Nicholas Pooran and Brandon King scored fifties while Carlos Brathwaite produced an excellent all-round display on day three of the Abu Dhabi T10 League in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday.

In the first game of Friday's triple-header, Nicholas Pooran carried on from his unbeaten 77 on the opening night and hit 80 off 32 deliveries to catapult Deccan Gladiators to 138 for 3 against the Northern Warriors- the highest score of the tournament so far. Pooran’s knock included 10 fours and three sixes.

Despite a half-century from Adam Lyth, the Warriors struggled to get close and finished 24 runs short. Rovman Powell's side remains without a win after two games.

The day’s second game between Brandon King’s Team Abu Dhabi and Dwayne Bravo’s Delhi Bulls ended in a tie.

After winning the toss, an unbeaten third-wicket 101-run stand between James Vince (26* off 20) and King (64* off 27) had earlier helped Abu Dhabi post 120 for 2.

The Bulls then reached 120-5 from their 10 overs in reply. Imad Wasim (21 not out) and Tim David (20) were the chief scorers while Keemo Paul also contributed a rapid 16 from seven balls.

The day’s third game saw Carlos Brathwaite help the Chennai Braves get on the board with a win over Bangla Tigers. 

His 44 not out off 19 balls saw them post 126 for 6 and with the ball, the West Indian picked up two wickets in two deliveries in his first over before returning in the last over to pick up two more and finish with figures of 4 for 3 as the Tigers stuttered to 93 and their second defeat in as many nights.

With just a week left to go vor the Australia vs West Indies Test series concerns have been raised regarding excessively poor tickets sales ahead of the match.

The world number one-ranked Australia will host the Windies in two-matches.  The first of the games will be held at Optus Stadium in Perth, beginning on Wednesday 30^th.

The public’s interest in the series, however, remains lacklustre to date.  According to reports, just hundreds of tickets have been sold to members of the public, so var, well below the stadium’s capacity of the 60,000.  There now are concerns the series could set a record low vor Test mathes between the teams.

Australia batsman Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne does not believe the low turnout is an overall lack of interest but believes there may be some fatigue in the fanbase.

 The country is fresh off a huge T20 World Cup on home soil and went straight into a three-game ODI series against England.

England Test captain Ben Stokes hopes to have "one of the superstars of the international game" Jofra Archer fit and firing for the Ashes.

Archer has not played on the international stage since March 2021 due to injury, but returned to action for the England Lions against England this week.

The luckless paceman bowled nine overs in his first match for 16 months, not taking a wicket but rattling Zak Crawley on the helmet with a rapid bouncer in Abu Dhabi.

England will attempt to regain the Ashes from Australia on home soil next year and Stokes wants hostile quick Archer to play his part.

The all-rounder told Sky Sports: "It's been great to see him out here when we joined up with the Lions.

"It's great to see him back running with the ball in his hand. He's one of the superstars of the international game and it's great to see him running back in, bowling fast and it's really good to have him back around the group as well.

"I think he's just really excited to be back. He's obviously had a long time off with injury and as exciting as it is we've got to be careful not to rush him back as we don't want to see Jofra Archer on the sidelines for this amount of [time] again.

"That's the plan, hopefully we can have Jofra fit and ready especially for The Ashes.

"That's something that we're looking at for Jof and it would be great to have him available for selection for that."

Leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed could become the youngest man to play a Test for England against Pakistan next month after he was added to the squad this week.

Stokes is excited by the potential the 18-year-old, who also played for the Lions in a drawn three-day match this week, possesses.

He said: "We've seen him as one of those very rare talents. To have someone at such a young age be so noticeable as a cricketer with the way that he bowls and the way that he bats.

"We saw it as a very good opportunity to get him into the squad, get him around the group, get him into the environment.

"He's a fantastic talent, he loves cricket, he just spends all his time shadow-batting in his room. He absolutely loves it.

"I'm really excited to have him into the squad, get him round the group and see what he's got."

Matt Renshaw’s unbeaten day three hundred means the West Indies have been set a target of 309 runs for victory in the four-day pink-ball tour game against Prime Minister’s XI at Manuka Oval.  

The tourists ended day three 35 without loss at stumps after 16 overs, with Kraigg Brathwaite on 19 and first innings centurion Tagenarine Chanderpaul on 15 needing a further 274 runs on Saturday.

