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It has not been confirmed whether the four – which includes one player – will seek asylum in the UK

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Feb-2022Four members of Afghanistan’s Under-19 touring party which participated in the recent World Cup in the Caribbean have stayed on in the UK and not returned to Afghanistan with their team-mates.Their transit visas are set to expire on February 8 and ESPNcricinfo has confirmed the four are currently in London. It could not be confirmed whether the quartet, which includes one player, is seeking asylum in the UK.The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has made no official comment on the development.Afghanistan enjoyed a successful World Cup, finishing fourth, three places higher than in 2020. The touring party boarded a flight in Antigua over the weekend and landed in London at Heathrow airport on Sunday morning. The squad then took a flight to Kabul via the UAE, eventually landing back home on Monday morning, to felicitations from the ACB.While the rest of the Afghanistan squad including the coaching and support staff boarded that flight, four decided to stay at Heathrow.UK government rules state that a person can stay in the country for no more than 48 hours on a transit visa. That means the four members’ transit visa will expire on Tuesday morning. It was the issuance of the same visas in January that had delayed Afghanistan’s arrival in the Caribbean and nearly made them miss the World Cup.

‘Afghanistan needs them’

Former Afghanistan player Raees Ahmadzai, who was the head coach during the World Cup, said he hoped the four would “rethink” and return back to their home country. Ahmadzai said he had messaged all four. “They received my messages. But they have not responded yet,” Ahmadzai told ESPNcricnfo on Monday.”I told them Afghanistan needs them. Sports and cricket has done a lot for Afghanistan. The support we got during the World Cup was amazing, unbelievable. Sometimes when you do things for your country, it will mean a lot for you in your whole life.”Related

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• India win fifth U-19 WC title after Bawa, Kumar prove too hot for England

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• England hold nerve, break Afghanistan's hearts

• Afghanistan suffer visa glitches ahead of Under-19 World Cup

More than 100,000 Afghans including at least one former president, bureaucrats, sportspersons and civilians left the country immediately after Taliban assumed power last August. Ahmadzai said that while he understood it was a “personal” choice, he did not know if the four people had a plan.”Sometimes you can get emotional and can decide in the spur of the moment, but once you re-think about what you did I think it will hurt you. I believe they will go back. It is a personal choice. Sometimes you don’t have a plan. I know these people. They were very good to work for Afghanistan cricket.”In case the four decide not to return, Ahmadzai said it would not affect Afghanistan cricket. “It will not create any problem for our cricket. But they will feel forever guilty. As a sportsperson you can travel anywhere. When I started playing cricket it was my dream to go to see UK, Europe, America, Australia and it is because of cricket I have travelled more than 50 countries. These guys are professionals, and I am still hoping they will go back to Afghanistan.”Ahmadzai said that cricket had sustained its popularity despite the country’s uncertainty and instability. “Cricket will be alive in Afghanistan. The future of the game remains bright. We finished fourth this time compared to seventh in the last edition.”We had very strong support in the Caribbean. The opposition teams praised us including Mahela Jayawardene [who] said it is amazing to see such good players at the Under-19 level and you guys will be on top one day. That means a lot for our youngsters.”

“That call I’ll take once the IPL is over or in-between [the tournament].” says India’s No. 3 in Test cricket

