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Ravi Bopara is back in the England Test side for the first match against South Africa at The Oval next week after being included in a 13-man squad

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2012Ravi Bopara is back in the England Test squad for the first match against South Africa at The Oval next week. There are five fast bowlers in the 13-man group, with Graham Onions, Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan competing to form the pace trio with James Anderson and Stuart Broad.Bopara’s form in the ODI series against Australia – 182 runs and four useful wickets – confirmed he is primed for a return to the Test side, after a frustrating period during which his opportunities were curtailed by injuries. He was set to make a comeback in Sri Lanka after Eoin Morgan was dropped but picked up a side strain that prevented him from bowling, and so Samit Patel was preferred. Then, at the start of this season, Bopara injured his thigh and was ruled out of the series against West Indies.That opened the door for Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow, who struggled in the three Tests against West Indies, making 38 runs, and has not had a huge amount of batting since. Bairstow returned to Championship action this week and made a first-ball duck against Hampshire.The only other debate is who will be the third fast bowler behind Anderson and Broad. England’s regular new-ball pair was rested for the last Test against West Indies but Anderson and Broad will return to spearhead the attack for the main event of the season.In the first two Tests against West Indies, they were accompanied by Bresnan, who was Man of the Match at Trent Bridge after a destructive spell of reverse swing on the third evening sealed the series for England. He currently has a Test bowling average of 26.09 and a batting average of 40.22 and will be tough to dislodge. Finn, however, made a very strong case for himself with his performances in the Australia ODIs.In four completed matches, Finn took eight wickets at 19.37, including 4 for 37 at Chester-le-Street. He played the final Test against West Indies, when Broad and Anderson were rested, but was out-bowled on that occasion by Onions, who was playing his first Test since January 2010.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Ravi Bopara has worked hard to regain his place in the Test squad following some injury concerns earlier in the season and is the only player included who is yet to play a Test match this summer.”We have played some very good cricket over the last couple of months in all formats to win series against West Indies and Australia and after a month of limited overs cricket, preparations are now underway for what is sure to be a very competitive Test series against South Africa,” Miller said. “We know we will need to play excellent cricket to win this three-match series and the squad will be determined to start with a strong performance this week during the first Investec Test and set the tone for the rest of the series.”On Saturday, the ICC’s annual refresh of the rankings pushed South Africa to third but if they beat England they will replace them at the top of the table. England will retain their spot with a won or drawn series over the three Tests at The Oval, Headingley and Lord’s.Squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Graham Onions.

Derbyshire moved into a match-winning performance at the midway point of their County Championship clash against Glamorgan thanks to Jon Clare’s figures of 5 for 29 and Dan Redfern’s 88 with the bat

28-Jun-2011
ScorecardDerbyshire moved into a match-winning performance at the midway point of their County Championship clash against Glamorgan thanks to Jon Clare’s figures of 5 for 29 and Dan Redfern’s 88 with the bat.Derbyshire made 367 all out in their first innings in Cardiff before the hosts limped to 174 for 8 in reply at the close of the second day of the Division Two match. They were 193 behind, needing a further 44 to avoid the follow-on.Only Glamorgan captain Alviro Petersen, with 83 not out, showed any real resistance. In only the second over of the day Redfern brought up his fourth 50 of the summer in 92 balls with five fours before Glamorgan hit back with the new ball.Graham Wagg struck with the fourth delivery, trapping Ross Whiteley lbw. Glamorgan continued to take wickets at regular intervals. Luke Sutton was dismissed when he top-edged a James Harris delivery to wicketkeeper Mark Wallace.Redfern perished for 88 when he played on to Jim Allenby, failing to convert a 12th first-class 50 into his maiden century as Derbyshire reached lunch at 338 for 7. Allenby hit form in the afternoon session as he took the remaining three wickets to claim career-best figures of five for 44 from 20 overs. It was Allenby’s third five-wicket haul of his career and his second for Glamorgan.But batting points proved harder to come by as opener Gareth Rees began Glamorgan’s procession of wickets before tea, falling leg before to Tim Groenewald, who also accounted for Will Bragg in a similar manner.From 36 for two the home side sank further into trouble at 59 for three when Mike Powell was caught behind off Whiteley. Ben Wright followed in the next over when he top-edged a pull to Knight running back at square leg off Clare, who also struck three balls later when Allenby was bowled by a full delivery for a duck. Glamorgan lost three wickets for one run in 10 balls as 59 for two became 60 for 5.Petersen, who reached his 50 from 105 balls, put on 68 with Wallace before the wicketkeeper, Harris and Wagg were all caught behind off Clare in the space of three balls. On 74, Petersen did survive a chance at short leg off Knight, the slow left-armer.

