Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head [Source: AFP, @TravisHead24/x]Abhishek Sharma strengthened himself at the top of the ICC T20I rankings after his splendid show against New Zealand. Travis Head is set to replace regular captain Mitchell Marsh in Australia’s upcoming series-opening first T20I against Pakistan. In other news, the Bangladesh team has qualified for this year’s 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. 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 Wednesday, January 28. Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav dominate ICC T20I rankings Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has extended his lead as the number one batter in ICC T20I rankings. As per the updated charts, the cricketer reached 929 rating points courtesy of his match-winning half-centuries against New Zealand over the last one week. Abhishek Sharma now finds himself 70 rating points clear of second-placed England batter Phil Salt. Suryakumar Yadav also rushed back to top 10 by gaining five rungs to occupy seventh spot on the ICC T20I rankings for men’s batters. Jason Gillespie to coach Hyderabad franchise in PSL 2026 Former Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie has been appointed as the head coach of the Hyderabad-based franchise for the upcoming PSL 2026 season. Gillespie’s impending stint will mark his return to Pakistan’s cricketing ecosystem for the first time since his fallout with the PCB last year. It is worth noting that the ex-Australian fast bowler previously coached the Pakistan cricket team before tendering his resignation well inside the tenure period citing “creative differences”. The Hyderabad franchise, meanwhile, is one of the two new additions to the PSL roaster this year. Sophie Molineux appointed Australia’s all-format captain Sophie Molineux will likely be named as Australia’s next all-format captain following the sudden retirement of legendary wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy. According to 7Cricket, Molineux will soon be named Australia’s captain, however, it remains to be seen if she will be taking charge of the team in Healy’s farewell series against India next month or after her international swan song. Sophie Molineux, a two-time T20 World Cup winner for the Australian cricket team, has represented her nation in three Tests, 17 ODIs and 38 T20I matches since her debut back in March 2018. Travis Head to lead Australia in first T20I vs Pakistan Australian run machine and blistering opener Travis Head is set to lead his national side in the first T20I of their upcoming three-match series against Pakistan. Regular captain Mitchell Marsh as well as star wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis will likely be rested from the series-opener, possibly as part of their workload management. Both Marsh and Inglis were recently a part of the Perth Scorchers squad that lifted the BBL 2025-26 title a few days ago by defeating Sydney Sixers. Travis Head previously led the Australian team in a T20I match back in 2024 against England. Nonetheless, the first T20I of the series between Pakistan and Australia will be played on January 29 in Lahore. Bangladesh, Netherlands qualify for Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 The Netherlands and Bangladesh Women’s teams have qualified for the upcoming 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England later this year. For the Netherlands, the outcome marked their first-ever qualification at the women’s T20 showpiece event. Netherlands defeated USA by 21 runs (DLS method) in a rain-curtailed affair to remain unbeaten in the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifiers. The Bangladesh women’s cricket team blanked Thailand to punch their T20 World Cup tickets, thus extending their winning run to five matches.