Shashank Kishore20-Feb-2021Cheteshwar Pujara isn’t ruling out the possibility of a short county stint this summer, as preparation for India’s tour of England in August, while also insisting he’s keen to prove himself in the shortest format after finding an IPL team in Chennai Super Kings after a gap of seven years. Pujara was picked up at his base price (INR 50 lakhs) at the IPL auction on Thursday, which means he’ll once again play under his first India captain, MS Dhoni.”First of all, I’m really glad to be part of the IPL. It’s good to be back again and I’d like to thank CSK for picking me,” he said after India’s training session in Ahmedabad on Saturday. “At the same time, with regards to county cricket we still have enough time before we play the England Test series. Once the IPL will be over, there is a window where I can play a few county games. That call I’ll take once the IPL is over or in-between [the tournament].”There will be enough time to play some county games. We also have a couple of practice games [against India A] before the Test series. But yes, it’s good to be back in the IPL. I haven’t spoken to them [CSK management] yet but I always want to play the shorter formats. But for now, my focus once this series is over will be on the IPL and after that, I’ll think about county cricket and the big series against England in August. Hopefully, we will play the World Test Championship final as well. I want to focus now on the next two Tests, both of them are important for us to qualify.”In a way, a return to Ahmedabad is a little like life coming full circle for Pujara. The last time he played here was way back in November 2012, when he was just setting out to make a mark at No. 3 in the post-Dravid era. On a turner, India utilised the toss to their advantage by setting up an imposing first-innings total, with Pujara making 206 not out against an England attack of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Samit Patel.The surroundings and the surface, though, are starkly different this time around. The stadium has now been redeveloped to accommodate 110,000 spectators – although only half of those can be in attendance for the third Test – and the surface they’ll encounter here could be much different to the one from 2012, because they’ll be playing a day-night Test with the pink ball. The pandemic has meant Ahmedabad has only hosted a handful of T20 games – the Syed Mushtaq Ali knockouts – before this big match. Pujara was posed a question on the uncertainty of the challenges of playing on an untested surface, but it’s not something he’s too worried about.”We have three-four days [for the Test] and a lot could change,” Pujara said. “It looks a decent pitch but it’s difficult to predict anything, considering we’re playing with a pink ball. With the red ball, it’d be a different ball game, but with the pink ball, it’s difficult to assess. You expect something, but it could turn out to be something else. I want to just try and keep things simple and not worry too much about the pitch.”‘As a batsman, what is in my control – my practice, preparation, process – it’s been wonderful. I’m confident of getting a big score very soon’ – Cheteshwar Pujara•BCCI

The one thing India do expect is dew, which could potentially mean they’ll play three seamers, even though Pujara steered away from any talks over team combination. “Yes, there maybe dew,” he said. “Looking at the weather, there’s a possibility of dew in the final session. The guys have played a lot of cricket with the white ball here, and the bowlers are used to it. As batters, we’ve played with the pink ball. It could [affect] in the third session, although how much we don’t know yet. We will have a better idea [over the coming days] but we are expecting dew.”Pujara was also reminded about India’s previous pink-ball Test – the infamous 36 all out in Adelaide two months ago. He swatted it away with a chuckle, insisting there’s going to be no baggage from that game, and instead chose to draw positives from how well India batted in the first innings of that Test, where they even claimed a slender lead over Australia.”I’ve played so many Tests but with the pink ball, even I don’t have enough experience,” he said. “I don’t think it matters a lot when you play one-off pink-ball Tests, we will get used to it as we keep playing more. We’ll have to just play normal cricket, have similar game plans like we had in the previous Test match, depending on the pitch. We’ll just stick to that. In Adelaide, the ball was swinging around and we had one bad session of poor batting that led to that disaster, but overall if you look at the first innings, we were in a dominating position.”‘Chennai pitch not dangerous at all’Pujara was asked for his verdict on the Chepauk surface for the second Test, in which England folded cheaply in both innings. India’s spinners ran amok, picking up 17 of the 20 wickets to fall, with none of the visiting batsmen going beyond the 43 Moeen Ali made in the dying moments of the match which India won by 317 runs on the fourth day.”Sometimes, if you’re playing on a turner, you find it difficult, but it wasn’t a dangerous pitch at all,” he said. “When the ball spins, people find it difficult to score runs. When we go overseas, we also play on seaming tracks where games finish in three or four days. We still have to play on pitches with grass and seam movement. When it comes to turning tracks, you can’t define how much it should turn. There’s a thin line, but I don’t think it was a bad pitch. Yes, it always becomes difficult in the second innings, but even when we play in Australia on fourth or fifth-day tracks, balls can hit the cracks and take off. As a team, I don’t think we had an issue, am sure England once they’re used to it and play more matches, they’ll also figure out a way.”It’s not often Pujara goes through an entire press conference without questions about his batting. And while he’s made key contributions right through the summer, the one thing he’s looking to tick off is getting to three-figures, something he last did in Tests in Sydney in January 2019.”I started well, got off to starts but got out unfortunately [in the second Test],” he said. Pujara was out to a pull shot that deflected off short leg to the midwicket fielder in the first innings. In the second, he was run out after his bat got stuck in the turf while trying to get back into the crease.”The way I am batting, although the three-figures haven’t come, I am hoping it wont’ be too far away. As a batsman, what is in my control – my practice, preparation, process – it’s been wonderful. I’m confident of getting a big score very soon.”

