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The batter says he wasn’t fussed about being left out of the XI in India after making a terrific hundred in the WTC final

Andrew McGlashan07-Jun-20231:51

Haddin breaks down Head’s high-risk game

This World Test Championship final is Australia’s 20th Test match in the two-year cycle. Four of their players have appeared in all the games. Travis Head has been part of 18 of them. One of his absences was due to Covid in Sydney during the 2021-22 Ashes, but the other was when he was dropped.Head, unbeaten on 146 off 156 balls after the first day against India, has now scored 1354 runs in this WTC at an average of 58.86 and strike rate of 81.91, and he can eye a double-century on Thursday. However, earlier this year, he was not deemed worthy of a place in the first Test against India in Nagpur.Whichever way the argument is spun with statistics, it will go down as one of the stranger selection calls in recent times, even when Head’s previous struggles in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2022 are factored in, but he insisted there is no lingering resentment.Related

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“It honestly doesn’t faze me,” he said at The Oval. “Very privileged to be where I am and do what I do. We’ve got a very strong squad of guys, selection isn’t always going to go your way, it hasn’t in the past, that’s out of my control. All I can do is be as consistent as I can be on the field, [and] off the field enjoy myself.”Yes, I’d love to play every Test but that won’t always be the case. That gives good perspective to moments like this. Hopefully I don’t get dropped too much in the future but it will definitely happen … it doesn’t give me extra fuel.”I know certain decisions haven’t gone my way in the past but I feel like I [have] got a fair bit to contribute to this team and [am] valued within the team. I’ve got the backing of the staff and the captain and the players so it’s nice.”Like Nagpur, The Oval is also a ground where Head has been on the rough end of a selection call when he was omitted from the final Test of the 2019 Ashes. This time his sixth Test century, and the fourth in this edition of the World Test Championship, three of which have come at decisive stages of an innings, powered Australia to 327 for 3 at the close.The unbroken stand with Steven Smith was worth 251 to suggest few gremlins in the surface. However, batting was far from easy for considerable portions of the day, with some deliveries jumping from a length and others scuttling low. Australia, too, would have bowled first had they won the toss, but it appears to have worked out perfectly for them if the unevenness develops further over the game.”If you get it in the right area there’s plenty there,” Head said. “As the game goes on, hopefully it gets a little quicker for us and we can find the right lengths, and I feel if you do that for long periods of time it can be a challenging wicket.”That good length at the top of the stumps was hard work. And as we [saw] when they went to that short-pitched plan it wasn’t the most consistent wicket, and the Dukes swings a little so it made for some awkward moments.”

Teenager Tess Flintoff smashed the fastest WBBL half-century off 16 balls before Sasha Moloney picked up 4 for 24 to help Stars beat Adelaide Strikers

AAP02-Nov-2022Teenager Tess Flintoff has smashed the WBBL record for the fastest half-century in the competition’s history to power Melbourne Stars to a 22-run win over Adelaide Strikers.The allrounder blasted an unbeaten 51 from only 16 balls at North Sydney Oval on Wednesday. Flintoff broke the previous mark – 22 balls – by smashing a six off the final ball of the innings to push Stars to 5 for 186 after Strikers elected to field first.The 19-year-old’s blistering career-best knock consisted of six fours and three sixes. Flintoff had not been required to bat in Stars’ past three matches, but her most recent innings was an unbeaten 40 against the Perth Scorchers on October 20.Australia allrounder Ashleigh Gardner and South African Lizelle Lee shared the previous record for fastest WBBL half-century, with both reaching the mark in the same game back in 2017.England batters Alice Capsey and Lauren Winfield-Hill also played important roles in the Stars’ big total sharing an 81-run stand for the second wicket.Flintoff’s match-winning knock proved too much for Adelaide to overcome, with Strikers finishing their 20 overs on 8 for 164. Australia star Tahlia McGrath’s troubled run with the bat continued, with Strikers’ captain out for just 1 following two ducks in as many games.Adelaide had solid contributions from Katie Mack, Bridget Patterson and Laura Wolvaardt as Sasha Moloney was the pick of Stars bowlers claiming 4 for 24.It was just Stars’ second win of the tournament, with Adelaide remaining in third on the table with four victories.

