Author: Zahid Noor

Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Tuesday announced the full series schedule for the England men’s team tour to the Caribbean Island in December 2023.

The tour begins with a three-match One-Day International (ODI) Series, followed by five T20 Internationals (T20Is).

The ICC Men’s ODI and T20I world champions, England will travel to Antigua, Barbados, Grenada and Trinidad in the pre-Christmas white ball tour.

The tour will begin in Antigua with two ODIs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on December 3 and 6. Kensington Oval in Barbados will host the final ODI on December 9 December and T20I series opener on December 12 before the action shifts to Grenada for two T20Is on December 14 and 16.

The tour concludes in the week before Christmas with the fourth and fifth T20Is at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad, which will be hosting a West Indies vs England fixture for the first time on December 19 and 21 and the first time that England has played on the island since 2009.

“We are delighted to be able to confirm the England match schedule and to welcome once again their many travelling fans to the region for a pre-Christmas white-ball tour. ” said CWI’s Chief Executive, Johnny Grave.

“This tour will be a major economic boost to the host countries, as well as providing our fans with the chance to see some of their favourite players in action against one of our biggest rivals. The tour will also help with our ongoing venue preparation and event planning for one of the biggest events ever to be staged in the region, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which takes place in June next year.” he added.

Complete Schedule

One-Day Internationals
3 December: 1st ODI, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
6 December: 2nd ODI, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
9 December: 3rd ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados

T20 Internationals
12 December: 1st T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados
14 December: 2nd T20I, Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
16 December: 3rd T20I, Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
19 December: 4th T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad
21 December: 5th T20I, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad

LOUGHBOROUGH: Former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan has been banned for two years from all sports after returning a positive dope test result, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) said on Tuesday.

According to the details, Amir underwent a dope test following his defeat against Kell Brooks in February, last year, which returned a positive result for the anabolic agent ostarine.

Ostarine – present on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list – is a drug designed to have similar effects to testosterone and is prohibited in all sports at all times.

Amir, who received a two-year ban over the doping violation, had already retired from professional boxing in May last year, accepted a violation of anti-doping rules but said he had not intentionally ingested the substance. His argument was accepted by an independent panel following a hearing in January.

His ban began on April 6, 2022 and will expire on April 5 next year.

“The amount that was in my system could have come from shaking peoples’ hands. I don’t know what the drug was in my system. I will give my views, but, like I say, I have never cheated in my life. I would never cheat.

“I am a retired fighter, and I have got this two-year ban now, which is quite strange. I have already retired anyway. No comeback plans at all.”

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LONDON: Former England captain and renowned commentator Michael Vaughan has been cleared of racism charges by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) disciplinary committee.

According to the ECB, the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) has today published its decisions in relation to charges brought by the ECB against Yorkshire CCC and a number of individuals.

In light of the CDC decisions, Michael Vaughan has been found not liable for a breach of ECB Directive 3.3, which states: “No such person may conduct themself in a manner or do any act or omission which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket or any Cricketer or group of Cricketers into disrepute”.

Vaughan took to Instagram in advance to reveal that the charges against him had been dismissed.

“Now that the ECB’s charge against me has been dismissed, I want to thank the panel for their careful attention in very difficult circumstances and to thank all of those who have given me their support during an incredibly difficult period in my life,” he wrote on Instagram.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Michael Vaughan (@michaelvaughan)

However, a number of prominent former England cricketers Tim Bresnan, John Blain, Andrew Gale, Matthew Hoggard and Richard Pyrah have been found liable for a breach of ECB Directive 3.3 for their alleged use of racist and/or discriminatory language.

Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Zimbabwe batter Gary Ballance had previously admitted charges of breaching the same Directive.

It is pertinent to mention here that the ECB started the investigation after the former Yorkshire CCC player Rafiq made racism allegations and claimed to have experienced ‘inhuman behaviour’, within the club.

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LONDON: All-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed and five other players from Pakistan have signed up for the upcoming draft of ‘The Hundred’ – England’s first of its sort league. 

Following an update regarding the overseas players’ list for this year’s The Hundred, the number of Pakistan players, who registered themselves for the draft, rose from 57 to 63 after Iftikhar, Ahmed Shehzad, Tayyab Tahir, Mir Hamza and Muhammad Ilyas were added to the list.

