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Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali return to squad for two-Test series in January

Andrew Miller11-Dec-2020Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes are the notable omissions from England’s Test tour to Sri Lanka next month, with both men being rested from the 23-man touring party, ahead of the multi-format tour of India which gets underway in February.Rory Burns also misses the trip, as his wife Victoria is expecting their first child in the second week of January, while Burns’ Surrey team-mate Ollie Pope will join the squad as a non-playing member, with a view to being fit in time for the four Tests in India as he continues his rehab from the shoulder injury that he sustained against Pakistan in August.With England facing a busy schedule on all fronts in the coming 12 months, with the Ashes in Australia following hot on the heels of away and home series against India and the T20 World Cup, the absences of Archer and Stokes come as part of a commitment from England’s selectors to provide blocks of rest for all their multi-format players at various points this winter.ALSO READ: Buttler could miss two India Tests as England rest playersSpeaking to the media after the announcement, Ed Smith, England’s national selector, indicated that Stokes, Archer and Burns would fly directly to India on or around January 22-23 to acclimatise ahead of the first Test of that series, at Chennai on February 5, with further changes to England’s squad also likely ahead of the third and fourth Tests of the India tour at Ahmedabad.”The way to think about this winter is in three blocks of two Tests: Sri Lanka, India 1 and 2, India 3 and 4,” Smith said. “We think that’s the only way to make sure we balance having the right number of resources in each position, and also getting rest into those multi-format players like Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, and also Sam Curran, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, etc.”In the absence of Pope, Stokes and Burns – three players who would have been automatic picks for England’s top five – Essex’s Dan Lawrence could be in line to earn his first Test cap, after being named in the senior squad for the first time, a year on from his starring role on the England Lions tour of Australia in 2019-20.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“This is a great opportunity for Dan Lawrence,” Smith said. “He’s a really talented cricketer, a confident player in good form, and he is absolutely delighted about being selected in the full squad.”He’s an unusual player, but he’s got that real quality about him,” Smith added. “He has his own style, and a real confidence and presence at the crease. He’s inventive, he’s versatile. He’s also a good short-format player, and he really impressed on the England Lions just under a year ago.”Jonny Bairstow is the other player likely to challenge for a middle-order berth. He has been recalled to the Test set-up for the first time since featuring in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion 12 months ago, with Smith indicating that he was back in contention as a batsman only – the role he performed when making a century from No.3 in England’s most-recent Test in Sri Lanka two years ago.Ben Foakes, who scored a century on debut and was named Player of the Series on that same tour, is the designated back-up to the current incumbent, Jos Buttler, with Smith suggesting he will be in line for a recall when Buttler is given his break from action during the India series. “Jonny has a really great opportunity here to get back into the Test mix as a batter, and that’s a really exciting possibility for him,” Smith said.With spin playing a central role in England’s 3-0 series win in 2018-19, Moeen Ali is back in the squad after opting out of last winter’s tours of New Zealand and South Africa, and is in line to play his first Test since the opening match of the 2019 Ashes.Jack Leach, who along with Moeen was England’s leading wicket-taker on that last Sri Lanka trip with 18 scalps, is also included, and is set to link up once again with his former Somerset team-mate and current first-choice England spinner, Dom Bess. However, there is no return for the third spinner of the 2018-19 triumvirate, legspinner Adil Rashid, who had been an outside bet for a recall given his importance to England’s white-ball plans ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup. He has been left out as he continues to manage a shoulder problem and is likely also to miss the subsequent tour of India.”Adil has had a long-running shoulder injury, and though he has made really good strides, he does have concerns about that shoulder in the strain of five-day cricket,” Smith said. “Obviously he’s got to weigh up his one-day and T20 form, which is outstanding. He is among the most irreplaceable players in a very, very strong white-ball set-up, and that’s where he stands at the moment.”England have, however, named three spinners among their seven-man list of reserves – legspinners Matt Parkinson and Mason Crane, whose one-off Test came at Sydney in the 2017-18 Ashes, and the Surrey offspinner, Amar Virdi.All the reserves will travel and train with the main squad, with the series once again being played behind closed doors and in biosecure environments, initially at Hambantota and then in Galle for the two Test matches, commencing January 14 and 22 respectively.Despite playing limited roles on the 2018-19 tour, England have named both of their veteran fast bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad in their main touring party, alongside Chris Woakes and two 90mph options in Mark Wood and Olly Stone, who made his international debut in the ODI leg of England’s last tour of Sri Lanka.Archer’s omission from the squad had been telegraphed in South Africa last week, after he had spent most of the preceding five months in biosecure environments, while Stokes’ absence comes in the wake of the death of his father Ged from brain cancer. He also missed the final two Tests of last summer’s Pakistan series, as well as the subsequent one-day series, to travel to New Zealand to spend time with his family.”It is a very difficult time for Ben and all our thoughts and with him and his family,” Smith said. “[In the circumstances], it made sense for Ben to take his rest for the Sri Lankan tour, and to get ready for India.”England men’s Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.Reserves: James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Matt Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.

