James Wharton and Sterre Kalis have been in the runs in Australia, while Matthew Revis and Leah Dobson have had more success with the ball.
The Yorkshire and Northern Diamonds quartet are playing winter grade cricket across Australia at present.
Wharton scored 99 on debut in a two-day win for Western Australia side Wanneroo over Mount Lawley late last month, him anchoring a successful pursuit of a 317 target courtesy of a measured 161-ball innings including eight fours.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. James Wharton.
They are currently playing two-day cricket, and unfortunately for Wharton he followed that up with a duck in the next match, which concludes this weekend.
Kalis, meanwhile, is playing women’s grade cricket in Tasmania for New Town, and her last three innings have been 36, 34 and 40 in T20 matches.
The Dutch international is also training with the Tasmanian state and Hobart Hurricanes Big Bash squads, and earlier this week she scored a century in an intra-squad match.
In Queensland, Revis and Dobson are playing for the same club, the Gold Coast Dolphins. In the men’s first grade competition, Revis claimed five wickets across two innings on debut in a win over South Brisbane last last month and earlier this.
He will have ball in hand tomorrow when their latest match against the Sunshine Coast concludes. Revis has yet to post a score of note with the bat. Gold Coast were bowled out for 402 on the first day of that fixture last weekend.
In the women’s competition, Dobson claimed two wickets and top scored with 23 in a T20 defeat against the Valley team last Sunday. Two of their last four matches have been washed out.
Ottis Gibson is backing India to complete their juggernaut style journey to World Cup glory on Sunday, when they face Australia in the final.
India have won all 10 matches so far, including Wednesday’s semi-final against New Zealand. Australia are also in fine form having won their last eight. They beat South Africa yesterday to qualify for the Ahmedabad showpiece.
Yorkshire coach Gibson has watched quite a lot of the World Cup, owing much to his so far successful recovery from knee replacement surgery last month.
Of India, he said: “They just look so solid in every department, you know.
“They have all of their best players in form and confident, and that makes a huge difference.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Ottis Gibson.
“If one guy doesn’t get you, the other guy will.
“Their bowling is just fantastic. It’s amazing to think that if Hardik Pandya hadn’t have got injured after two or three games, the best bowler in the tournament wouldn’t be playing. Since (Mohammed) Shami has come in, he’s been the best bowler in the tournament.
“Their players are just so confident, and it’s incredible to watch. So, yes, I do expect them to go on and win it.”
Gibson, meanwhile, has returned to Headingley to begin pre-season training. He took a watching brief earlier this week and will step up commitments from next week.
Matthew Fisher has headed off to the United Arab Emirates for a three-week training camp with the England Lions.
Fisher is the only Yorkshire player who has travelled on a trip which is preparing a host of players for New Year red ball tours of India, be it with the Lions or England’s senior Test team.
Former Durham seamer Neil Killeen is leading the trip as head coach. He is currently England’s fast bowling coach.
Fisher, recently turned 26, will also get the opportunity to work with England all-round legend Andrew Flintoff, who is part of the coaching staff as he returns to cricket following a successful TV career which was curtailed by a serious accident whilst filming Top Gear.
On Wednesday, Flintoff was announced as the new coach of the Northern Superchargers men for 2024, replacing James Foster.
Picture by Sri Lanka Cricket. Matthew Fisher takes five wickets for the Lions in Sri Lanka earlier this year.
Talking of Fisher’s 26th, which he celebrated on November 9. Did you know there is another seam bowling Matthew Fisher who plays his cricket for Northern Districts in New Zealand?
And he – a former New Zealand Under 19 – celebrated his 24th birthday on November 10.
Hollie Armitage is also in the same region as Fisher, having travelled with the England women’s A squad to Oman for a similar training camp.
Northern Diamonds captain Armitage is part of a 21-player squad which will shadow England’s senior squad.
That training camp has been running since November 12 through to November 25 before 14 players will travel to India for a three-match T20 series against India A between November 29 and December 3.
The remaining unselected players will stay on with the senior squad in Oman as they train through to December 2.
The senior squad, of which Bess Heath will be part of following her Big Bash commitments in Australia, have a tour of India starting on December 6. They will play three T20s and one Test Match.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Hollie Armitage.
On Wednesday, Heath hit an excellent 51 off 26 balls as the Heat beat Hobart Hurricanes, the Diamond elevated to bat at number three.
It was Heath’s highest score in nine WBBL innings.
Heat have won seven of 11 matches so far in the 14-fixture group stage, and they are firmly in the mix for the knockout phase, despite a defeat to Melbourne Renegades earlier today.
The top four teams qualify to play knockout cricket ahead of the December 2 final.
Yorkshire Disability fast bowler Alex Jervis has helped England’s Learning Disability side to a four-match winning start to their T20 tri-series with Australia and hosts South Africa in Pretoria.
The England LD side, who have never lost such a series, have so far claimed two wins over both of their opponents, with Jervis particularly frugal with the ball.
Jervis has returned figures of 0-32 from four overs, 1-18 from three, 1-17 from four and 0-18 from three.
County colleague Rob Hewitt is yet to bat or bowl in the series, which continues through to the final at the Supersport Park international venue on November 19.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Alex Jervis.
Yorkshire and England star Harry Brook has pulled out of the forthcoming Big Bash competition in Australia, which starts early next month.
Brook was a marquee pick for the Melbourne Stars at the draft towards the end of the English summer, but the buccaneering batter has opted against travelling Down Under due to a heavy workload, which includes T20 and ODI commitments in the West Indies next month and then a New Year Test tour of India.
He was due to feature in seven BBL games in between aforementioned tour, but now the Stars have been forced into a change of plan.
“Naturally we’re disappointed that Harry has withdrawn from the BBL, but we understand his decision,” said Stars general manager Blair Crouch.
Picture by Matt Roberts-ICC/Getty Images. Harry Brook on World Cup duty.
“We obviously rate Harry extremely highly and we would have loved to have seen him at the MCG alongside Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis this summer.
“We wish him all the best with his upcoming international commitments.”
