Yorkshire has been suspended from hosting international and major matches, including the Hundred final. Meanwhile, it is decided in the ECB board meeting to discuss the implications of the Azeem Rafiq racism investigation.

The club had been due to host the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley in June next year. Meanwhile, also including, an ODI against South Africa, and the potential for knockout fixtures in the Hundred. They were also scheduled to host an Ashes Test in 2023.

Read Also: Rahul Dravid appointed as new Indian Cricket Team's (Men's) Head Coach

What ECB said in their statement about Yorkshire Racism ?

The club would be stripped of its major-match status until it has "clearly demonstrated that it can meet the standards expected of an international venue, ECB member and first-class county".

ECB said in a statement

A senior Yorkshire player, Gary Ballance has also been suspended indefinitely from England selection. Meanwhile, he admitted to using racist language towards his former team-mate, Rafiq,

"It is clear to the Board that YCCC's handling of the issues raised by Azeem Rafiq is wholly unacceptable. And is causing serious damage to the reputation of the game,"

ECB said in a staement

"There is no place for racism or any form of discrimination in cricket. And where it is found, swift action must be taken. This matter must be dealt with robustly if the sport is to demonstrate its commitment to truly being a game for everyone." The ECB finds this matter abhorrent and against the spirit of cricket and its values.

Also Read: Ashes 2021-22: Joe Root believes this player can be "massive" for England

After initially refusing to make public the findings of an independent report, the ECB finally received a full copy last week. However, including the revelation - reported by ESPNcricinfo - that the racial slur "P**i" had been deemed an equivalent term to "Zimbo". "Zimbo" is the nickname that Rafiq was understood to have used for Ballance.

There is potential for further embarrassment for the club, and by extension, English cricket, when senior Yorkshire board members, including chairman Roger Hutton, chief executive Mark Arthur and director of cricket Martyn Moxon, appear before the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee on November 16. Rafiq is also expected to give testimony, under the protection of parliamentary privilege.

DCMS selecttion Committee's Chairman about the decision :

"The ECB's action in taking international cricket away from Yorkshire should act as a short, sharp shock to bring the club to its senses. Like the rest of us, I imagine the members of Yorkshire County Cricket Club will be questioning why the board is still in place."

Julian Knight MP, the DCMS select committee chairman, said

"As for Mr. Ballance, I'm choosing at this time not to comment on the specifics of the case. However, it would have been completely unacceptable if they had left him eligible for selection for the England cricket team."

Read Also: Most wins in T20I as captain

The ECB board has pledged to hold Yorkshire to account in relation to their handling of the matter. "Given recent events, it is clear there are serious questions regarding the governance and management of YCCC," the ECB statement continued. "The club's failure in relation to actions and responses to their own report represents a significant breach of its obligations to the game."

Harry Brook was recently named England's white-ball captain, succeeding Jos Buttler, who stepped down in February 2025 following a disappointing Champions Trophy campaign. Brook now has become the 38th ODI captain for England and 15th to be named as T20I captain of the country as well. 

Ray Illingworth was the first-ever ODI and white-ball captain of England, who was also part of the first-ever men's One-day cricket match in 1971. Mike Denness and Tony Greig followed him on the list.

Michael Vaughan was the first T20I captain of England as he led the team in the shortest format of the game for the first time in 2005. Stuart Broad and Craig Kieswetter are a few of the players who captained the team only in T20Is. In the meantime, Michael Vaughan, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, and Jos Buttler led them in both ODIs and T20Is. 

Read Also | Highest Totals in ODI cricket history

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham broke Wayne Rooney's record for England in Friday's 2026 World Cup World Cup Qualifiers clash against Albania. Jude helped his side to win 2-0 at the famous Wembley Stadium to collect three points. 

Bellingham started in Thomas Tuchel's first starting XI as England's boss. It was the 41st appearance of the 21-year-old. The English midfielder overtook Wayne Rooney for the most senior appearance for the England national football team at 21 or younger. The former Manchester United legend made 40 appearances.

