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The England captain will have a scan on Wednesday morning after missing the final day’s play in Hamilton

Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Dec-20242:05

Stokes: We came here to beat New Zealand and we did it

“I ain’t holding back,” England captain Ben Stokes said when asked if scaling back his workloads as an allrounder was necessary after suffering a recurrence of a left hamstring injury during the third Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park.Stokes pulled up on day three as New Zealand racked up 453 in their second innings, setting England a target of 658. The 33-year-old will have a scan on Wednesday morning in Hamilton and had his left thigh heavily strapped as he sat out the final day’s play, in which England were dismissed for 234, handing the hosts victory by 423 runs.It was a consolation win, as England claimed the Crowe-Thorpe trophy 2-1. Stokes was able to take part in the post-series formalities, walking with a limp but relatively pain free between his various media duties. He confirmed it feels less serious than the torn hamstring sustained in August while batting in the men’s Hundred, which forced him to miss four Tests (a three-match series against Sri Lanka and the first of a tour of Pakistan). He had to be helped off the field then, but this time walked off without assistance.Related

• 'Bionic Man' Ben Stokes embarks on rehabilitation after hamstring surgery

• Ben Stokes ruled out for three months with recurrence of hamstring tear

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• Stats – New Zealand pay England back in kind

Having built himself back up over the last month in New Zealand, Stokes bowled 23 overs on day one of the third Test – the most in a single day across his career – with the 36.2 overs he eventually managed the most in a Test in over two years.This latest setback means yet more rehabilitation for Stokes, who underwent knee surgery in November 2023 in a bid to return to the bowler he once was. Putting his body on the line is nothing new for him, but as captain he acknowledged the importance of offering more as an allrounder to give the team another dynamic.His returns on paper this series – averaging 52.66 with the bat and seven dismissals at 36.85 with the ball – suggested he was trending in the right direction. It is why he was crestfallen as he left the field on Monday two balls into his third over of the day.Stokes, though, is in no mood to tailor his approach going forward. Having got over the initial disappointment, he is confident a full return should come quicker second time around.”I worked really hard to get myself into position to play the role that I did this game,” he said. “And it’s just one of those unfortunate things. But nah, I ain’t holding back.”Every time you walk out to field as an athlete, you’re putting yourself at risk of getting injury. Whether you feel great or you don’t feel great. I worked my arse off to get to where I was in this game in particularly with my body. It’s just sod’s law – the first time in a while I feel like I’m young again, something happens.”Obviously, [I was] incredibly disappointed walking off yesterday, very emotional about the whole thing.Ben Stokes was all smiles with the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy•Getty Images

“You’re always asking yourself, ‘Could I have done more? Should have done this, should have done that?’ But you know, when you sleep in it, and you take the emotion out of it, you realise that when you’re walking out there, you’re always putting yourself at risk of an injury.”Tuesday also marked the end of England’s joint-busiest calendar year of 17 Tests, finishing with nine victories and eight defeats. Though the team ended with a loss, Stokes was satisfied with their third series win of 2024, especially given it was England’s first in New Zealand since 2008.”We came here to beat New Zealand,” he said, “a team who wherever they go in the world are very competitive and knew they were going to be full of confidence after their historic win in India.”To play the cricket that we did in the first two games was very, very pleasing. We came here this week with the same attitude, same mindset, that we always do in the first two games out here. We just didn’t play anywhere near our capabilities.”It’s obviously disappointing to end the tour and the year with a loss. But what we came here to acheive, we managed to achieve. It’s no mean feat coming to New Zealand and beating them becease they’re a very very strong team in their home conditions.”

The visitors put in a woeful batting effort at Adelaide Oval as Australia secured the T20I series 3-0 to leave a whitewash on the cards

Valkerie Baynes25-Jan-2025Beth Mooney stood a class above with the bat before Australia’s bowlers ground a hapless England line-up further into the dust with a thumping 72-run win in the third and final T20I for a 12-0 lead in the Women’s Ashes.Mooney’s unbeaten 94 carried Australia to 162 for 5 on a slow Adelaide Oval pitch where Australia’s second-best score was fellow opener Georgia Voll’s 23. Then the home side’s bowlers, led by legspinner Georgia Wareham’s career-best 3 for 11, demolished the tourists for 90 inside 18 overs, their second-lowest total in T20Is with only two England batters reaching double figures.Related

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Yet again, England were complicit in their undoing with a host of poor shots punished by a merciless Australian fielding outfit before a crowd of 10,291. The result brought the possibility of a 16-0 series sweep tantalisingly close for the home side heading into next week’s day-night Test at the MCG.England made four changes looking to get some points on the board, albeit belatedly and with the Ashes already lost. Maia Bouchier made way for Alice Capsey and an unwell Lauren Bell was replaced by fellow quick Lauren Filer while legspinner Sarah Glenn was replaced by left-arm spinner Linsey Smith. And while the spinners did well to contain Australia – Mooney’s performance aside – defending a modest total proved far too easy for a side which has completely dominated their opposition all series.

