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Kings were struggling at 51 for 4 in their chase of 139 before Chase and Jones silenced the home crowd

Deivarayan Muthu07-Oct-20242:08

Faf du Plessis: ‘We’ve been waiting for the trophy a long time’

Two months after sprinter Julien Alfred delivered St Lucia’s first Olympic medal, St Lucia’s very own Daren Sammy and his Kings gave the region its maiden CPL title, silencing a packed crowd at the Providence.The crowd had been at its loudest when Guyana Amazon Warriors reduced Kings to 51 for 4 in their chase of 139 on a slow, two-paced surface. Kings went nine overs without a single boundary. Roston Chase was battling illness. Aaron Jones was struggling so much that Sammy contemplated retiring him out. Amazon Warriors’ four-pronged spin attack had their side dreaming of back-to-back titles.Jones, however, turned the tables on them and crushed their dream. After being on 10 off 19 balls, Jones zoomed to 38 off his next 12 balls, forging an unbroken 88-run partnership with Chase, who has been with Kings for five seasons.Chase played the Marlon Samuels role, something he’s been doing for West Indies for a while, and capped a stellar week for him, in which he had also earned a CWI central contract.

Amazon Warriors slow off the blocks

After being asked to bat first on a sluggish pitch, Amazon Warriors could only manage 27 runs in the powerplay for the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0) who had picked out mid-on in the very first over. This was the second fewest Amazon Warriors had scored in the first six overs in 13 games this season.Khary Pierre, who had spent much of his time at Trinbago Knight Riders in the shadows of Sunil Narine and Akeal Hosein, came away with 2-0-6-1 during this phase. As for Alzarri Joseph, he handcuffed Moeen Ali with wide lines before Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad had him miscuing a slog-sweep to midwicket for 14 off 20 balls. Then, in his next over, Noor also claimed the prized scalp of Shimron Hetmyer when he had him carving his stock ball to sweeper cover for 11 off nine balls.Shai Hope contributed 22 off 24 balls before Chase knocked him over with an offbreak that kept low. By the time, Noor finished his spell with figures of 4-0-19-3, Amazon Warriors were 102 for 7 in 18 overs.Noor ended the season with 22 wickets; only CPL legend Dwayne Bravo has bagged more wickets in a season (2015) in the league.Aaron Jones played a vital innings under pressure for St Lucia Kings•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Shepherd, Pretorius turn up the tempo

That Amazon Warriors eventually had a fairly competitive total on the board was down to the big-hitting of their finisher Romario Shepherd and Dwaine Pretorius, who was the Player of the Match in the CPL 2023 final. They combined for three sixes and two fours in the last two overs, which overall yielded 36 runs for Amazon Warriors.

Amazon Warriors roar back

Shepherd then struck with the new ball when he had Johnson Charles, one of the heroes for Kings this season, chopping on for seven off ten balls. After bowling that wicket-taking delivery, Shepherd walked off the field with some discomfort.Amazon Warriors’ slower bowlers then tightened the screws on Kings as Faf du Plessis, Ackeem Auguste and their New Zealand recruit Tim Seifert all fell in a space of three overs. Chase and Jones then got together but they couldn’t get the boundaries away.

Chase and Jones finish it off for Kings

After the calm, came the storm. The pair lined Moeen’s offspin up for a sequence of 6,6,4,6,4 in a 27-run 16th over. Just like that, they snatched the game from Amazon Warriors’ grasp.Jones also went after Pretorius in the next over, taking 20 runs off the 17th over. Shepherd returned to bowl, but by then the game was over for Amazon Warriors.Jones provided a throwback to his unbeaten 94 off 40 balls in the opening game of the 2024 T20 World Cup with his six-hitting and celebrated those maximums with animated fist pumps. That world tournament paved the way for Jones’ return to the CPL (as a local player through his Barbados passport) and he made it a memorable night for himself and Kings. Coach Sammy wrapping Jones up in a bear hug will be one of the most lasting images for Kings in this triumphant campaign.

