New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips has been sidelined from their current tour of Zimbabwe due to a right groin strain.
The setback happened ahead of the tour, during his appearance in the Major League Cricket championship match.
Upon arriving in Zimbabwe, medical staff evaluated Phillips and determined that his recovery would take several weeks. As a result, Tim Robinson, who had been brought in as cover, will stay on with the squad for the remainder of the T20 Tri-Series, which also features South Africa.
As part of Washington Freedom’s MLC campaign, Phillips participated in 10 matches, with their run concluding in a final loss to MI New York. He accumulated 186 runs, averaging 62 with a strike-rate of 139.84.
Earlier this year, a similar groin issue had kept Phillips out for most of the IPL, which occurred after he suffered the injury while fielding as a substitute for Gujarat Titans.
New Zealand are also without Finn Allen, who was originally included in the squad but was later withdrawn after injuring his foot during a match for the San Francisco Unicorns in MLC.
“A player of Glenn’s calibre being unavailable is certainly a setback,” stated Rob Walter, who was recently named head coach of New Zealand.
“Just like Finn, Glenn was eager to be part of the Blackcaps squad for this series. Unfortunately, injury has ruled him out. We know he’ll be committed to his rehabilitation and I’m looking forward to seeing him back in action.”
Phillips will now return to New Zealand, accompanied by Mitch Hay and Jimmy Neesham—both of whom were travelling reserves. He had also been selected for the Test series against Zimbabwe. The Blackcaps have yet to announce his replacement.
In preparation for the 2025 ODI World Cup, Pakistan are set to host South Africa for a three-match ODI series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium
As part of their build-up to the 2025 ODI World Cup, Pakistan will host South Africa for a three-match One Day International series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, scheduled between September 16 and 22. Following this series, the team will fly to Sri Lanka, where they are scheduled to play all their group-stage encounters — and potential knockout rounds if they qualify.
Apart from a three-match T20I series planned in Dublin in early August, no other fixtures are on the calendar for Pakistan for the rest of 2025.
There, the squad will engage in a bilateral series featuring three ODIs and three T20Is, scheduled across February and March next year. Following that, they are expected to host Zimbabwe in April-May for another set of three ODIs and three T20Is.
Afterwards, Pakistan are expected to travel to Ireland in May-June for a T20I tri-series involving West Indies as the third participating nation. From there, they will proceed to England for their World Cup campaign.
. This will be followed by a separate fitness-based conditioning camp — both of which are designed as preparatory steps for the side’s five-match T20 tour of Bangladesh in December.n
On the domestic scene for senior women’s cricket, the PCB is currently “in discussions with several departments” to launch a departmental-level tournament for women. “This initiative aims to create more professional opportunities for our female players,” said Rafia Haider, the head of women’s cricket at PCB.If the departmental event materializes, it will be added to the domestic calendar alongside the women’s one-day tournament, scheduled in Karachi from November 6 to 24. Well-known international players are anticipated to participate in this competition, which will adopt a double round-robin format, comprising a total of 15 matches.
Furthermore, the national women’s T20 championship is expected to take place in Karachi from March 24 to April 17, 2026. An inter-university cricket tournament is also planned for October 2025, though specific venues and full fixtures are yet to be announced.