England spinners keep Australia honest

After a bright enough start from openers Voll and Mooney, who had struck three boundaries off Freya Kemp in the second over of the match, England’s spinners kept a lid on the Australians, who became mired in a rare 33-ball stretch without a boundary. Capsey entered the attack in the eighth over and struck with her fifth ball as Voll holed out to Danni Wyatt-Hodge at deep midwicket.Then Mooney unleashed two boundaries in four deliveries from Filer to break the shackles. Phoebe Litchfield followed up with four down the ground off the first ball of the next over, from Capsey, and when Litchfield top-edged a reverse sweep over wicketkeeper Amy Jones’ head, it dropped dead between her and two other fielders. Then Litchfield was bowled attempting to sweep one that stayed straight and low from Sophie Ecclestone and Australia were 83 for 2.Georgia Voll took a superb catch to remove Sophie Ecclestone•Getty Images

Mooney magic

Ecclestone hoped she had Mooney lbw two balls later, only for the DRS to show the ball had pitched just outside leg stump. Mooney raised her fifty in 41 balls and from there loosened up, turning a Capsey full toss through fine leg then clearing point for two fours in three deliveries.When Ellyse Perry chipped Charlie Dean straight to cover, Grace Harris entered and thumped Ecclestone down the ground for the first six of the match. Two balls later, Mooney drilled a four through square leg. Wickets fell around her late, but Mooney kept adding to her tally. She ran brilliantly between the wickets in the final over with Tahlia McGrath, Mooney twice having to stretch to make her ground coming back for a second run and, despite an England review for lbw on the final ball, she kept her innings intact.It was the third time Mooney had reached fifty in her last four innings this Ashes and left her with 303 runs across both white-ball legs of the series, well clear of the next best, Heather Knight, on 172.

Everywhere England look

Australia’s stand-in wicketkeeper for most of the summer due to Alyssa Healy’s injury woes, Mooney took an excellent catch off Capsey’s faint edge, so faint it took a review to secure the wicket, the second to fall in as many overs after Darcie Brown – who came into the side for Kim Garth – had struck with her first ball to remove Dunkley, skying the ball to cover. Now England were 12 for 2, and Annabel Sutherland made it 23 for 3 inside three overs with a beauty that pinged the top of Sciver-Brunt’s off stump.Everywhere England looked, there was an Australian there to make life difficult, as has been the case all tour, and it was Wareham next with two wickets in three balls in the seventh over to send them lurching to 39 for 5 with Wyatt-Hodge holing out to long-off and Amy Jones pinned on the pad attempting a scoop.Freya Kemp gifted her wicket to mid-off for Brown’s second and Wareham claimed her third when Charlie Dean’s top-edge sailed to Alana King at square leg. The only blemish for Australia in the field came when Wareham put down a sitter at deep midwicket off Ecclestone, on 1 at the time.But then Voll took an excellent diving catch to remove Ecclestone and more clinical fielding from Perry to Mooney ran out Smith. Mooney stayed in the action to the last, whipping off the bails as Knight advanced to Tahlia McGrath, her score of 40 England’s best on a sorry looking scorecard.

