In what comes as a good news for the India women’s cricket team, the Women in Blue have qualified for the LA28 Olympics despite being knocked out of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday. The India men’s cricket team is also expected to qualify for the marquee event later this year if they manage to stay on top of the rankings. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer and co. will be looking to make quick amends after losing their first-ever series to Ireland. In other news, Ben Stokes has ruled out taking a U-turn on his retirement in the future. On that note, let’s take a look at the top headlines from Monday.
India women qualify for LA28 Olympics
The ICc and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have revealed the qualification system for cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics. Using the rankings from the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, the ICC and IOC have confirmed Australia, Great Britain (England), India and South Africa as the teams that have qualified for the LA28 Olympics. Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania were all guaranteed one spot. The highest-placed eligible finishers from the continents have qualified. Read more here.
India outsmarted by Ireland
India cricket team assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted that there was a sense of disbelief within the dressing room after historic series loss to Ireland. Shreyas Iyer and co. were whitewashed 2-0 by the minnows and it was largely because of faulty team selection and the failure of the visitors to adapt to conditions quickly. Doeschate admitted that the defending T20 World Cup 2026 champions had been completely outsmarted by IRE. Read more here.
Pakistan to axe Shaheen Afridi?
The Pakistan cricket team might be going through a tectonic change right now. It seems the selectors don’t have enough trust on Shaheen Shah Afridi anymore, and won’t be included in the Test series against West Indies next month. In fact, it is expected that Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah and Noman Ali could be axed too. As per a report in PTI, Aaqib Javed seems to have revealed the probable squad to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday, who in turn has given him a free hand, to make any decisions in the interest of the PAK side. Read more here.
Latest cricket news
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Selection questions for IND vs ENG T20Is
Following that historic series defeat to Ireland, India’s think tank and management have a lot to ponder over ahead of the India vs England T20I series. Fresh off a hectic IPL 2026 season on batting-friendly surfaces, the batters failed to adapt to a bouncy track in Belfast. Two schools of thought seem to be circulating. The first wants heads to roll. The second would be to ignore what happened. It’s a non-consequential series. Read more here.
Ben Stokes won’t come back from retirement
Ben Stokes has ruled out the possibility of potentially taking a U-turn on his Test retirement and returning for the Ashes 2027 against Australia at home. The all-rounder had reportedly made up his mind to hang up his boots after the Lord’s Test, before the nightclub debacle, and finally called time on his career midway through the Trent Bridge Test against New Zealand. Read more here.
LA Olympics 2028 cricket qualification criteria
The qualification system for cricket at LA Olympics 2028 is finally out and Indian fans should be a happy lot. As per the IOC-approved system, after recommendation by the ICC, 6 teams each will participate in the men’s and the women’s competition at the LA28. Out of that, one place each will be reserved for the host nation (conditions apply). Four quotas will be handed out to the best-ranked team in a continent (India best in both men’s and women’s), which would help India participate in both the events. Read more here.
