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Interim head coach says it’s up to the new faces to find the right tempo for 50-over cricket

Cameron Ponsonby01-Nov-2024Interim head coach Marcus Trescothick has defended his young ODI squad after their crushing eight-wicket defeat to the West Indies, saying the result is not reflective of English white-ball cricket.England’s loss to the West Indies was a twelfth ODI defeat in 18 matches since the start of the 2023 World Cup and gave a brutal reality check to a new-look eleven that included four debutants.On a tacky surface, England were bowled out for 209, before putting on an encouraging, but ultimately fruitless display with the ball as Windies opener Evin Lewis let loose for 94 off 69 balls.”I think it’s certainly not where England cricket is at,” Trescothick said after the game. “Because for a long period of time now you’ve not had our main team in white-ball games. You don’t really know where white-ball cricket is.”I think with the system that we’ve had and the volume of cricket that we’ve been trying to play and still look after the players, I think you could put a team together tomorrow for a World Cup, and it would probably look different to what you had this series and some of the series that we played against Australia.”So I don’t think you can judge it to say, look where white-ball cricket is at the moment. It’s been a tough period of time, there’s no doubt about it, but that’s been challenges from numerous different things.”The current series is missing several players due to the tour being sandwiched by England’s Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand. But the squad picked for the Australia series was close to full strength, with Joe Root and Gus Atkinson rested but other absences such as Jos Buttler and Mark Wood missing through injury. The same could be said of the previous group to tour the Caribbean last year, when the squad picked was meant to signal a new age, while the World Cup squad was certainly first string. All this alongside uncertainty over Ben Stokes’ white-ball future.The nature of the defeat has called into question England’s absolute policy on prioritising youth, with Jordan Cox, in just his fifth List A match, walking out on debut for England at No.3, with the 21-year-old Jacob Bethell at No.4. Of the top six, only Phil Salt and Will Jacks had batted in those positions for England more than once in their careersJohn Turner, Jordan Cox, Dan Mousley and Jamie Overton made their ODI debuts in Antigua•Getty Images

“It’s probably a better question for the selectors more than anything else. It’s not my decision who comes in,” Trescothick said.”But I think you can see from the plan of the England team in the last year, probably, and maybe a little bit further back, how much we want to invest in the next generation.”Playing people who have played before would probably be going against the mantra of what we’re trying to do at the moment.”England’s innings saw five of the top six caught in the 30-yard-circle, as the balance between defence and attack eluded them to be bowled out in 45.1 overs.”We’ve got to try and bat 50 overs first and foremost,” said Trescothick. “The real skill in white-ball cricket in particular is the tempo and the balance between aggression and batting for long periods of time.”We will always be a team that is going to try and be aggressive, the pitch made it quite tricky to do that.”This is Trescothick’s last tour at the helm of the white-ball team before Brendon McCullum takes over the job in January. Placed in charge of an exceptionally inexperienced group, one of the biggest challenges, according to Trescothick, has been finding the balance between emphasising the opportunity is a ‘free hit’ to England’s youngsters, while also instilling a win-first mentality.”I am trying to get the priority right at the moment. I want to win every game and we dictate that in the dressing room. But we also want to see a few players in the environment before the structure changes and Brendon takes over. So, why not give them the opportunity to thrive in this environment?”That’s very much how we’re framing it. The opportunities are there for the guys to come in. We’ve seen four debutants in this match, we’ve got a couple other young guys in the squad who may make their debut across the next two weeks. [With the opportunity] you’re going to be further up the ladder than you were six days ago. So go out there and show what you can do.”Trescothick’s own role in the white-ball set up beyond January is undecided.”I don’t know just yet,” he said. “We’ve got a bit of a plan behind the scenes, but nothing has been confirmed as such.”I am not going to say which way it’s all going to sit, because it would probably give it away too much, but obviously Brendon’s going to come in and take control of the full show and then he will dictate what and where we are going to be and how that’s going to look.”

