Cricket

Mahika Gaur, England's promising left-arm seamer, has withdrawn from the upcoming Women's Hundred tournament to prioritize her recovery from a side strain. The 18-year-old, who impressed in her debut season with Manchester Originals last year, will utilize the competition's month-long window to continue her rehabilitation under the guidance of the ECB and Thunder medical teams.Gaur's absence from the Hundred could potentially affect her chances of securing a spot in England's squad for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. The tournament is expected to serve as a crucial preparation platform for the team, given the lack of bilateral cricket scheduled before their departure in October.Gaur, who previously represented the UAE from the age of 12, made a notable impact in her first appearances for England against Sri Lanka last summer. Her impressive performance included a three-wicket haul for 26 runs on her ODI debut at Chester-le-Street in September.Despite her early promise, Gaur was unavailable for England's white-ball series against Pakistan due to her A-level commitments. She was subsequently ruled out of the T20I squad to face New Zealand this month after sustaining her injury.Gaur's withdrawal from the Hundred highlights the importance of managing player workload and ensuring their long-term fitness. The ECB and Thunder medical teams will closely monitor her progress and provide the necessary support to facilitate her recovery.

Brandon King's T20 World Cup campaign hangs in the balance after the West Indies opener suffered a side strain in their match against England. King, who has been a key player for the Windies, was forced to retire hurt after just 12 balls in the match.The injury occurred while King was attempting to hit Sam Curran through cover. He took one step and then crumpled to the ground, clutching his side. He received treatment from the West Indies medical staff but was unable to continue batting.Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed that King had been diagnosed with a side strain. "Brandon King has suffered a side strain and will not return to the field of play in this evening's match," CWI said.Side strains typically take several weeks to heal, making King a major doubt for the rest of the World Cup. The tournament ends in just 10 days, and the Windies have only one more match remaining in the Super Eight stage.King's injury is a significant blow to the West Indies, who are already without several key players. Rovman Powell is still at the IPL, while Andre Russell and Obed McCoy have been ruled out of the tournament with injuries.The Windies have five players on standby for the World Cup: Andre Fletcher, Kyle Mayers, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh Jr., and Matthew Forde. Mayers is the most likely replacement for King, having been widely considered unfortunate to miss the initial cut.The West Indies will travel to Barbados on Thursday ahead of their second Super Eight fixture against USA at Kensington Oval on Friday. They will be hoping to bounce back from their defeat to England and keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.

Pakistan's all-rounder Imad Wasim will miss the team's opening match of the T20 World Cup against the United States on Thursday due to a persistent side strain, according to captain Babar Azam. Azam stated that Wasim has not fully recovered from the injury and is under observation."The medical staff is monitoring him, and he will be available for the remaining matches in the World Cup," Azam told the media.Wasim, a seasoned T20 specialist, was brought out of retirement two months ago in anticipation of the World Cup. The selectors believed his bowling style would be effective on the slow pitches in the Americas.Along with Wasim, left-arm spinner Mohammed Amir was also selected for the ICC event, but both players have been used sparingly in the lead-up series against New Zealand, Ireland, and England."The pitches appear good for pace bowlers, and we have a very good pace attack, so the pitches seem good for us," said Azam.Azam emphasized that the team has no issues with the facilities provided at the venues in the USA."It is okay. We have no complaints and have seen all this before. Not playing any warm-up games before our first match could have been a problem, but we have come here after playing some cricket. It is not an issue for us," he said.Babar recently became the second batter after Virat Kohli to surpass the 4000-run mark in T20Is. Kohli leads the chart with 4037 runs, while Babar is a close second with 4023 runs.However, the 29-year-old Lahore native stated that his focus is not on individual records but on playing according to the team's requirements and the match situation."We are here to try to win the World Cup. I am not here thinking about personal records. What matters is that the team does well and we succeed in winning the World Cup. We have learnt from our past mistakes," he added.In a lighter vein, Babar said the pressure on him for tickets for the match against India was more than the match itself."They are so many people asking for tickets, the pressure is immense," he said with a smile.