England seamer Ollie Robinson is fit to play in the Test against Ireland after a scan revealed no damage to his ankle.

 

Robinson suffered discomfort during Sussex's drawn County Championship match with Glamorgan.

 

The 29-year-old was seen using crutches and wearing a protective boot on his left ankle.

 

A scan on Monday came back clear and he will join up with the England squad this weekend for the Test at Lord's beginning on 1 June.

All-rounder Emma Lamb says playing alongside Australian players in global leagues has shown England the world champions are "not perfect".

 

The Ashes rivals regularly mix in The Hundred, Big Bash and, most recently, the inaugural Women's Premier League.

 

Australia will defend the Ashes they have held since 2015 in a multi-format series this summer.

Durham have re-signed Australia batter Ashton Turner for the T20 Blast, following Tristan Stubbs' call-up by South Africa's 'A' team.

 

Stubbs, 22, will tour Sri Lanka with the Proteas, paving the way for Turner, 30, to return to the Riverside.

 

He was part of the Durham T20 side during last season's Blast campaign.

 

Turner was in the Perth Scorchers team that retained their Big Bash League title in 2023, and helped Western Australia lift the Sheffield Shield.

 

"We have an exciting squad, and we have high expectations for the group this year," Turner said.

 

Hopefully we can achieve some success and have some fun along the way."

New recruit Tom Abell will lead Welsh Fire in the men's Hundred with Tammy Beaumont taking the role for the women's team in 2023.

 

Sophie Ecclestone will lead Manchester Originals women.

 

All-rounder Abell has joined Welsh Fire from Birmingham Phoenix while Beaumont will lead a team including new signings Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail and Freya Davies.

 

Abell "jumped at the chance" to work with new Fire head coach Mike Hussey.

 

'I'm really excited by the challenge that lies in front of us and we're both really keen to bring some success to Welsh Fire," said Abell.

 

"We did some really great work at the draft and it's going to be really enjoyable to lead this group of players."

 

Welsh Fire boss Mark Wallace said: ''It's great to be able to add Tom to our leadership group alongside Tammy. Their experience will help us develop our culture off the field."

 

Ellyse Perry and Moeen Ali will lead Phoenix's teams while Jos Buttler will be Ecclestone's counterpart at the Originals.

Australia bowler Mitchell Starc has rejected suggestions by Stuart Broad that the 2021-22 Ashes in Australia was a "void series" because it took place under Covid-19 restrictions.

 

England bowler Broad said their 4-0 loss was not the "real Ashes" because of curbs on travel and socialising.

 

"Was that really quarantine? They were still allowed to play golf on tour," said Starc, 33.

 

"Is that an excuse for 4-0? It was a pretty good series to be a part of."

Worcestershire seamer Josh Tongue has been added to England's squad for the first Test of the summer against Ireland.

 

Tongue, 25, impressed as part of the England Lions squad that toured Sri Lanka in February.

 

He is not replacing anyone in the squad, but adds to the bowling attack after recent injury worries for James Anderson and Ollie Robinson.

 

The Test against Ireland starts on Thursday 1 June at Lord's.

Jason Roy is set to end his England contract in order to play in July's inaugural season of Major League Cricket in the United States.

 

The opener, 32, would become the first England player to end his deal with the national side to pursue franchise opportunities.

 

Roy will still be available to play for England and the decision is not likely to hamper his chances of selection.

 

He will play for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred and Surrey in the Blast.

 

Roy has been a key component of England's dominance of the global white-ball game, a regular in the side that was crowned 50-over world champions in 2019.

Lancashire Lightning recorded a second consecutive T20 Blast victory as they hammered Leicestershire Foxes by eight wickets at Old Trafford.

 

Last year's runners-up bowled the Foxes out for 99 in the 19th over as only two batters made it into double figures.

 

England bowlers Luke Wood and Saqib Mahmood each claimed three wickets as batters fell at regular intervals.

 

Steven Croft then hit an unbeaten 46 as Lancashire reached their target with 8.3 overs in hand.

England spinner Alex Hartley says taking an indefinite break from cricket is the "hardest decision" she has ever made.

 

The 29-year-old told the BBC's No Balls podcast she had been "struggling mentally" for several months.

 

"Every time I've pulled on my cricket shirt [recently], the best feeling has been at the end of the day when I can take it off again," she said.

 

"I want to get back to that person that fell in love with cricket."

Australia captain Meg Lanning will miss this summer's Ashes series against England for medical reasons, Cricket Australia has announced.

 

Lanning, 31, has been withdrawn from the squad on the advice of medical staff because of an issue which requires management from home, it said.

