Former West Indies batsmen Lendl Simmons and Dwayne Smith, both produced much-needed cameos but their efforts were in vain, as Atlanta Riders suffered a seven-wicket loss to New York Warriors in the US Masters T10 competition on Monday.
Smith led the way with a 24-ball 36, while Simmons contributed 21 off 11 balls, which assisted Riders to 97 for four off their allotment, at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium.
Simmons, 38, put on 29 for the first wicket with captain Robin Uthappa (24), and added another 28 in a second-wicket partnership Smith, who had four boundaries in his knock.
Former Pakistan seamer Sohail Khan was the chief destroyer for the Warriors, as he claimed three for 21, with former West Indies seamer Jerome Taylor taking the other wicket.
Meanwhile, Kamran Akmal struck a brisk 34 off 11 balls, including three fours and three sixes, in a 63-run opening stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan, who struck 28 from 14 balls.
Though former Bangladesh left-arm spinner Elias Sunny slowed their progress, snaring two of the three wickets that fell in quick succession, former West Indies all-rounder Jonathan Carter and Shahid Afridi took the game away from the Riders, with an unbroken 40-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Carter struck one boundary and a maximum in his 17, while Afridi was unbeaten on 22.
Sunny ended with two wickets for 11 runs.
Another former West Indies player Chris Barnwell struck an unbeaten 28 off a mere 10 deliveries to lead New Jersey Tritons to victory over the Warriors on Sunday.
Barnwell’s knock, which included four sixes saw the Tritons chased down 85 in a contest reduced to five overs per side due to rain.
Alex Hartley, part of the England side that won the 2017 Women’s World Cup on home soil, has announced she will end her playing career at the conclusion of The Hundred.
Hartley took 10 wickets in eight matches during England’s seminal triumph, including two for 58 in the final against India, the undoubted highlight of an international career spanning 28 ODIs and four T20s.
The slow left-armer has not featured for England since 2019 while she went on a brief hiatus in May after admitting she had been “struggling mentally”, having fallen out of love with the game.
She made her comeback earlier this month for Welsh Fire, who have guaranteed progress to at least the eliminator at the Kia Oval on Saturday and could even go directly into Sunday’s final at Lord’s.
Whatever the outcome for the Fire in the knockout stages, Hartley, a popular broadcaster with the BBC’s Test Match Special, will retire from cricket this weekend.
“I’m hanging the boots up. I am officially retiring from cricket,” the 29-year-old said on her BBC ‘No Balls’ podcast. “I can’t believe it, I feel so good.
“I have been thinking about it for ages and ages. I’m going to really miss it, I’m going to be really sad but it’s so right. I’ve loved it, I’ve hated it but I am really proud of what I’ve achieved.
“It’s everything that I’ve ever wanted to do. I’m gutted I didn’t play Test cricket but I’m one of those where if you’re not good enough then you’re not good enough.”
Hartley made her England debut in 2016 but estimated she has devoted 17 years to her playing career, and is now looking forward to having more free time, even if she will still work in the game.
“At the minute, it’s work, cricket, work, cricket. I don’t ever have any days off,” Hartley added. “I haven’t seen my school friends for about a year because I never have time.”
Hartley, who has represented North West Thunder on the domestic circuit since 2020, has taken two wickets in three matches for the Cardiff-based Fire, who are currently second in the table.
They will finish top – and thereby go straight into the Lord’s showpiece – if they beat Northern Superchargers on Tuesday and Southern Brave lose to Manchester Originals on Wednesday.
Gus Atkinson endured multiple false starts to his career but battling back on each occasion has given him extra satisfaction in the wake of his World Cup selection.
Atkinson was dealing with persistent injury setbacks when two members of his age-group at Surrey – Sam Curran and Ollie Pope – were appearing for England and others were making waves on the domestic scene.
Recurring stress fractures in his back in 2017, 2018 and 2019 would have tested the resolve of anyone but Atkinson was able to contextualise an injury that is an occupational hazard for fast bowlers.
