All posts by h716a5.icu

Rikki Clarke, the 32-year-old Warwickshire allrounder, has added himself to the IPL auction list after receiving encouragement from one of the franchises.

George Dobell04-Feb-2014Rikki Clarke, the 32-year-old Warwickshire allrounder, has added himself to the IPL auction list after receiving encouragement from one of the franchises.Clarke, who played the last of his 22 games for England in 2006, recently underwent an operation on his Achilles but is confident of being fit for the IPL season.His release from county cricket would mirror that of the England players and means he would not be available for the entire tournament.Although Clarke, who took a wicket with his first ball in international cricket as a 21-year-old, developed a reputation as something of a wasted talent for a while in his mid-20s, he has played the best cricket of his career over recent seasons.His development into the allrounder his talent long promised was confirmed when he was included in England’s 30-man preliminary squad for last year’s Champions Trophy.He has been the subject of interest from IPL franchises before, but has never previously been released by Warwickshire. He has taken 49 wickets at 26.55 in T20 cricket and scored 1385 runs at 21.30.In last year’s Friends Life t20 he scored 216 runs at 30.85 at a strike rate of 118 and also claimed seven wickets at 24.85 with an impressive economy rate of 6.96.

Ben Dunk’s success in the Big Bash League for the Hobart Hurricanes and subsequent IPL deal with the Mumbai Indians is one of this season’s feelgood stories in Australian cricket

Brydon Coverdale19-Feb-2014Ben Dunk’s success in the Big Bash League for the Hobart Hurricanes and subsequent IPL deal with the Mumbai Indians is one of this season’s feelgood stories in Australian cricket. But it is also a cautionary tale for before this summer Dunk had achieved, by his own admission, “nowhere near” what he wanted to in cricket. At 26, he was being swallowed by the professional system. He had got into the bad habit of letting others do the thinking.Dunk knew that something had to change and that came with the opportunity to play league cricket for the Royton Cricket Club in Lancashire during the 2013 winter. Away from the myriad off-field staff that are now part of state cricket teams, Dunk suddenly found himself having to solve his own issues. He believes that period in England was the catalyst for his resurgence this summer, first a solid start to Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield campaign and then his BBL exploits.”I had to figure things out for myself,” Dunk told ESPNcricinfo of his time with Royton. “If I wasn’t driving the ball well, I couldn’t go to whoever the coach was and say ‘this isn’t working, what do you think?’ You had to do it yourself. I think that allowed me to grow up a lot as a player and if anything it actually simplified the game for me. It made me realise what was important and what’s not.”I think as a player I’d probably lost that. I’d been in the professional setup for close to five years and you just get into the habit of people around you finding the answer for you all the time. It’s a terrible habit to get in to. I think that’s going to be a problem in the future. There will be guys who are 25 and have been on contract for eight years and they’re not going to be able to figure things out for themselves.”Kimmince rewarded for T20 form

Delissa Kimmince has been named the ACA’s Women’s Player of the Month for January after she helped Queensland Fire to the Twenty20 title. Kimmince, 24, was the Player of the Match in the final with an unbeaten 78 that helped the Fire to victory over the ACT Meteors, ending the dominance of New South Wales and Victoria in women’s cricket in Australia.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Kimmince said. “After coming so close last year in the one-day final against NSW winning the T20 final capped of a hard fought season. To send Melissa Bulow off on a winning note was such an amazing feeling but to know we were taking the silverware home wasn’t just a reward to us but to also all the players that had been so close before us. I think the gap between all the teams is definitely closing in both formats.”
Kimmince was third on the run tally in the tournament with 443 at 36.91 in addition to her nine wickets and the performance helped her earn a place in the squad for the World T20. She last played for Australia nearly five years ago but in 10 ODIs and one T20 did not even get to bat; now she has reinvented herself as an opener.
“I think having always been a bowler since I was younger I was never offered the same opportunity with the bat,” she said. “After my 2011 season with Warwickshire playing county cricket in the UK I opened the batting there and had a really good season, ever since then I’ve basically told my club coach I’ll open the batting.”