England paceman sympathises with Kagiso Rabada after his on-field aggression leads to two-Test ban

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2018James Anderson says he recognises the difficulties that Kagiso Rabada is having in controlling his on-field aggression, in the wake of his shoulder-barge on Steven Smith during the Port Elizabeth Test that led to a two-Test ban.The ICC has announced that Rabada is appealing his ban, which was automatically triggered by his accumulation of eight ICC demerit points in the space of 24 months, for offences including an audible obscenity directed at Ben Stokes during last summer’s Lord’s Test, and “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact” with Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella during an ODI in Cape Town.But Anderson, whom Rabada recently replaced as the ICC’s No.1-ranked Test bowler, following his 11-wicket haul against Australia, has sympathy for his fellow paceman.”There’s definitely got to be a place for emotion,” Anderson said. “I’ve certainly been there and done it, the thing is you have to control it the best you can. Sometimes it is hard, especially in the heat of the moment in a big series, if you get an important wicket.”Anderson is himself no saint out in the middle. During the Ashes, he was singled out by Australia’s captain Steven Smith as “one of the biggest sledgers in the game”, and he was at it again today during England’s warm-up match in Hamilton, when the umpires had to step in after he offered a few choice words to Kyle Jamieson during his century.However, unlike Rabada, Anderson has not yet been sanctioned by the ICC for his on-field behaviour, and he believes that there is a line that players should not cross, even if it can be hard to spot in the heat of the action.”Of course there’s a line, bowlers do know what that line is but at times it’s such a strange feeling,” he said. “I’ve watched myself back and watched me take a wicket and seen how I’ve celebrated and think ‘what am I doing?’ It’s literally one of those things, the build-up of emotion where you are trying so hard to get a wicket and win a game and this emotion just comes out as a big release.”It can feel like an out-of-body experience at times. I’m not excusing behaving badly on the field, I’m just saying I can understand what does happen to bowlers when they show that emotion. You see it with fielders, they can sometimes celebrate over the top but we are aware there’s a line, but you just hope as you can keep the emotion the check to stay the right side of the line.”

His 3 for 57 helps hosts to maximum bowling points before Sean Dickson 70* puts pitch in perspective

ECB Reporters Network19-Apr-2024Craig Overton signalled his return to form and fitness following winter back surgery as Somerset bowled out Nottinghamshire for 193 on the opening day of the Vitality County Championship First Division clash at Taunton.The England allrounder claimed 3 for 57 from 18 impressive overs to help the hosts to maximum bowling points after losing the toss. Only Matt Montgomery (48) and Joe Clarke (39) could offer significant resistance on a bright, blustery day.There were two wickets each for Lewis Gregory and Migael Pretorius. By the close, Somerset had replied with 116 for 1, Sean Dickson (70 not out) and Matt Renshaw (34) having produced an opening stand of 111.The match began with a brief and somewhat strange innings from Haseeb Hameed, who aimed an extravagant cover drive at the first ball, a wide one from Overton, without making contact, left the second and then dragged the third delivery onto his stumps with a repeat of his first shot.Ben Slater and Will Young were more circumspect in taking the total 49, although Overton deserved better than 1 for 13 from his opening spell, going past the outside edge on numerous occasions.Gregory has enjoyed an excellent start to the season after being appointed Somerset’s red-ball captain and he struck twice in the morning session just when the two Notts players were starting to look set.Slater, on 25, nibbled at a seaming delivery on off stump to edge through to wicketkeeper James Rew, while Young was pinned lbw on the back foot for 27 with the total on 52.Clarke and Montgomery saw Notts through to lunch, taking the score to 72 for 3 on a pitch offering true bounce and some seam movement, which looked as if it would aid good batting and bowling.It was the latter, backed up by excellent fielding, which held sway in the afternoon session. But first Clarke and Montgomery batted confidently, taking their fourth-wicket stand to 66 in 21 overs before Clarke got a leading edge to a leg-side delivery from England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir and was caught at mid-wicket. It proved a turning point as wickets fell steadily from then on.With the total on 139, Jack Haynes was caught behind pushing forward to Josh Davey and departed for 5. Fourteen runs were added before Montgomery, who had faced 84 balls and hit 6 fours, fell to a catch at second slip off Overton, who was again bowling well having switched to the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End.Two balls later the tall seamer, who missed Somerset’s opening Championship game to complete rehab after surgery and looked somewhat rusty in the second at The Oval, struck again as Calvin Harrison edged to Gregory at first slip.Suddenly Notts were 153 for seven and in a deep hole. Although Lyndon James and Brett Hutton added 30, there was no to be no major recovery.James fell for 18, lbw to a full-length delivery from South African seamer Pretorius, for whom it was a first wicket at Taunton since signing for Somerset. Hutton had moved to 20 when sent back seeking to push a single into the off-side and being run out by a brilliant direct hit by Lewis Goldsworthy running round from point.Pretorius picked up a second wicket when Luke Fletcher nicked a catch to Rew and Notts had been bowled out inside 63 overs. Tea was taken before Somerset’s reply began in bright sunshine.Soon Renshaw and Dickson were putting the pitch in perspective, compiling a century opening stand in 28.2 overs with barely a false shot, despite some probing bowling from Fletcher, who conceded only 11 runs from his first nine overs, bowled in two spells, one from either end.Dickson led the way with some sweetly-timed shots, including two swashbuckling strokes through point off James to bring up the fifty partnership. A single off leg-spinner Harrison took him to his first Championship half-century at the Cooper Associates County Ground, off 68 balls, with nine fours.Left-hander Renshaw was content to play a supporting role, but also looked in fine touch until edging a Harrison delivery that held its line to slip the ball after lofting him for a straight six.