He has hardly looked back since his first-team debut in 2020 and his 90mph-plus speeds for Surrey and Oval Invincibles in The Hundred have seen him fast-tracked into England’s preliminary World Cup squad.
The uncapped paceman told the PA news agency: “I never really felt like I was not going to make it.
“I know these things happen with young bowlers and there’s plenty of bowlers who have been through similar stuff so I just knew with my age, stress fractures happen. Each year I just came back stronger.
“I look back and it was a tough time but because I hadn’t experienced playing any professional cricket while I had those injuries, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
“It was just a delay to my career. Those were pretty important years for me, to be honest. It was tough but to be here now, looking forward to a World Cup, it makes it seem ages ago.”
Atkinson admitted the coronavirus pandemic three years ago which shut down most sports or, in cricket’s case, led to a drastically reduced summer schedule was beneficial for his recovery and development.
He said: “Covid, to be honest, actually helped with my back because we didn’t have a full summer of cricket, I had a bit of extra time just to relax. I could push through without the risk of injury.”
A slick, repeatable action is at odds with how fast Atkinson can bowl – he has clocked 95mph in The Hundred – but he is not just a one-trick pony as he possesses a devilish bouncer and several changes of pace.
He has inevitably been likened to Jofra Archer, whose ongoing elbow trouble has effectively hastened Atkinson’s promotion into the England set-up for a white-ball series against New Zealand, starting next week, and the defence of their 50-over World Cup crown in India in October and November.
Atkinson himself shied away from the parallels, saying: “I think that’s really the only comparison – we both have good pace and can make it look quite easy. But I don’t like to get too caught up with that.
“I think I’ve got quite a natural whippy action, a bit of hyper-extension and quite a strong wrist. I’ve improved the momentum in my run-up as well.
“There are a few different factors (in where his pace comes from) but I’d say it’s quite natural to me.”
Atkinson is the joint-leading wicket-taker this year for the Invincibles, with his 10 dismissals in five matches helping them top the men’s group stage, bypassing the eliminator to go directly into Sunday’s final at Lord’s.
The 25-year-old is then likely to make his T20 and ODI bows within the next month before heading to the pressure cooker of a World Cup, where England begin their campaign against the Black Caps on October 5.
It remains to be seen how England deploy their latest pace weapon but with nine group stage fixtures in 38 days in the subcontinent, they will be wary of overextending their other express quick Mark Wood.
Atkinson, who has never been to India before, insisted he has not allowed himself to get carried away, adding: “I’m just trying to focus on The Hundred.
“I’m trying not to look too far ahead. When this is over, I’ll start thinking about the T20s and ODIs. It’s come into my head but I’m not trying to think about it too much.”
West Indies all-rounders Akeal Hosein and Odean Smith will take their talents to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in January of next year after being announced as two of the marquee signings for the MI Emirates on Monday.
The pair will join the likes of Andre Fletcher, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, McKenny Clarke and Nicholas Pooran on the MI Emirates roster.
Elsewhere, Johnson Charles will join the Sharjah Warriors, who also retained Trinidadian all-rounder Mark Deyal ahead of next season’s tournament.
Dominic Drakes will don the colors of defending champions, Gulf Giants, alongside Carlos Brathwaite and Shimron Hetmyer.
Brathwaite was the man of the match in this year’s final as the Giants beat the Desert Vipers by seven wickets.
The 2024 season is set to get underway on January 13.
The New York Warriors defeated Morrisville Unity by six runs in the US Masters T10 League at Lauderhill, Florida on Friday.
The New York Warriors posted 124/3 in their 10 overs before restricting Morrisville Unity to 118/5.
The Morrisville Unity couldn't get their batting innings going right from the beginning of their innings as Parthiv Patel was dismissed by Dhammika Prasad for 3 runs in the third over. Chris Gayle and Corey Anderson also departed in quick succession, leaving Morrisville Unity in deep trouble at 33/3 in 5 overs.
Thereafter, Obus Pienaar played a brilliant innings of 35 runs from 12 balls and Shehan Jayasuriya smashed 28* runs off 10 balls, but they couldn't take their team over the line.