Quetta have picked Zahir Khan to fill in for Ben Cutting, while Islamabad have chosen not to replace the unavailable Janneman Malan

Umar Farooq22-May-2021Multan Sultans have picked the West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer to replace Bangladesh batter Mahmudullah in the platinum category for the remainder of the PSL 2021, which begins in the first week of June in Abu Dhabi. Several players are set to miss the remaining 20 games of the season for multiple reasons, including logistical challenges. In order to allow teams to replace their absentees, the PCB carried out a mini replacement draft on Saturday.Rashid Khan, meanwhile, will be back with the Lahore Qalandars. The franchise had signed the Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan in his place during last month’s replacement draft. Shakib has now pulled out of the remainder of the season, but Lahore have announced Rashid is available once again. Related

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All six franchises were also allowed to pick two additional players in their original squads, with at least one overseas player, increasing squad sizes from 18 to 20. Teams originally had to feature at least three overseas players in their XIs, but given the growing challenges around the Covid-19 pandemic, the PCB has reduced the number to two for each team.The draft is the third overall since the start of the season, which was suspended after 14 matches following a spate of Covid-19 cases among players and support staffers.The Quetta Gladiators have picked the Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan to replace the Australian allrounder Ben Cutting, while Lahore have chosen the Singaporean batter Tim David, who plays for the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL, and boasts an overall T20 strike rate of 154.07, to replace the Australian batter Joe Burns.Meanwhile, Hammad Azam, once talked of as a exciting all-round prospect for Pakistan, is back in the limelight, with Multan picking him as an additional option in the silver category.The Singaporean batter Tim David replaces Joe Burns in the Lahore Qalandars squad•Getty Images

UAE’s Waseem Muhammad, who made his name with his blazing knocks for the Northern Warriors in the Abu Dhabi T10, has found a place in the Multan roster. His career highlight so far is an unbeaten 13-ball 56 in the T10, which helped the Warriors chase down 98 in just 4.3 overs against the Pune Devils. The Qalandars snapped up another UAE player in Sultan Ahmed, a left-arm spinner who originally hails from Pakistan.During last month’s replacement draft, Islamabad United had picked Janneman Malan in place of Alex Hales. Now, with Malan also unavailable, Islamabad did not pick a replacement, citing a lack of equivalent options.Islamabad, Lahore and the Karachi Kings haven’t yet picked a 20th player, but can do so if required.

Final squads

Karachi Kings Imad Wasim (capt), Abbas Afridi, Aamer Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Chadwick Walton, Danish Aziz, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Haris, Thisara Perera, Najibullah Zadran, Noor Ahmad, Qasim Akram, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood, Zeeshan Malik.Lahore Qalandars Sohail Akhtar (capt), Ahmed Danyal, Ben Dunk, Callum Ferguson, Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, James Faulkner, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Rashid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Seekkuge Prasana, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sultan Ahmed, Tim David, Zaid Alam and Zeeshan Ashraf.Multan Sultans Mohammad Rizwan (capt), Hammad Azam, Imran Tahir, Imran Khan Snr, Johnson Charles, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Umar, Obed McCoy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rilee Rossouw, Shahid Afridi, Shahnawaz Dhani, Shan Masood, Shimron Hetmyer (partially available), Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaibullah, Sohail Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir, Waseem Muhammad.Islamabad United Shadab Khan (capt), Ahmed Saifi Abdullah, Ali Khan, Akif Javed, Asif Ali, Colin Munro, Fawad Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Akhlaq, Musa Khan, Rohail Nazir, Usman Khawaja, Zafar Gohar, Zeeshan Zameer.Peshawar Zalmi Wahab Riaz (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Amad Butt, Bismillah Khan, David Miller (partially available), Fabian Allen (partially available), Fidel Edwards (partially available), Haider Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Irfan Snr, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Rovman Powell, Waqar Salamkheil, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik, Umaid Asif.Quetta Gladiators Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt), Abdul Nasir, Andre Russell (partially available), Anwar Ali, Arish Ali Khan, Azam Khan, Cameron Delport, Faf du Plessis, Hassan Khan, Jack Wildermuth, Jake Weatherald, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Usman Shinwari, Zahid Mahmood, Zahir Khan.

