Tag: England

Kraigg Brathwaite wants the West Indies to play more Test cricket as they look to square their series with England.

West Indies suffered a humiliating innings and 114-run defeat by England in the first Test at Lord’s last week, with the hosts wrapping up victory before lunch on the third day as they went 1-0 up in a three-match encounter.

But the difference between the two teams is about far more than on-field performances.

England are one of international cricket’s ‘Big Three’ financial powerhouse nations, together with India and Australia, while the West Indies are one of the economically poorer members of the Test-match elite.

The gulf between England and the West Indies is also reflected in their respective fixture lists, with Tests still largely a matter of bilateral arrangements between competing teams — the International Cricket Council merely specifies a minimum of two matches for a series.

Thursday’s second Test at Trent Bridge will be England’s seventh of 17 fixtures in the format this year, whereas the West Indies will be playing their third of nine in 2024.

“It’s a challenge. I mean, we’re longing for more Test cricket,” West Indies captain Brathwaite told a pre-match press conference at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

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“I think the more you play it, the faster you will learn. If it’s drawn over a long period of time, playing two Tests here, two Tests there, you will take longer to learn. We need more Tests.”

The 31-year-old added: “All I can do is keep preaching for it. I don’t know how hard it is to put on a Test series for the West Indies but all I can do is keep asking. I just hope the powers that be that may control the schedule pertaining to white ball and T20 tournaments, can fit in five or six more Test matches for us per year.”

A more immediate issue for the West Indies if they are to be competitive in this series is how to ensure an improved showing by their batsmen.

At Lord’s, they were bowled out for just 121 and 136, with experienced opener Brathwaite managing just 10 runs in total during what was his 90th Test.

“It’s pretty simple what we’ve got to do — we’ve got to bat a lot better,” said Brathwaite, who made a Test hundred in England, at Headingley, seven years ago.

“We’ve got to find a way. We’ve just got to put runs on the board. I know what I have to do and it’s obviously important to lead this team and lead the batting.

“We’ve just got to keep learning.”

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Gareth Southgate said on Tuesday he was resigning as England manager, two days after they lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final. 

“It’s time for change, and for a new chapter. Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager,” Southgate said in a statement.

Names immediately bandied around as 53-year-old Southgate’s successor are Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, and two former Chelsea handlers, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino.

Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham said Southgate had “made the impossible job possible”.

Southgate took over in 2016 when England’s fortunes were at a low ebb, having exited the Euros after defeat to Iceland and then Sam Allardyce had to resign over a scandal.

In the last four tournaments, Gareth Southgate led England to three semi-finals and two finals.

Prior to his appointment, the Three Lions had reached just three major tournament semi-finals and one final in their history, when they won the 1966 World Cup.

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But despite changing the fortunes of the England team, Southgate was unable to land a first trophy for 58 years as England lost 2-1 to Spain on Sunday.

“Gareth has made the impossible job possible and laid strong foundations for future success,” said Bullingham in a statement.

“In the 25 tournaments post 1966 before Gareth took charge, we had won seven knockout games.

“In his four tournaments we have won nine. So, in his eight years, he has won more games that really matter than in the previous 50 years.

“And of course, we have had strong tournament performances throughout their tenure.

“We came so close to winning the Euros in London and securing the first trophy for our men’s team for over 50 years -– and came so close again in Berlin on Sunday.”

Gareth Southgate, who is also credited for restoring pride and lustre to the team as well as turning the players into role models off the pitch, said the job had been a dream of a lifetime for him.

“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England,” he said.

“It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all.”

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Australia Test captain Pat Cummins have been left out of the T20I as well as the ODI squad for the upcoming tours of England and Scotland in September.

The ODI World Champions have announced two separate squads under the white-ball captain Mitchell Marsh for the tour, featuring six T20I and five ODI matches.

The T20I squad features some fresh faces, reflecting the team’s transition following the retirement of their batting mainstay David Warner. The left-handed batter played his last match during the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024.