The opener was struck on the elbow and retired hurt while a number of other batters fell to the moving ball

Tristan Lavalette15-Nov-20242:59

Sneak a peek at India’s Perth preparations

KL Rahul left the field after being struck on the elbow in an injury concern for India ahead of the first Test, while Virat Kohli shrugged off speculation over his fitness but was one of several batters caught behind the wicket in an intra-squad match simulation at the WACA.After three days in the WACA nets, India ramped up their preparations a week before the series-opener at Optus Stadium with an XI featuring their main stars out in the middle against a side filled with mostly their fringe and India A players.In perhaps an indication that he is earmarked to open the batting if captain Rohit Sharma misses the first Test, Rahul opened alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in overcast conditions.Related

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Rahul looked in fluent touch and appeared to be handling short bowling well until he was struck on his right elbow by a rising delivery from quick Prasidh Krishna. The blow left him grimacing and he trudged off the ground after seeking medical attention.Rahul did not come out to bat later in the day as India’s main batters had another turn at the crease.Jaiswal started aggressively with a belligerent whack through the covers, but on 15 he nicked off to second slip in what would become a common sight through a simulation that lasted two-and-a-half hours before lunch.Amid reports that he has undergone scans in recent days, Kohli looked in fine touch and hit a couple of gorgeous shots through the covers. But on 15 he nicked seamer Mukesh Kumar to second slip before he then spent around 30 minutes in the nearby nets.Short-pitched bowling had been a priority for India’s batters on Thursday, with local club quicks unleashing rapid speed while some batters took part in a drill where a tennis ball was fired from close range aimed at their heads.The WACA surface so far in this simulation has had considerably less bounce and carry than Sheffield Shield matches this season. But there has been some movement off a length and India’s batters looked wanting.Rishabh Pant, who had struggled against the short ball at times during his net sessions earlier in the week, smoked a boundary through the off-side early in his innings but he seemed shaken after copping a blow to the groin. He was cleaned bowled by a quick delivery from Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was a standout after also later claiming Dhruv Jurel in the slips.KL Rahul walks off after being hit on the arm•Getty Images

No. 3 Shubman Gill started slowly and struggled to get the strike for his two-hour stay at the crease. He started looking more comfortable before on 28 fending to gully a short of a length delivery from quick Navdeep Saini who celebrated with gusto.The rare sight at the WACA of spin from both ends occurred just before the interval with Washington Sundar and Tanush Kotian bowling in tandem as the batting side reached the break at 106 for 5 after 28 overs.Befitting the simulation, with it not being an official match, India’s main batters had another go of it. It appeared there were more specific match situations being tested as Jaiswal and Gill, who was scratchy the first time around, went all-out attack.But they soon reverted to a cautious approach as they mostly dead-batted in a sedate passage of play as India’s coaching staff walked laps around the boundary.Jaiswal has looked the most comfortable against the short ball, including during the net sessions, and he was also ultra-attacking when spin came into the attack. He finished 58 not out, while Gill, who sometimes appeared anchored to the crease, made an unbeaten 42.After the final interval, Kohli and Pant returned and they were confronted by sharp short of a length bowling from Prasidh and Reddy. Kohli was particularly troubled and played and missed on several occasions. But he found his rhythm and played a few gorgeous backfoot strokes, including a pull shot to the boundary which damaged his bat and required a change.Kohli did not look in any discomfort, quelling injury fears, as he batted for an hour before finishing up on 30.Pant tried to counter the length by skipping down the pitch and he had mixed success. He was eventually bowled on 24 by the impressive Mukesh – the second time in the day his wickets had been rattled.Jurel returned and was joined by Akash Deep in the final passages as the batting side finished on 339 for 8 in a match simulation that lasted 75 overs.The simulation is expected to continue over the weekend.

The opener will join Paarl Royals as a replacement for Joe Root who is heading to India

AAP31-Jan-2025Mitchell Owen has earned his first T20 contract since a dazzling display in the BBL final, joining South African franchise Paarl Royals.Owen scored a league-leading 452 runs for Hurricanes during the BBL, starting the summer as a relatively anonymous figure before announcing himself as a star. The highlight was his scarcely believable century in the final, coming off just 39 balls as he delivered Hurricanes their first title.Related

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Owen’s pressure-laden performance was widely expected to pique the interest of T20 clubs around the world, including the IPL. The 23-year-old will have to wait longer to find out if he will pocket a life-changing sum as a late call-up for the IPL.But the Royals have wasted no time in signing Owen as a replacement for former England captain Joe Root, who is linking up with his national squad in India and is unavailable for the rest of the SA20.League leaders Paarl and second-placed MI Cape Town, who have Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult and Rashid Khan in their squad, will square off in next week’s qualifier final.Ricky Ponting was among the good judges to lavish Owen with praise after his eye-catching knock in the BBL final. “There’s not many players in the world that can do that,” Ponting told AAP.Ponting noted discussion of Owen representing Australia in next year’s T20 World Cup was “inevitable”.Matthew Wade said Owen “can be anything”, adding “no stage really worries him too much”.

