All-rounder Samit Patel has been dropped from England’s one-day squad in West Indies because he is not fit enough.
“Samit Patel is a talented cricketer but he, like every other player who joins the senior team, must be aware of the strict fitness criteria that will be set,” said England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Hugh Morris yesterday.
“It is extremely frustrating Samit has not heeded the warnings of his county Nottinghamshire and England selector Geoff Miller, as well as the England management and strength and conditioning team. In the circumstances we had no option but to de-select him from the tour,” Morris said in a statement.
Patel, who is not part of the Test squad in West Indies, will now remain with the England Lions on their tour of New Zealand.
The 24-year-old last played for his country in a one-dayer against India in November and has since failed two fitness assessments.
“The demands of international cricket are huge and Samit must recognize fitness levels are a vital part of a successful team in international cricket,” Miller said.
Yorkshire spinner Adil Rashid, a member of the test tour, will now stay with the team for the Twenty20 international on March 15 and the five one-dayers which begin on March 20.
The ECB also said Worcestershire’s Gareth Batty would leave the Lions tour to replace spinner Graeme Swann, who will fly home after this week’s fifth and final Test in Trinidad for an operation on his right elbow.
■MORKEL SET TO SHINE
REUTERS, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa expect Morne Morkel’s bowling to cause Australia trouble in the second Test starting tomorrow.
He returned mediocre match figures of four for 158 in the opening-Test defeat in Johannesburg but coach Mickey Arthur believes the lanky paceman will be more suited to the harder pitch at Kingsmead.
“I thought he bowled a bit better in Johannesburg than his figures showed and I expect him to bounce back quickly especially since there is usually extra bounce here in Durban,” Arthur told reporters yesterday. “I’ve chatted to some great batsmen and they all sing his praises. They hate facing guys like Morne because of that extra bounce.”
However, Arthur acknowledged Morkel’s bowling would have its ups and downs.
“He’s so exciting with the ball but he’s going to have some good spells and some wonky spells,” the coach said.
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
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