August 4, 2024

Crawley Ruled Out of SL Tests Due to Fractured Finger; Lawrence Set to Open

Dillon Pennington is out with a hamstring injury, and Olly Stone has been called up to replace him. Dan Lawrence will open the batting for England in their upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka, stepping in after Zak Crawley was ruled out with a fractured finger. Jordan Cox, who has not played for England yet, has been added to the squad as a backup batter.

Crawley injured his right little finger while dropping a catch in England’s recent win over the West Indies at Edgbaston. The injury has been confirmed as a fracture, sidelining him for both the Hundred and the Sri Lanka series. He is expected to return for England’s Test tour to Pakistan in October.

Ben Stokes filled in as an opener at Edgbaston and scored a record-breaking 24-ball half-century, but Lawrence will take on the role against Sri Lanka. Although Lawrence is not a specialist opener, he has batted in various positions and will bring his experience to the role. He hasn’t played a Test since early 2022.

Jordan Cox, aged 23, joins as England’s spare batter after a strong season with Essex, where he scored three Championship centuries. He will also serve as the backup wicketkeeper for the Pakistan tour.

Cox was out for a walk in Battersea Park with his girlfriend when he learned of his call-up, initially missing Brendon McCullum’s call. “I got a text saying, ‘Give me a call back, it’s Baz,'” he told Sky Sports. “I quickly called back – pretty fast, just in case he asked someone else to join the squad… My profile picture on WhatsApp is me putting, and he basically asked, ‘Did you sink that putt?'”

He admitted that he “hadn’t even thought” about the prospect of a Test call-up, having previously been part of a T20I squad two years ago. “I’ve been thinking more about the white-ball side of it,” Cox said. “I just thought there are so many good players out there, and I thought, I’m not going to be in that yet, if ever, so to get this call was pretty awesome.”

iplwin365 revealed on Sunday morning that Pennington was a major doubt for the series after injuring his hamstring on Northern Superchargers debut on Friday night. Stokes suggested before the Edgbaston Test that Pennington would be “ready to go” against Sri Lanka if selected, but he is now expected to miss the rest of the English summer. Superchargers have kept Pat Brown as cover.

Olly Stone, who hasn’t played a Test since June 2021 due to ongoing injuries, is back in the squad to replace Dillon Pennington. Despite taking only ten Championship wickets this season at an average of 47.00, Stone is known for his genuine pace and has taken ten wickets at 19.40 in his brief Test career.

Sam Cook, who has been a top performer in the Championship in recent years, has been passed over for selection after returning from a hamstring injury. Matthew Potts, who was on drinks duty during the West Indies series, will remain with the squad. The first Test against Sri Lanka begins on August 21 at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.

England Test Squad vs Sri Lanka

Ben Stokes (capt), Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone

Marizanne Kapp vs Deepti Sharma Ends in Dramatic Tie

The London Derby between Oval Invincibles and London Spirit ended in a dramatic tie at Lord’s, with a crowd of 17,810 in attendance. The match came down to the final ball, where a crucial run-out by Charlie Dean prevented Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Jo Gardner from scoring the two runs needed for a victory, turning what had seemed like a certain win into a tie.

The game showcased standout performances from international stars: South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp led the Invincibles with 4 wickets for 11 runs and a quick 47 runs. For the Spirit, India’s Deepti Sharma impressed with 3 wickets for 18 runs and 44 runs.

“It was good up until I got out: it cost us the game so I’m very disappointed,” Kapp said. “The plan was to stay in there and take it as deep as possible. We knew they were going to bowl their best bowlers, so I was just trying to knock it around.”

Oval Invincibles’ captain Lauren Winfield-Hill made a smart call to bowl first, which paid off immediately when Marizanne Kapp dismissed Meg Lanning on the fourth ball. Despite a strong response from Cordelia Griffith and Georgia Redmayne, Kapp removed both batters just after the Powerplay.

Ryana MacDonald-Gay kept up the pressure by dismissing Dani Gibson, and Kapp struck again on the final ball of her spell, bowling out Heather Knight for her fourth wicket of the innings. Deepti Sharma led the Spirit’s recovery with a solid 44 off 34 balls, supported by Charlie Dean and Eva Gray. Despite losing wickets late in the innings, including two in two balls by Sophia Smale, the Spirit finished with 113 for 9.

In response, the Invincibles lost both openers early. Chamari Athapaththu was caught off Tara Norris’s bowling, and Eva Gray stumped Lauren Winfield-Hill, with a sharp performance from wicketkeeper Redmayne.

Kapp then delivered a powerful 47 off 32 balls, forming a crucial 55-run partnership with Alice Capsey, who scored 31 off 19 before Deepti dismissed her. Charlie Dean took a spectacular catch off Deepti’s bowling to remove Paige Scholfield. The chase became more challenging as Deepti also bowled Mady Villiers and Sarah Glenn ran out Amanda-Jade Wellington, leaving the Invincibles needing 32 runs from 32 balls with six wickets remaining.

Following an assured partnership with Gardner, Kapp was bowled by Deepti with just four runs required from eight. MacDonald-Gay and Gardner were just unable to see their side home as Gibson held her nerve with the ball and Dean found Redmayne with a good throw from the deep to leave MacDonald-Gay well short of her ground looking for the two runs they needed from the final ball.