He will miss Strikers’ first game due to the final Test of England’s tour of New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2024England’s current stand-in Test captain Ollie Pope has signed with Adelaide Strikers and West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has joined Sydney Sixers to complete the pre-draft names in the BBL.Pope, who is leading England against Sri Lanka due to Ben Stokes’ hamstring injury, will be available for Strikers after the Test tour of New Zealand which finishes on December 18 which means he will miss at least their first match.Related

• Paine makes rapid climb to Adelaide Strikers head coach

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Pope will be looking to build on a T20 record of 1295 runs at 28.77 and a strike-rate of 132.82. He had a lean time in the recent Hundred for London Spirit where he made 35 runs in five innings.He will have a chance to team up with Ashes adversaries Travis Head and Alex Carey, the latter who has signed a new four-year deal, when they are available for the BBL for a short window after the India Test series.”Ollie Pope is an exceptional talent with a proven track record at the highest level,” Tim Paine, Strikers’ new head coach, said. “His dynamic batting style and wicket-keeping abilities are a fantastic addition to our squad.”It was confirmed earlier in the week that Strikers had not taken allrounder Jamie Overton as their pre-draft signing but they will be able to use their retention option if needed during the draft itself if they wish to bring back the England allrounder who had a huge impact last season.AAP reported that Rashid Khan has not nominated for the draft meaning he will miss the BBL for the second consecutive season after being ruled out by injury last year. Afghanistan have international cricket scheduled during the first part of the BBL then Rashid has signed for the SA20.

Akeal Hosein fills Steve O’Keefe’s shoes

Meanwhile, Sydney Sixers have identified Hosein to fill the gap created by Steve O’Keefe’s retirement although he is only due to be available for the first seven games of the season due to an ILT20 deal with MI Emirates.From 2025-26 players signed under pre-draft agreements have to commit to the full BBL season but that is not the case for this season. Hosein took 13 wickets in nine matches for Melbourne Renegades in 2022-23 and played one further game for them last season as a late replacement.”With the retirement of Steve O’Keefe last season, we identified a gap for us to fill and Akeal is going to play a key role for us in that position,” Sixers general manager Rachael Haynes said. “We expect him to bowl some really important overs for us, but we also know he’s a talented fielder and a capable tail-end batter who’ll be able to provide crucial runs in the back end of an innings if required.The BBL draft will take place on September 1.

BBL pre-draft signings

Adelaide Strikers: Ollie Pope
Brisbane Heat: Colin Munro
Hobart Hurricanes: Chris Jordan
Melbourne Renegades: Tim Seifert
Melbourne Stars: Tom Curran
Perth Scorchers: Finn Allen
Sydney Sixers: Akeal Hosein
Sydney Thunder: Sam Billings

“It was pretty cool to tick off,” she said after becoming just the second woman to score an ODI century from No. 6 or lower

Andrew McGlashan17-Jan-2025Ashleigh Gardner was relieved to not be stuck in the 90s for too long on the way to an “emotional” maiden international century which put Australia on the brink of retaining the Ashes.Gardner’s previous highest score for Australia was 93, made in a T20I against India in 2020, and in Hobart she became just the second women’s batter to score an ODI century from No. 6 or lower in the order.In the 45th over, Gardner was on 90 and facing Nat Sciver-Brunt when the England allrounder pushed consecutive balls down the leg side which Gardner was able to take advantage of, with a single off the final delivery of the over leaving her on 99 against Lauren Bell. One dot followed before she pulled Bell through square leg.Related

• Sciver-Brunt hopes for 'mindset shift' even as Australia promise to 'scrap and fight'

• Gardner's century and King's five-for give Australia ODI series sweep

• Stats – Gardner's rescue act, King's fruitful series, Ecclestone's poor show against Australia

