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• Stokes ruled out of England's Sri Lanka Test through injury

  Ben Stokes has been ruled out of England's upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka after tearing his left hamstring while playing in The Hundred on Sunday.

  Stokes pulled up after running a single and was carried off the field before later being seen on crutches after appearing for the Northern Superchargers.

  Originally thought to be a doubt for the first of England's Tests later this month, scans on Tuesday revealed the injury will keep him out for the remainder of the summer.

  Ollie Pope will take over Stokes' role as captain during his absence, with the all-rounder aiming to return to fitness before their Test tour of Pakistan in October.

  England will also be without opener Zak Crawley for the Sri Lanka series due to a finger injury he sustained against the West Indies at Edgbaston.

  Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have appointed Ian Bell as their batting coach for the upcoming tour.

  Bell, who played in 118 Tests for England between 2004 and 2015, will work under former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya.

  "We appointed Ian to bring in a person with local knowledge to help the players with key insights on the conditions there," Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Ashley de Silva said.

  "We believe his input will help our team in this crucial tour."

  The first Test in the series will take place at Old Trafford in Manchester on August 21.

• 2024 SDC National Community T20 Cricket competition Super 8 officially launched

  The SDC National Community T20 Cricket competition Super 8 was officially launched at Chedwin Park in St. Catherine last Saturday, August 10^th.

  The start of the Super 8 (knockout stage) was delayed by a few weeks due to the devastation suffered to parts of the island following the passage of Hurricane Beryl.

  As a result, teams participating in this phase of the competition now face a win-or-go scenario which is different from previous years.

  Dr. Dwayne Vernon, Executive Director of the Social Development Commission (SDC) explained the need for the change this year.

  “Normally we would have a playoff, which is an intermediary round between the quarterfinals and the semifinals, so historically what would happen is that the best winners from the quarterfinals would automatically go to the semifinals and then the other teams would have played off to ensure which ones would get the right to play in the semifinals,” he said.

  “What we have done this year, because we are strapped for time…is that we have eliminated the playoff round. Teams that win at the quarterfinals will automatically go to the semifinals. There will be no playoffs, just for this year. We want to end at least one week before back to school,” he added.

  Kerry-Ann Bryan, Brand Manager at Wray & Nephew spoke of the long-standing partnership between her company and the SDC T20 Cricket competition.

  “Wray & Nephew is proud to be a part of this long-standing tradition of community development through sport. Over 17 years we have seen much growth in participation, community comradery and development, all elements for which the SDC has been a stalwart champion.”

  Bryan also spoke of the power of the sport in uniting communities across the island while assuring of her brand support through the remainder of the competition.

  “Cricket for many Jamaicans is more than a game, it has the power to unite us, transcend boundaries and build a sense of camaraderie. It embodies the values of teamwork, discipline and fair play which are essential not only to the field but also in communities which we all call home,” she said.

  “This competition is not just about cricket, it’s about empowering communities, encouraging social growth and nurturing the talents that align within our neighborhoods. As a proud sponsor of this competition, I can assure you that our brand will be right there cheering for every player, encouraging every team and celebrating every triumph,” she added.

  In the first quarterfinal on Saturday, Whitehouse from Westmoreland beat Richmond Park from Kingston and St. Andrew by six runs. Whitehouse scored 155/6 from their 20 overs before bowling out Richmond Park for 149 in 19.3 overs.

  In the second quarterfinal, Junction skittled out Troy for a mere 43 runs before they eased to victory

  at 44/1.

  The other two quarterfinals were played at the same venue on Sunday. In the first match on Sunday, Fairfield beat Bridgeport by 18 runs. Fairfield made 145 in exactly 20 overs before they restricted Bridgeport to 127/9 from their 20 overs.

  The final quarterfinal was reduced to 15 overs due to rain. In their turn at bat, Gayle managed 107/4 and in reply Links made 108/3 from 13.3 overs to win by 7 wickets.

  The semifinals will be played at the Ultimate Oval in St. Ann on Sunday, August 18.

• Big shoes to fill: Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira, Dinanath Ramnarine hail outgoing CWI CEO Johnny Grave

  While heaping praise on outgoing Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Johnny Grave, veteran cricket commentator Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira believes the next candidate will have big shoes to fill to ensure that the region’s cricket will be in a better place in years to come.

  Perreira, who believes Grave enjoyed a successful tenure since he was appointed in 2017, highlighted the Englishman’s recent vocal advocacy for more funding from the ICC. Grave is set to depart the post in October.

  “I think he’s had a long run as CEO in the Caribbean. On behalf of the West Indies Board, he has overseen many negotiations and many tours. Of late, he’s been talking about the poor financial cake and the small amount of money the West Indies have been getting from the ICC,” Reds said in an interview with Barbados TODAY.

  “But I think he probably feels that he’s going to look down where he wants to maybe have his final job, whether it’s an English county, where his children can be educated. And I suppose it’s that time where he feels that he’s exhausted all his energy. He’s fulfilled, in his opinion, all what he could do for the West Indies Cricket Board, and it is time to move on,” he opined.

  That said, Perreira pointed out that the new CEO must build on the work started by Grave, especially in the area of addressing the financial imbalance in the global game, a theme that was also taken up in recent weeks by former West Indies captain Sir Clive Lloyd.

  He also stressed that the mandate of Grave’s replacement must be to secure sponsorship for the regional first-class season, along with possibly enticing overseas teams to take part in regional cricket to elevate the game.

  “Whether there’s someone earmarked, whether there’s someone within the regional market, I do not know, but it might be best for the West Indies board to advertise the post to try and get the best available person with that kind of experience. The kind of person who will follow up what Grave has been working on, what the West Indies board has been working on in terms of negotiations, in terms of the ICC share of the cake, which is adequate right now. So it’s not just a new man coming in and starting all over again; he’s got to hit the road running,” Perreira reasoned.

  Meanwhile, former president and CEO of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), Dinanath Ramnarine, agrees that Grave’s loss will be significant.

  “His expertise in the sports business industry, coupled with his extensive experience, made him an invaluable asset to the organisation. Replacing someone of his calibre will be an incredibly challenging task, as the person who follows in his footsteps will undoubtedly have big shoes to fill,” Ramnarine noted.