Sports
Bairstow ruled out of IPL 2023; Australia’s Matthew Short named replacement
Jonny Bairstow will not play IPL 2023 as the England wicketkeeper-batter, who plays for Punjab Kings, continues to recover from the freak injury he picked up last September. ESPNcricinfo has learned that uncapped Australian batter Matthew Short will be Bairstow’s replacement for the 2023 season.
Kings, via the BCCI, had been waiting for Bairstow’s exact fitness status from the ECB after he had resumed training in late February as part of his rehab. It is understood the BCCI informed Kings on Saturday to go ahead with the replacement, and the franchise confirmed the news later that day.
This week, Bairstow started batting in the Yorkshire nets and it is understood that he will aim to play a couple of games in the County Championship in May – potentially while keeping wicket – as he aims to reach full fitness in time for England’s next Test on June 1, against Ireland at Lord’s. The ECB are happy with Bairstow’s progress and are confident he will return in time to play a full part in the Ashes, which starts on June 22.
Bairstow broke his left leg and dislocated his ankle on September 2, days before the third and final Test of England’s home series against South Africa. He was playing golf with friends when he slipped and suffered multiple fractures in his fibula, which required a plate to be inserted when he underwent surgery a few days later, and also sustained ligament damage.
He has since missed all the cricket England have played, including the T20 World Cup where he was meant to open with his captain Jos Buttler. He has also missed tours to Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh, as well as the ILT20 where he was due to play for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.Brendon McCullum, England’s Test coach, has previously indicated that Bairstow will come straight back into the side when fit, though finding a role for him will not be straightforward since Harry Brook, his replacement at No. 5, has made a stellar start to his international career, with four hundreds in his first six Tests.
Zak Crawley and Ben Foakes appear to be the most vulnerable players in the side, but leaving either out would necessitate a rebalancing of the side and McCullum has also warned against trying to “crowbar people in”.
Recognised as one of the world’s leading all-format batters, Bairstow’s absence is bound to have an impact on Kings’ strategy. Last IPL, Bairstow scored 253 runs in 11 innings, averaging 23.00 with a strike rate of 144.57, with two half-centuries. Initially, it may mean Bhanuka Rajapaksa is given an opportunity. For Short, this will be his first IPL experience. He was the Player of the Tournament at the recent Big Bash League where, opening for Adelaide Strikers, he scored 458 runs – the second-highest in the tournament – at an average of 35.23 and a strike rate of 144.47.
His best performance was an unbeaten 100 in a chase of 230 to beat Hobart Hurricanes. Athletic in the field, Short also is a handy offspinner.He kept his head high while bowling in the powerplay during the BBL and took 11 wickets in all, at an economy of 7.13. An all-format player, Short scored three centuries across first-class and List A cricket during the second half of Australia’s domestic season where he plays for his home state of Victoria.
(ESPN)
St. Joseph’s College, Darley Road player Nuren Wevita and Sayuri Mututhanthiri of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo clinched the lowest age category titles of the 110th Colombo Championships concluded at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association clay courts on Friday.
Wevita won the Under 12 boys’ title with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Kashya Seneviratne in the final. Sayuri registered 6-1, 6-3 win over Rehansa Ranasinghe in the girls’ title fight.
Sayuri Mututhanthiri
Roston Chase has been appointed West Indies’ new Test captain. The allrounder’s first Test as captain will be his 50th; his 49th, against South Africa in Johannesburg, came more than two years ago. West Indies have played 13 Tests since then.
Chase has previously led West Indies in one ODI and one T20I. His first assignment in the longest format will be the three-Test home series against Australia, which begins on his home ground in Bridgetown on June 25. Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican will be Chase’s vice-captain.
The series will be the first of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle for both teams.
CWI said that Chase had been appointed from a shortlist of six after a “detailed assessment process that included psychometric testing to evaluate leadership style, behaviour, and overall suitability for the role”. The other candidates interviewed were John Campbell, Tevin Imlach, Joshua Da Silva, Justin Greaves, and Warrican.
Shai Hope, West Indies captain in the white-ball formats, asked not to be considered in order to focus on his exciting leadership roles.
“This selection process is one of the most comprehensive and forward-thinking we have undertaken,” CWI president, Kishore Shallow, said. “I am deeply impressed by the professionalism, objectivity, and strategic thinking that shaped the final decision. It sets a new benchmark for leadership appointments in West Indies cricket.”
West Indies head coach, Daren Sammy, said: “I fully endorse this appointment. Our new captain has earned the respect of his peers, understands the responsibility that comes with the role, and has shown the leadership qualities we need to take this team forward. I urge fans across the region to rally behind him–we’re building something special.”
The 33-year-old Chase takes over from Kraigg Brathwaite, who resigned in March after 39 matches in charge of the Test team. West Indies won 10 of those Tests, lost 22 and drew seven.
At the time of Brathwaite’s resignation, CWI had handed Hope – already West Indies’ ODI captain – the T20I reins, but had held back on naming a new Test captain, announcing that they would do so “in the coming weeks”.
Brathwaite’s tenure was notable for a young West Indies team beginning to find ways of winning in different conditions with a growing pool of fast and spin bowlers. Notable performances included a 1-0 home series win over England in 2022, the Gabba Test win of January 2024, and a 1-1 draw in Pakistan in Brathwaite’s last series in charge, in January 2025.
Chase has scored 2265 runs at an average of 26.33, with five hundreds, and taken 85 wickets with his offspin at 46.00. One of his first tasks as captain will be to repair his batting numbers, which have fallen steadily following a promising start. He made a century in just his second Test, to help save the Jamaica Test against India in 2016, and scored two more over his first 10 Tests, across which he averaged 48.53. Since then, however, his numbers have declined significantly.
CWI announced Chase’s appointment via X, formerly Twitter, and said it had been “unanimously approved by the CWI Board of Directors” during a meeting on Friday.
[Cricinfo]
The winners of the Woorld Test Championship [WTC] final, to be played between South Africa and Australia at Lord’s starting June 11, will secure a prize money of USD 3.6 million, more than double of the winners in the last two cycles. The runners-up, meanwhile, will bag more than USD 2.1 million, while the prize for the same in the previous editions was USD 800,000.
The winners in the last two cycles — New Zealand and Australia — had earned USD 1.6 million each.
“The increase in prize money exhibits the ICC’s efforts to prioritize Test cricket as it looks to build on the momentum of the first three cycles of the nine-team competition,” the ICC said in its release.
India, who finished third on the table, will receive over USD 1.4 million, while fourth-placed New Zealand get USD 1.2 million. Even the prize money for teams finishing fifth (USD 960000) and sixth (USD 840000) — England and Sri Lanka — is more than what it was for the runners-up in the previous editions.
South Africa topped the table in the 2023-25 edition with eight wins from 12 games, and were the first team to seal a final spot with a dramatic two-wicket win over Pakistan. Defending champions Australia got through by pipping India to the second spot after winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1 at home.
Both teams have named their squads for the final. The focus for South Africa will be on their pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada after his one-month ban for failing a drug test, while Cameron Green makes his return to Australia’s Test side after undergoing a lower spine surgery last year.
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