“We have really got to get to the bottom of this once and for all now and make sure the debate is answering the questions we are asking”

Andrew Miller14-Jan-2022Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has acknowledged the need to “reset” England’s red-ball fortunes in the wake of an “exceptionally difficult” Ashes campaign, after insisting that “our priority is Test cricket”.Speaking to reporters in Hobart, Harrison echoed the sentiments of England’s Test captain, Joe Root, who had called on the ECB to match the efforts they put into white-ball cricket in the wake of the 2015 World Cup – a focus that, four years later, delivered victory on home soil in the 2019 event.And while England continue to excel across one-day formats – despite falling in the semi-finals at the T20 World Cup, they are the No. 1-ranked side in that format and No. 2 in ODIs – they are currently rock-bottom in the World Test Championship, and have won just one of their last 13 matches, with nine defeats.Related

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England’s draw in Sydney last week was only their second non-defeat in 14 Tests in Australia, dating back to the 2013-14 whitewash, and came after a humiliating innings defeat in Melbourne in which England had surrendered the Ashes in just 12 days.”Our priority is Test cricket,” Harrison said. “We want to be successful at white-ball cricket, of course we do, but we absolutely need to be successful at Test cricket.”It feels like this is a moment to reset the importance of red-ball cricket in our domestic schedule, for us to recalibrate how we play first-class cricket in the UK. It’s a brilliant opportunity for us to come together as a game and really sort that once and for all.”A review of the series is due to be compiled by Ashley Giles, the managing director of men’s cricket, and Mo Bobat, the performance director, and Harrison will take the recommendations to the board, after it has been ratified by Andrew Strauss, the chairman of ECB’s cricket committee.With Giles having hinted that cosmetic changes will not resolve the game’s deep-seated issues, the recommendations are likely to include the retention of Root at Test captain, even though he has now overseen consecutive defeats on Ashes tours – the first England captain to do so in more than a century.Harrison’s tenure began in the wake of the 2015 World Cup, and he has since staked his reputation on the establishment of the Hundred – a competition that runs at the height of the English summer and which has caused the County Championship to be pushed ever further to the margins of the season.And despite some attempts to reposition red-ball cricket in the 2022 domestic schedule – which is due to be published next week – England’s failure to compete on equal terms at any stage of the Ashes has underlined how critical the Test team’s fortunes have become.Speaking earlier in the week, Zak Crawley blamed the standard of county pitches for England’s batting struggles in the course of this series, while the use of the Dukes ball, with its propensity to swing for longer periods than Australia’s Kookaburra, is another factor that Harrison said would have to come into consideration.”Sometimes the ability to effect change on something as complicated as our schedule is when you have a performance-related issue, and we have one now,” Harrison said. “This has been an exceptionally difficult tour. I don’t think we can get away from the fact that it has been another very disappointing episode in our ongoing attempt to win the Ashes in Australia.”We have really got to get to the bottom of this once and for all now and make sure the debate is answering the questions we are asking. We must not be afraid of some of these questions. Let’s have the right balance of red and white ball, let’s look at when we play red-ball cricket, the pitches we play on, the ball we use.”England’s recent problems have been exacerbated by factors beyond the ECB’s direct control – most particularly the onset of Covid-19 and the need to operate in bio-secure environments – but the crammed international schedule is an aspect of the modern game that Harrison acknowledged would have to be reviewed, even if a reduction in fixtures comes with a financial hit.Tom Harrison: “We have the opportunity to come out of this crisis with a roadmap that demonstrates that we are absolutely serious about tackling discrimination in our sport”•Getty Images

