Franchise Cricket

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England's Tammy Beaumont made 64 to set up Adelaide Strikers' six-wicket win over Brisbane Heat in the Women's Big Bash League.

Chasing 150, Beaumont, who hit eight fours and three sixes in her 40-ball innings, shared 99 for the first wicket with Laura Wolvaardt (49 off 45) before she was dismissed in the 13th over.

Maddie Penna fell in the next over but Wolvaardt shared 32 with captain Tahlia McGrath to settle any nerves.

South Africa skipper Wolvaardt and Bridget Patterson were dismissed but McGrath (24 not out) saw Strikers over the line with two balls to spare.

They sit fifth, just outside the knockout spots on net run-rate, while Heat remain winless and are bottom of the table.

Sunday's other game saw Ellyse Perry strike an unbeaten 77 off 44 balls to give Sydney Sixers a six-wicket win over city rivals Thunder.

Chasing 175, Perry initially played second fiddle to England's Sophia Dunkley, who made 44 off 35 balls in an opening stand of 58.

It was the same in a partnership of 54 with Alyssa Healy (33 off 22) before Perry went through the gears.

She hit 34 off 16 balls in a stand of 41 with Ash Gardner (three off eight) and then calmly got Sixers over the line with five balls left once Gardner and Maitlan Brown were dismissed.

Thunder had earlier posted 174-6 with former England captain Heather Knight making 65 off 47 balls.

Sixers sit third in the table and know two wins in their final three games will see them progress. Thunder are seventh and need two wins and other results to go their way.

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Aspin Stallions booked their place in their first Abu Dhabi T10 League final with a seven-wicket win over Quetta Qavalry.

Qavalry, who qualified top of the group after wins in their first six matches, were asked to bat first and posted 102-6 with United States' Andries Gous making 26 and England's Liam Livingstone 25.

Stallions, who are playing in the tournament for the first time, slipped to 13-2 but a stunning innings from Sherfane Rutherford saw them over the line.

The West Indies batter crashed 66 not out off 22 balls, with six fours and six sixes, as Stallions booked their place in Sunday's final with seven balls to spare.

Qavalry will have a second chance to reach the final in Sunday's Qualifier 2 against UAE Bulls.

Bulls booked their place in that game with a comfortable 47-run win over Ajman Titans in the Eliminator.

After being put in, Bulls posted a joint tournament record high-score of 162-3 with England's Phil Salt top-scoring with 59 off 26 balls.

Australia's Tim David also crashed 40 off 13, while Rovman Powell finished unbeaten on 32 from 10 balls.

Titans openers Alex Hales (35 off 18) and Aneurin Donald (37 off 18) put on 68 for the first wicket but the former was dismissed by Junaid Siddique off the first ball of the sixth over, before he removed Rilee Rossouw first ball.

At this stage Titans were well behind the required run-rate and were unable to recover with former England all-rounder Moeen Ali out for eight.

Sunday's Abu Dhabi T10 League schedule

Qualifier 2: Quetta Qavalry v UAE Bulls (11:30 GMT)

Final: Apsin Stallions v winner of qualifier 2 (13:45 GMT)

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South Africa batter Faf du Plessis has opted not to enter the Indian Premier League auction for 2026 so he can "take on a new challenge" in the Pakistan Super League.

The 41-year-old has played in the past 12 IPLs, and only missed the 2013 edition since making his debut in the tournament in 2012.

The right-hander has scored 4,773 runs, at an average of 35.09, for four sides - Chennai Super Kings (2012, 2014-2015 and 2018-2021), Rising Pune Supergiant (2016-2017), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2022-2024) and Delhi Capitals (2025).

He has won the tournament twice with Chennai Super Kings and was man of the match for his 59-ball 86 in the 2021 final.

In a statement on Instagram, external, Du Plessis, who has played six games in the PSL previously, said: "It's a big decision, and one that comes with a lot of gratitude when I look back.

"This league [the IPL] has been a massive part of my journey. India has given me friendships, lessons and memories that have shaped me as a cricketer and as a person.

"This year I've chosen to take on a new challenge and will be playing in the upcoming PSL season.

"It's an exciting step for me - a chance to experience something new, to grow as a player and to embrace a league filled with incredible talent and energy.