India have suffered an injury scare with opener Virender Sehwag pulling his hamstring during his team’s chase against Pakistan in Dambulla

Cricinfo staff20-Jun-2010India have suffered a setback ahead of the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka, as Virender Sehwag, the opener, has been ruled out of the tournament due to a strained hamstring.Sehwag sustained the injury during India’s chase against Pakistan in Dambulla and has been advised 10 days rest. Dinesh Karthik, the wicketkeeper batsman, has been called in as his replacement. Sehwag also missed the team’s practice session on Monday morning and will fly back to India on Tuesday.In an uncharacteristic innings where he laboured to 10 off 32 balls, Sehwag appeared to be in pain and sought the assistance of the physio. He eventually had to rely on the services of Suresh Raina as runner before being dismissed.Sehwag had also missed the World Twenty20 this year in the Caribbean due to a shoulder injury, and was rested for the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe. Similarly, in 2009, he hurt his shoulder during the IPL in South Africa, missing out on a place in India’s squad for the World Twenty20 in England.India take on Sri Lanka in a dead rubber on June 22, before the final on June 24.

Rocky Flintoff hits maiden fifty for Lancashire in vain

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2024Rocky Flintoff hit his maiden fifty for Lancashire in their Metro Bank One-Day Cup match against Middlesex at Emirates Old Trafford but his 115-ball 88 could not prevent the visitors securing a vital five-wicket victory in their bid to qualify for the knockout stages of the competitionThe 16-year-old’s polished contribution helped his side post 233 for 9 in what had become a 48-overs-a side match. But that total was overhauled by Middlesex for whom Joe Cracknell made 98 before he was stumped off Jack Morley when only 24 runs were needed for victoryFlintoff had been caught off the last ball of his side’s final over, having hit six fours and two sixes in his fifth innings for the county his father, Andrew, represented with distinction. However, his effort was eclipsed by Cracknell and Sam Robson, who put on 175 for Middlesex’s second wicket.The visitors then lost four wickets late in their innings to spark a few nerves in the away dressing-room but Robson was unbeaten on 87 when the victory was sealed with eight balls to spare.Lancashire’s innings began poorly when George Bell was caught at backward point by Luke Hollman off Ethan Bamber for four. Three overs later, Henry Brookes had Josh Bohannon leg before wicket for five when the home skipper was looking to work the ball to leg.Bohannon was replaced by Flintoff, whose 58-run stand with the debutant Kesh Fonseka offered clear signs of promise to Lancashire supporters. However, Fonseka was caught and bowled by Hollman for 42 when he top-edged an attempted sweep and Venkatesh Iyer perished in similar fashion for nine, when he drove a short ball low and hard to Hollman’s left and the bowler dived to a take a fine-one handed catch.Undaunted by these reverses, Flintoff continued to bat with good judgement and reached his fifty off 77 balls with four fours and a six. Other partners succumbed to the patient Middlesex attack. Having made nine, Chris Green top-edged a hook off Brookes and was caught at long-leg by Noah Cornwell, and George Balderson was caught and bowled by Josh de Caires for 18.Harry Singh was caught at mid-off by Cornwell off Bamber for 19 but after a short break for rain that reduced the game to a 48-overs-a-side contest, Flintoff and Bailey went on to the attack, putting on 60 runs in 52 balls before Bailey was caught at long-off by de Caires off Brookes for 30.Three balls later the same combination took Flintoff’s wicket but the 16-year-old received a standing ovation from the crowd, some of whom will probably have applauded his father in similar circumstances. Brookes was the pick of the Middlesex attack, taking four for 43 from his ten overs, but he shared the laurels with Bamber, who finished with two for 31 off nine.With rain falling not far from Old Trafford, Middlesex’s batters had to keep an eye on the total required by Duckworth-Lewis-Stern should the game have been interrupted. With that in mind, Joe Cracknell and Nathan Fernandes put on 45 in 61 balls before Fernandes was caught down the leg side by Bell for 11, thus giving Josh Boyden his first wicket for Lancashire.The steady tempo of the Middlesex innings was maintained by Cracknell and Sam Robson and run-scoring became easier against spinners who found it difficult to grip the ball in the thin drizzle.Cracknell reached his fifty off 71 balls and the visitors were 104 for one at the midpoint of their innings. That, however, was only the signal for further acceleration and Lancashire bowling and fielding flagged as the second-wicket pair seized control of the game.Robson reached his half-century off 64 balls and it was fitting that he struck the winning runs. Boyden finished with 2 for 35 and Morley, who had caused the late jitters, took 3 for 48.

