England 'more talented' than 2011 side – Anderson

James Anderson believes this England team is more talented than the side that reached No. 1 in the Test rankings in 2011 and has the potential to stay at the pinnacle for longer.England can reclaim the top spot if they win the final Test against Pakistan at The Oval if India do not go on to overcome West Indies 3-0. Anderson admitted the rise up the rankings had come ahead of expectation for the team, and even if they do not secure No. 1 in the short term the age of many players in the side means the is scope for them to dominate for years ahead.”I think what that team in 2011 had was a number of players in the top ten in the rankings so if they were in form generally the team will do pretty well,” Anderson said. “We’ve got that at the moment. I think our team at the moment is better equipped to get to No.1 and stay there.”We are a more talented side, I think we are more mentally tough, I think we showed what character we’ve got this week coming from 100 runs behind at Edgbaston and managed to win. We’ve got plenty of characters in the team as well.”If we are brutally honest it would be a bit soon for the team, we are still developing, there is still inconsistency and we have plenty of improving to do. It would be nice if we do go to No. 1, but at the same time we know we have plenty of time on our hands to develop.”At 34, Anderson – who was a key part of the 2011 side – is now back as the No.1 bowler in the world and is the most senior figure in a team in which only Stuart Broad and Alastair Cook are also over 30.It is the clutch of 20-somethings, the players that Cook and Trevor Bayliss pinpointed as showing greater maturity during the Edgbaston fightback, plus Ben Stokes who remains sidelined, that gives Anderson the belief that reaching the summit will happen, and when it does the stay will not be fleeting.When England reached the top in 2011 with victory over India at Edgbaston – during a 4-0 whitewash – things quickly started to unravel, on and off the field. First came the 3-0 defeat against Pakistan in the UAE, spun out by Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman. Then, in a battle for the No. 1 ranking, South Africa secured a 2-0 victory in England during which the Kevin Pietersen texting controversy took hold and divisions emerged in the dressing room.”I think we have got more time on our side,” Anderson said. “The team then had a lot of players early to mid 30s. Now we have got the backbone of a side that could go on for another ten years and that is very exciting.”The lads we have got in the dressing room are very down to earth, honest with their own appraisal and the team’s own form. We have players who are not finished articles yet but are talented enough to be some of the best players in the world. If they can keep developing and improving then the sky is the limit.”When England previously climbed the rankings under the stewardship of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower during the 2009-2011 period it was, in Flower’s style, meticulously planned out. Nathan Leamon, the team analyst, plotted their path through each of the series and the players were talked through how they would achieve their goal.When the ICC did their annual ranking update in May 2015, England were No. 5 and the top spot was a distant point. Partly because of that and, perhaps, because of the more laid-back style of management under Bayliss and Paul Farbrace, this team’s climb has been more organic.”It has been talked about as a place we want to go but it has not been mapped out for us as it was then,” Anderson said. “If we had done the maths it might have been three years before we got there but as results have fallen we can get there sooner than thought. It is a good motivator for us. We want to keep improving. Getting there would be a massive achievement for us all.”Investec is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. For more on Investec private banking, visit investec.co.uk/banking

West Indies pick uncapped Alzarri Joseph

WI squad for the Jamaica Test

Jason Holder (capt), Kraigg Brathwaite, Rajendra Chandrika, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich (wk), Carlos Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, Shannon Gabriel, Leon Johnson, Miguel Cummins, Alzarri Joseph
In: Alzarri Joseph

West Indies have added Alzarri Joseph, the 19-year-old fast bowler from Antigua, to their squad for the second Test against India, which begins in Jamaica on Saturday. The selectors have made no other changes to the squad, which now contains 14 players.Joseph has only played 12 matches at the senior level, including eight first-class matches in which he has taken 24 wickets at an average of 24.45 with two five-wicket hauls. He was, however, one of West Indies’ most impressive performers on their way to winning the Under-19 World Cup in February. He was the joint third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, grabbing 13 wickets at an average of 13.76, and also bowled its fastest ball, clocked at 143kph.The inclusion of Joseph gives West Indies another genuine pace option as they try to bounce back from an innings defeat in the first Test in Antigua. They began the series with a bowling attack that contained only one genuine quick in Shannon Gabriel, supported by two medium-pace-bowling allrounders in Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite and legspinner Devendra Bishoo.If West Indies look to play an extra fast bowler in Jamaica, they will have to choose between two players as yet uncapped in Test cricket in Joseph and the 25-year-old Barbados quick Miguel Cummins, who was part of the squad for the first Test but did not make the playing XI.

