Brisbane Heat registered a crushing 103-run victory over Melbourne Stars in the opening game of the Men's Big Bash.

 

Heat cruised to victory on home soil after setting the Stars 215 to win, helped by a score of 99 not out from Colin Munro.

 

In response, Stars lost early top-order wickets, including captain and 2023 World Cup winner Glenn Maxwell for 23.

 

Stars were bowled out for 111, with spinner Mitchell Swepson returning figures of 3-23.

Gloucestershire are exploring options to relocate from their historic Bristol County Ground to a new site on the edge of the city.

 

The club have played at the ground in Ashley Down, Bristol, for more than a century with the first match held on Nevil Road in 1889.

 

Gloucestershire said the move would "ensure the competitiveness and long-term sustainability" of the club.

 

The preferred site is in South Gloucestershire, close to the M4.

Emma Lamb has withdrawn from England's squad for the one-off Test match against India with a back injury.

 

Opening batter Lamb, 25, has returned to the UK to see a spinal surgeon.

 

Batter Maia Bouchier and spinner Kirstie Gordon have been called up to the squad for the four-day Test that starts in Mumbai on 14 December.

 

Bouchier is uncapped in Test cricket, while Gordon played one match against Australia in 2019 but has not represented England since.

 

Bouchier, 25, is part of Heather Knight's squad for the three-match T20 series which precedes the Test, but did not feature in England's opening 38-run win.

 

 

Australia batter David Warner has played down criticism from former team-mate Mitchell Johnson as he prepares to end his Test career.

 

The 37-year-old will retire from Tests after the series against Pakistan, which starts on 14 December in Perth.

 

Johnson questioned whether Warner deserves a "hero's send-off" after his central role in the 2018 'sandpapergate' ball-tampering scandal.

 

"Everyone is entitled to an opinion," Warner said.

 

"It would not be a summer of cricket without a headline. But moving forward, we are looking to a nice Test over in the west."

Former England opener Sam Robson has signed a two year contract extension with Middlesex.

 

Robson, 34, played seven Tests in 2014, scoring one century.

 

The right-hander made 856 runs at an average of 37.21 as Middlesex were relegated from Division One of the Championship last year.

Four of Hampshire's young players have signed new multi-year deals to stay with with the county.

 

John Turner, Fletcha Middleton, Tom Prest and Toby Albert, who came through the club's player pathway system, have agreed contract extensions having made their first XI debuts in recent years.

 

Director of Cricket Giles White said: "They are an exciting group. We look forward to watching them grow.

 

"We feel they have the attributes to help take the team to the next level."

Ireland's fightback fell just short as Zimbabwe sealed a thrilling last-ball win in the T20 series opener in Harare.

 

Ireland posted 147-8 and the hosts needed nine runs from their final over - winning it with two from Blessing Muzarabani off the last delivery.

 

Captain Sikandar Raza starred for Zimbabwe, taking three wickets then scoring 65 to lead their run chase.

 

Mark Adair became the first Irish bowler to take 100 T20 international wickets.

 

He struck twice as the visitors staged a late rally with the ball in what was the first of three T20 matches this week.

West Indies got over the line in a nervy chase to beat England by four wickets on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in a rain-shortened third one-day international in Barbados.

 

When play began two hours later than scheduled, seamer Matthew Forde quickly took three wickets on his international debut as England collapsed to 49-5.

 

Ben Duckett made 71 to help England recover and post 206-9 from 40 overs after another rain delay.

 

A further downpour left West Indies with a revised target of 188 from 34 overs and they looked on course for a comfortable victory thanks to a composed half-century from Keacy Carty.

The men's Big Bash League game between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers was abandoned after just 41 deliveries because of an unsafe pitch.

 

The Scorchers were 30-2 in Geelong when the umpires stopped play to inspect the pitch.

 

The players were taken off and the game was later abandoned, which was greeted with boos from the fans.

 

Renegades player Aaron Finch said there was concern about the bounce from a wet patch on the pitch.

 

A lot of rain had fallen in the Geelong area over the previous 24 hours which made preparation difficult for ground staff at the stadium.

A 104-run partnership between Harry Tector and George Dockrell helped Ireland clinch a 2-1 Twenty20 series victory over Zimbabwe in Harare.

 

Ryan Burl top-scored with 36 in the hosts' comparatively modest 140-6 but Ireland looked in trouble in their reply as they slipped to 37-4.

 

However, Tector followed his crucial 48 in Saturday's win with an unbeaten 54 as Ireland earned a six-wicket triumph.

 

Dockrell was also unbeaten on 49 as Ireland won with eight balls to spare.

 

Ireland captain Paul Stirling's struggles with the bat in the series continued as he contributed only six before being trapped lbw by Richard Ngarava and ex-skipper Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker and Curtis Campher also departed cheaply to leave Ireland on 37-4 after seven overs

England missed the chance to record a series clean sweep over India after falling to a five-wicket defeat in the third and final T20 in Mumbai.

 

Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 48 as the hosts chased down 127 with an over to spare at the Wankhede Stadium.

 

England needed a fine fifty from captain Heather Knight to post 126, having slipped to 76-8 at one stage.

 

Shreyanka Patil and Saiqa Ishaque were the pick of the India bowlers, taking three wickets each.

Australia bowler Mitchell Starc became the most expensive signing in Indian Premier League history when he was bought for 24.75 crore Indian rupees (£2.3m) by Kolkata Knight Riders.

 

The bid for Starc broke the record set earlier in Tuesday's auction when Pat Cummins was sold for 20.5 cr (£1.9m).