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Brendon McCullum highlights differing requirements of Test and county cricket after latest curveball selection

Andrew Miller05-Sep-20240:35

Ollie Pope excited to see ‘massive’ Josh Hull debut for England

“So what was it, Baz, that first attracted you to the 6ft 7in left-arm fast bowler, Josh Hull?”It wasn’t quite phrased as per Mrs Merton to Debbie McGee, but Brendon McCullum’s answer to the inevitable pre-match query at the Kia Oval doubtless had the effect of making England’s rawest recruit feel like a multi-millionaire ahead of his Test debut against Sri Lanka.”Josh Hull? Six foot heaps, bowls left-arm, ranges in pace from 80 to 90 miles an hour. Swings it, not too dissimilar to the likes of Jimmy Anderson. He’s 20 years of age … good farming stock. It’s not a huge gamble, is it?”And, well, when you put it like that… no, I guess it isn’t.Related

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What it is, however, is perhaps the clearest indication yet of McCullum’s determination not to be bound by English convention, which in itself is saying something. For he’s not exactly been shy about parading his genre-busting methods over the past two-and-a-half years of Bazball, but in backing this latest hunch about Hull, he’s surely made his most left-field pick yet.”We hope he goes well, he might go there and take ten-for … we’ve got no idea, but it kind of doesn’t matter,” McCullum explained. “We see him as someone that’s worth investing in, and worth giving opportunities to. And whatever happens, we’ll wrap our arm around him, and make sure that he knows that he’s firmly in our sights for the future.”The optics are extraordinary, either way. Not least when you consider that the chief beneficiary of Hull’s selection could be another unusually tall 20-year-old in England’s ranks, who also boasted a mere ten first-class wickets when he first came to the attention of the selectors, and whose offspinners into the rough outside the right-hander’s off stump are likely to bite that little bit harder once Hull’s sizeable boots have pounded through the crease a few times.”The footmarks that he’s going to present as well for Shoaib Bashir will be interesting,” McCullum added. “It’ll give Bash a lot of excitement too. But again, I stress, if this isn’t this week, it doesn’t matter. Ultimately, he’s someone who is going to be able to provide us with another string to our bow, another weapon that is going to make us a more rounded side, that can challenge teams in various conditions.”And there we have it. A few imposing vital statistics, a sprinkling of positive vibes, and the recipe for Test success is there waiting to be grasped, notwithstanding Hull’s first-class haul for Leicestershire this season – two wickets at 182.50 – which might invoke some deeply offended harrumphing in the shires.And yet, of the five men to have claimed five-fors on debut since McCullum and Ben Stokes took control of the team, only Gus Atkinson came into the side with anything resembling expectation, and he then breezed through to England’s best newbie figures for more than 130 years. Bashir, meanwhile, had three five-fors in five Tests by the time he’d bowled England to victory at Trent Bridge in July. When this England team sets out to do things differently, it doesn’t go in for half-measures.Josh Hull’s rise this season has been meteoric•Getty Images”The talent we’ve introduced has exceeded expectations, if I’m being totally honest,” McCullum said. “You hope the guys go well early, but you’re not after that instant gratification when you pick them. If you’re doing that, then I think you’re guessing.”We look at these guys and we think they’re going to be good. It might take a bit of time, but they’re worth investing in. Zak Crawley was a good example of that a couple of years ago. Some of these other guys have come in have done it quicker than what I thought they would do, and that’s incredibly encouraging, and probably testament to the leadership of Stokesy and the leaders within the setup.”There’s something especially ironic, too, that Hull’s debut will be taking place at The Oval, the home of county cricket’s most storied champions, Surrey. In Atkinson and Jamie Smith, not to mention the current England captain, Ollie Pope, the club continues to churn out a glut of players who are integral to the current regime’s plans. And yet, Surrey’s dominance of the County Championship seems to be epitomised by players who no longer fit the brief.Take Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, for instance, who were briefly England’s bedrock under Chris Silverwood but who are now redolent of their strokeless summer of 2021, or Ben Foakes, whose peerless glovework cannot atone for limitations with the bat that England identified on their last tour of India, and which had previously been masked by his perfectly respectable first-class average of 38. Elsewhere in Surrey’s line-up, there’s Dan Worrall too, a soon-to-be-England-qualified seamer whose methods in home conditions, even at the age of 33, would doubtless have hoovered up countless Test wickets given half a chance … much as Chris Rushworth, or Sam Cook, or, yes, James Anderson might still expect to do.And yet, that’s not what England are looking for anymore. It probably came with a jolt of recognition, at Lord’s last week, when – in the absence of Mark Wood, and with Atkinson a notch below his slipperiest pace – England found themselves grinding to victory thanks to a hard-working fleet of four right-arm medium-pacers, all operating at speeds between 82 and 87mph, which is precisely the sort of line-up that caused the selectors to vow “never again” after the travails of the last Ashes tour.Matthew Potts has been left out of the XI as England sought a point of difference•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesHence the cruel but unsentimental ditching of the luckless Matthew Potts, whose important two-wicket burst in the first innings at Lord’s could not disguise the fact that he was operating, albeit skilfully, at the limits of his potential. And if the selection instead of lanky and raw left-armer seems like an over-compensation, then it also feels like a truer reflection of England’s pre-season promise, around the time of Anderson’s axing, to start recruiting the weapons they will need to win in Australia in barely 12 months’ time.”We need to identify that county cricket and Test cricket are probably slightly different games,” McCullum said. “If we were picking a county side, it would look a little bit different to what it looks like on the Test side. Hence our understanding of what counties are doing, and the decisions that they make, they might not always line up with us, and that’s cool.”We don’t do stuff in spite of them, we completely understand they have a different job to do. We’re bringing some of these guys who we see as rough diamonds with incredibly high ceilings, into an environment where we’re able to shape them, and give them the opportunities and hasten the process of them getting to the level that we think they can get at.”One subtle difference for Hull is that he will not be debuting under the direct tutelage of Stokes. Instead, he’ll be the first new cap of Pope’s interim reign, and therefore an added responsibility for a captain who is already feeling a bit of heat after his haul of 30 runs in his past four innings.McCullum, however, has no qualms about Pope’s competence for the role, citing his aggressive captaincy in England’s victory push on the fourth day at Lord’s, or his ability to bounce back to the form he showed against West Indies earlier this summer, with a century and two further fifties in the course of England’s 3-0 win.”It was only a couple of Tests ago, he was scoring runs and playing really well, right?” McCullum said. “No. 3 is a very difficult place to bat over here, he’s done a great job for us over the last couple of years in that position. He would have loved to have scored more runs since he’s taken over the captaincy, but you don’t always get what you wish for.”In my mind, it hasn’t affected his leadership, which is very important,” he added. “I think he’s grown a lot in two Tests too. His best session in charge was probably the last session of the [Lord’s] match where he became ultra-aggressive and put a lot of pressure on Sri Lanka with the fields that he set and the carrots that he dangled.”He’s been great. I’ve been totally impressed with how Popey has been able to handle the job so far. And that’s great because Stokesy is our leader, and ultimately you need to make sure that things don’t come crashing down if your leader’s not there for a series or two. It’s great credit to Stokesy that he’s put faith in Popey, and it’s great credit to Popey that he’s been able to stand up.”