41 - Jude Bellingham is making his 41st appearance for England, overtaking Wayne Rooney's record (40) for most games for the senior side while aged 21 or younger. Baton. pic.twitter.com/wBVzvIiFlL

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 21, 2025

Jude Bellingham made his senior debut for the National side being a 17-year-old in November 2020 on his debut England triumphed with a 3-0 victory over Ireland in a friendly match. He has since made 41 appearances and scored 6 goals and provided 10 assists.

Jude Bellingham continued his good form against Albania on Friday as well. He got the ball in midfield and went past a couple of players before putting a cross for the debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly and the debutant scored the goal and put his side a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute.

Harry Kane scored the second goal in the 77th minute and helped the Three Lions clinch a 2-0 victory over Albania. England is now at the top of the group k of 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The group also has Latvia, Serbia, and Andorra along with England and Albania.

Off to a winning start 🙌

A 2-0 success to start the Thomas Tuchel era and our @FIFAWorldCup qualifying campaign. pic.twitter.com/lXJYDIJsHA

— England (@England) March 21, 2025

While England beat Albania 2-0, Jude Bellingham spoke about things the Tuchel's managed side need to improve. Assessing his side's performance Jude said: (Via England Football)

Jude Bellingham against Albania:

- 90 minutes played
- 1 assist
- 0.43 xG
- 91% passing
- 102 touches
- 1 chance created
- 6 ground duels won
- 100% aerial duels won. pic.twitter.com/pAnrh2XGDy

— Madrid Universal (@MadridUniversal) March 21, 2025

I think we had clear ideas on what we wanted to do and how we wanted to play. We tried that as much as possible. I know it is difficult when you play against a team that sits so low and is so compact.

At times the game takes you a different direction. You want to go on the ball and move around but generally, we stuck to the plan really well. We had a really good week of training, and it was a good way to start the new era.

Australia started their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign on a winning note as they chased down the highest successful chase in tournament history. Australia chased down England's 352-run target with 15 balls remaining in the match. Jos Inglish was the star of the show with his maiden ODI ton during the chase. 

Ben Duckett dismantled the Australian bowling lineup with a recurrent breaking 165, the highest score by a better in Champions Trophy history. But, Australia ensured they made the highest successful chase in ICC Men's ODI events. Here's everything you need to know from the England vs Australia ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match.

Smith decided to bowl keeping the dew in mind

Steve Smith won the toss and decided to field first keeping the dew in mind. Ben Dwarshuis dismissed Phil Salt early in the second over. Despite a flying start to the innings, Dwarshuis was able to send back Jamie Smith for 15 in the sixth over as England found them at 43/2 after 5.2 overs.

But, then it was the partnership between Ben Duckett and Joe Root that took them to a record-breaking score. They first accumulated well to get their first fifty from 48 balls while Ben Duckett completed his fifty off 49 balls.

Root and Duckett build a solid partnership for England

Joe Root did his part by completing his fifty from 56 balls as they reached the 100-run mark for the third wicket in 94 balls. But, post his fifty, Duckett changed his gear instantly and his skill against the Aussie spinners was a masterclass from the southpaw opener.

But, after Root was trapped in front of the wicket by Adam Zampa, Ben Duckett lost support from the other end and England missed out on maybe 10 or 15 runs at the end.

Duckett's 3rd ODI ton gave England the momentum

Duckett went on to get his 100 off 95 balls, his 3rd ODI ton. Then he changed to fifth gear alongside captain Jos Buttler. Although Buttler was caught in the deep by Nathan Ellis off Glenn Maxwell, Duckett continued his slog and soon reached 150 off 134 balls.

He was finally dismissed by Marnus Labuschagne on 165 off 143 balls. Archer added a quick 21 from 10 balls to take England's total to 351/8 in the first inning.

