India will play Tests in Sri Lanka for the first time since 2017. [Cricbuzz] Share Tweet As reported by Cricbuzz earlier, India are set to play a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka starting August 15. The series will be a part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.…
India will play Tests in Sri Lanka for the first time since 2017. [Cricbuzz]
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As reported by Cricbuzz earlier, India are set to play a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka starting August 15. The series will be a part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. India and Sri Lanka are placed fifth and sixth respectively on the WTC table.
The first Test will be played at Galle between August 15-19 while the second Test will be at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo between August 23-27. This will be India’s first Test series in the island nation since 2017.
The two boards had previously discussed the possibility of adding three T20Is to the tour, but Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) media release makes no mention of those matches. [Cricbuzz]
Latest News Google must pay €4.1bn fine for using Android to ‘block’ rivals
Published 1 hour agoon 2026/07/2
Europe’s top court has ruled Google must pay a €4.1bn (£3.5 bn) fine handed down for using its Android mobile operating system to block rivals.
The European Commission had originally handed out a €4.3 bn (then £3.9 bn) fine in 2018, but this was trimmed to €4.1 bn in 2022. An appeal brought by the tech giant has now been dismissed.
It is the largest penalty the Commission has ever imposed against Google,
A Google spokesperson said the judgement “fails to recognise” the firm’s “significant investment to ensure Android remains open, interoperable and free”.
“In any event, we adapted our agreements to comply with the initial decision back in 2018 and we remain focused on continued innovation and openness for our users, partners and developers,” they continued.
When the fine was first announced in 2018, it was alleged there were three ways in which Google had acted illegally:
requiring Android handset and tablet manufacturers to pre-install the Google Search app and its own web browser Chrome as a condition of allowing them to offer access to its Play app store
making payments to large manufacturers and mobile network operators that agreed to exclusively pre-install the Google Search app on their device.
preventing manufacturers from selling any smart devices powered by alternative “forked” versions of Android by threatening to refuse them permission to pre-install its apps.
It was acknowledged that Google’s version of Android does not prevent device owners downloading alternative web browsers or using other search engines.
Google’s chief executive Sundar Pichai blogged in response at the time to the original fine that the decision “rejects the business model that supports Android, which has created more choice for everyone, not less.”
This is not the first case brought against Google and its parent company Alphabet by the European Commission.
In September 2024 it ruled Google must pay a £2bn fine handed down for abusing the market dominance of its shopping-comparison service.
Then in September 2025, it fined the search giant €2.95bn (£2.5bn), finding it had breached competition laws by favouring its own products for displaying online ads, to the detriment of rivals.
The fine is not the largest ever imposed on Google, however.
In October 2024 a charge was brought against the firm by a Russian court for restricting Russian state media channels on YouTube.
The fine was for two undecillion roubles – more than the world’s total GDP. (BBC)
Latest News England’s top three and South Africas quicks, both best in class, prepare for semi-final fight
Published 3 hours agoon 2026/07/2
Laura Wolvaardt will be keen on finding her touch (Cricinfo) After first semi-final of the Womens T20 World Cup between Australia and West Indies turned out to be a mismatch, the second has signs of being a far more even contest. Still, with home conditions and unbeaten record behind them, England go in as favourites against South Africa. England dominated the group stage, winning all five games. Their batting has found contributions from everywhere, their bowlers have adapted to varying conditions, and they have rarely looked under pressure. Their top three have scored at a run rate of 8.8, the best in the tournament, mostly thanks to Danni Wyatt Hodge’s superb form. The return of Nat Sciver-Brunt after injury strengthens an already formidable line-up, although Sophia Dunkley ensured England scarcely felt her absence at No. 3. Having fallen short of the semi-finals in 2024, England now have what feels like their best opportunity to reclaim the T20 World Cup on home soil.
South Africa, meanwhile, arrive after winning four of their five group games, but their campaign has lacked the fluency England have displayed. There have been moments of individual brilliance but with a line-up that boasts of several big names like Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Tazmin Britts and Nadine de Klerk, they haven’t looked menacing. If spin has been England’s greatest strength with the ball, South Africa’s pace attack has carried their campaign. Kapp, Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka have been among the key wicket-takers, with their pace unit sharing 25 wickets between them – the highest in the tournament – while averaging 18.84, second only to Australia. Their battle against England’s in-form top order could well shape the outcome of the semi-final. South Africa are no strangers to the knockout stages anymore, having been finalists at the previous two T20 World Cups. In 2023, they knocked England out of the T20 World Cup in the semi-final and repeated the feat in the ODI World Cup last year. In both those games, it was Wolvaardt and Brits’ opening effort that sent England packing, and it remains to be seen if they can outdo England’s in-form opening pair this time to make another final
Consistency is her middle name, but South Africa captain Wolvaardt hasn’t hit top form in the tournament yet. She looked close against Netherlands, unfurling her trademark cover drives once she got going, only to fall for a 36-ball 45. Against Bangladesh, she bagged a first-ball duck. Those returns are at odds with the form she carried into the World Cup, having compiled three half-centuries and a hundred in South Africa’s series win over India. As someone with a reputation for always turning up in knockouts, Wolvaardt will be keen on finding her touch. Sophie Ecclestone has quietly gone about another outstanding ICC event. In 23 T20 World Cup innings, she has claimed 37 wickets while conceding just 4.7 runs an over, underlining her remarkable consistency on the biggest stage. While England’s batters have grabbed headlines, Ecclestone has remained the constant with the ball, controlling the middle overs with her accuracy, changes of pace and ability to strike at crucial moments. South Africa’s batting has often relied on one or two players carrying the load this tournament, and if Ecclestone can break those partnerships early, England will fancy their chances of keeping the scoring in check.
England captain Sciver-Brunt is fit to play in the semi-final after recovering from a calf injury. Though she chose not to reveal who makes way for her, Dunkley, who filled in at No. 3, is likely to miss out despite a good run. England (probable): Amy Jones (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell
South Africa have all players fit and available and are unlikely to make changes to their XI South Africa (probable): Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba. (Cricinfo)
Latest News USA beat Bosnia 2-0 despite Balogun red card, enter World Cup last 16
Published 7 hours agoon 2026/07/2
Weston McKennie and Sebastian Berhalter celebrate winning the World Cup round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina (Aljazeera) A 10-man United States team (USA) roared into the next round of the World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, ending a 24-year wait for a knockout-stage win to keep alive hopes of a dream American run in the global showpiece. In a dramatic high-tempo game in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday, Folarin Balogun scored near halftime but was sent off after the break. Malik Tillman then doubled the lead eight minutes from time with a sumptuous free kick. It was a physical encounter where luck was not always on the side of the hosts, with Balogun and Christian Pulisic having goals ruled out, and Balogun dismissed for a serious foul on Tarik Muharemovic that appeared accidental. Chris Brady and teammates applaud fans after the match [Aljazeera] The Americans burst into the game with a barrage of attacks on the Bosnian area, spurred on by the reverberating roars of “U-S-A” by a partisan crowd that came with high expectations. The USA delivered with speed and intensity, with Pulisic back in the team and determined to make his mark, Balogun a constant threat, and Weston McKennie and Tillman showing good form. Victory brought an end to USA’s run of 10 consecutive defeats by European opposition, and set up a last-16 tie in Seattle with Belgium, who rallied from two goals down to beat Senegal 3-2 after extra time. (Aljazeera)