Shreyas Iyer is on the road to recovery after sustaining a spleen injury during the third ODI against Australia. The Indian Cricket Board confirmed on Saturday, November 1, that Iyer has been discharged from a Sydney hospital and will soon return to India once cleared to travel.

In its official statement, the BCCI provided further details on the nature of the injury and his treatment. The board stated, “Shreyas Iyer sustained a blunt injury to his abdomen while fielding during the third ODI against Australia on 25th October 2025, resulting in a laceration of his spleen with internal bleeding. The injury was promptly identified, and the bleeding was immediately arrested following a minor procedure. He has undergone appropriate medical management for the same,”.

“He is now stable and recovering well. The BCCI Medical Team, along with specialists in Sydney and India, are pleased with his recovery, and he has been discharged from the hospital today.”

The statement also extended gratitude to doctors in both countries for their assistance.

“The BCCI extends its heartfelt gratitude to Dr Kouroush Haghigi and his team in Sydney, along with Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala in India, for ensuring Shreyas received the best treatment for his injury. Shreyas will continue to stay in Sydney for follow-up consultations and will return to India once he is deemed fit to fly.”

Shreyas Iyer sustained a spleen injury while taking a sharp running catch of Alex Carey during the Sydney ODI. Known for his athleticism in the field, he sprinted backward from point and completed the catch but landed heavily on his left side. He immediately appeared in pain and was helped off the field by the medical staff before being taken to a hospital for further examination.

New Delhi, Oct 29: Pakistan’s T20I captain Salman Agha was quite critical of his team’s performance in a 55-run loss to South Africa in the T20I series opener and pointed out that the team middel order failed to build partnerships.

Pakistan faced a 55-run defeat in the T20I series opener, with the Proteas taking a 1-0 lead. Chasing a target of 195, Pakistan was dismissed for 139 in 18.1 overs, hindered by a disciplined bowling effort from Corbin Bosch and George Linde. The loss highlighted Pakistan’s ongoing challenge in forming meaningful partnerships, a point Agha focused on during the post-match presentation.

“We started well. We didn’t start well when it comes to bowling but we pull things back. With the batting, we are losing too many wickets in the middle and we need to fix that and we need to make a quick turnaround from the previous time. I think we just need to do proper batting shift.

“We didn’t start well with the ball, but we pulled things back. With the batting, we are losing wickets quickly, and we need to have a quick turnaround. We have to take singles and doubles and make partnerships and the partnerships are missing right now in the middle. If we have good partnerships, then we can chase these kinds of totals. But right now, we are just losing too many wickets in the middle and that’s costing us a game as well,” he said.

Agha was also disappointed with his bowlers, saying that they didn’t do well in the powerplay. He noted that the wicket was one where, had they bowled on top of the off stump, it would’ve benefited them. However, he acknowledged that the bowlers failed to do so, which led to the visitors posting a big total.

“I think we didn’t bowl well when it comes to powerplay. We didn’t start it well, and I think it’s the kind of wicket that if we had bowled right on top of the off stump, it would’ve been good enough. But we didn’t bowl well. But we bowled really well when it comes to bowling in the middle overs and that’s positive for us.”

The two teams now feature in the second T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday. The third and final T20I of the series will also be staged at the same venue on Saturday.

Canberra, Oct 28: Australia skipper Mitch Marsh spoke about the team’s newly adopted aggressive approach ahead of their first T20I against reigning World Champions India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, and said the bold new style had developed organically, driven by the team’s personnel.

Australia’s new strategy in the shortest format will be put to the test by the visitors as the two sides gear up for a five-match T20I series down under. When the teams start their series here on Wednesday, the venue will be a hostile ground for the hosts, as passionate India supporters are expected to turn a sold-out Manuka Oval into a sea of blue, like they did during the recently concluded final ODI of the three-match series.

Since their dismal second consecutive T20 World Cup exit in 2024, Australia have adopted a more aggressive, quick-scoring approach, leading to 12 wins in their last 13 matches. Marsh has played a crucial role in that success, as his aggressive approach during powerplays at the top of the order has helped lay the groundwork for Australia’s winning streak.

“I think that’s happened quite organically, to be honest, just with the personnel we’ve got in the team. We had two World Cups where we didn’t quite go all the way, and I guess we spoke about wanting to change ourselves as a team to what we think can win us a World Cup. And as a batting unit, we have played a lot more aggressively.

“I think that’s been the nature of T20 cricket for a lot of teams over the last few years. We’re not gonna get it right every time. We will fail. But if we’re clear on how we wanna go about it, that gives us the best chance for success,” Marsh told reporters ahead of the T20I series opener.

However, India presents a more formidable challenge than Australia has encountered since their style change. The visitors have secured 17 wins in their last 19 T20 matches and are heavily favoured to win the forthcoming series and to defend the World Cup title when they hosts it in 2026.

“I know that we’ve got eight games to go for us, and we’re really building nicely with the way we want to play and go about it. We feel great at the moment, but we know there’s going to be a big series coming up,” he added.