22-year-old opening batter Jake Fraser-McGurk has been selected in T20I and ODI squads to take the top-order slot, which Warner previously held. He has played two ODIs so far during the home series against West Indies earlier this year.

Uncapped all-rounder Cooper Connolly also earned his maiden call-up for the T20I series. He has played in only 15 T20 matches so far, scoring 226 runs with a strike rate of 145.80 and has taken six wickets at an average of 15.16.

Justifying his selection despite playing few games at the domestic level, the national selector George Bailey said, “We haven’t had that many bolters for a little while.”

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“He’s an exciting young talent. Hasn’t played a great many games yet, but we really like his versatility. His work through the middle order for the Scorchers has been really impressive.

“Handy left-arm spin as well which, as a secondary skill, is something we are really keen to keep exploring and see where that goes with his cricket.”

Moreover, Pat Cummins has been rested for the complete tour to manage his workload ahead of the home summer. Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell are set to play in only ODI series against England.

“He’s got a couple of things he wants to work on physically,” Bailey said. “He’s had a lot of cricket over the past period, and this is an opportunity to get on top of those and set him up for the next period of time; it’s more a management of that.”

Ashton Agar and Matthew Wade, who were part of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, have been dropped. Josh Inglis will serve as the wicketkeeper in T20I series, while Alex Carey will continue to keep in ODIs.

Australia T20I squad vs Scotland and England

Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Australia ODI squad vs England

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wk), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

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Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored a dramatic late winner as Spain triumphed in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final, beating England 2-1 to confirm their re-emergence as a force on the international stage.

England had been dreaming of winning a first title in almost six decades and it looked as if it could be their night as Spain lost influential midfielder Rodri to injury at half-time.

Yet Spain shrugged that off to take the lead within two minutes of the restart through Nico Williams, who was set up by his fellow star winger, Lamine Yamal.

England came from behind as they have done so often at the Euro 2024, with substitute Cole Palmer driving in the equaliser on 73 minutes, moments after entering the fray.

But their resurgence in the game was cut short when Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad forward, turned in a cross in the 86th minute to hand Spain a record fourth European Championship crown, and a third in the last five editions.

“It has been a marvellous day in which a team has been deservedly crowned champions of Europe,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente told broadcaster TVE.

They previously won in 1964, 2008 and 2012, the last two titles coming either side of their triumph at the 2010 World Cup during the golden era of Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso and Andres Iniesta.

Whether this generation, led by the brilliant Yamal playing here a day after his 17th birthday, manages to repeat the achievements of that magnificent side remains to be seen, but theirs was a fitting victory.

Spain have been comfortably the best team throughout the Euro 2024 campaign in Germany and were not intimidated by the atmosphere at the Olympiastadion, where the majority of the crowd were given over to England’s cause.

England had hoped to finally claim a first men’s international title since their fabled victory at the 1966 World Cup but fell just short in their first-ever final on foreign soil.

“To lose the final is incredibly tough,” said their manager, Gareth Southgate. “Congratulations to Spain, they were the best team in the tournament and the best team tonight.”

After the agony of their defeat on penalties to Italy three years ago, England are the first side ever to lose back-to-back Euro finals.

Captain Harry Kane, meanwhile, is left at the age of 30 still looking for the first trophy of a career so rich in goals.

It was always likely that Spain would control this game, and England spent most of the first half chasing the ball.

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Despite Spain’s domination, it took until first-half stoppage time for either team to manage a shot on target, with Phil Foden’s effort from a Declan Rice free-kick being saved by goalkeeper Unai Simon.

But it was just before that chance that Rodri hurt himself, sliding into teammate Aymeric Laporte as he blocked a Kane shot.

Spain’s outstanding holding midfielder was unable to continue and made way for Martin Zubimendi at the restart.

It felt like the loss of such a presence in the middle could completely throw Spain off course, and yet they wasted no time in opening the scoring.

