Willey to retire from international cricket after World Cup
Bengaluru (PTI): England all-rounder David Willey on Wednesday announced that he will retire from international cricket after the end of the ongoing World Cup and insisted that his team's underwhelming performance in the showpiece has not influenced his decision.
Willey's decision has come a week after England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) excluded him from the list of cricketers who were offered central contracts for the 2023-24 season.
"I never wanted this day to come. From a young boy, I've only ever dreamed of playing cricket for England," Willey wrote in an Instagram post.
"So, with careful thought and consideration, it is with great regret that I feel the time has come for me to retire from all forms of international cricket at the end of the World Cup."
England have endured a forgettable campaign so far as the defending champions are languishing at the bottom of the 10-team table, managing just one victory from their six matches.
"I have worn the shirt with immense pride and given my absolute everything to the badge on my chest," the 33-year-old southpaw wrote.
"I've been very lucky to be a part of such an incredible white-ball team with some of the best players in the world. I've made some special memories and great friends along the way and been through some very difficult times.
"I feel I still have a lot more to give on and off the field while I am still playing my best cricket, and my decision has nothing to do with our performance during the World Cup."
Willey made his international debut in 2015 against Ireland in Dublin and has played 70 ODIs (94 wickets) and 43 T20Is (51 wicket) so far. The left-hander has scored 627 ODI runs at an average of 26.12 with two fifties.
In the ongoing World Cup, Willey has featured in three matches and has scalped five batters.
"I'm sure everybody who knows me does not doubt that, whatever my involvement in the remainder of this campaign, I will give my everything and more! That's the only way I know."
He also thanked his family for support in tough times.
"To my wife, two children, mum and dad, I wouldn't have been able to follow my dreams without your sacrifice and unwavering support throughout. Thank you for sharing the special memories and picking up the pieces when I've fallen apart - I'm eternally grateful."
England next play Ausralia on Saturday in Ahmedabad.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
