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England vs West Indies: Score and updates from third Test at Edgbaston
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Friday, July 26, 2024
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Thursday, July 25, 2024
England captain Ben Stokes hopes packed international schedule is ‘addressed’
England captain Ben Stokes believes the international cricket schedule needs to be “addressed” and would like some input on future tour programmes.
Following the final Test against West Indies at Edgbaston, England will take a three-week break to cater for The Hundred tournament before they face Sri Lanka in another three-match series.
That is the most rest England internationals will receive until the end of the year as Sri Lanka’s Test series will finish on September 10, with Australia’s white-ball team kicking off their own eight-match tour just a day later at the Ageas Bowl.
England will essentially be playing non-stop cricket from there on, with the end of the Australia series followed by a Test tour to Pakistan a little over a week later before they travel to the West Indies for a white-ball series and finish the year with three Tests in New Zealand.
The tight scheduling of cricket fixtures particularly affects those who want to play in all three formats due to the short amount of time between each series.
Stokes has previously stated that the quality of the international game is harmed by the scheduling and also thinks England’s captains, who are himself and white-ball skipper Jos Buttler, should have some input into the demands being put on players.
Asked whether the schedule may affect Stokes’ options as captain, he replied: “I hope not.
“It is something that does need to get addressed. Who knows what international cricket is going to look like with the franchise stuff as well.
“It does need to get looked at, the landscape is constantly changing. I don’t think anyone can put their hand on their heart and say this is what it’s going to look like even in two years’ time, I’ve got no idea.
“With me being captain of the Test team it is quite an easy thing for me to stay pretty switched on with that and not have to worry about too much outside of that.
“Some consultation might be quite nice to Jos (Buttler) and myself. That’s where the future tour programmes can be run by people who are playing, they can be consulted and I’m sure we’ll be able to put some quite good input into that.”
Stokes retired from the ODI format in 2022 citing it as “unsustainable” due to the schedule and “what is being expected” from them before coming out of retirement before last year’s World Cup.
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Ben Stokes says naming unchanged England XI against West Indies ‘easy decision’
England captain Ben Stokes insists it was an “easy decision” to stick with an unchanged side as they look to seal a series whitewash in the third Test against West Indies at Edgbaston.
An unchanged XI means Nottinghamshire seamer Dillon Pennington’s wait for a Test debut goes on, while Matthew Potts also sits out.
Pennington has taken 31 wickets for Nottinghamshire in Vitality County Championship Division One this season – a total bettered by only three players.
England have already handed Test debuts to Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson in this series and Stokes says Pennington’s first cap will “naturally” come with the demands of Test cricket.
Mark Wood was forced out of the bowling line-up on day two at Trent Bridge due to fatigue, but the 34-year-old has been deemed fit enough to go again in Birmingham.
Stokes said: “Two-nil up and very good all-round team performances, pretty easy decision to stick with same 11 and want to wrap up the series and hopefully take it 3-0.
“That (Pennington’s inclusion) will come naturally with six Test matches, even though we have a decent break; fast bowling is hard so naturally we will see change in the bowling line up.
“It is tough not to play but for Potts and for Dillon it’s great for them to be in the squad – it’s tough but they work incredibly hard so if the opportunity comes around for either of them they will be ready to go.
“We’ve stuck with the same team for the first three games because we don’t feel a necessary opportunity to change.
“Though he (Pennington) hasn’t got the opportunity, we know how hard he works out in the middle, there’s no doubt an opportunity will come for him and he’ll be ready to go.”
Following knee surgery last year, Stokes is stepping up his duties as a full all-rounder and, after he bowled 12 overs in the first innings, the England captain felt he was not needed in the second as England tore through West Indies on day four.
He added: “I’m very happy, in a good place with my all-round abilities; being able to bowl is massive for me and I know it affects the make up of the team.
“I wasn’t required to bowl in the fourth innings just because of how well (Shoaib) Bashir bowled and the ball got reverse swinging quite nicely, when I looked at Woody and Gus, I thought those guys would win us the game because of reverse swing.
“Even though it’s only one option it feels like four or five more because I can manipulate the bowling attack a lot more and try use two guys at either end.”
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How Joe Root compares as he closes in on Brian Lara on Test run-scorers list
Joe Root is up to eighth on the list of all-time Test run-scorers and goes into the third Test against the West Indies on the verge of passing Brian Lara for seventh.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how he compares.
Chasing Lara
West Indies great Lara scored 11,953 runs in 131 Tests, with Root 13 behind on 11,940 in 142 games after his second-innings 122 in the second Test at Trent Bridge.