A winner with Oval Invincibles last year, she has quietly proved a key cog since joining Brave

Matt Roller02-Sep-2022Southern Brave’s women have never lost a game at the Ageas Bowl and they set up a rematch of the 2021 final against Oval Invincibles by sneaking past Trent Rockets in Friday’s eliminator, defending 134 despite Nat Sciver’s late flurry of sixes in her valiant, unbeaten innings of 72.It remains to be seen if the ECB have any intention to rename Saturday’s showpiece at Lord’s, but they could do worse than labelling it the Georgia Adams derby. Adams’ performance on Friday underlined the fact that she has been the bargain buy of the Hundred’s off-season after winning the competition with Invincibles last year.Invincibles used Adams as a specialist batter but despite finishing the season with a winner’s medal, she struggled to make an impact at the top of the order: she averaged 16.62 across her nine innings with a strike rate of 105.55. She was deemed surplus to requirements with the ball too, not bowling a single delivery across the season.Related

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Charlotte Edwards, her coach at Southern Vipers, sensed the chance to bring her back to her home ground and offered her a contract at Brave during the off-season. She was a snip at £12,500, the fifth-highest salary band available, but has been a key addition to a Brave side looking to go one better than they did last season.Adams has been used in the middle order by Brave, backed to add power at the death in a long batting line-up that is significantly deeper than most in the competition, with Amanda-Jade Wellington carded at No. 8. “She’s been a really key signing for us,” Edwards said.On Friday, she turned the eliminator in Brave’s favour: first with the bat, and then the ball. She walked through the Hundred’s novelty tunnel earlier than usual, striding out at No. 6 after 57 balls with Brave 66 for 4 and still struggling after a slow start, but her 38 off 24 was enough to lift them to a defendable total.It was a classic finisher’s innings. Adams started by hitting the ball out to boundary-riders, accumulating singles and playing second fiddle to Maia Bouchier, but at 13 off 14, she decided it was time to put her foot down.Sciver was slashed past short third for four, Alana King disappeared back over her head and Bryony Smith was twice swung into the leg side. She fell to the final ball of the innings, heaving Smith to deep midwicket but had given Brave a crucial lift.”Her ability at the back end to not only find the rope, but clear the rope, was pretty special to watch,” Tahlia McGrath said. “She’s been awesome for us all tournament, playing little cameos with bat and ball. She does her job every game, keeps it really simple and is really effective.”Her success with the ball has been one of the tournament’s more unlikely stories but after going unused last season, she has bowled 26 sets this season, taking 6 wickets and conceding just 1.09 runs a ball.She has been thrown into the deep end, too, regularly bowling in the powerplay, and admitted on the player mic during the eliminator that she was surprised to have been called upon as much as she had.Edwards has encouraged her to work on her bowling at Vipers and with Charlie Dean absent on international duty increasingly often, she has been used more and more. “We’re rolling with it,” she said. “I’m limited in my options but I just try and bowl at the stumps. I leave the rest to Anya [Shrubsole] and hope for the best.”She talked through her strikingly simple plans as she bowled her first set: “full to Smith, try to get her to hit me down the ground; [Elyse] Villani, into the deck, get hit square.” Smith was yorked, trying to reverse-sweep and Marie Kelly lofted to long-on, as Adams finished with 2 for 15 from her 15 balls.Her spell was enough to put Brave in the box seat, to the extent that they managed to cling on despite Sciver’s late assault on McGrath. “We’re really pleased for her [McGrath],” Adams told the BBC. “Her confidence was low so for her to go in and do what she did today was brilliant.”Now, she will have the chance to become the first player to feature in two different winning sides in Hundred finals, against her old side. Brave may have to cope without Smriti Mandhana, who strained her calf and did not field, but will be able to bring Molly Strano in off the bench.”We can’t wait,” Adams said. “It should be a magnificent occasion. We’ve played some fantastic cricket this tournament but we don’t feel like we’ve played our best yet. Hopefully tomorrow we can pull it all together and lift the trophy.”

