Pacer Shamar Joseph says he is not surprised by his selection for the West Indies tour to Australia which starts in mid-January, which is part of the ICC Test Championships.

Joseph, who is among five Guyanese in the 15-man squad named by Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Wednesday, attributed his selection to hard work since making his first-class debut earlier this year.

The 24-year-old Joseph worked at a security firm before he launched his cricketing career, and his decision has been justified, as he has so far taken two five-wicket hauls and 21 wickets in five first-class matches.

“Since making my first-class [debut] for Guyana in February, I have been doing well and my five-wicket [haul] against South Africa ‘A,’ I knew I was not far away from playing at the highest level, which has always been my passion and dream,” said Joseph, who came to prominence during the Berbice Cricket Board’s fast-bowling camp with Sir Curtly Ambrose at Albion last year.

“I hope to play in Australia and if I do, I will grab it with both hands since I worked very hard for this, and I will continue to train hard since that is something I enjoy doing,” the confident player added.

Lancashire have thrown their support behind plans to bring external investment into The Hundred but chair Andy Anson says extending the length of the tournament would be a red line for the Red Rose.

Consultations over changes to the ownership model are ongoing between the England and Wales Cricket Board, the 18 first-class counties and MCC, with a vote due in the new year.

The ECB currently owns all eight teams outright and rents the venues but is ready to transfer a controlling stake to the host counties, allowing them to sell shares to new investors and create a fresh income stream for both the competition and the wider domestic game.

Discussions have also taken place over the structure of the competition, with options including growing to 10 or 12 teams or involving all 18 teams by creating a second division.

Lancashire are keen to take control of Manchester Originals – who play at Emirates Old Trafford – but are against the two-division plan and have made it clear that The Hundred must not be given any more time in the calendar than the three weeks it currently has in August.

“I can confirm discussions have taken place between all first-class counties and the ECB regarding transfer of controlling interest in The Hundred teams to the host venues. As a board we are supportive of this,” Anson said in a statement on the club’s YouTube channel.

“It is in Lancashire Cricket’s best interests to have greater control of Manchester Originals.

“This would mean we can drive the team as a commercial entity. I was also very concerned about the level of central costs of the ECB associated with The Hundred: they were too high and we believe the operating model was sub-optimal.

“As a board we have clear preference for a way forward. We do support transfer of a controlling equity stake of Manchester Originals to Lancashire Cricket.

“We see Manchester Originals as separate to Lancashire and in no way as a replacement for Lancashire in the different formats.

“We would be very concerned that a two-tier Hundred would prevent Lancashire playing as the Red Rose during the month of August and this would not be acceptable.

“We would not accept any expansion to the window in the schedule allocated to the Hundred, even if the number of teams expanded.

“We therefore support a single division solution, with expansion only if it can fit into the existing time window.”

Durham chief executive Tim Bostock this week told the PA news agency that he was “100 per cent committed” to bringing a ninth Hundred team to the north east and would be ready to proceed in time for the 2025 season.

England’s Tom Curran has been banned for four games in Australia’s Big Bash League after being charged with intimidating an umpire.

Curran and his club, the Sydney Sixers, denied the offence and plan to appeal against the suspension.

The incident occurred on December 11, when Curran was warming up ahead of a game against Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston.

Cricket Australia’s code of conduct commissioner Adrian Anderson found that the 28-year-old, who last played for England in 2021, became involved in a disagreement with an umpire while going through his run-up.

The match official instructed Curran not to run on the pitch and stood next to the stumps to block his approach after he attempted to continue.

Anderson found that Curran “attempted to perform a practice run up and run at pace straight towards the umpire, who stood in the bowling crease facing Curran. The umpire stepped to his right to avoid the risk of collision”.

That was deemed a level three offence under clause 2.17 of the CA code – which covers “intimidation or attempted intimidation of an umpire or match referee” – leading to four penalty points and a four-game ban.

Rachael Haynes, the former Australia Women’s captain and head of the Sixers, said the franchise would contest the ruling.

“Tom and the club maintain that Tom did not knowingly or intentionally intimidate a match official and, on legal advice, we will exercise our right to appeal the decision,” she said in a statement.

“We will support Tom during this period and look forward to him returning to the field.”

England fast bowler Steve Harmison announced his retirement from one-day international cricket on this day in 2006.