Earlier, a number of top-performing T20I players from Pakistan including skipper Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Fakhar Zaman, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Diana Baig registered for the draft, which will take place on March 23.

Among the other standout names hoping to earn a slot in this year’s season include Richa Ghosh, Tamim Iqbal, Sneh Rana and Ben Foakes.

However, a total of seven overseas including Mitchell Starc, Megan Schutt, Anrich Nortje, Aiden Markram and Tayla Vlaeminck are no longer available for selection in The Hundred Draft.

According to the ‘The Hundred’ media release, a total of 881 players from 28 countries will be up for grabs ahead of the third year of the competition. The women’s competition is to stage a draft for the first time.

Moreover, 113 players were retained by their respective franchises across the men’s and women’s tournaments, which means The Hundred Draft and the open market process in the women’s competition will fill up a further 135 spots.

The tournament will kick off at Trent Bridge on August 1 with a double-header between Trent Rockets and Southern Brave – the first of 68 games across the third year of The Hundred.

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LONDON: Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and a host of other top-performing T20I players from Pakistan have signed up for the upcoming draft of ‘the Hundred’ – England’s first of its sort league. 

A total of 57 players – international as well as local – from Pakistan registered themselves for the draft, which will take place on March 23. Apart from Babar and Shaheen, the list also includes Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Fakhar Zaman, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Diana Baig to name a few.

According to the ‘the Hundred’ media release, a total of 881 players from 28 countries will be up for grabs ahead of the third year of the competition. The women’s competition is to stage a draft for the first time.

Moreover, 113 players were retained by their respective franchises across the men’s and women’s tournaments, which means The Hundred Draft and the open market process in the women’s competition will fill up a further 135 spots.

Among the other standout names hoping to earn a slot in this year’s season include India’s Harmanpreet Kaur, Ben Duckett, Danni Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Sarah Glenn, Reece Topley and Kate Cross from England, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, West Indies’ Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi.

Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult from New Zealand, and  Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Grace Harris and Amanda-Jade Wellington from Australia will also be in contention for the spots. South Africa’s Anrich Nortje, Dane van Niekerk and Shabnim Ismail are also included on this list.

The tournament will kick off at Trent Bridge on August 1 with a double-header between Trent Rockets and Southern Brave – the first of 68 games across the third year of The Hundred.

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LONDON: One of the most prolific cricketers of the recent era, Eoin Morgan, who took England to their maiden ODI World Cup triumph, has announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Morgan shared a note to bid adieu to his illustrious cricketing career, saying he would “still be involved in the game, working alongside broadcasters at international and franchise tournaments as a commentator and pundit”

“I believe that now is the right time to step away from the game that has given me so much over the years,” said the 36-year-old.

pic.twitter.com/1x1w0unGL2

— Eoin Morgan (@Eoin16) February 13, 2023

The former England captain had already called time on his international career in June last year.

During his 13-year international career with England, Morgan became the first captain to lead England to World Cup glory in 2019. The left-handed batter was also a part of England’s 2010 T20 World Cup-winning squad, held in the West Indies.

The left-handed batter is the all-time leading run-scorer and most-capped player for England Men in both ODIs and T20Is. In his record-breaking 225 ODIs, Morgan scored 6,957 runs, including 13 centuries at an average of 39.75.

In his 126 ODIs as captain, Morgan enjoyed 76 victories at the winning percentage of 60 – the best by an England captain in ODIs. In T20Is, however, he captained the England side in 72 matches, equal to India’s MS Dhoni as the most in the limited-overs format.

He also holds the world record for the highest number of sixes in an ODI inning, with 17 against Afghanistan at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

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LONON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday, unveiled the two 15-player squads for next month’s ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh.

The ECB made significant changes to their ODI and T20I squads following their players’ unavailability due to franchise cricket as young spinner Rehan Ahmed received his maiden call-up to England’s white-ball squad, while Somerset batter Tom Abell also included in both squads.

Whereas, Lancashire pacer Saqib Mehmood has been recalled to the ODI squad as he prepares to make his return to full international cricket following the back injury he suffered last May.

England will return to Bangladesh after a six-year hiatus when they last played three-match ODI series with England triumphing 2-1.

The three-match T20I series, however, will mark England’s first-ever in Bangladesh and also their first since winning ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in November.

