England will be without Jonny Bairstow for the Twenty20 World Cup after the batsman suffered a freak injury while playing golf.
Bairstow has been in stunning form for England in 2022 and was named in their T20 World Cup squad on Friday.
Yet he will now miss the series-deciding Test against South Africa and the tournament in Australia after sustaining what the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) described as a "lower limb injury".
England's statement confirmed Bairstow had suffered the injury while playing golf in Leeds on Friday, in what they labelled "a freak accident".
Bairstow will see a specialist next week but was immediately ruled out of action for the foreseeable future.
Ben Duckett has been called up in his place for the Test match against South Africa, while England will name a replacement in their World Cup squad in due course.
Bairstow has been England's standout performer this year, scoring 1,344 runs across all formats, hitting five Test centuries in the process.
T&T's Soca Warriors back in top 100 on FIFA World Rankings list; Reggae Boyz now at 56th
Eight-time Caribbean Cup champions Trinidad and Tobago have surged inside the top 100 on the FIFA World Rankings list for the first time in almost five years following recent wins over El Salvador and Curacao.
The Soca Warriors – in the latest list published Thursday – climbed four places up to 98th from 102, a spot they held in the last rankings in July. They were last inside the FIFA top 100 at 92nd in December 2018. Based on their world position, the twin island republic remains the fourth highest rated in Caribbean Football Union (CFU).
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz jumped two places up the FIFA list to 56th and remain number in CFU ahead of Haiti at 87th world ranked and Curacao (90th). Antigua and Barbuda complete the CFU’s top five at 137th.
In the only change to the CFU’s top 10, Guyana have climbed into 10th position with a three place move to 165th in the world, as Barbados – the result of Nations League losses to Montserrat and Nicaragua – slipped out of the top 10. The fell six places on the world list from 166th to 172nd.
World champions Argentina strengthened their grip at the summit of the world rankings. The Argentines, who dethroned Brazil at the top in April, defeated Ecuador and Bolivia in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers earlier this month to improve their status.
Despite losing to Germany in a friendly last week, France retained second place, followed by Brazil (third), England (fourth) and Belgium (fifth).
Match start times confirmed for West Indies vs England Christmas Series in December 2023
Cricket West Indies (CWI) today confirmed the start times for the first ever Christmas Series played between West Indies and England in December 2023. The series will feature eight matches – three CG United One-Day Internationals (ODI) and five T20 Internationals (T20I) from 3 to 21 December as fans get the opportunity to rally at home and celebrate with the West Indies ahead of the Christmas holidays.
England arrive in Antigua to start the tour with two CG United ODIs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on 3 and 6 December. The 1st CG United ODI is a day game starting at 9:30am with the 2nd CG United ODI starting at 1:30pm as a day/night game. The 3rd and final CG United ODI to be played at Kensington Oval, Barbados on 9 December will also be a day/night game starting at 1:30pm.
The five-match T20I starts in Barbados with the first match played at Kensington Oval under lights starting at 6pm. The Spice Isle of Grenada then welcomes both teams for the 2nd and 3rd T20Is on 14 and 16 December with both matches starting at 1:30pm.
The tour concludes in the week before Christmas with the 4th and 5th T20Is on December 19 and 21. The Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad will be hosting a West Indies vs England men’s fixture for the first time with day/night matches starting at 4pm.
Fans can purchase tickets in advance from the Windies Tickets service presented by Mastercard at Tickets.Windiescricket.com . Fans who purchase online and in advance can choose their preferred seats and benefit from a discount compared to tickets purchased at the venue box office.
FULL MATCH SCHEDULE (with start times)
3 December: 1st CG United ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua – 9:30am
6 December: 2nd CG United ODI at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua – 1:30pm
9 December: 3rd CG United at Kensington Oval, Barbados – 1:30pm
12 December: 1st T20I at Kensington Oval, Barbados – 6pm
14 December: 2nd T20I at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada – 1:30pm
16 December: 3rd T20I at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada – 1:30pm
19 December: 4th T20I at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad – 4pm
21 December: 5th T20I at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad – 4pm
Marcus Smith starts as England full-back for first time against Chile
Marcus Smith will provide a cutting edge from full-back as England look to give their attack lift off in their World Cup clash with Chile in Lille.
Harlequins fly-half Smith starts in the number 15 jersey for the first time having appeared as a replacement in the previous four Tests, providing a lively counter-attacking threat and extra playmaking option.
On each occasion his arrival acted as a catalyst for England with the ball in hand, particularly in Sunday’s 34-12 victory over Japan.
Owen Farrell returns from suspension to lead the team at fly-half as Steve Borthwick makes 12 changes in personnel for the clash against the lowest-ranked side in Pool D at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Saturday.
Borthwick has taken the opportunity to rest the bulk of his frontline stars such as stand-in skipper Courtney Lawes, full-back Freddie Steward, hooker Jamie George and centre Manu Tuilagi.
However, George Ford has not been given the weekend off after being picked on the bench, raising the prospect that three players whose primary position is 10 could be on the field at the same time.
At some point in the second half, Farrell and Ford are expected to reprise the playmaking axis that served England well under Eddie Jones until Ford fell out of favour.
Chile are ranked 22nd in the world and offer the scope to experiment as well as rest key personnel with tougher assignments against Samoa on October 7 and a potential quarter-final to come.
Henry Arundell and Max Malins form the wings, while Ollie Lawrence and Elliot Daly are paired together in a classic centre pairing that mixes ball-carrying clout and dynamic running skills.
Only prop Kyle Sinckler and flanker Lewis Ludlam remain from the pack that overran Japan, with hooker Theo Dan and prop Bevan Rodd present in a raw-looking front row.
“One of the many great things about the World Cup is that the tournament provides an excellent opportunity to play against teams that we rarely have a chance to see. It is for that reason that we are particularly looking forward to testing ourselves against Chile on Saturday,” Borthwick said.
“Having watched our next opponent closely, we know that we will have to prepare and play well against a committed Chile team.
“As we head to the next round, it is only right that I once again pay tribute to our excellent supporters who I know will be right behind us in Lille this weekend.”
While there are a host of new faces present, all eyes will be focused on how Smith performs when given more than a cameo role at full-back.
Although unlikely to start in the pressure-cooker matches due to his inexperience in the position, Borthwick appears to have found an important role for one of the most exciting talents in English rugby.
It is also a crucial match for Farrell, who needs minutes on the field after making his most recent appearance against Wales on August 12 when he was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Taine Basham.
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