Harmison had always intended to retire from one-day international cricket after the 2007 World Cup but brought the decision forward after not being included in the 16-man squad to compete in the New Year triangular tournament with Australia and New Zealand.

“After careful consideration and having taken advice from several people who have been close to me throughout my career, I have decided to retire from one-day International cricket with immediate effect,” the then 28-year-old said.

“This has been a difficult decision but I want to play at the highest level for as long as I can and believe that concentrating solely on Test cricket is the best way forward for me during the next phase of what will hopefully be a long England career.”

Harmison made his ODI debut in December 2002 in a 43-run victory over Sri Lanka in Brisbane, claiming the prized wicket of Kumar Sangakkara as the first of 76 scalps in 58 ODIs.

He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in October 2013 at the end of Durham’s title-winning season, saying he had delayed his announcement so as not to take any of the attention away from his county’s achievement.

West Indies captain Rovman Powell is backing his team to bounce back from back-to-back defeats and secure a Twenty20 series victory over England, as they head into the decisive contest of the five-match affair in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday. 

Powell's side which was on a high after they opened up an early two-nil series lead with four-wicket and 10-run victories, was brought down to earth in the third and fourth encounters that England won by seven wickets and 75 runs respectively.

On both losing occasions, England's opening batsman Phil Salt hammered centuries, while West Indies batting was sub-par, as they lost wickets at regular intervals when gathering some semblance of momentum.

Still, Powell saw some positives, particularly in the most recent contest on Tuesday when Andre Russell made a brisk 51, as they were bowled out for 192 chasing 267.

“I think the way Andre Russell played, I think he give us some impetus at the back end of the innings, and it showed us that if we had batted properly, or if they had scored just a little bit less runs, we would have been able to get it," Powell said.

“I think the intensity at which we start was very low, and you know in a T20 game when you start with such low intensity it's very difficult to find a rhythm, and I think that's cost us. They posted 260 which was a very, very big total. If you're going to chase 260, everything has to go right and it's not it's not very often you see those things happen, so it was it was always going to be uphill task," he added.

With things now squared at 2-2, Powell is well aware that his regional side will not only have to learn from the defeats, but more importantly, reproduce performances from the top of the series.

In fact, he believes the situation requires some serious introspection, as it is imperative that they improve, both individually and collectively.

“We have to do some introspection. You know, as individuals, we have to look into ourselves and see if we have done ourselves justice, and if we haven't done ourselves justice, then it's obvious that we haven't done the team justice. So, some introspection and see if we can come up with some better plans to fix what's happening," Powell reasoned.

“I think in all the games the batting has stand up, hopefully the batting can stand up for the final game, but the bowlers have to come to the party. It has been disappointing for the last few games how we have executed as bowling group, so this final game provides an opportunity for us to get that right," he noted.

That said, the Jamaican expressed confidence that whichever 11 players take the field at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium for the day/night clash scheduled for 3:00pm, will represent with much gusto.

“, we always feel as if when we put guys on the park, it's the best combination for that game. We'll sit down, revise the plan, see if we can come up with different plans and if we come up with different plans, we'll find the players who can execute that plan," Powell declared.

"It's a final, and when it comes to final situation West Indies normally triumph so hopefully, we can pull it off," he ended.

Matthew Mott suspects the bulk of England’s squad in the Caribbean will return to the region for the T20 World Cup next year – but places will be kept open for Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.

Stokes is convalescing from surgery to a longstanding left knee problem and the England Test captain hopes to return to full all-rounder status in 2024, having functioned as a specialist batter recently.

His unbeaten 52 in the T20 World Cup final 13 months ago got England over the line and Mott admitted that reserving Stokes a spot for next year’s title defence represents something of a no-brainer.

The England white-ball head coach is also keeping close tabs on Archer, who it is hoped can return to full fitness in time for the T20 World Cup in June after a string of injuries to his right elbow.

“Ben, aside from his incredible match-winning ability in every department is that ability to have a seam bowler in that top-six gives you so many options with your team balance,” Mott said.

“A lot of the times you have to give up something. If you win, everyone says ‘oh, they got it right’. If you lose, it’s ‘they were a bowler short or a spinner short’.

“When you’ve got a seam bowler in your top-six, it makes selection a hell of a lot easier. So (choosing him at the T20 World Cup) is a given. Every team in the world wants someone like that and they’re rare.

