Dan Lawrence to join England squad for India series as Brook returns home
London, Jan 21: Middle-order batter Dan Lawrence will replace Harry Brook in the England squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against India after the latter returned home because of personal reasons, the ECB announced on Sunday.
Brook had travelled to Abu Dhabi with the team for a preparatory camp ahead of the series, beginning in Hyderabad from January 25.
Lawrence, a 26-year-old from Surrey, will join the rest of his teammates on Monday before travelling to India.
"Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons from the England Men's Test tour of India. He will not be returning to India," the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.
"The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time. In light of this, the ECB and the family kindly request the media and the public to respect their wish for privacy and refrain from intruding on their private space," it further said.
Brook made his Test debut in 2022 against South Africa while his last appearance in England whites was against Australia at the Oval in July 2023.
The 24-year-old Yorkshire batter has so far played 12 Tests making 1181 runs at an average of 61 with four hundreds and seven fifties.
Brook's impressive effort had helped England clean-sweep the series against Pakistan in late 2022. He was the Player of the Series after making 468 runs from five innings at an average of 93.60.
In comparison, Lawrence has made 551 runs from 11 matches at 29 with four fifties.
It's a bit of a puzzling selection too as Lawrence last played a Test in 2022, when he came out against the West Indies at the St George's Park.
Many were expecting that Keaton Jennings, though an opener, would get drafted into the squad in place of Brook.
Jennings had recently made a free-flowing 154 and a 64 for England Lions against India A in the first of the four-day unofficial Test' in Ahmedabad.
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Badlapur accused Akshay Shinde shot dead: Lawyer of minor girls calls it 'killing of justice'
Mumbai (PTI): The gunning down of Badlapur case accused Akshay Shinde on Monday was the "killing of justice", said Asim Sarode, lawyer for the two minor girls he allegedly sexually assaulted.
Shinde was killed near Mumbra Bypass around 6:15pm when he allegedly snatched the gun of a policeman while he was being ferried in a police vehicle as part of a probe into a case registered on the complaint of his former wife.
After he shot and injured an API, another personnel from the escort team fired at him, and he was declared dead by doctors at a nearby hospital.
"While representing the two minor girls, I noticed it was becoming uncomfortable for the local politics of the Thane district and even for the educational institution where Akshay Shinde was working. Shinde's death in such a manner is killing of justice," Sarode told a regional news channel.
"Now, the case of sexual assault of the two minor girls will get sidelined. The case of these two minor girls was becoming difficult for the educational institute, as it is affiliated with a certain political family. Such a practice would lower the confidence of people in police and the judiciary," he claimed.
Sarode said he will be filing a plea before the Bombay High Court demanding thorough inquiry into the firing incident.
"Shinde's case could have brought up certain aspects that would have been negative politically for the government. I wonder how Shinde could access the gun and how he could unlock it when his hands were tied. This is political murder and is absolutely wrong," he said.
