James Anderson is set to be named in England’s first Test squad of the summer despite the groin injury that forced him out of action for Lancashire last week.
Alarm bells started ringing when the country’s record wicket-taker sat out the last three days of the LV= Insurance County Championship clash against Somerset, with the England and Wales Cricket Board confirming over the weekend that the seamer had a “mild strain to his right groin”.
England are due to to announce their group for the Test against Ireland on Tuesday morning and, although they will take no risks with Anderson’s fitness when it comes to team selection, the 40-year-old is expected to be included.
Anderson will continue to be assessed but a decision on his participation in the Lord’s curtain-raiser, which acts as England’s only competitive Ashes warm-up and and runs from June 1-4, will not be made until closer to the time.
Zak Crawley will also be hoping he retains the faith of a selection panel convened by director of cricket Rob Key. Former England all-rounder Luke Wright was involved for the first time, joining captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Crawley’s place has been frequently scrutinised and a batting average of 27.60 across 33 Tests makes him vulnerable, but he has been given a long leash due to his high ceiling and ability to set a free-flowing tempo at the top of the order. An early season knock of 170 for Kent was testament to his up-side, but his lack of consistency comes through in his average of 38.88 in nine innings.
Stokes himself has been touted as a potential replacement at opener, a high-risk move that would represent a profound change of role for the skipper. There are lingering concerns over his preferred job as an all-rounder too though.
After his longstanding left knee injury flared up during February’s tour of New Zealand, Stokes spoke of his frustration at being unable to deliver as the side’s fourth seamer and his desperation to be back at full capacity in time for the Ashes.
But his time with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League has proved trying, playing just twice for the franchise and sending down a solitary over at the cost of 18 runs. The 31-year-old subsequently picked up a toe problem and a further unspecified “setback” before being kept on the sidelines once available.
CSK have preferred another English all-rounder, Moeen Ali, due to his contribution as an off-spinner, but head coach Stephen Fleming has shed further light on the matter.
Speaking after his side’s defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, the New Zealander suggested Stokes’ seamers were not currently an option and that he was instead being viewed as a specialist batter ahead of the final group-stage match.
“Ben’s ability to bowl overs at the moment is still a bit of a challenge, but he’s there as that batting cover,” said Fleming.
“But with Moeen bowling well in good conditions – we go to Delhi [next] which has been turning – we think the balance of the side has been right. We’re second on the table, so it’s not our style to chop and change just because we’ve had a loss where things didn’t go our way.”
Jonny Bairstow will make his return to the England set-up, almost 10 months on from breaking his leg in three places during a freak accident at a golf course. Bairstow was England’s star performer in 2022, at one stage smashing four centuries in five innings to give the new regime a thrilling, winning start.
Stokes and McCullum had both previously suggested that he would walk back into the side when fit, but there remains speculation over his role. With Harry Brook excelling since stepping into his fellow Yorkshireman’s boots at number five, he could be vying with Ben Foakes for the wicketkeeping gloves.
England would be reluctant to dispense with a man they deem to be the best pure gloveman in the world, and a steadying influence at number seven, and will be tempted to defer the final decision by taking both Foakes and Bairstow to Lord’s.
With Jofra Archer’s ongoing elbow complaint and Olly Stone’s hamstring problem taking them out of the equation, England’s pace unit should look familiar with Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood to the fore.
Durham quick Matthew Potts has taken 24 wickets at 22.50 in Division Two to push his name back into centre stage after failing to feature over the winter, while Chris Woakes could also get the call 14 months on from his last Test appearance.
The Warwickshire man missed the entire 2022 home season through injury and has yet to play since Stokes and McCullum took the reins, but he boasts a fine record in English conditions and would strengthen the lower-order batting.
Pooran's blistering 61 not enough as Shai Hope's Capitals edge LSG by 19 runs to keep slim play-off hopes alive
Delhi Capitals defeated Lucknow Super Giants to boost their hopes of making the Indian Premier League play-offs.