“In terms of Jofra, you’ve just got absolute box-office pace, change of pace, bowl any over in the innings. Him on the park is massive, everyone would agree with that.”

England, without regulars Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood, have fought back from 2-0 down in their T20 series against the West Indies to level at 2-2 and force a decider in Trinidad on Thursday.

And Mott gave a strong indication that the majority of the players involved in this series will be on the plane when England return for the T20 World Cup in June in the Caribbean and United States.

“We always said with this series we’d go pretty close to the side we’re looking for,” Mott said. “Otherwise, why would they be here? We don’t get many opportunities to play together before the World Cup.”

Phil Salt has made an irresistible case to open alongside Jos Buttler for the foreseeable future with match-winning innings of 109 not out in Grenada on Saturday and an England record 119 in Trinidad.

While he has flickered in an England shirt before, Salt is reaping the benefits of continuity in selection, having been on the fringes of both white-ball sides before this breakout tour.

“I’ve always thought he was an amazing player,” Mott said. “He does stuff that not many people can do and we’ve seen it at domestic level for a long time and we’ve seen glimpses of it internationally.

“It was funny – after he got the first hundred I said ‘it’s a habit now’ and he had true belief in it. You could see a different look in his eyes, it was like ‘not only do I belong, but I’ve got this’.

“You don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve achieved it. All of a sudden, he’s away, his international career is flying and he’s in the record books forever.”

England’s two wins have taken some pressure off Mott after their group-stage exit at the 50-over World Cup and ODI series defeat to the West Indies.

“I’ve been around the game a long time and I know it’s like the share market, your stocks go up and down all the time,” the Australian added.

“When you get into coaching, you realise you shouldn’t take too much credit for the success and not too much blame for the failures.”

The current five-match Twenty20 series between West indies and England in the Caribbean, has triggered changes in the ICC World rankings for the format.

This, as West Indies batsman Brandon King climbed into the top 10, and England spinner Adil Rasheed assumed the new World number one ranking.

King, who stroked an unbeaten 82 in Barbados that gave West Indies a 2-0 series lead, is up six places to sixth, while Nicholas Pooran is up two spots to 12th.

Rashid has been rewarded for his good consistent form in the Caribbean, as he moved up two places to take the top spot from Afghanistan's Rashid Khan. West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein is the sixth-ranked T20 bowler.

Meanwhile, there remains only one West Indies player holding a top 20 position in the latest One-day Internation (ODI) rankings, with West Indies skipper Shai Hope being the highest rated at 11th on the batting list.

Phil Salt was taken aback at being overlooked in the Indian Premier League auction but used the snub as motivation to inspire England to a T20 series-levelling victory over the West Indies.

While England team-mates Chris Woakes and Harry Brook saw their bank balances given a healthy top-up after going under the hammer in Dubai on Tuesday, there were no takers for Salt among IPL franchises.

Salt made a couple of fifties in his debut season earlier this year, striking at 163.91 in nine matches for Delhi Capitals, so he was aggrieved to wake up in the Caribbean and find he had attracted no bids.

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But three days on from a match-winning century in Grenada, Salt thumped an England T20 record 119 off 57 balls in Trinidad as the tourists set up a winner-takes-all showdown at the same venue on Thursday.

“It was a confusing morning,” Salt said after England’s 75-run thumping win in the fourth T20. “I expected to be picked up, having gone there last year and done well and after the year that I’ve had.

“I was a bit confused but it can happen. It’s part of a lottery of an auction, it happens in draft processes as well. There’s no bad cricketers on the list at the IPL.

“There’s a few lads in our dressing room who are going to have a very good Christmas and I’m over the moon for them.

“We’re very lucky with what we do. There have been a few things recently that have maybe put it in perspective. I’m just here enjoying my cricket and cracking on.”

As for whether he channelled his frustration at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba to underpin England’s highest ever T20 total of 267 for three, Salt admitted his IPL omission may have played its part.

“It was probably a little bit of it, subconsciously,” he said, before reiterating: “I’m very aware of how lucky I am to be here playing cricket.”

The foundations for England’s gargantuan total were laid by a second successive century partnership between Salt and Jos Buttler, who contributed 55 to a 117-run stand in 9.5 overs before holing out.