“We do have to look at the schedule – everyone knows that,” Harrison said. “The way we manage player workloads is clearly going to be a matter of premium concern as we go forward in 2022. Internationally, when we get out of the immediate aftermath in the wake of Covid, we’ve got to look at how we manage fixture workloads.”This is something that the chief executives’ committee at ICC need to tackle. It is a difficult challenge for world cricket.”The ECB is also dealing with the fallouts of the racism inquiry at Yorkshire, with the department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee concluding that the sport has a “deep-seated” problem, and warning that it needs to “clean up its act” if it is to qualify for future government funding.”We welcome the scrutiny,” Harrison said. “It’s been a difficult few months for us. We have the opportunity to come out of this crisis with a roadmap that demonstrates that we are absolutely serious about tackling discrimination in our sport, not just racism.”Despite the heightened scrutiny on his tenure, Harrison would not be drawn on the issue of the £2.1 million bonus pool that the ECB’s senior management are set to share among themselves after the launching of the Hundred.”That is a question about an employment contract,” he said. “The board set the criteria on which we are judged and that’s a matter for them.”

Brett Matthews, the former South African first-class bowler, died in Pretoria on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2013Brett Matthews, the former South African first-class bowler, died in Pretoria on Thursday. Matthews, 50, had been in a medically induced coma after being injured in a road accident earlier this month.A left-arm seamer, Matthews represented Eastern Province, Transvaal and Western Province during his six-year career. He played 38 first-class matches, taking 120 wickets at 23.63, and claimed 36 wickets in 33 List A games.He was the brother of Craig Matthews, who had 18 Tests and 56 ODIs to his name for South Africa in the 1990s.

On a green pitch under a cloudy sky and with Andre Adams at last fit enough to return, you could hardly blame what Wayne Madsen had secretly dreaded but Derbyshire are only two down

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge12-Jun-2013Derbyshire 245 for 2 (Chanderpaul 78*, Madsen 67*, Hughes 59) v Nottinghamshire
ScorecardShivnarine Chanderpaul has been worth Derbyshire’s investment•Getty Images

On a green pitch under a cloudy sky and with Andre Adams at last fit enough to return, there can have been little doubt in Chris Read’s mind about what to do when he won the toss. Bottom-of-the-table Derbyshire, the gap between themselves and the pack beginning to yawn just a little, have yet to bowl first in a Championship match this season and if skipper Wayne Madsen had secretly dreaded what might unfold you could hardly blame him.Yet after a day restricted by rain to 65 overs, Derbyshire are only two down. Madsen is well set alongside Shivnarine Chanderpaul in an attempt to reprise their record-breaking partnership against Surrey two weeks ago and the positive signs that coach Karl Krikken took from drawing that game might be more than wishful thinking. “The last couple of weeks we have started to compete and it’s not a foregone conclusion that we are going to go down,” he said. “There are nine games to go and we’ll keep fighting.”Much of Krikken’s renewed optimism stems from Chanderpaul’s enduring quality and professionalism. Approaching 39 and with pretty much every box ticked in his list of career ambitions, Chanderpaul is playing for his fourth county and his decision to sign a well-rewarded contract with a newly-promoted underdog might be open to cynical interpretation, yet Krikken could not be more insistent that Chanderpaul is giving maximum value.He made his first century for Derbyshire against Surrey and is on course for another here. After their stand of 265 against Surrey, they have put on 145 so far here, with Chanderpaul on 78 from 88 balls, and the Nottinghamshire attack feeling a little chastened. But Krikken says Chanderpaul is about more than runs.”He has been immense for us on the field but it is also his work-rate behind the scenes, with the youngsters in the squad in the nets,” Krikken said. “He is a great cricketer and the time he spends in the nets and the way he thinks about his game is what we want our younger players to emulate.”When you are playing on result wickets it is not easy but now we are getting some flatter wickets he is coming into his own. But he has not moaned at all because he knows we have to try to get results.”It is important to the team, to the younger players, to see your captain and your overseas player standing up to be counted, so their form has come at the right time.”In the earlier games we just weren’t consistent enough. We were having a good session but then throwing it away with a poor one and we know we can’t keep doing that. But in the last couple of weeks there have been signs that we are starting to compete.”Chanderpaul in his customary way gathered his runs with deceptive swiftness. He may not be flamboyant but his clever placement ensures steady singles and as ever he was able to gather boundaries through timing rather than force.It was a contrast from Chesney Hughes, who launched Derbyshire’s best start to an innings so far with gusto, his boundaries coming usually with a flourish. He had nine in his 59 and it was a shame that he paid the price for being too extravagant, mishitting an attempt to pull Harry Gurney to the ropes and cursing himself as the ball flew tamely to mid-off.At least Gurney could feel compensated. He had seen Hughes, on 48, and Godleman, with 19, dropped off consecutive balls by Samit Patel at slip.Adams picked up his sole reward when Godleman followed one outside off stump and gave Read a regulation catch but neither he nor any of his colleagues has found much in the pitch. The ball swung a little under the morning’s cloudy sky but for once here conditions have not been as read. Krikken admitted Derbyshire would have bowled first, too. Madsen, this time, will be pleased he did not have the choice.

