Shreyas Iyer’s India Defeat, Ben Stokes Record, NZ Injury- June 26 Cricket Highlights

Shreyas Iyer and Ben Stokes [Source: AFP]

Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy journey began on a torrid note for India as they suffered a shocking defeat to Ireland. Ben Stokes joined a rare all-rounder club in Test cricket. In other news, the New Zealand team suffered yet another injury blow in their series-decider against England.

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, June 26. 

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi misses, India lose to Ireland under Shreyas Iyer

Team India lost to Ireland by 34 runs in the first T20I of their two-match series in Belfast. Shreyas Iyer, who was making his T20I return after a gap of two-and-a-half years, also led the Indian team for the first time in his career in the match.

The outcome marked Ireland’s first-ever win over India in T20I cricket. Interestingly, star attraction Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was not included in the playing XI. 

Blair Tickner replaced by Zak Foulkes mid-match vs England

New Zealand fast bowler Blair Tickner was hit on his helmet by a Jofra Archer bouncer on Day 2 of the series-deciding third Test in Nottingham. The speedster bowled just three overs early in the English innings, but did not return to the field after Tea Break owing to nausea.

Also Read- Tom Latham And Devon Conway's Centuries Help NZ Script Never-Seen-Before Record vs ENG

The NZC subsequently named fellow fast bowler Zak Foulkes as the concussion substitute of injured Tickner for the remainder of the match. 

James Hopes exits Sydney Sixers to join Brisbane Heat as BBL 2026-27 coach

Former Australian all-rounder James Hopes was roped in by the Sydney Sixers as their head coach just a couple of months ago. However, the cricketer-turned-coach has now joined the Brisbane Heat team instead ahead of this year’s BBL 2026-27 season.

The Punjab Kings coach has also been appointed as the head coach of the Queensland cricket team for Australia’s domestic competitions. 

Marcus Stoinis launches five sixes in six balls vs Washington Freedom

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis smashed 42 runs off just 16 balls against the Washington Freedom in match number nine of the MLC 2026 season in Oakland. The cricketer clubbed six huge sixes in the innings, including five in the space of just six deliveries off Ian Holland.

Moreover, Stoinis launched four of those sixes in succession as the Seattle Orcas mounted a match-winning total of 227-6 from 20 overs upfront. 

Ben Stokes creates history vs New Zealand on Test return

England captain and comeback man Ben Stokes picked up a fighting four-wicket haul against New Zealand on Day 2 of their series-deciding third Test at Trent Bridge. The legendary all-rounder completed 250 Test wickets in the process, doing so in just 219 innings. 

Stokes has now become only the fourth cricketer in the history of Test matches to complete a rare all-round double of scoring over 5,000 runs and picking up 250 wickets. 

Also Read- Why Was Abhishek Sharma's Half-Century Cancelled In 1st T20I vs Ireland?