England were braced for the danger to come from Spain’s two wingers, and it was they who combined for the goal, as Yamal collected Dani Carvajal’s pass and darted inside.

He released Williams, who scored with a controlled, low shot into the far corner.

England would now need to come from behind, but that was what they had done in their three previous knockout games.

Southgate took off his talisman Kane on the hour mark and sent on Ollie Watkins, a repeat of the substitution that won the semi-final against the Netherlands.

Spain had chances to increase their lead and their fans began to greet every pass with an ‘ole’, as Southgate decided to send on Palmer for Kobbie Mainoo.

Within three minutes of that England were level when Bukayo Saka’s ball from the right was laid off by Jude Bellingham for Palmer, who found the net with a low first-time effort into the corner.

However, Spain grabbed the winner with four minutes to go thanks to their own super-sub.

Oyarzabal played the ball to Marc Cucurella on the left before racing into the middle to turn his teammate’s cross into the net, staying just onside in the process.

Spain then held on, although only after a vital clearance off the line from Dani Olmo to deny Marc Guehi.

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West Indies’ plan to acknowledge England great James Anderson with a guard of honour fell by the wayside after a rare moment of exuberance at Lord’s instead left them celebrating “all the way down to Swiss Cottage” instead.

Anderson walked out to bat on Thursday for what now seems certain to be the final time in his England career — the West Indies were 171 runs behind with just four wickets standing at stumps on the second day – after talks with team management led him to announce this fixture would be his 188th and last Test.

It has become a tradition for a fielding side to give a guard of honour when a leading opposition cricketer is coming into bat for the final time in a Test.

And that was the West Indies’ intention on Thursday before No. 11 Anderson walked out to a standing ovation from a capacity crowd at Lord’s.

He took the field after a brilliant run out by Mikyle Louis, whose direct hit to dismiss Shoaib Bashir sparked joyous celebrations among the West Indies side.

By the time Anderson, whose 703 Test wickets taken by any fast bowler in the format’s history, emerged from the Pavilion, only former West Indies captain Jason Holder was on hand to give the 41-year-old veteran a handshake.

“We spoke about it before he came out to bat, that we were going to give him a guard of honour,” said West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales.

“Obviously the run out took us all the way down to Swiss Cottage (the neighbouring district in northwest London to St John’s Wood, in which Lord’s is located), so it was pretty hard to do the guard of honour for the great man. Luckily, Jason caught up with him.”

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James Anderson, jokingly nicknamed the ‘Burnley Lara’ in honour of both his birthplace in northwest England and West Indies batting great Brian Lara, didn’t even face a ball on Thursday before debutant Jamie Smith was last man out for an assured 70.

“I think the biggest missed opportunity was not seeing Jimmy face one off their left-arm spinner,” said Smith.

“That’s the one regret about my innings. I’m a bit disappointed I couldn’t hit one more six to allow him his moment.

“It’s been an honour play alongside him in my first game. Everyone will miss him when he goes.

“If we’re in a position where he has to bat in the second innings I’d be a bit worried, so hopefully he can get wickets with the ball instead.”

Anderson, Ben Stokes and debutant fast bowler Gus Atkinson all took two wickets apiece as the West Indies collapsed to 79-6 at Thursday’s close after slumping to 121 all out in their first innings of this three-match series.

West Indies struggled to make anything like the impact with the bat as Smith, who hit eight fours and two sixes — one of which cleared the Tavern Stand.

“I always like to be aggressive, that’s the way I want to play my cricket — on the front foot,” he said.

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LONDON: James Anderson struck twice in his final innings and put England on the brink of a dominating victory over West Indies in the ongoing first Test of the two-match series here at Lord’s.

Anderson, opening the attack for the last time for England in his glittering career, gave the hosts a perfect start in the hunt for an innings victory as he got rid of West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite (4).

He returned to the attack to dismiss Alick Athanaze (22) while England captain Ben Stokes and debutant Gus Atkinson further added to the touring side’s misery, sharing four wickets between them.