A round-up of the Vijay Hazare semi-finals on March 2, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2013
ScorecardAn all-round effort from Gokul Sharma helped Assam reach their first final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, as they beat Kerala by five wickets in Visakhapatnam. They will play Delhi, who won their semi-final against Bengal, in the final on Sunday.Sharma took three middle-order wickets and scored an unbeaten half-century to steer Assam’s chase of 198. Tarjinder Singh, who scored a crucial 49, and seamer Pritam Das, who took three wickets, were the other main contributors to the landmark win.Kerala’s innings was built on two productive partnerships, 79 between VA Jagadeesh and Rohan Prem, and 72 for the sixth wicket between Jagadeesh and Gomez. Jagadeesh eventually scored 89, and Gomez scored a half-century, but for the most part, Assam’s bowlers kept chipping away at Kerala. After Sharma created the opening by taking early wickets, Das helped wrap up the tail. Seven batsmen scored in single digits.In reply, Assam were in early trouble, having been reduced to 28 for 3 in the eighth over by seamers Prasanth Parameswaran and Sandeep Warrier. But opener Pallavkumar Das and Tarjinder Singh steadied the innings with a 72-run stand. Sharma, with an unbeaten 52, and Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad, who scored an unbeaten 29, took Assam home in 46 overs. Sreesanth proved expensive for Kerala, as he gave away 56 runs in nine wicketless overs.
ScorecardDelhi beat Bengal by six wickets to advance to the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the other semi-final.Bengal were put into bat and were in trouble, as seamers Sumit Narwal, Parvinder Awana and Pradeep Sangwan made early inroads to leave them struggling at 32 for 4. Manoj Tiwary and Laxmi Shukla attempted to stabilise the innings, putting on a 73-run stand for the fifth wicket. However, once Shukla was dismissed, Bengal were only able to add a further 51 runs as Delhi wrapped up the tail, to bowl them out in he 41st over. Tiwary top-scored with 87, while Delhi’s Varun Sood picked up 3 for 48.Despite losing opener Dhruv Shorey with the score at 16, Delhi strung together regular partnerships. Gautam Gambhir top-scored with 69 as he guided Delhi towards the 157-run target, and got the support of Unmukt Chand (22) and Rajat Bhatia (28).

Ben Stokes set to return to action, for Durham, after being out since April when he picked up a finger injury

Matt Roller19-Jun-2021Olly Stone has been ruled out for the rest of the English summer after suffering another stress fracture to the lower back, his third in as many years. Stone was due to be named in England’s ODI squad for their upcoming three-match World Cup Super League series against Sri Lanka, which starts on June 29, but the injury has opened the door for George Garton, the Sussex left-arm seamer, to be included in a full squad for the first time.Stone suffered the injury following England’s second Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston, in which he took three wickets for 97 runs. It is the latest in a cruel run of injuries that has blighted his career, and leaves his prospects of playing in the T20 World Cup and the Ashes this winter in doubt.Related

