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James Bracey Ollie Robinson Get Maiden Call Up As England Announces Squad For Nz Tests

James Bracey, Ollie Robinson get maiden call-up as England announces squad for NZ Tests

England have named the squad for the two-match Test series against New Zealand scheduled to begin on June 2 at Lord’s. Gloucestershire wicketkeeper-batsman James Bracey and Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson have received the maiden Test call-ups while the team would be led by Joe Root.

Bracey has notched up a total of 478 Championship runs so far in this campaign averaging 53, while Robinson has scalped 29 wickets at an average of 14.

Craig Overton who last played for England in a Test in September 2019 against Australia has also been recalled.

Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran and Chris Woakes have been rested from the home fixtures. The England Cricket Board had earlier said that it won’t rush the players returning from the now suspended IPL 2021 for the Test series against New Zealand.

Apart from this Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer were not considered for the selection due to their respective injuries. Stokes fractured his finger while playing for Rajasthan Royals during the IPL 2021 while Archer’s elbow injury popped up once again while playing for Sussex in the County Championship.

England Men’s Head Coach, Chris Silverwood, said: “The summer of Test cricket will be fascinating. Playing the top two teams in the world, in New Zealand and India, is perfect preparation for us as we continue to improve and progress towards an Ashes series in Australia at the back end of the year. “

Silverwood further added that the absence of key players from the squad is an opportunity for the new faces to showcase their talent.

“With several players not available through injury or being rested for the New Zealand series, it is an opportunity for us to reward those who have been on the fringes of England squads over the past 12 months,” he added.

SQUAD: Joe Root (C), James Anderson, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Mark Wood

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Daren Sammy set to continue with St Lucia Zouks but resigns from captaincy

Former West Indies skipper Daren Sammy won’t continue his captaincy duties for the St Lucia Zouks in the upcoming edition of the Caribbean Premier League. The franchise announced that Sammy will no longer be the captain of the side and will instead take up a different role. The former all-rounder will be the T20 Cricket Consultant and Brand Ambassador for the Zouks. Sammy who led West Indies to two World Cup titles in 2012 and 2016 has been with the St Lucia Zouks franchise since 2013. It was under his leadership that the Zouks reached the final last year only to be thrashed at the hands of eventual champions Trinbago Knight Riders. Sammy despite being part of the playing XI in the last season had hardly anything to offer for the team’s cause when it came to batting and bowling. However, his tactical decisions helped the Zouks in winning some matches from precarious situations. Still very much passionate about his game, Sammy will look to flourish in his new role. "It's been an absolute pleasure to have led and been a part of the St Lucia Zouks from its inception," Sammy said. "Even though some may say good things must come to an end it will not be in this instance. St Lucia Zouks and I will always be a team. But since venturing into coaching, I realise I have a new passion that can allow me to still contribute and play a part in taking the franchise forward on its quest to winning a CPL title and developing future stars,” Sammy further added. Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe batsman and the head coach of St Lucia Zouks Andy Flower is eagerly looking forward to working with Sammy in his new role. "I have loved my interaction with him. Thank you very much for what you have done and look forward to working with you in the future. Preparations are ongoing as the franchise works aggressively on identifying exceptional players to bring the team to victory," Flower said. Coming to the team combination, the St Lucia Zouks have retained the core members of the squad which took them to the final of the previous edition. Big players like Rahkeem Cornwall, Roston Chase, Kesrick Williams and Andre Fletcher will be part of the unit with other players taking up the remaining spots.

Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur thanks BCCI for arranging charter flights

Indian women’s team skipper in Tests and ODIs Mithali Raj and T20I skipper Harmapreet Kaur thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from the bottom of their hearts for arranging a charter flight to take the cricketers to Mumbai where they will serve a two week quarantine period before leaving for the UK. Besides arranging charters, BCCI have also conducted RT-PCR tests at home keeping in mind the massive rise of COVID-19 cases across the world especially in India. Taking to her Twitter handle, Mithali wrote, “Traveling is a challenge in the pandemic but it is reassuring to see elaborate measures by BCCI for our health and safety. A charter flight to Mumbai and UK and regular RT-PCR Tests at home,” The T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur also thanked the BCCI for their lovely gesture in ensuring the player's safety in these tumultuous times. She further added that some of the players have made their own choice of travelling to Mumbai to maintain social distancing and prioritise their own personal safety. “The BCCI has organised Charter flights to ferry both men and women players to Mumbai before we leave for the UK. Considering the distance and individual convenience players have made their own choice,” Harmanpreet tweeted. The Indian colts will face off against England in a four day Test match starting June 16. Barring the one-off Test, India will play England in three ODIs starting June 27. Following the conclusion of the ODI series, both teams will clash in a three-match T20 series starting on 9th July. Women’s Test and ODI squad: Mithali Raj (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Punam Raut, Priya Punia, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav. T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav, Simran Bahadur.

BCCI is paying for 14-day quarantine of Australian IPL players: CA

The Cricket Australia interim CEO Nick Hockley has said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is bearing all the expenses for the 14-day quarantine of Australian IPL players. The cricketers had arrived in Sydney from Maldives on Monday. "Yes," Hockley told 'Sydney Morning Herald' when asked if BCCI was paying for the mandatory quarantine. "BCCI at the outset committed to ensuring that they got home safely and as quickly as possible. We've been working closely with them. They've been fantastic. They've delivered on that promise." India has been suffering with the second wave of Covid-19. Hockley expressed his concern about the same. "Obviously our thoughts are with all of our friends in India. Then we've been working with the government, within the existing frameworks to make sure that they get home as quickly as possible," Hockley said. The interim CEO also praised the BCCI and revealed that the players have been very appreciative of the board. "I know the players, having texted a few of them, are extremely appreciative of the BCCI and we're really pleased that they're home safely." The IPL 2021 was suspended with immediate effect on may 4 after there were Covid-19 cases within the franchise teams. SRH’s Wriddhiman Saha, KKR’s Sandeep Warrior and Varun Chakravarthy, DC’s Amit Mishra and CSK’s bowling coach L.Balaji and later batting coach Mike Hussey had tested positive for Covid-19.

Indian players to be administered second dose of Covid vaccine in England: Reports

The Indian players, both Men and Women would be administered their second doses of the vaccine against Covid-19 in the United Kingdom itself by its health department. One of the sources close to the development confirmed the news. “The team has already taken the first dose here after the government opened the vaccination process for all above 18. The second dose will be administered by the UK health department once the players are eligible to get the second jab as per rules,” the source told ANI. Earlier, BCCI was planning to either get the second dose of vaccine from India itself so that there is no problem in the doses, which could then have been administered by the medical staff of the team. The second option was to get the doses in the UK itself as the brand of the vaccine that would most probably have been administered to the Indian players is also available in the British nation. Both Indian Men’s and Women’s team would leave for England on June 2 from Mumbai, having spent two weeks in hard quarantine in India’s commercial capital. The teams would then undergo 10 more days of quarantine (milder than the previous one) in Southampton, England. While the Men’s team would then prepare for the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand starting June 18 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, the Women’s team would get ready for their one-off Test against hosts England to be played at County Ground, Bristol from June 16.