Virat Kohli called for "strict action" to be taken after India players claimed they were subjected to racial abuse by spectators during the third Test against Australia at the SCG.
Six people were ejected from the iconic Sydney venue on day four after India paceman Mohammed Siraj reported he was the target of abuse while he was fielding on the boundary.
The India team staff also reported alleged racial abuse of Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj on Saturday.
Play was halted for around 10 minutes on Sunday, with umpires and security guards holding discussions before the spectators were removed by New South Wales Police.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) strongly condemned the reported incidents and offered Cricket Australia (CA) all necessary support with an investigation.
India captain Kohli, who is back in his homeland as his wife is expecting a baby, said action must be taken as soon as possible.
He tweeted: "Racial abuse is absolutely unacceptable. Having gone through many incidents of really pathetic things said on the boundary Iines, this is the absolute peak of rowdy behaviour. It's sad to see this happen on the field.
"The incident needs to be looked at with absolute urgency and seriousness and strict action against the offenders should set things straight for once."
CA head of integrity and security Sean Carroll earlier said in a statement: "Cricket Australia condemns in the strongest terms possible all discriminatory behaviour.
"If you engage in racist abuse, you are not welcome in Australian cricket. CA is awaiting the outcome of the International Cricket Council's investigation into the matter reported at the SCG on Saturday.
"Once those responsible are identified, CA will take the strongest measures possible under our anti-harassment code, including lengthy bans, further sanctions and referral to NSW Police.
"As series hosts, we unreservedly apologise to our friends in the Indian cricket team and assure them we will prosecute the matter to its fullest extent."
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed India have experienced abuse on previous tours of Australia.
"This is my fourth tour to Australia and in Sydney, especially, we have had a few experiences even in the past," he said.
"I think one or two times even the players have reacted and got into trouble in the past, and that's not because of the player, it is actually because of the way the crowd has been speaking, especially the people close to the boundary edge.
"They have been quite nasty, they have been hurling abuse as well, but this is the time they have gone one step ahead and used racial abuse.
"There was an official complaint lodged yesterday, and the umpires also mentioned it to us that we must bring it to their notice as soon as it happens, on the field, and then they will be able to take action.
"It is definitely not acceptable in this day and age. We have seen a lot, right? We have evolved as a society. This must be definitely dealt with an iron fist. And we must make sure that it doesn't happen again."
Australia are strong favourites to take a 2-1 series lead, as India were 98-2 at stumps on the penultimate day after being set 407 to win.
'Test cricket is something I’ve always dreamed of': Matthews eager to parade skills in longest format
Hayley Matthews has always dreamed of parading her skills in cricket's longest format. As such, the West Indies women's captain, one of the best players in the world, expressed delight about the Caribbean side's return to playing Test match cricket as they are set to face Australia in 2026.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) made the announcement recently as they unveiled the Women’s Future Tour Programme. This will mark the 50th anniversary of West Indies women’s Test cricket since the first Test between the two countries was played in Jamaica in May 1976.
West Indies women's last Test match was away to Pakistan in 2004.
“Test cricket is something I’ve always dreamed of. Wearing the whites with the badge on your chest would mean a lot. Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game, so being afforded the opportunity to wear whites and put on that ‘baggy’ maroon cap is going to be a huge honour,” Matthews said in an interview with Philip Spooner, the former Head of Media at Cricket West Indies.
“When I heard Test cricket was announced, I was very excited. Playing Test cricket has been an ambition of mine for a very long time, so to be able to get this opportunity to play a few Tests over the next few years is something I’m looking forward to,” she added from her base in Australia.
Matthews is currently on another stint with the Melbourne Renegades in the 10th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League. Her best outing so far was against the Adelaide Strikers when she took two for 28 from four overs and made a match-winning 85 not out off 54 balls in the big win.
She pointed out that there was great anticipation among the other players, and she hoped the fans would come out and embrace the longest format.
“There has obviously been a lot of talk over the last year or two about us playing Test cricket, seeing that so many of the other teams are also playing Test matches. Now that it is confirmed for us, we are very happy it has been locked into the schedule,” Matthew said.
“I hope it does excite the fans a lot. Women’s cricket has grown a lot in the West Indies in recent years, and fans have been paying a lot of attention and focusing on our games. Hopefully, we can have a lot of success before we reach that Test, specifically the ICC Women’s World Cup next year (in India), and that would entice the fans to come out and support us even more," she noted.
The ICC Future Tours Programme also shows the West Indies playing Tests against England in 2027 and in South Africa in 2028, which would mark the first contest between the two teams.
Windies captain Powell takes mixed bag from England series as Bangladesh assignment approaches
West Indies captain Rovman Powell was candid in his assessment of his team’s shortcomings following their 3-1 series loss to England in the recently concluded five-match T20 International series.
Powell acknowledged the challenges the team faced in adapting to conditions early in the series but remained optimistic about their upcoming clashes with Bangladesh. This, as he believes, the Caribbean side once again showed glimpses of its potential throughout the series but were unable to consistently produce a complete performance.
In fact, England’s decision to bowl first in the opening three matches—two at Kensington Oval in Barbados and one at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia—exposed the West Indies' struggles to navigate challenging conditions.
They lost key wickets in quick succession during the powerplay in all three games, where they posted scores of 182-9, 158-8, and 145-8 and lost by eight wickets, seven wickets, and three wickets in that order.
As such, Powell admitted the team’s inability to adapt cost them dearly.
“I think we always, as a batting group, have a template that we try to work with; unfortunately, the template didn’t work in our first few games. It took us about two or three games to really wonder what’s really happening to us as a batting group, and we also need to sharpen up on a few areas as a bowling group,” Powell said after the rain-affected final game at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
While he views their victory in the fourth T20I when they pulled off a historic chase of England’s 218-5, scoring 221-5 to secure a five-wicket win as light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, that win was merely to salvage some pride.
It is with that in mind that Powell highlighted the importance of quicker assessment and adaptability as key takeaways from the series.
“As a team, we need to assess a little bit faster. We didn’t play good cricket for long enough periods, and that made it a tough series. I think a lot of credit has to be given to Jos [Buttler] and his team; they really came in our conditions and dominated,” the Jamaican stated.
Despite the loss, Powell, who was among the standout performers, finishing as the series’ second-highest run scorer with 153 runs, is determined to build on the positives from the England series as they shift focus to the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh next month.
“The way we played the last (fourth game) showed that we can play really good cricket. If we had just assessed the conditions a little bit earlier in the series, it possibly would have been a different outcome. These are lessons to be learned,” Powell noted.
Sri Lanka wrap up series win as rain washes out third ODI
Sri Lanka wrapped up a 2-0 series win over New Zealand after the third ODI was rained off in Pallekele.
Will Young (56 not out) and Henry Nicholls (46 not out) had the Black Caps trundling along nicely at 112-1 after 21 overs on Tuesday, with Tim Robinson having been dismissed for nine by Mohamed Shiraz (1-23).
But the rain closed in at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, and did not let up.
Eventually, the umpires had to call off play completely, denying New Zealand the chance to restore some pride after their opening two defeats.
Data Debrief: Rain sees the good run roll on
Sri Lanka have lost only one of their last nine ODIs (W6 T1) – an eight-wicket loss against West Indies (26 October 2024).
New Zealand's Young at least was able to celebrate a ninth ODI half-century, while Nicholls fell just short of a 17th 50 in the format.
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