Lancashire have outside chance of victory after enterprising counterattack

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay31-Jul-2025Lancashire 137 and 226 for 5 (Wells 102) need another 247 runs to beat Glamorgan 261 and 348 for 7 dec (Northeast 132, Carlson 108) Two sessions of dominance by promotion-chasing Glamorgan will see them go into the final day of this Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash with Lancashire as favourites despite the hosts giving themselves a sniff of an unlikely victory with a thrilling counterattack.Both skipper Sam Northeast and Kiran Carlson scored centuries as the visitors took their overnight score from 95 for 2 to 348 for 7 by the time they declared just before tea with a lead of 472 and a minimum of 147 overs in which to dismiss Lancashire.In contrast to the first two days, where spin dominated, the Red Rose bowlers toiled, with Northeast and Carlson able to build a huge third-wicket partnership of 215.Although Chris Green finished with three wickets and match figures of nine for 175 the writing looked to be on the wall by the time Northeast stuck Lancashire in, only for Luke Wells to score a century of his own and leave the home side requiring 247 runs with five wickets in hand.Glamorgan set about things at a measured pace with Carlson reaching his second half-century of the game in the third over of the day.When captain James Anderson turned to Green, Northeast and Carlson ensured the Australian did not repeat his first-innings heroics by attacking both him and the left arm spin of Tom Hartley.Carlson progressed to his century off 120 balls and it took the introduction of Wells’ leg-spin to break the third wicket partnership when he trapped the Welshman in front for 106.The incoming Colin Ingram joined Northeast and immediately attacked, hitting 34 off 29 balls before he was stumped by Salt to give Wells his second wicket.Meanwhile, the experienced skipper was playing the sort of innings he has been for years with the 35-year-old bringing up his 35th first-class century off 183 balls before Ingram’s dismissal.Northeast eventually departed for 132 caught on the leg side boundary by sub Jack Blatherwick off Green prompting Glamorgan to have a dash in the pursuit of quick runs resulting in the wickets of Ben Kellaway (19) lbw to Green and Crane by the same bowler for one.Tea was followed by Lancashire beginning their reply with the attack-minded Salt joining Wells in the middle and soon returning to the dressing room after he edged James Harris to Ingram at first slip for one.Nevertheless Salt’s introduction showed some intent and that’s exactly what Lancashire displayed from then on with Wells leading the way.The former Sussex man and Keaton Jennings put on 72 for the second wicket before Lancashire’s ex-captain was caught smartly by Asa Tribe at short leg off a big turner from Crane for 33.Josh Bohannon then joined Wells and the third wicket pair began to give the hosts a glimmer of hope as they targeted Crane and injected some energy into the innings.82 runs were hit off 10.2 overs with extravagant shots combining with frantic running to suddenly put Glamorgan on the back foot for virtually the first time in the match.Order was restored when Bohannon edged Asitha Fernando behind for 29 but with Wells reaching his century with a booming six off Kellaway before he was brilliantly caught and bowled by James Harris for 102, leaving the dangerous Marcus Harris and the in-form Matty Hurst at the crease, hope still sprung eternal for the watching home crowd.Some of that hope dissipated when Hurst was bowled by a sharply turning delivery from Kellaway for 11 but with the likes of George Balderson, Green and Hartley still to come after Tom Bailey’s elevation to nightwatchman, an unlikely and record breaking run chase could still be on the cards.

Ingram top-scores with 47 as hosts make it two wins from two

ECB Reporters Network07-Jul-2024Glamorgan 182 for 8 (Ingram 47, Allison 3-52) beat Essex 156 (Walter 53, Rossington 41, van der Gugten 3-15) by 26 runsGlamorgan made it back-to-back wins in the Vitality Blast with a 26-run victory over Essex in Cardiff. Middle-order runs and a brilliant bowling display helped them close out their fourth win of the tournament.Having been put in to bat, Glamorgan scored 182 for eight with Colin Ingram top scoring with 47. He was well supported by Marnus Labuschagne and Chris Cooke to set Essex a stiff target.An excellent stand between Adam Rossington and Paul Walter looked to be taking Essex to victory before Labuschagne and Mason Crane choked the life out of the chase to give Glamorgan the win.Essex were bowled out for 156 with the highest score coming from Walter who made 53.Essex kept Glamorgan guessing with their bowling changes in the first part of their innings, with eight bowling changes in the first eight overs. Mixing up the bowling seemed with work with 43 runs and two wickets coming from the PowerPlay.Both Glamorgan openers fell early with Will Smale top edging a sweep shot off Simon Harmer that was caught inside the circle by Robin Das and Kiran Carlson dismissed for 11 when he edged a ball from Ben Allison through to Adam Rossington.A stand of 49 between Tom Bevan and Marnus Labuschagne helped Glamorgan recover from the loss of their openers inside the Powerplay but Bevan departed when he nicked Matt Critchley to Rossington for 23.The experienced trio of Labuschagne, Ingram and Cooke were the reason Glamorgan got to a competitive total with all three players making significant contributions. Labuschagne made 30 from 26 balls that steadied things after the loss of early wickets. He was dismissed when he missed a sweep shot and was bowled by Critchley.Ingram and Cooke combined for the highest stand of the Glamorgan innings, scoring 67 runs for the fourth wicket. Ingram was the highest scorer in the innings but it was Cooke who was the most destructive, scoring 38 runs from just 18 balls. Both fell in the pursuit of quick runs at the death, with Cooke departing to a fantastic catch from Ben Allison on the boundary that robbed him of another six.The Essex innings started with Timm van der Gugten claiming three early wickets to leave the visitors 27 for three. Van der Gugten trapped Dean Elgar lbw for 4 before bowling Michael Pepper and having Robin Das caught behind.The target seemed a long way away at that point but a brilliant partnership of 83 between Rossington and Walter brought Essex back into the game. Walter was the main contributor, making 53 of those runs from just 33 balls before he was dismissed by Dan Douthwaite.Rossington fell in the very next over when he skied an attempted sweep off Labuschagne’s legspin and he was caught by the bowler for 43 to leave Essex 113 for five.From there Crane and Labuschagne strangled the Essex middle-order as the run rate kept climbing. The two legspinners combined for eight overs for the cost of just 48 runs and claiming five wickets between them as Essex were bowled out a long way short of the target.