 

Wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy will captain the side in her absence.

 

"It's an unfortunate setback for Meg," said CA's Head of Performance (Women's Cricket), Shawn Flegler.

 

"She's obviously disappointed to have been ruled out of the Ashes," he added.

 

"It's a significant series for the team and she'll be missed, but she understands the need to put her health first.

Glamorgan have signed Australian leg-spinner Peter Hatzoglou for at least three matches after the departure of compatriot Michael Neser to a national training camp.

 

Hatzoglou, 24, is a limited-overs specialist who has played Big Bash for Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades.

 

He is set to make his Glamorgan debut at Somerset in the T20 Blast on Sunday.

 

Hatzoglou has previous UK experience with Oval Invincibles in The Hundred.

 

He had started a career in the financial industry when his first professional chances came up, and he pursued opportunities in the British franchise tournament with encouragement from the late Australia legend Shane Warne.

Lancashire Lightning eased to a third T20 Blast win as they beat Notts Outlaws by 22 runs at Old Trafford.

 

Daryl Mitchell survived a dropped catch on seven to smash 85 not out off 41 balls as Lightning racked up 208-4.

 

Luke Wood (2-29) cleaned up Alex Hales for a second-ball duck and then removed fellow dangerman Joe Clarke (2) as Notts slid to 8-2.

 

Colin Munro smashed a rapid 60 and Tom Moores added an unbeaten 41, but Notts were restricted to 186-5.

The Yorkies are struggling, Durham made 217 for 3 and Yorkshire don't look like getting them, they need 78 from the last 5 overs.

 

Durham made it two wins from two in the T20 Blast as they beat Yorkshire Vikings by 28 runs at Headingley.

 

Alex Lees smashed a T20 career-best 90 and Ollie Robinson made an unbeaten 64 as Durham piled up a mammoth 217-3.

 

Adam Lyth (24) took 18 off the first over of the chase and Dawid Malan hit 26, before Yorkshire were pegged back.

 

Jonathan Tattersall added 39 but fell to Ben Raine (3-27) as the hosts were restricted to 189-7 and succumbed to a third straight defeat.

What a great climax to the IPL final. Chennai needed 10 from the last two balls, Jadeja hits a 6 and a 4 to win the trophy with the match finishing at 1.35am due to a rain delay. :o

Worcestershire seamer Josh Tongue will make his Test debut against Ireland at Lord's on Thursday in an England side that will also include Jonny Bairstow.

 

Tongue, 25, has been picked ahead of Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes.

 

Yorkshire's wicketkeeper-batter Bairstow returns after missing five Tests with a broken leg.

 

Bowlers James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, who are nursing slight injuries, have been rested before this summer's Ashes series.

Somerset brushed off a series of rain delays to maintain their 100% record in this year's T20 Blast, with victory over Kent at Canterbury.

 

They have now won four out of four and have extended their lead over Surrey at the top of the South Group.

 

Ben Green (3-19) helped wrap up a 13-run DLS victory after Kent had been set a revised target of 126 in 15 overs.

 

Elsewhere, Yorkshire earned their first victory, defeating Notts, while Essex picked up a win over Gloucestershire.

Sue Redfern will become the first woman to stand as an on-field umpire in the T20 Blast when Gloucestershire host Middlesex in Bristol on Sunday.

 

The 45-year-old was appointed to the Professional Umpires' Team, the ECB's group of elite officials, last year.

 

Members of the team can stand in men's and women's professional domestic cricket in England and Wales.

James Vince became the leading run-scorer in T20 Blast history but his 88 not out was not enough for Hampshire as they lost to Surrey at the Ageas Bowl.

 

The 32-year-old became the second player to score 5,000 runs in the competition and, shortly afterwards, he passed Luke Wright's tally of 5,026.

 

But Vince had to share the limelight with Surrey's match-winner Will Jacks.

 

The opener smashed eight sixes in his unbeaten 83 as Surrey reached their target of 157 to win by six wickets.

Australia won the World Test Championship by ruthlessly dismantling India on the fifth day of the final at The Oval.

 

India's slim hopes of reaching a world-record target of 444 rested on Virat Kohli, 44 not out as they began on 164-3, but the fans' hero was out for 49 in the seventh over of the day.

 

Kohli aimed a loose drive at Scott Boland, with Steve Smith taking a stunning catch at second slip. In the same over, Ravindra Jadeja edged Boland behind.

 

The game in their grasp, Australia efficiently worked through the lower order before lunch to dismiss India for 234 and take victory by 209 runs. Boland ended with 3-46, off-spinner Nathan Lyon 4-41.