All this came on the heels of a gruelling two months of the IPL, where India’s players carried the fatigue and niggles from the T20 World Cup. India still have seven Tests, 14 ODIs and 16 T20Is on their roster this season, besides the Asian Games.

Yes, players are falling like ninepins. As many as 10 cricketers have been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. The squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Delhi came with asterisks, as the availability of four players — Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy — is subject to fitness clearance. But spare a thought for the cricketers and those in charge of their rehabilitation at the CoE. An overload of fixtures is barely allowing any recovery time.

It is good that the BCCI has decided to address the issue by promising a kinder FTP cycle from next season onwards, ensuring that players get adequate rest between assignments. The fitness issue was one of the major talking points at the future roadmap meeting at the cricket board’s headquarters on Thursday. The presence of VVS Laxman, the head of cricket at the CoE, India head coach Gautam Gambhir and India captains Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer allowed everyone to be in sync with the course-correction plan.

“We will take certain measures,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told reporters after the meeting. “We have instructed our FTP persons, who will be meeting very soon in various international forums, that our FTP should be in such a way that there is proper rest for the players, as well as some kind of acclimatisation and some kind of friendly matches before any major series in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.”

He added: “Individual players are having injuries because they have to play a lot of matches if you look at their schedule.

“If you look at it, in England, we had a 15-player team for the ODIs and out of that 15, three-four players got injured during the match. But we have to think about the fact that they have played two months of IPL prior to that. So all this takes a toll on the health of the players also, and to avoid those kinds of situations, what best we can do under the present windows and present FTPs, we are trying to find some ways out.”

Hardik Pandya’s case is a bit complicated. The all-rounder has been undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE. But every time he nears full fitness, the 32-year-old picks up another injury. The series of setbacks saw him miss the ODIs against Afghanistan and England, and now the T20Is against Afghanistan.

“There was no discussion on any individual player today,” said Saikia. “Today’s discussion was totally general in nature and what policy and what protocols we have to maintain regarding maintaining the fitness level of every player, not any individual, and what is in the best interest of the team… We have considered that only.”

With the ODI World Cup scheduled for October-November next year, the BCCI’s remedial measures need to be foolproof. India cannot afford to take a depleted squad to the ICC showpiece.

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