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• Archer unlikely to play any red-ball cricket before the Ashes

  Should Jofra Archer be selected for this year's Ashes series, he will likely be playing his first red-ball cricket in over two years.

  Archer is set to represent Mumbai Indians in the IPL, which culminates on May 28, with the first Test between England and Australia taking place at Edgbaston on June 16.

  England have a Test scheduled against Ireland on June 1, but should Mumbai go far in the IPL, it is unlikely Archer would be available.

  The pace bowler, who turns 28 on Saturday, has not played a Test match for England since a 10-wicket defeat to India in Ahmedabad in February 2021, with his last first-class game for Sussex being in May 2021 against Kent.

  Elbow and back injuries kept him on the sidelines for 17 months, but he returned to white-ball cricket in January.

  Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace believes England's plan is for Archer to be ready for the Ashes after the end of the IPL.

  "I think all things being equal, he will go straight into the Ashes off the back of the IPL," Farbrace told BBC Radio Sussex.

  "The England plan for Jofra is he'll go and play in the IPL.

  "I think their plan is that between IPL games he'll then bowl some longer spells to get his overs up and make sure that he is match-ready.

  "That's the nature of international franchise cricket these days. I know there'll be a lot of people saying 'he should play at least two four-day games to be ready for a Test match', but the preparation and the work that the medical teams do around these players is exceptional."

  Archer dampened expectations of significant involvement against Australia in early March, telling reporters: "If I can play one [Test] this summer, I'll be happy. If I play more than one, that's just a bonus."

• England keen 'to put it right' in Ashes as Robinson lays down Australia gauntlet

  England will seek revenge when they host Australia in the home Ashes series as Ollie Robinson prepares for an enticing battle with a "hunger to put it right".

  Pat Cummins' side thrashed England – then captained by Joe Root – 4-0 in the last meeting between two old foes Down Under across the end of 2021 and start of 2022.

  Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum's resurgent side pose a new threat now, though, winning 10 of their first 12 Tests under the stewardship of their new captain and coach combination.

  That run has included home series triumphs over New Zealand and South Africa, as well as a rare 3-0 red-ball victory in Pakistan, and Robinson says England are out to prove a point in the Ashes.

  "The way we're playing cricket, we feel like we can really stick one on them and win the series comfortably," said the bowler, who just weeks ago suggested England could give Australia a "good hiding".

  "There's definitely a desire there still, a hunger to put it right. I felt when I got back from that trip [the 2021-22 Ashes] I didn't leave it all out there and I'd let myself down and the side down a little bit.

  "So it's definitely something I want to put right and there are a few guys in that position as well. So there are a lot of hungry boys this summer to beat the Aussies again."

   

  Australia great Glenn McGrath has made a habit of suggesting the Baggy Greens will whitewash England 5-0 every time the pair clash for the old urn.

  When asked about his previous comments talking up England's chances, Robinson suggested his message was reported exactly how he wanted – aimed as a warning shot at Australia.

  The Sussex seamer added: "I was talking to local radio but I was happy that it got out. I mean it's been happening in every Ashes series for years – Glenn McGrath says 5-0 every Ashes.

  "We say 5-0 every Ashes. It's one of the biggest series we play, it only comes around every four years in England, so why not talk it up? Get it going, get it big and give the fans what they want."

  The free-flowing and fearless attacking style McCullum, aided by the brilliant Stokes, has instilled continues to thrill all involved with English cricket, including the players themselves.

  On past results, Robinson sees no reason why England cannot win their first Ashes since a 3-2 triumph at home in the British summer of 2015.

  "I think the cricket we're playing at the moment makes it such an exciting time to play them," he continued. "We've been dominating teams in all conditions for 12 months now.

  "In England we dominated, in Pakistan we dominated and in New Zealand we played most of the cricket for nine days and lost on the last day because we probably weren't quite there.

  "But I think the way we're playing cricket, we feel like we can really stick one on them and win the series comfortably."

• Netball Jamaica fined £5,000 by World Netball for last September's Tiani Jamison Series fiasco

  Netball Jamaica has been fined almost one million Jamaican dollars (£5,000) by World Netball following last year’s fiasco involving the Sunshine Girls series with the Silver Ferns in September 2022. Resulting from the sanction, the Sunshine Girls will be barred from international tournaments until the fine is fully paid.

  According to reports, passport and visa issues delated the arrival of the Sunshine Girls in New Zealand resulting in a condensed series with two tests being moved to Auckland. Subsequently, only seven players eventually arrived in New Zealand as the other five of the 12-player squad continued to experience challenges with their visas.

  As a result, Jamaica in a bid to field the mandatory 10 players for a recognized test match, were forced to add coach Connie Francis to the team sheet. They were also forced to recruit Romelda Aiken-George and the retired Carla Borrego from Australia. Aiken-George had given birth to her first child a few weeks earlier.

  Reports said lost ticket sales and a change of venue and costs for travel assistance cost New Zealand dearly and prompted the World Netball investigation. The two games that were not played were recorded as losses for Jamaica which saw them drop to fourth in the world rankings.