"A new country. A new environment. A new challenge. I'm looking forward to the Pakistan hospitality. See you all soon."

The dates for both the 2026 IPL and PSL are yet to be announced, but the two tournaments are expected to overlap.

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England batter Jordan Cox has signed as a replacement player for the injured Saqib Mahmood at Pretoria Capitals in the SA20.

Capitals announced that Mahmood has been ruled out of the tournament, but did not specify what injury the 28-year-old had.

Cox, 25, will join up with Pretoria after representing Dubai Capitals in the International League T20, which runs until 4 January.

The right-hander has played six T20s for England, scoring 88 runs in four innings. His previous experience in the SA20 was with Sunrisers Eastern Cape, but he struggled and only scored 44 runs in seven innings.

The fourth edition of the SA20 runs from 26 December to 25 January.

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England batters Nat Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt-Hodge hit half-centuries to help Hobart Hurricanes secure a seven-wicket win over Perth Scorchers and reclaim top spot in the Women's Big Bash League.

Chasing 187 for victory, Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt-Hodge combined for a superb partnership of 135 after the early dismissal of opener Lizelle Lee.

England captain Sciver-Brunt fell for 81 off 48 balls late on and Wyatt-Hodge was dismissed for 55 off 38 shortly after.

But Nicola Carey and Hurricanes captain Elyse Villani steered their side home with five balls to spare.

The Scorchers posted 186-5 at Ninja Stadium in Hobart, with Australia star Beth Mooney hitting 75 off 55, while England pair Freya Kemp (34 off 22) and Paige Scholfield (26 not out off 13) boosted the visitors' total.

But an excellent chase by the Hurricanes ensured they again top the eight-team league by one point over Melbourne Stars.

The Stars had overtaken Hobart earlier in the day following a comprehensive 45-run win over the Renegades in the Melbourne derby.

The Stars posted 160-5 thanks to former Australia captain Meg Lanning's unbeaten 73 off 58 and England wicketkeeper Amy Jones adding 43 off 33.

Defending champions the Renegades could not get going in the chase, collapsing to 115 all out in 16.3 overs, with leg-spinner Maisy Gibson taking 3-17.

• WBBL fixtures & table

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Vista Riders missed out on a place in the knock-out stages of the Abu Dhabi T10 after they lost by 19 runs to Deccan Gladiators in the final group game.

Namibia's David Wiese smashed 40 from 16 balls for Gladiators as they scored 134-6, while Riders' 66-run fourth wicket partnership between Ben McDermott (43*) and Dwaine Pretorius (38) was not enough in reply, as they finished on 115-4.

Had Riders won they would have overhauled UAE Bulls, who took the final qualifying spot with the best net run-rate of four teams who finished on six points.

They beat Ajman Titans, who also progress from third in the table, by three wickets in the day's opening fixture.

Bulls were 15-3 after eight balls, chasing 127, having lost England opener Phil Salt for four and Rovman Powell and Tom Moores for ducks.

However Australia batter Tim David hammered 40 from 12 balls, while the West Indian trio of Kieron Pollard (27*), Sunil Narine (26) and Romario Shepherd offered support to see the Bulls home with an over to spare.

Top triumphed over bottom in the second match of the day, with Royal Champs finishing their season with back-to-backs victories, beating Quetta Qavalry by 14 runs.

United States wicketkeeper Andries Gous cracked 62 from 33 balls for Qavalry, but it wasn't enough as they finished on 97-4, having seen Vishen Halambage (41 off 19) top-score for Champs in their 111-8.

Quetta, who suffered their first defeat of the season, had already secured a place in the knock-out stages alongside Aspin Stallions, who remain in second after Titans' defeat.

The tournament concludes with knock-out matches and a final on Saturday and Sunday.

• Table (external site), external

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Sydney Thunder were agonisingly denied by the rain in their game against Adelaide Strikers in the Women's Big Bash League.

Thunder were chasing 46 in five overs to beat Strikers and were 43-0 when the rain returned 2.5 overs into their innings.

Phoebe Litchfield had smashed eight fours in an unbeaten 38 off 15 balls, while Georgia Voll was five not out.

Strikers' innings was delayed by rain, with the match shortened to five overs per side.

