The Weekly Wicket: Australia Seal 4-1 Ashes Win to WPL 2026 Begins - This Week in Cricket

Australia sealed the Ashes 4-1 as Usman Khawaja retired. Bangladesh faced uncertainty over T20 World Cup 2026 venues, WPL 2026 kicked off, Rishabh Pant suffered an injury, Shreyas Iyer returned to action, and Shubman Gill reacted to his T20 WC snub.

Cricket in a Week

The second week of January has been quite eventful for cricket fans, with Ashes 2025-26 concluding emphatically, off-field controversies brewing, especially around Bangladesh cricket’s T20 World Cup 2026 participation, injury setback to Rishabh Pant ahead of the ODI series against New Zealand, and the Women’s Premier League returned to the spotlight.

As the second week of January concludes, let’s take a look at the top cricket highlights of the week that grabbed the headlines.

1. Australia Sealed the Ashes with 4-1

Australia, which already clinched the Ashes series after three successive wins, concluded the campaign in a dominant fashion with a five-wicket win in the fifth and final Test against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Steve Smith-led team headed into the series finale with a 3-1 lead and ensured that there was no last twist by sealing a comprehensive 4-1 series win.

The final Test was hanging in the balance as Australia and England battled on a gripping final day of the Sydney Test, with the visitors fighting back through gritty 154-run knock by Jacob Bethell before the hosts’ experienced campaigners steadied the 160-run chase, Alex Carey and Cameron Green guiding the hosts home to a nervy five‑wicket victory and seal the Ashes 4‑1 series triumph. With this, Australia remained unbeaten in the Ashes since the 2017-18 series.

2. Usman Khawaja Ends International Career on Emotional High

Veteran Australian opener Usman Khawaja finished his international career on an emotional high following Australia’s Sydney Test. The 39-year-old announced that he would retire from international cricket after playing his last match in front of his home ground, Sydney Cricket Ground. However, Khawaja did not have an ideal ending to his international career as he scored 17 and 6 in both innings in his final match.

In the Ashes 2025-25 series, Usman Khawaja batted in the middle order and aggregated 176 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 25.14 in 4 matches. However, Khawaja will continue to play domestic cricket for Queensland and the Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat. The veteran Australian batter recently made his comeback to the Big Bash League and scored 78 off 48 balls in Brisbane’s seven-wicket win over Sydney Thunder.

3. Damien Martyn Returns Home Amid Meningitis Recovery

Former Australian batter and two-time ODI World Cup winner, Damien Martyn, was discharged from the hospital, as confirmed by his ex-national teammate, Adam Gilchrist. On Boxing Day, December 26, Martyn fell seriously ill while resting at home and was immediately taken to the hospital in Queensland, where he was put in an induced coma due to meningitis.

A week later, Martyn came out of form and made steady progress in his recovery. On the sidelines of the final day of the Ashes Sydney Test, Gilchrist stated Damien Martyn returned home after being discharged from the hospital, but still has a long way to go for full recovery. Martyn, another ex-Australia teammate of Steve Waugh, called his recovery ‘almost a miracle’, given the severity of his illness and his health condition.

4. Shreyas Iyer Makes a Comeback after Injury Layoff

Team India ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer made his return to competitive cricket in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai after being out of action for two months due to a spleen injury sustained during the third ODI against Australia in Sydney. On his return, Iyer played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 82 off 53 balls against Himachal Pradesh. This was followed by a 45-run knock against Punjab.

Considering his performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Shreyas Iyer was declared match fit to play the ODI series against New Zealand. The Punjab Kings skipper is a crucial player in India’s long-term ODI plans in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia

5. Bangladesh Cricket Faces Off-Field Challenges

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is currently in turmoil as they sought the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move their national team’s T20 World Cup 2026 group stages out of India, citing security concerns and players’ safety after the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released Mustafizur Rahman from the squad as per the directive by the BCCI amid the heightened religious and political tensions between two nations.

It was reported that the ICC has thus far rejected Bangladesh’s request for a venue change for their group matches of the T20 World Cup, insisting the team would need to play at the scheduled venues or risk forfeiting games. 

However, former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal urged the BCB to prioritise the future and interests of Bangladesh cricket, suggesting that the board should resolve the sensitive issue internally through dialogue rather than making public statements. However, Tamim Iqbal was labelled an ‘Indian agent’ by a BCB official for his statement, sparking angry reactions from the Bangladeshi players.

6. Women’s Premier League 2026 Begins

The fourth edition of the Women’s Premier League kick-started with the defending champions Mumbai Indians locking horns with the 2024 winner Royal Challengers Bengaluru at DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The 24-match tournament will take place across two venues - Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium and Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, with five teams - Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gujarat Giants, UP Warriorz, and Delhi Capitals vying for supremacy.

Mumbai Indians lost the opening match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru before making a comeback against Delhi Capitals. RCB and UPW won a match each, while DC lost their opening game. Meanwhile, Delhi suffered its biggest defeat in WPL after losing to MI by 50 runs, surpassing their 33-run defeat to UP in 2025.

7. PSL add Hyderabad and Sialkot Teams Ahead of 2026 Season

The PSL witnessed the addition of two new teams - Sialkot and Hyderabad, extending to an eight-team competition for the 2026 season, which will begin on March 26. Over the past 10 seasons, the league operated with six teams -Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Multan Sultans, Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi, and Quetta Gladiators.

With the addition of Sialkot and Hyderabad, the PSL enters a new phase with an expanded eight-team format, starting from the 2026 season. The Sialkot franchise was sold for $6.5 million (PKR 1.85 billion/approximately INR 59 crore) to OZ Developers, while the Hyderabad franchise was acquired by the US-based aviation firm FKS Group for $6.2 million (PKR 1.75 billion/approximately INR 55 crore).

8. Sanjay Manjrekar’s ‘ODIs are Easiest Format’ Dig at Virat Kohli

Former India batter turned commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar, sparked controversy by arguing that Virat Kohli’s decision to walk away from Test cricket rather than fixing his flaws, comparing him to England star batter Joe Root, and continuing to play only ODIs amounted to choosing ‘the easiest format’ for a top-order batsman, which sparked criticism from the fans, who dismissed his views as unfair and oversimplified.

Recently, Manjrekar clarified his remark, stating that many players only queue to bat high in one-day games because the format lacks the sustained challenge of Test cricket. Kohli retired from Tests and T20Is and is solely focusing on ODI cricket, intending to extend his career till the 2027 World Cup.

9. Shubman Gill Breaks Silence on T20 World Cup Snub

Team India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill finally broke his silence on his omission from the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. Appointed as T20I vice–captain ahead of Asia Cup 2025, Gill was surprisingly excluded from the squad, with the BCCI chief selector stating that lack of runs and combinations were factors behind his omission.

Speaking to the reporters ahead of the NZ ODI series opener in Vadodara, Gill stated that he trusts his destiny and will contribute to the team whenever he gets a chance. Though disappointed over his exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad, the 26-year-old respects the decision taken by the selectors and expressed full support for India’s marquee event campaign.

10. Rishabh Pant Ruled Out of IND vz NZ ODI Series

Team India suffered a big blow as Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the ODI series against New Zealand after sustaining an injury during the nets session ahead of the opening match at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. Pant was reportedly hit just above the waist by a delivery from a throwdown specialist during a lengthy batting session in the nets in Barado.

Pant was immediately attended by a physiotherapist and left the nets session by grimacing in pain. According to an official statement, Rishabh Pant suffered an oblique muscle tear and thus, wouldn't play the entire ODI series, and Dhruv Jurel has been announced as his replacement.