It will be far from easy, but the only thing England can do is stand up and fight India November 2, 2016 Even if England had wiped the floor with Bangladesh during their two-Test series and hinted at mastering subcontinent conditions, the upcoming tussles with India were always going to be much harder propositions. Going into the Bangladesh series I felt England were more than capable of winning 2-0, but I don’t necessarily think 1-1 was a [...]
My old Surrey team-mate Zafar Ansari will not be fretting over his expected England debut October 26, 2016 My former Surrey team-mate Zafar Ansari is set to make his England debut during the second Test with Bangladesh, which gets underway on Friday, and he is the sort of character that will take it firmly in his stride. Zafar is a very intelligent person and is a bit different to some of the other [...]
Spin will be a huge factor in Bangladesh but the role of England’s seam attack cannot be underestimated October 19, 2016 Spin is being touted as the main weapon during England’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, which starts on Thursday, and that is likely to be the case although the role the seamers have to play cannot be underestimated. The new ball is not going to stay hard for very long and it is vital that England’s [...]
Jos Buttler, fracas and all, has done his future claims to lead no harm in Bangladesh October 12, 2016 Despite England inflicting defeat upon Bangladesh for the first time in their last seven home one-day series, I fully expect skipper Eoin Morgan and opener Alex Hales to return to the side for the 50-over tussles with India in January. Hales has scored four one-day centuries in the past year, while England have done extremely well [...]
Durham’s punishment is harsh but fair, although the ECB need to look at Test match scheduling October 5, 2016 It's sad to see what has happened to Durham. They’ve been in the top flight since 2006 and have won the County Championship three times in the last nine years – I feel really sorry for them. There will be a lot of upset and angry players in that dressing room and I understand that, [...]
ECB proposal to give greater rewards and a central deal to one-day players is on the money September 28, 2016 The England and Wales Cricket Board’s proposed revamping of the central contract structure, which could see the introduction of standalone deals for one-day players for the first time, is a positive step forward. Currently, central contracts are handed to the mainstays of the Test set-up, while fringe players and those featuring in limited-overs cricket are [...]
Tough on counties but ECB right to rest England players for final Championship fixtures September 21, 2016 I fully appreciate how disappointing it must be for counties and their supporters that their international players are not playing in the final round of Championship fixtures but on balance I believe the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are right. Of the eight Division One teams in action this week, six have something to [...]
Eoin Morgan was brave to pull out of Bangladesh and it will be business as usual when he returns September 14, 2016 It was a brave decision for limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan to opt out of England’s tour to Bangladesh on security grounds, but while a big deal is being made of it now I believe it will be business as usual when he returns to the fold. Lancashire’s Jos Buttler, who will deputise as skipper in [...]
Teenage opener Haseeb Hameed is clearly talented but it would be a big call to thrust him into Test cricket September 7, 2016 Blodding Lancashire’s teenage opening batsman Haseeb Hameed during England’s tours to Bangladesh and India this winter could go either way. Head coach Trevor Bayliss has hinted at a call-up and the 19-year-old is clearly talented, having scored more than 1,000 first-class runs during his first full domestic season. The selectors will have watched him and [...]
Deciding whether to tour Bangladesh will not be an easy call for England’s players August 31, 2016 I have every sympathy for any England player who may hold reservations about travelling to Bangladesh for October’s Test and one-day series due to security concerns. After all, 20 hostages were killed in Dhaka, the venue for one of the scheduled Test matches – the other will be played in Chittagong – when five gunmen [...]
