Zimbabwe have made just three changes to their squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup qualifiers from the 15 that competed at the T20 World Cup last year. Top-order batter Joylord Gumbie is in line for an international debut, while Tadiwanashe Marumani and Innocent Kaia are also in the playing group. Regis Chakabva, Milton Shumba and Tony Munyonga miss out from the last time Zimbabwe were part of a global tournament.The three new squad members have all been rewarded for recent form. Gumbie has enjoyed a successful last three months, with a century against a touring Glamorgan side and hundreds in both the first-class and List A formats against Pakistan Shaheens, where Kaia was also among the runs. And Marumani topped the batting charts in Zimbabwe’s Pro50 Championship last summer.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The squad will be captained by Craig Ervine and includes familiar faces such as Sean Williams, Blessing Muzarabani, Luke Jognwe and Sikandar Raza. Raza has just returned from a stint with the Punjab Kings at the IPL, and has been signed by Seattle Orcas in the upcoming Major League Cricket [MLC] tournament. By the time that competition begins on July 13, Zimbabwe will know whether they have qualified for this year’s ODI World Cup in India, after missing out on the 2019 edition.Then, Zimbabwe failed to make it out of a home qualifying tournament after losing to UAE in a rain-reduced encounter in Harare in March 2018.This edition of the qualifiers is taking place in June-July, in the southern hemisphere winter, which is typically dry in Zimbabwe and should reduce the risk of weather-interrupted fixtures. It will also, unlike the 2018 edition, include the use of the DRS system from the Super Six stage onwards. The group stage will have a third umpire referral for run-outs at its disposal.Zimbabwe have been grouped alongside Nepal, Netherlands, USA and West Indies and will play all their first-round matches at Harare Sports Club. The top three teams from each group will progress to the Super Sixes, where they will play against the three teams from the other group. The teams that finish first and second from the Super Six stage will advance to the World Cup.Full squad: Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Craig Ervine (capt), Bradley Evans, Joylord Gumbie, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams

Extra day vital as Australia wrap up points on back of Ashleigh Gardner eight-for

Andrew Miller26-Jun-2023

Australia’s hard-fought 89-run victory in the Women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge was a vindication of the decision to stretch the contest over a full five days, according to Alyssa Healy and Heather Knight, the opposing captains, as well as the Player of the Match, Ashleigh Gardner, whose 12 wickets included the outstanding second-innings figures of 8 for 66.Australia duly wrapped up victory shortly before lunch on the final morning, as Gardner claimed each of the final five wickets to fall for the addition of 62 more runs, and have now taken a huge leap towards retaining the Ashes for fifth series in a row, with England potentially needing to win five of the remaining six matches, starting with the first of three T20Is at Edgbaston on Saturday.”It just shows having five days in the Test match to actually get a result is super-important,” Gardner said at the post-match presentations, having played out draws in each of her previous three appearances in the format.Related

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Ashleigh Gardner eight-for, 12 in the match, as Australia claim Ashes advantage

