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Root Nears Sachin, PAK Squad For WI Tour And Nayar In WPL – July 25 Cricket Highlights

Aakash Saini

Joe Root and Shaheen Afridi [Source: @englandcricket, @CallMeSheri1_/x]Joe Root and Shaheen Afridi [Source: @englandcricket, @CallMeSheri1_/x]

Joe Root records his 38th Test century by scoring 150 runs against India on Day 3 of the Old Trafford Test. The PCB has named Pakistan squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of West Indies. In other news, former Indian cricketer Abhishek Nayar is set to join the WPL 2026 season next year.

Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Friday, July 25.

Joe Root Becomes Second Highest Run-Getter In Tests

England’s run-machine Joe Root plundered 150 runs off 248 balls against India on Day 3 of the Old Trafford Test to mark his 38th century. The legendary cricketer levelled up with Kumar Sangakkara as the fourth joint-highest century maker in the format. Moreover, Root also motored past the overall Test tally of Rahul Dravid (13,288), Jacques Kallis (13,289) and Ricky Ponting (13,378) to become the second highest run-aggregator in the history of Test cricket.

With 13,409 runs from 286 Test innings, Joe Root currently finds himself only behind all-time great Sachin Tendulkar in the overall batting list.

Abhishek Nayar Joins UP Warriorz As WPL 2026 Coach

Former Indian all-rounder Abhishek Nayar has been roped in as head coach of the UP Warriorz franchise for next year’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 season. Nayar will be replacing former England cricketer Jon Lewis, who previously helmed the role for the last three editions of the tournament.

Earlier this year during the WPL 2025 season, the Deepti Sharma-led UP Warriorz franchise endured a bottom finish on the points table. The franchise also failed to qualify for the knockouts last year in WPL 2024.

Shaheen Afridi Returns As PAK Name Squad For WI Tour

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced two separate Pakistan squads for the upcoming white-ball tour of the West Indies. The Pakistan cricket team, led by Agha Salman in T20Is and Mohammad Rizwan in ODIs, will be facing hosts West Indies in three T20Is and three ODI matches between August 1 and August 12.

Premier fast bowler Shaheen Afridi will be making his return to T20I cricket through the series after missing Pakistan’s home and away assignments against Bangladesh.

World Cup Finalist Veda Krishnamurthy Announces Her Retirement

Veteran Indian Women batter Veda Krishnamurthy has announced her retirement from international cricket. The middle-order star last played for Team India back in March 2020 during the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia. She was part of the Indian team that reached the finals of the 2017 ODI World Cup in England, and in the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia, where the ‘Women in Blue’ lost the title to the host nation on both occasions.

Krishnamurthy played 48 ODIs and 76 T20Is during her international career, aggregating 1,704 runs across both formats in the process.

Bracewell Replaces Glenn Phillips For ZIM Tour

Michael Bracewell has been named as an injury replacement of New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips for the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe. Bracewell, who has played just eight Tests in his career so far, played the last of those matches back in March 2023, thus making the upcoming series his potential return to the red-ball playing XI after a gap of over two years.

Earlier this month, Phillips was ruled out of the tour owing to a groin injury he suffered during the MLC 2025 season in the USA. The Test series between New Zealand and hosts Zimbabwe will be played between July 30 and August 11 in Bulawayo.