Nine of the World Cup-bound squad members have been at IPL while others were involved in the five-match T20I tour of Pakistan

Andrew McGlashan16-May-2024New Zealand are banking on mixed fortunes from the IPL, their recent tour of Pakistan and experience of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) to ensure they are prepared for their T20 World Cup campaign in the absence of official warm-up matches.Warm-up matches were offered by ICC, but amid the logistical challenges of getting the entire squad together in the Caribbean – they will arrive in three batches between May 23 and June 1, the latter being any players involved in the IPL finals – and the proposed location of warm-up fixtures, New Zealand opted not to have them and instead use extra training sessions ahead of their opening group match against Afghanistan on June 7.”West Indies is a tough place to get to for a start, so it’s not easy to get everyone to Trinidad and Tobago at the same time,” head coach Gary Stead said. “For us, we don’t have warm-up games. There’s a number of guys who have been in the IPL for the last two months and we’ve also recently come off the tour to Pakistan.Related

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“There’s a lot of experience in the group who have played in the CPL before, so we’ll be leaning on those guys and making sure the trainings we get prior to the first game puts us in a position of where we want to be.”Nine of the squad have been at the IPL (Devon Conway was ruled out of his Chennai Super Kings stint due to injury but has been training with the franchise) while others were involved in the five-match T20I tour of Pakistan.However, in India the amount of match time has varied considerably for key players: Glenn Phillips hasn’t featured at all for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mitchell Santner has played just twice for CSK, Matt Henry three times for Lucknow Super Giants, Lockie Ferguson five times for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and captain Kane Williamson just twice for Gujarat Titans.At the other end of the scale, Daryl Mitchell has made 12 appearances for CSK and Rachin Ravindra nine for the same team while Trent Boult has been a regular fixture for Rajasthan Royals. With the bat, only Mitchell has had a tournament that could be considered something of a success with 314 runs at a strike rate of 144.70. Ravindra has made 161 runs at 17.88 and a strike rate of 176.08, having faded following a promising start. With the ball, Boult has taken 12 wickets with an economy of 8.42.*Daryl Mitchell has scored 314 runs at a strike rate of 144.70 for CSK in this IPL•BCCI

Devon Conway and Finn Allen fitness

Conway and Finn Allen, who are the first-choice opening pair for New Zealand, have not played since February due to thumb and back injuries respectively. Stead said that Allen was still experiencing a little bit of pain and the intensity of his training would be increased during the team camp in Mount Maunganui. Conway, meanwhile, will be assessed by the medical team when he returns from India next week. “[He] is tracking nicely,” Stead said. “He’s been wicketkeeping and batting in the nets on a regular basis.”Tim Southee is another who won’t have played a game since the New Zealand season finished having been left out of the Pakistan tour to focus on strength and conditioning.Stead, however, remained confident in preparations ahead of facing Afghanistan. “We’ve only got two players who haven’t been to a T20 World Cup that are in this squad,” he said. “That shows our group is experienced and they can lean back on those past experiences.”The players who are training in New Zealand have been utilising a variety of surfaces to try and replicate what could be on offer in Guyana and Trinidad where they play their group matches. Stead believed surfaces could start out conducive to higher scores before tiring depending on how many times they are used.