Earlier in the day, Morrisville Unity won the toss and put the New York Warriors into bat. Tillakaratne Dilshan got the Warriors off to a great start as he struck Calvin Savage for consecutive boundaries in the second over. However, he was trapped LBW by Obus Pienaar in the very next over. But Richard Levi ensured that the momentum stayed on the Warriors' side as he struck two fours and two sixes off Rahul Sharma's bowling in the fourth over.
Thereafter, Levi smacked Sreesanth for three consecutive sixes and took the Warriors' score to 73/1 in five overs. He sent the ball over the boundary two more times before falling to Calvin Savage for a scintillating innings of 66 runs from 25 balls in the ninth over. Corey Anderson conceded just eight runs in the last over as the New York Warriors posted 124/3 in their 10 overs.
Brief Scores: New York Warriors 124/3 (Richard Levi 66, Kamran Akmal 24, Obus Pienaar 1/18) beat Morrisville Unity 118/5 (Obus Pienaar 35, Shehan Jayasuriya 28*, Umaid Asif 3/22) by 6 runs.
Harry Brook has revealed his disappointment at being left out of England’s Cricket World Cup squad.
Ben Stokes’ decision to reverse his ODI retirement nudged Brook out of England’s preliminary squad for the defence of their 50-over crown.
England named a 15-man squad for their four warm-up matches with New Zealand in September and the same group will most likely be chosen to try and retain their world title in India in October and November.
After hitting 44 runs from 24 balls in the Northern Superchargers’ 13-run defeat to London Spirit in The Hundred on Friday, Brook said: “Obviously it’s disappointing (to be omitted from the World Cup squad), but I can’t do anything about it now, you’ve just got to move on. I’m trying not to think about it anymore.
“I’ve not had much conversation with (coach) Matthew (Mott) or (captain) Jos (Buttler). They said with Stokesy coming back I was probably going to miss out this time.
“He (Stokes) is one of the best players to ever play cricket, so I can’t really complain, can I?”
While Brook has made a flying start to his Test career, he has played just three ODI matches for England.
He added: “I feel like I’m playing well at the minute and feel I could potentially add value to the team. There’s always something more you could do.
“I haven’t had much opportunity to play one-day cricket, whether that be for Yorkshire or England and, although I’ve played a lot of T20 cricket I don’t know I’ve done as well as I have in the past in the last six months, so that might have had an effect.”
Conde Riley will now have a fourth term as President of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) after winning a tight election on Friday.
Riley narrowly edged challenger and vice-president Calvin Hope 75-72 in a tightly contested election.
Gregory Nicholls, the third nominee, received 37 votes.
“I’m happy. I’ve been here for a number of years. This is my fourth term. We have a number of youngsters on scholarships overseas doing A levels, O levels as well as playing cricket so I’m happy,” Riley told SportsMax.tv on Friday.
Riley’s main plan while serving his fourth term is to bring a world class indoor facility to Barbados.
“The major thing is the indoor facilities which have thought about building since 2005. We need the money. There’s about $20 million owed by Caribbean Governments to the West Indies so, once we get some of that money, that’s the one I want to complete,” Riley said.
“I want to do it so no matter the weather or time of day, clubs and schools can have indoor facilities to train,” Riley added.
Riley says he hopes to complete this venture in the next two years.
“I’ve already sourced the names and cameras and so on, I want to a very modern indoor facility here, hopefully within the next two years,” Riley said.
Jon Lewis has opened the door for in-form Tammy Beaumont to force her way into England’s Twenty20 team before next year’s World Cup in Bangladesh.
Beaumont blitzed the first century in the women’s edition of the Hundred on Monday, smashing 118 off 61 balls for Welsh Fire, but she was only included in England’s ODI squad for the upcoming series with Sri Lanka on Friday.
England left Beaumont out of the T20 squad for the series with Sri Lanka, which begins on August 31, despite resting opener Sophia Dunkley.