Earlier, day three started with the West Indians resuming their first innings at 234 for 7. They added just one run from a no ball before their innings ended in the second over of the day.

Paceman Mark Steketee (3-33) trapped Alzarri Joseph lbw and two balls later had Jayden Seales well caught at second slip by Peter Handscomb. With Raymon Reifer unable to bat, West Indies ended on 235 for 9.

The PM's XI then reached 221-4 off 70 overs before captain Josh Inglis’ declaration set the Windies 309 to win.

The innings was declared four balls after Renshaw reached his 17^th first-class ton, scoring 101 not out off 218 balls.

The 26-year-old, who played the most recent of his 11 Tests in 2018, added 145 for the third wicket with Peter Handscomb, after the Windies had reduced the home team to 13 for 2.

Renshaw, who also top-scored with 81 in the first innings, hit nine fours in the unbeaten knock.

Handscomb, who scored 55 in the first innings, was bowled five minutes before the dinner break by spinner Kraigg Brathwaite for 75.

A magnificent stand from Tom Latham and Kane Williamson sealed a seven-wicket win for New Zealand over India in the first ODI of the series at Eden Park.

Shreyas Iyer (80 off 76 balls), captain Shikhar Dhawan (72) and Shubman Gill (50) made half-centuries as the tourists posted an imposing 306-7 in Auckland on Friday.

Tim Southee (3-73) and Lockie Ferguson (3-59) were the pick of the bowlers for the Black Caps, who then showed why they are top of the rankings in the 50-over format with a brilliant run chase.

It was advantage India after Umran Malik (2-66) struck twice on his debut to leave New Zealand 88-3 in the 20th over, but an unbroken partnership of 221 from Latham and Williamson secured a resounding win with 17 balls to spare.

Latham made a sublime unbeaten 145 off 104 balls and skipper Williamson 94 not out as the Blacks Caps made a strong response to their T20I series loss to India.

Dhawan and Gill laid a great platform with a century stand, but both openers fell with 124 on the board before Ferguson cleaned Rishabh Pant and also got rid of Suryakumar Yadav cheaply.

Iyer struck four sixes and as many fours, while Washington Sundar (37 off 16) provided late impetus and Sanju Samson chipped in with 36.

Umran had Devon Conway caught behind and saw the back of Daryl Mitchell after Finn Allen fell to Shardul Thakur, but that was as good as it got for India as Latham and Williamson took the game away from them.

The experienced duo steadied the ship and then started to motor, with India - missing a host of regulars - unable to halt the flow of runs, Arshdeep Singh going for 68 from 8.1 overs on his ODI bow.

Yet another milestone for Southee

It was another memorable day for New Zealand paceman Southee, who became only the fifth New Zealand bowler to take 200 ODI wickets.

He moved above Chris Cairns to go fourth on the list of the Black Caps' leading wicket-takers in this format.

Southee is also the first player to take 300 Test wickets, claim 200 ODI scalps and 100 T20I dismissals.

Latham and Williamson put on a show

The game was in the balance when Latham came in at number five to join his skipper at the crease.

It had soon swung firmly in New Zealand's favour courtesy of brilliant knocks from such a consistent duo that have delivered time and again over the years.

Wicketkeeper-batter Latham raced to his seventh ODI century off only 76 balls, ending up with five sixes and another 19 boundaries. The composed and classy Williamson registered a staggering 40th ODI half-century.

West Indies call-up Tagenarine Chanderpaul insists he is focused on being himself ahead of a possible debut for the Caribbean team in the upcoming series against Australia next week.

On Thursday, the 26-year-old Chanderpaul made 119 off 293 balls during the team’s warm-up game against a Prime Minister’s XI, in the ongoing four-day tour match in Canberra.  The knock featured a risp 11 fours and a six on his way to reaching triple figures.

Chanderpaul, who was called up to the team last month, is widely expected to partner Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite at the top of the innings for the match-up with the world number-one ranked Aussies, following the suspension of John Campbell.

The John Campbell anti-doping ban: Campbell banned for refusing to provide blood sample on demand

Ahead of the player’s potential debut, comparisons to his famous father, West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul, are inescapable.  In an outstanding 164 Test match career for the West Indies, Chanderpaul scored 11867 runs, which puts him second all-time behind the great Brian Lara.  It’s a towering legacy to live up to.