New Zealand’s tough group

On paper, New Zealand appear to have one of the tougher routes to the Super Eights having been grouped with Afghanistan, whose spinners could enjoy conditions, and hosts West Indies meaning at least one of those three nations won’t progress. They also face Uganda and Papua New Guinea in the first round.”Certainly looking forward to the challenge ahead and also the unknown of some of these new teams as well, the difference they might bring that we have to be really complete with our planning,” Stead said.*IPL stats as of May 15

The Afghanistan spinner, who played a starring role in Renegades’ only win so far this BBL season, was sanctioned by the ACB over contract issues last month

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2024Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been left out of Melbourne Renegades’ next BBL game against Melbourne Stars on Tuesday after a “change to his No-Objection Certificate (NOC) conditions”.Mujeeb, along with fast bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi, had been sanctioned by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) after expressing a desire to be left out of the central contracts list for 2024. The sanctions included no NOCs for the trio to play T20 leagues for the next two years and a revoking of any NOC they currently possess.Renegades had previously said in a statement that they had “received no communication that Mujeeb’s availability for the BBL could change from original plans” and “the club will continue to support him for the rest of the BBL season”. Today, a fresh statement was issued, saying: “Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been removed from the squad after a change to his NOC conditions made him unavailable for the match.”Related

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Naveen and Farooqi have since approached the ACB and, as per the board, “demonstrated a strong desire to represent their country again”. The pair were subsequently named in Afghanistan’s 18-member squad for the ongoing T20I series against UAE, but there was no place for Mujeeb.Mujeeb played a starring role in Renegades’ first and only win of this BBL season, picking up 3 for 20 against Adelaide Strikers on December 29. He last turned out for Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup.Afghanistan are currently involved in a three-match T20I series in the UAE. They won the first T20I convincingly but lost the second by 11 runs. The third and final match of the series will be played on Tuesday.

“As a bowler, what I think is that it keeps me in play. And if they’re going for it, playing so fast, they won’t tire me out”

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2024Jasprit Bumrah’s barometer for success will always remain his performances with the red ball because “Test cricket is king.” The 32-Test veteran is the most experienced member of India’s pace pack that will line-up for the first of five Tests against England in Hyderabad starting January 25. If he takes the field, which he should, it’ll be only his fifth home Test.”I am of that generation where Test cricket is king,” Bumrah told . “I will always judge myself on it. Yes, I started with IPL, but I learned to bowl through first-class cricket; that’s where I developed my skill, the art of taking wickets. In Test cricket you have to get the batsman out and that challenges you as a bowler.”The upcoming series will be Bumrah’s second full series since returning from a stress fracture that had him sidelined for over a year. He picked up 12 wickets in the two Tests in South Africa, including a match-winning 6 for 61 in Cape Town that helped India level the series at 1-1.Related

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On surfaces lately expected to favour spin, Bumrah may not have too much assistance from the surface. The last time England toured (in February-March 2021), he played in just two of the four Tests and bowled just 48 overs. Only time will tell how much of a workload he’ll have this time around, but it’s a challenge he’s ready to embrace again.”T20s, ODIs, some days you might send down five slower balls and get five guys out, when in a Test match they wouldn’t have taken one,” he explained. “There is no luck in Test cricket, the better team wins, you cannot take 20 wickets through luck. I was never happy with just white-ball cricket and Test cricket is still the utmost format for me.”Bumrah was at the receiving end of England’s new ultra-aggressive approach to Test match batting the last time he played them, in Birmingham in July 2022, a game where he also captained India. The Test is remembered for several reasons, not least because Bumrah carved a small batting record, when he hit Stuart Broad for 29 in a 35-run over.With the ball, however, India stuttered as they failed to defend 378 with Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root ‘bazballing’ their way to hundreds in an unbroken 269-run stand to seal victory that crushed India’s hopes of a first Test series win in England since 2007.Asked for his thoughts on the approach, Bumrah said ‘Bazball’ is something he “doesn’t really relate to” but it is something he’s excited about because it keeps bowlers like him in the game and in with a chance at all times.”I don’t really relate to the term Bazball,” he said. “But they are playing successful cricket and the aggressive route of taking the opposition on, showing the world there’s another way to play Test cricket.”As a bowler, what I think is that it keeps me in play. And if they’re going for it, playing so fast, they won’t tire me out, I could get heaps [of wickets]. I always think about how I can use things to my advantage. Kudos to them but, as a bowler, you’re in the game.”