Navdeep Saini’s five-wicket haul broke West Indies A’s back in the chase

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2019A 151-run first-wicket stand between Ruturaj Gaikwad (85) and Shubman Gill (62) set up India’s first-innings total of 255, after which pacer Navdeep Saini ran through West Indies A with a five-wicket haul to give India A a 2-0 lead in the series.Between them, Gaikwad and Gill struck nine fours and three sixes and batted nearly 31 overs, but a solid comeback from Romario Shepherd (4-36) in the death overs restricted India A from posting an even bigger total. The captain Manish Pandey, Ishan Kishan and Hanuma Vihari were all dismissed in their twenties.West Indies A began their chase poorly, losing John Campbell in the second over to Khaleel Ahmed. When Saini came to bowl, in as second-change, he dismantled the backbone of West Indies A, removing Sunil Ambris, Roston Chase and Jonathan Carter.From 77 for 5, West Indies A clawed their way to a respectable 190 courtesy Raymon Reifer’s fighting 71, but with no support from the other end, West Indies fell 65 runs short with nearly six overs still to play. Shepherd capped off a solid all-round day for himself by staying not out for 34.

Two days after taking a career-best 6 for 23 against Bermuda, the allrounder scores 17-ball 51 and takes three-for as Uganda move to No. 2 in points table

The Report by Peter Della Penna02-May-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
ICC/Peter Lim

Two days after taking a career-best 6 for 23 against Bermuda, Mohammad Irfan was at it again. His blistering half-century and a three-wicket haul with his offspin helped Uganda beat Vanuatu by 81 runs at WCL Division Four.Irfan’s 17-ball 51 at Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur included seven sixes. This astonishing assault came after Uganda were struggling for momentum at 92 for 4 in 37 overs. From there on, Uganda scored at 10 runs an over. Irfan scored 51 in a whirlwind 55-run stand off just 26 balls with Hamu Kayondo to shift the momentum. Uganda eventually finished with 222 for 8 in 50 overs.It wasn’t all about Irfan’s assault though. Riazat Ali took over after Irfan’s dismissal, hitting four sixes in his 23-ball 38. Vanuatu captain Andrew Mansale bore the brunt of the aggression, conceding nine of the 13 sixes hit by Uganda in his nine overs of offspin. He finished with 1 for 78.Uganda captain Roger Mukasa repeated the bowling strategy that worked so effectively when they bowled out Bermuda for 60. He gave the new ball to offspinners Irfan and Frank Nsubuga, and the move worked as they Vanuatu were reduced to 2 for 4, including the prized scalp of player-coach Shane Deitz for a third-ball duck.Nalin Nipiko fell at the end of the Powerplay to make it 24 for 5 as Uganda pressed hard for another massive win to boost their net run rate further. Mansale, however, brought respectability back to the Vanuatu innings with his 69 off 110 balls during the course of a 53-run sixth-wicket stand with Ronald Tari to give Vanuatu an outside chance.Riazat Ali Shah took out Mansale in the 43rd over and finished off the rest of the tail with 3 for 16 as Vanuatu were eventually all out for 141 in 47 overs.