At the Stumps on Day 2, West Indies were reeling at 79/6, needing a further 171 runs to make England bat again.

Earlier today, England finished their first innings at 371, courtesy of debutant Jamie Smith’s fine knock.

Smith played a cautious 70-run knock which featured eight fours and two sixes.

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Jamie Smith was involved in a crucial partnership for the home side when he put together 52 runs for the eighth wicket with Chris Woakes, who made 23.

Resuming England’s first innings at 199/3, Joe Root and Harry Brook stretched their overnight partnership to 91 runs until the latter perished soon after amassing his half-century.

Brook made 50 in 64 balls with the help of five fours and a six.

His dismissal was followed by the demise of England captain Stokes (4) and their set batter Root before Smith took charge of the hosts’ batting expedition.

Root was cleaned up by Gudakesh Motie on 68. His 114-ball knock featured seven boundaries.

Jayden Seales was the pick of the bowlers for the West Indies with a four-fer, followed by Motie and Jason Holder, taking two each.

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King Charles III has congratulated the England football team on reaching the final of Euro 2024 and jokingly urged them to win the tournament without any nerve-shredding last-minute drama.

Britain’s head of state sent the team his “warmest congratulations” after their 2-1 win against The Netherlands on Wednesday evening and his “very best wishes” for Sunday’s final against Spain.

But he urged them to play with the nation’s blood pressure in mind after fans endured the suspense of a last-gasp equaliser in the second round against Slovakia, a penalty triumph against Switzerland in the quarter-final, and Ollie Watkins’ 90th-minute winner to send them through to the final.

“If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation’s collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated!” he said.

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“Good luck, England.”

Charles’s son, William, who is president of the Football Association, singled out Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins for praise after he came off the bench to score the winner.

“What a beauty, Ollie! Congratulations England! #EURO2024 Finalists,” wrote the Prince of Wales, who supports the Birmingham club.

William is likely to travel to Berlin for the final of the Euro Cup.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, an Arsenal fan who watched some of the game while attending a Nato summit in Washington, has confirmed he will also travel for the match.

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England have announced their Playing XI for the first Test match against the West Indies, starting at the iconic Lord’s 10 July.

This match will mark pacer Chris Woakes’ return to the England Playing XI for the first time since last summer’s Ashes against Australia. Meanwhile, Surrey players Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith will make their Test debuts.

Somerset spinner Shoaib Bashir will play his first Test match on home soil after debuting in India earlier this year.

It is pertinent to mention that legendary pacer James Anderson will take the field as England player for the last time in this match, at the same venue where he made his debut 21 years ago against Zimbabwe.

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Anderson is the only pacer in history to take more than 700 Test wickets. He achieved the milestone during England’s fifth away Test against India, in March this year.

He is also the third in the list of players with the most Test wickets, only behind spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) of Sri Lanka and the late Shane Warne (708 wickets) of Australia.

The second match between England and West Indies will be played from 18 to 22 July at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, while the third match is scheduled to be played in Edgbaston in Birmingham from 26 July.

England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson

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England great James Anderson hopes future players will relish the challenge of Test cricket rather than just go “chasing the dollar” as he prepares to bow out of the five-day game against the West Indies.

The series opener at Lord’s, starting on Wednesday, will be the Lancashire paceman’s 188th and final Test match after a record-breaking career spanning two decades.

No fast bowler has taken more than Anderson’s 700 Test wickets and only India batting hero Sachin Tendulkar has played more matches (200) in the format.

The cricketing landscape has radically changed since Anderson, 41, made his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in 2003.

Cricketers no longer have to become established at Test level to enjoy successful careers. With the advent of lucrative Twenty20 franchise tournaments, notably the Indian Premier League (IPL), they can earn a lot more money for a lot less work.

For fast bowlers in particular, the rewards of shorter-form cricket are particularly enticing as the workload is much lighter.

But Anderson told reporters at Lord’s on Monday that the longest version of the game had shaped him. “Test cricket is literally the reason that I am the person that I am,” he said.

