THE Yorkshire and Northern Diamonds quartet is playing winter-grade cricket across Australia at present.

James Wharton has been in the runs in Australia, with Wharton scoring 99 on debut in a two-day win for Western Australia side Wanneroo over Mount Lawley late last month, him anchoring a successful pursuit of a 317 target courtesy of a measured 161-ball innings including eight fours.

They are currently playing two-day cricket, and unfortunately for Wharton, he followed that up with a duck in the next match, which concludes this weekend.

In further news, Yorkshire and England star Harry Brook has pulled out of the forthcoming Big Bash competition in Australia, which starts early next month.

Brook was a marquee pick for the Melbourne Stars at the draft towards the end of the English summer, but the buccaneering batter has opted against travelling Down Under due to a heavy workload, which includes T20 and ODI commitments in the West Indies next month and then a New Year Test tour of India.

He was due to feature in seven BBL games in between aforementioned tour, but now the Stars have been forced into a change of plan.

“Naturally we’re disappointed that Harry has withdrawn from the BBL, but we understand his decision,” said Stars general manager Blair Crouch. 

“We obviously rate Harry extremely highly and we would have loved to have seen him at the MCG alongside Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis this summer.

“We wish him all the best with his upcoming international commitments.”