He produced an all-round performance, notching up 67 at No.7 and then taking two wickets in a tied game

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Aug-2024Dunith Wellalage, all of 21, produced an exemplary all-round performance on a tough pitch at Khettarama. Batting at No. 7, he played Sri Lanka’s best innings, hitting 67 not out off 65, in a total of 230 for 8 in the first ODI.When defending, the left-arm spinner took 2 for 39 off nine overs, taking the crucial wicket of Rohit Sharma, who was India’s best batter on the evening, and Sri Lanka went on to tie the game.On the batting front, Wellalage had started watchfully after coming in at 101 for 5 in the 27th over, but on a surface on which no one truly looked set, he seemed the most comfortable batter across both teams, even striking powerful boundaries at the close. For this innings, he took inspiration from a Sri Lanka team-mate, he said.Related

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Pathum Nissanka, who hit another fifty on Friday, has been the hosts’ best batter of the tour so far, having also made runs in the T20Is.”They have a lot of experienced bowlers, so the more we can limit our mistakes, the more we can put pressure on them,” Wellalage said of his thinking during his innings. “I was watching Pathum Nissanka bat quite a lot. I put his batting in my mind as I came up with a plan. If you take the pitch, it was one that supported spin bowling. I tried to put as much pressure on the bowler and build partnerships.”With the ball, he perhaps struck the most important blow of the night. Rohit was threatening to make easy work of the target when he galloped to his fifty off 33 balls. But in the 15th over, Wellalage beat him in flight, and struck Rohit in front of the stumps as he attempted a sweep shot, cutting that innings short for 58 off 47.This is after he’d also dismissed Shubman Gill, again with a nicely flighted delivery that Gill top edged high enough for the keeper to track it down. Wellalage had been the first spinner to be introduced, inside the powerplay.”We knew that the wicket was spinning. So Charith Asalanka had told me that I would be bowling in the powerplay. I had good support from the wicket too.”With Rohit at the time, I was trying just to bowl wicket-to-wicket, because I knew how much assistance there was from the pitch.”The middle to late overs, were all Wanindu Hasaranga and Asalanka, said Wellalage. Those two bowlers took three wickets apiece, with Asalanka providing the final touches, taking two wickets in the 48th over when India had already tied the game. Having Axar Patel caught behind was his other wicket.Earlier, Hasaranga had removed Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Kuldeep Yadav.”When we bowled, the game changed with the wickets that Wanindu and Charith took. They took wickets at very difficult times, and that’s how we were able to at least keep it to this score. If you take Axar Patel and KL Rahul, these are batters who have finished a lot of matches.”At that time we needed to get the bowlers in, and when Charith got Axar out and Wanindu got KL Rahul out. It was important to stay calm at that stage, and the match turned our way.”

Gazi Ashraf Hossain said they decided to not make any tweaks after a conversation with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe

Mohammad Isam25-May-2024Bangladesh chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain is keeping the faith in the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup keeping in mind the ICC’s May 25 deadline to submit the final squads for the tournament. Bangladesh had the opportunity to make changes after they lost the first two T20Is – and hence the series – against USA in Texas with the same squad.”After speaking to the captain [Najmul Hossain Shanto] and coach [Chandika Hathurusinghe], we decided to keep this squad,” Ashraf said. “We are hoping they do well in the T20 World Cup. We are keeping faith in the existing squad. We never expected that the team will start the tour with a series loss [against USA]. But that’s the reality. We have another 12 days in hand. We have to get out of this disappointment. They know that if the team does well in the World Cup, this will be forgotten quickly.”Ashraf was speaking at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka where the BCB called up 21 players for the Bangladesh Tigers’ training camp from May 26. Ashraf said the camp includes six players designated as T20 World Cup reserves although Mohammad Saifuddin has opted out for the first two weeks due to a family emergency.Related