That a player like Dunk got into such bad habits is revealing, for by any measure he is an intelligent cricketer. He captained Queensland at 23. He is completing a business degree with a major in management. He is well spoken and thoughtful about the game. For him, the season in Lancashire was about going back to basics, uncomplicating the batting process once again.”It was just to get away and realise that it’s not necessarily about where your feet are moving to, or where your hands are,” he said. “For me it was just about watching the ball as hard as I could and everything else has now taken care of itself.”Things have fallen into place so effectively for Dunk that he was named the Player of the Tournament in the BBL and also voted by his peers as the Australian Cricketers’ Association’s Player of the Month for January. To cap it all off, he was bought by the Mumbai Indians at the IPL auction and will join such international luminaries as Michael Hussey and Lasith Malinga in the squad, which seemed an unattainable goal when Dunk was not picked for any BBL games last season.”I was on the Hurricanes’ books but when Ricky Ponting was a late addition I think I got shuffled back significantly,” Dunk said of the 2012-13 campaign. “What can you do? I didn’t mind mixing Gatorade for one of the greats. But it was great to get an opportunity this year. In a tournament format if you can get off to a bit of a start as a player, the tournament just rolls on for you. It gives you confidence and you’re not really chasing your tail as much.”I’d always wanted to be part of the IPL, but wanting something and actually thinking that it’s achievable are two different things. I probably didn’t think it would happen, I thought those opportunities had passed me by. But it’s amazing what a bit of confidence and backing from the backroom and the coaching staff can do for a player. Dan Marsh and Damien Wright this year have been unbelievable.”Although Dunk struggled to adjust back to the red ball in his first Sheffield Shield match after the BBL, he had started the season well with 445 runs at 40.45 from the first six games. Combined with his 395 at 43.88 and a strike-rate of 145.75 in the BBL, it has all made the move to Tasmania in 2012 – Dunk is originally from Innisfail in far north Queensland, where his family ran a banana farm – worthwhile.”At the time I felt deep down I hadn’t achieved what I wanted to in cricket,” Dunk said. “I’d got nowhere near it. My record was pretty ordinary apart from some one-day cricket that I’d done well in. I really had something to prove to myself. Tassie gave me the opportunity to do it and I’m pretty thankful for it. This year Dan Marsh has really helped me along. Every time I try to get back to any sort of technical thoughts he grabs me and pushes me back in the right direction.”

Franchise officials say Sunil Gavaskar, the new BCCI President – IPL, held an informal conference call with them to discuss IPL issues

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Apr-2014Sunil Gavaskar will hold his first media conference as the BCCI president – IPL in Dubai on Wednesday. There was some confusion ahead of that formal interaction, however, and possibly not of Gavaskar’s making, emanating from a BCCI statement that said he had briefed franchises and held a discussion with them on Monday.Franchises contacted by ESPNcricinfo denied there was any meeting held, except for a “courtesy” conference call in which Gavaskar and IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal spoke briefly.”Mr Sunil Gavaskar, Interim President, BCCI – IPL, had a discussion with the franchises on Pepsi IPL 2014, earlier today,” Monday’s statement said. “He briefed them on the preparations for the 2014 season. The franchises shared their views and extended their support and cooperation for a successful Pepsi IPL 2014.”Five franchises said nothing of this sort had happened. “They are making it look like there was a meeting,” one franchise head said. “There was a conference call that Gavaskar and Biswal had with franchises. It was a courtesy call and nothing else.””I don’t know of any meeting or any call,” a co-owner of another franchise said.It is understood, however, that Gavaskar has begun the process of talking to the owners separately. The chief executive of another franchise confirmed that his team’s owner had spoken with Gavaskar.Franchise officials indicated that Gavaskar, while he was keen to understand the kind of changes they wanted, was indirectly trying to assess their opinion of Sundar Raman, the IPL chief operating officer. “That call was almost hinting at what needs to be done with Sundar Raman,” the franchise head said.Gavaskar was acting on the instructions of the Supreme Court, which last week, while giving him charge of the BCCI’s IPL functions, had asked him to work out whether he wanted the services of Raman, the de facto head of the tournament.Raman, an advertising professional, had been hired by IPL founder-chairman Lalit Modi to be his right-hand man when the tournament started. After Modi’s expulsion in 2010, Raman grew equally close to BCCI president N Srinivasan, whose ouster from the BCCI last week called Raman’s position into question.Raman has never been a favourite among franchise officials but they acknowledge he is indispensable to the tournament. “He has been there right from the beginning of the IPL,” the franchise head said. “So he has grown into the manager who has made himself indispensable. The fear is if he goes, it might be more trouble than him being there. So let him at least be there.”In fact officials say the tournament’s smooth running will minimise the scope for Gavaskar to make any difference. “This is too short a time for anybody to make an impact,” the franchise owner said. “At the end of day IMG run the league operationally. IPL officials [the BCCI] have barely any role to play other than sending emails. Otherwise, ticketing, accreditations, matches, appointments of the officials is managed by IMG. So as far as leadership goes, there is hardly anything anyone can do.”The franchise executive said the one thing he could expect of Gavaskar was to help the IPL announce the final schedule for the second phase of the tournament. “Although the BCCI indicated that the second phase of the IPL would be played in India, we are still are waiting for the schedule,” he said. “We can then plan our stuff and convince sponsors.”