Langer in awe of West Indies' fast-bowling talent

West Indies cricket would go a long way to reaching its potential if Caribbean pitches regained the pace and bounce of yesteryear, according to Australia’s stand-in coach Justin Langer. After Australia won the tri-series final against West Indies on Sunday, Langer said he had been in awe of the talent he had seen among local net bowlers over the past month.However, the pitches offered up during the series tended to be on the slower side, as has been the case in the region for many years. Langer said he found it baffling that pitches were prepared that would help spinners such as Sunil Narine, who he said was “still going to be a star” on any surface due to his natural talent, instead of fast bowlers who could rattle opposing batsmen.”There is so much fast-bowling talent here,” Langer said. “You’ve got big, tall, beautiful athletes, and they run in and bowl fast and they keep bowling all day, but I don’t understand why they play on such dead, low, lifeless wickets. It doesn’t make any sense to us.”If you could harness the natural ability you’ve got in the West Indies with those tall fast bowlers … it would get the batsmen more used to facing fast bowling, more used to facing short-pitched bowling. And with the natural talent they’ve got it won’t take long. But you’ve got to face it. You’ve got to be exposed to it.”There’s so much natural talent. We’ve seen it in the net bowlers. I’m in awe of how many young fast bowlers you’ve got in the West Indies. We’ve seen it in Guyana, we’ve seen it in St Kitts, we’ve seen it in Barbados, and yet you play on wickets that bounce about this high. It doesn’t make sense to me.”The 19-year-old Leeward Islands bowler Alzarri Joseph was one such talent who impressed Langer with his work in the nets against the Australians during the St Kitts leg of the tour. Joseph was part of the West Indies side that won the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh earlier this year, and Langer said he was seriously impressed by what he saw at training.”He reminded me of Andre Russell,” Langer said. “He bowled fast, beautiful yorkers – and what an athlete. I reckon I’ve seen four or five who have really, really raw talent, and they just kept bowling. That’s what I kept loving. They just kept running in and bowling all day.”In a lot of parts of the world now it’s so structured with workloads and bowling loads. These kids just kept running in and bowling fast, and it was bloody hot … I do know they gave our batsmen a workout, and there was talent. The talent is very obvious.”Langer, in charge of the Australian squad while Darren Lehmann had a break at home, emerged from the tour with a series win to his name, but he said West Indies should have a bright future judging by their performances this year.”West Indies cricket is so exciting,” he said. “They won the T20 World Cup, they’re so dangerous. They’re like a boxer who’s got the big right hook and could knock you out at any time. They’ve got so much talent.”I really respect and admire the guys who are playing, Jason Holder and Darren Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite to name a few – Narine, Pollard is always dangerous. [Johnson] Charles is a very dangerous player. Until we got him out I was nervous for the game, because he’s a serious player. He whacks it – not a lot of foot movement but he’s a dangerous player. If he could harness his ability and go out and score more hundreds … Darren Bravo got a brilliant hundred the other day.”There’s a lot of talent and I think they’re playing really well. They made the final, they beat South Africa very well, who are on paper an unbelievable cricket team. West Indies have a lot to look forward to.”

