Ashes 2023: England bewildered after umpires force Ollie Pope to field despite external blow

England were left “frustrated” after Ollie Pope re-injured his shoulder in Australia’s second innings, having also done so in the first, having been told by the match officials that they would not be allowed a substitute if Pope did not field.

Pope has twice left the field holding his shoulder at Lord’s, once in each innings. In England’s first innings, he was able to bat at first-drop despite a lengthy absence. The ICC Playing Conditions state that if a player is off the field, they incur penalty time, and that they will not be allowed to bat until the penalty time has elapsed, or their side has lost five wickets. Additionally, they state that a substitute fielder will only be allowed if a player is absent due to injury, or for an “acceptable reason”. They also state that no penalty will be incurred if they are absent due to an “external blow”.

Given this, England felt that Pope would be allowed to be absent from the field in the second innings and still bat in his usual position, but were told that would not be the case. The playing conditions state that an external blow must leave a player “justifiably…unable to take the field” if penalty time is to be avoided, and with Pope having shown no discomfort during his time at the crease, it appears the officials felt any absence would not be justified.

Pope’s re-injury, in England’s eyes, will be taken as evidence that any absence would have been justified in the first place.

“He is sore but he should be okay to bat again tomorrow,” said England spin-bowling coach Jeetan Patel. “We’re a bit bewildered by it all. We haven’t clarified yet with the officials as to why he was told he had to get back out there and field. It’s a pretty tough situation when you nearly bust your shoulder and you’re told it was an external [injury], is it still an external, we don’t know?

“He had to go back out there. It was always going to happen, isn’t it? He’s so committed to this team he was always going to fall on something, and now he’s back off the field icing his shoulder. It’s a bit confusing. We assume that he was told he had to be back out on the field or else we had to field with 10 men, and that made no sense to me.

“It’s a bit messy if I’m honest with you. We’re probably as frustrated as everyone else out there that saw what happened, and him, and he’s probably more angry at the situation than anything else.”

It is understood that Pope’s second blow means he won’t be required to field for the remainder of the innings, and will still be able to bat at No.3.

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New Zealand off-spinner bowls 11 overs after bizarre counting error in ODI v Sri Lanka

New Zealand off spinner Eden Carson bowled 11 overs in her side’s comprehensive win over Sri Lanka in the ICC Women’s Championship today (June 30) in a clear counting error by the on-field umpires.

Carson had already taken two wickets in her spell, including that of opener Harshitha Samarawickrama, and had completed her set of ten at the end of the 45th over of the Sri Lanka’s chase with figures of 2-40. However, despite there being plenty of overs available from the rest of the attack, after the next over was completed she continued to bowl from that end. Her extra over brought five dot balls and a single, meaning her figures for the match read 2-41-1-11.

The match result had been all but decided before her final extra over, given that Sri Lanka needed 119 from the final four with one wicket remaining. However, the ICC’s Women’s ODI playing conditions specify that ‘no bowler shall bowl more than 10 overs in an innings’ under rule 13.9.1.

Sri Lanka were bowled out in the 49th over for 213, losing the match by 116 runs. The three-match series is now level following Sri Lanka’s nine wicket win in the first match, and set for a decider in Galle on Monday (July 3).

There had also reportedly been controversy earlier in the match. Sri Lanka were awarded five penalty runs during New Zealand’s innings due to batters running on the pitch. The umpire had already warned the players before Brook Halliday ran the centre of the pitch while taking a single off Sugandika Kumari. Five further penalty runs were also awarded later in the game, with Lea Tahuhu punished for running on the wicket this time around while she was bowling

However, while unconfirmed, five of these runs were apparently rescinded after the match. Had the penalty stood, New Zealand’s margin of victory would have been reduced to 111 runs, rather than the official result of 116.

The playing conditions specify the awarding of penalty runs in this scenario under rule 41.14.3 which states: “If there is any further instance of deliberate or avoidable damage to the pitch by any batter in that innings, the umpire seeing the contravention, when the ball is dead, inform the other umpire of the occurence.

“The bowler’s end umpire shall… Award five penalty runs to the fielding side.”

5 more penalty runs for Sri Lanka after Lea Tahuhu receives two warnings for landing in the danger area https://t.co/MlOoYEFxmZ

— Estelle Vasudevan (@Estelle_Vasude1) June 30, 2023

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Michael Vaughan calls England approach silly and stupid after batting collapse

Michael Vaughan criticised England’s “silly and stupid” ploy to keep attacking Australia’s short-pitched bowling after they ended the third day of the second Ashes Test with a 221-run deficit.

England optimism was rife on Friday morning when captain Ben Stokes and Harry Brook walked out with their side on 278 for four, hoping to establish a first-innings lead.

While Stokes was out to a beauty from Mitchell Starc’s second ball, Brook followed the downfall of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Joe Root on day two in getting out picking out fielders on the boundary rope under a barrage of bumpers from Australia’s attack.

After collapsing from 188 for one to 325 all out in response to Australia’s 416, Usman Khawaja set about increasing the tourists’ stranglehold on the match and the series with 58 not out to help them close on 130 for two.

Former England captain Vaughan told BBC’s Test Match Special: “When you’ve got that field Australia set, if you go at two or three an over and stay in, that is better.

“I am intrigued, not just with Harry, but with all of the batters trying to constantly take it on. It’s silly, it’s stupid, it won’t have constant success.

“I actually thought they (England) bowled well. The seamers bowled nicely and the conditions were perfect.

“They could easily have got a few more wickets, a couple of reviews didn’t quite go the way they would have liked.

“I don’t think it is the bowling you can point the finger at – it is all the batting and the Bazball way isn’t it?

“The mistakes they made with their batting is the reason why they are in the position that they are.”

Australian great Glenn McGrath was under no illusions about where England had gone wrong and warned Brook, who did make 50, to expect more bouncers.

“The second ball of the day set the tone, that was a vital early wicket,” McGrath said of Stokes’ dismissal.

“Good bowling by Mitchell Starc, it just extracted a bit more out of the pitch.

“I don’t think Mitchell Starc likes bowling short, sometimes it finishes your action. Getting that wicket and then seeing how Harry Brook played, they would have seen he wouldn’t like it.

“He’s (Brook) going to cop a fair bit more, if you look unsettled and don’t like the short ball, you’ll get it more.”

Kevin Pietersen, after he described England’s day one efforts with the ball as “shambolic”, was an ally to the home batters, having taken a similar aggressive approach to short-pitched deliveries.

“I played the way they played. I saw the best form of defence being attack,” the former England batter told Sky Sports.

“There is a lot of people that have said, ‘brainless batting, this batting’, but I was pretty brainless too! People hated it, but that’s the way I played.

“Ninety miles per hour, a delivery at your head, it rocks your foundations, it’s not comfortable and sometimes instinct takes over.