Sophie Ecclestone will also sit out both series, while Danni Wyatt is only part of the T20 group and Nat Sciver-Brunt will only be involved in the ODIs but Lewis has preferred to give Maia Bouchier an opportunity in Dunkley’s absence.
He explained: “Obviously Tammy is playing fantastically well and I am really pleased with how she is playing.
“We had to make a choice around who would open the batting with Danni Wyatt.
“Maia Bouchier has been our travelling reserve for that whole time, so my view on that was Maia deserves that opportunity.
“I suppose on Tammy, and I said this to her, we have a year now until we pick a World Cup XV and I want her to keep doing what she is doing.
“The door is definitely not shut on her to play T20 cricket for England.
“I know she is desperate to play and how hard she is working, but I just want to try to develop the rest of the team to give us as many options as we can to put pressure on everyone who would be normally selected in the XI.
“I think Tammy is OK with the decision; I don’t think she is particularly happy but she understands if she continues to push her case, then she may well get the opportunity down the line but Sophia and Danni have done a fantastic job for us.
“I know what Tammy will do against Sri Lanka and I don’t know what Maia will do, so I am really interested to see how she goes because we’ve been carrying her around the world.”
England’s decision to manage the workload of Dunkley, Wyatt, Sciver-Brunt and Ecclestone has resulted in maiden call-ups for Mahika Gaur and Bess Heath.
Fast bowler Gaur has committed her international future to England after being selected in both white-ball squads.
The 17-year-old has represented United Arab Emirates in 19 IT20s but is set to make her debut for England after a fine summer where she helped North West Thunder make the Charlotte Edwards Cup Finals Day.
Heath hit 41 for England A against Australia A earlier this summer and is selected in both groups following a consistent run of form.
“I wouldn’t call it experimental. I would say it is exciting, young and fresh,” Lewis insisted.
“We have a year now until the World Cup and I am trying to work out which players we need to take to Bangladesh and it will be interesting to see how these young players do.
“Obviously Mahika is an exciting young talent. Six foot tall, left-arm swing bowler, that is very, very rare in the women’s game and unique.
“We have looked at all our options with the new ball around the country and we like what she offers.
“Will she play all the games? Probably not but we’d like to see what she can do and she is very much one for the future.
“Getting her playing cricket for England sooner rather than later is something we want to do to show her we like what she does and can help her develop.”
Saint Lucia Kings bounced back from opening day defeat to get their tournament underway with a comprehensive 54-run victory over the Barbados Royals in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Thursday night.
The Kings won the toss and opted to bat first and they filled their boots with a barnstorming innings that saw them post the highest total of the season thus far with a fantastic 201-6.
Healthy contributions from all members of the batting order negated a brilliant spell of bowling from Jason Holder and ensured the Royals would have to produce something very special to win.
The Royals failed to get going in their reply, losing five wickets in the PowerPlay to all but end the chase but a spirited 48 from Nyeem Young ensured the Royals added some late respectability to proceedings.
Earlier on the Kings had posted 201-6, led by a blistering show by the opening pair of Johnson Charles and Faf Du Plessis, the Kings raced to 61 but two wickets in Jason Holder’s first over brought things back. Charles and Shadrack Descarte falling in quick succession to give the Royals something to work with.
However, that joy proved to be short-lived as first Sean Williams and Du Plessis, then Williams and Sikandar Raza made light work of the Royals bowling to put the Kings into a commanding position heading into the final five overs.
But that platform failed to be fully exploited as Qais Ahmad and Jason Holder pulled the momentum back by dismissing Williams and Raza respectively.
Holder was to finish the match with 4-38 adding Roston Chase to his list of scalps but the lack of consistent support elsewhere ensured the Kings were still able to post an imposing total for the Royals to chase.
Chasing 202 to win was always a tall order for the Royals to chase but the reply was over before it began, following a run out for Rahkeem Cornwall, Matthew Forde was destructor in chief removing the Royals top order to leave the innings in trouble at 21-4.
Kyle Mayers briefly threaten to counter attack before Alzarri Joseph had him caught on the third man boundary for 16.