Sussex have confirmed that Ross Taylor will re-join them as an overseas player for the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast

George Dobell31-Jan-2017Sussex have confirmed that Ross Taylor will re-join them as an overseas player for the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast.Taylor, the former New Zealand captain, was by some distance the most productive Sussex batsman in the competition last year. He scored 394 runs, at an average of 56.28 and strike-rate of 133.10, with his highest score of 93 not out coming in victory over Gloucestershire at Bristol, taking just 48 deliveries and including eight sixes. Eleven men scored more runs in the competition in 2016, but none of them had as high an average or played as few games.Despite Taylor’s form, Sussex failed to progress beyond the group stages of the competition. His return, alongside the long-term signings of Stiaan van Zyl and David Wiese (both as Kolpak registrations; Wiese also had a spell at the club in 2016) and Laurie Evans, a destructive T20 batsman from Warwickshire, should strengthen them.Taylor will be available for the entire T20 campaign which, in 2017, does not start until July.”We are thrilled to have Ross joining us for the T20 competition,” Mark Davis, the Sussex head coach, said. “He was outstanding in the competition last season and to have him back is brilliant for the club. Not only is Ross a world class player but a fantastic role model to our younger players.”

The Indians needed a pair of half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey to patch up an underwhelming batting performance, but their bowlers had little trouble defending 249 against Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-dayer at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRohit Sharma top-scored for the Indians with 67•AFP

The Indians needed a pair of half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey to patch up an underwhelming batting performance, but their bowlers had little trouble defending 249 against Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-dayer at the WACA.This was India’s final practice match before facing Australia in the first ODI on Tuesday and everyone in their squad was given a go, except fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who was benched as a precaution owing to a cut on his finger. “He’s perfectly alright,” insisted bowling coach B Arun. “Just before the game, he was bowling on the ground, he’s been bowling 25-30 balls on the ground. It’s an opportunity for us to try other boys and with Shami being injured it becomes even more important for us to check who we are going to play in the next game”So Barinder Sran (7-1-22-0) and Rishi Dhawan (7-1-28-2) were given the new ball and there were good signs – only three fours were hit off their bowling in the first 10 overs. “He’s a bowler with a lot of potential,” Arun said of Sran. “He’s been pretty impressive in these two games that he’s played. Being a left-armer too, gives us an added advantage and we have a bowler we can groom in the future for us.” The ones India will likely bank on in the present – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – were able to further the squeeze in the middle overs. Western Australia XI was bowled out for 185 in 49.2 overs, which meant that they faced one ball more than the Indians did.Having opted to bat, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli were dismissed inside six overs. Both men had shown excellent form in the warm-up T20 on Friday, but that did offer the rest of the line-up some match practice. Rohit, who had run himself out in the last game, played steadily to reach his half-century off 64 balls, with five fours and two sixes. He would strike one of each kind of boundary before he was caught spectacularly by D’Arcy Short at slip.For most of his innings, Rohit had the company of Ajinkya Rahane and their 88-run stand for the third wicket came at a healthy 5.33 per over. Rahane managed three fours in his 53-ball 41 before chopping legspinner James Muirhead onto his stumps.Then the Indians decided to test some of their lower-middle order options. A flatfooted Gurkeerat Singh received a lovely outswinger and nicked off for 6 off 13 balls. Drew Porter was the wicket-taker and he finished with 5 for 37 from 9.1 overs. The 30-year old fast bowler was the main reason for the Indians finding themselves at 171 for 6 with MS Dhoni back in the pavilion for 15 off 35 balls.But Manish Pandey was able to progress fluently at No. 6. He struck only three fours, but was able to maintain a strike rate near 100. His 58 off 59 was vital to India crossing 200. Jadeja chipped in with 26 off 25 balls, but his greater contribution was working in tandem with Ashwin in the second innings. The two spinners got through their 20 overs for only 70 runs and picked up four wickets. Axar Patel provided a couple of breakthroughs as well and maintained an economy rate of 3.62.”The idea of playing practice games, and the fact that we are playing on the same ground [as the first ODI] also gives us the advantage,” Arun said. “Though we have played a lot of cricket in Australia recently, but then again coming back after playing a lot of cricket in the subcontinent, we are getting used to the ground on which we are playing.”There were only two Western Australia XI batsmen who managed a strike-rate of 80. Opener Jake Carder (45) and No. 7 Jaron Morgan (50) were the only sources of concerted resistance.