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“Since nobody was in training, we started the Bangladesh Tigers’ camp. We are keeping some players ready for white-ball cricket so that when facing a crisis, we can send replacements,” he said. “They are all World Cup standbys. (Anamul Haque) Bijoy is there if there’s a crisis around Litton (Das). (Nurul Hasan) Sohan is there for Jaker Ali. Khaled, (Parvez Hossain) Emon, Nasum (Ahmed) and (Mehidy Hasan) Miraz are also in the camp. Nasum was suffering from jaundice, so he might join the players in the Sylhet phase next month.”Saifuddin has been given a leave till June 10. He is attending to a family situation. He was one of the six players asked to join the Bangladesh Tigers’ training camp. We will now prepare Khaled with the others.”Bangladesh’s opening batting combination has been under scrutiny this year, particularly with Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar looking out of form. Tanzid Hasan has been the only opener to have scored a little consistently although he has played only six T20Is since his T20I debut against Zimbabwe earlier this month.Ashraf said they are not looking for a makeshift opening option just yet because he feels it is a specialist’s job. He said they should be able to pick openers from those who did well in the BPL this year.”Facing the new ball is a challenge everywhere, so you won’t see many teams nowadays sending makeshift openers,” he said. “Unless they really have to. Cricket has moved on from using pinch hitters.”We are supposed to have 24 openers playing in the BPL, if you consider each team having a reserve opener apart from the regular pair. I don’t think it is a good practice if we have to think about a makeshift.”Ashraf also informed that Taskin Ahmed, who suffered a side strain earlier this month, could be training properly from June 5. “Taskin could start light training from June 1. He is recovering quicker than expected. He could be bowling with a full run-up from June 5,” he said.Bangladesh, in Group D, open their T20 World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka on June 7 in Dallas before heading to New York to play South Africa (June 10), and then to St Vincent to take on Netherlands (June 13) and Nepal (June 16). They will also play two warm- up games, against USA on May 28, and opposite India on June 1 before the main tournament.

Bangladesh squad for T20 World Cup

:Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Taskin Ahmed (vice-capt), Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Tanvir Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan
Traveling reserves: Hasan Mahmud, Afif Hossain

Fixtures were cancelled with players going on strike in the final stages of the second season

Matt Roller23-Jul-2025A T10 tournament in the Cayman Islands featuring David Warner, Shakib Al Hasan, Alex Hales and Carlos Brathwaite has been plunged into uncertainty with fixtures unfulfilled over allegations of unpaid salaries.The Max60 Caribbean event was launched last year, but its second season has been blighted by off-field issues. ESPNcricinfo has learned that five fixtures on Tuesday were cancelled after strike action from players, the majority of whom had not received a payment that was due to be cleared 30 days before the start of the tournament.On Tuesday evening, Max60 posted on Instagram that all games had been cancelled “due to off-field issues” and announced that the final would take place on Thursday at 2pm local time between Caribbean Tigers and Vegas Vikings, who were first and third respectively in the league table.This post was later deleted and on Wednesday morning, the fixture was replaced by a “runner-up playoff” between Grand Cayman Falcons (who finished fifth) and Vegas Vikings, followed by a trophy presentation.Players have been supported in their strike action by the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), which said that the non-payment issues were the latest example of contracts being treated like “worthless pieces of paper”.”It’s disappointing to hear that players still haven’t been paid what they’re owed under their contracts,” Tom Moffat, the WCA’s chief executive, said. “Players have fulfilled their commitments in good faith the whole way along, but it’s unreasonable for anyone to expect them to continue to turn up and put on the show if the terms of their contracts have flagrantly been breached.”This isn’t an isolated or new issue. It’s another example of an officially sanctioned cricket event treating player contracts like worthless pieces of paper, and of the lack of protections for players who compete in events that have been sanctioned by the ICC or its members.”There are simple solutions to these issues and the game’s global leadership and regulations should protect the whole sport, and people within it.”Max60 is run by BMP Sports, a Dubai-based company which claims to be a “global market leader in cricket league ownership, sponsorships, franchising and more” on its website. It is affiliated with the Braves franchise, which has featured in T10 leagues in Abu Dhabi, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.BMP Sports and Max60 were both contacted for comment but did not respond at the time of the publication of this report.