“We will offer our views to PCB in due course,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Umar Farooq22-Jun-2023Pakistan’s foreign office has confirmed it is evaluating all aspects of Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. This is the first public indication from the Pakistan government about taking up an issue that has been pending for a while and has even resulted in a delay in the ICC announcing the tournament’s fixtures list.Pakistan’s involvement in the World Cup is subject to their government’s approval. The PCB had written to the ICC, following the release of a draft schedule to all participating countries a few days ago, to stress that they cannot unilaterally approve the fixture list and the decision will eventually have to come from their government.”We have received the official invitation from the Indian prime minister to our prime minister for the virtual meeting of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that is due to take place on the 4th of July,” a spokesperson for the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said in a weekly media briefing in Islamabad. “Pakistan will be represented at the summit. We will be making an announcement regarding our participation in the coming days.”Regarding cricket, Pakistan is of the view that politics should not be mixed with sports. India’s policy of not playing cricket in Pakistan is disappointing. We are observing and evaluating all aspects relating to our participation in the World Cup including the security situation for Pakistani cricketers and we will offer our views to PCB in due course.”The 2023 World Cup, as reported by ESPNcricinfo, is slated to begin on October 5. The India vs Pakistan fixture is set for ten days later in Ahmedabad. It is one of five venues that Pakistan are scheduled to play at during the league phase.Due to strained political relations between the two countries, Pakistan have not toured India since the 2016 T20 World Cup, and even back then there was uncertainty around Pakistan coming to India. The PCB had threatened to pull out of the tournament unless they had clear and public assurance from the Indian government about the security to be provided to their players. These negotiations eventually resulted in the India-Pakistan match having to be shifted from Dharamsala to Kolkata.The PCB has requested the ICC to swap venues for two of their league matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup based on an internal assessment of the grounds they are due to play at. Pakistan are currently scheduled to play Australia in Bengaluru on October 20, and then Afghanistan in Chennai on October 23 but have asked for a change where they play Afghanistan in Bengaluru and Australia in Chennai. The request has been turned down. Normally, security is the primary reason for a venue change at an ICC event. There was no mention of a security threat in the PCB’s internal assessment.Given the already unprecedented delay – World Cup itineraries usually go out a year in advance – the ICC is hoping to finalise the fixture list and provide it to the public by next week. Pakistan have until then to relay their concerns, if any.