England captain on the need to support the women’s game and promoting equality of opportunity

Interview by Alan Gardner19-Sep-2020First of all, how has your summer been – dealing with life under a pandemic, and uncertainty around the women’s game?
I think like everyone else in the world, it’s been very surreal, very strange. We’ve been a bit unlucky in terms of who we were originally due to play, with South Africa and India being two of the worst-affected countries in the world with Covid. But we’ve got some cricket to look forward to. It’s been very topsy-turvy, a lot of uncertainty but it’s great that the West Indies have come over. We’re very grateful to them, their board and the ECB for making it happen.Did life under lockdown make you focus on things outside of cricket?
The first month back was really nice, because we’d been away for seven weeks at the T20 World Cup, it was lovely to chill out, do the weekly shop and spend some time with loved ones. After that I started to get itchy feet. It definitely made me think about what I might do when cricket’s not there, because it is such a massive part of your life and you’re on the international treadmill so much of the year or you’re playing in another tournament, and you never really have the chance to stop and think. So I signed up for a Masters during lockdown, which starts in January – it’s in Leadership in Sport, at the University of Buckingham, the course that Ed Smith is involved in running, Hopefully I can find the time to fit that in. It would have been ideal to do during lockdown, but it’s actually been delayed until January, because of Covid. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, a bit more study, and just haven’t really made the time or made the effort, and lockdown has given me a little push to think about what I want to do afterwards, and expand myself as a person a little bit as well.Even more importantly, when you came on the Switch Hit podcast in April, you revealed that you were in the process of watching the Star Wars films for the first time. Have you seen them all now?
Yes, I have, fully up to date, got through them all in lockdown. I know this won’t be very popular but I enjoyed the new ones – I’m obviously not a true Star Wars fan. The newest newest ones. I wasn’t down with Jar-Jar Binks.ALSO READ: ‘I can’t go off with a broken nail, I know comments will get made’ – CrossAs for the cricket, planned tours by India and South Africa had to be shelved. Were you beginning to think you wouldn’t play this season?
I think when South Africa pulled out, there was a little bit of a worry that we weren’t going to be playing at all. It was a bad few days to be honest, we were in Derby in a bubble, the World Cup got cancelled and then South Africa pulled out and it was kind of ‘Why are we living bubble life when we haven’t got anything to prepare for?’ But we turned it around quite quickly, the ECB were amazing in getting the West Indies sorted, [it only took] 10 days to get them over. Until South Africa got cancelled I had it in my head that we were definitely playing, so that was a bit of a shock, but these things happen in these times and great that the West Indies could fill the void and save our summer.England were knocked out of the T20 World Cup at the start of the year by rain, then came the pandemic, another event out of your control. Apart from wanting to move on from 2020 as quickly as possible, did you fear that the women’s game would be set back significantly?
Going back to the World Cup semi-final that we lost through rain – when we got back to England, the pandemic gave us a lot of perspective on that. There was no time to mull on it because there was a lot bigger things going on in the world at the time that obviously had far greater consequences. In terms of whether we would play, it was quite worrying, but we always believed that the ECB would do everything in their power to try and get us some cricket, which has obviously happened. They’ve committed to the England women’s game, to the women’s game as a whole, and backed that up with actions this summer, which I think has been brilliant to see. I honestly don’t think it would have happened three-four years ago, there wouldn’t have been that commitment to take the effort and the money needed to get cricket on.The World Cup has moved, so 2022 is looking like a very hectic year but hopefully it all happens then. It’s not ideal, you prepare yourself as a player to try to win world events, you prepare as a team in that four-year cycle to peak at that time, and there’s a lot of shifting parts at the moment we don’t know exactly what our winter looks like. We know it’s very likely we’ll be playing cricket somewhere, we don’t know exactly what that is at the moment. For us as players now it’s important we enjoy the cricket we have got here, enjoy being back out in the Three Lions and not thinking too far ahead.Rain ruined England’s chances of progression to the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup•ICC/GettyYou would have been preparing for England’s World Cup defence over the winter, and tweeted your disappointment when the tournament was postponed. Do you still fear Covid will be used as an excuse to put women’s cricket “on the back burner” for the next 12 months?
It still is a fear. I think the boards that have committed more to women’s cricket, and have more funds available, I think they’ll be fine, they’ll play a lot of cricket. It’s the boards that potentially aren’t as rich, and haven’t supported the women’s game as much previously, that need real help from the ICC to get cricket on. Because at the moment it costs a lot, it’s a lot of effort.I think women’s cricket really needs to get back, it needs everyone playing to have that healthy competition that’s made it so successful. The T20 World Cup was even bigger and better than the last one, it keeps building year on year, the interest keeps growing. Even the domestic games that have started in this country, the viewers on the live stream, the figures have been unreal. It shows there’s a real appetite for people to watch women’s cricket. It needs that support to keep going on an upwards trajectory, and like I said the ECB have backed up their words in support of the women’s game with actions this summer, which is what you want to see around the world.Do you think that it’s time the ICC set up a fund specifically to support the women’s game – like it has done previously with men’s Test cricket?
That would be great, that would make a big statement. I know they cancelled the World Cup because they felt teams wouldn’t have the required preparation to be ready, but if teams don’t play for another 12 months, say, that’s going to be exactly the same when the World Cup comes around in 2022. A year not playing international cricket for a player will stunt their growth. So a fund would be amazing, I know it’s tough at the moment, there’s only so much money and everyone is struggling and wants support. But yeah, I think that would be a really strong move by the ICC that they do back the women’s game and want to see it grow. Obviously it’s starting to become a real commercial product, as well, so the more support it gets the more it’s going to grow.Is it frustrating when you see the World Cup moved by a year, only for the IPL to be starting this month – or for South Africa’s women to be denied the chance to tour, when individual men’s players can head to the IPL?
Yeah, I think so, I guess that was my point when I tweeted. The worry is that the reason for the World Cup getting cancelled in terms of preparation… if it’s not going to happen in New Zealand, in the safest country in the world, then it’s not going to happen until there’s a vaccine. It’s tricky, I know a lot of events have been cancelled, but it was still quite a while away and what with it being in NZ you felt there was a chance for it to go on. I know it would take a lot of effort. It is a bit frustrating but I guess now the disappoint has worn off and I’m trying to shift my mindset into looking forward at the opportunities we’ve got, We’ve got another year to build into that World Cup and really be in a good place for it. Decisions above us affect everything we do as women cricketers, but they’re out of our control.