From there the Kings took the game away with wickets falling at regular intervals to dismiss the Royals for 147 to chalk up their first win of the tournament.
Scores: Saint Lucia Kings 201-6 (Williams 47, Du Plessis 46; Holder 4-38, Qais 2-35) beat Barbados Royals 147 all out (Young 48, Ferreira 19; Forde 3-12, Raza 1-21) by 54 runs
Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced the West Indies Rising Stars Men’s Under 19s squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka starting on 25 August. The Selection Panel named 15 players for the Rising Stars Under 19s Tour which will feature three 50-over matches and two four-day matches against the Sri Lanka Under 19 team at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium.
Top-order batter Stephan Pascal will be captain for the white ball matches with Nathan Sealy, the left-handed slow bowling allrounder, to lead the side for two red ball matches which conclude the Tour. The squad includes three players who played in the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup in 2022 which was hosted in the West Indies. They are: fast bowler Isai Thorne, allrounder Nathan Edward and left-handed batter Jordan Johnson.
Rohan Nurse, CWI’s Talent Pathway Manager is the Head Coach.
Robert Haynes, Lead Selector for the Rising Stars Men’s Under 19s said: “This is a very important tour to Sri Lanka for the development of this group of young cricketers. We have some excellent players in the squad who did very well in the recent West Indies Rising Stars Under 19s Championships in St. Vincent, and we believe they will continue to grow and develop on this upcoming tour.”
Haynes added: “This is an integral part of the preparations for next year’s ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup which will also be played in Sri Lanka. The players will get a first-hand look at the conditions and become acclimatized. We are also very happy that we will have the chance to play two four-day matches. We see the red ball format as very important and vital to the development of our young players. We have not played a Youth Test in a long while and so this is a welcome return to the tour itinerary.”
The next ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup will be played in Sri Lanka in January and February 2024.
FULL SQUAD
Stephan Pascal (co-Captain) – right-handed bat
Nathan Sealy (co-Captain) – left-arm spin/right-handed bat
Jewel Andrew – right-handed bat/wicket-keeper
Mavendra Dindyal – right-handed bat
Joshua Dorne – right-handed bat
Nathan Edward – left-handed bat/left-arm fast
Tarrique Edward – right-handed bat/right-arm off-spin
Reon Edwards – left-arm fast
Deshawn James – right-arm fast
Jordan Johnson – left-handed bat
Devonie Joseph – left-handed bat/wicket-keeper
Tamarie Redwood – right-arm leg-spin
Isai Thorne – right-arm fast
Steve Wedderburn – left-handed bat
Adrian Weir – right-handed bat
TEAM MANAGEMENT
Rohan Nurse (Head Coach)
Rohan Clarke (Assistant Coach)
Nick Wilton (Assistant Coach)
Gibbs Williams (Team Manager)
Dominic Angoy (Physiotherapist)
Gregory Seale (Strength and Conditioning Coach)
MATCH SCHEDULE
25 August: 50-over warm-up match at Colts Cricket Club, Colombo
27 August: 1st Youth ODI at Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium
30 August: 2nd Youth ODI at Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium
1 September: 3rd Youth ODI at Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium
5-8 September: 1st Youth Test at Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium
12-15 September: 2nd Youth Test at Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium
Gus Atkinson was caught unawares by his World Cup selection but England’s latest pace weapon believes The Hundred has primed him for a step-up to the international fold.
Atkinson was optimistic of being selected for four T20s against New Zealand but he can set his sights higher after his inclusion in the ODI squad, plus England’s 15-man preliminary party for the World Cup.
Jofra Archer’s troublesome elbow has all but ended his hopes of being involved in England’s 50-over title defence but Atkinson was still surprised to be given the nod and had to adopt his best poker face when taking a phone call from white-ball head coach Matthew Mott in the Oval Invincibles dressing room.
It has been at the Kia Oval-based club where Atkinson has caught the eye in recent weeks, regularly exceeding 90mph and topping out at 95mph while he also has a deceptive slower ball in his armoury, and he feels going up against some established names has set him up perfectly for England duty.