Healy shows fighting spirit as Australia dig themselves back into ascendancy

Gardner senses Australia victory push despite tough day in the field

Ecclestone the 'benchmark' but Gardner turns Test towards Australia

“We obviously need to celebrate this because it’s super-special,” Gardner added. “This is the first time that I’ve been involved in a Test match where we’ve got a result, but then we also turn our attention pretty quickly onto the T20s. We know how good England are at T20 cricket, so we need to be ready for that first match in Birmingham.”For Healy, captaining Australia in the absence of Meg Lanning, there was pride at overseeing a famous result, but also relief – both at ending her own barren run of form in Ashes Tests with a vital second-innings fifty, and in not messing up in her stand-in role.”It was stressful,” she joked. “I’ve got a few more grey hairs. But I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity and I’m really honoured to have been able to do it in Test match, and obviously win one as well. I’m pretty chuffed standing here, but I really thoroughly enjoyed the experience.She added: “First and foremost, how good is it to have a result, and I’m pleased to be on the right end of it. I guess, when you take the pressure off the captains and the teams to try and manipulate a result, it probably makes a little bit easier, but we’ll have to wait and see how [five days for women’s Tests] pans out. Even if it’s just a potential of a reserve day, if there is rain, that wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”Knight, meanwhile, has been one of the loudest advocates for a fifth day in women’s Tests – not least since her brilliant performance in the last Ashes Test at Canberra in January 2022, where her first-innings century set up the game, only for England to have to settle for a draw, nine wickets down, after a thrilling fourth-innings chase.”I’ve been quite vocal about having five days and I think today – and the whole five days, actually – showed why that was,” she said. “Credit to Australia. They were outstanding, but our girls went toe to toe with them for a hell of a long time. And that was really impressive.”In particular, Knight called out the efforts of Tammy Beaumont, whose England-best 208 carried the fight after Australia had posted a daunting 473, and their star spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who picked up a brace of five-fors in each innings, and carried the bowling for a total of 77.1 overs after Nat Sciver-Brunt’s involvement with the ball was hampered by a knee injury.”Sophie, we called her Merlin [like the bowling machine], she just kept going from one end,” Knight said. “Obviously with the loss of a bowler to a niggle, we had to have bowlers that stepped up and really take the job on and they’ve really grafted hard there.”She’s a captain’s dream, I’ve been able to get the ball to her and just for her to hold up an end, she’s so consistent. And, on that pitch, she was a real wicket-taking threat. I did wonder whether I was over-bowling her at one point, but she came back and again and again, and hardly bowled a loose ball all Test match.”She’s pretty tired but she’s done an amazing job for the team. She’s really dug deep and done a real job for us.”The final word, however, went to Australia’s own star spinner, as Gardner took confidence from Ecclestone’s success and ripped the contest her team’s way at the crucial moments.”I couldn’t have dreamt of it, to be honest,” she said after her 12-wicket haul. “There was a little bit of luck involved with the conditions out there, but I think as a whole bowling unit we bowled really well throughout and just tried to bowl in partnerships. I guess I was the lucky one to come away with wickets.”We just said to keep the stumps in play as often as possible, to keep all modes of dismissal in play. Thankfully for me some kept low, some turned – most of mine didn’t turn – but it was just awesome to be able to put a performance on for the team.”

Shah also mentioned that Mohammed Shami is expected back only in September, while KL Rahul is still awaiting clearance to join LSG

PTI and ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2024

Rishabh Pant, who is set to make his long-awaited comeback in the IPL later this month, can play the T20 World Cup for India “if he can keep [wicket],” said BCCI secretary Jay Shah. Pant has been out of action since a horrific car accident in December 2022.”He is batting well, he is keeping well. We will declare him fit very soon,” Shah told PTI. “If he can play the T20 World Cup for us, that will be a big thing for us. He is a big asset for us. If he can keep, he can play the World Cup. Let’s see how he does in the IPL.”The accident had left Pant with a severe right knee injury that required a ligament reconstruction surgery besides a fractured wrist and ankle.His head coach at Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting, had already said that Pant would play the IPL. Last month, Capitals’ co-owner Parth Jindal told ESPNcricinfo that Pant “has started his wicketkeeping”. Jindal also said Pant was “likely to be fully fit for the IPL” and that he expected Pant to “lead from match one”.Shami expected to be back later this yearFast bowler Mohammed Shami, who is recuperating from an ankle surgery, is expected to make his comeback during the home Test series against Bangladesh later this year, Shah said. Shami underwent surgery on his right Achilles tendon in London in February.Shami missed the five-match Test series against England, and will also sit out of the IPL. He last played for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he was a standout performer. India will host Bangladesh for two Tests and three T20 internationals in September.”Shami’s surgery is done; he is back in India,” Shah said. “Shami’s return is likely for the home series against Bangladesh. KL Rahul needed an injection, he has started rehab and is at the NCA.”Rahul missed the last four Tests of the England series after complaining of pain in his right quadriceps. He is expected to turn out for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, having undergone treatment in London. However, it is understood that Rahul still awaiting clearance to join Super Giants.