“They’re big boots but I try and be myself.  I can only be myself, so I just try and be me,” the young Chanderpaul said after Thursday's match.

Like his father, Tagenarine has shown the propensity to be watchful and patient at the crease, which could bode well for the regional team.  The batsman, however, is hoping to eventually be recognized for his own style.

"I try and be myself. I can't replicate him, so I can only be myself. Fingers crossed… I'll try to get some runs if I'm selected."

New Zealand face a test of their ODI strength against 2023 World Cup hosts India – and they must do so without a mainstay in Martin Guptill.

Veteran opener Guptill, who has played 198 ODIs, has followed in the footsteps of fellow experienced stars Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme in seeking a release from his New Zealand Cricket contract.

That has been granted, and while Guptill insists he remains available for international duty as he seeks playing opportunities elsewhere, he will play no part in the series that starts on Friday.

The Black Caps return to their Eden Park stronghold for game one of a three-match series. They have won six of their last seven men's ODIs at the Auckland ground, including a 22-run victory against India in their last match at the venue, in February 2020.

New Zealand swept that series 3-0, but the last time they won back-to-back ODI series against India was when they prevailed in 1976 and 1981.

These are two of the titans of the ODI game, likely to be major contenders come the World Cup next October and November.

India have won seven of their last eight multi-game bilateral ODI series, including five in a row since losing 3-0 to South Africa at the start of this year, while New Zealand's recent run of four series successes was ended with a 3-0 loss to Australia in September.

New Zealand have not lost back-to-back ODI series since October 2017, when they were beaten 2-1 by India. Guptill featured then but sits this one out, and it remains to be seen whether he will be back, with 23-year-old Finn Allen preferred for now.

Home captain Kane Williamson said of Guptill on Thursday: "He's made a decision to explore a few other options, but as a player and as an experienced member of the group, he's added so much value over the years and been one of our best white-ball players ever.

"[He] absolutely will be missed, but he is not retired, so there's a lot to keep working through over the next period to get a real feel for how the picture looks."

India are under-strength, with captain Rohit Sharma leading the absentees, who also include Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. Shikhar Dhawan captains the tourists.

New Zealand seek to avenge soggy setback in T20s

India won the three-match T20 series between these sides by a 1-0 margin after the first game was abandoned without a ball being bowled, and the third was called a tie on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern rules after rain arrived when it was evenly poised.

It has to be hoped the wet weather stays away this time, with Williamson one game away from equalling Daniel Vettori (82) for the second-most appearances as captain for New Zealand in men's ODIs.

Only Stephen Fleming, away and clear with 218 games as captain, has led the Black Caps more often.

India must prepare well for Bracewell

New Zealand batter Michael Bracewell has hit 17 boundaries (10 fours, seven sixes) during the death overs (41st to 50th) in men's ODIs in 2022, more than any other player from a Test-playing country this year.

If it comes to the crunch and Bracewell is at the wicket, New Zealand will fancy their chances.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored a hard-fought 119 off 293 balls on Thursday to lift his side to 234 for 7 at stumps on day two of the pink-ball match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.

The tourists made a bright start to their innings, moving to 94 without loss following strong efforts from Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite. But, when Brathwaite chopped on a Steketee delivery for 47, it sparked a collapse of 44 for 4 as West Indies began to fold.

Western Australia paceman Joel Paris found the edge of Nkrumah Bonner's bat to send him packing for a duck before spinner Todd Murphy bowled Devon Thomas and then trapped Kyle Mayers in front eight overs later. Chanderpaul held the innings together, striking 13 fours and one six on the way to posting his sixth first class century.

Victoria’s Murphy claimed 3 for 27 in an impressive display, while Western Australia’s Joel Paris also claimed three scalps.

Earlier, The PM's XI made 322 in their first innings, leaving the four-day clash delicately balanced.

The PM's XI added a further 25 runs to their overnight score of 297 for 9 before Mark Steketee was last man out for 15. Paceman Alzarri Joseph was the pick of the touring bowlers with 4 for 65, while spinner Roston Chase finished with 2 for 72.

West Indies wicketkeeping great Jeffrey Dujon believes the decision taken by captain Nicholas Pooran to step down is the best one for the player at this point in time.