He told the PA news agency: “I wasn’t really expecting to be picked for the World Cup. I’d heard rumours for the New Zealand T20s but to be picked for the ODIs and the World Cup was pretty cool.
“I’m just overjoyed. It was tough to try and keep it a secret from people at first as I was at the Oval getting ready with the Invincibles when I found out so trying not to smile was very hard.
“But I spoke to my family who are obviously very happy and very proud. This summer been very good and it’s all happened pretty quickly. It’s been my first experience of The Hundred and it’s been very, very good.
“There’s top world-class batters in every team and bowling against them has helped. I’ve been performing well against international players in The Hundred, so there’s no reason why I can’t do that on the international stage.”
Atkinson was able to make an impression last week on England captain Jos Buttler, who landed a couple of blows on the quick for the Manchester Originals but was beaten all ends up by a 94mph free hit.
While he is unsure he can up his speeds – “I’m not sure about that,” he said with a laugh – Atkinson has enjoyed the exposure he has received with all matches in The Hundred televised.
He said: “Every game so far, my beans have been going. It’s the first time I’d played against Jos, you have it in your head what a world-class player he is.
“I wasn’t really thinking about the bigger picture when I was bowling at him but I was just trying to do my job – hit the pitch hard and try to bowl quick.”
Atkinson has always had that trait of natural pace but his development was stymied by three stress fractures in his back, which had the knock-on consequence of leaving him with internal doubts.
Trusting his body again was as complicated as recovering from those injuries but Atkinson is now at full-throttle and grateful his attributes have seen him fast-tracked into the England set-up.
He said: “This year, playing all the T20 games for Surrey in the (Vitality) Blast, it was nice to be backed and to know I was going to play. That’s helped a lot.
“My skills and ability have always been there, I’ve always had pace in me, but I’ve felt like I’m a few years behind with my career in terms of those injuries.
“To be selected by England without having to go through three or four years of graft is nice.”
Atkinson has just two List A matches under his belt and has never before been to India, where England will attempt to retain their world title in October and November.
But the 25-year-old, who intends to seek out advice from Surrey team-mate and good friend Reece Topley, is confident he has a formula to thrive in any conditions, irrespective of the format.
He said: “When I switch from four-day cricket to T20 cricket, I don’t change too much. I just try to focus on bowling my best ball and keep it as simple as possible, so I’ll do that when it comes to 50-over cricket.”
St. James U15 Cricket team etched their name into history on Monday when they stormed into the quarter-finals of the 32nd Kingston Wharves U15 Cricket Competition. In a remarkable twist, it was the prowess of female bowler Samoya Samuels that proved pivotal, as she secured a hat-trick to clinch victory against many-time national champion St. Elizabeth.
Despite a modest batting performance that saw them score 61 all out, with Ryan Parris leading the way with 17 runs and Sanjany Samuels contributing 14, St James’ efforts were bolstered by a notable 20 extras. St. Elizabeth's Eckoney Robinson emerged as a formidable force, claiming 5-15 in 10.4 overs, while Jayden Shaw captured 2-7 in nine overs.
However, it was in the field that St. James truly dazzled. St. Elizabeth, historically a dominant force, faced an unprecedented collapse, being dismissed for a mere 25 runs in 14.3 overs.
The team's reliance on 11 extras highlighted their struggle against St. James' impressive bowling attack. Jaheim Bennett's contribution of five runs emerged as the sole spark amidst the challenge. The star of the show, Samoya Samuels, exhibited her finesse with the ball, taking the last three wickets with three consecutive deliveries. Her remarkable feat concluded St. Elizabeth's inning in just 1.3 overs. Jaden Williams and Desron Dunn also showcased their prowess, each taking three wickets for six and seven runs, respectively.
Cecil Fletcher, President of the St. James Cricket Association, beamed with pride as he hailed his team's exceptional performance. Eagerly anticipating the upcoming quarter-final match against multiple-time national champion Manchester, Fletcher's optimism was palpable.