“It has taught me so many lessons through the years, built my resilience to a lot of things. I think the fulfilment you get from putting in a shift in a day’s cricket is different to anything else you can do in the game.”

James Anderson cut short his time in white-ball cricket to extend his Test career. He is now third on the all-time list of wicket-takers behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and Australia’s Shane Warne, both spinners.

“I know you can earn a lot of money from bowling four overs (in T20 cricket), but for me personally, I would never get the same sort of joy or fulfilment from taking wickets that are caught on the boundary compared to really giving a batter a working-over and figure someone out,” he said.

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“I just hope there are enough kids and young professionals out there who still want that to be the case, rather than going chasing the dollar.”

Anderson was effectively forced into Test retirement by England chiefs, who want to rebuild ahead of the 2025/26 Ashes in Australia.

While accepting his career had to “end at some point”, Anderson insists he is “bowling as well as I ever have”.

Asked if he could have kept playing, the paceman added: “It’s difficult to say. I’ve not really got a choice.”

Signs of a new-look England side will be on show at Lord’s after the hosts named their team two days before the start of the three-match series.

James Anderson has been selected alongside the Surrey debutants wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and fast bowler Gus Atkinson.

Third-ranked England have played an entertaining, attacking brand of cricket over the past two years under captain by Ben Stokes, but have won just four of their past 11 Tests.

After their 4-1 series loss in India earlier this year, coach Brendon McCullum promised the team would “refine” their aggressive approach, dubbed “Bazball” in his honour.

The West Indies, ranked eighth in the world, are a shadow of the team that dominated global cricket in the 1980s but they produced a major upset in January when they beat Australia by eight runs in Brisbane. It was their first Test victory on Australian soil in 27 years.

Former West Indies captain Jason Holder, set to return to Test cricket after missing that tour, said: “I was just so happy for the boys when they did what they did in Australia.

“It gave me a renewed energy to come back to the group and try to be a part of something special again.”

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Former England pacer Stuart Broad has praised his long-time bowling partner James Anderson as “an addict of the art of bowling” as the veteran fast bowler prepares for his final Test against West Indies.

Anderson, 42 later this month, will face the West Indies in a series opener at Lord’s starting on Wednesday before ending an England career which has so far yielded 700 wickets in 187 Tests — both records among quick bowlers.

Broad, who played alongside James Anderson in 138 of those games before retiring from Test cricket after last year’s Ashes, said his longstanding new-ball partner’s excellence was down to a sheer love of bowling.

“He loves the rhythm of running into bowl, the control of the technique of his action, the tactical side of whether he’s bowling away swing, inswing, wobble seam,” Broad wrote in the Sunday Times.

“When you talk about professionals who have had longevity, you often talk about their dedication to training, their discipline in the gym and their diet.”

The 38-year-old Broad, who himself took 604 wickets in 167 Tests, added: “And of course, you don’t play to 42 unless you have that but the thing that makes him different is his genuine love of the art of what he does.

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“Addict is generally used as a negative word but I’d say he is an addict of the art of bowling.”

Anderson’s reputation was based on his ability as an outstanding conventional swing bowler, particularly in home conditions, but Broad said this ignored his skill in deploying reverse swing.

“He doesn’t get enough credit for his reverse swing, which has been crucial to his great record in the subcontinent,” Stuart Broad wrote. “Because his line and length are so immaculate it makes it lethal.

“(South Africa fast bowler) Dale Steyn was phenomenal and quicker than Jimmy but Jimmy is certainly the best reverse-swing bowler I’ve played with and probably the best I’ve witnessed in the flesh outside of Steyn.

“(His) ability to adapt and learn is why he has been so successful for so long. In professional sports, you have to be continually improving because there is always a younger bowler trying to get your shirt.

“It is that genuine love for the art of bowling that has made him want to improve and learn new deliveries. It’s why he will go out at Lord’s this week as England’s greatest-ever bowler.”

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