Mark Waugh has confirmed an approach from Cricket Australia to join the national selection panel, as other selectors weigh up their futures

Daniel Brettig02-Apr-2014Mark Waugh has confirmed an approach from Cricket Australia to join the national selection panel, as other selectors weigh up their futures.Always considered a sharp and plain-speaking observer of the game, Waugh had not seriously considered an official selection role before now. But as members of the current panel, including the national selector John Inverarity, consider whether or not to extend contracts due to expire in June, Waugh is open to the idea.Employed by the Ten Network as a Twenty20 Big Bash League commentator, Waugh said the travel demands of the selection role, which would require his presence for regular overseas tours and domestic games, were the main factors currently giving him pause.”I am still speaking to them [CA],” Waugh told the . “I am weighing up the commitment to time away from home and how it will affect my media commitments. I am keen to get involved as a selector but I am not sure about the timing at the moment. It is quite a big commitment.”Every time the Australian team is overseas there has to be a selector there. Then you have commitments back in Australia, plus the Australia A side. You have to decide whether you want to juggle that and spend time away from home. I am definitely interested but I have not made up my mind yet.”Inverarity said earlier this week that he had not yet decided on his future, but CA’s approach to Waugh is the strongest suggestion yet that the panel will change significantly.”My contract when I joined in November 2011 was for up to the end of June this year,” Inverarity said. “In the coming weeks and months I will discuss with CA whether I will continue to play a role in the national selection panel, and that’s where it is. It’s yet to be finally decided.”One of the Argus review’s recommendations was for the appointment of a fulltime national selector, later unveiled as Inverarity, with better pay and conditions for other members of the panel. Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel are the other selectors, alongside the national team coach Darren Lehmann.Before the review, Simon Katich had levelled heavy criticism of the previous selection panel, which included a part-time chairman in Andrew Hilditch and the current national talent manager Greg Chappell.”When you talk about money, you get the best in the business for paying. If you pay peanuts you get monkeys,” Katich said in June 2011. “There has been talk about that [full-time selectors] for a while now but nothing has been done about it. It’s a business, there’s no doubt about that, that’s just the way sport has gone. Being realistic it’s got to go that way, because you’re dealing with guys’ careers.”

Denesh Ramdin, the West Indies wicketkeeper, has been named captain of the Test side and will take over the reins from Darren Sammy, who will remain the T20 captain

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2014Denesh Ramdin, the West Indies wicketkeeper, has been named captain of the Test side and will take over from Darren Sammy, who will remain the T20 captain. This means West Indies have three separate captains for all three formats.Ramdin’s first assignment will be the home series against New Zealand which begins on June 8. He has led the national side in three T20s and an ODI. His experience with Trinidad & Tobago is more extensive with 37 matches at the helm across formats. He has 21 wins under his belt and took T&T to the semi-final of the Regional Four Day Competition this season.This is the second time in as many years that Sammy has had to relinquish captaincy. Last May he had to make way for Dwayne Bravo to become ODI captain after criticism regarding his batting too low and his ability as a strike bowler.Sammy’s tenure as Test captain began in November 2010 when West Indies drew a three-match series against the hosts Sri Lanka. His best accomplishment as captain was when West Indies won six consecutive matches in 2012-13 which lifted the side to No. 5 in the rankings. But an overall record of 8 wins to 12 losses – including a spell of five defeats in their last six matches – has hurt his cause.Sammy’s three-year stint was marred by debate over his reliability as a player. He usually occupies No.8 in the batting order and has hit his only Test century and all five fifties in that position. But an average of 22.43 cites his lack of consistency and his straightforward medium pace, that fetched him 29 wickets in 10 matches, prompted several critics to question his impact as an allrounder.