Provisional World Cup squad due to be named soon with allrounder reportedly set to be included

Matt Roller15-Aug-2023Ben Stokes’ mooted return to ODI cricket will be top of the agenda as England’s selectors meet on Tuesday to pick a provisional squad for the upcoming World Cup in India.Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball coach, said in an interview with the that Jos Buttler, their captain, would “lead the way” on communication with Stokes, adding: “We will see if he’s keen. There has not been a clear direction on what he’s going to do yet, but we are still hopeful.”The reported on Monday that Stokes has indicated to England that he is willing to reverse his ODI retirement – which he announced last July – in order to help them defend their 50-over title in October-November, and he is now expected to be named among their provisional squad.England’s selectors meet on Tuesday and will select squads for upcoming T20I and ODI series against New Zealand, and an ODI series against Ireland. They hope to be close to full strength during the New Zealand ODIs, but will use the other series as an opportunity to test their depth. The ECB plan to name squads for the New Zealand series on Wednesday morning.They are not expected to announce their World Cup squad alongside it. The ICC requires teams to select a provisional squad by September 5 and to finalise their squads by September 28, leaving teams scope to make late changes. While England’s final squad will consist of 15 players, along with three travelling reserves, they may follow Australia’s lead in naming an initial 18-man group which they then trim down to 15 names closer to the start of the tournament.If Stokes does return, the main question facing England is whether his inclusion should come at the cost of a spare batter or a spare seamer.
All of their main white-ball seamers – including Jofra Archer, who is expected to be named in the provisional squad – have suffered injuries at some stage in the last two years, and picking Stokes alongside only five frontline seam options would be a risk.Stokes has struggled with a chronic left-knee injury and seems unlikely to be relied upon as a bowler in India, but even a part-time role with the ball would add further flexibility to a versatile squad that is likely to include several other allrounders in Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran and Chris Woakes.

The India captain said he felt a bit exhausted during his Port of Spain century, but was determined to kick on because India needed a top-order contribution

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2019India captain Virat Kohli revealed that he felt “tired” halfway through his innings of 120 against West Indies in the second ODI, played in extreme heat and humidity at Port of Spain, but pulled through because one of India’s top three had to bat long to get them to a match-winning total.Kohli ended up hitting his 42nd ODI century, and was out for 120 in the 42nd over, driving India to what proved to be a match-winning 279 for 7.”Our target is always that one of the top three has to make a big score,” Kohli told Yuzvendra Chahal on after the game. “Shikhar [Dhawan] and Rohit [Sharma] have done it consistently in the past few months. I’ve done it when I’ve got the opportunity. Today, since neither of them got a big score, it was important that I stay for a longer time so that we can get to about 275-280.”Honestly, I was very tired after getting to 60-65, but the situation was such that I had to bat long, and I had to push myself to work a bit harder for the team. If you think about the team, even if you’re tired you get energy from somewhere. But it was quite challenging, also because there had been rain on the day and when the weather is like that it gets even hotter, so it was very humid too.”Elaborating on the lifestyle changes he has adopted and his fitness drive, Kohli said that not being at 100% would mean not doing justice to your team.”My mindset has always been simple: that I should contribute to the team in some way. If there’s an important catch, I want to take it; if there is a crucial run-out, I want to make it,” Kohli said. “I think every player should make their lifestyle and discipline in such a way that on the field you can give your full effort. If you are not giving your full effort on the field, then I don’t think you are doing justice to your team.”The way my lifestyle, training, recovery and diet is, all of it is geared towards making me contribute to the team in every way I can. So on tough days like these, when you have to run a lot for your runs, and in the field also you know the situation demands that you need to make an effort, it [his regimen] helps at those moments, and these small things can make a big difference.”Though Kohli’s innings tired him, on the field he still found energy to break into a jig, at one point even celebrating with Chris Gayle when the latter went past Brian Lara’s run tally in ODIs. Kohli put his good spirits down to being in a good space in his life.”I’m enjoying myself on the field. It is a blessing [to play cricket for India]. I don’t follow a typical mould that if I’m captain I have to stand all seriously,” he said. “I think it’s important to enjoy these moments. If there’s music playing, dance. Crack jokes with the opposition players too. I’m just in a very good space in my life, which is why I start dancing wherever I hear music.”