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Garton has been a regular in England Lions’ white-ball plans since he was 19, and was added to the touring party ahead of the first Ashes Test in 2017-18 as cover after impressing in the nets. He missed the 2018 summer after picking up a side strain while picking a suitcase off a baggage carousel at Los Angeles airport, but has made significant strides since: across the last two T20 Blast seasons, he has taken 22 wickets at 13.54 with an economy rate of 6.93, and has also contributed with the bat as a finisher and in the field.”It is a great shame as Olly was showing real promise with the ball and would have been part of our selection plans for this series,” Chris Silverwood, England’s coach, who will hand over the reins to Graham Thorpe, his assistant, during the ODI series, said.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We have been monitoring the progress of George Garton for quite some time. He has been a significant part of Sussex’s bowling unit in white-ball cricket for an extended period. His ability to bowl quick, with his point of difference being a left-armer, certainly gives us options in this series, and he deserves his chance at this level.”England are also missing Jofra Archer (elbow injury), Reece Topley (side strain) and Saqib Mahmood (abdominal strain), who Silverwood said were making “excellent progress”.Meanwhile, Ben Stokes is due to make his return to cricket after being out with a hand injury on Sunday, when he plays for Durham against Birmingham Bears in the Vitality Blast. Stokes has not played competitively since the Rajasthan Royals’ opening game of the IPL, when he suffered the injury while taking a catch. Stokes is targeting an international return in the T20I series against Pakistan, which starts on July 16.Jonny Bairstow has been named in the squad despite suffering an ankle injury during Yorkshire’s win at Worcestershire on Wednesday, after which he left the ground with a moon boot. There are only two changes from the T20I squad named last week, with Garton and Joe Root replacing Chris Jordan and Dawid Malan.

Amelia Kerr, Devon Conway also pick up top honours at the New Zealand Cricket Awards

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2021New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been awarded the Sir Richard Hadlee medal for the fourth time in six years, while women’s allrounder Amelia Kerr and rising star Devon Conway also claimed top honours at the New Zealand Cricket Awards for the 2020-21 season.Williamson was given the award on the back of his impressive run in Tests during the summer, where he scored a career-best 251 against the West Indies in Hamilton, followed by a century on his home ground in Tauranga during the Boxing Day Test. He also made a double-century against Pakistan in Christchurch, which helped New Zealand book their place in the ICC World Test Championship final. Overall, New Zealand won 17 out of 20 matches they played during the summer, and claimed all seven series.Related

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Williamson, the highest ranked Test batsman, was also named the International Test Player of the Year and awarded the Redpath Cup for first-class batting, after he amassed 639 runs in just four innings at an average of 159.”Going into the Test summer – there was that Championship final carrot and there was a real drive there for the guys,” Williamson told Richard Hadlee on a phone call, upon receiving the news of the award. “Although it seemed a long way off, winning four Tests before you’ve started one is a pretty lofty goal. To spend some time at the crease personally and make contributions towards that … certainly proud as a leader and a player in this side that we were able to achieve some of those things and we’re looking forward to that final.”In the women’s category, Kerr won the Super Smash and the International T20 awards. The legspinning allrounder played a key role in the White Ferns’ wins over Australia in Brisbane last December and in Napier last month. She averaged 51 with the bat, striking at 134 in the Super Smash T20s. She also took 14 wickets, including a hat-trick for Wellington Blaze in the final.Conway, meanwhile, was named the men’s player of the year in both ODIs as well as T20Is. He had smashed 473 T20I runs at a strike rate of 151 during the season, including four half-centuries, to edge out Glenn Phillips (366 runs at 40.6) and bowlers Tim Southee (21 wickets at 16.7) and Ish Sodhi (20 wickets at 15.4) for the award. He was equally dominant in the ODIs, hitting 225 runs, including his maiden century, in the three-match series against Bangladesh in March.Finn Allen, the 21-year-old opener who recently made his international debut, was named the Super Smash Player of the Year in the men’s category after scoring 512 runs at an average of 56 and a strike-rate of 193.Kyle Jamieson, a key member of New Zealand’s Test attack, was given the Windsor Cup for first-class bowling, his first NZC award. Jamieson had picked up 27 wickets during the season, including a haul of 11 in the final Test against Pakistan in Christchurch. In the Plunket Shield, he picked up 20 wickets in just three matches for Auckland, including a hat-trick at Eden Park Outer Oval.Stand-in captain Amy Satterthwaite was named the women’s ODI Player of the Year, courtesy 304 runs in six matches on her comeback trail.Former batsman Jeff Crowe was honoured with the Bert Sutcliffe Medal for outstanding services to cricket. Crowe represented New Zealand in 39 Tests and 75 ODIs between 1983 and 1990, captaining the side on 22 occasions. He was later appointed manager of the national team. Since 2004, Crowe has been an ICC match referee, overseeing 103 Tests, 301 ODIs and 137 T20s.

