England have named an unchanged 16-man squad for the first two Ashes Tests of the summer with Josh Tongue’s fine debut against Ireland enough to keep his spot in the group.
Worcestershire seamer Tongue was a late addition to England’s squad for this week’s one-off Test with Ireland due to injury concerns over James Anderson (groin) and Ollie Robinson (ankle), who both expected to be fit to face Australia at Edgbaston on June 16.
Tongue has caught the eye at Lord’s and hit 91mph in his first spell on day one before his maiden Test wickets followed on the second day.
Both captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum spoke glowingly before the four-day match about Tongue, who spent 15 months on the sidelines with a nerve problem in his shoulder before he returned to fitness in 2022 and last month dismissed Sussex’s Australia star Steve Smith.
The 25-year-old now finds himself in contention for the first two Ashes Tests alongside fellow seamers Anderson, Stuart Broad, Matthew Potts, Robinson, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood.
Jack Leach remains the only spinner in the group and Essex’s Dan Lawrence is England’s only batting cover.
England’s 16-man squad will report to Birmingham on June 12 and are due to practice at Edgbaston on June 13 before the Ashes get under way on June 16.
England men’s Test squad for first two Ashes Tests: B Stokes (captain), J Anderson, J Bairstow, S Broad, H Brook, Z Crawley, B Duckett, D Lawrence, J Leach, O Pope, M Potts, O Robinson, J Root, J Tongue, C Woakes, M Wood.
Walton’s unbeaten 80 powers TKR to seven-wicket victory over Amazon Warriors and place in 2023 Republic Bank CPL final
Chadwick Walton scored 80 not out as Trinbago Knight Riders secured their place in the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final on Sunday with a seven-wicket win over Guyana Amazon Warriors in Qualifier 1 on Wednesday night.
Trinbago Knight Riders won the toss and chose to bowl first. Led by Waqar Salamkheil and Terrence Hinds they produced a disciplined bowling performance to restrict Guyana Amazon Warriors to 166-7 after 20 overs, Despite another super innings from Saim Ayub, it was Guyana Amazon Warriors lowest score this season when batting first.
The Knight Riders chase was headlined by Chadwick Walton, with the opener ensuring his side never fell below the run rate and eventually guiding them across the finish line with a brilliant innings of 80 not out that ensured they progressed to the final on Sunday.
Ayub continued his brilliant maiden CPL season with a score of 49 as he once again opened with Odean Smith. Their 53-run partnership would prove to be the foundation of the Amazon Warriors innings. Despite losing leading run scorer Shai Hope in the ninth over, they would manage to reach 166-7 largely thanks to the late runs scored by Romario Shepherd and Gudakesh Motie.
Salamkheil and Hinds would both prove to be vital for the Knight Riders, as they took wickets and contained the scoring.
Trinbago Knight Riders raced away to 41-0 after 4 overs as Walton and Mark Deyal combined to give their side an ideal start to the chase.
Imran Tahir would bring himself on to bowl and strike with his first ball, trapping Deyal lbw. Nicholas Pooran replaced Deyal and together with Walton, forged a 51-run partnership before the former was caught off the bowling of Dwaine Pretorius for 33.
However, Walton would silence the Providence crowd with his innings of 80*, which included nine boundaries. He was supported by Captain Kieron Pollard as TKR surged towards victory and a place in Sunday’s final.
Qualifier 2 between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Jamaica Tallawahs will take place on Friday evening at Providence Stadium.
Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 167-3 (Walton 80*, Pooran 33; Pretorius 2-36, Tahir 1-30) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 166-7 (Ayub 49, Khan 36; Salamkheil 2-28, Hinds 2-32) by seven wickets
Jason Roy rejects England call as Tom Kohler-Cadmore added to squad
Jason Roy has turned down the chance to rejoin England for two games against Ireland, increasing doubts over his international future.
Somerset’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore was officially called up to replace Joe Root for the second and third games of the Metro Bank Series on Thursday, with the latter taking a scheduled break ahead of next month’s World Cup, but it is understood Roy rejected the spot.
The experienced opener was ruthlessly dropped from the squad for next month’s World Cup despite being named in the provisional 15, a second cruel blow having also been cut from the T20 side on the eve of the short-form World Cup last year.
He missed the recent series against New Zealand with back spasms, paving the way for Dawid Malan and Harry Brook to edge him out of the trip to India, but England had not closed the door on the 33-year-old and invited him to link up with the shadow group who face the Irish on Saturday and Tuesday.
National selector Luke Wright also suggested that Roy was being viewed as first-choice reserve for the World Cup should there be any injuries in the top three, but admitted uncertainty over the player’s state of mind.
By sitting out the forthcoming fixtures at Trent Bridge and Bristol, Roy is allowing others to make a case in his absence in what could be a tacit admission that his own time is over.
He had already predicted a “changing of the guard” was due in England’s ageing team after the World Cup and a permanent place on the lucrative franchise circuit may now beckon.
US venues for next year's T20 World Cup selected
The established Central Broward Regional Park Stadium has been announced as one of three venues which will host matches on the United States leg of the men’s Twenty20 World Cup next year.
Located in Lauderhill, Florida, the venue has already hosted six One-Day Internationals and 16 Twenty20 Internationals and will be joined by Grand Prairie in Dallas and the yet-to-be constructed Eisenhower Park in New York.
The T20 World Cup is being jointly hosted by West Indies and the United States from June 4-30.
“We’re delighted to announce the three USA venues that will host part of the biggest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup ever staged, with 20 teams competing for the trophy,” said ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice.
“The USA is a strategically important market, and these venues give us an excellent opportunity to make a statement in the world’s biggest sport market.
“We explored a number of potential venue options in the country, and we were hugely encouraged by the enthusiasm the event generated amongst prospective hosts, reinforcing the growing awareness around cricket’s massive fanbase and its power to unite diverse communities.”
He continued: “We are very excited about the opportunity to use modular stadium technology to present world class cricket in a location that has not previously hosted an ICC global event giving USA cricket fans the chance to watch the world’s best on their doorstep.
“This technology has been used at previous ICC events to increase venue capacity and it’s routinely used in other major sports around the world.
“In the USA, it will give us the opportunity to increase the size of the venues in both Dallas and Florida and create what is going to be a stunning venue in New York.”
The ICC said Wednesday the Eisenhower Park, to be constructed in Nassau County, would be built to a capacity of 34 000 and take the form of a purpose-built sports and events park.
Nassau County is an affluent area located on Long Island, on the outskirts of New York City.
“Whether it be PGA events, record breaking concerts in our parks, or the annual Belmont Stakes, we are no stranger to hosting large scale events on the world stage,” said Nassau County Executive, Bruce Blakeman.
“I look forward to bringing our many diverse communities together to watch some of the best cricket in the world, right here in Nassau County.”
Grand Prairie, meanwhile, came to cricketing prominence earlier this year when it hosted matches in the inaugural Major League Cricket tournament.
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