Richard Walters, manager of the St. Elizabeth team, acknowledged the challenging year they faced, winning only two of their four preliminary round matches. Despite the setbacks, he expressed confidence in the team's resilience, citing their historical success in the quarter-final round.
Results from other completed matches on the day revealed a dynamic array of outcomes. The Portland vs. Kingston match was rained out, while Kensington triumphed over Lucas and Trelawny emerged victorious against Hanover. St. Catherine Cricket Club secured a win against KSACA (Kingston & St. Andrew Cricket Association), while Manchester triumphed over St. Catherine Cricket Association, the only other team to suffer defeat in all their matches. The Portmore vs. Boys Town match ended in a draw, and the rescheduled Clarendon vs. St. Ann match similarly resulted in a tie.
Looking ahead, all eyes are on the forthcoming quarter-final matches scheduled for the 21st of the month. With the pursuit of victory as their driving force, teams from across the island will converge at four venues, ready to make their mark in this exhilarating cricket competition.
Captain Brandon King led from the front with a commanding half-century to lead defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs to an 11-run victory over the St Lucia Kings as the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League got underway at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Wednesday.
King, the Player of the Match, scored a match-high 81 from 53 balls to lead the Tallawahs to 187 from their 20 overs. Roston Chase scored a quick-fire 50 but the Kings came up short scoring 176-8.
King and Kirk McKenzie opened with a stand of 44 that was broken when Chase removed McKenzie for 20. It would be the first of three wickets that the Tallawahs would lose in quick succession as Chase also dismissed Shamarh Brooks for 12 and Alzarri Joseph removed Amir Jangoo for a duck to leave the defending champions tottering at 62-3, having lost three wickets for 19 runs.
King found a useful partner in Raymon Reifer, who together put on a fourth-wicket stand of 77 that put the Tallawahs on track to a score of over 200 runs. Chase broke the stand when he dismissed Reifer for 16 and triggered a middle-order slide.
Fabian Allen smashed two fours and a six before he was run out for 15 and then King was finally dismissed for 81 that included nine fours and three sixes. Imad Wasim was the last man out for crucial 19 as the Tallawahs lost three wickets off the final three balls of the innings, Mohammad Amir and Nicholson Gordon both run out without scoring.
Chase finished with 3-39 and Joseph 2-21.
Chase also shone with the bat with 53 from 31 balls and got support from Roshon Primus who smashed 37 from just 20 balls as the pair put on a sixth-wicket stand of 61 that threatened to turn the match in favour the Kings.
However, once Primus was run out by Amir for 37, the innings quickly fell away as Chase was then bowled by Salman Irshad who also bowled Matthew Forde for four.
Earlier Johnson Charles rode his luck after being dropped twice to make 24 and Sean Williams contributed 26. Chris Green removed both as the Kings began to fall behind the required run rate. Meanwhile, Imad Wasim dismissed the dangerous Faf de Plessis for nine and then took the wickets of Sikandar Raza for four and Kimani Melius for a duck in consecutive deliveries that had the Kings struggling at 104-5 and needing to score at 14 runs an over in the final six.
Chase and Primus did their best but it proved to be a bridge too far.
Wasim finished with 3-27 while Irshad took 2-39. Chris Green’s two wickets came at a cost of 28 runs.
Ben Stokes reversing his ODI retirement has had the knock-on effect of Harry Brook being nudged out of England’s preliminary squad for the defence of their World Cup crown.
England have named a 15-man squad for four tune-ups against New Zealand next month and, barring injury, that is the group which will bid to retain their 50-over world title in India in October and November.
Jofra Archer’s elbow troubles will be preclude his involvement until at least the latter stages of the tournament so England have bolstered their pace attack by calling up uncapped quick Gus Atkinson.
Archer and Brook may be selected as two of three travelling reserves, with England having until September 5 to submit a provisional squad and then September 28 by which to make any alterations.
The return of Stokes was widely-anticipated but less expected was Brook’s omission, as the Yorkshireman has excelled in the past 12 months even if schedule conflicts have limited him to three ODI matches.
