Cricket

Dillon Pennington's hopes of making his England debut against Sri Lanka have been dealt a blow after the fast bowler was forced to withdraw from the Hundred due to a hamstring injury.Pennington, 25, has been one of the standout performers in the County Championship this season, taking 31 wickets at an average of 23.80 in eight appearances for Nottinghamshire. His impressive form earned him a call-up to England's Test squad for the recent series against West Indies, where he impressed captain Ben Stokes.Stokes had hinted that Pennington could be in line for a debut against Sri Lanka, saying: "There's no doubt that if an opportunity comes to him, then he'll be ready to go."However, Pennington's chances of making his international bow have now been dented after he suffered a hamstring injury in his first competitive appearance for a month. Playing for Northern Superchargers against Oval Invincibles in the Hundred, Pennington bowled just five balls before being forced to leave the field.Superchargers have confirmed that Pennington has withdrawn from the final two weeks of the competition, making him a major doubt for England's first Test against Sri Lanka on August 21 at Emirates Old Trafford.Stokes had praised Pennington's work ethic and progress during his time with the England squad. "He's done everything that you'd expect someone in a squad to do - even if they're not playing," Stokes said. "He's got a naturally high release point, and I think his move to Notts has been very, very good for him."England are expected to name their squad for the Sri Lanka Tests imminently, with Zak Crawley considered a major doubt after breaking his finger in the third Test against West Indies. If Crawley is unavailable, Dan Lawrence is expected to deputise as Duckett's opening partner.

The Hundred, England's premier 100-ball cricket tournament, has finalized its squads for the upcoming season, with several notable additions and replacements.Ollie Robinson, the England and Sussex seamer, has joined Trent Rockets as a Wildcard after previous stints with Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers. Ravi Bopara returns to London Spirit, where he impressed last year. Mason Crane, the legspinner, has been picked up by Welsh Fire following his loan move from Hampshire to Glamorgan. Dillon Pennington, the Nottinghamshire seamer on England's radar, will play for Northern Superchargers.These selections were based on performances in the Vitality Blast and Charlotte Edwards Cup. All eight men's and women's Hundred sides now have full squads ahead of the tournament's fourth edition, running from July 23 to August 18.Fran Wilson, an England Women's World Cup winner in 2017, will feature for Birmingham Phoenix. Sophie Luff (Southern Brave), Danielle Gregory (Manchester Originals), and Abi Freeborn (London Spirit) are among the other notable signings."I'm really happy to have been drafted by Southern Brave," said Luff. "The Hundred is a great competition to be a part of, so I'm really happy to have been picked up and it's especially great to have been selected by Charlotte Edwards."Six replacement players have also been announced. Tom Aspinwall and Scott Currie will step in at Manchester Originals for Fred Klaassen and Josh Tongue. Emma Jones will take over from Ailsa Lister at Birmingham Phoenix women, while Charli Knott will be available for Brave's first two women's matches in place of Smriti Mandhana. Laura Harris will deputise for Chamari Athapaththu for Oval Invincibles' opening two fixtures, while Suzie Bates stands in for Richa Ghosh for the first three games at Phoenix.