The 27-year-old, who took charge of the region’s white-ball teams earlier this year, made the surprise decision to step down as captain, after just 7 months on the job.

As captain of the team, Pooran had faced severe pressure following the team’s poor showing at the T20 World Cup.  The West Indies failed to advance from the first round of the competition, following losses to Scotland and Ireland.  The results led to the resignation of the team’s head coach Phil Simmons but having only just been appointed to the post, Pooran was widely expected to keep the position.

Dujon admitted to being surprised but believes the player has done the right thing given the circumstances.

“I think it’s a good thing for him.  As a young player, you have been given responsibility but things haven’t worked out for him,” Dujon told the Mason and Guest radio program.

“He still has a career ahead of him and shedding this responsibility might just help his cricket as time goes on,” he added.

Pooran captained the T20 team for 23 matches, winning 8 and losing 14 for a win ratio of 35 percent.

Teenager Rehan Ahmed is in line to become England's youngest ever Test player, while Jofra Archer has moved closer to a return to the senior fold.

Leicestershire spinner Ahmed has been with the England Lions during their red-ball training camp and has now been added to the main team for their upcoming tour of Pakistan.

If selected for the opener in Rawalpindi on December 1, Ahmed would eclipse a 70-year-plus record held by Brian Close to become the youngest Test representative for the country.

Despite a rough performance with figures of none for 73 over eight overs for the Lions in their inter-camp match with England, coach Brendon McCullum has no hesitation in adding him to his party.

"We know he's not the finished article and has raw potential, but [captain] Ben [Stokes], myself and the rest of the coaches like how he approaches his game," McCullum stated.

"The experience of being part of the squad in Pakistan will be hugely beneficial for him, and he will add to the make-up of our squad."

Archer meanwhile, a member of the 2019 T20 World Cup-winning squad who subsequently parachuted into the Test setup, has struggled for a regular place with England amid a series of debilitating injuries.

Running out for the Lions alongside Ahmed, Archer posted figures of none for 38 off nine overs, having not played for the senior team since March 2021.

Archer has taken 42 wickets across 13 Test matches so far for England, and could be eyeing a return when the team travels to South Africa at the end of January next year.

West Indies bowlers toiled early but struck back late to restrict Australia’s Prime Minister’s XI to 297-9 from 89.3 overs at the end of the first day of their four-day match at Canberra on Wednesday.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, the Prime Minister’s XI got a solid start as openers Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris shared in an opening stand of 134 inside 42 overs.

Jayden Seales broke the partnership when he had Harris caught by Kyle Mayers for 73.

Renshaw made 81 for the Prime Minister’s XI, who also benefitted from 55 from the bat of Peter Handscomb as the home side looked set for a score above 400 at 250-4.

However, Roston Chase led the West Indies fightback when he dismissed Aaron Hardie for 23 and then removed Handscomb as the Prime Minister’s XI slipped to 253-6.

Alzarri Joseph then bowled Ashton Agar for 33, Michael Neser for 10 and Joel Paris for two with the last ball of the day to finish with figures of 3-52 from 17.3 overs.

Chase’s two wickets in 21 overs cost 72 runs while Kemar Roach, Mayers and Raymon Reifer had one wicket each.

David Warner believes he can stake a claim to play in Australia's next home ODI – even if that means he must wait until 2024.

The opener struck a terrific 106 in Australia's thumping win over England on Tuesday that sealed a 3-0 ODI series victory.

He joined Travis Head (156) in an opening partnership worth 269 runs, which set a record for the first wicket at the MCG.

Australia prevailed by 221 runs under Duckworth-Lewis-Stern rules at the Melbourne venue where nine days previously England celebrated winning the T20 World Cup. It was England's heaviest ODI defeat, runs-wise.

The latest century for left-hander Warner was his fifth against England and a first since the Boxing Day Test in 2017, taking him to 3,067 runs across all formats against Australia's great rivals.

That is the most runs he has scored against any opposition, albeit he has faced England 69 times and no other team on more than 50 occasions.

Indeed, Warner's all-formats batting average of 34.46 against England is the lowest he has achieved against any international team he has faced more than twice.

He was rightly jubilant to get to three figures this time, though, saying: "I think we played fantastic in this series.

"We know that with England [winning] the World Cup, and a long tournament, these games are quite hard to get up for.