On either side of Nurul’s blitz was an obstructing the field incident and an argument involving Tamim Iqbal on an action-packed evening

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2025Nurul Hasan hit three sixes and three fours in the final over of Rangpur Riders’ chase against Fortune Barishal in a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match in Sylhet on Thursday, to take his team to a last-ball win.It was the third highest last-over score in a men’s T20, behind Somerset’s 34 runs in a nine-ball over against Somerset in the T20 Blast in 2015 and Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) 31 against Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2023.Nurul was on 2 from one ball after walking out in the 18th over of Rangpur’s chase of Barishal’s 197 for 5. First, he saw Shaheen Shah Afridi and Jahandad Khan send four batters back by the end of the 19th over – including Mahedi Hasan given out obstructing the field. Then, up against Kyle Mayers’ medium pace with Rangpur needing 26 runs to win the game, Nurul went 6 (scythed over cow corner), 4 (shovelled over fine leg), 4 (just short of the rope at deep square), 6 (into the stands at deep midwicket) and 4 (through the covers) to leave two runs to get off the last ball, which he smashed square on the leg side for six more. At the start of that over, it seemed like Rangpur’s unbeaten run in the competition was over. At the end of it, they had made it six wins out of six and were six points clear at the top.Most runs successfully chased in the last over of a T20•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

After the game, Nurul remembered another final over where he could not get the job done. “I always regretted not being able to take 20 runs off the last over against India, in the [2022] T20 World Cup,” he said. “We got close but I couldn’t finish the job in that big stage.”*This time around, he produced one of his “best knocks”. “Khushdil [Shah], who struck two sixes in the 19th over, said that we can still win this game. [Non-striker Kamrul Islam] Rabbi told me to play all six balls in the last over. I think the first six gave me the most belief. They have a good bowling attack. Twenty-six runs was a lot of runs… I was just hoping that I got the balls in my zone.”It is nothing new – people often forget my knocks of twenties or thirties. It is not a big deal as long as I can contribute for the team. Since I could win the game for the team, this is one of my best knocks.”

Mahedi out obstructing the field

That last over was not the only drama in the game. The 19th over, which Khushdil began with consecutive sixes before falling, produced three wickets: the second one falling via an obstructing-the-field incident.Mahedi Hasan was facing his first ball, with Nurul at the other end. Mahedi lobbed the ball down the pitch, Nurul set off to get the strike, and the bowler Jahandad Khan hared towards his left to collect the aerial lob. Nurul and the bowler collided halfway down the pitch, as the latter was looking to complete the return-catch. An appeal followed and Mahedi was given out in accordance with Law 37.3.1 that states “if the delivery is not a no-ball, the striker is out obstructing the field if wilful obstruction or distraction by either batter prevents the striker being out caught.”Nurul said of the incident: “I was trying to take a run. He just came in front of me. I didn’t change my way. I didn’t have any intention to obstruct the bowler. The umpire informed us that whoever was the striker in that instance, would be declared out.”The final bit of drama came after Nurul’s winning six, when Barishal captain Tamim Iqbal was seen being held back from an argument with members of the opposition. “I saw it partly but I am not aware what it is about,” Nurul said.Barishal coach Nafees Iqbal described the incident thus: “I just saw that there was some excitement after the game. Emotions often carry over after this sort of match. I hope it is nothing serious. Possibly something was said, which prompted the reaction. I don’t think it is serious.”Rangpur batter Alex Hales who was involved in the incident told : “He [Tamim] was upset about something. I am not sure but maybe because his team had just lost. We shook hands. Nothing was said. He asked me if I have something to say, say it to his face. I didn’t say anything. He was getting very personal.”*