“These guys had no respite at all, so you are asking the wrong bloke because I played that way.”

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Can England Win Over Your Confidence To Bet On Them In This Years Ashes?

Of all the annual sports tournaments, the Ashes are interesting because they feature a repeated contest between the same teams again and again (the Ashes are actually biannual). England and Australia are the rivals here, andkeeping up with the results of the past few years can show you that Australia have been on something of a hot streak, with England’s last win coming in 2015. This can be disheartening to England fans, but don’t rule them out just yet. There […]

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Nasser Hussain: Everyone talks about Bazball the Bazball Ive seen is that theyve played the conditions

Nasser Hussain lavished praise on Josh Tongue during the Tea interval on day three of the second Ashes Test match at Lord’s, while criticising England’s collapse that saw them squander a strong position.

Australia had reached 81-1 by Tea and had extended their lead past 150. Tongue had taken the only wicket to fall at the point in the innings, striking David Warner’s front pad in front of leg stump to dismiss him for 25. That wicket added to the three Tongue took in the first innings and was the second time he had dismissed David Warner in the match.

“I’ve been hugely impressed with him, so impressed,” said Hussain on Sky Sports Cricket. “I’ve been looking at the stats, he was getting his wickets in Division Two at 40 apiece at the start of the summer, and yet he’s looked to the manor born when he’s put that England shirt on. Firstly against Ireland, then against Australia in the first innings here. He had a dropped catch from (James) Anderson, he could’ve had another there, he could have had (Usman) Khawaja and Warner. He’s bowled beautifully, not just pace, and his pace is higher than the rest, but he’s a highly skillful bowler as well.”

In comparison to Tongue, Anderson had struggled before the interval. While not bowling badly he had failed to pick up a wicket, and had not been able to generate to prodigious swing England have counted on him for in the past.

“I don’t know why, I honestly don’t because he seems to have a bit of rhythm,” said Hussain of Anderson. “There’s just not that lateral movement we’ve seen from Anderson. There’s not been that swing.”

However, Hussain was damning in his opinion on England’s batting, both at the end of day two and this morning. England lost their final nine wickets for 137 runs in their first innings, losing 6-47 before lunch on day three.

“The batting yesterday after Tea and then following it up today with the way they batted, they just did not play the percentages,” said Hussain. “I thought Jonny Bairstow could’ve waited one batter more, if you’re going to go with the tail go a little bit later when you get down to Anderson. Even Robinson there, Head hadn’t turned that much, Mark Taylor said on commentary – ‘be careful, you’re going to get done by the angle on the outside edge’, and he got beaten on the outside edge.

“The damage was done yesterday when that sun was out and they got to a really strong position. To have that session after Tea where they just became happy hookers, every ball had to go. Everyone talks about Bazball, the Bazball I’ve seen is that they’ve also played the conditions. In Pakistan on a flat pitch that did nothing, they went hard and smashed them everywhere. Last summer in the Test matches the pitches got better and when they got in they smashed it everywhere. When you’ve got four people out on the hook, the percentages are not in your favour and if you keep hooking, eventually you’ll give your wicket away and that’s what they did.”

Bad light stopped play in the evening session at Lord’s with Australia 130-2, leading by 221 runs. Marnus Labuschagne had gifted Anderson a wicket shortly after the Tea interval.

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England left to rue costly batting errors as Australia seize control at Lords

England’s costly habit of unforced batting errors reared its head again at Lord’s as they gifted control of the second Ashes Test to Australia.

The tourists, already 1-0 up after edging a nail-biter at Edgbaston, ended day three with a commanding 221-run lead and a platform to make themselves overwhelming favourites to win both the game and the series.

England were knocked over for 325 in a deflating morning session, losing six wickets for 47 as they turned a competitive position into a first-innings deficit of 91.

At one stage on the second evening they had looked at ease on 188 for one, but 24 hours later they had a mountain to climb.

While a host of England’s leading batters were the authors of their own downfall, Australia once against trusted a more pragmatic approach as they gritted their teeth in awkward conditions to reach 130 for two.

With the ball nipping around under floodlights and murky skies, Australia’s insistence on a more risk-averse strategy than England’s all-out aggression paid dividends.

Usman Khawaja, dropped on 19 by James Anderson, led the way as he did in the first Test at Edgbaston as he compiled a hard-working 58no.

The successes of the ‘Bazball’ era have been built around an ultra-positive ‘no regrets’ policy, but the manner of several dismissals over the past 24 hours may push that rule close to breaking point.

After Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett and Joe Root fell on their swords during an adrenaline-fuelled bouncer battle on Thursday evening, England continued to fold on Friday.

Harry Brook reached 50 but gave up his wicket with a wince-inducing swat at Mitchell Starc, while Jonny Bairstow hacked a rare full ball straight to mid-on.

With Australia spinner Nathan Lyon on crutches with a serious calf injury that may rule him out of the series, Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad even managed to give his part-time understudy Travis Head two wickets in an over during a dispiriting collapse.

England began the day 138 behind on 278 for four, diminished by their losses to the short ball but still well placed to push for a lead of their own.

Instead, they were rocked by the dismissal of Ben Stokes to his first ball of the day.

Having curbed his attacking instincts during a responsible knock late on day two, his reward was a fine welcome delivery from Starc, angled across the left-hander and lifting as it left the bat.

Stokes (17) aimed the bat towards midwicket, Cameron Green swallowed a thick edge and England’s best-laid plans were already up in smoke.

Australia offered no respite, Starc and Pat Cummins bowling with hostility and repeatedly threatening Brook and Bairstow with deliveries that reared up off the pitch.

Brook, resuming on 45, was hit on both glove and helmet before bringing up his half-century, but that was as far as he got.

Faced with a fiercely difficult contest he tried to slog his way out of trouble, backing away to leg and attempting to smash Starc down the ground.

Brook has made his name as a free spirit in the middle order, but as the ball popped up to cover it was a soft and unedifying way to go.

After an hour’s play England had added just 33 for two, but things were only getting worse.

Bairstow reached 16 but surrendered by hacking Josh Hazlewood to mid-on, eyes lighting up at the long-awaited chance to drive.

Australia’s ruthless streak was out in force now, Green rattling Broad’s grille with an 86mph lifter that left the England physio assessing his jaw.

England’s fight had gone and they lost the next three wickets in seven balls, Head having Robinson caught on the charge then trapping Broad lbw. Cummins, tearing in, made short work of Josh Tongue at number 11.

David Warner and Khawaja saw off six overs before lunch, nudging the lead past 100 off the last ball of the session and kicking off a gutsy stand of 63.

Conditions in the afternoon offered some cause for English optimism, with clouds overhead and the floodlights switched on.