Josh Hazlewood has risen to No. 2, while Kuldeep Yadav has achieved a career-best 16th place

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2024India offspinner R Ashwin has become the No. 1 ranked bowler in men’s Tests for the sixth time, following his nine-wicket haul in the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala. Australian quick Josh Hazlewood has achieved his career-best ranking – No. 2, level with Jasprit Bumrah – after taking six wickets in the Christchurch Test win against New Zealand.India’s left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav has risen 15 places to a career-best 16th after taking seven wickets in the Dharamsala Test.In the men’s rankings for Test batters, India captain Rohit Sharma has moved up five places to sixth, Yashasvi Jaiswal has risen two spots to eighth, while Shubman Gill is at a career-best No. 20. After playing nine Tests, Jaiswal has an aggregate of 740 rating points; only two batters have earned more, according to the ICC – Australians Don Bradman (752) and Mike Hussey (741).Ireland’s Harry Tector has risen to fourth place in the men’s ODI batting rankings after scoring 141 runs in two matches against Afghanistan in Sharjah. Pakistan’s Babar Azam still leads the charts with Gill and Virat Kohli at Nos. 2 and 3, and Rohit at No. 5.Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Babar form the top three in the men’s Test batting rankings, while Suryakumar Yadav, Phil Salt and Mohammad Rizwan lead the T20I charts.Keshav Maharaj, Hazlewood and Adam Zampa are the top ranked bowlers in men’s ODIs, while Adil Rashid, Wanindu Hasaranga and Akeal Hosein are Nos. 1, 2, and 3 in T20 internationals. Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Nabi and Shakib Al Hasan are the top ranked allrounders in men’s Tests, ODIs and T20 internationals respectively.India are the No. 1 team across formats, while Australia and England are No. 2 and 3 in Tests; Australia and South Africa are No. 2 and 3 in ODIs; and England and Australia are in second and third place in T20 internationals.

The striker is currently enjoying a break before joining AC Milan for preseason ahead of the new campaign

• Lost his starting spot to Raúl Jiménez
• Has five goals in 42 appearances for El Tri
• Sees himself as a starter for the opening match

• AFP
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Santiago Giménez has made it clear who he wants to line up with when Mexico kicks off its 2026 World Cup campaign. In a recent video interview with “El Escorpión Dorado,” the AC Milan striker named his ideal starting XI – and included himself up top alongside Raúl Jiménez.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Giménez, who has fallen behind Jiménez in the pecking order under Javier Aguirre, still envisions himself playing a key role. Rather than choosing between the two, he embraced the idea of a dual-striker system, something Aguirre briefly experimented with during the Nations League – and with some success. However, that setup was scrapped at the Gold Cup, where Raúl earned the starting job as the lone striker.

  Giménez also backed 16-year-old sensation Gilberto Mora, who has taken Mexican football by storm and secured a place in Aguirre’s starting lineup for major matches. Giménez praised the teenager’s rapid rise and expressed confidence in his ability to contribute on the sport’s biggest stage.

  Despite scoring just five goals in 42 matches for El Tri, Giménez remains hopeful he can earn a leading role when Mexico opens the World Cup on home soil.

• AFP
  

  GIMÉNEZ'S IDEAL STARTING XI

  Goalkeeper: Luis Ángel Malagón (Club América)
  
  Full-backs: Jesús Gallardo (Toluca), Rodrigo Huescas (Copenhagen)
  
  Center-backs: Johan Vásquez (Genoa), César Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow)
  
  Midfielders: Alexis Vega (Toluca), Gilberto Mora (Tijuana), Edson Álvarez (West Ham), César Huerta (Anderlecht)
  
  Forwards: Raúl Jiménez (Fulham), Santiago Giménez (AC Milan)

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MEXICO NATIONAL TEAM?

  Aguirre’s Mexico will be back in action during the next international break, with friendlies against Japan on Sept. 6 and South Korea on Sept. 9. Both matches are set to be played in the United States.

Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been released by Swiss side FC Zurich after just eight games following criticism from his bosses.