A dramatic day of three declarations and two stunning centuries ended with Australia A in the ascendancy. Ireland, 51 for 3, need a further 250 for victory.

16-Jun-2013
ScorecardPaul Stirling transferred his one-day hitting to red ball cricket•BCB

A dramatic day of three declarations and two stunning centuries ended with Australia A in the ascendancy. Ireland, 51 for 3, need a further 250 for victory.Crucially, one of the Ireland wickets to fall on the third evening was first innings centurion Paul Stirling, who was unable to repeat his magnificent display earlier in the day.Following the Australians’ overnight declaration 22 year-old Stirling took a distinct liking to pace bowler James Pattinson, dispatching him for three boundaries in the first over which set the tone for another remarkable hundred – his 8th for Ireland.Stirling dominated the proceedings to such an extent that when he reached his half century off just 44 balls, with 10 fours and a six, the scoreboard read 58 for 3, which included six extras.Stirling found a willing partner in Andrew White, who excels in the longer format of the game. White was content to play second fiddle to the belligerent Stirling who hit 17 fours and a six. While the maximum was somewhat inadvertent, there was nothing fortunate about the other boundaries – many of which were magnificent cover drives and square cuts.His innings ended on 115 from 142 balls, when he was smartly stumped by Brad Haddin from the impressive Nathan Lyon who conceded just 34 runs in 16 overs.Debutant Fawed Ahmed went wicketless but following a nervous start he bowled with enough variety and control to suggest that he may indeed represent the senior Australian side before the summer ends.Ireland captain Kevin O’Brien declared their at tea, 126 in arrears, in an move designed to take the game forward after most of Saturday was washed out.What followed was a brutal assault by New South Wales opener Nic Maddinson. He made Stirling’s innings look positively pedestrian by smashing 113 from just 63 balls, which included 13 fours and 6 sixes.His partnership with Alex Doolan was worth 174 in just 122 balls before skipper Brad Haddin called off the carnage with the lead exactly 300.And his bowlers responded before the close as Moises Henriques dismissed John Anderson and Alex Cusack after Pattinson had made the initial breakthrough as Stirling edged through to Haddin.

Ireland will play their first international game at Malahide Cricket Club against England on September 3, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2012Ireland will play their first international game at Malahide Cricket Club against England on September 3, 2013, subject to clearance from the ICC. The Malahide ground in Dublin has been developed to a capacity of 11,500, making it Ireland’s biggest cricket venue, and will be officially opened at the planned ODI fixture next year.England have won four of the five ODIs between the sides but famously lost to Ireland at Bangalore in the 2011 World Cup. The match could also be of significance to Eoin Morgan, England’s captain on their last visit to Dublin in August 2011, who played for Malahide as a teenager between 2000 and 2002.Ireland coach Phil Simmons said: “I live just around the corner from the ground so it’s fantastic for the club and the area to be hosting a game of this magnitude. It’s going to be a super venue for cricket, and the fact that it’s England coming will give the whole day that extra edge that contests between the countries in all sports seem to inspire.”Alan Hughes, president of Malahide Cricket Club, said “Malahide are delighted to be able to stage this match and look forward to hosting the largest ever crowd at a cricket international in Ireland. It’s certain to be a memorable occasion, and hopefully the first of many top-class matches at the ground.”Ireland’s regular venues for international cricket include Clontarf in Dublin and the Civil Service ground at Stormont. Malahide has also been confirmed as the stage for two Twenty20 games against the touring South Africa A side later this year.