Only Zimbabwe and Netherlands have won fewer ODIs in this World Cup cycle than Babar Azam’s men

Danyal Rasool30-Mar-2022

Big picture

If there were optimists who believed the ODI series would gradually pick up interest once the ball was rolling, what the first game threw up will have done plenty to extinguish that kind of positive thinking. In a textbook example of why the 50-over format continues to struggle for relevance despite the advent of the World Cup Super League and an ODI World Cup on the horizon, Lahore witnessed a complete mismatch. Australia capitalised on a lacklustre start from the hosts and never quite let that advantage go, while Pakistan’s chase gave off the impression they were still playing cricket stuck in 1998, the year when, as everyone has surely cottoned on by now, Australia were last here.That it looks like the second game is on is something of a relief in itself, after further Covid-19 cases in the Australian camp put them on the cusp of falling below the minimum threshold of players (13) required to continue a tour. Ashton Agar’s positive result before the first ODI raised fears of further absences, but all members of the travelling party tested negative on Wednesday, and, for now, it looks like the tour will go ahead.Unlike the Test series, this one-day leg isn’t quite making front page headlines, not least due to political drama in Islamabad that has captivated the nation for some time now. It was what necessitated the moving of the white-ball series from Rawalpindi to Lahore, and from the front pages to back pages. If that’s where cricket stays over the long run, it should be something of a win for Pakistan, for it would mean the sport is treated with the normalcy most other nations take for granted.As for the cricket itself, Pakistan will have to be careful not to get sucked into a scrap for qualification to the 2023 World Cup. Only Zimbabwe and Netherlands have won fewer games in this cycle, and should they fail to get across the line this series, their road to India may end up going through Zimbabwe (where the qualifiers will be held).For Australia, it was simply the perfect ODI, and an extension of their stranglehold over the hosts this tour. After making all the running in the Test series, there was no sign of a let up in the first ODI, despite a squad that’s down to skin and bone. Indeed, it never really felt like Australia got out of third gear to pull off the win, and against feeble Pakistani resistance, they never quite needed to.

Form guide

Pakistan LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWLWL
Zahid Mahmood provided a good account of himself in the first ODI•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight

Pakistan will struggle to draw much encouragement from the first game, but in an individual capacity, Zahid Mahmood might feel he had a day he could build on. Perhaps unlucky to miss out on all three Tests as Pakistan’s frontline spin options failed to impress, there were glimmers of true quality in Mahmood’s spell on Tuesday. The legspinner conceded 30 off the first three while Australia’s opening partnership was in full flow, but once he removed Aaron Finch in the third over, he was, by some distance, the pick of the Pakistan bowlers. He applied something of a squeeze through the middle overs and managed enough drift and turn to keep Australia on their toes. On another day, perhaps Thursday, he might be able to play the role Adam Zampa has almost patented for Australia.It’s hard to look too far past Cameron Green these days. After a superb Test series where he was often the bête noire in Pakistan, particularly with the ball, his form with the bat has come to the fore in Lahore. It has translated very neatly to the white-ball game, his unbeaten 30-ball 40 picking up the impetus once more for Australia after Pakistan had fought back through the second half of the innings. The 22-year old allrounder’s growing importance to this side was reflected in Finch handing him the new ball. In an Australian side that has been hampered by Covid and injury, it’s difficult to place a value on his versatility.

Team news

Shaheen Shah Afridi should return if he can shake off the knee injury he sustained while batting in the nets before the first ODI. In that case, Hasan Ali is the likeliest to make way.Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman 2 Imam-ul-Haq 3 Babar Azam (capt) 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 5 Saud Shakeel 6 Iftikhar Ahmed 7 Khushdil Shah 8 Mohammad Wasim Jnr 9 Haris Rauf 10 Zahid Mahmood 11 Shaheen AfridiFor Australia, it’s a case of play who’s available at the moment, with the side just about able to field an XI.Australia: 1 Aaron Finch (capt) 2 Travis Head 3 Ben McDermott 4 Marnus Labuschagne 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Cameron Green 7 Alex Carey (wk) 8 Sean Abbott 9 Nathan Ellis 10 Adam Zampa 11 Mitchell Swepson

Pitch and conditions

The weather remains hot and dry, and the wicket is expected to be conducive to big runs once more.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won the last ten ODIs against Pakistan, and 16 of the last 17.
• The last time Pakistan beat Australia at Gaddafi Stadium came all the way back in 1988. Craig McDermott, whose son Ben is now part of the Australian squad, played that day, as did current PCB chairman Ramiz Raja. The game was technically a tie, with both sides scoring 229, but Pakistan were awarded the win because they lost one fewer wicket.