Donald Carr, former TCCB secretary, dies aged 89

Donald Carr, the former Derbyshire and England batsman who went on to become one of the most prominent administrators of the post-war era, has died at the age of 89.In a first-class career that spanned from 1945 to 1968, Carr scored nearly 20,000 runs and claimed 328 wickets with his left-arm spin for Oxford University, Derbyshire and England, whom he captained at Madras in 1951-52 in his second and final appearance.He also played in the third “Victory Test” against Australia in 1945, alongside the likes of Len Hutton, Wally Hammond, Cyril Washbrook and Bill Edrich, and was a notable footballer too, winning his Blue at Oxford, and playing in front of 100,000 people at Wembley in two Amateur Cup final appearances for Pegasus in the 1950s.Carr captained Derbyshire between 1955 and 1962, and was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1960.However, it was his subsequent career in administration for which Carr will be remembered. He was assistant secretary of MCC from 1962 to 1974, during which time he was privy to one of the most contentious moments in cricket history, the omission and subsequent selection of Basil D’Oliveira for the tour of South Africa in 1968. He went on to become secretary of the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) and the Cricket Council until 1986.”Cricket has lost one of its greatest friends,” said Colin Graves, the ECB chairman. “Someone who gave a lifetime of service to our game; as a cricketer, a captain, a club secretary, an England tour manager, and, of course, as a senior administrator – serving MCC and the TCCB with distinction in a leadership role as the game moved into the modern, professional era; and always meeting the many difficult challenges he faced during this period with his customary good humour and charm.”This is deeply sad news for all Donald’s many cricketing friends and former colleagues and team-mates across the domestic and international game. He will be hugely missed by those who worked and played with him and we send our condolences and sympathies to all in the Carr family.”The President of MCC, Roger Knight, said: “Donald’s career in cricket, especially at Lord’s, is unlikely ever to be surpassed. As a cricketer, he captained both his university and his county, and after turning to administration became Assistant Secretary (Cricket) of MCC, and Secretary of the Cricket Council and of TCCB from their formation in 1974.”His period of office included the supervision of the first three World Cups in England, the advent of one-day cricket and the introduction of sponsorship in the professional game.”Donald’s commitment to cricket, his skills – both on the field and in the committee room – spanned more than 40 years, from his first-class debut in 1945, for England against Australia in the Victory “Test” at Lord’s, to his retirement in 1986.”He also served on MCC committees, on the Middlesex committee and as captain of Cross Arrows Cricket Club. He will be deeply and sorely missed across the cricket world.”The MCC flag, over the Main Ground, and the Cross Arrows flag, over the Nursery Ground, have been lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect to a man who devoted so much of his life to the game.”

Sciver-Brunt's 64 not enough as Rockets stuck on launchpad

Runs from the in-form Emma Lamb and impressive bowling from wristspinners Hannah Baker and Millie Taylor saw Birmingham Phoenix to an 11-run win over Trent Rockets despite a defiant 64 from Nat Sciver-Brunt.Birmingham Phoenix posted 148 for 5 from their 100 balls, a fine half-century from Lamb (55 from 32) leading the way at the top of the order.Electing to bat first, Phoenix started slowly, reaching 16 for 0 from their first 15 balls. They were 36 for 0 after the 25-ball power play and by the halfway mark, in front of a growing Edgbaston crowd, the home side were 78 for 1, having lost Georgia Voll (19) bowled by Australia legspinner Alana King.Lamb brought up her half-century from 28 balls with eight boundaries, eventually falling with the score on 89, flat-batting Ash Gardner’s offspin into the hands of King at deep midwicket.Emma Lamb swings leg-side•Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images

In reply, economical bowling from the home side then stifled the Rockets’ run chase throughout, Ellyse Perry’s 20 balls conceding just 17 runs as the Phoenix captain led from the front.A lofted drive off Baker saw Sciver-Brunt reach 1,000 career runs in the Hundred, becoming the first woman or man to reach the milestone, reaching the landmark at an average of exactly 50.She brought up her half-century with a violent six off Em Arlott over midwicket and followed it up with a straight four to see the equation to 37 required from 15 balls. Another boundary off Megan Schutt’s final ball then made the equation 27 from 10 balls.Left-arm wrist-spinner Taylor (1 for 22) bowled the penultimate five, conceding just seven to leave 20 runs for Arlott to defend from the final set, and then pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at short fine-leg to see the back of Sciver-Brunt.Arlott finished with figures of 2 for 38 and Baker 2 for 18 from 15 balls as the Rockets closed on 137 for 6.

Lancashire beat clock as Hartley finishes off Gloucestershire with 11-wicket haul

