Gus Atkinson suffered a hamstring injury after bowling the last ball of Australia's fifth over in their second innings in Melbourne. He then left the field and received first aid in the tunnel. Atkinson did not take part in the match, which Australia won by eight wickets. The Surrey right-armer hobbled off early on day two of the fourth Test in Melbourne clutching his left leg and took no further part. "Gus Atkinson has been ruled out for the remainder of the Ashes tour after scans confirmed he has sustained a left hamstring injury," the England Cricket Board said. No replacement will be called up, opening the door to either Matthew Potts or Matthew Fisher who are both in the squad but have yet to play. Atkinson is the third England quick to be sidelined after Mark Wood (knee) and Jofra Archer (side strain), leaving Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes to shoulder the attack. England are 3-1 down ahead of the Sydney Test starting on Sunday. They suffered back-to-back eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane and an 82-run loss at Adelaide before bouncing back to clinch a four-wicket win in Melbourne.

Dhaka Capitals assistant coach Mahbub Ali Zaki passed away today after suddenly collapsing at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium during his team's pre-match practice session before Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He was 59. The incident occurred shortly after Dhaka Capitals' season-opening match against the Rajshahi Warriors, as Zaki was overseeing the team's warm-up session. He collapsed unexpectedly on the field, prompting immediate action from team staff and medical personnel, who administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before rushing him to a nearby hospital by ambulance. Zaki was pronounced dead while being transported, confirmed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Chief Physician Debashish Chowdhury. "Mahbub Ali Zaki is no more. I am unable to say anything more at this moment," Chowdhury told reporters. A former fast bowler, Zaki represented Cumilla District with distinction in the National Cricket Championship. He also played in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, representing leading clubs such as Abahani and Dhanmondi. Following his playing career, Zaki devoted himself to coaching and player development. He joined the BCB in 2008 as a High Performance Coach and played a significant role in the development of pace bowling in Bangladesh through his work with emerging cricketers. The BCB extends its heartfelt sympathies to his family, friends and the cricketing community during this difficult time and prays for the eternal peace of the departed soul.

Pace dominance continued on Day 2 at the MCG as Brydon Carse and Ben Stokes tore through the Australian lineup, skittling the hosts for just 132 in their second innings. The clinical bowling performance has handed England a golden opportunity to claim their first victory of the current Ashes series. England now requires 175 runs to win. However, the chase will be a stern test as they look to navigate the formidable pace attack of Mitchell Starc and Michael Neser on a challenging Melbourne surface. Earlier, Australia was bowled out for 152 in their first innings. England, however, failed to capitalize on Day 1, collapsing for a mere 110 and handing the hosts a 42-run first-inning lead. Australia had ended the opening day at 4-0. The script flipped on Saturday (December 27) as Carse and Stokes gave the Australian batters no room to breathe. Travis Head top-scored for the hosts with a counter-attacking 46 off 67 balls, while Steven Smith remained unbeaten on 24, left stranded as partners fell around him. Cameron Green contributed 19, but the innings folded in just 34.3 overs. Bowling Figures: Brydon Carse: 4 for 34 Ben Stokes: 3 for 24 Josh Tongue: 2 wickets Gus Atkinson: 1 wicket In a remarkable display of seam bowling, all 10 wickets in the second innings fell to pace—matching the trend from Day 1 where fast bowlers claimed all 20 wickets to fall. While Australia has already clinched the series 3-0, England is desperate to narrow the margin by winning the final two Tests. With the visitors in the driver's seat on Day 2 of the fourth Test, all eyes are on whether they can successfully cross the finish line.

New Zealand Cricket has unveiled its squads for the upcoming tour of India next month, featuring three ODIs and five T20Is. The selection marks a significant shift, with four uncapped players receiving their maiden call-ups to the white-ball setup. The tour kicks off with the ODI series on January 11, followed by the T20I series starting January 21. Looking to build future depth, the Black Caps have handed first-time call-ups to pacer Jayden Lennox, pace-bowling all-rounder Kristian Clarke, leg-spin all-rounder Adithya Ashok, and fast bowler Michael Rae. Leadership and Key Changes Michael Bracewell has been appointed to lead the 15-member ODI squad. He steps in as captain in the absence of Mitchell Santner, who is currently sidelined with an injury. However, Santner is expected to recover in time to resume his captaincy duties for the T20I leg of the tour. Read More Arsenal Reach League Cup Semis with Shoot-out Win Over Palace The T20I squad sees the return of several key players from injury, including Bevan Jacobs, Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, and Matt Henry. Notably, Henry will feature only in the T20Is and will skip the ODI series. Senior batsman Kane Williamson is a major omission from the ODI squad due to his commitments in South Africa's franchise league, SA20. Squad Breakdowns New Zealand ODI Squad: Michael Bracewell (C), Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Zac Foulkes, Mitch Hay (WK), Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young. New Zealand T20I Squad: Mitchell Santner (C), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (WK), Jacob Duffy, Zac Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevan Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi.

After back-to-back defeats, Taskin Ahmed’s Sharjah Warriors have returned to winning ways. On a night that saw the Warriors secure a crucial victory, the "Tiger" pacer claimed two wickets, though he proved to be somewhat expensive with the ball. The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders opted to bat first after winning the toss. Warriors' captain Sikandar Raza showed faith in Taskin by handing him the ball for the opening over of the match, and the move paid off immediately. On the final delivery of the first over, Taskin struck gold by dismissing the dangerous Phil Salt. Taskin continued his momentum in his second over, claiming his second victim, Alex Hales. However, the Knight Riders' batters managed to counter-attack later in his spell. Taskin finished his four-over quota with figures of 2 for 41. Despite Taskin's early breakthroughs, the standout performer with the ball for Sharjah was English leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who strangled the opposition with clinical figures of 3 for 18 in his four overs. Consequently, Abu Dhabi was restricted to 134 for 9 in their 20 overs. A Hard-Fought Chase Sharjah’s pursuit of 135 got off to a rocky start, losing both openers with just 9 runs on the board. However, steady contributions from Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sikandar Raza, and an unbeaten cameo from James Rew guided the team to a hard-fought 4-wicket win. Rew remained not out on 42 off just 29 balls to see his side home. For Abu Dhabi, Ajay Kumar and Jason Holder picked up two wickets apiece in a losing effort. Points Table Standings Despite the victory, Sharjah Warriors remain at the bottom of the table with 6 points from 8 matches. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders also sit on 6 points but maintain a higher position in the standings due to a superior net run rate.