Chris Tremlett: England can’t hide behind the excuse their batsmen are naturally aggressive – they need to learn to adapt February 6, 2019 England have been hugely disappointing against West Indies. Having arrived full of confidence they begin the final Test this weekend with the aim of simply trying to salvage something. After such a poor opening Test in Barbados they were once again out-played and out-thought in every department in Antigua to surrender the series 2-0. Credit [...]
England’s relentlessly reinforced positive approach is partly to blame for their disastrous collapses in Test matches February 4, 2019 Positive. Aggressive. Competitive. Destructive. Dynamic. These are the adjectives which are supposed to define England 2.0, the one shaped by former director of cricket Andrew Strauss, selector Ed Smith, head coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Joe Root. These are the words you can imagine floating around in the blue-sky thinking sessions within the walls of [...]
Chris Tremlett: Joe Denly has a fantastic opportunity – he must grasp it to stake a claim in England’s batting line-up January 30, 2019 After the horrendous defeat in Barbados there were bound to be changes for England’s second Test against West Indies in Antigua, but I was still a bit surprised to see Keaton Jennings dropped. I thought his unbeaten 146 against Sri Lanka in November might have bought Jennings a bit more time at the top of [...]
Trouble in paradise: England facing familiar problems with brittle batting after 381-run thrashing by West Indies January 27, 2019 The start of England’s opening Test match against the West Indies in Barbados on Wednesday was dominated by discussion around the tourists’ selection. How would the pitch play? Did they really need two spinners? Should Stuart Broad be in the side? By Saturday evening those debates seemed irrelevant and a lifetime away. A completely inept [...]
Chris Tremlett: Sam Curran deserves his place in England’s Test side despite tough first day in Barbados January 23, 2019 England had a difficult decision to make before play even got under way in the first Test against the West Indies in Barbados today. They delayed their team selection until the latest possible moment so captain Joe Root could have a good look at the Kensington Oval pitch. Reading conditions and the wicket is a [...]
West Indies v England preview: Hosts beset by off-the-field problems ahead of Test opener January 21, 2019 As well as with the idyllic Caribbean landscape, England begin their Test series against the West Indies on Wednesday against a backdrop of stark contrasts. While Joe Root’s side are looking up from their position of No3 in the world rankings following a positive run of results and the hosts languish in eighth, it is off [...]
Stuart Law: Middlesex’s new hard-nosed head coach believes he can turn around club’s fortunes in 2019 January 20, 2019 It’s all change at Middlesex in 2019. After a disappointing season in which the team failed to secure promotion back to Division One and flopped in white-ball cricket, heads rolled. Richard Scott was sacked as head coach midway through the campaign, with coaches Richard Johnson and Dave Houghton then leaving for new roles at Surrey [...]
Chris Tremlett: England need to avoid complacency and put to bed their poor record in the West Indies January 16, 2019 England may not have a good record in the West Indies, but I feel they really should be winning the Test series in the Caribbean this time. Joe Root’s side begin the three-Test campaign in Barbados next Wednesday as favourites. They are full of confidence and equipped with a stronger side on paper. England have [...]
The Hundred shows Tom Harrison and the ECB putting all of its eggs into one basket – will the gamble pay off? January 15, 2019 For a competition that doesn’t yet exist The Hundred – if, as expected, that is what it will eventually be called – has caused an awful lot of consternation. Since being announced in April, information about the new 100-ball format has leaked gradually, like a broken tap, with each drop prompting more questions than the [...]
Chris Tremlett: New England director of cricket Ashley Giles can hit the ground running ahead of exciting year January 9, 2019 Ashley Giles’s appointment as England’s new director of cricket comes at an exciting time. Changes of management in sport often come at a time of crisis, but England are in a stable position and looking forward to a World Cup and Ashes series on home soil this summer. While the circumstances of Andrew Strauss’s departure [...]