“It’s as hard a decision as you’re ever going to get,” said England men’s national selector Luke Wright. “No doubting he’s someone we couldn’t think any more highly of.
“Everything’s going brilliantly with Brooky. There’s no denying what a superstar he is and what a huge future he’s got with us going forward in all forms.
“I’m sure he’s disappointed. But unfortunately in a 15-man squad, someone’s going to have to miss out. With Stokesy coming back, it made it incredibly tough.”
Stokes branded his three-format schedule as “unsustainable” when bowing out of ODIs last summer while he had initially planned to use a six-month gap between Tests to address a chronic left knee injury.
The issue meant he did not bowl in the last three Ashes Tests but he is set for a specialist batting role as England have selected an influx of all-rounders in Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran.
England’s Test captain was the inspiration behind their historic triumph in the 2019 World Cup final – he is one of nine survivors to make this autumn’s edition – and in last year’s T20 equivalent.
“It wasn’t really a case of changing his mind,” said Wright. “Once his body was in a good place and he’d had a rest, he was really keen to play. He still has time to do his rest and rehab, which he’s doing, and he says his knee does feel like it’s improving.
“The one thing we won’t be doing is pushing him to bowl unless he’s absolutely fit and raring to go.
“Ultimately the decision came down to ‘it’s a World Cup we want to win and we feel like we are better, and have more chance, with Stokesy than we haven’t’. If ever there’s someone for the big moments it’s Ben Stokes.”
Atkinson has featured in just two List A matches in his career but has impressed when called upon in recent months for Surrey and Oval Invincibles, where he was clocked at 95mph in The Hundred.
The 25-year-old gives England an additional express pace option other than Mark Wood, joining a fast bowling attack comprising Chris Woakes plus three left-armers in Curran, David Willey and Reece Topley.
“First and foremost, Gus deserves to be in there,” said Wright. “He’s been someone that I’ve been quite a big fan of for quite a while, he roughed me up on a few occasions when I was still playing.
“He’s a real asset for us and we’re delighted to give him an opportunity.”
Archer was England’s super over hero four years ago but is at the start of the comeback trail from another stress fracture in his bowling elbow and England do not want to rush his recovery.
“There has got to be a duty of care with Jof, we know how desperate we all are to have him, there’s no doubt about that, but we’ve also got to get it right for him,” added Wright.
“The best case scenario for Jof at the moment would probably be to be available for the back end of the tournament. But obviously, a lot of things have still got to go right with this rehab before then.”
Before four ODIs against New Zealand from September 8-15 – they play the same opponents in the World Cup opener in Ahmedabad on October 5 – England begin their white-ball summer programme with four T20s against the Kiwis from August 30-September 5.
Hampshire seamer John Turner has earned his first senior call-up, while Josh Tongue, who has caught the eye in the Test side this summer, is set for his maiden experience of England’s limited-overs set-up.
England ODI squadEngland T20 squad: J Buttler (captain), R Ahmed, M Ali, G Atkinson, J Bairstow, H Brook, S Curran, B Duckett, W Jacks, L Livingstone, D Malan, A Rashid, J Tongue, J Turner, L Wood.
Former West Indies player Marlon Samuels has been found guilty of four offences under the Emirates Cricket Boad (ECB) Anti-Corruption Code following a hearing by an independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal.
Samuels, who was charged by the ICC (in its capacity as the Designated Anti-Corruption Official under the ECB Code) in September 2021, has been found guilty after he exercised his right to a hearing before the Tribunal.
The Tribunal will now consider the submissions of each party before deciding on the appropriate sanction to be imposed. The decision will follow in due course.
Samuels has been found guilty of:
Article 2.4.2 (by a majority decision) – Failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or other benefit that was made or given in circumstances that could bring the Participant or the sport of cricket into disrepute.
Article 2.4.3 (unanimous decision)- Failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official receipt of hospitality with a value of US $750 or more.
Article 2.4.6 (unanimous decision) – Failing to cooperate with the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation.
Article 2.4.7 (unanimous decision) – Obstructing or delaying the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation by concealing information that may have been relevant to the investigation.
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