After dominating the T20 and 50-over World Cups, Australia women have completed the set with a Commonwealth Games title, steamrolling India in the final. Elsewhere, even as the women's Hundred kicked off and the UAE ILT20 and CSA T20 league revealed their first few signings, fresh debate on the cricket calendar and player workloads and the explosion of T20 cricket broke out this week as two senior players, Meg Lanning and Trent Boult, announced their intention to limit their participation in international cricket. Here's a round-up of the top stories and features of the week.
Mooney, Gardner and Schutt lead Australia to gold in pulsating Commonwealth Games final
After restricting Australia to 161, India looked well on their way to their target after a Harmanpreet Kaur fifty but back-back wickets by Ash Gardener triggered a spectacular collapse. Then, just three days after their gold-medal win, Australia captain Lanning announced a hiatus from the game, to "enable me to spend time focusing on myself".
Boult's choice a landmark moment in cricket's fast-evolving landscape
A day before Lanning's announcement, New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult opted out of a central contract to spend more time with family and to make himself available for T20 leagues. It's a tipping point for cricket as a whole, says Sidharth Monga.
Axar, Bishnoi and Kuldeep share all ten wickets as India go 4-1 with commanding win
India closed out the T20I series against West Indies by winning both the last two games, in Florida. It's been a T20 reinvention of sorts for India, and Deivarayan Muthu says the team owes much of it to Rohit Sharma.
Zimbabwe seal series victory after Raza and Chakabva script thrilling comeback
Sikandar Raza's second successive unbeaten century and captain Regis Chakabva's 102 off just 75 balls fired Zimbabwe to a five-wicket win over Bangladesh to complete their first ODI series win against a major team in five years. For Raza, it's been an immensely successful month, and Zimbabwe are winning because of his form, says Mohammad Isam. Has any Zimbabwe player made a higher score in a successful ODI chase than Sikandar Raza? Steven Lynch has the answer in this week's Ask Steven.
Women's Hundred team-by-team previews: Oval Invincibles face tough task to retain title
The women's Hundred has kicked off and Alan Gardner and Matt Roller have a guide to each of the eight squads ahead of the second edition. And after last year's success, Dane van Niekerk, captain of the defending champions, Oval Invincibles, has high expectations of the second year.
If 50-over cricket is dying, maybe it needs to be put on a pedestal
Cricket's calendar is fast approaching breaking point. ODI cricket has no chance, on the face of it, unless some drastic changes are made, says Mark Nicholas.
George Garton's battle with Long Covid: 'I'd walk two minutes and need to sit down for half an hour'
While a lot of cricketers have battled Covid, some multiple times, the lingering effects of the illness on active cricketers has not been studied or documented. Garton, one of the few to suffer from Long Covid, spoke to Matt Roller about how the illness derailed him for the better part of a year.
He smashed jaws, he thrashed sixes: Wasim Akram in the Birmingham league in 1999
Twenty-three years ago, caught in the turmoil of the match-fixing saga, the Pakistani legend turned out for Smethwick CC. Scott Oliver throws back.
Miracle at short leg
Which is the better catch - Eknath Solkar's blinder to dismiss Alan Knott, or the photographer's capture of it? Rahul Bhattacharya picks his favourite cricket photograph.
How England aced their four spectacular Test chases this summer
Anantha Narayanan takes a closer look at the win percentages at each stage of those matches, and the personnel who made it happen for England.