As females I think [Black Lives Matter] touches a nerve, in terms of growing up a lot of us faced barriers to entry into cricket and we want the sport to be gender neutral, race neutral

This has been marked down as a significant year for women’s cricket in England and Wales, with a new domestic structure and extra funding for player contracts. Despite the impact of Covid-19, the ECB has maintained its commitment – which must be encouraging?
I think there is massive optimism. The Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy has been launched, it was brilliant to be part of that. Although we should have been playing international cricket, it was great to be part of history and the start of that competition. They’ve put so many resources into getting us cricket this summer, it’s been unbelievable the detail that’s had to go into it. Our medical staff are unreal and all the team behind getting the bubble set up, chartering the West Indies over, it’s amazing really. We’re so grateful as players to be able to play some cricket. The support from the ECB has been unreal, the PCA have been brilliant as well, so we’re really hopeful that the growth in this country will continue and women’s cricket is in a really good place. I think a potential positive of Covid is it gives people a chance to reassess where the game is at, how it can improve, and how things can be done differently to make it truly a gender neutral sport. It’s given people the chance to have those thoughts and think how we can do things better as a whole. Part of that is making the sport more inclusive, for gender, race, etc, so hopefully those changes will be one very small positive from the pandemic.Does the move to regional centres, rather than women’s teams being attached to counties, help with that?
Yeah, it’s created a real structure that’s going to be great for a young player in this country. They’ve got a chance to come out of school and be a professional cricketer. We had Issy Wong who had her A-level results during that first bubble at Derby and she’s going straight into her first contract – that made me feel very old. She’s on one of the domestic contracts, so it gives her the chance to improve and get some good cricket behind her before, hopefully, she comes through in an England shirt, which wasn’t the case when my generation was coming through the system. It’s going to give a lot more competitive cricket to the girls in the system, which is only going to be a good thing to keep churning out England cricketers. And if someone is unfortunate enough to drop out of the system and lose their England contract, they’ve got a safety net. They’re not just going into the abyss, they’ve got the regional system to fall back on.Presumably that will help to create more of a production line for new players?
Yeah, and I think we’re starting to see that. It was brilliant to have 24 players in those first bubbles at Derby and Loughborough, because it gave the coaches a bit longer to work with those players on the fringes and you really saw them improve as cricketers. Having that system now, helping those girls to develop, is only going to be a good thing. It will take a bit of time, in terms of the domestic structure Australia has, that started a long time before. It will take time to get that strong domestic competition [here] and that real depth, but we definitely are starting to see that already.What about the prospect of more multi-day cricket being played in future?
I’d always want to play more, I really enjoy it. But that’s something that hasn’t grown the game. The administrators have seen T20 as a way to grow the women’s game and it’s been very successful. There’s two sides to it, I’d love to play more as a player, but I understand why we don’t.England Women’s captain Heather Knight returned to individual training in June•Getty ImagesThe ECB has marketed September as Women’s Big Cricket Month, which will include the RHF Trophy final being shown on Sky and the return of England Women to BBC TV.
It’s exciting, a real chance to showcase what we can do. Hopefully there’ll be a bigger viewership with the amount of sport that people have been able to see over lockdown. All five T20Is are on Sky, who have supported the women’s game brilliantly, but I guess the BBC gives us that slightly different platform to reach people who might not have watched women’s cricket before – Saturday, prime time afternoon slot, so hopefully people will tune in and enjoy.What about equal pay, something that has happened recently in football – could the ECB break another barrier there?
I don’t think we’re there yet. Obviously the men’s game at the moment brings in a lot more commercially. Until we starts filing stadiums consistently I don’t think we’re in a place where we can do that. I think the most important thing is we’re making really good progress and it’s not just at the top of the game, it’s filtering through, with the domestic set-up being the best it’s ever been. Making sure that money is spread throughout the game is really important. If we were getting exactly the same pay as the men, it would not be feasible as a business model. I think we’re completely realistic with where we’re at and just happy to keep seeing progress. I still have to pinch myself in terms of how much the game has developed, you forget how you started and what it was like ten years ago. I’m just excited to see where it could be in another ten years’ time.Another theme of the summer has been the Black Lives Matter movement and the subject of diversity in cricket. You’ve already said the team is planning a gesture of support, has the topic been much discussed?
Yeah, we had a chat about it this afternoon, and we’re keen to show our support as a team, show that for us it’s a really important thing. As females I think it touches a nerve as well, in terms of growing up a lot of us faced barriers to entry into cricket and we want the sport to be gender neutral, race neutral and people to have as much opportunity to be involved in the game as anyone else. We decided as a squad we want to do something, I know West Indies are keen to do something as well. What exactly that looks like we’ll sort that out, but we’re keen to show our support and keep conversations happening, and hopefully that leads to actions.Michael Holding was recently critical of England and Australia not taking a knee in their series. Would you have planned to do something, regardless of the opponents being West Indies?