Lancashire 557 (Green1 60, Hartley 130, Hurst 106) and 110 for 1 (Jennings 57*) beat Gloucestershire 381 (Charlesworth 160, Phillips 64, Hartley 6-116) and 285 (Charlesworth 71, Phillips 56, Hartley 5-99) by nine wicketsMan-of-the-match Tom Hartley produced another career-best performance to propel Lancashire to a hard-earned nine-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Cheltenham and keep alive their hopes of winning promotion back to Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.Having previously staged his highest score of 130 and taken 6 for 116 to put his team in control, the England slow left-armer claimed 5 for 99 on the final day of an entertaining match at the famous old College Ground as the red rose county made it two wins out of three in the red-ball format under the new leadership team of interim head coach Steve Croft and captain James Anderson.Made to follow on, Gloucestershire were dismissed for 285 in 98 overs in their second innings, Hartley finishing with match figures of 11 for 215 after Ben Charlesworth and Joe Phillips had scored 71 and 56 respectively for the home side. Chris Green weighed in with 2 for 62 as spin accounted for seven wickets on a surface offering some assistance.Set 110 to win in 26 overs, Lancashire chased down their target for the loss of Luke Wells with five overs to spare, courtesy of an authoritative unbroken second wicket partnership of 103 between Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon. Confronted by four spinners as Gloucestershire dispensed with seam, Jennings top-scored with a brisk 57 not out from 67 balls, while the equally forthright Bohannon faced 50 deliveries in raising an undefeated 45 as the visitors eased to victory in the final hour.Lancashire took 22 points to move into fourth place in Division Two, in the process leapfrogging Gloucestershire, who settled for five points after sustaining their third defeat of the season.Gloucestershire resumed their second innings on 98 without loss, still 78 in arrears and potentially vulnerable to a repeat of the collapse that undermined their first innings. It was incumbent upon openers Cameron Bancroft and Charlesworth to build upon their good start on a pitch that was offering some assistance to spin, but which was not expected to break up.If Gloucestershire’s minimum requirement was to bat two sessions, Lancashire were reading from an altogether different script, Anderson claiming the prized scalp of Bancroft in the opening over, the Australian edging to midwicket without adding to his overnight score of 35.Having seen off Anderson, Charlesworth was no doubt disappointed to then succumb to George Balderson in his first over from the Chapel Lawn End. Attempting a back-foot flick, Gloucestershire’s first-innings centurion found Marcus Harris at short midwicket and departed for 71 with the score 129 for 2. Guilty of poor shot selection, Ollie Price then pursued a wide delivery from Hartley that bounced off a length and edged to Luke Wells at slip, at which point Gloucestershire were 134 for 3, still 42 in arrears, having lost three wickets in the first hour.They came close to losing another in the next over, Miles Hammond standing his ground and being afforded the benefit of the doubt when Jennings claimed a catch at short square leg off the bowling of Hartley. The reprieve proved temporary, Green pinning Hammond lbw for 22 in the final over before lunch, which was taken with the score 168 for 4. Representing Gloucestershire’s best chance of saving the game, Phillips remained unbeaten on 35.He was joined by James Bracey and these two wiped out the remaining arrears early on in the afternoon session, Phillips going to a hard-earned 50 from 91 balls with his eighth four. But Lancashire continued to take wickets, Jack Blatherwick angling a short delivery into the body of Bracey, who was unable to get his bat out of the way and edged behind. His departure was a blow for Gloucestershire, who were in effect 21 for 5 with 57 overs left in the day.An even bigger blow befell the home side when Phillips’ vigil came to an end soon afterwards, the Cornishman held by the safe hands of Jennings at short leg off the bowling of the ubiquitous Hartley. Phillips had faced 110 balls, accrued eight fours and defied the red rose bowlers for three hours. Hartley then extracted additional spin to remove Graeme van Buuren, who stretched forward and was caught behind for 8 to leave the home side between a rock and a hard place at 210 for 7.Todd Murphy led a Gloucestershire counterattack, going for his shots, pushing the field back and sharing in a useful stand of 41 in eight overs with Zaman Akhter, who scored a breezy 20 before offering a return catch to Green as the home side slipped to 251 for 8. Ajeet Singh Dale survived a searching examination at the hands of Anderson and the new ball, he and Murphy digging in to reach tea on 268 for 8. Gloucestershire had a slender lead of 92 with a minimum 35 overs remaining.Lancashire’s go-to man, Hartley returned to bowl Murphy for a 56-ball 33 and complete the first 10-wicket match haul of his career as an enthralling contest entered its final session. He then accounted for last man Marchant de Lange, held at short square leg as Gloucestershire’s resistance with the bat finally came to an end in the early-evening sunshine.