Mendy released by Swiss sideLeaves after just eight gamesCriticised by club figureheadsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The 31-year-old joined Zurich in February on a deal until the summer of 2026 but he has been let go a year early. According to Mundo Deportivo, the club were angry over Mendy's off-field antics, particularly when he allegedly partied just hours after a 4-0 loss to rivals Basel in April.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT ZURICH AND THEIR MANAGER SAID

A club statement reads: "FC Zurich announces that the contract with French defender Benjamin Mendy has been terminated by mutual consent. He is leaving the city club with immediate effect. FCZ wishes Benjamin Mendy all the best for his private and sporting future."

Following the Basel loss, manager Ricardo Moniz said: "Mendy didn't perform as expected of a player of his calibre. His physical condition isn't up to what we expect from a player in this league. After a 4–0 defeat, you can't afford to do that to the supporters."

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Mendy has been trying to rebuild his career after initially being suspended by City in August 2021, where he was later charged with rape and sexual assault. He was cleared of seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, and one count of sexual assault by July 2023, and last November he won a tribunal against City over unpaid wages. Since signing for Lorient in 2023, however, he has played just 23 times, and this is another bad episode in his career.

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Left-back Mendy, who has been capped 10 times for France, is once again looking for a new club. Whether the former Monaco and Marseille man finds one before the new season starts remains to be seen.

With a place in the Ranji Trophy final at stake, Madhya Pradesh slipped from a comfortable position of 128 for 1 to find themselves still 93 runs away from Vidarbha’s target of 321. But with only four MP wickets left to take, it is Vidarbha who are favourites going into the fifth day in Nagpur.The day belonged to Vidarbha barring a 106-run second-wicket partnership between Yash Dubey (94) and Harsh Gawli (67) that gave MP a solid start towards the target. Right-arm pacer Yash Thakur broke the stand in the afternoon by dismissing Gawli, after which the spin pair of Akshay Wakhare and Aditya Sarwate got crucial breakthroughs.Wakhare accounted for both Sagar Solanki and Shubham Sharma for low scores, and then dismissed Venkatesh Iyer for 19. After getting the wicket of MP opener Himanshu Mantri in the first session, Sarwate returned late in the day to get the other opener Dubey, six short of a fourth-innings century.In all, MP lost five wickets for only 99 runs in the space of 30.2 overs, before stumps were called with No. 7 Saransh Jain (16*) having No. 8 Kumar Kartikeya (0*) in the middle.In the morning, Vidarbha finished on 402 after adding 59 runs to their overnight score of 343 for 6. Yash Rathod, who started the day unbeaten on 97, scored the bulk of the runs with the lower order to finish on 141. Batting at No. 6, he hit 18 fours and two sixes.His maiden first-class century and Akshay Wadkar’s 77 on the third day helped Vidarbha finish their innings 320 ahead. It was a solid turnaround after they conceded an 82-run first-innings lead. MP’s medium-pacer Anubhav Agarwal ran through Vidarbha’s tail to claim 5 for 92.

Kings captain Dhawan rues the lack of runs from his top order and the fielded lapses

Shashank Kishore09-Apr-2024

The past week has been unlike any other for 20-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy. The Andhra allrounder made an unbeaten eight-ball 14 when Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Chennai Super Kings four nights ago. But on Tuesday, he played a bigger role – hitting a 37-ball 64 that lifted a floundering Sunrisers innings from 64 for 4 to 182 for 9, which proved to be match-changing.It wasn’t just his batting contribution that was key. Nitish, who bowls lively medium pace in the mid-130s, dismissed Jitesh Sharma in the 16th over with Punjab Kings looking for a late charge.More than the wicket, it was the manner of his setup, of bowling a slower bouncer into the pitch and having Jitesh hack towards the longer boundary, that was even more impressive. Nitish finished with figures of 1 for 33 off three overs. No wonder Pat Cummins, the captain, was extremely delighted with Nitish’s performance.Related