Joe Root’s 120 off 111 balls – his first ODI ton since 2019 – went in vain for England

Andrew Miller26-Feb-20252:22

Knight: Zadran showed he’s good against pace as well

The politicians hadn’t wanted this game to go ahead, but who could have wished to deny the scenes of raw euphoria that unfolded in Lahore as Afghanistan completed the double they had set in motion at the 2023 World Cup, dumping England out of the Champions Trophy in a wildly undulating, anxious scramble for glory.Eight runs was the margin when – with Mark Wood hobbling and all the recognised batters gone – Adil Rashid swung for the hills off the penultimate ball of the match and picked out the man of the hour, Ibrahim Zadran, whose take in front of the dugout was completed with the same coolness with which he had compiled his exceptional 177 from 146 balls – an innings that had simply been too good to fail.Much the same could have been said for England’s main man of their 326-run chase, Joe Root, whose 120 from 111 balls was his 17th in the ODI format but, remarkably, his first since the 2019 World Cup. Had he had a bit more support, and had he not been racked with cramp going into the final push, his run-a-ball tempo might have been more than sufficient to seize the day. Instead, he was undone by an effort ball from the indefatigable Azmatullah Omarzai, whose five-wicket haul followed a priceless knock of 41 from 31 balls that had helped to pull his own team out of a tailspin.Related

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Speaking straight afterwards, a shell-shocked Jos Buttler insisted he would not be making any “emotional” statements about his future as captain, but acknowledged the fundamental lack of confidence that had contributed to his team’s downfall.After Afghanistan had opted to bat first, Jofra Archer’s three-wicket powerplay onslaught should by rights have settled the contest there and then. And yet, from 37 for 3 in the ninth over, Zadran and his captain Hashmatullah Shahidi focused solely on survival until the point that their 103-run fourth-wicket stand had, almost imperceptibly, transformed itself into a platform for a thrillingly smooth acceleration.Ultimately, Afghanistan’s scorecard told the exact tale of their innings. Three single-figure scores at the top – for a combined total of 14 runs from 28 balls – then a trio of 40s, at ever increasing tempos, from Shahidi, Omarzai and the forty-something himself, Mohammad Nabi, whose 24-ball onslaught was a typically ageless display from a player who has been on every step of this Afghanistan journey, right from their exploratory tour of England as a club side way back in 2006.And then, underpinning it all, a performance of rare majesty from Zadran, whose sixth hundred in 35 ODI innings was not only the highest by an Afghan in the format, but the best in Champions Trophy history, trumping the 165 that Ben Duckett had posted against Australia in the previous fixture at Lahore.It was a controlled explosion of an innings, and one of the most impressive ODI performances that can ever have been compiled. Zadran showed the tenacity to hang tough while England’s quicks were dominating the early exchanges, but after reaching his first fifty from 65 balls, he marched through to his hundred from 41 more, then clattered along at a near 200 strike rate thereafter.1:58

Knight: England’s attack has not clicked

By the time he holed out to square leg at the start of the 50th over, Zadran had worked his way so smoothly through the gears that England had been left with scarcely any agency in their predicament. This was summed up when Wood, who had already spent 38 minutes off the field after his left knee gave way midway through his fourth over, was forced to leave the field once again, this time for good and with two overs of his allocation unused.It had been a typically masochistic effort from Wood, whose willingness to bust a gut for the cause has never been in doubt. But England’s desperation to get him back into the fray there epitomised their threadbare resources. In a throwback to the sort of bit-part tactics that dominated ODI cricket in the 1980s and 1990s, Root and Liam Livingstone had been charged with cobbling together 12 overs between them. But when, with nowhere else to turn, Root’s offspin was served up to the hard-swinging Nabi, two massive leg-side sixes ensued in a 23-run 47th over.Not even Archer could stem the tide. He’d already been crashed for a six and three fours by Zadran, now in overdrive, who then launched a slower ball in Archer’s final over over long-on to seize Duckett’s record.England’s target of 326 was daunting but not insurmountable, as they themselves had discovered on this same ground on Saturday night, when their own hefty total of 351 for 8 had been hunted down by Australia with 15 balls to spare. And yet, it was close to double the sort of target that England might at one stage have envisioned.