“Because I haven’t made many hundreds throughout my whole cricketing life I had a feeling that I would get really nervous in the 90s,” Gardner said. “Thankfully for me, Nat bowled a couple down the leg and I was able to get those away to the boundary and race through the 90s.”The rest just fell in place and I was able to get to that milestone. It’s certainly something that I can be really proud of. I’ve played a lot of international games and haven’t quite made that mark…to be able to reach that was pretty emotional, but it was pretty cool to tick off.”Gardner had walked in with Australia tottering on 59 for 4 but was able to stitch together partnerships of 95 with Beth Mooney and a defining 103 from 83 balls with Tahlia McGrath before the innings was capped off by George Wareham’s 12-ball 38.Gardner made a conscious effort to try and put pressure on England’s leading spinner, Sophie Ecclestone, who she scored 24 off 29 balls against in what became Ecclestone second-most expensive return in ODIs.”For me and Moons, it was just to build a partnership and to ease the nerves a little bit and calm people down,” Gardner said. “The conversations just kept being around putting pressure back on them. I know for me, batting in those types of situations, you can go back in your shell.”For me that doesn’t really work because then I go too far the other way, so I still try to be really proactive. I tried to put pressure back on Ecclestone, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t. I guess it made her change something, and that was what I was trying to do.”The messages were kind of the same with T-Mac [McGrath]. That was probably the best I’ve seen T-Mac bat in a very long time. She just took a lot of pressure off me. I didn’t feel like because I was the one in that I had to keep going as hard.”Gardner put an exclamation mark on her performance with a spectacular parried boundary catch late in England’s innings to remove Ecclestone.Ash Gardner took a spectacular juggling catch on the rope•Getty Images

“I was probably off the rope too many steps, knowing that she hits the ball pretty hard and far,” she said. “After the initial catch, it was [about] trying to get my momentum to basically not fall over the rope. It was just one of those things where instinct kicks in and you throw the ball back and hope that you can catch it on the rebound.”I made a bit of a meal of it in the end, and I’m sure people will probably say that I put a bit of mayo on it. I didn’t mean for it to be caught that way, but I’ll take it.”Winning the ODI series has ticked plenty of early boxes for Australia and leaves them needing just two more points to retain the Ashes but with the memories of 2023, when 6-0 became an 8-8 draw, there is a determination not to be in that position again.”I know there was sort of redemption after the white-ball series that we played last time in the [last] Ashes. We weren’t up to it,” Gardner said. “I think the standard that we’ve shown throughout today was probably the most clinical batting performance that we’ve put out there. We’ve played on some tricky wickets, so it’s really exposed us at different times and being able to overcome that.”Knowing that we’re going into the T20s, which I think probably is England’s best format, being able to take confidence in what we’ve done in these last three ODIs into that first T20, I’d imagine England probably don’t have as much confidence as what we do, so we should really relish in that.”Having seen 59 for 4 turn into over 300, England still had a chance at 200 for 4, needing 109 from 80 balls, but when Danni Wyatt-Hodge was superbly caught Phoebe Litchfield, they lost 6 for 22.”You looked at the worms and they were bang on,” captain Heather Knight said of the chase. “I think we were ahead actually, for most of it. We felt like on the bench we could probably chase 10, 11 an over for the last ten. So being in that position, we felt pretty good. We just didn’t have that set batter to go on and go really big”Those key moments, when the game’s on the line, they [Australia] seem to be able to cope with them really well. We haven’t been able to seize the moment a little bit and really hammer down any advantage that we have got. It’s something that we need to do a little bit better, realising when we’re in a key moment of the match, can we go after this? Let’s go and win this. So hopefully we can show some progress in that in the T20s.”

Warwickshire lose last five wickets for 29 to concede hefty first-innings deficit