Tanvir Ahmed and Pakistan’s phalanx of spinners put the tourists in control of the second Test against West Indies on the second day in Basseterre

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin21-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTanvir Ahmed kept West Indies in the field far longer than they would have liked•Associated Press

Tanvir Ahmed and Pakistan’s phalanx of spinners put the tourists in control of the second Test against West Indies on the second day in Basseterre. With Saeed Ajmal, Ahmed first put together a rousing, defiant last-wicket stand of 78 to not only prevent Pakistan’s first innings from going to total waste, but actually make it a little imposing.Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez then shared six wickets between them as West Indies slumped to 184 for eight on a still decent surface for batting; proof of that was in an elegant fifty from Marlon Samuels. The two sides are among the weakest batting-wise in cricket which is no bad thing for it makes for compelling cricket.More than anything, Pakistan’s spinners were persistent, working their way patiently through the bulk of the batting. Occasionally a partnership lingered or resistance emerged, an obstacle appeared; each time they found a way through.Ahmed had struck first in a spell which made up in control what it lacked in pace. Off the second ball of the innings, Lendl Simmons was sucked into a needless drive. Taufeeq Umar, once among the best slippers in Pakistan, took the first of three good catches. Another loose drive brought the wicket of debutante Kraigg Brathwaite, though the beneficiary Wahab Riaz was poor. He had nearly given away the initiative when Ramnaresh Sarwan took him for three boundaries in an over, but the arrival of spin halted progress.Rehman slotted in immediately, stopping runs, but it was Ajmal who caused strife. It wasn’t so much the succession of off-breaks, but what each subsequent one hid: the threat of the doosra. Pleasingly, not many came and it was to an off-break that Sarwan fell, another needless rush out of the crease.Mohammad Hafeez, more bowler than batsman this series, then chipped in. Darren Bravo, initially lost among Brathwaite’s debut and Sarwan’s blitz, fought neatly with Samuels till he edged Hafeez on the stroke of tea. Soon after the break, Hafeez struck again to remove Brendan Nash.Hafeez used, it was Rehman’s turn. Carlton Baugh wasn’t much of an issue, but the key breakthrough was the dismissal of Darren Sammy. Another promising partnership was building when Sammy tried to repeat a straight six from the previous Rehman over. He struck it well, only to see Umar Akmal running along the boundary to take an outstanding catch inches from the rope.The one obstacle that proved more durable than others was Samuels. Only in the XI because of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s late withdrawal, Samuels at first looked precisely like a man playing his first Test in over three years. But a loose, brief second spell from Riaz in the run-up to tea allowed him to unfurl a couple of sweet square drives and settle down.After tea he looked better, secure in defence, surer in attack. He didn’t always read Ajmal, choosing to play him off the surface but it hardly mattered when he was driving him elegantly over extra cover for four and six. Rehman had already been dispatched over long-on.In between those strokes, he was patient and measured. But he took on Ajmal once too often. Having already hit him straight, there was little need for another and next ball, Taufeeq took his third, excellent catch of the innings, diving forward at long-off.That was fitting reward for a day that had been Pakistan’s, the first hour apart. In that, they lost three swift wickets and looked set to be rolled over for under 200. Only when Ahmed and Ajmal came together was the innings given unexpected solidity.Ahmed was his usual self, mixing muscular boundaries with those unique whips, Caribbean style. One such, over midwicket off Devendra Bishoo, brought up the fifty partnership half an hour before lunch. In the next over came two more, a punch through covers and a dainty clip wide of mid-on. And as lunch neared, a streaky edge brought an accomplished maiden fifty. He celebrated immediately, cutting for another boundary.Ajmal gave obdurate support, mixing fortune with pluck. He regularly and comically pulled, once going fine for four and once top-edging for six over slips. Other than that he stuck around, adding the odd run, frustrating the bowling.West Indies slumped swiftly, alarmingly. The second new ball was wasted, Kemar Roach either too full or short and Ravi Rampaul lacking the energy of earlier bursts. Sammy toiled, but Bishoo floundered as defensive fields were employed. Bishoo finally ended the stand, ten minutes before lunch trapping Ahmed in front but the tide had turned.