Australia’s Test team convened without Ricky Ponting in Hobart on Monday evening

Daniel Brettig10-Dec-2012Australia’s Test team convened without Ricky Ponting in Hobart on Monday evening. Barring reasons of injury or personal leave, this is the first time such a state of affairs has existed since 1999.The space left by Ponting will be felt as much in the dressing room as out in the middle, for while his run-making trailed off badly towards the end, his contribution to the team’s development as a mentor and example was seldom stronger.Phillip Hughes occupies Ponting’s place on the team sheet, but all will be expected to take up the considerable hole left by his presence. Apart from the captain Michael Clarke, the most senior members of the squad to play at Bellerive are Michael Hussey, Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson.Their insights and examples will be critical to younger team-mates, and so too will the personal experience of Ed Cowan. Having benefited greatly from the time he spent around Ponting both before and after his elevation to the national team, Cowan will now be expected to show that example.”It’s an odd situation in that one of the guys that has been inked into the top order, but more so inked into the culture of the change room, will be missing,” Cowan told ESPNcricinfo. “So there are two ways to look at it. One is to reminisce and think what a hole he’s going to leave. The other side of the coin is that it’s an opportunity for guys to step up, not only as players but as leaders around the change room, and that’s an opportunity for a number of guys to combine together and try to fill the void of his presence.”I think cultures evolve, and the culture of this team has evolved since Michael’s taken the captaincy, so it’s a question of guys being willing like Ricky was to give of themselves to the team like no other. Put the team first, play to win, and make sure the change rooms are a better place when the next person steps into it. A massive loss off the field, but the identity of this team has been growing since Michael took over the captaincy, and that growth’s been pretty evident in the results.”That those results did not culminate in a series victory over South Africa was down to a major malfunction at Nos. 3 and 4 in the batting order – of which Ponting was of course a part – the toll of three Tests on the hosts’ bowlers, and the resilience of the seasoned visitors. Cowan enjoyed a productive series personally, making his first Test century and looking comfortable at other times, but the most resounding lessons of the series were of the five-day game’s unremitting nature.”From a team point of view it was a great lesson that Test series are exactly that,” Cowan said. “It’s not one or two days of really decent cricket, to beat the best you have to be consistent for 15 days. As a group we felt as though we dominated them for eight or nine days of the series, maybe had points decisions on two or three days and only lost two or three days to them, and you end up losing the series. So it was a great lesson for us that the great teams soak up pressure when they have to and have an ability to really nail you when they have that momentum.”They were due to have a good day. That was in the back of everyone’s mind that they’d been pounded and pounded and pounded and yet it showed 0-0, and it took a toll on our bowlers a bit more with both quicks sitting out [Perth]. So we were up against it when our top three quicks were all unavailable for what was a grand final, so it was always going to be hard work. We had our opportunity after day one with the bat to really nail them and we didn’t take it, then with the ball we let things slip, and in a matter of hours the series was prettymuch gone.”Having said that, deep down we knew we gave it a massive shake. The best team in the world had come here with the intention of proving how good they were, and we flexed a few muscles and showed how good we were over the course of the series, but didn’t come away with the biscuits.”Ponting’s retirement and its associated melancholy appeared to add a mental toll to the physical strain evident after the sapping conclusion to the Adelaide Test. Cowan said the start of a new series would allow the start of a new and fresh chapter, without anything like the pathos that enveloped Australia at the WACA ground – there will certainly be fewer tears shed this week, both in private and in public.”It was tough mentally, and physically because it was a back-to-back Test,” Cowan said. “Now we’ve had a chance to refresh, take stock and move forward. Phil Hughes is coming into the side off a lot of runs and we’re pretty confident that everyone can contribute to the team moving forward. We’re now missing Australia’s greatest modern batsmen, but it’s an opportunity for guys to step up. It puts expectation on other guys to fill the void. That’s the only way.”