Congrats to Ramdin on being name test Captain. God's speed brother as u look to take us forward. Thanks to all for the support.

— Darren Sammy (@darrensammy88) May 9, 2014

Dip your bread, Joe Root will have been told since childhood on batting days like this. Like Oliver Twist, he dipped his bread and then asked to dip it some more

The Report by David Hopps13-Jun-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDip your bread, Joe Root will have been told since childhood on batting days like this. Like Oliver Twist, he dipped his bread and then asked to dip it some more. Sri Lanka did not possess a bowler with the capability to scold him. The outcome was that he launched England’s Test summer at Lord’s by becoming the fourth-youngest England batsman to hit a Test double-century, a poster boy for a new generation.England’s 575 for 9 was their highest Test score since they made 591 for 6 declared against India at The Oval three years ago. Sri Lanka responded in kind, losing only Dimuth Karunaratne in the 40 overs to the close, so encouraging the perception that a draw is achievable and that this Lord’s pitch will remain a featherbed to the end.There are a few lurking signs of indifferent bounce, however, and after a run of six successive draws between 2006 and 2008, there have been ten positive results in the last 11. This match is not quite moribund yet.This was a bountiful Lord’s batting surface and the Sri Lanka attack had serious limitations, but Root’s response over eight-and-a-quarter hours was impeccable. He likes Lord’s. Last summer, against Australia, he made 180 before missing out on a double century as he attempted a ‘Dilscoop’.Joe Root progressed untroubled to a double-hundred as England piled up the runs•Getty ImagesThere was a uniformity in his progress. He reached his hundred just before the close on the first day. His 150 followed from the last ball before lunch on the second day, another clip through midwicket, an area where he was highly productive, this time off the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath. Herath, too, was lapped for the runs that in turn brought up his 200, an immediate declaration, and an infectious grin.”Grin away,” Bill Sikes told Oliver Twist. “Grin away.” But Sikes was menacingly brandishing a poker. Sri Lanka’s fielders bore only warm congratulations.Sri Lanka looked so disconsolate they might have turned Lord’s, with all its trappings, into a day in the workhouse. Their over rate was criminal – 12 overs an hour on the second day as they stretched the game out wherever possible to spare their pace bowlers and generally failed to get on with the job. England were not too much better as six overs went unbowled. Test cricket cannot afford such liberties.Sri Lanka’s confident response with the bat will have steeled their nerves. Anderson had Dimuth Karunaratne lbw in the first over, but Paul Reiffel’s decision was overturned on review because the ball was too high. Karunaratne also edged Broad between second and third slip before Chris Jordan dismissed him with his third ball in Test cricket.But Liam Plunkett’s fire was extinguished by the pitch and the suspicion of cramp and a measured innings by Kaushal Silva, sternly bearded, survived into the third day after TV replays spared him a catch at the wicket off Broad when 39. Matt Prior insisted afterwards that it was a clean catch, and cricketing instinct felt that way, but zoomed-in cameras habitually introduce an element of doubt to low catches and this was no different. Those who nonsensically accused Prior of cheating have presumably never been on a cricket field in their life.England earlier rid themselves of an unwelcome batting statistic when they reached 400 for the first time in 27 innings. As Jonathan Trott and Nick Compton struck hundreds in Wellington only 15 months ago, few would have imagined the canker that would take hold of their batting and the conflicts and personal trauma that would unfold. Back-to-back series against Australia can have that effect.The jollity of the second day at Lord’s had an entirely different feel. England made 129 in the morning session, rattling along at five an over. In no rush to leave the pleasuredome, they piled up a further 102 after lunch.The new ball was only nine overs old when play resumed on the second morning. But the day was warm and sunny, the pitch sedate and Root and Prior already had 135 runs in the bank from the first day. The Middlesex flag flew at half mast in memory of their former coach, Don Bennett; many Sri Lanka players wore black armbands to mourn the death of the wife of their former bowling coach, Champika Ramanayake.It was not long before Sri Lanka changed tack and started banging the ball halfway down the pitch in the hope of reminding England of their frailties against the short ball in Australia. All they lacked was a Mitchell Johnson. And a quick, bouncy pitch. And a hostile crowd. In fact, come to think of it, they lacked quite a lot.Shaminda Eranga, short of match practice, had looked out of synch on the first day, but he carried the short-ball fight with resolve. Prior and Jordan both fell to short balls into the body from around the wicket, Prior angry with himself as he fended to short leg, still 14 runs short of a century, Jordan looking more mystified as his shot in self-protection arced gently to the wicketkeeper.That keeper was Prasanna Jayawardene, although he had not taken the field at the start of the day after injuring a hand in the warm-up. While Jayawardene had a scan – which showed no real damage – Silva, a regular wicketkeeper, deputised.Sri Lanka were content to encourage Root off the strike, but when they did so they met a barrage of blows from the lower order, briefly from Jordan and latterly from Broad and Plunkett. Broad’s gung-ho innings ended on 47 when he slapped Nuwan Pradeep to deep midwicket – he might have been stumped on the same score – and Plunkett looked quizzically upon Sri Lanka’s short-ball trap – fine leg, long leg, deep square leg, square leg and short leg, and pulled three boundaries in an over. He got out pulling eventually, which on the law of averages alone was no surprise.Root never became involved in such fripperies. He remained sharp of wit and clean of stroke, never rushed (at least not until the closing overs), but always keen enough to keep his innings interesting. It was an innings which might have shaped a career. Whether it will reshape the game remains to be seen.

