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The month in Cricket
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England recovered from its Lord’s win over New Zealand only to lose the Oval Test by 253 runs, exposing deeper questions about batting, captaincy, and selection. In the decider, Stokes confirmed his Test retirement, ending his England captaincy and forcing a leadership reset.
The tournament opened with major results, including England’s strong start, Australia’s win over South Africa, India’s dominance of Pakistan, and Scotland’s first World Cup victory. England then reached the semi-finals and eliminated defending champions New Zealand, while Australia strengthened its position and Scotland lost both its campaign and an automatic route to the 2028 World Cup.
Ireland’s repeated one-run success against West Indies showed a growing ability to close disrupted matches against strong opposition. The breakthrough escalated when Ireland beat India at home and completed a historic sweep, ending India’s 16-series unbeaten run.
India replaced Suryakumar Yadav with Shreyas Iyer as T20I captain and made a striking youth bet by selecting 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The team then completed a dominant 3-0 ODI sweep of Afghanistan, with squad changes reinforcing its depth.
Bangladesh completed its first ODI series victory over Australia after exposing Australian collapses, dropped catches, and pressure failures. Australia responded by taking an early T20 series lead through disciplined bowling and spin, shifting the contest toward a possible sweep.
The extreme bounce at Lord’s drew criticism after a 33-wicket Test and prompted questions about standards at marquee grounds. A week later, officials abandoned a Toronto ODI because the pitch was judged dangerous, turning isolated surface concerns into a broader standards issue.
Week’s Recap