Opener says he is mentally and physically refreshed after tough home season and ready for action

Andrew Miller25-Nov-2020It’s tough at the top, as Jason Roy knows only too well after a tricky summer in England’s white-ball bubble, and it’s only set to get tougher still in the build-up to next year’s T20 World Cup, given what he describes as the “frightening” array of talent lining up to challenge for a starting berth in the format.However, after withdrawing from the recent IPL to get himself mentally and physically prepared for the year ahead, Roy has declared himself refreshed and ready to return to the fray, and says that his only focus is on winning the series against South Africa, rather than worrying about whether his place in the side is under threat.”It’s mad, the amount of batters is quite frightening (battling) for our top six or top seven,” Roy said during a Zoom call from South Africa. “It’s a great position to be in. I’m not fussed who I open with, whether I open, or what dynamics they go with, but it’s a good position leading into a World Cup.”Sam Billings touched on it the other day, about it being one of the hardest sports teams to infiltrate,” he added. “The amount of players out here – Tom Banton and Tom Helm sitting here as reserves … it’s a beautiful position to be in, we are spoilt for choice.”That wealth of options is no luxury when you are the incumbent, however, and Roy recognises he will be under some scrutiny this week after a fallow run of scores in the summer. He managed just 49 runs in six ODIs against Ireland and Australia, with a side strain in between whiles ruling him out of the T20I leg of the summer.But at the age of 30, and having thrived in the pressure of England’s build-up to the 50-over World Cup, he’s confident of getting into the right head-space to succeed in the coming weeks.”Playing for places is quite a hard thing to do,” Roy said. “You’ve got to concentrate as an individual on the next performance. If there’s players on this tour who are like ‘I need to play for my place’ then that’s not what we’re here to do. We’re here to win the series. Some players will be feeling the pressure but you’ve just got to go out there and express yourself in T20.”ALSO READ: Five things that England need to learn from their T20Is in South AfricaSpeaking to PA earlier in the week, Chris Silverwood, England’s head coach, appeared to confirm that Roy and Jos Buttler would resume their status as England’s first-choice openers for Friday’s opening fixture at Newlands, but the competition for a top-order berth is intense.Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan, the world’s top-ranked T20I batsman, are also in the running for an opener’s slot, as well as Banton, who deputised for Roy in the summer but is only a reserve batsman for this trip. And while Ben Stokes and Sam Curran are more likely to feature in the middle order than the top, both of them opened with notable results for Rajasthan and CSK in the IPL last month.”I would 100% be lying if I said you were not under pressure for your place,” Roy said. “With the amount of talent that is around us, there is not one person, everyone is getting pushed to their limits. No one can rest on their laurels. It’s one of those amazing squads. But I have got to do what I have got to do, right? I have got to get myself physically fit, mentally fit and then I’ve got to score some runs. It’s as simple as that.”Such were the reasons why Roy opted to withdraw from his IPL deal with Delhi Capitals, after a disjointed English summer in which his rhythm as a batsman never quite came together, even though he played a strong hand in Surrey’s late-season run to the final of the T20 Blast.”It was a mixture of a few things,” Roy said. “Physically and mentally I probably wasn’t where I wanted to be at that stage, especially going into quite a big year and a half. The decision wasn’t taken lightly but, due to the amount of bubbles we’ve been in, what’s to come up and the uncertainty over what’s to come, it was the right decision.”I’m feeling the benefits. We’ve had a good week here, quite a few training sessions,” he added. “I’ve put my hand up to face quite a lot of our bowlers at all the net sessions, to get myself in a good place to play.”The best thing is I’m really excited for my cricket. I’m excited for my training, excited to keep learning, so it’s a good place for me mentally. Not having game-time is something, but being mentally refreshed is just as important.”South Africa, however, is just the starting point for Roy in his push towards the goal of the T20 World Cup. He has also committed to a full stint with Perth Scorchers at this year’s Big Bash – including the likelihood of spending Christmas Day in quarantine ahead of his opening fixture on December 27 – before England’s planned but un-finalised trips to India and Sri Lanka in the new year.”The fact that I hadn’t played much cricket during the summer, and I chose to opt out of the IPL, meant [the BBL] was a bit of a no-brainer for me and my family,” he said. “It’s a big 12 months of me getting fully prepared with my batting. Mentally and physically, I am in one of the best places I have been. Now it’s just a case of getting my runs on the board, and as much cricket as possible between now and the World Cup.””We know how tense these tournaments are, we have played in a World Cup final in T20s before,” he added. “We know the pathway to that is very physically and mentally demanding. We know what we are in for. Now it’s a case of going out and having some fun.”

