David Willey knows from bitter experience that a place in England’s provisional World Cup squad comes with no guarantees, but the left-armer believes he is the ideal man to do the “donkey” work in India.
Willey was selected in the preliminary 15 for the tournament last month, with head coach Matthew Mott effectively confirming in a phone call that the all-rounder would be part of England’s title defence.
And while that news was exactly what he wanted to hear, the 33-year-old is understandably aware of the fineprint that underpins any such promises having been the odd man out four years ago.
He was a key member of the squad in the years leading up to 2019 but found himself bumped from the initial list at the last minute to make room for the newly-available Jofra Archer.
A direct repeat is not on the cards, though Archer’s appearance at nets on Tuesday as he continues his rehabilitation from a stress fracture of the elbow may have invited a case of deja-vu.
Instead, it is Yorkshire batter Harry Brook who casts a shadow as the International Cricket Council’s September 28 deadline looms. Brook was left out of the original selection but has since been given every encouragement that he could sneak back in before the final submission.
While Jason Roy and Dawid Malan are on highest alert, it is not impossible that a seamer could make way in a rebalancing act, a fact that is not lost on Willey.
“I’m happy to be here now, but until you’re on that flight out there you can’t rest on your laurels,” he said ahead of the third ODI against New Zealand at the Kia Oval.
“Of course it can change, they’ve not got to finalise until the end of the month. It’s out of my control. It was out of my control in 2019. I’d have given my left arm to be a part of the last World Cup. Anything that happens to me in cricket now is never going to be as bad as that.
“I made a promise to myself that I’d play every game for England as if it was my last and I try and do that now. But things change and if it changes for me then it’s nothing I haven’t been through before. I think my whole England career I’ve sort of not been sure whether I’m coming or going so it’s nothing new to me.
“Hopefully not though…goodness me, that would be a tough one to take. But it’s professional sport, things do change.”
Willey offered a timely reminder of his own qualities in the last couple of matches against New Zealand, hitting quick lower-order runs, taking wickets and running out Will Young at the Ageas Bowl.
But he offered a deliberately self-deprecating account of what he brings to the squad, emphasising physical durability and a hint of bloody-mindedness.
“I’m stubborn aren’t I? My wife would say so as well. I’m just trying to stay fit and keep improving,” he said.
“Call me a donkey if you want, but to take a donkey out to what could be a tough trip, you just might need a donkey. Staying fit is probably an asset to the group, with guys who sometimes struggle with niggles and things. They keep going, donkeys, don’t they?”
Willey has previously admitted shedding a tear when England became world champions at Lord’s, conflicted by the experience of watching from home as his former team-mates wrote their names in the history books.
With that in mind he hopes whoever the unlucky party is this time around, be it Brook, another batter or even himself, is dealt with sensitively.
“I think the important thing, whoever does miss out, is the quality of the communication around that,” he said.
“I don’t think the communication I got was particularly good. I don’t necessarily need to go into it too much but it would have been nice to receive a phone call from a couple of guys who were probably involved with the decision making. But it’s never going to be easy. Somebody is going to miss out.”
Bolt joined by multiple sports stars for first look at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador Usain Bolt got a first look at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium from the best seats in the house, along with cricket legends and New York sports icons.
The Jamaican sprint legend was joined in this special preview by USA cricketers Corey Anderson and Monak Patel along with cricket legend Sir Curtly Ambrose (West Indies), Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), and Liam Plunkett (England). Also present during this landmark event was a star-studded line-up of New York sports stars, including John Starks (NBA / New York Knicks), Elena Delle Donne (WNBA/USA), Bartolo Colon (MLB/New York Yankees-Mets), Victor Cruz (NFL/New York Giants), and Ibtihaj Muhammad (Fencing/USA).
To commemorate the occasion, the stars all signed a giant cricket bat, which will be present at the venue for all eight ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 matches hosted there between June 3-12. The event marks the official final countdown to the first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in New York, with Sri Lanka and South Africa set to clash in the venue's first match on June 3.
Bolt was confident the venue would provide an exciting and energetic cricket experience.
“Coming from the Caribbean where cricket is a part of life, I’m very excited to be part of the T20 World Cup coming to the USA for the first time, co-hosting with the West Indies. Getting one of the sport’s biggest events into the USA is a big milestone and can provide a launching pad leading towards cricket’s inclusion in the LA Olympics in 2028," he said.
“The new stadium is going to be a fantastic place to watch from. It’s very enclosed and you feel very close to the action. I can imagine it will be full of energy when cricket fans get to Nassau County International Stadium next month," Bolt noted.
Brett Jones, CEO of T20 USA Inc. called the event a fitting welcome to cricket in the USA.
“Today was a fantastic celebration, showcasing a truly out of this world stadium. Having Usain and a host of New York sports stars and Olympic legends to experience it was fantastic and a fitting welcome to cricket in the USA," Jones said.
“Having Curtly Ambrose, Liam Plunkett, Shoaib Malik, Corey Anderson and Monak Patel here and seeing their response to the stadium and the playing surface was also pretty special. It gives us a real sense of what the fans can expect next month," he added.
The 34,000-seater temporary stadium is the first of its kind in international cricket, and is also believed to be the largest ever constructed in the United States.
Featured at the unveiling were extensive hospitality and media pavilions on the north and south ends of the venue, which join the east and west general admission stands. Among the new additions are the Cabana seats in the North pavilion along with the Corner Club seats with a private party area.
The stadium is one of the three venues in the USA for the upcoming mega-event. Florida and Texas will also host matches from the event.
The USA are co-hosts for the event alongside the West Indies, where 39 matches will be played across six venues. The Final will be held on 29 June in Barbados.
No spark from Rovman Powell as Curran pilots Punjab Kings over Rajasthan Royals
Sam Curran starred as Punjab Kings moved off the bottom of the Indian Premier League table with a five-wicket victory over second-place Rajasthan Royals.
The Kings successfully chased a target of 145 as Curran finished with an unbeaten 63, including two maximums in the final four balls, to get them over the finish line.
The Royals struggled to find their rhythm until Riyan Parag (48) and Ravichandran Ashwin (28) stepped up to drag them into contention, but the Kings stifled their recovery near the end of the first innings. West Indies captain Rovman Powell (four) was among those that failed to spark at the backend of the Royals innings.
Curran (2-24), Harshal Patel (2-28) and Rahul Chahar (2-26) all played a part in limiting RR to 144-9, though the Kings then looked like they might fall short in the chase.
Sam Curran starred for Punjab Kings.
Punjab captain Curran carried them forward after a slow start, and though Jitesh Sharma was caught for 22 to offer the Royals hope in the 16th over, impact player Ashutosh Sharma contributed an unbeaten 17 in support of Curran, whose big hitting got the job done with an over remaining.
Data Debrief: Patel comes up clutch
Having posted figures of 2-28 on Wednesday, Patel now has 63 wickets in the death overs (16th-20th) in the IPL, the outright fifth-most wickets in this phase in competition history after Dwayne Bravo (102), Lasith Malinga (90), Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (85) and Jasprit Bumrah (80).
His late dismissals of Parag and Donovan Ferreira kept the Royals' score down, then Curran's joint-highest IPL knock ensured the Kings registered a fourth consecutive away victory.
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.
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