Australia got off a flyer but lost wickets early

Just like England, Australia got a quick start but lost two wickets early. Travis Head was dismissed on 6 off 5 by Jofra Archer in the 4th over while Steven Smith was dismissed by Mark Wood for 5 in the next over. But, then, Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Short stitched a 95-run partnership to give others a platform to chase down the total.

With both Labushcagne and Short finding the gaps easily, they reached the 100-run mark in the 15th over and kept themselves in the chase. Meantime, Short reached his fifty in 47 balls but Marnus was outfoxed by Adil Rashid on 47 off 45 balls in the 20th over.

Though it looked a bit tough for the Aussies, who had not won a game in the ICC Champions Trophy in 16 years, they had batters with immense talent in the middle order.

Carey and Inglis steadied the ship

Jos Inglis, born in England, always had the game to win games for Australia, but needed to prove that now. Meantime, they had their most in-form batter in Alex Carey and Glenn Maxwell to come as well.

Livingstone dismissed Short (63) with a sharp caught and bowled chance in the 23rd over and it was then the partnership between Inglis and Carey that took Australia near to home. For the 5th wicket, they put up 100 runs in just 78 balls while Inglis completed his fifty. Australia reached the 250-run mark in the 38th over and Carey also completed his fifty off 49 balls.

Maxwell and Inglis finished things off

However post Carey's (69) dismissal in the 42nd over, things could have gone either way but Glenn Maxwell made sure he made things easier for them. Inglis eased to his maiden ODI ton while Maxwell started hitting the ball powerplay from the other end.

In the end, it was a comfortable win for the Aussies as Inglis remained unbeaten on 120 from 86 balls while Maxwell was undefeated on 32 from 15 balls. All the English bowlers except for Adil Rashid went more than 6 runs an over and that made it hard for Jos Buttler to control the game.

Buttler accepted that the score was good from but the dew affected more than he had expected. "Both sides played well, credit to Australia. fantastic innings from Inglis. 350 is a pretty good score, but it was wet and the dew was a worry," Buttler said.

"The guys were outstanding. Matt Short played beautifully, Travis and I the only two to miss out," Australian captain Steve Smith said in the post-match presentation. 

After a dominating victory in the T20I series, India started the ODI series with an easy win over England in Nagpur. The Men in Blue registered a 4-wicket victory in the India vs England, 1st ODI of the series. 

India were able to bundle the visitors for 248 only in the first inning. Harshit Rana and Ravindra Jadeja were the stars of the show with the ball with three wickets each. The batters chased down the score with 68 balls remaining in the match as Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill scored fifties.

Jasiwal and Rana debuted for India

Though the day did not start that well for India, the home team managed to make a great comeback in the match. First, it was the news of Virat Kohli's absence, who had to sit out due to a sore knee, a rare miss for the modern master. In his absence, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana made their ODI debut.

Then, it was the English openers who gave Rohit and the company many things to worry about.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana are all set to make their ODI debut TODAY! 🇮🇳💥

Wishing them all the best as they step onto the big stage! 🙌 #ODIDebut #TeamIndia #Cricket #YashasviJaiswal #HarshitRana #viratkohli #rohitsharma #gautamgambhir pic.twitter.com/C4cfZMkGcZ

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) February 6, 2025

England batters start well but lose momentum

Phil Salt and Ben Duckett went after the new ball bowlers and Harshit Rana went for 26 runs in the sixth over of the inning. But, the pacer made a great comeback with a two-wicket over. 

However, it was England who gave away the momentum as Shreyas Iyer ran out Phil Salt on 43 from 26 balls. Rana then dismissed Ben Duckett, all thanks to a stunning running catch from Yashasvi Jaiswal. Two balls later, Harry Brook edged the ball to KL Rahul while fending away a bouncer from the Delhi Pacer.