The drubbing at the hands of Australia suggests a £20m investment by the ECB cannot come soon enough

Matt Roller30-Jul-2019The inquest into England women’s thrashing by Australia is on in full swing, and the tone is predictably funereal. It would hardly be an Ashes drubbing without much weeping and gnashing of teeth by the defeated side, and this series has proved no different.The facts are there for all to see. Australia retained the Ashes at the earliest possible opportunity; they lead 12-2 overall with one game to play, and England are only on the board thanks to the quirk of the points system giving the teams two each, rather than none, for a drawn Test.Across the formats, Australia have four of the five leading run-scorers, and four of the six leading wicket-takers. Ellyse Perry has dismissed Amy Jones four times in the 25 balls she has bowled at her; Anya Shrubsole, the star of the 2017 World Cup final, has taken five wickets at 50.60. No matter where you look, the picture is bleak.But perhaps the most surprising thing about this defeat is that it has come as a surprise at all.Yes, England had won 14 white-ball games on the bounce, a record not to be sniffed at. But consider this: since 2018, Australia have lost two games in all formats – one of which was against India in a dead rubber at the World T20 – and won 29. They have five times the number of professional cricketers that England do. In Perry and Meg Lanning, they possess two of the game’s modern greats.Of course, losing five white-ball games in a row is nobody’s idea of fun – this is England’s worst run since 2007 – and the manner of the defeats at Grace Road and Chelmsford bordered on embarrassing.But heavy defeats do not spring about simply through a lack of application or talent: the simple truth is that England’s domestic structure is miles behind Australia’s.Before its first season in 2016, the Kia Super League was sold as a silver bullet, but has hardly produced many stars. The only two English players in last season’s top ten run-scorers were Heather Knight and Nat Sciver, both established internationals already; the best domestic bowlers were Sophie Ecclestone, who has been around the national squad for several years, and Kirstie Gordon, whose struggles in the Test at Taunton were there for all to see.The KSL was sold as a silver bullet, but overseas players like Rachel Priest (left) and Sophie Devine (right) have dominated•Getty Images