But, while their four seamers worked away diligently and beat the bat on a series of occasions, Australia were digging in.

When the chance did come, Khawaja pulling Tongue’s second ball to midwicket, Anderson struggled to pick it up and saw it burst through his hands for four.

The hunt went on as the tourists ground out just 69 runs in the afternoon session, Tongue responsible for the solitary wicket of Warner (25), while DRS was an increasingly big part of the conversation as Marnus Labushcagne struggled to settle.

He overturned an lbw from Tongue and then saw Broad go up with three huge appeals either side of tea.

Stokes was right to wave off the first two, but, when he declined to pursue the third, the technology supported Broad’s shout.

When head coach Brendon McCullum relayed the information from the balcony, the seamer was visibly fuming.

Labuschagne did not make them pay, lazily wafting a wide one from Anderson to point, but England’s muted celebrations told the story.

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Sourav Ganguly Slammed BCCI For Ignoring Sarfaraz Khan For West Indies Tour

Sourav Ganguly Backed Sarfaraz Khan: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), earlier this month, announced Team India’s Test and ODI squads for the upcoming tour of the West Indies. While senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara’s snub from the Test squad remained the major talking point from the squad announcement, however, the non-inclusion of domestic superstar Sarfaraz Khan also created a lot of buzz in the cricketing fraternity. Several experts and former cricketers questioned the BCCI selectors for ignoring […]

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Steve Smith admits Nathan Lyons calf injury does not look good for Australia

Australia centurion Steve Smith admitted Nathan Lyon’s calf injury does not look good with the tourists’ braced to play the rest of the second Ashes Test without their frontline spinner.

Lyon injured his right calf while trying to make up ground to catch Ben Duckett’s lofted pull shot off Cameron Green in the 37th over of England’s innings.

The sight of Lyon holding the back of his calf and being forced to hobble off the pitch brought back memories of Glenn McGrath’s busted ankle on the eve of the second Ashes Test in the 2005 series.

Nathan Lyon (right) receives treatment (Adam Davy/PA)

A Cricket Australia spokesperson later confirmed Lyon was being assessed and while no scan has been booked, his chances of featuring in the rest of the Lord’s Test look over and his whole series could even be in doubt.

“Yeah, I haven’t been up in the sheds yet but obviously it didn’t look good,” Smith conceded.

“I mean it doesn’t look ideal for the rest of the game. I’m not sure how he actually is, but if he is no good, it is obviously a big loss for us.

“He is in his 100th consecutive Test match, which I know he was really looking forward to taking part in and having a role in.

“Fingers crossed he is okay but it didn’t look good obviously.

Todd Murphy (left) is waiting in the wings to replace Lyon (Simon Marper/PA)

“It is not ideal, particularly your spin bowler. One player with one role. Batters, I suppose there are loads of us around so it is a bit different.

“Nathan, if he is no good, would be a huge loss. However, we have Todd Murphy waiting in the wings, who has been bowling beautifully in nets and bowled really well in India when he got his opportunity.

“I would be confident if he came in that he would do a terrific job for us but fingers crossed Nathan is alright.”

Smith, who struck 110 in Australia’s first innings total of 416, warmed up for this English summer with a three-match stint for Sussex, where he claimed two for 55 in his final appearance against Glamorgan.

But the part-time leg-spinner insisted: “I haven’t been working on my bowling at all.

Steve Smith impressed with the bat once again (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I bowled a few overs at the back end of one of the games – where pretty much the game was dead – just because everyone else was cooked.

“Hopefully I won’t have to bowl too much. I thought (Travis) Heady bowled all right, a bit different to Nathan, just skidding them more than Nathan does.

“Yeah, Heady is probably the one who is going to have to take a fair chunk of the spin overs and maybe myself and Marnus (Labuschagne) will chop in here and there.

“Yeah, not ideal when you lose your spinner on a surface that is not offering a great deal for the quick bowlers.”

England opener Ben Duckett sent his best wishes to Lyon but acknowledged the absence of Australia’s veteran spinner could be crucial in their efforts to level the series.

Ben Duckett knows the loss of Lyon would be huge for Australia and the series (Mike Egerton/PA)

“It is a huge shame. I really hope it’s not too bad for him,” Duckett said.

“You never want to see anyone go down with an injury. He was going to play a massive part in that fourth innings because he is such a good bowler. If they go bumpers with all three bowlers, they’ll be pretty tired.”

Smith, who was 85 not out overnight, celebrated his 32nd Test hundred in the morning session.

A sumptuous cover drive for four earned Smith his 12th Ashes century, with eight of them occurring in England.

He added: “It is obviously a huge moment, I love playing here at Lords. I have spent a fair bit of time in the middle the last two times here and then this game as well.

“It is a nice place to play if you get in, you get good value for your shots and nice to get myself back up on the honours board again.”

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MCC president Stephen Fry blames ECB for lack of women's matches at Lord's

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Englands mad half-hour casts a shadow over what could have been a series-defining day

In a mad half an hour at Lord’s, a day where England had been almost perfect turned South at a rate of knots.

The most important context to this passage of play was that it started with Nathan Lyon limping off the field. As he hobbled around the boundary rope supported by the team Australia physio, the crowd and commentators simultaneously realised this was more serious than cramp.

Leave aside, for a minute, the connotations that moment could have for the series and simplify them to this game alone. Lyon walked off in the 37th over of the innings. By that point, he had already bowled 13 overs and taken the only England wicket to fall. Australia have four seamers, two of whom with recent injury struggles, plus the part-time spin of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head. England would be batting last on a pitch that’s had little in it so far for either side’s seamers, and Australia would have no specialist spinner. If they were average for the rest of the day, or even just below that, they could have batted themselves into a position to almost put the game beyond doubt.

Instead, they pushed their self-destruct button.

The most effective thing Australia could have done to England was to play on their ego. Three men out on the hook and short deliveries banged in one after the other brought on the predetermined testosterone fuelled rampage. Ball after ball flew just short to the fielders on the boundary or popped up off gloves into nowhere until, inevitably, one stuck.

Three balls after Pope holed out, Joe Root also tried a pull shot. It ricocheted off his glove and fell into Alex Carey’s grasp. That would’ve been the second time Root was out to a poor choice of shot in as many innings. As it happened, Green had overstepped for the fifth time in his spell. That moment could’ve been just as seismic for the series as Lyon’s injury – a Root hundred and the game would be pretty much gone from Australia. But, instead, that error cost Green just nine runs. Another pull shot, another pop-up in the air and another wicket.

Root tends to get a free pass on his modes of dismissal. Rightly so, as England’s best ever, he’s earned that right. But that doesn’t make his wicket any less daft. If anything, it makes it even more frustrating. As England’s most trusted, talented and safest bat, the burden is largely on him to give the rest the freedom to play the way that has allowed them to find success. That doesn’t mean putting the reverse ramp away, but today it meant acknowledging the situation England were in at that time.