Jimmy Neesham, the New Zealand allrounder, has been added to the Guyana Amazon Warriors side as one of their three overseas players a week before the start of the Caribbean Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2014Jimmy Neesham, the New Zealand allrounder, has been added to the Guyana Amazon Warriors side as one of their three overseas players a week before the start of the Caribbean Premier League. Neesham replaced fellow New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson, who has been asked by his country’s board to withdraw from the tournament due to concerns over his fitness.”We could not have asked for a better replacement for Corey,” Roger Harper, the Guyana Amazon Warriors coach, said. “Jimmy is a great fit for the Amazon Warriors, and we look forward to seeing the excellent form he displayed in the recent Test series continuing in the CPL.”Neesham, who hit a hundred and two half-centuries in the recently-concluded three-Test series, has two fifties in his 36-match T20 career, but it is his strike rate of 149.85 and his medium-pace bowling that makes him a like-for-like replacement for Anderson. He has also been entrusted with the responsibility of opening the innings during the current two-match T20 series between West Indies and New Zealand. Neesham featured in the IPL this season too, for Delhi Daredevils.”I’m very excited to be extending my time in the Caribbean and joining up with the Guyana Amazon Warriors,” Neesham said. “I loved watching last year’s tournament, and this time I can’t wait to get involved on the pitch. I’ve really enjoyed my time in the Caribbean and can’t wait to experience the famous CPL atmosphere when the tournament begins next week.”

Hanco Oliver and Janneman Malan battled back for South Africa on day three to leave England with work still to do to win the second Youth Test at Wantage Road.

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2014
ScorecardJanneman Malan fought hard for South Africa•Getty ImagesHanco Olivier and Janneman Malan battled back for South Africa on day three to leave England with work still to do to win the second Youth Test at Wantage Road.The tourists needed a strong response to their first-innings embarrassment and proved what they are capable of with a solid day of batting. They still trail England by a sizeable 81 but, with six wickets in hand and a horrendous forecast for day four, South Africa gave themselves every chance to salvage a draw.Olivier led the way, shrugging off the possibility of a king pair to make an unbeaten 79, and eating up 239 balls in the process. He and Malan occupied more than 50 overs of the day, adding 109 for the third wicket – very steady but valuable progress for his side.Malan fell for 55 and England brought themselves right back into the game with another wicket five overs later but South Africa captain Sibonelo Makhanya ensured his side enter the final day in solid shape by taking the stand between him and Olivier to the close.England’s bowlers were made to work far harder than in the first innings and it wasn’t until the 19th over that they struck, with Will Rhodes bowling Ryan Rickelton for 5. Josh Shaw made it two down 10 overs later but it was then a hard slog until Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood struck in quick succession towards the end of the day to revive England hopes of victory.