England’s ODI Squad:

Jos Buttler (c), Tom Abell, Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

England’s T20I Squad:

Jos Buttler (c), Tom Abell, Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

England Men’s Tour of Bangladesh Schedule

Three-Match ODI Series:

1st ODI: March 1, SBNCS, Dhaka
2nd ODI: March 3, SBNCS, Dhaka
3rd ODI: March, 6 ZACS, Chattogram

Three-Match T20I Series:

1st IT20: March 9, ZACS, Chattogram
2nd IT20: March 12, SBNCS, Dhaka
3rd IT20: March 14, SBNCS, Dhaka

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LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday, confirmed their tour to Bangladesh for their first-ever T20I and a three-match ODI series in March 2023 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed the tour dates.

According to the details, the white-ball champions will return to Bangladesh after a six-year hiatus when they last played three-match ODI series with England triumphing 2-1.

England’s historic tour to Bangladesh will embark with a three-match ODI series with Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) hosting the first two matches while Chittagong to host the final ODI of the series.

The touring side will then play their first-ever bilateral T20I series against Bangladesh from March 9 to 14 across the two venues in Dhaka and Chittagong.

The English side are expected to play two warm-up fixtures ahead of the ODIs. The warm-up schedule will be announced in due course.

England Men’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh Schedule:

1st ODI: March 1, SBNCS, Dhaka
2nd ODI: March 3, SBNCS, Dhaka
3rd ODI: March, 6 ZACS, Chattogram

Three-Match T20I Series:

1st IT20: March 9, ZACS, Chattogram
2nd IT20: March 12, SBNCS, Dhaka
3rd IT20: March 14, SBNCS, Dhaka

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LONDON: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday unveiled a strong 15-member squad for the upcoming away Test series against New Zealand, scheduled to roll into action on February 16 2023.

The ECB made significant changes to their squad for Pakistan Tests as pacer Mark Wood and young spinner Rehan Ahmed have been left out of the squad, while three pacers returned to the team for New Zealand Tests.

Broad, who did not tour Pakistan for the historic series, alongside Durham pacer Matthew Potts and Nottinghamshire’s quick Olly Stone, made his return to the English squad.

Furthermore, Essex batter Dan Lawrence will also be returning to England’s squad for the longest format.

Meanwhile, both Wood and Rehan have been left out of the squad in a bid to manage their workload, while English skipper Ben Stokes had already hinted at not putting more pressure on an unfinished article Rehan.

“Durham fast bowler Mark Wood, who was impressive in the recent 3-0 victory over Pakistan, will take a break from all international and franchise cricket in January to fully recover after a busy winter in all formats,” said ECB in a statement.

“He is expected to tour Bangladesh in March, where England will play three ODIS and three IT20s.

“Leg spinner Rehan Ahmed, as part of his management for this winter, will go to the UAE T20 League in January with a view to joining up with the white-ball team in Bangladesh if selected in March.”

It is pertinent to mention that England will tour New Zealand to play two-match Test series from February 16 to 28.

England Test Squad: Ben Stokes (Durham), James Anderson (Lancashire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Will Jacks (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Olly Stone (Nottinghamshire)

England Men’s Test Tour of New Zealand Schedule:

First Test (Pink Ball): 16-20 February, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Second Test: 24-28 February, Basin Reserve, Wellington

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LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday unveiled a strong 14-member squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to roll into action on January 27 2023.

According to the ECB, England’s World Cup-winning pacer Archer is all set to make his international return for the first time since March 2021.

Middle-order batter Harry Brook, who had an impressive winter with the bat for England in Tests and T20Is, has been called up for the ODI squad for the first time while opening batter Ben Duckett has also received a call-up for the 50-over format for the first time since 2016.

Surrey seamer Reece Topley, on the other hand, who had been ruled out of the recently-held ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is on a road to recovery and is anticipated to be ready for the three-match series against Proteas.

“Reece Topley is making [an] excellent recovery from his left ankle injury and is on track to be ready for the three-match series,” said ECB in a statement.

It is pertinent to mention that the three-match ODI series will commence on January 27 and will be played at two venues across six days.

England ODI Squad:

Jos Buttler (Lancashire) Captain, Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Olly Stone (Nottinghamshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Northamptonshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

England Men’s ODI Series versus South Africa Schedule:

First ODI: Friday, January 27, Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
Second ODI: Sunday, January 29, Mangaung Oval Bloemfontein
Third ODI: Wednesday, February 1, The Oval, Kimberley