The ICC is determined the World Cup will still be a 50-over competition in 2015, despite Cricket Australia considering a new two-innings one-day format

Brydon Coverdale10-Jun-2010The ICC is confident the World Cup will still be a 50-over competition in 2015, despite Cricket Australia considering a new two-innings one-day format. The CA board will discuss the concept, which could involve two innings of either 20 of 25 overs, at a meeting this week with the view to testing it in state cricket this summer.The former coach of Australia, John Buchanan, has for many years been spruiking the idea of one-dayers split into two innings per side. He believes the future of the game lies in shorter formats, with Test cricket also retained, and 50-over matches fall into a no-man’s land between the two versions.”If Cricket Australia are contemplating making changes to it, I think congratulations to them for looking at that,” Buchanan told Cricinfo. “I’d support any changes that make it look more like the 20-over form. It has been in need of an overhaul for some time … and has been and will continue to lose popularity unless something is done with it.”Games won’t finish by the end of 10 overs into the second innings of a normal 50-over game, where one side has either dominated with the bat or been completely dominated by the ball and the game has really lost interest. By being able to quarterise the game it should enable the game to have longer life from a spectators’ point of view.”England and South Africa have already dropped 50-over cricket from their domestic schedule in favour of 40 overs, but Cricket Australia’s two-innings idea takes that concept even further. It could also mean that many players around the world will have limited exposure to the 50-over format, which in some countries will be played only at international level.That raises questions over the 2015 World Cup, to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. But the ICC is confident the event will remain in its current 50-over format by the time that tournament rolls around.”The ICC is committed to the three forms of the game, being Test cricket, 50-over cricket and Twenty20 cricket,” an ICC spokesman told the . “We have a working party of eminent chief executives set up to look at the context and content of international cricket.”However, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, Dave Richardson, last year said he “quite liked” the idea of two-innings one-day games. “If it has been trialled successfully at domestic level, it may give the trial to give it the go-ahead at international level,” Richardson said last September.Part of the appeal of a split-innings one-day game is that the home team is guaranteed to bat during the more popular second session. There is often less interest in matches in Australia when Ricky Ponting’s men have batted first, with fans less likely to turn up to the game after work or watch it on television.”There’s no doubt in the world there’s time for some change,” Steve Crawley, the head of sport at Channel Nine, said in the . “There’s no doubt they [Cricket Australia] are up for it. You’ve got to hope they can lead the world.”The idea has also won support from some former players including Ian Chappell and Dean Jones. Chappell said the game would become more tactical when split into two innings per team, while Jones called it “a fantastic idea”.

The issue is not money, but that youngsters want to play on the big stage, Russell argues

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2024It’s not the money. According to Andre Russell, premier West Indian cricketers are “just not interested in playing Tests.”The issue has been simmering forever, with cricketers popular with T20 leagues around the world – like Russell – often staying away from West Indies cricket, particularly the longest format. Sometimes, they have been called mercenaries. Most recently, in December 2023, Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers turned down West Indies central contracts, but made themselves available for T20Is. Holder, though, has since played Tests.Even though observers say that is due to the lack of money in West Indian cricket, Russell disagrees. “I don’t think it’s the money, I don’t think money is the issue,” he told recently. “Based on the amount of T20 and leagues around the world, I think a lot of players are just not interested in playing Tests.”Russell’s remarks came after West Indies – placed bottom of the nine-team World Test Championship table at the moment – were swept 3-0 in England. They have since drawn the first Test in Port of Spain against South Africa, a Test they were behind in for the most part but, following rain and an attacking South Africa declaration, got to a competitive position when time ran out.Related

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Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Pooran, Rovman Powell and Kieron Pollard were among the West Indians playing in The Hundred when the last Test against England was being played in late July. Among the highest-paid players in the league, they are still playing The Hundred while the Test series against South Africa is on. Pollard, Powell and Pooran have never played Test cricket. Russell played one, in 2010. Hetmyer has played 16, the last of them in 2019.”I’m always excited watching the other West Indian batters, especially when they’re hitting boundary after boundary,” Russell said. “As long as you can do well from contracts outside your nation I think they are going to grab that opportunity but everyone wants to play on the big stage.”So, if the big stage comes in Test cricket, I know youngsters will be happy to play. I just don’t think it’s about money or anything like that.”Russell, now 36, has managed to stay at the top of his game in short-format cricket despite a succession of injuries over the years, especially in the legs. A knee injury forced him out of the 2019 ODI World Cup after a few games. Test cricket, he said, was not on the table for him.”Red-ball cricket is not my cookie, I don’t think my body will keep up with Test cricket,” he said. “But those in the team at the moment are fit enough and taking on the challenge. They had a few moments in the Test series [against England] where they could have turned things around. Playing England at home is always going to be hard for the West Indies.”