Meanwhile, the noise around a mooted domestic restructure has been a source of confusion. Plans to remove funding for county cricket were greeted with predictable dissatisfaction, and after a consultation process, the ECB will now run and fund a county T20 competition in 2020 and 2021.The headline, though, is that around ten regional teams will play 50- and 20-over cricket from next year, in a bid to give 100 or so players the opportunity to make a living from the game, while contracts for The Hundred are expected to be substantially more lucrative than what is currently on offer in the KSL.For now, there is no easy fix. The 21 players currently holding central contracts will continue to form the basis of the side for a few years yet, and England will continue to be dominant against most teams, and struggle against Australia.”We’re investing £20 million in the next two years into transforming the game for women and girls,” Claire Connor, the managing director of women’s cricket at the ECB, told after the second T20I at Hove. “We’ve got six priorities within the new strategy, and transforming the game for women and girls is one of those six.”We had a very important board meeting last week at which the full two-year plan as to how that £20 million of investment will all break down. That was all approved by the board last week so whilst this [Ashes series] was disappointing and there are huge lessons for us all to learn, we must be very optimistic about the opportunity that lies ahead for us.”[Australia’s] system over the last four or five years has put them in a really good position for this Ashes series, and whilst we’ve had the Kia Super League over the last four years, which has undoubtedly helped bridge the gap between our domestic game and the international game, there is a huge amount more we need to do. Australia have capitalised on the investment and the plan that they’ve made over the last four or five years and they’ve played some outstanding cricket this summer.”Tammy Beaumont, one of the few England players to come out of this series with her reputation enhanced, is of the same view. “You see how Australia have gone about their things,” she said. “The number of players that are coming into their squad – they’re 20-year-old superstars.”But it will take time, it’s not a quick fix by any means. At the moment we’ve got a lot of belief in the group we’ve got, we’ve got to change a few things and work really hard and come back stronger, but looking to the future in maybe four years, five years’ time, that’s what’s got to happen.”In the immediate term, the focus is on February’s T20 World Cup in Australia. An international system with such clear disparities between sides means that England can already be confident of reaching the semi-finals. With Australia, India, and New Zealand all drawn in the other group, England’s pool looks much the easier of the two, and a semi-final exit could hardly be considered an awful return.Until that point, the ECB will be keen to ensure that as many of the squad as possible plays in the WBBL this winter, before moving into a tri-series with Australia and India at the start of 2020.And the immediate focus is on winning Wednesday night’s game at Bristol: it is a dead rubber in theory, but England are desperate to register a consolation victory. If they do, the dreary mood about the side might finally start to lift.

England’s limited-overs captain does not expect his team to specifically target the Australians in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal

George Dobell09-Jun-2018Eoin Morgan has scotched rumours that Jofra Archer could feature in England’s World Cup campaign.As well as denying any knowledge of any attempt to change the eligibility requirements – Barbados-born Archer, who plays for Sussex, is not scheduled to qualify for England until 2022 – Morgan suggested that it may prove disruptive to change the squad shortly before the tournament.There had been speculation that, such was Archer’s ability, the ECB may look at cutting the qualification period from seven years to four; the length it was before the ECB lengthened it in 2012. That, potentially, could see him qualify to represent England early in 2019; in time for both the World Cup and the Ashes that follow it.But while Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, is clearly an admirer of Archer’s ability, he does not envisage him featuring in the World Cup.”Jofra is a very impressive player,” Morgan said. “He’s a guy who, if he was England qualified, we’d have looked at after maybe the Bangladesh league at the end of last year. He’d have gone on some Lions and from there we’d have seen what happened.”But are we looking to break some rules? Absolutely not. They’re the rules. I had to qualify even though my mum is English and I’ve had a British passport since I was born.”Is it too late if he did qualify at the start of next year? Yes, I think it is. Providing everybody is fit, I think it is.”Meanwhile, Morgan does not expect his team – or his team’s supporters – to inflict any extra pain upon Australia during the upcoming ODI series. He does not believe it comes naturally to his team to engage in much sledging and he hopes that crowds in England and Wales will not subject the Australian players to the abuse England players have, at times, come to expect in Australia. Instead he continues to view the example of New Zealand – who play tough, uncompromising cricket without any posturing or abuse – as the template.”No, I don’t want to see any abuse of players,” Morgan said. “And no, I definitely don’t want to see what might happen in Australia replicated here. It’s not what we’re about culturally. Certainly within cricketing circles. The humility about the way we play cricket sets an example for the majority of other countries around the world. So yes, there might be a laugh and a giggle but predominantly it will be harmless.”The way New Zealand played at the 2015 World Cup changed cricket. The way they went about it epitomised the way they are as a nation. And that’s important for us.”For years we were guilty of trying to replicate whatever the best side in the world at the time did. And that doesn’t work as it doesn’t come naturally. Or it’ll work for a short period and we won’t be able to sustain it.”Morgan also confirmed that, while England players would be allowed to appear in the IPL in 2019, the window for their availability was likely to be significantly shorter which could make them less attractive to franchises.”They’ll participate in some of the IPL,” Morgan said. “But it will be a shorter window. We’re playing a five-match ODI series against Pakistan and we want a full-strength side ahead of the World Cup.”England begin their 2018 home season of white-ball cricket with the ODI against Scotland in Edinburgh.Royal London, proud sponsors of one-day cricket, is celebrating unconventional greatness in the game by championing the independent spirt of players and fans.