Duckett had also fallen in between Pope and Root, two runs short of a century. In reality, he missed out by an even finer margin. In the over before he was out, Labuschagne had fired the ball in at the non-striker’s stumps and hit. If he had missed, no one was backing-up to prevent the ball from flying down to the boundary and gifting Duckett a century. But he didn’t. Next over, Duckett was out to his 14th pull shot in six overs.

It could’ve been worse for England – Harry Brook was dropped by Labuschagne at square leg on 24. But even a collapse of 34-3 is rookie numbers compared to some of what we’ve seen over the past few years. And, in most of those cases, England weren’t 188-1 at the start of them.

That half an hour doesn’t have to be a damning indictment of England’s entire approach, but Stokes’ safe negotiation of the final hour showed that there is room for nuance in England’s aggression. Pope and Duckett batted sensibly for most of the afternoon, and 188-1 is more than any would have hoped for from England’s top three 18 months ago. Their freedom-centric approach that allows them to play extremely risky shots sometimes is what’s allowed them to do that. But it’s not that they played some extremely risky shots. It’s that they played about 20 within 15 minutes.

England’s approach is about always playing the game on the front foot and finding a way to win every match, no matter the situation. In that half an hour, they were dictated to by an obvious and simplistic plan. Lyon’s injury gave them a situation which allowed them to seize the game, instead, they allowed Australia back in.

You can bet on the 2023 Ashes with our Match Centre partners, bet365.

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Ben Duckett out for 98 as aggressive England fight back in second Ashes Test

Ben Duckett fell an agonising two runs short of an Ashes century as England took the fight back to Australia in the second Test at Lord’s.

England had been a shadow of themselves on day one but rallied impressively with bat and ball before being dragged into a costly a short-ball battle during a gripping final session.

The hosts took five for 77 in the morning session to dismiss Australia for 416, a strong total but one that represented a poor return from a peak of 316 for three.

Duckett then led his side to 278 for four, punching his way to a gutsy 98 but stumbling in sight of glory as he top-edged a Josh Hazlewood bouncer to fine-leg.

The Nottinghamshire opener would have been dismayed to spring a trap that also accounted for Ollie Pope and Joe Root, but this may still go down as a career-best effort.

Duckett has reached three figures twice before but with the quality of the Australian attack and the parlous situation in the series, this trumped his 182 against a limited Ireland earlier this month and his maiden hundred in a run-fest in Rawalpindi.

Australia bowled bumpers almost exclusively for an adrenaline-fuelled hour in the evening, playing on England’s eagerness and ego after spinner Nathan Lyon suffered a worrying calf injury.

On the occasion of his 100th consecutive Test, a testament to his spotless fitness record, Lyon pulled up lame as he collected the ball in the deep and had to be helped off the pitch.

There must now be major concerns over the role he can play in the remainder of the match, as well as in next week’s clash at Headingley.

Harry Brook rode his luck on his way to a dicey 45 not out, but captain Ben Stokes restored an element of calm with a responsible 17no from 57 balls at the close.

Australia started the day 339 for five, with England eager to respond to a performance that was labelled “absolutely shambolic” by Kevin Pietersen and improve on bowling branded “utter dross” by Michael Vaughan.

And while they were unable to prevent Steve Smith turning his overnight score of 85 into a 12th Ashes century, second only to the great Donald Bradman, they would have been more than happy with their efforts.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad had sent down 33 wicketless overs between them on the first day but picked up one apiece in a rousing opening burst that set the tone for an England comeback.

Broad jagged back in sharply off the pitch to pin Alex Carey lbw in his first over of the morning and Anderson following by snapping up Mitchell Starc’s outside edge.

Smith brought up his latest hundred with a majestic cover drive but when he slashed Josh Tongue to Duckett in the gully for 110, Ollie Robinson picked up the last two wickets in short order.

Duckett and Zak Crawley survived four awkward overs before lunch and proceeded to share a buoyant stand of 91 – England’s best against Australia since January 2011.

Crawley was in particularly pleasing touch, but gifted Lyon his wicket on 48 when he raced down the pitch and was well stumped by Carey.

Duckett continued his unconventional habit of steadfastly refusing to leave anything, but was able to score quickly and safely against a pedigree attack.

Alongside Pope, who eased concerns over his shoulder injury by emerging at number three, Duckett added a further 96 as the pace and hostility of the Australian quicks failed to affect his steady rhythm.

Duckett’s interest in feeling bat on ball helped, scoring handily from square drives and cuts that could have been left and sweeping with enough confidence to rotate the strike off Lyon. Starc and Hazlewood both leaked runs at an alarming rate, with the pair both seeing their economy peak at more than seven-an-over.

Duckett reached 50 with a clean punch off the pads and was past 80 before the bouncers started to fly in.

He top-edged one over the wicketkeeper on 84 and almost picked out fine leg on 86. It was at that moment that Lyon hobbled off in anguish and leaving his side a bowler light.

Pope was going well at 42 when he succumbed, stepping inside the line and toe-ending Cameron Green to the waiting Smith. Green thought he had key man Joe Root in the same over, only for a no-ball to cut celebrations short.

England continued the high-risk strategy of pulling and hooking with catchers in the deep and it came at a cost as Duckett shovelled Hazlewood to fine-leg to shatter his dreams of a century.

Root followed with a careless swipe at Starc, failing to cash in on his reprieve as he departed for 10.

Brook played some remarkable shots as he kept the aggression up, twice slashing airily past mid-on and almost losing his leg stump as he stepped away to swing at Green.

But Stokes settled his side in mature fashion as they ended 138 behind with six wickets in hand.

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Nathan Lyon limps off injured on second day at Lords | Injury Update | Ashes 2023

Nathan Lyon limped off the field early in the evening session on day two of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, causing concern over his continued participation in the match.

Lyon sustained the injury while fielding at deep-backward square-leg, pulling up while running into collect the ball. Duckett had played a pull shot off Cameron Green which had taken his top-edge, but the ball fell short of Lyon. As he ran into pick it up Lyon looked like he felt some discomfort in his lower right leg.

As he limped towards the boundary rope, the commentators speculated over whether the injury looked like cramp or something more serious. Lyon spent some time sitting on the boundary rope, receiving treatment from the Australia team physio, before being supported around the rope and back into the dressing room.

As cameras focussed on him walking back, Lyon looked to be in significant pain and was walking with a heavy limp. Lyon had already bowled 13 overs in England’s first innings and picked up the wicket of Zak Crawley.

No update has yet been issued on the condition of his injury.

More to follow.

