Gus Atkinson will not be able to play in the final of the men’s Hundred tournament because the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has decided he should not play in order to get ready for England’s Test match against Sri Lanka, which begins on Wednesday.
Atkinson, who did very well in his first series against the West Indies by taking 22 wickets and being named the best player of the series, has only played one game for Oval Invincibles this season. In that game, he didn’t take any wickets and gave up 28 runs in 10 balls against Trent Rockets. He will not be playing in the final on Sunday at Lord’s as he prepares for the Test series.
“Gus’s decision to step back is reasonable,” mentioned Sam Billings, the captain of the Invincibles. “It’s a letdown for him, but Saqib Mahmood has performed really well during the whole competition and demonstrated his skills recently. He’ll stay on the team.”
The Invincibles have already had to deal with the absence of fast bowler Spencer Johnson due to an injury, but Tom Curran will be back in action after getting a break on Wednesday.
After Ben Stokes’ hamstring issue, which has kept him out for the rest of the season, the ECB is being careful about how they manage player availability. Chris Woakes has already been removed from the competition, but Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett (both from Birmingham Phoenix), and Jordan Cox (from Invincibles) will be ready to play in the upcoming weekend matches before the first Test.
“Jordan’s presence is really good,” Billings mentioned. “Since he’s been in a situation before where he didn’t get to play much, it’s wonderful for him to get a chance to play in a final at Lord’s. It’s perfect practice for playing in international cricket.”
Jofra Archer, who is being closely watched due to recent problems with his back and elbow, is likely to be ready for both the eliminator on Saturday and the final on Sunday if Southern Brave make it that far. Even though he didn’t play in two earlier matches to help manage his workload, Southern Brave’s captain, James Vince, doesn’t think there will be any limitations for the important games.
“I haven’t received any different news, so I’m optimistic he can play in both matches if we move forward,” Vince mentioned. “The travel is very short and each game only has 20 balls, so he should be okay.”
In the women’s Hundred, Chamari Athapaththu can’t play for the Invincibles in their match against London Spirit on Saturday because she’s busy with Sri Lanka’s ODI series in Ireland. Laura Harris will join the team as a backup, and Megan Schutt, who has been with the team all along, will also be considered.