Nottinghamshire boosted their hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Royal London Cup with a six-wicket victory over Leicestershire at Welbeck

ECB Reporters Network07-May-2017
ScorecardSamit Patel ensured Nottinghamshire’s chase had few alarms•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire boosted their hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Royal London Cup with a six-wicket victory over Leicestershire at Welbeck.James Pattinson took 4 for 42 as Leicestershire were bundled out for 217 in only 43.5 overs, after being asked to bat first.Mark Cosgrove, with 80, played the only innings of any substance for the visitors but when he fell the visitors lost their way and slipped from 179 for 4 to 194 for 9.Samit Patel gave the run chase a timely boost by speeding to 79 from 60 balls and it was left to a fourth wicket stand of 80 between Brendan Taylor and Steven Mullaney, who both made half centuries, to take Notts to the finishing line.In cold, blustery conditions Cosgrove arrived at the crease in the seventh over of the morning after Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney had reduced the visitors to 18 for 2.Cameron Delport was denied a couple of early boundaries when two straight drives both crashed into the stumps at the non-striker’s end. His luck appeared to be changing when he top-edged a delivery from Gurney high over third man for the only six of the innings.He’d only made 8 when he nicked behind, one of three catches for Chris Read. Mark Pettini made 39, sharing in a third wicket stand of 65 with Cosgrove, before becoming Pattinson’s first wicket.The Australian then spent most of the next hour trying to keep warm on the boundary edge before returning to blow the middle and lower order apart with three wickets in four balls.Both Lewis Hill, who made a breezy 30, and Rob Sayer, who fell first ball, were sent on their way after bellowed lbw appeals. Tom Wells was then yorked for just 3.Pattinson also thudded a thunderbolt onto the boot of Zak Chappell, who was still hobbling when he tamely fell to Gurney at the other end.Cosgrove, who is yet to score a one-day hundred in England, seemed about to correct that anomaly but was undone by Gurney and ballooned the ball up to Patel in the covers.Gurney finished with 3 for 29 and Stuart Broad claimed 2 for 48, which included the final wicket to fall, that of skipper Clint McKay, bowled for 14.Nottinghamshire’s innings got off to the worst possible start as Chappell trapped Michael Lumb lbw first ball. Patel made the most of his early arrival in the middle to race to an impressive 50, which included 10 boundaries in only 30 balls.Riki Wessels, with scores of 85 not out and 114 in the last two years at Welbeck, only made 20 before nicking Tom Wells behind but the home side overcame his loss with another punishing stand.Patel and Taylor put on 58 in only 10 overs to take the game completely away from Leicestershire. Patel, who had hit 14 fours in his punishing innings, tossed away the chance of a century by hitting Chappell out to Jamie Sykes, the substitute fielder, on the point boundary.Mullaney hit both Wells and Aadil Ali for sixes as he raced to his second fifty in consecutive matches, getting there from only 42 deliveries but he fell to his next ball, hoisting Aadil Ali out to deep midwicket.Taylor’s own 50 had come from 72 balls faced and he was unbeaten on 51 as Billy Root stroked the winning run with 70 balls remaining.
The win moves Nottinghamshire on to six points and enables them to leap-frog Leicestershire into third place in the North Group.