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Video: Joe Root Takes Two Quick Wickets Of Australia In One Over In Lords Test

England ace batter Joe Root picked up two crucial wickets with his off-spin to help his team take control of the game as Australian cricket was running away with the game on day one of the ongoing second Ashes Test match at the Lord’s. Joe Root Took Two Quick Wickets In One Over The England cricket team was in trouble before Root, who is a part-time bowler, offered the team some respite. Root gave a much-needed breakthrough by breaking the […]

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MLC 2023 San Francisco Unicorns squad: Full list of international and domestic players | Major League Cricket

The inaugural season of Major League Cricket will get underway next month, with six teams competing in the tournament – here’s the full squad for San Francisco Unicorns, including every international and domestic player announced.

San Francisco have signed two high profile Australia players to their first-ever squad. Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis will both be playing for the side in 2023. They make up two of the overseas names the franchise have announced as done-deals. The only other international player currently known to have signed for the side is Lungi Ngidi.

Each team in the newest franchise league on the circuit can select a maximum of 19 players, a minimum of 16. Of these, nine must be from the domestic pool of players in the USA, of which there were over 100 available in the draft. Teams must also include one under-23 domestic player to help foster the next generation of cricketing talent in the USA.

Liam Plunkett is among the domestic players signed to the San Francisco Unicorns. Plunkett was one of the stars of the 2019 World Cup winning England side, but now plays his cricket as a US qualified player. Alongside Plunkett as a recently qualified US player at the San Francisco Unicorns, is former New Zealand player Corey Anderson. Anderson played in all-three international formats for New Zealand before he announced his retirement in 2020.

San Francisco’s first match of the tournament will be against MI New York at Grand Prairie Stadium on June 14.

MLC 2023, San Francisco Unicorns squad: Full list of international and domestic players

Overseas players: Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Lungi Ngidi.

Domestic Players: Corey Anderson, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Brody Couch, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Carmi Le Roux, Smit Patel, Liam Plunkett, Tajinder Singh, David White.

MLC Wildcard: TBC

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Australia punish lacklustre England seamers before Joe Root produces late boost

England bowled themselves into trouble on day one of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, before two wickets in an over from part-timer Joe Root offered a late morale boost.

Desperate to produce a statement of intent after their tense two-wicket defeat at Edgbaston, the hosts failed to make the most of Ben Stokes winning the toss in helpful conditions as Australia reached the close on 339 for five.

It could have been much worse for the hosts but Root, asked to carry the spin burden alone due to concerns over Moeen Ali’s injured index finger, halted the tide just as it threatened to carry England away.

Travis Head had clattered 77 at better than a run-a-ball when he was stumped racing down the track at a delivery that started wide and turned even further from the bat, then all-rounder Cameron Green threw his wicket away for a duck in a vain attempt to slog Root down the ground.

Two cheap wickets in four balls did not completely mitigate two-and-a-half sessions of deeply uninspired work from a lethargic seam attack, but it did halt a 122-run stand between Head and Steve Smith that was quickly heading towards game-changing territory.

Smith remains at large on 85 not out and with the chance to bat England out of the match on day two.

Prior to Root’s unexpected intervention, England had relied on rookie seamer Josh Tongue for two of their three wickets as James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Stokes himself all toiled without success.

Tongue produced two fine deliveries to clean bowl both openers, Usman Khawaja offering no stroke on the cusp of lunch and David Warner (66) cut in two by a gem, but even he was not exempt from the travails which swamped his team-mates.

The 25-year-old went at 4.88 over the course of the day, with Broad wicketless and Robinson visibly down on pace as he returned one for 86.

Stokes’ three-over cameo cost him 21 and although Anderson kept a lid on the scoring, he was worrying subdued for the third innings in a row.

Stokes could hardly disguise his grin when Pat Cummins called incorrectly at the toss, eagerly sending the tourists in under cloudy skies on a green-tinged pitch.

When the floodlights came on just before the start of play, the scene seemed set for the home attack to have some fun, but the anticipated clatter of wickets failed to materialise.

The game was interrupted after a solitary Anderson over when two Just Stop Oil protesters invaded the pitch brandishing orange paint powder, an incursion that ended with wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow lifting one of the activists off his feet and carrying him off the pitch while Stokes shepherded the other into the arms of security.

Warner and Khawaja did not allow the break to disrupt their concentration, although the latter offered a low half-chance off Broad that Root would have done outstandingly to hold.

The bowling looked laboured at times, with Robinson struggling to crack 80mph, but Broad should have picked up Warner on 20 when Ollie Pope put down a regulation edge at fourth slip, an echo of missed opportunities in the first Test.

Pope spent the latter half of the day off the field receiving ice treatment for a shoulder injury and England will hope their vice-captain’s batting is not affected by the issue.

Warner sought to impose himself, bending the knee to sweep Broad and Robinson and hooking Tongue for six as his first three overs leaked 24 runs. But he showed plenty of character to get his side up and running either side of lunch.

He dismissed Khawaja moments before the break, nipping one down the slope and into the off stump, and saved something even better for Warner after the restart.

He put together a deliciously difficult over to the left-hander and capped it in style with one that speared between bat and pad as it flicked the bails.

That brought Smith and Marnus Labuschagne together, fresh from the pair’s double failure at Lord’s. Smith was busy immediately but Labuschagne was shaky until a sequence of five boundaries from eight legal deliveries warmed him up.

Both were well settled as they took tea at 190 for two, but Robinson finally got himself into the contest in the evening session when he got one to stand up off the seam and take Labuschagne’s outside edge for 47.

England briefly had an opening, but a whirlwind knock from Head closed it emphatically. He laid into a tiring attack with gusto, hitting 14 boundaries as weariness and sloppy fielding began to take a toll.

With Smith showing signs of tunnel vision and a couple of DRS decisions correctly going against England, it took unforced error to lift Stokes’ side.

Root was apparently biding time until the second new ball but found a some bite from the rough and tempted Head into a rash charge.

Bairstow did the rest with a smart take and stumping, before Green hacked his third ball high to mid-off to take some of the shine off a strong day for Australia.

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The Super Six stage of the 2023 World Cup Qualifier starts tomorrow (June 29), with six teams fighting it out to end up in the top two and book a spot in the ODI World Cup in India later this year. Here’s all you need to know about the chances of each team heading into the next phase of the competition.

The group stage of the World Cup Qualifier has come to a close with Zimbabwe, Netherlands, and West Indies qualifying for the Super Six from Group A. Sri Lanka, Scotland, and Oman are the qualifiers from Group B.

Teams will carry forward the points which they gained from their matches with the other two qualifiers in their group. Each team will play three games, one each against each of the teams that have qualified from the other group.

The top two teams at the end of the fixtures will qualify for the main World Cup, and compete in a Final to determine the winner of the World Cup Qualifier.