Liam Livingstone thumped the last of England’s 20 sixes – equalling their record in T20s – with half of them coming from Salt, who is the first man from the country to make more than one ton in the format.

Salt opens the batting for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast and for Manchester Originals in The Hundred alongside England captain Buttler, who apparently keeps his junior partner in check.

“When we’re in the middle, it’s more getting me back in my box,” Salt said. “It’s either ‘you’re doing really well’ or ‘drop it down a gear’.

“We’ve had some good conversations away from the game, we’ve enjoyed spending time around each other as a group so we’re going nicely.”

The Windies were left with not much choice but to hit the ground running from ball one and while they themselves collected 14 sixes of their own, they were all out for 192 in 15.3 overs.

Reece Topley claimed three for 37 while there were a couple of wickets apiece for Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed and one each for Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid as England levelled the series at 2-2.

“The boys have really pulled together and shown what a good team we are,” Salt added. “To win back-to-back games and force the decider in a couple of days’ time, I’m chuffed.”

Phil Salt produced another epic century hours after his Indian Premier League snub as England racked up their highest-ever T20 score to send their series against the West Indies to a decider.

Overlooked at Tuesday’s IPL auction in Dubai and three days on from his match-winning 109 not out in Grenada, Salt’s form transferred to Trinidad as he amassed a buccaneering 119 off just 57 balls.

The innings underpinned England’s gargantuan 267 for three, which was 26 more than their previous T20 best against New Zealand in Napier in November 2019, and proved enough to secure a thumping 75-run win.

Having been set a daunting target, which if achieved would have been a world record chase, the Windies went out all guns blazing but were all out for 192 in 15.3 overs.

Reece Topley finished with three for 37, Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed each took a couple of wickets while there was one each for Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid.

Salt set a new benchmark for the highest T20 score by an Englishman while he is the first male from his country with two three-figure scores in the format.

From the moment he danced down the track to his third ball and dispatched a sweetly-timed drive off T20 debutant Matthew Forde for the first of his 10 sixes, Salt barely looked back.

England captain Jos Buttler registered his second successive half-century, thumping three sixes before holing out going for a fourth after contributing 55 to an opening stand worth 117 in 9.5 overs.

The wicket did not bring a halt to the onslaught as the Windies may have hoped as the first three balls of the next over from Sherfane Rutherford were hit over the leg-side rope by a free-flowing Salt.

Will Jacks chipped in 24 off eight balls as Salt inched towards a 48-ball ton.

He and Livingstone quickly got back to piling on runs in a boundary-laden 73-run union off 29 deliveries.

Livingstone briefly threatened six sixes in an over after the wayward Forde, who conceded 54 in 18 deliveries, saw his first three balls travel the distance before he finally got one in the blockhole.

England equalled their record for the most sixes in a T20 with 20 before Salt departed in the penultimate over.

He got himself in a tangle against Andre Russell and saw the ball sail between his legs before castling him, although Livingstone finished on 54 not out off 21 balls after taking three fours off Jason Holder.

Both Holder and Gudakesh Motie conceded 55 while Akeal Hosein was the only member of the Windies side who bowled more than one over and kept their economy rate under 10.

The Windies have enviable firepower of their own but Moeen gave England the best possible start in the second innings.

His first ball took Brandon King’s top edge and looped to Reece Topley, who took a fine leaping catch at short third.

Boundaries were not hard to come by in the chase as the Windies collected 14 sixes of their own and all of England’s bowlers came in for punishment, but they kept making breakthroughs in the batting.

Pooran (39) and Rutherford (36) threatened briefly while Russell clattered 51 off 25 balls before he was last batter out, attempting to take down Topley but caught by Brook running in from long-off.

Phil Salt followed up his match-winning century in Grenada with a record-breaking hundred in Trinidad as England amassed their highest-ever T20 score, putting the West Indies to the sword.

Having been overlooked at the Indian Premier League auction on Tuesday, Salt smashed 10 sixes and seven fours in his 119 off 57 balls at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba in England’s 267 for three.

Salt’s belligerent knock is the highest by an England batter – beating the previous record held by Alex Hales on 116 – as the tourists took a giant stride towards levelling the five-match series at 2-2.

England’s previous best score in this format was the 241 for three they posted against New Zealand in Napier in November 2019 but Jos Buttler’s side blew that total out of the water.