Brett Lee is unsure what his body will allow him to do next

Peter English17-Nov-2009

Lee’s latest setbacks

2006-07
Tears ankle ligaments in New Zealand, misses 2007 World Cup
2008-09
Suffers giardia during India tour
Broken foot leads to more surgery
2009
Side strain rules him out of first three Tests of Ashes tour and not picked for final two
2009-10
Elbow problem sends him home from India one-day series and recurs in Sydney on Sunday

Self-belief has been one of Brett Lee’s best assets along with extreme speed. Throughout his Test career, which began with a wicket in his first over, Lee has known what was going to happen next, whether it be achieving a milestone or pin-pointing a date for his return from a well-managed injury. This time, coming to the end of an awful year, he is unsure what his body will allow him to do next.The bone spur problem in his right elbow means he will probably face surgery and be out for up to three months, ending his chances of appearing in a Test this summer. Previously he would have accepted the setback with a grimace and headed for the surgeon, physio and fitness trainer to plot a way back.Following his recovery from foot surgery at the start of the year came a side strain that kept him out of the Ashes in the middle of it, and with this latest problem he is starting to doubt whether he will play a 77th Test or take a 311st wicket. His last appearance was at the MCG last December when he limped off to the surgeon.”At this point in time I do not need to make a call,” he said at the SCG. “I still want to play for Australia but that all depends on how the operation takes place and then how the fitness is and how much I want it.” He finds the prospect of not playing Test cricket “scary and challenging”, but as he accepts this injury his mind switches from being desperate to play on to thinking about signing off.Desire has never been a problem before, not when he thought his career was over after breaking the same elbow in 2001, or when he was sitting behind Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark in the pecking order during the fourth Ashes Test in Leeds. He was fit, ready and shattered when the team was named, but he still wanted to field under a baggy green. Now he craves – and needs – a break.”I have had setbacks before and I can’t see why I cannot come back from this, but I also, to be honest, need to get away from the game for a little while to work out what my future holds,” he said. “I want to have this forced rest and if surgery needs to happen that means anything from six to 12 to 14 weeks away from the game, which would be the perfect opportunity for me to get away from everything and work out what I want from cricket.”He sounded like Shaun Tait when he stepped off the international circuit due to mental and physical exhaustion caused by the depression of so many comebacks. It won’t just be care for Lee’s 33-year-old body that will be needed over the next couple of months.Another issue pecking at him has been being away from his young son Preston for the long periods demanded of a player wanting to appear in all forms of the game. Since the start of last year’s India tour Lee has been troubled by personal problems as well as fitness ones.”The hardest things for me over the past 12 months were getting injured during the Ashes but, most importantly, being six months away from my little boy, that has been really tough,” he said. “They are all things I need to weigh up.” Don’t expect him to be flying out of Sydney any time soon.While any comeback will be subject to a number of fitness and family conditions, one thing is not negotiable. “If I can’t bowl fast then I won’t bowl,” he said. His job has led his body to this rickety condition but he has always refused to follow the method of Dennis Lillee, who extended his career by slowing down and focussing on swing and seam.For Lee it has always been about speed. “When you try to bowl 155kph for over 16 or 17 years, there is a lot of wear and tear on the body,” he said. “I will try to get the elbow right.”If I don’t play another game for Australia or play another game of cricket again then yes, I am very pleased with what I have achieved. It’s more than I would ever had expected at the age of 10. But I still think there is a lot of cricket left in me yet, which is why I am not making any call on my future.”

England World Cup winner attracts no interest, as Pooran, Pollard, Powell, Russell, Hetmyer earn top deals

Matt Roller20-Mar-2024Jason Roy will not feature in the Hundred this summer after going unselected in Wednesday night’s draft at the Shard in London, leaving him without a team for the 2024 season following his release by defending men’s champions Oval Invincibles.Roy played every game for the Invincibles last summer but failed to make an impact, with more ducks (three) than half-centuries (one) and was released by their coach Tom Moody last month. He entered the draft with a reserve price of £100,000, but the eight men’s teams prioritised overseas players in the early rounds.Mark Wood, who also entered with a £100,000 reserve price, also went unpicked, but his non-selection was less notable given that he had pulled out of the first three seasons of the Hundred through injury or to manage his workload. England’s red-ball players will miss the start of the competition, which begins on July 23 this year, due to a clash with the third Test against West Indies.Roy would have been unavailable for the first few days of the Hundred due to his commitments with LA Knight Riders in Major League Cricket – which is expected to run until July 28 – and is also set to miss some of Surrey’s T20 Blast group games for the same reason. He could yet feature in the Hundred this summer as a replacement but his snub highlights a swift decline in Roy’s standing in the four-and-a-half years since England’s 2019 World Cup win.Andre Russell will feature for London Spirit after turning out for Manchester Originals in 2022•ECB/Getty Images