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World Cup Qualifier 2023

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Sri Lanka

Points and Net run rate carried forward: Four, +2.698
Teams to play: Netherlands, Zimbabwe, West Indies

Sri Lanka are at the top of the table in the Super Six thanks to their insanely high net run rate. Among all the teams in the Super Six, they are the best placed to finish in the top two and qualify for the World Cup.

If they win all their games, they will reach ten points and finish on top of the table. Two wins out of three will take them to eight, a number that only three teams can possibly achieve, given their starting positions in the table. In that case, their superior net run rate should comfortably take them through.

Two losses will mean that they will finish on six points and will have to hope for other results to go their way, while three losses in the three games will reduce their top two chances to a mathematical possibility and not a realistic one.

Zimbabwe

Points and Net run rate carried forward: Four, +0.982
Teams to play: Oman, Sri Lanka, Scotland

Zimbabwe will start the Super Six placed second in the points table. They won all their games in the group stage convincingly and are looking like one of the favourites in the tournament at the moment.

Wins in all three games will see them finish top of the table. Even two victories and a loss will take them to eight points and almost guarantee a top-two finish and a subsequent World Cup spot. Anything less than two victories, however, will mean that they will have to depend on other results to go their way. Given their much superior net run rate, if they end up tied at six points, they’ll have a definite advantage.

Three losses, on the other hand, will drastically diminish, if not completely eliminate their chances of qualification.

Scotland

Points and Net run rate carried forward: Two, -0.060
Teams to play: West Indies, Netherlands, Zimbabwe

Scotland can get to a maximum of eight points if they win all their games. If that happens, and if either Sri Lanka defeat Zimbabwe or lose two of their three games, then Scotland will end up in the top two.

Two victories from three games will take Scotland to six points. They will need several results to favour them in that case. While complicated, it will still keep their chances open for a top-two finish. Anything less than two victories will almost certainly be curtains for them, especially given their negative net run rate.

Netherlands

Points and Net run rate carried forward: Two, -0.739
Teams to play: Sri Lanka, Scotland, Oman

Netherlands are placed fourth on the Super Six table as their net run rate is worse than Scotland’s. They have a similar equation, with three wins enough to get them to eight points and give them a solid chance of finishing in the top two.

Two wins will still keep them in the hunt at six points, but they’ll have to register big victories and a not-so-big loss in that case as net run rate will come into the picture. One victory or less will mean that their World Cup hopes will be all but over.

While their equation looks similar to that of Scotland, they will feel that they have a slight upper hand as their fixtures are relatively easier than Scotland’s. They are also carrying more momentum with them, having pulled off a famous victory against the West Indies in their last group fixture.

West Indies

Points and Net run rate carried forward: Zero, -0.350
Teams to play: Scotland, Oman, Sri Lanka

West Indies have a very slight mathematical possibility of finishing in the top two after their disappointing show across the group stage. They need to win all of their three games to reach six points to stay in the hunt.

Then they will have to hope that either Zimbabwe win all their games and the Netherlands lose at least one, leading to a two or three-way tie on six points between themselves, Netherlands, and Sri Lanka. Or they will need Sri Lanka to win all their games except against the West Indies, and Scotland to defeat Zimbabwe, leading to a two or three-way tie between themselves, Zimbabwe, and either Scotland or Netherlands.

All this will require a lot of things to go their way, along with three big enough victories to take their net run rate past the other teams.

Oman

Points and Net run rate carried forward: Zero, -3.042
Teams to play: Zimbabwe, West Indies, Netherlands

Oman will start the Super Six on zero points just like the West Indies, but their net run rate is so poor that their top two chances are infinitesimally lesser than that of West Indies. They need to win all three games, and win them extremely big. Even after that, they’ll need a lot of other results to go in their favour.

While their own chances of qualification for the World Cup are slim, they can take a few teams down with them as they go along in the Super Six.

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Next Ashes Test 2023: England vs Australia fixtures start times and TV channel

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Watch: County batter collapses in laughter after missing massive swing at accidental ballooning bouncer in hilariously inept passage

Watch: During a County Championship 2023 Division One match at the Kia Oval, Josh Bohannon collapsed on the pitch, laughing, after a course of inept all-round cricket.

Lancashire captain Keaton Jennings opened batting with Luke Wells after Surrey won the toss and opted to bowl. Sam Curran snared Wells in the fifth over, which brought Josh Bohannon to the crease.

Lancashire reached 28-1 after 10 overs when Rory Burns replaced Curran with Jordan Clark.

Not too long afterwards, Clark tried to bowl a bouncer. Unfortunately, while he pitched the ball short, he released it a fraction of a second too late, and the ball ballooned in the air after pitching.

As it descended in a mesmerising arc, outside the off stump, Bohannon realised he would seldom get an easier ball to put away for four. He went for a wide slog towards cover point… but missed the ball completely.

“I am so glad this is television and not radio, so you could actually see that,” quipped the laughing commentator. “Trying to describe what happened would have been ludicrous.”

At least Ben Foakes did his job efficiently as the ball rolled towards him innocuously.

Wicketkeeper Phil Salt helped Lancashire recover from 119-5 to post 274 against Clark (4-47) and Sean Abbott (4-71). Surrey then became 107-5 before Will Jacks (64), Curran (52), and Abbott (87 not out) took them to 360 as Will Williams claimed 3-86.

Yet again the Lancashire top order caved in, this time against Daniel Worrall (3-69). This time Williams (61) and Salt (54) lifted them from 154-5 to 293. Chasing 208, Surrey were 57-5 at stumps on day three. Tom Bailey (4-34) has done most of the damage.

Watch Jordan Clark’s ball, and Josh Bohannon’s swing, miss, and response:

A dot ball’s a good ball

Innovative bowling from @Clarksy16 to bamboozle Josh Bohannon!

| #SurreyCricket @CountyChamp pic.twitter.com/SHOBjauAmQ

— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) June 26, 2023

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Day one of second Ashes Test England out to bounce back

Ben Stokes will lead England out at Lord’s this morning, fronting a side in need of an Ashes victory and a sport that has been rocked by more revelations of discrimination.

Stokes faced the media exactly a week on from their nail-biting fifth-day defeat by Australia at Edgbaston, but began his captain’s press conference on Tuesday by addressing the damning report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket.

In his position as men’s Test captain, Stokes took it upon himself to issue an apology to anyone who had been impacted by the entrenched culture of racism, sexism and elitism described in the long-awaited report.

Those above Stokes in the food chain have three months to prepare their response, but, for the next five days, his job lies between the boundary ropes as he seeks to square the series after an enterprising but unsuccessful outing in Birmingham.

England have made one change to their side, recalling rookie seamer Josh Tongue in place of Moeen Ali to leave part-timer Joe Root as the main spin option. Australia have delayed their call, but will be tempted to unleash left-armer Mitchell Starc.