Nitish Kumar Reddy flexes his seam-bowling all-round credentials

SRH survive another Shashank-Ashutosh blitz in two-run win

“He was awesome,” Cummins said. “Straight to the top of the order [in this game], was fantastic in the field, bowled three overs too. To get us to 180 off his bat, it was amazing.”Nitish himself seems to be a man of few words, but seemed pleased at being able to contribute. It’s likely he only got the opportunity because Sunrisers decided Abhishek Sharma’s form was too good for him to be batting at No. 3. With Mayank Agarwal sick, Abhishek made a splash against CSK with a 12-ball 37 to set the tempo in their chase of 166, which they comfortably achieved with 11 balls to spare.That performance may have tempted the team management to continue with Abhishek at the top with Travis Head, paving the way for Nitish to keep his place even though Agarwal was ruled fit for this match. Nitish repaid the faith with a back-to-the-wall knock in which he hit four fours and five sixes.”For me, it is a big contribution for my team and myself,” Nitish said at the presentation. “I have been talking to myself that I have to believe in myself and that I have to be there [for the team]. The seamers were bowling well, so I did not want to take them on. When the spinners came on, I wanted to attack them and that is what I did.”The game was a lot closer than it looked like it would be at one stage. That was down to a slew of catches going down in the death overs, including two in the final over that were tipped over the ropes for sixes. Needing 29 off the final over bowled by Jaydev Unadkat, Kings fell three short with Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma giving Sunrisers a mighty scare.Cummins highlighted Sunrisers’ approach as he summed up their tight win. “It was a great game of cricket,” he said. “They bowled really well at the start, we did well to get to 182 and then defended it. The beauty of the impact player is that you feel you have really deep batting. We try to be positive, to take the game on.”If you get 150-160, you are going to lose nine out of ten games anyway. We knew the new ball was going to be a key time. We were pretty happy [with our score]. We saw what happened with the new ball for them, so thought if me and Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] could start off with a wicket, it would be good. We have plenty of left-armers, right-armers, so just tried to give the bowlers the best chance of success.”Shikhar Dhawan, the Kings captain, lamented their top-order meltdown in the powerplay. Kings were tottering at 20 for 3 in the fifth over with Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Dhawan all back in the dug out. That they had a shot at victory was courtesy a late flourish from Shashank and Ashutosh, who added 66 off just 27 balls for the seventh wicket.As the final ball was nailed for a six, Kings couldn’t have helped but look back on the six they conceded off the last ball when Harshal Patel missed an opportunity at the long-on boundary.”Shashank and Ashutosh played great knocks. I feel that we kept them to a good total. Unfortunately, we could not cash in on the first six overs and that is where we lost the game,” Dhawan said. “That pinched us hard. The wicket was not offering that much bounce so every individual has to come up with better plans.”We could have stopped 10-15 runs more and that made a difference as well. As a batting unit, we did not perform. It is important for the top order to perform. Shashank and Ashutosh’s performance gives us confidence and hope for the next game. We have to do better in certain areas and improve.”

The home side how face a crucial clash against New South Wales with Western Australia also in the race

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2024Jake Fraser-McGurk was sent packing early as Victoria rocketed to top spot on the One-Day Cup table with a three-wicket win over South Australia at Junction Oval.Chasing 232 for victory on Thursday, Victoria reached the target with 35 balls to spare courtesy of solid knocks from Tom Rogers (67), Nic Maddinson (54) and Marcus Harris (43).The win catapulted Victoria from third to first on the table ahead of the final round of the season, however they missed the chance for what could prove a crucial bonus, losing 5 for 41 in their chase for it before getting over the line.Victoria take on second-placed NSW in their final match, with both sides aiming to lock in a spot in the February 25 decider. Defending champions Western Australia, one point behind NSW and four points behind Victoria, are the only other team capable of snaring a spot in the final.South Australia remain last with five losses and a no result from their six matches.Adding to their woes was a suspected broken nose to opener Henry Hunt, who was struck flush in the face after dropping a catch while fielding at mid-off.Hunt had blood streaming from his nose after his attempted catch at mid-off from a powerful Rogers shot. As Hunt was falling to ground, the ball slipped through his hands and struck him flush on the nose, with blood immediately gushing out.Henry Hunt suffered a nasty injury when he was struck in the face•Getty Images