Buttler registered 55 off 29 balls, putting on 117 in 9.5 overs with Salt, while Liam Livingstone added an unbeaten 54 off 21 deliveries as England racked up the fifth highest score in this format.

Four days on from his 109 not out at the weekend which helped England keep the series alive, Salt transferred his form to another Caribbean island, bringing up back-to-back tons off 48 balls.

There was no respite for the Windies on a hot and sticky afternoon, with T20 debutant Matthew Forde leaking 54 from three overs and Jason Holder and Gudakesh Motie each conceding 55 from four overs.

Akeal Hosein was the pick of the attack with one for 36 from his allocation but the hosts have been left it all to do to stop the series from going to a decider – no team has chased down more than 259.

Chris Woakes is relishing a reunion with former England head coach Trevor Bayliss after being snapped up by Punjab Kings at the Indian Premier League auction.

Woakes is on England duty in the West Indies so was tucked up in bed when he went under the hammer in Dubai, where the 34-year-old fetched a fraction under £400,000 (4.2 crore rupees) on Tuesday.

The player of the series in this summer’s drawn Ashes will have familiar company in the Kings dressing room next year, with Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Jonny Bairstow already retained by the franchise.

And linking up with Kings coach Bayliss is the cherry on top for Woakes, with the pair both instrumental in England’s white-ball transformation from also-rans to World Cup winners in 2019.

“It’s a nice feeling to wake up here in the Caribbean and see that I have been picked up by Punjab in the auction,” said the 34-year-old, who has not featured in the last two editions of the IPL.

“The IPL is obviously an amazing tournament to be a part of and we have a nice little contingent of England players in the squad with Jonny, Sam and Liam.

“It’ll be great to join up with Trevor Bayliss as well given the success I’ve had with him as a coach, so I can’t wait to get going.”

Harry Brook was another of England’s travelling contingent in the Caribbean to get picked up, signed for around £380,000 (4cr) by Delhi Capitals.

The fee is vastly reduced from the £1.3million he was paid by Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2023 edition of the tournament, when he amassed one century but returned just 190 runs in his other 11 innings.

Nevertheless, Brook is relishing a return to the IPL and especially the chance to work with former Australia captain and now Capitals coach Ricky Ponting.

“Playing against the best players in the world is something I thrive off and the IPL is one of the biggest stages to play on,” said the Yorkshireman

“Delhi have some unbelievable players already and I can’t wait to work with Ricky Ponting and see if we can win a first title for the team.”

Australia fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have become the most expensive players ever sold at the Indian Premier League auction, smashing the record held by England all-rounder Sam Curran.

Starc has not played in the IPL since 2015 and the left-arm quick’s return to the fray drew a bidding war that ended in an unprecedented bid of £2.34million (24.75 crore rupees) from Kolkata Knight Riders.

Cummins had earlier been picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for just under £2million (20.5 crore), with both fees eclipsing the previous high of £1.77m Punjab Kings paid for Curran last year. Starc and Cummins had both signed up with a base price of less than £200,000.

Like Starc, Cummins is making his comeback to the tournament after a one-year absence to focus on his international commitments, during which he has captained Australia to glory in the World Test Championship and 50-over World Cup on Indian soil.

While those successes placed a premium on the available Australian talent, England’s terrible World Cup campaign saw their stock fall on the trading floor in Dubai.

Veteran Chris Woakes was the biggest winner, earning a fraction under £400,000 as he joined team-mates Curran and Liam Livingstone at Punjab Kings, while Harry Brook was snapped up for around £380,000 by Delhi Capitals.

Brook had been released after one season of a £1.3m deal with Sunrisers and the Yorkshireman settled for a healthy but much-reduced payday.

He hit one superb century in his first IPL campaign but was otherwise badly short of runs with just 190 in 11 matches.

David Willey, who retired from England duty at the end of the World Cup, collected £189,000 from Lucknow Super Giants, while Surrey paceman Gus Atkinson was among the last signings to be completed in a £95,000 deal with Knight Riders.

Royal Challengers Bangalore took Tom Curran for £141,000 and Rajasthan paid the reserve of £40,000 for Somerset’s uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Tom Kohler-Cadmore.

Elsewhere there was disappointment for English talent, with opener Phil Salt, spinner Adil Rashid and left-armer Tymal Mills among those left unsold.

Teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed was a late withdrawal from the auction, with the England and Wales Cricket Board keeping an eye on the workload of a player who looks set to play a big role for them across all three formats and who signed his first central contract a matter of weeks ago.

International considerations already saw Test captain Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jofra Archer step away from a competition that is expected to run for two months from the end of March. Curran, Livingstone, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Reece Topley, Will Jacks, Moeen Ali, Jason Roy and Mark Wood were all retained by their franchises.

As well as Cummins, Sunrisers also splurged on another Australian, Travis Head. He capped a stellar year with a match-winning 137 in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad and cost around £645,000 as he returned to the tournament for the first time since 2017.

New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell scooped the biggest cheque of his career when he went to Chennai Super Kings for £1.3million, joined by fellow Kiwi Rachin Ravindra, who looked a snip at £170,000 following his starring role at the World Cup.

Experienced Indian seamer Harshal Patel and West Indies seamer Alzarri Joseph both drew over £1million.

Alzarri Joseph, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford and Shai Hope were the only West Indians selected at Tuesday’s 2024 Indian Premier League Auction in Dubai.

Joseph, who has previous IPL experience with the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans, was the most expensive West Indian as well as the fifth most expensive player, going to the Royal Challengers Bangalore for 11.5 crore (USD 1,386,000 approximately).

West Indies T20I skipper Rovman Powell was the first player up for grabs on Tuesday, going for 7.4 crore (USD 892,000 approximately) to the Rajasthan Royals after a bidding war with the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Sherfane Rutherford was the next West Indian to be picked up, going to the Kolkata Knight Riders for 1.5 crore (USD 181,000 approximately).

ODI skipper Shai Hope earned a maiden IPL contract, going for 75 lakh (USD 90,500) to the Delhi Capitals.

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc is now the most expensive player in IPL history after being sold to the Kolkata Knight Riders for 24.75 crore (USD 2,982,000 approximately).

Starc broke the previous record of 20.50 crore (USD 2,470,000 approximately) set earlier in the evening when the Sunrisers Hyderabad outbid the Royal Challengers Bangalore for Starc’s teammate and World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins.

New Zealand All-rounder Darryl Mitchell went for 14 crore (USD 1,687,000 approximately) to defending champions Chennai Super Kings while Indian pacer Harshal Patel went to the Punjab Kings for 11.75 crore (USD 1,412,000 approximately) to round out the top five buys.

Australia fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have become the most expensive players ever sold at the Indian Premier League auction, smashing the record held by England all-rounder Sam Curran.

Starc has not played in the IPL since 2015 and the left-arm quick’s return to the fray drew a bidding war that ended in an unprecedented bid of £2.34million (24.75 crore rupees) from Kolkata Knight Riders.

Cummins had earlier been picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for just under £2million (20.5 crore), with both fees eclipsing the £1.77m Punjab Kings paid for Curran last year. Starc and Cummins had both signed up with a base price of less than £200,000.

Cummins is making his comeback to the tournament after a one-year absence to focus on his international commitments, during which he has captained Australia to glory in the World Test Championship and 50-over World Cup on Indian soil.

While those successes placed a premium on the available Australian talent, England’s terrible World Cup campaign saw their stock fall on the trading floor in Dubai.

Veteran Chris Woakes landed a deal worth a fraction under £400,000 as he joined team-mates Curran and Liam Livingstone at Punjab Kings, while Harry Brook was snapped up for around £380,000 by Delhi Capitals.

Brook had been released after one season of a £1.3m deal with Sunrisers and the Yorkshireman settled for a healthy but much-reduced payday.

He hit one superb century in his first IPL campaign but was otherwise badly short of runs with just 190 in 11 matches.

Sunrisers also splurged on another Australian, Travis Head, who capped a stellar year with a match-winning 137 in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad. He cost around £645,000 (6.8 crore) as he returned to the tournament for the first time since 2017.

West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell was the first player to go under the hammer at the event in Dubai and fetched a surprisingly lavish £700,000 bid from Rajasthan Royals, while New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell scooped the biggest cheque of his career when he went to Chennai Super Kings for £1.3million.

CSK also signed Mitchell’s fellow Kiwi Rachin Ravindra, the breakout star of the World Cup, for a modest £170,000.