What they said

Stokes followed his apology by outlining his own credentials as a mould-breaking outlier who has risen to the highest rank in the sport.

Crawley’s Chinese lesson

Zak Crawley (left) made a surprising intervention during a team meeting this week (Mike Egerton/PA)

England would be forgiven for counting themselves unfortunate on the fitness front after seeing the likes of Jofra Archer, Olly Stone and Jack Leach ruled out for the series, while Moeen Ali and Mark Wood both miss out at Lord’s due to concerns over their ability to complete a five-day match. But Stokes revealed that Zak Crawley took it upon himself to banish any such thoughts by regaling the squad with an ancient Chinese proverb. Channelling his inner Eric Cantona, Crawley told the parable of a farmer who discovered that the notion of good and bad luck were more closely aligned than many think. Boiling the message down, Stokes concluded: “One thing happens and it might not mean it’s the end of the world.”

Lyon’s landmark

• Sir Alastair Cook (Eng) – 159
• Allan Border (Aus) – 153
• Mark Waugh (Aus) – 107
• Sunil Gavaskar (Ind) – 106
• Brendon McCullum (NZ) – 101

While England have decided to do without a frontline spinner, Australia have selected Nathan Lyon for the 100th Test in a row. He becomes just the sixth man, and first specialist bowler, to bring up a century of consecutive appearances and needs just five more wickets to mark the occasion with his 500th wicket.

Anderson hopes to hit back

James Anderson had a forgettable outing in the first Test (Mike Egerton/PA)

England’s record wicket-taker James Anderson was a curiously peripheral figure at Edgbaston, going unused in the decisive final session and returning figures of one for 109 from 38 overs. They were his worst figures for over two years and he later described the pitch as “kryptonite for me”, suggesting similar surfaces could force him out of the series. That means the 40-year-old will be under the spotlight in the next five days. On the up side, he has plenty of history at the home of cricket, with 117 wickets at 24.58 in 27 previous appearances.

All eyes on ‘the mouth from the south’

Ollie Robinson has established himself as public enemy number one in Australia (Mike Egerton/PA)

Ollie Robinson stirred up a hornets’ nest by offering an expletive-heavy send-off to centurion Usman Khawaja at Edgbaston, then having the temerity to stick to his guns. The Sussex seamer has riled Australia greats Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Matthew Hayden, the latter bizarrely accusing him of bowling “124kph nude nuts” and labelling him a “mouth from the south”. Most of their stinging critiques appeared to overlook Robinson’s match haul of five for 98, which kept his Test bowling average at a cool 21.15. Fans in Australia will be desperate to see the 29-year-old fall on his face, but England need him to keep up his outstanding record at the highest level.

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ICEC recommendations can change face of cricket but where will the millions required come from?

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Ben Stokes stands by Englands approach ahead of second Ashes Test

Ben Stokes has revealed how an “awkward” changing room encounter with a new convert to Test cricket helped reinforced England’s commitment to ‘Bazball’.

England’s policy of all-out attack saw them lose the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston in a nerve-racking finale, with some high-profile pundits suggesting more pragmatism might be required to overcome Australia in the coming weeks.

Stokes was never likely to abandon his principles this week at Lord’s, not after spending a year making the case for a style he feels can help save the Test format, and there are good reasons to suggest he is on to something.

England suffered a two-wicket defeat in the opening Test at Edgbaston (Mike Egerton/PA)

As well as winning 11 of their last 14 games, England attracted record television viewing figures in the series opener despite the result.

But for Stokes, the realisation that his methods were cutting through came in unexpected circumstances during a family break at Durham’s Seaham Hall hotel.

“I had a conversation in the men’s changing room at a spa about the game, which was a bit awkward,” he said.

“He said ‘are you the cricketer or do you just look like him?’ And I was like, yeah, it is me. He just said, ‘I went down to the pub after work and I don’t even follow cricket, I was just going to go down for a quick few’. He ended up having a few more and said he was just transfixed on the game.

All smiles in the Lord’s sun ☀️

Set and ready to go again 💪 #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/gL2aMIeSkH

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 26, 2023

“So when you hear stuff like that it obviously makes you feel good about what we’re doing, that it’s bringing a new fanbase to the game and it’s reaching people that it might never have reached before. That’s what we’re about.

“We’re all about growing the game and just making it bigger than what it is right now, and I think we’ve managed to achieve that quite well.

“When you take the game away and you have these people coming up to you and saying just how eye-catching and great it is to watch, you understand that what we are doing is very, very good.

“We always want to win every game we play, but if we don’t come away with the win at the end then let’s move on to the next game and let’s keep going.”

With Jofra Archer and Olly Stone already sidelined, England’s hunger for express pace will once again go unfulfilled at the home of cricket.

Stokes wanted to bring in the rapid Mark Wood to add a new dimension to his attack but the 33-year-old, who last played red-ball cricket in December, was unable to guarantee he could deliver at 100 per cent over five days and is instead targeting the third Test at Headingley.

Josh Tongue, who took five wickets on Test debut against Ireland earlier this month, has been called up instead, with Moeen Ali dropping out in part due to concerns over the wound on his right index finger which hampered his effectiveness at Edgbaston.

Having already lost first-choice spinner Jack Leach to a stress fracture, England may be starting to think their hopes of regaining the urn are doomed by misfortune, but Stokes credits Zak Crawley’s delivery of an old Chinese proverb with removing any such worries.

Zak Crawley delivered a timely speech, according to England skipper Ben Stokes (Mike Egerton/PA)

Crawley may seem an unlikely figure to take on the Eric Cantona role of athlete-turned-philosopher, but the Kent opener recited a parable to his team-mates, telling the story of a farmer whose apparent bad luck ends up bringing positive outcomes.

Asked if he felt circumstances were conspiring against his plans for the series, Stokes said: “You could think like that, but Zak actually made an unbelievable speech yesterday in the huddle. It was around a Chinese farmer and luck.

“One thing happens and it might not mean it’s the end of the world. You don’t know why things happen, if it’s for a good reason or not, it’s just one of those things to deal with.”

For Tongue, he has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make his mark on the biggest stage in English cricket.

Josh Tongue will replace Moeen Ali in the team for the second Test (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I’ve dreamt as a young kid growing up about playing in an Ashes series, so to get the nod now is that dream come true,” he said.

“I knew the step up from county cricket to international cricket would be a big one, and playing here at Lord’s was a very special moment for myself having never played here before.

“To then get five wickets against Ireland on my debut was an incredible feeling and should give me confidence ahead of another chance against Australia.

“I’m just looking forward to getting going and trying to do what I can to help the team.