I think so. Having followed a lot of it closely during lockdown, I definitely wanted the team to do something no matter who we were playing against. It’s turned out that it’s West Indies but I think it’s important that we do that, it’s the first cricket we’ve played and we want to show our support.There is only one BAME player in the current England Women’s squad – allrounder Sophia Dunkley – and only a handful have been capped in the modern era. Is there specific work that can be done in that area?
There’s probably multiple reasons why that’s the case. Opportunity is a big one, I guess a lot of us as players got into the game through our families and that was one of the only ways you did it because cricket wasn’t played by females in schools very often, and generally cricket has not been particularly diverse. That needs to change, there needs to be more opportunities for all people to get involved, and actioning the conversations that have gone on is really key. Cricket historically has had a class issue and that’s meant that a large proportion of people haven’t been able to get involved in the sport. So there’s things going on, I’ve spoke to the ECB and the PCA and they’re doing lots of things to try and change that. I think it will take a bit of time, but yeah – as gender neutral, as race neutral we can get the sport, the more everyone is going to benefit.Has all this time spent in bubbles allowed you and head coach Lisa Keightley, who took over last year, to work on your blueprint for the team?
Yeah, we’ve had a lot of planning time, a lot of Zoom calls. It’s given us a real chance to sit down and work out where we want the team to go. Lisa was very new in the role leading into the T20 World Cup, so hadn’t had a chance to implement and talk about the things she wanted to do. She’s been really clear, we’ve had some good chats about how we want to push forward and I think we’re starting to see that already. I really hope it transfers into the games that we’re playing, we’ve got a bit of a long-term plan leading into 2022, particularly in T20 cricket as that’s the focus this summer. We’ve had good conversations about how far we can go because we’ve got such amazing talent in this team but haven’t won a T20 trophy for a long time, so that’s a big goal for us, to set the standard and push the game forward. Australia have done that over the last period so we want to shift that a little bit and be the ones that are setting how good we can be in T20.Heather Knight was involved in the inaugural rounds of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy•PA Images via Getty ImagesAre there particular areas you’re looking to strengthen?
I think what’s cost us a lot in the last 12 months in T20 is that we’ve been chasing the game. We haven’t got off to the starts we’ve wanted with the bat and had to do a bit of damage control and then go again. Our middle order has stuck out during that period, Nat [Sciver] has been outstanding but we want to start from ball one, get ahead of the game and keep going all the way through. That doesn’t always happen in T20 cricket but we want to throw the first punch if we can, rather than play catch-up.With the bowlers as well, they’ve not really had a full-time coach for a period of time, so we’re really starting to see the benefit of having Tim Macdonald in that role consistently. Seeing the clarity the bowlers have now in their death plans, and how they improved in that World Cup I think was really down to Tim. Probably taking wickets in the Powerplay, as well, hasn’t been our strength. But we’re starting to put together a squad that are really pushing the boundaries, and there’s real competition for those spots. You saw it in the warm-up games at Loughborough and Derby, players are starting to put in really strong performances and make it tricky to pick that final XI.Who are the players that have stood out for you in the RHF Trophy?
The new competition puts players on the stage to push their case for selection, and that wasn’t really the case with county cricket. Sophie Luff’s someone I know really well, having played with her for a long time, I know the value she adds and she’s just been a run machine down at Bristol, putting in the performances. So her doing that consistently, you start to think ‘Could she be in and around the squad?’ We’ve got some real talent – Sophia Dunkley and Katie George have been added to that World Cup squad and they’re two very exciting players. Georgia Adams is doing very well, someone that’s been consistent in county cricket for a long time. Being able to watch all those games [online], you get a feel for how they play, which is so useful when you do bring players in. You know a lot more about their games, where previously you wouldn’t have a clue, you’d just see a scorecard.You’ve mentioned before how on-field stuff is only a small proportion of captaincy. Presumably this period has been all about the off-field support you can provide players?
I’ve got a really good group of senior players around me. The hardest thing about being in the bubble, it’s hard to get away from cricket. When it’s not going well for a player it can be hard, because when you’re on tour you might go see a friend or family, get away for dinner, you wouldn’t think about cricket. But here you open your curtains and see the ground and it can get a bit claustrophobic, particularly if things aren’t going great. So just trying to get the girls to relax, there’s lots of social events going on, lots of card games. There’s a good games room and quite a few coffee machines going around. So it’s being there to support the girls and knowing where they are at. Some players might need a bit of space, don’t want you knocking on the door asking if you’re okay all the time. Because we know each other as a squad so well you start to learn what people need at certain times.We’ve discussed the uncertainty over England’s schedule this winter, but what’s next personally?
It’s about 90% confirmed that I’ll be going to the Big Bash. There’ll be a group of us going, we don’t know exactly what the quarantine period looks like yet, we’ve got a few briefings to come. We’re going to have to quarantine for 14 days in some capacity, there’s chance it could be in a hotel room which isn’t ideal, or it might look a little bit different. But it’s the new life of a cricketer, going from bubble to bubble at the moment, which is tough but the way it is. We’re just grateful that were getting cricket on, even if it involves a bit of sacrifice. I always wanted to go out and play if I could, even if it meant potentially going insane for 14 days. But I’m sure I’ll be able to get through it.