Five of the seven players signed on top-bracket £125,000 contracts in the men’s draft were West Indies power-hitters, with the new Northern Superchargers coach Andrew Flintoff choosing Nicholas Pooran as the first signing of the draft. Andre Russell and Shimron Hetmyer will play for London Spirit, Kieron Pollard has joined Southern Brave and Rovman Powell was a top pick at Trent Rockets.While some West Indians may miss the first game or two due to their involvement in MLC, they are expected to be available for the majority of the season and may skip a T20I series against South Africa. The ECB held talks with the Caribbean Premier League’s organisers earlier this year to avoid a clash with the Hundred, which appears to have been vindicated.Tom Kohler-Cadmore will again be a top earner, joining Welsh Fire on a £125,000 deal. He will play alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was brought back after his success last summer, while Shaheen’s Pakistan team-mate Naseem Shah was a top-bracket pick by Birmingham Phoenix.Ash Gardner was one of the big-money earners in the Women’s draft•Getty Images

Laurie Evans has moved to Southern Brave after two seasons at Manchester Originals, while Dawid Malan – the leading run-scorer in the Rockets’ 2022 title – was a £50,000 signing by the Invincibles. Ollie Pope and Richard Gleeson have both joined London Spirit, while the Originals have brought in Sikandar Raza and Fazalhaq Farooqi.The ECB’s decision to raise the top salaries in the women’s Hundred was vindicated by the number of leading Australian players who entered the draft, with Beth Mooney (Manchester Originals), Meg Lanning (London Spirit), Ash Gardner (Trent Rockets) and Annabel Sutherland (Northern Superchargers) all picking up £50,000 contracts.Amy Jones was a surprise first pick of the draft, returning to Birmingham Phoenix after failing to agree a retention last month, while Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu was the first pick for the Invincibles. Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave) and Richa Ghosh (Birmingham Phoenix) were the two India internationals picked up.Each team will add a further two players to both their men’s and women’s squads ahead of the start of the season in July, who will be offered ‘wildcard’ contracts based on their performances in domestic T20 cricket. These will be worth £30,000 in the men’s competition and £8,000 in the women’s.

How the squads stack up

Birmingham Phoenix

Men’s squad: Chris Woakes, Naseem Shah, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Ben Duckett, Benny Howell, Adam Milne, Jamie Smith, Will Smeed, Sean Abbott, Tom Helm, James Fuller, Dan Mousley, Jacob BethellWomen’s squad: Amy Jones, Sophie Devine, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Katie Levick, Issy Wong, Emily Arlott, Hannah Baker, Seren Smale, Alisa Lister, Chloe Brewer, Sterre Kalis, Charis PavelyAdam Milne will return to Birmingham Phoenix•PA Images via Getty Images

London Spirit

Men’s squad: Zak Crawley, Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Nathan Ellis, Dan Lawrence, Liam Dawson, Dan Worrall, Olly Stone, Adam Rossington, Richard Gleeson, Ollie Pope, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Matthew Critchley, Michael PepperWomen’s squad: Meg Lanning, Heather Knight, Grace Harris, Danielle Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, Cordelia Griffith, Georgia Redmayne, Eva Gray, Sophie Munro, Hannah Jones, Tara Norris, Niamh HollandMeg Lanning will join London Spirit•Getty Images

Manchester Originals

Men’s squad: Jos Buttler, Jamie Overton, Phil Salt, Sikandar Raza, Paul Walter, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Tom Hartley, Usama Mir, Wayne Madsen, Josh Tongue, Max Holden, Josh Hull, Fred Klaassen, Mitchell StanleyWomen’s squad: Beth Mooney, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophie Molineux, Laura Wolvaardt, Lauren Filer, Eve Jones, Emma Lamb, Mahika Gaur, Fi Morris, Kathryn Bryce, Phoebe Graham, Ellie Threlkeld, Liberty HeapSikandar Raza will play in the Hundred for the first time•PSL

Northern Superchargers

Men’s squad: Ben Stokes, Nicholas Pooran, Adil Rashid, Harry Brook, Reece Topley, Daniel Sams, Matthew Short, Brydon Carse, Adam Hose, Tom Lawes, Matthew Potts, Graham Clark, Callum Parkinson, Ollie RobinsonWomen’s squad: Annabel Sutherland, Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Bess Heath, Linsey Smith, Alice Davidson-Richards, Hollie Armitage, Grace Ballinger, Marie Kelly, Lucy Higham, Ella Claridge, Devina PerrinNicholas Pooran was the top pick in the men’s draft•CPL T20/Getty Images

Oval Invincibles

Men’s squad: Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Will Jacks, Adam Zampa, Jordan Cox, Gus Atkinson, Sam Billings, Saqib Mahmood, Spencer Johnson, Dawid Malan, Nathan Sowter, Donovan Ferreira, Tom Lammonby, Tawanda MuyeyeWomen’s squad: Chamari Athapaththu, Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Tash Farrant, Mady Villiers, Paige Scholfield, Sophia Smale, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Jo Gardner, Lizzie Scott, Georgie BoyceChamari Athapaththu will play for Oval Invincibles•Getty Images