A 154-run first-wicket partnership between Martin Guptill and Lendl Simmons ensured the Guyana Amazon Warriors made easy work of the St Lucia Zouks’ 189 for 7 in an eight-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A 154-run first-wicket partnership between Martin Guptill and Lendl Simmons ensured the Guyana Amazon Warriors made easy work of the St Lucia Zouks’ 189 for 7 in an eight-wicket win for the Amazon Warriors on Sunday at Warner Park in St Kitts. The total represented the highest successful chase in the two-year history of the Caribbean Premier League.The stand between Guptill and Simmons broke the CPL first-wicket record that was set only hours earlier by Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher, who added 139 at the start of the match after the Zouks were sent in to bat. The Zouks had a chance to nip the Simmons-Guptill partnership in the bud but Simmons was shelled by Liam Sebastien at long leg in the second over off Tino Best with the opener yet to get off the mark.Simmons presented two more chances, on 45 and 64, with neither taken and eventually finished with 97. Guptill was caught on the boundary by Kevin Pietersen off Best for 66 in the 16th over while Simmons missed out on a century by unselfishly running himself out in the 19th over as Guyana hurried toward the target in a bid to boost their net run rate. Guyana got there with an over to spare and succeeded in jumping past the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel into second place on net run rate with both teams at 6-3.Finishing second would allow Guyana to avoid having to play in the initial playoff match which will be staged between the third and fourth placed teams on the CPL table. The first place side after the regular season will receive a bye to automatically advance to the championship match.At the halfway point of the first innings, the Zouks looked primed to end the season with three straight wins thanks to the stand produced by Charles and Fletcher, who made 62 and 78 respectively. Navin Stewart came on late to bowl a crucial two-over spell which claimed both men two balls apart in the 16th over just as each batsman was setting up for a strong finish. Stewart also dismissed Kevin Pietersen in the 18th courtesy of a spectacular one-handed leaping catch by Guptill on the long-on boundary and finished with 3 for 22.Ronsford Beaten conceded just eight runs in the 19th and three wickets fell in the 20th bowled by Krishmar Santokie to further dent St Lucia’s chances of setting a target in excess of 200. Guyana’s fielding and death bowling was sharper overall and by the end of the match it was the difference between the two sides, allowing the Amazon Warriors to come away with the win.

Less than 12 months after helping Lancashire back into Division One and being named the club’s Player of the Year, Kyle Hogg has been forced to retire by a severe back injury

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2014Less than 12 months after helping Lancashire back into Division One and being named the club’s Player of the Year, Kyle Hogg has been forced to retire by a severe back injury. The 31-year-old, a grandson of West Indies spinner Sonny Ramadhin, made his Lancashire debut in 2001 and took more than 400 wickets to go with almost 4000 runs in all formats.In 2011, when Lancashire won their first outright title in 77 years, Hogg claimed 50 wickets at 18.80, form he rediscovered last season when picking up 60 at 18.41 as part of a formidable new-ball partnership with Glen Chapple.Hogg signed for Lancashire on the same day as James Anderson and, such was his promise, some joked that he was the player England meant to call up when Anderson made his ODI debut in 2002-03. The furthest he got was a place in England’s Academy but he developed into a useful swing-bowling allrounder at domestic level.”I would like to thank everybody at Lancashire County Cricket Club for the support they have shown me over the years – the coaches, staff, team-mates, members and supporters have all had a major influence on my career,” Hogg said. “I have loved every moment of my time at such a fantastic cricket club. I have some great memories, such as being part of the squad that won the County Championship title in 2011, and I have played in some memorable games alongside some outstanding players.”The news about the severity of my back condition came as a shock and I am faced with no alternative but to hang up my boots. I will always be a fan of Lancashire – it’s in my blood – and I wish them every success for the future.”Hogg played for MCC in the Champion County game but injury kept him out of the start of Lancashire’s season, with the club struggling on their return to the top tier. He managed to play in eight Championship fixtures, taking 21 wickets, but since July has only featured in one Royal London Cup fixture.Lancashire’s director of cricket, Mike Watkinson, said: “Kyle has made an outstanding contribution to Lancashire County Cricket Club during his career with us. He is a product of the local leagues and came through our development system, showing promise from an early age. As well as being such a talented cricketer he is a top bloke and totally committed to the club which is typified by his work as a Foundation Ambassador. It’s very sad that he has been forced to retire at the peak of his career and we wish him all the best for the future.”