Nottingham Forest’s Arnaud Kalimuendo has now entered fresh talks to join a new club in January, having failed to establish himself in the starting XI since arriving in the summer.

Kalimuendo arrived at the City Ground with a good reputation, having received high praise from scout Ben Mattinson courtesy of his performances for Rennes last season.

However, the 23-year-old has been unable to make an impact since getting his move to the Premier League, failing to score in nine outings across all competitions, albeit the majority of those came as a substitute.

Last month, it was revealed that Forest were already thinking about offloading the striker, with AS Roma being named as potential suitors, and now a new club have joined the race for his signature.

Stuttgart enter talks with Arnaud Kalimuendo's agent

According to a report from Sky Sports Germany (via Bulinews), Stuttgart are keen on signing Kalimuendo this winter, having expressed concrete interest in getting a deal done, and talks have already been held with the Frenchman’s agent.

The £60k-a-week striker’s move to the City Ground hasn’t worked out, having appeared for a total of just 66 minutes in the Premier League, meaning the door could be open for the German club to get a deal over the line in January.

It seems a little early to consider sanctioning a departure, considering Sean Dyche’s other strikers haven’t exactly been prolific in front of goal either, with Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi yet to score a goal between them in the Premier League this season.

Jesus was particularly poor in the 3-1 victory against Leeds United at the weekend, receiving a 5.8 SofaScore match rating, the lowest of any player on the pitch, before being replaced by Awoniyi just before the hour mark.

Goals from Ibrahim Sangare, Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson ultimately secured all three points for the Tricky Trees, who managed to turn the game on its head after Lukas Nmecha opened the scoring inside 15 minutes.

However, Dyche may be concerned about his options at striker, given that Chris Wood also wasn’t at his best prior to suffering a knee injury, having failed to score since the opening day victory against Brentford.

As such, with Jesus and Awoniyi struggling, it could be worth giving Kalimuendo a chance to prove himself, considering it is very difficult to make an impact as a substitute.

However, the former Rennes man clearly isn’t doing enough in training to impress Dyche, so it may be worth cashing-in if he doesn’t improve ahead of the January transfer window.

Nottingham Forest eyeing move for FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa

Nottingham Forest now eyeing £87m "powerhouse" striker with eight goals in 25/26

Evangelos Marinakis clearly means business, with the Tricky Trees joining the race for a new centre-forward.

By
Dominic Lund

Oct 26, 2025

These three bilateral matches take place just days before the T20 World Cup in February

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2025

West Indies and Afghanistan will face each other over three T20Is in Sharjah next year as both teams build up towards the World Cup. The bilateral series is scheduled to begin on January 19 just days before the ICC event kicks off in India and Sri Lanka in February.CWI’s Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, said: “This series provides an ideal platform for our preparation. Facing strong opposition in subcontinental conditions will help us sharpen our combinations and approach, and it also gives our players a chance to build confidence on surfaces similar to those we’ll encounter in India and Sri Lanka.”West Indies co-hosted the last T20 World Cup, where they went through to the Super Eight stage but couldn’t make the knockouts. Afghanistan did make it to the semi-finals of that event, which was a first for them. The two teams have played eight T20Is against each other with West Indies leading the head-to-head 5-3.All three T20Is of this bilateral series will take place in Sharjah on January 19, 21 and 22.Naseeb Khan, CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, said: “Competing against the West Indies on the brink of a global event presents an excellent opportunity for our team to finalize their lineup and enhance their preparations for the upcoming mega event in India and Sri Lanka.”West Indies are currently playing a five-match T20I series in New Zealand, which they trail 2-1. Afghanistan’s last T20I assignment was against Zimbabwe in October, which they won 3-0.

Another challenging question about retention for RCB is around fast bowler Yash Dayal, who has not played any cricket since IPL 2025 final

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Nov-20258:48

Chatter: Will ownership change result in new name for RCB?

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to release England allrounder Liam Livingstone ahead of the auction for IPL 2026.Livingstone, who was picked for INR 8.75 crore (US$ 1.04 million approx.) at the 2025 auction, scored 112 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 133.33 with just one half-century. He also picked up two wickets in the nine overs he bowled at an economy rate of 8.44. Since then, Livingstone captained Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, and was their leading run-scorer (241 at a strike rate of 155.48) and took the second-most wickets for them (seven at an economy rate of 7.36). He also scored 260 runs at a strike rate of 176.87 and returned six wickets in Lancashire’s run to the semi-finals of the T20 Blast.The presence of Australian power-hitter Tim David along with West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd means RCB already have enough options for the finisher’s role. David had a strike rate of 185.14 for his 187 runs last IPL, while Shepherd scored 70 runs off the 24 balls he faced (strike rate 291.66) in IPL 2025. Releasing Livingstone, as a result, could help RCB head into the auction for the next season with a stronger purse.Related

IPL 2026 live – Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Pathirana, among big releases

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The other potentially challenging question for RCB about retention concerns fast bowler Yash Dayal. The left-arm fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh, who picked up 13 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 9.59 last IPL, played a major hand in RCB pulling through high-pressure moments across the season. In the final, Dayal finished with impressive figures of 3-0-18-1. However, he has not played any cricket since then and skipped the UPT20 League recently.The deadline to finalise releases is November 15.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking at signing a Manchester City player in the January transfer window, it has been revealed.

Edwards calls Wolves return a “dream”

Rob Edwards’ return to Molineux as Wolves manager was sealed during the international break, with the 42-year-old costing around £3m in compensation from Championship side Middlesbrough.

The former Old Gold defender, coach and interim head coach has signed a deal in the Midlands until 2029 and is now preparing his side for a Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Wolves vs Crystal Palace

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Aston Villa vs Wolves

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Wolves vs Nottingham Forest

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Wolves vs Man Utd

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Arsenal vs Wolves

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Wolves vs Brentford

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Liverpool vs Wolves

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Talking to Wolves’ official media, Edwards revealed that a return is a “dream” and that he is “ready” to try and take the club off the bottom of the table.

“It means a lot. This club’s really special. It’s special anyway, but it’s special to me because it’s where I’ve spent most of my professional career and where I played most of my football.

“Then to have done a lot of the roles that I’ve done, I’ve got to be honest, this job was always my aim. This is the dream.

“I know the situation that we’re in right now, but this is just something that I’ve always wanted, and I’m ready for it. I’m ready for the challenge, I’m up for it, and it’s been great getting around everybody, seeing so many faces that I know, and new faces as well.

“The staff are all up for it and we’ll meet the players next week when everyone arrives back, and I know the lads will be as well.”

To help Wolves try and avoid the drop, Fosun are ready to back Edwards in the January transfer window with the necessary funds to make new signings.

Now, another transfer target has emerged for those in the Midlands.

Wolves looking to sign Kalvin Phillips from Man City

According to Football Insider, Wolves have set their sights on signing Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

It is claimed that Wolves ‘will explore both loan and permanent deals’, with Edwards ‘eager to add some top-flight nous to his ranks’.