Southern Brave

Men’s squad: Jofra Archer, Kieron Pollard, James Vince, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Laurie Evans, Leus du Plooy, Akeal Hosein, Rehan Ahmed, Craig Overton, Finn Allen, Danny Briggs, George Garton, Alex DaviesWomen’s squad: Smriti Mandhana, Danni Wyatt, Chloe Tryon, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Freya Kemp, Naomi Dattani, Georgia Adams, Lauren Cheatle, Kalea Moore, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Rhianna Southby, Mary TaylorSmriti Mandhana will return to the Utilita Bowl•Getty Images for ECB

Trent Rockets

Men’s squad: Joe Root, Rovman Powell, Rashid Khan, Imad Wasim, Alex Hales, Lewis Gregory, Luke Wood, Tom Banton, John Turner, Sam Hain, Sam Cook, Calvin Harrison, Jordan Thompson, Adam LythWomen’s squad: Ash Gardner, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Grace Scrivens, Alana King, Heather Graham, Bryony Smith, Katie George, Kirstie Gordon, Grace Potts, Alexa Stonehouse, Josie Groves, Kira Chathli, Cassidy McCarthyRovman Powell is joining Trent Rockets•Pakistan Super League

Welsh Fire

Men’s squad: Jonny Bairstow, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, David Willey, Shaheen Afridi, Joe Clarke, Haris Rauf, Tom Abell, Glenn Phillips, David Payne, Luke Wells, Roelof van der Merwe, Jake Ball, Stevie Eskinazi, Chris CookeWomen’s squad: Hayley Matthews, Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail, Tammy Beaumont, Jess Jonassen, Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Bryce, Freya Davies, Phoebe Franklin, Emily Windsor, Ella McCaughan, Claire Nicholas, Alex Griffiths

While the latest scan, which Bumrah underwent in Bengaluru over the weekend, did not reveal anything untoward, it is learned he is not entirely ready to return to bowling yet

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Feb-2025In a significant jolt to India’s plans for the Champions Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the tournament. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Bumrah is yet to completely recover from the discomfort in his back, an injury he picked up during the Sydney Test in January that also ruled him out of the England white-ball series.Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been left out of the provisional squad, and Varun Chakravarthy has been named as his replacement.While Bumrah’s latest scans, which he underwent in Bengaluru over the weekend, did not reveal anything severe, he is not entirely ready to return to bowling. There is no confirmation on the timeline of his return. It is likely he will resume running in a couple of weeks and then gradually get back to bowling. His progress will be monitored by the BCCI’s medical team in Bengaluru.This is the second ICC tournament Bumrah will miss because of injury, having sat out the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia owing to a back injury that eventually required surgery.Related

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Bumrah’s replacement is Harshit Rana, who made his ODI debut during the ongoing England series. The ICC had set February 11 as the deadline for all participating teams to submit their final squads of 15 for the Champions Trophy. Any subsequent changes to the squad will need approval from the tournament’s technical committee.When the BCCI announced the provisional squad for the Champions Trophy and the England series in January, Rana was named as Bumrah’s back-up for the England ODIs. Rana made his ODI debut in the first game of the England series in Nagpur, sharing the new ball with Mohammed Shami. Rana started impressively, but Phil Salt then thrashed him for 26 runs in his third over. But the seamer from Delhi bounced back, picking three wickets to transfer the pressure back on England, which played a key role in India’s win.Eyebrows were raised after the selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, in coordination with the Indian team think-tank comprising head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma, had picked Rana ahead of the other contenders, including Mohammed Siraj, for the England series. Siraj has been India’s third-most senior bowler after Bumrah and Shami and was also part of their dominant run in the 2023 World Cup. However, in January’s media briefing while announcing the provisional squad for the Champions Trophy and the England series, Rohit explained that Siraj’s “effectiveness comes down a little” if he was not “going to take the new ball”.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rohit had also said that with a question mark over Bumrah’s fitness, the decision makers collectively had confidence in Shami controlling the front-end of the innings and left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh capable of handling the death overs.

Varun replaces Jaiswal in Champions Trophy squad

Varun has been drafted into the squad as Jaiswal, along with Siraj and Shivam Dube, have been moved to the line-up of non-travelling reserves.Last week, Rohit had strongly hinted at Varun’s inclusion in the squad, saying that the spinner “clearly had something different about him”. Varun has taken 31 wickets at 11.25 since his comeback into India’s T20I squad, and on Sunday, he made his ODI debut as well, taking 1 for 54 in Cuttack.

India’s squad for the Champions Trophy

Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy
Non-travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, Shivam Dube