After being dropped from England’s team for the upcoming Test series against West Indies, veteran pacer James Anderson hopes that it is not the “end” of his career. The 39-year old bowler has scalped 640 wickets in longest form of the game and he is the third-most successful bowler in Test cricket. However, after facing a humiliating 0-4 loss by the hands of Australia down under, England Cricket Board (ECB) has dropped Anderson along with his new ball partner Stuart Broad.

The veteran pacer has expressed his frustration on a five-minute phone call he received from the board informing him about his release from the Test side. He has also emphasized that the upcoming director and head coach of the team should conduct a detailed discussion before making further decisions.

As per the latest developments, matches at the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand can go ahead with nine players in a line-up to keep the tournament going amid COVID-19. Ever since the global pandemic came in the picture, many major series and tournaments have been postponed and cancelled. In fact, some tournaments had to pause midway with the quickly-spreading virus hitting the camps.

In order to avoid the same, the playing conditions have been revised for the Women’s World Cup, which gets underway on March 4. Now, teams will be allowed to field a reduced line-up in case of a outbreak in their squad. In such cases, members within the coaching and support staff can come in as substitute fielders. ICC’s head of events Chris Tetley confirmed on Thursday (February 24).

Days before Australia’s departure for their first tour of Pakistan in 24 years, head coach Andrew McDonald has said that there are no safety concerns in the minds of Aussie players. Notably, both New Zealand and England had decided to cancel their respective tours of Pakistan last year, citing differet reasons. However, the Aussies have named a full-strength squad for both Tests and white-ball.