England selectors have decisions to make: Runners and riders in the race for England Test selection this summer April 27, 2016 Three weeks tomorrow England play their opening Test match of the summer against Sri Lanka at Headingley and selectors will be considering their options. So what are England’s problem positions and what might the solutions be? Head coach Trevor Bayliss likes an aggressive opener but, as I have written previously, I am not sure Alex Hales [...]
Middlesex opener Sam Robson boosts claims for for Test recall after smashing records at Lord’s April 20, 2016 Records tumbled as Middlesex opener Sam Robson boosted his chances of earning an England recall as his side’s County Championship clash with Warwickshire at Lord’s petered out into a draw. Robson again reached three figures, scoring 106 in Middlesex’s second innings to add to the double century he notched earlier in the match, which gave [...]
There are simpler ways to boost interest and avoid empty seats than points-based system, cut ticket prices for one April 20, 2016 I don't have a problem with innovation or trying something new but I’m not convinced the proposed points-based system, mooted for the Sri Lanka tour this summer, is destined to be a rip-roaring success. The premise would be for the men’s game to follow the lead of the women’s and the winner of the series [...]
England batsman James Taylor proved that guts not size is key to success – although his retirement means Test places are up for grabs April 13, 2016 I was still at Hampshire when I first played against James Taylor, who was with Leicestershire at the time, and I remember thinking to myself when he walked out to bat: ‘My God, this guy is tiny’. At 5ft 6in he is one of the smallest cricketers I ever came up against and he was [...]
Tributes paid as heart condition forces England batsman James Taylor to retire April 12, 2016 England batsman James Taylor has been stripped of the finest years of his international career after being forced to retire due to a serious heart condition, according to former national team skipper Nasser Hussain. The 26-year-old is set to undergo surgery later this week having been diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, a similar condition [...]
Jade Dernbach interview: I’m more mature now, have a different outlook and ready to regain my England spot April 11, 2016 He may have been a lightning rod for criticism and a byword for promising bowlers tossed on the international scrapheap, but Surrey seamer Jade Dernbach is desperate to defy what some might consider lengthy odds and resurrect his England career. It has been a rocky road over recent years for the Johannesburg-born quick, who has [...]
Kevin Pietersen ready to switch allegiances and play Test cricket for South Africa April 10, 2016 Controversial former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has floated the possibility of making a sensational return to international cricket with his native South Africa. The Pietermaritzburg-born batsman made his England debut during the 2005 Ashes series and proceeded to score 8,181 runs in 104 Tests, at an average of 47.28, for his adopted country. Pietersen was [...]
Forget all the World Twenty20 despair and Stokes sniping, this England side is something special April 6, 2016 So much of the fallout from Sunday’s World Twenty20 final defeat has focused on all-rounder Ben Stokes and England despair, but Eoin Morgan’s side deserve a huge pat on the back for getting that far in the competition. This England team is starting to become something very special. Getting to the final proved that, it’s [...]
My third six off “legend” Stokes was a fluke, admits West indies World Twenty20 hero Brathwaite April 4, 2016 West Indies hero Carlos Brathwaite admits that he fluked the third of his four brutal sixes which propelled his side to World Twenty20 glory against England at Eden Gardens on Sunday. Brathwaite launched a ferocious last-over assault on England all-rounder Ben Stokes and clubbed the 24-year-old for successive maximums as West Indies chased down the [...]
Bayliss backs ‘heart and soul’ Stokes to recover from World Twenty20 last-over nightmare April 4, 2016 England head coach Trevor Bayliss has backed Ben Stokes to recover from his last-over nightmare during Sunday’s galling World Twenty20 final defeat, insisting the all-rounder is the side’s “heart and soul”. Stokes was clobbered for four successive sixes by Carlos Brathwaite with the West Indies requiring 19 from the final over for victory, leaving a [...]