County Championship to return to two-division format in 2022
The County Championship will be staged in a two-division structure from 2022. The format was discontinued in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Ten teams will be pooled in Division One, and the remaining eight in Division Two.
Every year, the bottom two teams from Division One will be relegated and their places will be occupied by the top two teams from Division 2. Warwickshire, the current champion, is placed in Division One.
County Championship 2022
Division One: Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Somerset, Surrey, Warwickshire, Yorkshire.
Division Two: Durham, Derbyshire, Glamorgan, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Sussex, Worcestershire.
Hamstring not a concern for Williamson
Kane Williamson did not play the last match for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2021 due to a hamstring injury. He has now confirmed his participation in practice sessions and warm-up games, and that the injury is minor. New Zealand will play Pakistan in the first on 26 October to kick-start their journey in the ICC T20 World Cup.
'The hamstring is minor, it's progressing nicely, so not too many concerns and we've still got plenty of time,' said Williamson.
Bavuma available for the opening game of T20 World Cup
Temba Bavuma has confirmed his availability for South Africa's opening game against Australia in the T20 World Cup. He had broken his thumb while batting in Sri Lanka.
Bavuma has already started training, and revealed that his hand has been getting stronger with each passing day. He last played against Ireland, where he scored 72.
'I had a good batting session today. My hand is definitely improving by the day. It's getting stronger and I'm getting a lot more comfortable with it,' said Bavuma to Cricbuzz.
Sibley, Mahmood named in England Lions' squad to tour Australia
ECB has announced 14-member squad for the Lions' tour to Australia, scheduled to take place later this year. They will play two warm-up matches against the England team, and an unofficial 'Test' against Australia A.
Dom Sibley, who could not make it to the Ashes squad, has been included. James Bracey and Ben Foakes are the two wicketkeepers.
England Lions squad: Tom Abell, Josh Bohannon, James Bracey, Brydon Carse, Mason Crane, Matthew Fisher, Ben Foakes, Alex Lees, Saqib Mahmood, Liam Norwell, Matt Parkinson, Dom Sibley, Jamie Smith, Rob Yates