“I feel like I can add a bit more pace and bounce to the attack and hopefully I can get a few wickets for the team as well. Whatever Stokesy asks me to do for the team I’m here to do it as best I can.”

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Commission head highlights rotten cricket culture in wake of report

The chair of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) Cindy Butts said she heard “horrific” stories during a report which investigated racism, sexism and misogyny in Cricket.

Ms Butts told the BBC the report found widespread issues in the English and Welch game.

“We heard of women being constantly stereotyped, demeaned, facing predatory behaviour,” she said.

“We heard from women who are having to walk into scoreboxes and face signs that say ‘no bras allowed’. This is 2023, not 1923.”

More than 4,000 people responded to the ICEC’s call for evidence for the Holding Up A Mirror To Cricket report.

The commission made 44 recommendations, including a call for the England and Wales Cricket Board to make a public apology recognising that racism, sexism, elitism and class-based discrimination existed – and still exist – and recognise the impact of that upon victims.

“We heard from a former Muslim player who had to endure the indignity of his team-mates laughing and joking about one of the players using the prayer mat to clean up after sex,” she said.

“The stories were absolutely horrific and it goes to show that the culture in cricket is rotten.”

The ICEC Commissioners: (left to right) Michelle Moore, Sir Brendan Barber, Cindy Butts (Chair), Dr Michael Collins and Zafar Ansar (Josimar Senior, PA)

Ms Butts said women are treated as “subordinate” to men in the sport and have been subjected to harassment.

“What we’ve seen is that women are vulnerable when around a drinking culture, they are subjected to sexual harassment, lots of sexting,” she said.

“We’ve heard from a number of women who talk about being vulnerable and being exposed and having unwanted advances made on them by men.”

In a letter to her, ECB chair Richard Thompson apologised and said: “We will use this moment to reset cricket.”

English and Wales Cricket Board chairman Richard Thompson (Victoria Jones, PA)

“Cricket should never exclude anyone on the basis of their ethnicity, gender or social background,” Mr Thompson said.

“We apologise unreservedly for these experiences, and are thankful for the courage of those who have shared them with the ICEC, whilst recognising there will be many more who felt unable to give their accounts.”

Among the recommendations is a call for a fundamental overhaul of the pay structure in the women’s professional game and equal representation for the women’s game throughout the governance structure of English and Welsh cricket.

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ECB boss Richard Gould admits ICEC report is existential issue for cricket

Cricket in England and Wales faces an “existential” issue if it fails to address the failings highlighted by a new report, England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has said.

The long-awaited Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report found racism was entrenched in the sport, that women routinely encountered sexism and misogyny and that little or no action has been taken to address class barriers within the sport.

The ICEC report describes the sport in England and Wales as “elitist and exclusionary”.

The ECB issued an unreserved apology for the failings highlighted in the report and to the victims of discrimination in cricket, and will work over the next three months on a package of reforms based on the 44 recommendations within the report.

Gould said the report could not simply be dismissed as part of a culture war, adding: “It is an existential issue for the sport. This is a report that the ECB specifically asked for two and a half years ago, and deliberately did not set narrow parameters.

“The game wants to understand, we want to understand, the seriousness of the issues and that’s why we’re grateful to the commissioners.

“You talk about direct language – we wouldn’t want it in any other way because then it leaves us in no doubt as to the state of the game and what needs to be done in order to drive forward.

“This report is a seminal moment for us. It helps us to fully understand the scope of the issues within the game, it allows us to understand the apologies that we quite rightly make to those people that suffered discrimination.

“We are determined to be able to act on this report and deliver on its intent in the coming months.

“This report will contain lots of information which will come as a shock to many and many people will be disappointed by. But there’s also a huge amount of determination throughout the game, throughout the country, to make sure that cricket can deliver and in only a way that cricket can.”

The ICEC report highlighted past, failed efforts to act on discrimination in the sport.

It said the ECB’s efforts to address the challenges of equity, diversity and inclusion in cricket only gained real momentum following the introduction of its independent board in 2018, nearly 19 years after the 1999 ‘Clean Bowl Racism’ report concluded that racism existed in cricket.

Asked why the response would be different this time to 1999, Gould said: “You’re quite right to allude to a report previously, which was not acted on in a sufficient manner. Determination (to get it right this time) is huge.

“And I think that the quality of work that’s gone into this report will help us to find the right routes through and we expect to be held to account as we go forward.”

England’s Ollie Pope says it is vital that everyone has equal access to cricket (Mike Egerton/PA)

England batter Ollie Pope spoke at Lord’s ahead of the second Ashes Test and prior to the publication of the report.

The 25-year-old is one of a number of current internationals to come through an exclusive private school education, in this case Whitgift School, but made it clear he felt the sport had to make sure that the national side represented the broadest possible cross-section of society.

“I think there is a lot more we can keep doing as players. As an England team, we’re in a great position where we have got all eyes on us and it is definitely something we’re aware of and definitely something we can keep driving forward,” he said.

“The next guys doing what we’re doing now in 20 years, we want to have the whole country to choose from, not just a certain group of people. That’s something we talk about as a team and are aware of. We know that we can keep promoting that, for the sport and for the country. It is a sport for everyone and I think it definitely 100 per cent should be as well.

“(At Surrey) we’re a club that’s got different religions, different races, guys coming from overseas. That’s the important thing and an opportunity to learn a lot about other team-mates’ religions and ways of life. I think that’s something that’s being spoken about a lot more now and I think it’s important those conversations keep happening.”

Among the proposals is a call for equal representation for the women’s game throughout the governance structure of English and Welsh cricket.

Heather Knight is the captain of the England women’s cricket team (Nigel French/PA)

While England captain Heather Knight said she has not yet read the report, she believes there have been incremental advancements in the women’s game recently even if there is still some way to go.

She highlighted the Women’s Ashes Test being extended into a fifth day as an example of glass ceilings being broken.

Speaking after their 89-run defeat to Australia at Trent Bridge on Monday, she said after being asked whether her voice was being heard: “It’s definitely been listened to a lot more recently.

“Having five days is probably testament to that – I’ve been hammering that drum for quite a long time.

“We’ve still got some way to go but I do think things have changed and things are starting to tip, particularly in women’s cricket. There’s certainly progress to be made but let’s not forget the progress we’ve made.”

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, chair of the House of Commons’ Culture, Media and Sport Committee, hopes the report prompts significant change.

She said: “Today’s report confirms the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s finding 18 months ago that there is a deep-seated issue of racism in cricket.

“The volume of evidence, not only of racial discrimination but also of sexism and elitism, is unacceptable in a sport that should be for everyone, and must now be a catalyst for change.

“The test now for the new leadership of the ECB is to ensure the whole sport is a welcome and inclusive place for all. We welcome their recognition of the need to reset, and look forward to making sure they follow through on their commitments.”

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