The Hundred Finals are set to be impacted amidst England cricket commitments.
Oval Invincibles pacer Gus Atkinson has been ruled out of The Hundred men’s final on Sunday as the ECB has made him unavailable to prepare for the Sri Lanka Tests.
Atkinson, who excelled in the West Indies, has played just one game for Invincibles this season. Captain Sam Billings accepted the “understandable” move but felt it was disappointing for the bowler.
Saqib Mahmood is set to replace him after impressing throughout the tournament. With Ben Stokes injured long-term, the board is careful about workloads.
Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, and Jordan Cox will join Birmingham Phoenix and Invincibles for weekend games before linking up with England.
Billings termed Cox’s availability as ideal preparation given he missed cricket recently due to national duties.
Jofra Archer is expected to play both the eliminator and final for Southern Brave if they qualify considering minimum travel involved in the twenties format.
Captain James Vince didn’t receive restrictions on Archer either given his workloads are being carefully monitored.
In the women’s event, Chamari Athapaththu will miss the Invincibles’ eliminator due to Sri Lanka’s Ireland tour. Laura Harris comes in as cover. National duties and injury concerns have impacted the showpiece finals across formats in The Hundred.
