New Zealand to tour Pakistan twice in 2022/23
New Zealand Men will visit Pakistan twice in 2022/23 after they pulled out of a tour earlier this year. They flew home from Pakistan in September, where they were due to play limited-overs matches in the aftermath of a ‘security alert’ from their government. Three days later, England Men and Women also pulled out of Pakistan tours.
Now, New Zealand will play two Tests and three ODIs next December and January in their first visit, while the second tour will include five ODIs and five T20Is in April.
Australia 2-0 up in Ashes
Australia secured a 275-run win against England on Day 5 of the second Ashes Test match at the Adelaide Oval to go 2-0 up in the five-match series. They needed six wickets to win on the final day after England resumed at 82/4. Jos Buttler (26 in 207 balls) and Chris Woakes (44 in 97) put up a fight, but England folded 21 overs before scheduled time. Jhye Richardson did the most damage for Australia, with 5-42.
Australia announce unchanged squad for rest of Ashes
Australia named an unchanged 15-member squad for the remainder of the 2021/22 Ashes. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood both returned to the roster for the third Test at Melbourne, starting 26 December.
Cummins missed the second Test in Adelaide after being deemed a close contact of someone who tested Covid-19 positive. Hazlewood, on the other hand, was ruled out of the second Test with a side strain.
Mzansi Super League 2021 cancelled amid Covid-19 scare
The 2021 edition of the Mzansi Super League has been cancelled, as confirmed by Cricket South Africa on 20 December. The third season, initially scheduled to be held in November, was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was supposed to be held in February.
However, the CSA made the decision to call off due to the current Covid-19 situation in South Africa in the wake of the Omicron variant in the country. They are now planning to stage a CSA T20 challenge in place of MSL in February, comprising eight Division 1 teams.