Phillips, on £150,000-a-week at the Etihad Stadium, looks set to leave Pep Guardiola’s side in the New Year after failing to get a move away in the summer.

He has been called a “monster” in the past and has the experience of a relegation battle with Leeds United, avoiding the drop with the Whites in the 2021/22 season before earning his move to Manchester.

However, nearly four years on, the England international could be set for a permanent return to a side battling at the bottom, rivalling the likes of Andre, Joao Gomes, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Marshall Munetsi for a starting role in Edwards’ side.

Wolves offer for "world-class" Real Madrid player, want deal done quickly

Chelsea have now reportedly launched their first move to re-sign Antonio Rudiger in what would be a sensational return for the experienced central defender.

It’s no real surprise that the Blues have set their sights on more experience. As impressive as their young squad is, it is still exactly that – young. Enzo Maresca has already suffered the consequences of an inexperienced side at times this season, with Chelsea too inconsistent to seriously challenge for the Premier League title but good enough to secure a top four place.

Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, that quality was on full show as goals from Malo Gusto, Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto wrapped up a comfortable 3-0 defeat. In the same week, however, Chelsea drew 2-2 with Qarabag in a game they should have comfortably won – highlighting their inconsistencies once again.

The addition of a serial, experienced winner could be the missing piece to the puzzle – particularly within Maresca’s backline. The Blues have suffered a number of injuries and suspensions within their back four this season, leaving Maresca with little choice but to come up with internal solutions.

Against Qarabag, 19-year-old Jorrel Hato especially struggled, begging the question as to whether he’s ready to be thrown into the current Chelsea side. Maresca defended his decision to rotate in midweek, but admitted that young players need the chance to make mistakes.

The Italian told reporters: “They are talented, they are young. When they are young you have to give them chance to make mistakes.”

Still, the question of experience will remain and as Rudiger’s contract continues to tick down at Real Madrid, the Blues could have the ultimate solution to their problems lying in wait.

Rudiger makes Real Madrid decision as Chelsea come calling

According to reports in Spain, Chelsea have now made contact with Rudiger over a return to the club in 2026 when he’s set to become a free agent at the end of his Real Madrid contract.

Alas, whilst Rudiger does love the West London club, his preference is to extend with Real Madrid and stay put. Leaving the ball in the Spanish side’s court, the German has less than nine months to get his wish.

If that contract doesn’t arrive, then Chelsea should come swooping in. Rudiger is a two-time Champions League winner these days and one of the most experienced defenders around at 32 years old. He’s led the Blues before and would comfortably do it again.

Chelsea star criticised vs Wolves after having fewer touches than Sanchez

The summer signing endured a tough time against the Old Gold.

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By
James O'Reilly

Nov 8, 2025

Having previously written in the Players’ Tribune that Chelsea will always be “in his heart”, a return to Stamford Bridge could be the perfect way for Rudiger to close out an excellent career.

Whether Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso will let him leave that easily is another question, though. The Spaniard previously reiterated that the German is “very reliable” and losing that for the cost of nothing next summer is something that the La Liga giants should want to avoid.

Chelsea "actively in talks" over signing "very mature" England international

ESPNcricinfo learned the groundsman was concerned by the presence of a number of Indian players and support staff on the square

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Jul-20250:35

Watch – Gambhir’s heated exchange with Surrey groundsman

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir was involved in a heated argument with the Surrey head groundsman Lee Fortis, two days ahead of the fifth and final Test between India and England at The Oval. Gambhir was seen wagging his finger at Fortis, and repeatedly telling him he was “just a groundsman”. Fortis warned the former India batter he would report him to the ICC match referee if he continued to “swear” at him.India arrived in London, having kept the series alive after drawing the fourth Test in Manchester, and had an optional training session on Tuesday. As has been the norm, members of the support staff arrived early before the players and Gambhir, along with the assistant coaches, joined them.Although Fortis did not divulge details of his run-in with Gambhir when questioned by reporters, ESPNcricinfo understands he was not happy with the Indian team using the majority of the main square for their training session. He was also concerned by a few players and coaches getting too close to the pitch.India’s assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak was talking to Fortis when Gambhir intervened. Fortis was heard telling Gambhir not to “swear” and that if he continued to do so, he would “have to report to the match referee.” Kotak and Fortis continued to chat by a side net. Gambhir asked Kotak to “not get into a discussion” with Fortis and that he could go and report to the match referee.When Fortis cautioned him again, Gambhir was heard saying: “You stop it. You don’t tell us what we need to do. You don’t tell us what we need to do, okay. You don’t need to tell us. You don’t tell any of my squad what we need to do. You have no right to tell us. You’re just a groundsman, you stay in your capacity. You are just a groundsman, nothing beyond. You are just a groundsman.”The main concern for Fortis was that with plenty of cricket still to be played at The Oval this summer – stretching into early September – he needs to protect the pitches as much as possible. When he pointed this out to the visitors, India’s support staff told him it would be difficult to stay off the area around the three practice pitches provided for training.5:43