Cummins backs Green as 'long-term' No. 3 amid Australia's batting reset

Pat Cummins has indicated that Cameron Green will be given an extended run to cement the No. 3 role in Test cricket as Australia look to bed down a batting order ahead of the Ashes later in the year.Green has been encouraged not to look too deeply at his lean returns on his comeback to the side in the World Test Championship final against South Africa, where he was dismissed twice by Kagiso Rabada across five balls for just four runs. He had come into that match on the back of three centuries for Gloucestershire.There was an opening for Green to drop back down to No. 4 for the first Test against West Indies in Barbados due to Steven Smith’s injury – the position where he made 174 not out against New Zealand last year – but Josh Inglis will take that role as part of a fresh-looking top four that includes the recalled Sam Konstas.Related

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“I always like to not have too many moving parts,” Cummins said. “We see that [Green at No. 3] as a long-term option. I think going into last week he’s hitting the ball really well, he’s moving really well. He had a Test match where it obviously didn’t go to plan. Think he only faced three or four balls, so the message is not to look into that too much. We’re really happy with where his game’s placed and I dare say we’ll get a decent run of No. 3.”Barring injury, therefore, it leaves Marnus Labuschagne likely needing substantial runs at the start of the Sheffield Shield season to push for a recall to face England.”I think him at his best is a well and truly an international standard Test batter,” Cummins said. “If there’s an opening we could see him fighting his way back into the Test team at some point. Obviously the focus now is giving a couple of other guys a go. He’s had a pretty good run and obviously didn’t make the most of it as well as he would like, so [we are] offering that opportunity to the next couple of guys.”There remains hope that Smith will be available for the second Test in Grenada, which starts on July 3, as he continues his recovery from the compound dislocation of his right little finger he suffered at Lord’s. He is due to return from New York midway through the Barbados Test. “He’s got a few return-to-play kind of protocols he’s got to tick off,” Cummins said. “I know the medical team have got a bit of a program for him.”Pat Cummins and Roston Chase with the Frank Worrell Trophy•AFP/Getty Images

Only three of the top six played in the Gabba Test early last year which West Indies famously won (Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green and Travis Head), but Shamar Joseph’s name has never been far from the build-up to this Test.When new captain Roston Chase, who himself wasn’t part of that Test, was asked whether there would be any lingering memories of that day in the Australia line-up, he responded with a smile and a hint of a chuckle.”I hope there are some scars,” he said. “I mean, if they’re still thinking about that going out there tomorrow, that would be very good for us. I think that that would be part of the job done for us. So, yeah, I hope they’re still hurting.”Cummins, who had spoken before Chase, said, “A couple of the West Indian guys, particularly Shamar, had a day out. I’m sure the batters [have] been talking about how to manage him and counter that.”

Six-wicket return from Abbas puts Notts in command

A superb six-wicket return from Mohammad Abbas and second half-centuries in the match for Ben Slater and Joe Clarke helped Division One leaders Nottinghamshire seize control of this Rothesay County Championship clash with Yorkshire on day two at Headingley.Pakistani Test seamer Abbas was the chief protagonist with 6 for 45 from 17.3 overs – four of his wickets coming either side of lunch to secure a 49th career first-class haul of five wickets or more – as Yorkshire were bowled out for 159 in reply to a first-innings 228.Former England batter Dawid Malan impressed with a counter-attacking 64 off 45 balls as second-bottom Yorkshire, who started the day on 10 for 2, lost regular wickets. But it wasn’t enough.From early afternoon onwards, Nottinghamshire’s pursuit of a fourth win gathered even more steam, with opener Slater top-scoring with 78 off 125 balls in 227 for 3 from 61 overs, a lead of 296. Clarke provided important support with a fluent unbeaten 72 not out off 92.Left-handed Slater bettered his opening day 52 and shared half-century partnerships with Haseeb Hameed and Clarke, who top-scored with 64 in the first innings.As 35-year-old Abbas claimed his second haul of five wickets or more in three matches for Notts this season, it meant Yorkshire have now only posted first-innings totals of 250 or more on three occasions in seven matches in 2025.They have a mountain to climb to avoid a fourth defeat in seven games this season.Nottinghamshire captain Hameed shared 73 inside 16 overs for the first wicket with Slater in their second innings to more than double a commanding lead of 69. Hameed’s 33 was confidently compiled on a largely gloomy Leeds day.Just as Yorkshire will have been frustrated with their efforts with the bat, they would have been with the ball too. Conditions remained helpful for the seamers, but they failed to apply any pressure.Hameed was caught behind off a beauty from Jordan Thompson which bounced and nipped away before Freddie McCann was unlucky to have been given caught behind off Ben Coad for 15 shortly before tea with the score on 113 for 2, a lead of 179.But Slater, who was eye-catching on the drive, continued. He reached a well-paced fifty off 68 balls and shared 70 for the third wicket with Clarke before edging behind one which nipped away from Matthew Revis’s seam.Clarke went on to reach his fifty off 55 balls and shared a day-ending unbroken 54 partnership for the fourth wicket with Jack Haynes, 13.Earlier, Yorkshire reached lunch at 119 for 7, with seamers Dillon Pennington and Brett Hutton striking twice apiece and 35-year-old Abbas once as Notts strengthened their grip.En-route, they had to survive a counter-attacking half-century from Malan, who played a series of eye-catching shots and made it look like he was batting on a featherbed pitch.Malan drove imperiously and hoisted his quartet of sixes over the leg-side, reaching his fifty off only 34 balls upon his return to the side following three games out with a groin injury.After the early departure of James Wharton – caught at first slip off Pennington, 15 for 4 – Malan shared 37 for the fifth wicket with nightwatchman Jack White, who chanced his arm for 18 before he also edged Pennington into the slips.Hutton had Harry Duke caught behind and Malan lbw playing to leg, and when Abbas claimed his first wicket of the day by rocking back George Hill’s middle stump with one which kept low and jagged back, Yorkshire were 107 for 7 in the 34th over of the innings.After lunch, Abbas claimed his fourth and fifth wickets in successive balls as Yorkshire slipped to 124 for nine. Captain Dom Bess edged to fourth slip and Thompson to first.Revis, with 27, and Coad shared 35 for the last wicket, but it was only brief respite as the former dragged on to Abbas, leaving the visitors with all but two sessions of batting to do through to close. They did it expertly.

