Meerkats at the cricket? Compare the Market becomes new sponsor of The Hundred July 11, 2023 Compare the Market is to become the new main sponsor of The Hundred, English cricket chiefs have announced. City A.M. revealed two weeks ago that the England and Wales Cricket Board was finalising terms on a multi-year deal with a principal partner making its first entry into the sport. That partner has now been confirmed [...]
T20 Vitality Blast Finals Day: Will Hampshire, Essex, Somerset or Surrey win? July 11, 2023 We may be neck deep in two Ashes series but any excuse to fill Edgbaston for some cricket can’t be sniffed at, because it’s Twenty20 Blast Finals Day this weekend and England is set to crown a new champion. Finals Day is a spectacle; three matches involving four teams in front of a barmy crowd [...]
England Cricket refuses to cash in on Bazball brand (and Australians could benefit) July 10, 2023 Rarely can a sports team have become as synonymous with a slogan or philosophy as the England men’s Test cricket side and Bazball. It has proliferated every discussion of their successes and failures during the current Ashes series and since head coach Brendon McCullum, from whom the term derives, brought his buccaneering style to the [...]
Woakes hails Brook and England as they beat Australia to keep Ashes alive July 9, 2023 Chris Woakes insisted that nerves didn’t come into play until England needed just four runs after the all-rounder hit the winning shot against Australia at Headingley to keep the Ashes series alive. Woakes, who was excluded from the opening two Tests in the series, finished yesterday’s innings on 32 not out as his partnership with [...]
Minister backs sports fans to intervene in Just Stop Oil protests – but DON’T ‘do a Jonny Bairstow’ July 7, 2023 Sports fans have been backed by a Home Office minister to intervene against protesters as a funder of the Just Stop Oil environmental group insisted its activists’ actions are “vital”. Events have been told to put more stewards and injunctions in place to prevent disruption from protesters as policing minister Chris Philp backed spectators acting [...]
Ed Warner: Thompson’s ECB era will always have report in its shadow July 6, 2023 Ed Warner writes about ECB chair Richard Thompson and how his tenure – much like Seb Coe’s – will always have its connotations despite best efforts. Through the cloud of orange powder, I couldn’t check the privilege of the protester hauled off the Lord’s pitch by Jonny Bairstow last week to see whether he is [...]
Chris Tremlett: Wood can help England forget Lord’s woes in Ashes July 5, 2023 It’s incredible. Tomorrow sees a must-win Ashes Test match for England against Australia and there seems to be more chatter about what’s going on off field than on it. The unsavoury scenes in the Lord’s Long Room was not a good watch and not good for cricket but I do hope nothing changes – except [...]
Wood, Moeen and Woakes into decisive Ashes Test at Headingley July 5, 2023 England have rung the changes for their crucial third Ashes Test against Australia at Headingley in Leeds today. Head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have made three alterations from the side that lost at Lord’s on Sunday which left England 2-0 down in the series with a draw enough for Australia to retain [...]
The Ashes: Recreate Headingley 2019, don’t boo Australia, Joe Root urges England fans July 4, 2023 England’s Joe Root has urged fans not to boo Australia and instead channel the spirit of Headingley 2019 for this week’s must-win third Ashes Test. The tourists’ contentious dismissal of England’s Johnny Bairstow in the second Test led to taunts of “same old Aussies, always cheating” and even saw them heckled by some Lord’s members [...]
Ashes: Ollie Pope injury blow rocks England men ahead of third Test July 4, 2023 England’s men have suffered another blow in their bid to regain the Ashes after batter Ollie Pope was ruled out of the rest of the series with a shoulder injury. The hosts, already without key bowlers Jofra Archer and Jack Leach, trail 2-0 ahead of this week’s potentially decisive third Test match at Headingley. And [...]