ECB Reporters Network21-Jul-2023Lancashire 327 and 182 for 6 (Jennings 64*) lead Warwickshire 212 (Rhodes 82) by 297 runsLancashire were hoping for kind weather on the last day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match with Warwickshire after they took charge on the third day at Edgbaston.An incisive burst of spin-bowling followed by patient batting has engineered a strong position for the Red Rose. After bowling the home side out for 212, for a first-innings lead of 115, Lancashire closed a rain-shortened third day on 182 for 6 – 297 ahead as Keaton Jennings constructed an unbeaten 64 from 174 balls.On a slow pitch which has never been easy for batting, the visitors were poised to put Warwickshire under pressure on the final day but need the grim weather forecast to be wrong. The dark clouds ever present at Edgbaston this week remain likely to have the final say.That would be frustrating for Jennings’ side who finally forced the match forward in its seventh session after the preceding six had advanced at various degrees of slow. After Warwickshire resumed on the third day on 179 for 5, the Red Rose deployed their spinners, partly because the light was so poor, and it proved a highly productive move as the last five wickets fell for 29 runs in 88 balls.The catalyst for the collapse was an indiscrete reverse-sweep by Dan Mousley (47 off 97 balls) straight to slip off Jack Morley. The left-arm spinner followed that by having Michael Burgess adjudged caught at leg slip before Luke Wells removed Danny Briggs, caught off the face of the bat at short leg.Warwickshire squandered their last two wickets as Olly Hannon-Dalby was run out pursuing a single that didn’t exist and Chris Rushworth, batting with a runner due to a hamstring injury, charged at Wells and was stumped by yards. Suddenly, after two finely balanced days, Lancashire had seized a meaty lead 115.Batting remained tricky when they went in again and Wells’ hitherto happy morning took a dive when he fell lbw to Hannon-Dalby’s third ball. Josh Bohannon came closest to fluency in a 40-ball 25 which ended when he chipped Hannon-Dalby to substitute fielder Marques Ackerman at midwicket but Jennings dropped anchor deep, going into lunch with just a single from 42 balls.The skipper remained entrenched throughout the afternoon while partners came and went. Phil Salt nicked a pull at Ed Barnard. Daryl Mitchell skied Mir Hamza to give Ackerman his second catch. When George Bell nicked Briggs behind it was 83 for 5 and Warwickshire, despite the absence of Rushworth, were fighting back hard.Still the Jennings anchor remained and first-innings century-maker George Balderson settled alongside him to reassert the Red Rose. Jennings posted a 163-ball half-century in a partnership of 92 in 26 overs which looked ready to grow much further until Balderson self-destructed. He set off for a single when his drive was parried by bowler Briggs and, rightly sent back by Jennings, was beaten by Sam Hain’s throw from extra cover.With the lead approaching 300, Lancashire had just started to seek acceleration when rain arrived to lop off the last 20 overs. That lost time, with probably more to follow, is likely to thwart the Red Rose victory bid.

Du Preez returns to set up while Brits and Tucker miss out on the trip to Birmingham

Firdose Moonda15-Jul-2022Dane van Niekerk, South Africa’s regular captain, will miss a second major tournament after failing to recover from an ankle injury in time for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Sune Luus will continue to captain in van Niekerk’s absence with experienced campaigner Mignon du Preez returning after being left out of the group that played against Ireland.Van Niekerk broke her ankle after slipping and falling at her new home in Gqeberha in January, which ruled her out of the ODI World Cup. She returned to training in May but has not regained full fitness yet. She last played competitive cricket at the WBBL in November 2021.Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta and Masabata Klaas, who were also not part of the T20Is against Ireland, return to the squad for Commonwealth Games, with Tazmin Brits, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Andrie Steyn missing out. Wicketkeeper-batter Delmi Tucker, who has been called up for the last two ODIs against England, has also been left out.SA squad for CWG 2022•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Klaas, who has linked up with the squad in England after an injury, will complete a full-strength pace attack, which also has Kapp, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune and Nadine de Klerk.South Africa have one frontline spinner in their squad – left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, who will be supported by Luus and Chloe Tryon, and two wicketkeeping options in Trisha Chetty and Sinalo Jafta. Lizelle Lee’s surprise retirement earlier this month has created an opportunity for Anneke Bosch to cement a role in the top order.Women’s cricket will make its debut at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later this month. South Africa are grouped with New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka. Two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals.

