Former England captain Alastair Cook will retire from international cricket at the end of the current Test series against India.

England’s record run scorer said he was quitting “after much thought and deliberation over the last few months”.

He will end his 12-year England career at the end of the fifth and final Test, which is due to start on Friday at The Oval in London, with England having an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi failed to make the world player of the year shortlist today for the first time since 2006, with Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah making their first appearance in the final three alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi and Ronaldo have been the only winners of world football’s main individual award from FIFA since 2008.

Modric made the FIFA Best shortlist after helping Real Madrid to a third straight Champions League title in May and then leading Croatia to the World Cup final.

Salah was injured in the final but was recognised for his Premier League record 32 goals for Liverpool.

The women’s player shortlist is headed by five-time winner Marta of Brazil.

In the meantime, England’s tour of the Caribbean next year will be its biggest tour of the region in a decade, comprising of three Test matches, five One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20Is.

During the two-month tour that will begin in January, Barbados, Antigua and St. Lucia will host the three-match Test Series; Barbados, Grenada and St. Lucia will share the ODIs and St. Lucia and St. Kitts will host the T20Is.

With the recently announced ICC Future Tours Programme for 2019-2023, this will be the last three-format England Tour to the Caribbean for the foreseeable future.

Taiwan National Day Celebration

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here