"But we played exceptional cricket, the bowlers did a fantastic job and the batters just went out there and tried to execute as well as we could, especially in the power play, and we managed to do that."

Addressing a long wait for the next ODI to be played at home, which is set to come when West Indies tour in early 2024, Warner said: "Look, 2024 is a long time away. There's a lot of cricket to be played in-between there, obviously in all three formats.

"If I can keep keeping fit, scoring runs and doing the best I can for the team, yeah, I might be here."

Warner will turn 38 in October 2024 and has indicated he could retire from Tests after next year's Ashes series in England, but he evidently sees the short format as an area where he might sustain his career for longer.

England captain Jos Buttler is thriving as a limited-overs specialist, even if his team came a cropper during this series.

"We tried our best. We fell a long way short. I thought Australia outplayed us in every department and all credit to them," Buttler said.

Yet he and England will return home as world champions in cricket's shortest international format.

"We've got lots to be proud of," Buttler said. "You don't need a long memory to remember the scenes here last week. We got exactly what we wanted from coming here and we're very proud of that."

Travis Head and David Warner plundered stunning centuries as Australia crushed England by 221 runs at the MCG to seal a 3-0 ODI series sweep.

The openers forged an alliance of 269 runs as Australia posted 355-5 in a rain-interrupted match in Melbourne, with England only able to muster 142 all out in reply, suffering a third emphatic defeat.

Australia's innings was trimmed to 48 overs, which meant under the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern calculations England's target was set at 364 for victory, which they got nowhere near. Nine days after winning the T20 World Cup on the same ground, England's response to Australia's total was largely listless.

Head made an ODI career-best 152, while Warner was out for 106, his 19th century in this format. They put on the ninth-highest first-wicket stand in ODI history, second only for Australia to the 284 that Head and Warner themselves amassed in January 2017 against Pakistan.

It was their second 200-plus partnership, and only Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga, who have managed three, have achieved more as a pairing in ODIs.

Olly Stone eventually removed both openers in the same over, the 39th of Australia's innings, on the way to bowling figures of 4-85 from 10 overs.

England's opening partnership, in stark contrast, was worth only 15 runs, with Dawid Malan falling for just two to Josh Hazlewood in the third over. Jason Roy top scored with 33, as Adam Zampa took 4-31 in the rout.

Warner beats Hayden record

Warner now has 6,007 runs from 139 ODI innings, becoming the 10th Australian batter to reach 6,000 runs in the format. He has reached the milestone in the fewest innings of all Australians, beating Matthew Hayden's previous record of 154 innings.

Head rush

Head's 152 goes down as the second-highest score by an Australian player in the history of men's ODIs against England, bettered only by Shane Watson's unbeaten 161 in January 2011. The thrashing gave Australia's men just their second whitewash of England in a multi-game bilateral ODI series, 29 years after the first, also a 3-0 victory.

Rain dashed New Zealand's hopes of a drawn T20 series with India, as the two sides tied their final match on DLS after the heavens opened at McLean Park.

Half-centuries for Devon Conway (59) and Glenn Phillips (54) helped the hosts post a total of 160 all out in Napier, as they sought to level their three-game contest with the tourists. Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj each took four wickets for India.

But hopes of a grandstand finish were dashed when both sides were pulled from the field with India on 75-4 in pursuit after nine overs.

That meant Hardik Pandya's side had matched the par score under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, ensuring that with no restart, the match became a rare tie in T20 international cricket.

After a washout in Wellington saw no result, India had run out convincing victors in Mount Maunganui on Sunday to take the lead heading into this final contest.

They therefore hold on to win the series 1-0, with the two teams now set to meet in a trio of ODIs starting on Friday in Auckland.

India restore pride after World Cup

Having fallen short in the T20 World Cup earlier this month, victory over the Black Caps has been a restorative process for India over the past week, despite the weather.

With four wickets down on the scoreboard, there would have been a question over whether they were likely to catch New Zealand's total – but the weather means they have a series win to their name.

Conway and Phillips' efforts in vain

With close to 75 per cent of New Zealand's total posted between them, Conway and Phillips rescued what could have otherwise been a worryingly low score for New Zealand.

Ultimately, with Tim Southee having taken 2-29 off three overs, their efforts might have been enough to see them home, had the weather not intervened.