Cameron Steel, Tom Lawes both take three wickets to take control in Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2024Dom Sibley hit an unbeaten 87 as Surrey dominated Kent on day two of their Vitality County Championship derby at Canterbury, reaching 185 for one at stumps in reply to Kent’s 244 all out.Cameron Steel and Tom Lawes both took three wickets apiece as Surrey limited Kent to 244 and although night-watcher George Garrett outshone his batting partners with a career-best 48, any hopes that might look competitive vanished as Sibley and Rory Burns put on 147 for the opening wicket.Garrett eventually got Burns for 69, but Sibley and Dan Lawrence batted through to stumps, at which point Surrey were just 59 behind.It was so cold at the Spitfire Ground that even the Nackington Road Grumblers abandoned their usual seats and took refuge in the more sheltered Cowdrey Stand. Garrett’s unexpected resistance aside, there was plenty for them to grumble about.Kent were 111 for three overnight and Kemar Roach had Jack Leaning plumb lbw to the third delivery of the morning, removing him for 30.Garrett pulled Lawes for successive fours as he overtook his previous highest first-class score of 24, but the remaining specialist batters all squandered promising starts.Joe Denly was bowled for 32 when he chased a wide one from Steel and played on and Harry Finch hit two impressive boundaries as he steered Kent to 192 for five at lunch but he was caught for nine in the slips by Sibley off Jordan Clark soon after the resumption.Garrett fell two short of his half-century when he edged Steel behind and Steel then had Matt Parkinson stumped by Ben Foakes for a duck. Kent’s last recognised batter went when Foakes then sprang to his right to catch Joey Evison off Lawes for 30.Jas Singh also made his highest first-class score, but when he was lbw to Lawes for 15 Kent were still six short of a batting point.Surrey’s response rapidly began to look ominous. Kent created few chances and when Sibley nicked Arafat Bhuiyan he was put down by Finch.Burns flicked Matt Parkinson for a single to reach 50 and compared to last season, when he took 578 minutes to make 140 at this venue, Sibley was batting like Virat Kohli, reaching his half-century from 86 balls with a single off Arafat.Burns fell to Garrett when Zak Crawley took a smart slip catch, but it was an isolated moment of hope for the home fans during a protracted evening session.

Both teams have beaten higher-ranked teams in their previous games and will hope to make the most of that momentum

Madushka Balasuriya29-Oct-20232:57

Shahidi: This is Afghanistan’s best-ever World Cup

Big picture – Teams look to capitalise on momentum

While this World Cup has only belatedly started offering up some nail-biters, it’s been rather more generous in terms of unexpected results. As a result, despite the sides currently occupying the top-four spots in the points table being the likeliest to make it through to the knockouts, there’s a cluster of teams just below them ready to capitalise on any potential slip-ups.For Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, three wins from their final four games in the league stage will leave them on ten points, which would give them a genuine shot at a semi-final berth. But of those four games, Afghanistan will face Australia and South Africa, while Sri Lanka still have to take on India and New Zealand.This is what makes Monday’s game in Pune all the more spicy; a win for either side leaves a margin for error in at least one of those “tougher” games, lose and those fledgling semi-final hopes become considerably dimmer.Related

• Trott believes his team is inspiring Afghanistan's youth

• The unsung heroes behind India's spectacular stadium atmosphere

• Chameera replaces injured Kumara

Both sides also come into this fixture with some form. Well, as much form as sides that have lost three of their five games can be in.While defeats to India and New Zealand might have been accounted for, an opening loss to Bangladesh hurt Afghanistan. But historic wins against England and Pakistan have rejuvenated Afghanistan’s campaign.As for Sri Lanka, three defeats on the bounce to South Africa, Pakistan and Australia had seemingly left their tournament hopes in tatters, but back-to-back wins over Netherlands and, more impressively, England has injected new vigour into a unit that was badly in need of a jolt.There won’t be many secrets between these two sides, with them having squared off in six ODIs over the past year. Sri Lanka have won four of them, though the last – an Asia Cup thriller in September – is one that would have left a sour taste in Afghanistan’s mouths and will serve as added motivation if needed.