Excellent Run-out 👍
Sensational Catch 👌

Some fielding magic from #TeamIndia! 🪄 🙌

Follow The Match ▶️ https://t.co/lWBc7oPRcd#INDvENG | @ShreyasIyer15 | @ybj_19 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/lOp9r6URE4

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 6, 2025

Joe Root (19), who was returning to the ODI team after a long, tried to build a partnership with Jos Buttler but was trapped in front of the wicket by Ravindra Jadeja.

Then it was the 59-run partnership between Buttler and youngster Jacob Bethell that gave England the momentum to finish well. But, after the dismissal of Jos Buttler (52 off 67), England lost their way. Axar Patel was lucky to get the England captain out with a long huff. 

Though Bethell scored a beautiful fifty, none from the lower order contributed that much. Bethell (51 off 64) was outfoxed by Jadeja as the youngster went for the big shot and missed the ball completely. Jofra Archer added 21 runs at No. 10 to take England to 248.

Rana (53/3) and Jadeja (26/3) were the stars for India with the ball.

Rohit fails again with the bat

During the chase, India did not start that well as debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal was caught behind off an outstanding delivery by Jofra Archer. Jaiswal could only add 15 off 22. 

Indian captain Rohit Sharma's poor form continued as he spooned one in the leg side after scoring only 2 from 7. Saqib Mahmood got England back in the game with Rohit Sharma's wicket.

Iyer showcase class with an attacking inning

But, then it was all about Shreyas Iyer, who once again proved why he is called the best among the youngsters. Iyer came to the crease and took on the English bowlers with two huge sixes against Jofra Archer. He then went after the spin attack and completed his 19th ODI fifty in just 30 balls.

However, Jacob Bethell trapped him in front after that as Iyer (59 off 36) missed a sweep shot. Even the DRS could not save him.

Picked 🆙

..and DISPATCHED Twice 💥💥

Shreyas Iyer gets going in the chase in some style 👌👌

Follow The Match ▶️ https://t.co/lWBc7oPRcd#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @ShreyasIyer15 pic.twitter.com/eGsvGSZVSN

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 6, 2025

India team management then pulled out a surprising decision to send Axar Patel ahead of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja. Patel showed his intent right after coming to the crease and hit boundaries against Jacob Bethell and Liam Livingstone.

On the other hand, Shubman Gill kept on guiding the ball into the gaps and completed his 14th ODI fifty despite getting cramps. As England bowlers decided to change their plan and go short at Axar Patel and Shubman Gill, the runs kept on coming faster for India.

Patel proved Indian team management right with a solid fifty that helped Gill to manage his inning as well. Axar Patel scored his first ODI fifty in India and third in overall to cause more trouble to England bowlers. Patel (52) got out after his fifty as he tried to slog a leg spinner from Adil Rashid. 

Shubman Gill could not end the match the way he would have liked as he fell 13 short off a well deserved ton. Gill tried to play it over the mid off but only managed to get a edge to Buttler. In the end, Ravindra Jadeja (12) hit the wining run with Hardik Pandya (9) at the other end with 68 balls to go and 4 wickets in hand. 

India go 1-0 up in the three-match series and the next match of the series is in Cuttack on 9th February. 

Match Summary

India clinches victory by 4 wickets and takes a 1-0 lead in the ODI series. Different format, same winning mindset! 🇮🇳🏏

Rohit Sharma finally gets a win as captain after 7 matches! 🙌🔥#INDvENG #RohitSharma #TeamIndia #shreyasiyer #ShubmanGill #indiancricket pic.twitter.com/unrQuulimj

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) February 6, 2025

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of India vs England 3rd T20I in Rajkot at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.

This is Payal Debnath with all the live updates for you.

India are currently leading the series by 2-0. The men in blue won the first two matches in Kolkata and Chennai. They will look to seal the T20I series against England in the third match.

Also Read: ICC AWARDS 2024: Jasprit Bumrah wins Men's Test Cricketer of the Year while Mandhana wins Women's ODI cricketer of the Year award

So, sit back and relax as we start the live coverage for you. keep refreshing the page for all the latest updates.