LONDON: England opener Zak Crawley has been ruled out of the forthcoming Test series against Sri Lanka due to a broken finger.
Crawley has been ruled out after he fractured the little finger on his right hand while attempting to take a catch during the recent third Test victory over the West Indies.
The 26-year-old will switch his attention to being fit for England’s tour of Pakistan in October.
With Crawley sidelined, Dan Lawrence is set to open alongside Ben Duckett.
Lawrence has been included in several England squads but has not played a Test since 2022.
The 27-year-old moved from Essex to Surrey over the winter and has made an impressive start to the County Championship season, averaging 53.09 at a strike rate of 74.68 with two centuries and three fifties.
England made a number of changes to their side ahead of the West Indies series, handing Test debuts to Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith, and there is now a first call-up for Essex batsman Jordan Cox.
The 23-year-old has been involved in the England set-up previously after joining the white-ball tour of Pakistan in 2022 and will be looking to make his international bow against Sri Lanka.
Uncapped seamer Dillon Pennington, who was in the squad for the 3-0 series win over the West Indies, joins Crawley on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.
Pennington is likely to be sidelined for the rest of the English summer.
Nottinghamshire seam bowler Olly Stone returns to the Test squad for the first time since 2021 and will be hoping to add to his three Test caps.
The first Test against Sri Lanka starts at Old Trafford on August 21, with the second match at Lord’s and the third at The Oval.
England squad for Sri Lanka Test series:
Ben Stokes (capt), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
England opener Crawley to miss Sri Lanka series with broken finger
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England opener Crawley to miss Sri Lanka series with broken finger
- The 26-year-old will switch his attention to being fit for England’s tour of Pakistan in October this year
- Uncapped seamer Dillon Pennington joins Crawley on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury
Saudi Arabia, ILT20 team up to fast-track cricket’s rise
- SACF Chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud described the agreement as a significant milestone for Saudi cricket
- Six Saudi players will feature in DP World ILT20 Season 4, with league officials confirming that matches are expected to take place in the Kingdom in the coming years
RIYADH: The DP World International League T20 and the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation marked their new partnership at an event in Riyadh, outlining plans to accelerate cricket development across the Kingdom.
SACF Chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud described the agreement as “a significant milestone for Saudi cricket,” saying it covers “infrastructure development, there sanctioning fees … digital player development” and “multiple different angles that… will level up our industry in the Kingdom.”
He added that fans and players can expect “infrastructure under development” and that Saudi athletes “will be exposed to higher competitions, higher training systems, different competition levels in different countries and more.”
Six Saudi players will feature in DP World ILT20 Season 4, with league officials confirming that matches are expected to take place in the Kingdom in the coming years.
SACF CEO Tariq Ziad Sagga said the partnership will support several long-term pillars, noting that it “reflects on the future plans of cricket … for example, for the infrastructure development, we want to attract more investors.”
He added that it also provides “an international platform for our Saudi national team to play in international tournaments and events,” and that Saudi Arabia expects to host major events “once we finish with our first international venues by mid-2026, inshallah.”
DP World ILT20 CEO David White said the collaboration is central to the league’s regional ambitions. “We see DP World T20 just not a UAE competition. We see it expanding into the greater Gulf region. And Saudi is a big part of that,” he said, adding that he expects ILT20 matches in the Kingdom within “the next two or three years.”
Sports infrastructure investor Mandar Joshi said the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the UAE “will go a long way in developing the cricket infrastructure” in the region, calling the partnership “a milestone.”