Form guide

Afghanistan WLWLL
Sri Lanka WWLLL

In the spotlight – Rashid Khan and Pathum Nissanka

It’s no secret that Rashid Khan‘s effectiveness in ODIs has not quite been at the same level as that in T20Is. So far, across five games, he’s picked up six wickets, not exactly stats to set the world alight, but then again, this has been predominantly a batters’ tournament so far.However his record against Sri Lanka provides more cause for optimism. His 11 wickets across six innings at an average of 18.54 is only bettered by his record against Zimbabwe and Ireland among Full-Member nations; in those six innings, he’s gone wicketless just once. Sri Lanka also have a soft underbelly, one that Afghanistan exploited once already in the warm-ups, and Rashid will be key to testing that brittle middle and lower order once more.Will Rashid Khan make an impact against Sri Lanka?•ICC/Getty Images

Masking those middle-order jitters for Sri Lanka has been a rather more consistent top order, with Pathum Nissanka emerging as an unlikely leader. Indeed, if there was an award for most improved cricketer in the Sri Lankan ranks, you wouldn’t have to look much beyond Nissanka.Having debuted as a Test grafter in 2021, he was fast-tracked into the white-ball setup during a period when SLC was in the midst of a youth-driven overhaul and were taking a more long-term approach to squad building. This meant the selectors stuck with him through his lean start to ODIs – he scored 86 runs across his first nine innings – but he has paid that faith back in spades. It was at the end of that barren run that he was promoted to regular opener, and his 36 innings since have brought 13 fifties and three centuries. His average in ODIs now stands at 39.97, and in this World Cup he’s kicked that up a notch, racking up four consecutive fifties at 60.75. More importantly, he has begun to show signs of developing a more aggressive approach – his strike rate in the tournament is 91.35, up from 83.64 prior to the start.

Team news

Afghanistan have had a six-day break since their last game and are well rested. Fazalhaq Farooqi is likely to come back in for Noor Ahmad.Afghanistan (possible): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiSri Lanka were dealt yet another injury blow, after Player of the Match against England, Lahiru Kumara, was ruled out of the tournament with a thigh injury. He has been replaced in the squad by Dushmantha Chameera, himself returning from injury, and it is likely he will come straight into the side. Kusal Perera’s form meanwhile has been a concern of late, and there have been murmurs of Dimuth Karunaratne replacing him at the top of the order.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera/Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, wk) 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Angelo Mathews 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Kasun Rajitha, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Dilshan Madushanka1:46

Bond: Hopefully this win kickstarts Sri Lanka’s campaign

Pitch and conditions

The Pune surface in recent times has shown a propensity for high scores, but there’s also been some assistance for the spinners – something both sides could benefit from. That said, dew might come into play in the evening, so the toss will prove crucial as usual.

Stats and trivia

• Nissanka’s 296 runs is the most by a Sri Lanka batter against Afghanistan. It is also the most he’s scored against a single nation.
• Hashmatullah Shahidi is 57 runs away from reaching 2000 ODI runs
• Sadeera Samarawickrama is 90 short of 1000 ODI runs

Quotes

“I think this break is good for us because we had back-to-back games before that and when you play too many games in short time, so the players get like tired. So that was good – after a good win when you are having rest and think about other games also that give you time and also give rest for the bodies and I can say that was good for us.”

Retirement of legendary pairing in consecutive home Tests will leave huge gulf in bowling ranks

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2024Stuart Broad has warned that England’s onus on blooding a new generation of fast bowlers in the wake of James Anderson’s retirement could leave Ben Stokes with a “quite scary” lack of experience for the forthcoming Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka.Anderson is set to play against West Indies at Lord’s on July 10 before calling time on his legendary 188-match, 21-year Test career, and with Broad himself having stood down from England duty against Australia at The Oval last summer, it means that the Test team will have lost more than 1,300 wickets and 354 matches-worth of experience in consecutive home games.And while Broad, speaking on Sky Sports’ Cricket Podcast, acknowledged there was a pressing need for a new generation of bowlers to bed into their roles in good time for the next Ashes tour in 2025-26, the team risks being “exposed” in the short term, not least by a West Indies team that recently beat Australia at the Gabba and who, in the words of their attack leader Kemar Roach, are itching to “ruin” Anderson’s farewell.Related