Kotak on what led to the altercation

‘It’s a cricket pitch, not an antique’Kotak later said they felt “awkward” at being asked to stay a certain distance from the pitch despite not wearing spikes.”When some of us coaches went to see the wicket, a member of the groundstaff said stay away at least 2.5 metres, which was a little surprising,” Kotak said. “Because it is the pitch, the match is starting day after, it will be a five-day Test, and we’re standing in our joggers, so we felt a little awkward.”Kotak did not expand on the exchange between Gambhir and Fortis. “[We were] just looking at the wicket, with rubber spikes, day after there’s a Test match there, there’s nothing wrong [with that]. Curators also need to understand the people they are talking to, they are highly skilled and intelligent. For example, if you go on the ground now where we practised, you won’t even see that any bowler in the outfield would have marked with his spikes. That all comes from the head coach. We try and see this ground also doesn’t get damaged.”Kotak hinted tempers might have flared due to the tone of communication. “When you’re working with very intelligent and highly-skilled people, if you sound a bit arrogant or if you come across like… you can be protective, but at the end of the day it is a cricket pitch. It is not an antique where you can’t touch, because otherwise if it is 200 years old it can be broken.”We were standing there [on the square] with rubber [spikes]. You tell me a day after a batsman will be sliding to survive a run-out, a bowler will be sliding to stop the ball, so you tell me; maybe he [Fortis] is thinking we are trying to grow the grass. I mean I don’t know. He said that we are trying to get this grass [on] the next wicket to the centre wicket. I don’t know how much grass will grow in one day and what will happen in the next five days. [We understand] You want your ground to be good, the square to be good, but end of the day it is a cricket pitch.”England have a 2-1 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, with the final Test due to begin on July 31.

D’Arcy Short raised a thrilling half century as resurgent Gloucestershire beat Middlesex by nine runs at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium to extend their winning run in the Vitality Blast to four games and keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages.Making up for lost time following a slightly disappointing start to his Gloucestershire career, the left-hander clubbed a breathtaking 83 from 48 balls, hit 8 fours and five sixes and staged progressive stands of 100 and 52 with Miles Hammond and Cameron Bancroft for the first and second wickets respectively to propel Gloucestershire to 204 for 5 after they had lost the toss.Hammond weighed in with a hard-hitting 48 from 33 balls, with 6 fours and 2 sixes, Bancroft contributed 30 not out from 19 deliveries and Ben Charlesworth smashed a nine-ball 22, while Middlesex spinner Zafar Gohar claimed 3 for 54.Stephen Eskinazi made a game of it, scoring a superb 75 from 41 balls, striking 8 fours and 3 sixes and sharing in a high-octane opening stand of 87 in 7.5 overs with Kane Williamson, who made 34. But Gloucestershire’s bowlers held their nerve, Josh Shaw claiming 3-48, including the crucial wicket of Eskinazi, and David Payne and Graeme van Buuren returning figures of 1-22 and 1-28 respectively as the visitors came up short on 195-7 in an entertaining South Group contest.In destructive mood, Hammond twice drove Tom Helm through the covers for four in the opening over, before hoisting former teammate Ryan Higgins high over long-on and raising an imperious six as Gloucestershire came flying out of the blocks. Josh Little received similar treatment at the hands of Hammond, who drove him straight down the ground, while Short weighed in with five boundaries as the turbo-charged opening partnership advanced the score to 57 at the end of the powerplay.Particularly strong off the back foot, overseas star Short cut and pulled with impunity, matching the more abrasive Hammond blow for blow as the Middlesex bowling struggled to exert even a semblance of control. Hollman conceded 19 runs off the ninth over, Hammond pulling him over deep backward square and Short taking him for a further two sixes to move to within sight of a half century.Having played his part in a superb opening stand of 100 in 10.5 overs, Hammond fell two short of 50 when holing out in the deep off the bowling of former Gloucestershire spinner Gohar to afford Middlesex much-needed respite. But any let-up in Gloucestershire intensity was temporary, Short going to his maiden 50 for the county via 33 balls. Fellow Australian Bancroft came out swinging, issuing a statement of intent when harvesting a brace of fours at the expense of Hollman in a 12th over that yielded 14 runs.Little and Higgins discovered a nagging length to briefly slow the scoring thereafter, but Short redressed the balance by pulling Zafar for back-to-back sixes and then straight-driving the spinner for four as the home side rediscovered their mojo to raise 150 in the 15th. No wonder Middlesex breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Australian hit a ball from Little straight up in the air and was held at extra cover with the score 152.Pushed up the order, Charlesworth ensured there was no let-up for the visitors, smiting Hollman for three successive sixes as the 17th over yielded 20 runs. Helm bowled Charlesworth in the next over in an act of damage limitation, but lusty hitting from Jack Taylor and Ollie Price ensured Gloucestershire equaled their highest T20 total of the season on home soil.Middlesex needed a fast start and their openers obliged. Eskinazi plundered 17 runs off the second over, bowled by Shaw, and Williamson drove Payne for six in the third to give the Middlesex reply early impetus. Returning paceman Ajeet Singh Dale fared little better as the openers adopted a high-risk strategy to race to 50 in 4.1 overs.Williamson and Eskinazi mustered 12 boundaries between them in a powerplay that yielded an impressive 73 runs and served notice to Gloucestershire’s under-pressure bowlers that they had a real fight on their hands.Something special was required to break the partnership and Jack Taylor took a superb diving catch at extra cover to remove Williamson for a 23-ball 34 off the bowling of Singh Dale with the score 87-1 in the 8th over. Matt Taylor removed Max Holden two overs later, but Middlesex were still well-placed on 101-2 at the halfway stage of their innings.Experienced campaigner Eskinazi represented the Londoners’ best hope and he went to 50 from 28 balls, while new batsman Ben Geddes hit the ground running to keep the required rate at around 10 an over. Gloucestershire needed a wicket and Graeme van Buuren had Geddes held at long-on for 13 as Middlesex slipped to 123-3, their hitherto serene progress subsequently held up by three overs without a boundary as the home side fought back.Eskinazi held the key and Gloucestershire supporters celebrated wildly when he was pinned lbw by Shaw in the 15th over, with 61 still needed from 5.2 overs. Gloucestershire’s bowlers largely succeeded in cutting off the supply of boundaries thereafter, and Payne tricked Higgins into hitting his own wicket in the act of reverse sweeping, while Shaw had Leus Du Plooy caught in the deep in the 19th over as the home side finally regained a grip on proceedings.Joe Cracknell and Zafar raised three sixes between them in the final over, but it proved too little too late.