They posted 45-2 with Laura Wolvaardt making 22 off 13 balls and Tahlia McGrath 12 not out off six.

Both sides take a point but remain outside of the knockout places with Strikers sixth and Thunder seventh.

Friday's other game between Sydney Sixers and Brisbane Heat was washed out with a ball bowled.

Sixers are fifth, and Heat, who are yet to win, are bottom.

• WBBL fixtures & table

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Aspin Stallions booked their place in the Abu Dhabi T10 League knockouts with a six-wicket win over UAE Bulls.

Chasing 120, Stallions got over the line with three balls to spare with Ben Cutting making 39 off 18 balls, Andre Fletcher 30 off 15 and Rahmanullah Gurbaz 29 off 10.

Bulls, who must win their final game on Friday and hope other results go their way, posted 119-5 with England's Phil Salt top-scoring with 44 off 17.

Thursday's opening game saw Quetta Qavalry extend their 100% record to six games as they beat Vista Riders for the first super over win in the tournament's history.

Qavalry posted 104-5 with Muhammad Waseem making 41 not out off 14 balls, and Riders matched that effort thanks to Ben McDermott's 44 off 27.

Riders then hit 12 off the super over, but Qavalry won with a ball to spare with England's Liam Livingstone hitting successive fours.

Qavalry have secured top spot and two chances to reach the final, while Riders need to win on Friday.

The final game of the day saw already eliminated Royal Champs pick up their first victory with a seven-wicket win over Northern Warriors.

Chasing 81 to win, Champs slipped to 50-3 but Quentin Sampson and Aaron Jones got them over the line with eight balls to spare.

Warriors, who are now relying on other results to progress, were restricted to 80-5, with Daniel Sams claiming 3-12.

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England all-rounder Alice Capsey's 4-14 was in vain as defending champions Melbourne Renegades lost by four wickets to Perth Scorchers in the Women's Big Bash League.

Chasing 151, Scorchers got off to a good start with Beth Mooney (41 off 34) and Sophie Devine (46 off 24) sharing 57 for the first wicket.

Capsey picked up her first wicket, removing Katie Mack, to leave Scorchers 80-2 but Mooney was still at the crease and a calming presence.

She fell to the first ball of a dramatic 17th over, with Capsey also removing Paige Scholfield and Chloe Ainsworth to leave them 118-6 and needing 33 from 36 balls.

However, they got over the line with eight balls to spare thanks to England's Freya Kemp (18 not out off 14) and Lilly Mills (15 not out off 16).

Renegades were all out from the final ball of their innings for 150 after being asked to bat first.

They were 94-7 but Nicole Faltum (41 not out off 28) and Sarah Coyte (24 off 18) put on 46 in 35 balls to drag them up to a respectable total.

The win puts Scorchers fourth, behind third-place Renegades on net run-rate.

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Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali crashed 31 off 12 balls to set up Ajman Titans' 21-run victory over Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10 League and give them a fourth successive win.

Moeen gave Titans momentum at the backend of the innings as they posted 109-6.

Gladiators were well set at 61-2 but Nicholas Pooran's dismissal ended a 47-run partnership with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and sparked a collapse.

The defending champions fell to 64-5 and finished 88-7 as they suffered a fourth successive loss.

Wednesday's opening game saw Northern Warriors boost their knockout hopes with a 35-run victory over UAE Bulls.

New Zealand's Colin Munro powered an unbeaten 77 off 35 balls as Warriors posted 138-1.

Bulls lost England opener Phil Salt (6) early and slipped to 31-3 and were unable to recover, finishing on 103-7 and leaving them likely needing to win their final two games to have any hope of progressing.

The final game of the day saw Aspin Stallions keep their hopes of progressing alive with a seven-run win over Royal Champs, who remain winless and are now eliminated.

Stallions posted 134-5 after opting to bat first with Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz top-scoring with 30 off 12 balls.

Jason Roy was dismissed in the second over of Champs' chase but Scotland's Brandon McMullen shared 79 with Mohammad Shahzad, who retired hurt with Champs needing 38 off two overs.

Aaron Jones and Chris Jordan both made eight off three balls but McMullen, who finished 59 not out off 28 balls, was unable to give Champs their first win.