Due to his unavailability ahead of England’s Test match against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, Gus Atkinson will not be participating in the men’s Hundred final.
In his first series against the West Indies, Atkinson claimed 22 wickets and was named Player of the Series. He made his Oval Invincibles debut this season on Wednesday night against Trent Rockets, scoring 0 for 28 in 10 balls. He won’t play in Sunday’s Lord’s final as he gets ready for the Test series.
“It makes perfect sense that Gus Atkinson has withdrew,” stated Invincibles captain Sam Billings.
“Saqib Mahmood has been amazing for us all tournament and showed his class the other night, so it’s terrible for him. He will remain on the sidelines. Spencer Johnson is also sidelined for the Invincibles due to injury, although Tom Curran is set to make a comeback following a rest day on Wednesday.
After Ben Stokes injured his hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers, sidelining him for the remainder of the summer, the ECB is being careful about the availability of England players. Although Jordan Cox (Invincibles), Jamie Smith (Bristol Phoenix), and Ben Duckett (both Birmingham Phoenix) are available this weekend ahead of the first Test, Chris Woakes has already withdrew from the competition.
“Jordan will be available and I think that’s great for him,” Billings stated. “As a young player, I’ve been in that situation before where you withdraw and don’t get to play. Playing in the national championship final at Lord’s in front of a boisterous crowd is an ideal training ground for cricket at the international level.”
If Southern Brave qualify, Jofra Archer, who is being closely watched following extended stints on the sidelines due to elbow and back problems, should be eligible for both the final on Sunday and the eliminator on Saturday. Though he was forced to miss two games during the group stage in order to manage his workload, Brave captain James Vince does not foresee any limitations during the knockout stages.
“I’ve not heard otherwise, so I’m hoping that’s the case,” Vince replied. “Of course, we have to take care of tomorrow first, but from what I gather, he is available for both, should we get to the final. Honestly, I don’t know that for sure, therefore I can’t confirm it for you. However, as there won’t be much travel and just 20 balls needed for each round, I’m confident he’ll be alright.”
Also Read: In response to Ben Stokes’ hamstring injury, the ECB leaves Chris Woakes from The Hundred
Chamari Athapaththu, who joined Sri Lanka’s team for their ODI series in Ireland, is unavailable for the Invincibles in their women’s Hundred eliminator against London Spirit on Saturday. Laura Harris has rejoined the team as a backup, and Megan Schutt will also be considered as she has been with the team the entire time.
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