Australia announced an 18-player squad for their upcoming tour of India, with Mitchell Starc to miss the first Test of the series due to a finger injury.
Starc suffered tendon damage and a fracture to the middle finger on his bowling hand during the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at the MCG, although he was able to tough it out and return to the field.
The 32-year-old was ruled out of the final Test of the series in Sydney and selectors confirmed on Wednesday that Starc's recovery will mean he will not fly over to India with the rest of Australia's squad.
In more positive news, Cameron Green is expected to make a full recovery in time for the series opener on February 9, having undergone surgery on a finger injury of his own.
"Greeny, we're hopeful that he should be right for the first Test," chair of selectors George Bailey said.
"But if not that, that's okay. We feel like we've got the squad that can cover that.
"Starcy's not expected to be available for the first Test, in fact he's going to come across to India a touch later."
If there is one area of the squad where Australia could afford an injury, it is in the fast-bowling department.
With Starc out, captain Pat Cummins will likely be joined by Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland in the pace attack, while the rapid Lance Morris has been named in the squad and might feel overdue for a look-in.
Australia also named four spinners, with veteran campaigner Nathan Lyon joined by Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson and uncapped off-spinner Todd Murphy.
Bailey addressed the condition of back-up wicketkeeper Peter Handscomb, who was forced to retire hurt immediately after hitting a six while playing for St Kilda in a T20 on Tuesday, having been nailed in the hip the previous over.
"Pete's got a scan tomorrow morning to check on that," Bailey said. "He's confident it's nothing too serious.
"A bit of a mishap. He just copped a ball on the back hip, and then three balls later he dispatched one and just felt something give a little bit in there.
"There's still quite a bit of time between now and when we depart and even when the first test is, so we'll work through that as we get more information."
Bailey confirmed Handscomb is still third in the pecking order, but selectors have opted to give Josh Inglis the tour off to allow him to play some first-class cricket.
"Josh is absolutely still our backup or number two wicketkeeper," he said. "But we're also conscious that he has been on a number of tours and hasn't actually been able to play a great deal of cricket."
The first Test of of the four-match series starts in Nagpur on February 9.
Rahmarack stars with the ball as Windies Women defeat New South Wales by four wickets at Wilson Park
The West Indies Women got their tour of Australia off to a winning start with a four-wicket victory over a New South Wales (NSW) Women's team at Wilson Park.
Karishma Ramharack had the NSW ladies spun tightly in her web of off-spin and were restricted to posted 105-9 from their 20 overs. Ramharack finished with figures of 3-12. Captain Hayley Matthews supported with some wizardry of her own taking 2-7 from her two overs.
NSW skipper Sammy-Jo Johnson was the top-scorer with 28 with Hannah Darlington making 24.
Shemaine Campbelle led the West Indies Women's run-chase posting 33 from 34 deliveries which included five boundaries. Skipper Matthews was next best with 24 off 27. Aaliyah Alleyne 19 not out and Zaida James 15 not out took the visitors home to victory in 17.5 overs.
Head Coach Shane Deitz was pleased with the team's first outing since arriving in Australia four days ago.
“It's good to get the first win on tour. I think we've got a lot of areas we need to improve on, especially getting used to batting on these wickets with some extra pace and bounce. Overall, I think we played generally good all-round and it's going to put us in a good position to play on Sunday,” he said.
The ODI series against Australia is West Indies’ fourth fixture in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-2025 after playing New Zealand, England and Ireland.
Each match provides West Indies with opportunity to win valuable points to climb the Championship table where they currently lie ninth of 10 teams.
Following the Australia Series, West Indies Women will play four three-match ODI series over the next two years. At the end of the cycle, the top five teams in the ICC Women’s Championship will book berths in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025 along with hosts India.
The remaining teams will have to go through the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Surrey retain County Championship title after Essex batting collapse
Surrey have retained their LV= Insurance County Championship title as Essex’s slim hopes ended after their batters collapsed in a heap against Northamptonshire.
A 20-point gap between the top two Division One teams heading into the final round meant Surrey needed just five points in their fixture against Hampshire to celebrate a 21st championship triumph.
They secured three bowling bonus points at the Ageas Bowl but none with the bat, which opened the door for Essex, who needed to amass a 400-plus score in 110 overs to have any chance of catching Surrey.
But Essex were unable to claim the maximum amount of batting bonus points as they capitulated to 211 all out on Thursday morning, with last man Jamie Porter bowled by Tom Taylor to crown Surrey champions.
Surrey, who have won the championship five times since the turn of the century, became the first side since Yorkshire in 2014 and 2015 to claim back-to-back titles.
Final decision on who hosts 2024 ICC World Cup final yet to be reached - CWI CEO Johnny Grave
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has moved to provide clarity on the ongoing process of venue selection for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in the Caribbean and USA in June 2024.
CWI acknowledges the enthusiasm and interest expressed by various governments, cricket boards, and stakeholders in hosting the highly anticipated tournament. However, there has been some confusion over how the process works, especially in light of recent developments wherein Barbados Cricket Association President Conde Riley claimed that Barbados has been selected to host the finals of the tournament next June.
Those claims have been debunked by CWI President Dr Kishore Shallow.
So, what is the actual truth?
CWI Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave explained, stating, "Following a robust selection process of our seven host venues, CWI-appointed Venues Selection Committee, chaired by President Dr. Kishore Shallow, has made recommendations to the ICC on allocations of matches for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in the Caribbean and USA in June 2024."
Grave acknowledged the commendable efforts made by nations within the region; however, he emphasized that final decisions have yet to be reached.
"These recommendations are subject to venues confirming commitment to all required obligations and ICC approval,” explained.
“We are delighted by the enthusiasm and interest expressed by our host governments and cricket Boards and appreciate the hard work and commitment shown as we look to deliver a spectacular Men's T20 World Cup next year. We will now work with the ICC, our hosts and ICC Members to finalize the match schedule in the coming weeks."
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