Let us look at some of the most-discussed cricket stories on the news on 25 July.
Finch ruled out of Bangladesh T20Is due to a knee injury
Aaron Finch has been ruled out from Australia’s upcoming five-match T20I series against Bangladesh. Finch had hurt his right knee while practising before the T20I series against West Indies, and opted out in the fifth game. He has not featured in the two ODIs either, and will now return to Australia for a required surgery.
Finch will undergo two weeks of quarantine once he heads back to Australia. After that, he will have two months to be fit for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Mumbai to take on Chennai to resume IPL 2021
The schedule of the rest of the IPL 2021, which will be played in the UAE, has been announced. Mumbai Indians will be up against Chennai Super Kings on 19 September to resume the tournament, which was suspended in May due to a sudden spread of Covid-19 cases in the bubble.
The 31 matches will be played in a 27-day window. There will be seven double headers. The final will take place in Dubai, on 15 October.
CWI drop a match from Pakistan T20Is
Cricket West Indies has dropped a T20I from their home series against Pakistan. The two teams, who were initially decided to have a five-match series, will now play four games.
The decision came after a member of the non-playing staff in the West Indies camp tested positive for Covid-19 two days ago. That forced second ODI against Australia to be postponed. As a result, the Pakistan series, which was earlier scheduled to begin on 27 July, will now commence from a day after.
The dates of two Test matches, which will follow the T20Is, remain unchanged.
Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe in the decider
Soumya Sarkar starred with both ball and bat to help Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by five wickets in the third T20I, in Harare, and clinch the series 2-1.
Bangladesh were chasing 194, and Sarkar hit a 49-ball 68 to guide them home with four balls to spare. He was ably assisted by Shamim Hossain (31* off 15), Mahmudullah (34) and Shakib Al Hasan (25).
Earlier, Wesley Madhevere top-scored with a 36-ball 54 to take Zimbabwe to 193/5 after they opted to bat. Ryan Burl (31 off 15) and Regis Chakabva (48 off 22) also chipped in with useful contributions, but in the end it was not enough for them. Sarkar was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers, with 2-19 in three overs.