• Key, McCullum, Stokes told Anderson: It's time to move on

• Stuart Broad retires

• Anderson to retire after Lord's Test against West Indies

• The magician who became a puritan, James Anderson faces final curtain

• Kemar Roach calls on West Indies to 'ruin' James Anderson's retirement Test

“You could easily go into a Test match this summer with a very, very inexperienced bowling group couldn’t you?” Broad told Sky Sports. “There’s going to certainly be a huge hole left by Jimmy Anderson that someone is going to have to step into. And not just by swinging the new ball. But by communicating, by keeping calm if the boundaries are leaking, by tactically being aware of what field works at certain grounds, and on certain pitches and certain times of Test matches.”Ultimately, you don’t learn that unless you’re thrown in. But it’s not just about throwing caps away and saying ‘have a go’, you need to pick a bowling unit that can win on that particular pitch.”The logic of Anderson’s enforced retirement could equally be applied to Chris Woakes, another outstanding performer in English conditions, and the current holder of the Compton-Miller Medal after his series-turning performances in last summer’s Ashes. However, at the age of 35, he is another player with no realistic chance of featuring in Australia, especially given his recognised shortcomings in overseas conditions – in which his average (51.88 in 20 Tests) is exactly 30 points higher than on home soil (21.88 in 28).Ben Stokes faces a ‘scary’ lack of experience in his bowling ranks•BCCI

“Woakes’ last Test match, he finished Man of the Series,” Broad said. “But was very aware that he wouldn’t be going [on the Test tour to] India, even while playing that series. There’s not many better bowlers than him in English conditions, but if the mindset is, ‘we’re focusing on who can bowl with the Kookaburra in two winters’ time’, does Woakesy fall into that category as well?””If you don’t play Woakes and Mark Wood is having a rest… you could have three seamers and a spinner potentially out there with 20 caps between them. And that’s quite scary, as a Test captain, I’d have thought.”That could leave you a bit exposed. But there’s only one way to find out with bowlers, and that’s to give them a go, encourage them to communicate out there, encourage them to solve their problems live in a Test match. I think exposure for some bowlers now is really important because there’s talent out there.”The candidates for selection this summer include the Durham seamer, Matthew Potts, who impressed in the 2022 summer before slipping down the pecking order, as well as the Surrey pairing of Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton, whose recent injury is preventing him from staking a claim for the T20 World Cup squad. Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue have also had intermittent opportunities in recent seasons, while Essex’s Sam Cook continues to make a strong case with his prolific form in the County Championship.None of them, however, can come close to filling the experience void left by Anderson’s retirement.”With the style of play that they’ve been operating with, and the quality of player that England have got, there’s no doubt that England’s goal will be to win all six Test matches this summer,” Broad added. “And if you set that goal, then you need to pick a bowling attack that you think can take 20 wickets as well.”First things first, however, England’s focus will be to win that Lord’s Test, and give Anderson the send-off that his service deserves.”Jimmy won’t see it like that. He’ll just want to take wickets and win the game at Lord’s,” Broad said. “But us cricket fans and friends of his will be able to see it as a bit of a celebration and have a great time. It’s very difficult when you do hang up the boots, it’s a very difficult decision to make, but he can’t achieve anymore. There’s nothing in the game that he’s not done.”He’s been the ultimate bowler and the best we’ve ever produced. So he won’t leave the game with any anguish of probably wanting to play anymore. I think deep down, he knows that he agrees with the decision.”

“If the shoe was on the other foot, I would have a deep think about the whole spirit of the game”

Osman Samiuddin02-Jul-20231:50

Cummins and Stokes respond to controversial Bairstow dismissal

Ben Stokes says he would have withdrawn the appeal if his side had dismissed a player in the manner that Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow on the final day of a thrilling Test at Lord’s. Australia won a see-sawing Test by 43 runs, surviving a Stokes scare along the way, but a pivotal moment came when Bairstow was dismissed shortly before lunch.England were settled, having only lost Ben Duckett in the morning session when Bairstow ducked a Cameron Green bouncer, the last ball of the 52nd over. He walked out of the crease, without having checked with either umpire whether the over had been called, as Carey collected the ball and without pause, under-armed a throw to the stumps. He hit and though Chris Gaffaney at square leg called for a TV review, Bairstow was well out of his crease at impact.Related