Rob Yates half-century guides England Lions to seven-wicket win

England Lions 324 and 122 for 3 (Yates 57*) beat Sri Lanka 139 and 306 (Madushka 77, Dhananjaya 66, Mathews 51) by seven wicketsRob Yates anchored England Lions with a 68-ball half-century, as Sri Lanka’s tourists slipped to a seven-wicket defeat in their first-class warm-up at Worcester.Chasing a modest 122 for victory after bowling Sri Lanka out for 309 on the third afternoon, the Lions had resumed with victory in sight on 47 for 2 overnight, and needed just 19.5 overs to seal the deal on the final morning.Yates, who had reached the close on 17 not out, added 40 more runs at the top of the order, with Sri Lanka’s only success in the curtailed day’s play coming when Hamza Shaikh, England’s Under-19 captain, was pinned lbw for 16 by Milan Rathnayake.However, James Rew, another recent mainstay of the Under-19 set-up, joined Yates in an unbroken 53-run stand for the fourth wicket, finishing on 23 not out from 41 balls as he picked off the winning single off Dhananjaya de Silva.Sri Lanka now head to Emirates Old Trafford, where the first Test against England gets underway on Wednesday.

Scotland call up Charlie Cassell and Jasper Davidson for Australia T20Is

Scotland have called up right-arm quick Charlie Cassell and medium pacer Jasper Davidson for their first-ever bilateral men’s T20I series against Australia this September in Edinburgh. The 15 players who played the men’s T20 World Cup in June make up the rest of the squad, which will be captained by Richie Berrington.Cassell made a sensational start to his international career, taking 7 for 21 – the best ODI haul on debut – against Oman in the Cricket World Cup League 2 in July. He’s played two ODIs for Scotland so far and was also recently part of three matches in the One-Day Cup for Somerset.Davidson also made his ODI debut in the CWC League 2, against Oman, and took four wickets in that game.”After coming into the squad at CWCL2 and doing so well, it’ll be great for Jasper and Charlie to have the experience of what it’s like playing against the best, in front of a fairly large crowd,” Doug Watson, Scotland’s head coach, said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to play one of the best teams in the world, and I’m pretty sure that our players won’t need any motivating for this series. It’s a great opportunity for them to share the field with world-class players. They’re wanting to put in some huge performances and compete, and really push this Australia team.”The goal for us is to win this series. The first game is really important – if we can win that, it’ll set up the next two matches. The whole week will be brilliant for the squad, staff, supporters, and all of Scotland.”It will be Australia’s first tour of Scotland in 11 years. The sides will meet just three months after their T20 World Cup 2024 game in St Lucia, where Australia won a close match by five wickets. The games will be played at The Grange on September 4, 6 and 7.

Scotland T20I squad vs Australia

Richie Berrington (capt), Charlie Cassell, Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Jasper Davidson, Chris Greaves, Ollie Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal

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