The home side pulled off a fantastic chase after earlier seeing two of their bowlers ordered out of the attack for running on the pitch

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2025Jake Fraser-McGurk finally found his hard-hitting best, blasting Melbourne Renegades to a thrilling three-wicket BBL win over Brisbane Heat that ended their title defence but the home side’s finals hopes were fleeting.Out-of-form this summer for South Australia and Renegades, Fraser-McGurk smashed 95 from 46 balls to help Renegades pull off the second-highest successful BBL chase at Marvel Stadium.The dynamic 22-year-old attempted to reach his maiden BBL century with a six down the ground, but Matt Renshaw took an impressive catch near the rope with Renegades still requiring 17 to win.Related

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But Fergus O’Neill finished the job as the Renegades chased down Heat’s 196 for 4 with 12 balls to spare. It left Renegades, for a few hours, fourth in the table but Perth Scorchers’ win over Adelaide Strikers ended their finals hopes.Fraser-McGurk, who missed out on selection for Australia’s Champions Trophy squad last week, entered the match having made just 93 runs from his first nine BBL games this season.But he destroyed a star-studded Heat bowling attack containing internationals Spencer Johnson, Xavier Bartlett, Mitchell Swepson and Michael Neser. It was his best BBL score and his third fifty in 45 matches in the competition.After winning last year’s title, Heat needed to defeat the Renegades to be any chance of qualifying for the finals.They racked up 196 for 4 after being sent in to bat as opener Jack Wood, keeper Tom Alsop and Renshaw unleashed on the Renegades attack.Umpire Donovan Koch removed Will Sutherland and Fergus O’Neill for running in the protected zone•Getty Images

During a bizarre innings, Renegades captain Will Sutherland and fellow quick O’Neill were both banned from bowling for the rest of the match following intervention from umpire Donovan Koch for running in the danger areaSutherland was taken out of the attack with a ball to go in his third over after Donovan spoke to him, while O’Neill still had nine deliveries he could have bowled for the innings. It is rare for one player to be removed from bowling mid-over, but two in the same match is virtually unheard of.Renegades opener Josh Brown, who has never bowled before in his 37 previous T20 appearances, was forced to fill the void left by Sutherland and O’Neill.Brown’s 2.4 overs went for a whopping 0 for 48, as Heat piled on the highest total at Marvel Stadium this season. But Brown later began Renegades’ chase with 32 off 11 balls.Sutherland had a nightmare start to the match, twice being hit for three-consecutive sixes – first by Wood in the third over, then by Renshaw in the 12th.

Hero of 2022 Championship season has not played first-team cricket since saving team from relegation

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2024Liam Norwell, the former Warwickshire seamer whose final-day heroics saved the club from relegation in 2022, has been advised to retire on medical grounds after failing to recover from a series of long-standing injuries.Norwell, 32, was released by Warwickshire in August, having not made a single senior appearance since taking a career-best 9 for 62 at Edgbaston in September 2022, to beat Hampshire by five runs in a thrilling County Championship climax.His efforts kept Warwickshire in the top flight at Yorkshire’s expense, and he was rewarded with a two-year contract extension in March 2023. However, he missed that year’s entire campaign after suffering a back injury in pre-season, and though he returned to action in four second XI games in June 2024, he tore his pectoral muscle in the last of those against Worcestershire.After undergoing another operation, his contract with Warwickshire was terminated by mutual consent. Warwickshire Performance Director Gavin Larsen said at the time: “I’m gutted for Liam because I know how hard he’s tried and trained to get back to full fitness. He’s been close to making a return on a few occasions but not quite got over the line.”After finally overcoming the back injury he suffered terrible luck by tearing his pec when he looked to be getting back to his best.”Genuinely quick on his day, Norwell took a total of 347 first-class wickets, including 94 for Warwickshire. He took 49 of those at an average of 18.21 in 2021, and was included in the England Lions tour of Australia that winter. He was named as a stand-by for England’s Test tour of the Caribbean the following spring, but later revealed that a family illness would have prevented him from answering the call.”I’ve really enjoyed my time as a Bear since joining and have shared in some great team successes and memories,” Norwell said back in August. “After finding the problem, and finally overcoming my back issues during the winter, I was hoping for a productive season and being able to return to my best.”I have worked incredibly hard but this significant injury, needing surgery, was very hard to overcome. My focus now is on getting fit and healthy again, and working out what is next for my family and I.”