Brendon McCullum concerned for Ben Stokes after England captain dropped

  • Stokes and Gus Atkinson left out for Oval Test after curfew breach

  • McCullum speaking to Stokes daily, not pushing him to return to cricket

Brendon McCullum has spoken of his concern for Ben Stokes’s wellbeing as the England captain sits out this week’s second Test against New Zealand as a result of his breaking the team curfew after the first Test at Lord’s.

The fallout from Stokes and his teammate Gus Atkinson deciding to spend the early hours of last Monday morning at a Chelsea nightclub rather than the team hotel has dominated the week between the two matches. While McCullum, the England head coach, admitted he initially had a strong negative reaction to learning about the curfew breach, he said this quickly changed. He has spoken to Stokes every day since the story broke, and said those conversations had left him feeling worried.

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Essex beat Leicestershire by six wickets to go top: county cricket day four – live

Updates and news from around the grounds
Kent’s revival continues | Mail Tanya or comment BTL

Mostly positive, with sunny spells, though there are some showers moving north and east. At Wantage Road, they’re starting to mop up.

A huge wicket! Joe Clarke is bowled by Jake Ball, who was substituted in half way through the game because of Gregory’s hamstring. Delight for Somerset, despair for Clarke who was done for pace. Notts 51-4,

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England face more selection upheaval for second Test after Robinson ruled out

  • Stokes and Atkinson absent following nightclub furore

  • Ollie Robinson misses Oval Test due to soreness in knee

Seamer Ollie Robinson, whose performance guided England to victory in the first test against New ⁠Zealand, will ⁠miss ​the second match due to a sore right knee, the England and Wales Cricket Board, confirmed on Monday.

Playing his first test in more than two years, Robinson ⁠took seven wickets including five in the ​first innings to be named player of the match as ‌England won ‌by 115 runs on a difficult wicket at ‌Lord’s.

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Zampa edges Australia past Bangladesh to avoid ODI whitewash as Connolly hits first ton

  • 3rd ODI: Australia, 9-277, bt Bangladesh, 5-274, by 1 wkt

  • Connolly (149) falls in late collapse; hosts win series 2-1

Cooper Connolly came of age with his maiden international ton as Australia squeaked out a nail-biting one-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the third and final ODI of their series.

Connolly defied cramps to play the innings of his life at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday, smashing 149 off 133 balls as Australia narrowly avoided a whitewash by edging past Bangladesh’s five for 274 with three deliveries to spare.

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Lancs v Kent, Jordan Cox joins England mid match and more: county cricket day three – live

Updates from around the grounds after 11am (BST) start
Women’s T20 World Cup latest | Mail Tanya or comment BTL

Time to go round the grounds on this sleepy Sunday, Lancashire making a better fist of things this morning at Stanley Park, 31-1. The sun is even straining to come out from net curtain clouds. Matt Milnes has swapped to the north end.

Harry Singh, slip catcher extraordinaire, is caught by his Kent counterpart, Ben Dawkins, off Hasan Mahmud’s first over of the day. Lancashire 19-1.

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Kane Williamson retires from New Zealand duty and ends involvement in England Test series

  • ‘I’ve given it my all in every match,’ says Black Caps legend

  • He captained World Test Championship winners in 2021

The former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will play no further part in the Test series against England after retiring from all international cricket with immediate effect.

Williamson brings an end to a 16-year career marked by numerous accolades and by captaining his side to the title in the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021.

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Cox leaves Leicestershire reeling, Kent collapse at Lancashire: county cricket, day one – as it happened

Essex’s Jordan Cox scores 184 at Grace Road while Lancashire’s Liam Livingstone grabs five wickets against Kent

Delays at Grace Road, Trent Bridge and Blackpool, but all up and running otherwise.

Shoaib Bashir though is playing for Derbyshire up at CLS, and ex Derbyshire bowler Duanne Olivier for Durham, but no sign yet of Ben Stokes.

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