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The dismissal riled up the Lord’s crowd – leading to a brief fracas between Australian players and members in the Long Room – and turned up the heat on the field, with the incoming batter Stuart Broad immediately getting involved in ongoing chatter with a number of Australian players.After the game, Stokes pointed to the grey area between the time the ball went to Carey and both the umpires motioning as if to end the over, though not calling it.”When is it justified that the umpires have called over?” he said on BBC’s TMS. “Is the on-field umpires making movement, is that signifying over? I’m not sure. Jonny was in his crease then out of his crease. I am not disputing the fact it is out because it is out.”If the shoe was on the other foot I would have put more pressure on the umpires and asked whether they had called over and had a deep think about the whole spirit of the game and would I want to do something like that. For Australia it was the match-winning moment. Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer for me is no.”Asked whether he would have withdrawn the appeal, Stokes said, “Yeah.”Pat Cummins – “I thought it was totally fair play. That’s how the rule is. Some people might disagree. That’s how I saw it”•Associated Press

Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, said the attempt was pre-meditated, as Carey had noticed Bairstow walk out of his crease and up the pitch several times during the over.”I think Carey saw it happen a few balls previously, three or four balls previously, and there’s no pause, catch it, straightaway and throw at the stumps,” Cummins told Sky TV during the post-match presentation, comments that prompted more boos from the remaining crowd. “I thought it was totally fair play. That’s how the rule is. Some people might disagree. That’s how I saw it.”Cummins also suggested in his post-match press conference that Bairstow had attempted the same move when keeping himself.”You see Jonny do it all the time,” Cummins said. “He did it on day one to Davey Warner. He did it in 2019 to Steve [Smith]. It’s a really common thing for keepers to do if they see about a batter keep leaving their crease. So Kez [Carey], full credit to him. He saw the opportunity. I think Jonny did it a few balls beforehand. Rolled it at the stumps. Jonny left his crease. You leave the rest to the umpires.”Brendon McCullum, England’s coach, was not happy with the dismissal either, arguing that it goes against the spirit of the game. McCullum is no stranger to such dismissals, straddling the line between the laws of the game and its spirit. He was, famously, the wicketkeeper who whipped off the bails as Muttiah Muralidaran completed a run and wandered off to celebrate Kumar Sangakkara’s hundred in a Test in Christchurch in December 2006.A year before that he had done something similar in a Test against Zimbabwe, when running out Chris Mpofu to end a comfortable victory in Bulawayo. McCullum publicly apologised to Sangakkara and Muralidaran while addressing the MCC’s Spirit of Cricket lecture in 2016, saying that while he recognised the dismissal was within the laws of the game, it was against the spirt and he regretted effecting it.Reacting to Bairstow’s dismissal, he again called for players to protect the spirit of the game. “I think firstly, it was probably more of a thing in terms of spirit of the game that developed as you become a little bit mature and you’ve been around the game for a long period of time, and you realise that the game itself is something you need to protect, and the spirit is such an important part of that,” he said on BBC’s Test Match Special.”You’ve got to make decisions in the moment. They’re not easy to make and sometimes they can have pretty big effects on not just games but also on people’s characters as well.”It’s a tough one. To the letter of the law it was out. From our point of view, Jonny felt he was certainly not trying to take a run and he felt that as far as the umpires were concerned, they had effectively called over so therefore they thought the ball was dead.”It’s one of those really difficult ones to swallow. And when you look at a small margin at the end of the day, and you think of a player like Jonny Bairstow so many times in chases, has stood up. It’s incredibly disappointing, but in the end, lots of people will have their opinion on it. They’ll sit on both sides of the fence and then probably the most disappointing aspect is probably going to be the most talked about part of what was a great Test match, and that’s pretty disappointing to have two teams who have played in front of full houses and millions around the world and it would have been great if it was for the cricket.”Asked if the incident could impact relations between the two teams, McCullum said: “I can’t imagine we’ll be having a beer anytime soon, if that’s what you’re asking. From our point of view, we’ve got three Test matches to try and land some blows and try and win the Ashes and that’s where our focus will be.”