The Capitals claimed a 19-run victory on Tuesday, with Abishek Porel (58) and Tristan Stubbs (57 not out) starring.
Their efforts propelled Delhi to 208-4 from their 20 overs, with Shai Hope (38) and Rishabh Pant (33) chipping in with useful contributions as LSG's bowling attack struggled badly. Hope faced 27 balls and had three fours and two sixes in his knock.
Nicholas Pooran top-scored with a 27-ball 61 in Lucknow's chase, while Arshad Khan plundered an unbeaten 58, yet it was not enough, with the Super Giants only able to reach 189-9 in response. Pooran's knock included six fours and four maximums, while Khan had three fours and five sixes in his 33-ball knock.
Shai Hope found his range after a quiet start.
Ishant Sharma, with 3-34, was the pick of the Capitals' bowlers, as they must now wait and see if Chennai Super Kings or Sunrisers Hyderabad slip up enough to send Delhi into the top four.
LSG are down in seventh, and they must beat Mumbai Indians heavily in their last match to stand any chance of making the play-offs.
Data Debrief: Ishant hits double figures... again
Introduced as the impact player, Ishant fulfilled his duty with three swift wickets inside his first three overs, with Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul and Deepak Hood all taken out.
Ishant has now taken 10 wickets this season, and is onto 93 across his entire IPL career. It is the sixth season Ishant has reached double figures for wickets, and his second in a row.
Afridi lauds 'world class' Babar and Rizwan as Pakistan win Ireland series
Shaheen Afridi lauded Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as "world class" after the pair guided Pakistan to a T20I series victory over Ireland on Tuesday.
Babar's side were defeated in the first meeting with Ireland last week but responded with two convincing chases to secure a 2-1 triumph.
Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker's 73 helped his side to set a target of 179 in the winner-takes-all-decider, but Pakistan had little trouble in easing to a six-wicket victory with 18 balls to spare.
Rizwan, who managed an unbeaten 75 in the second meeting, crafted a well-made 56, while Babar carried Pakistan to within touching distance after his 42-ball 75.
Big-hitter Azam Khan blasted 18 off just six deliveries to see the visitors over the line, though Afridi was quick to credit the work of the two experienced Pakistan campaigners.
"For us, before the World Cup, it's important to have these games to ready ourselves and there are a few areas to improve," said Afridi, who impressed with 3-14 in the first innings.
"They're both world-class players [Babar and Rizwan]; they know how to play their role and they have done really well on this pitch."
Babar bludgeoned four of his five sixes off Ben White's bowling in the 14th over, while sharing 139 runs with the in-form Rizwan for the second wicket.
"We had good communication in the middle because we have played a lot of cricket together; we were trying to play on our strengths and the aim was to match with the run rate," Babar added.
"Lots of positives for us to take and we were able to execute our plans.
"We have a big tournament coming up and this is good practice; we are now looking forward to the England series."
Mark Adair was the only Ireland bowler to impress with his economical 3-28, though Tucker was still satisfied with his side's efforts.
"It was brilliant and a great privilege to captain," Tucker said at the post-match presentation. "It would have been nice to start with a win.
"We set up a platform nicely but unfortunately, we couldn't finish well. We gave everyone a go with the ball. Credit to the lads, they bowled well in tough conditions.
"Maybe it was a bit disappointing with the result but we had positives from the series."
IPL: KKR ensured top-two spot after washout
The first abandoned game of the Indian Premier League ensures Kolkata Knight Riders will finish in the top two and Gujarat Titans’ elimination from playoff contention.
A combination of lightning and rain meant there was not even a toss, with the intense storm ripping banners from the stands, which later wrapped around the floodlights.
KKR had all but ensured a place in the top two due to their dominating net run-rate, but a 19th point of the season confirmed it, leaving them with one game to try and clinch top spot for the first time.
The Titans needed to win their final two games to give themselves any hope of reaching the playoffs, though it would have proven tough for the side with the lowest net run-rate in the league.
It is the first time GT have failed to make the playoffs since they joined the competition before the 2022 season.
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