Team-mates rushed to Hunt’s aid, with Rogers also showing his concern. After receiving some on-field treatment, Hunt walked off with a towel covering his nose to contain the blood and went to hospital for scansSouth Australia recovered from 132 for 7 to reach a defendable 231 for 9 after being sent in to bat. Peter Siddle snared the first wicket of the day when Hunt edged through to the keeper with an attempted hook.Five balls later, X-factor Fraser-McGurk departed for 6 after dancing down the wicket and striking the impressive Fergus O’Neill straight to cover. It came just two days after Fraser-McGurk cracked 41 off 18 balls for Australia against West Indies.Nathan McSweeney and debutant Jake Winter helped the Redbacks move from 19 for 2 to 81 for 2. But when both were caught behind in quick succession, South Australia were in trouble again at 85 for 4.Wickets continued to fall before Harry Nielsen and Harry Conway lifted the visitors to a defendable total.Conway also provided one of the highlights of the match with a juggling catch on the boundary to dismiss Peter Handscomb for 17.

Pakistan allrounder goes straight into squad for upcoming fixture against Nottinghamshire

Matt Roller25-Apr-2024Warwickshire have signed allrounder Aamer Jamal on a multi-format contract until the end of July, after he was left out of Pakistan’s ongoing T20I series against New Zealand.Jamal announced himself to the world by taking 18 wickets in three matches in his maiden Test series for Pakistan in Australia late last year, and has also played six T20Is. He was part of a training camp at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul earlier this month, but does not appear to be part of their T20 World Cup plans after missing out on selection against New Zealand.He will be available until the end of the T20 Blast group stages and has been named in Warwickshire’s 14-man County Championship squad to face Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston from Friday. “He’s jumping out of his skin to be on the park on Friday,” Gavin Larsen, Warwickshire’s performance director, said.Related

Aamer Jamal leaves Warwickshire early after injury-blighted stint

Mark Robinson, their coach, said he would make a late call on Jamal’s inclusion after he arrived in Birmingham on Thursday. “He’s raring to go. It’s fantastic he’s itching to get straight into action with us but he hasn’t played a competitive game for a few weeks, so we’ll see where he’s at and make a decision tomorrow.”Larsen said: “He really captured the cricket world’s attention in Australia. He took the Aussies on with good pace, bounce, and a combative approach, all attributes you want in a fast bowler. Pat Cummins was named player of the series but you could have made a very strong argument for Jamal to have been awarded that title.”Jamal joins his compatriot Hasan Ali in Warwickshire’s squad, who was also left out of the ongoing New Zealand series after being invited to Pakistan’s recent training camp. They will fill Warwickshire’s two permitted overseas spots until the end of July, while Hasan’s contract includes an option to extend into September.Warwickshire will be without Moeen Ali, their T20 captain, for at least the first half of the Blast as he is expected to be named in England’s provisional T20 World Cup squad next week. The club said in January when Alex Davies was appointed club captain that a decision over the T20 captaincy would be made nearer the start of the Blast.They have strengthened their T20 bowling attack significantly in the off-season with the additions of George Garton and Richard Gleeson, though Gleeson could yet miss the start of the Blast. He was recently signed by Chennai Super Kings as an injury replacement at the IPL, and they are on course to qualify for the play-offs which run until May 26, five days before Warwickshire’s opening match.Sam Hain, who has missed the start of the Championship season due to personal reasons, played for Warwickshire’s 2nd XI but does not feature in their first-team squad this week. For Notts, Olly Stone – who left Warwickshire at the end of the 2022 season – is back in the squad after a groin injury and could play his first Championship game since May 2023.Elsewhere, Sam Cook will lead Essex for the first time this week when they face Durham, with club captain Tom Westley on paternity leave. They have brought in Harry Duke on a short-term loan deal from Yorkshire with Adam Rossington and Michael Pepper both injured and Jordan Cox unable to keep wicket after breaking his finger during the Hundred last year.Ollie Pope and Gus Atkinson are both in Surrey’s squad to face Hampshire at The Oval, though Ben Foakes has been rested by the ECB. In Division Two, Rehan Ahmed is back in Leicestershire’s squad after two weeks away on a pilgrimage, while Josh Hull – a tall left-arm seamer recently name-checked by Rob Key as an England prospect – returns from a side strain.