Lara holds the record Test score of 400 not out, made against England in 2004. That was one of his 34 Test centuries, with a batting average of 52.89 for his career. He played 130 Tests for the Windies and also scored five and 36 in a solitary appearance for an ICC World XI.
Root’s average of 49.96 is three runs fewer than Lara’s, despite having 21 not-out innings to only six for Lara – he has batted 28 times more overall. He is behind by just two centuries having made 32 but does have significantly more half-centuries, 62 to 48.
Lara made his runs at an impressive strike rate of 60.51. Root, who has faced over 21,000 deliveries in Test cricket, has accelerated his own strike rate in the last couple of years in England’s ‘Bazball’ era to stand at 56.63 – behind only Lara and Ricky Ponting of the top 10 Test run-scorers.
Lara struck 1,559 fours and 88 sixes – the latter figure exactly double that of Root, who has 44 to go with 1,299 fours.
England record in sight
While Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara is the next name ahead of Lara on the list with 12,400 runs, Root could be forgiven for his sights straying another 72 runs beyond that mark.
Only Sir Alastair Cook, Root’s predecessor as captain, has made more Test runs for England and his 12,472 – and fifth place on the all-time Test list – is on the horizon.
Cook himself predicted in early 2021 that Root would “fly past” his total and with three-Test series remaining this year against each of Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand, the record should soon belong to the Yorkshireman barring a long-term injury.
India’s Rahul Dravid is ahead of Cook on the global list with 13,288, just one run behind former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis in third.
Ex-Australia captain Ponting is second all-time with 13,378 while the record belongs to India great Sachin Tendulkar, with 15,921 runs at an average of 53.79 – his 200 Tests and 51 centuries are also records.
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Wednesday, July 24, 2024
I want to be my own batter, not anybody else – Harry Brook out to carve own path
Harry Brook is determined to be his own man as he brushed off comparisons to cricketing greats following his first Test century on English soil.
The 25-year-old scored his first ton in England to help inspire the hosts to a crushing victory by 241 runs over the West Indies at Trent Bridge
Brook had four previous Test centuries to his name, achieved overseas against Pakistan and New Zealand, but his speedy 109 from 132 balls further cemented his name in England’s top order.
Brilliance from Brook 🙌His fifth Test century 🏏Watch all his boundaries here 👇
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 21, 2024
The Yorkshire batter reached his hundred alongside club-mate Joe Root, who also helped himself to his first Test century of the summer.
Brook played a major role in helping England come from 2-0 to rescue an Ashes series draw against Australia last summer, scoring 363 runs and four half-centuries.
Asked whether his batting was a combination of the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Jos Buttler, he replied: “I want to be my own batter, I want to be Harry Brook, not anybody else.
“But nowadays you have to take different parts of other batters and put it into your game. An example is Rooty playing the ball so late or AB de Villiers hitting all around the ground, Kevin Pietersen for his power.
“You do see little bits of other people’s games and try to fit it into yours. I’ve done a little bit of that, not too much.
“I mean Rooty has just gone eighth in the all-time Test runs list, so I’d be stupid to not be tapping into his cricket knowledge.
“I was glad to get it (the hundred) on the board, being my first in England.
“I was nearly getting to the spot where I thought, ‘God, I need a hundred in England’. I didn’t get a big one in the Ashes last year, but I was happy with my performances.”
Brook withdrew from the Indian Premier League earlier this year to prioritise his mental well-being following the death of his grandmother.
He also pulled out of England’s five-Test tour to India in January due to personal reasons, later revealing his grandmother was “ill and didn’t have long left”.
With his family in attendance, Brook brought up his century at Trent Bridge with a mis-hit drive toward mid-on.
Brook raised his bat and removed his helmet as his team-mates applauded from the balcony, but thoughts of his late grandmother immediately sprung to mind.
He said: “It was the first (century) with family there and obviously loads more English fans as well, it was a very nice moment.
“I’m not a massive celebrator at a hundred, I just try to soak it all in. I did it all for my grandma.
“As soon as I got it, it was just like, ‘Yes, a hundred’. But a couple of moments later I got a bit emotional inside, I just didn’t show it. I was thinking about her.”
England have four Test matches still to play this summer as the series finale at Edgbaston is followed by the visit of Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in August.
In a world where more players are now prioritising franchise T20 cricket across the globe, Brook admits Test matches are his priorities.
He said: “I want to play every Test match I can for England.
“Test cricket and playing for England is my priority. I don’t want to think too far ahead, the Ashes is a long way away and we have a lot of Test cricket before then.”
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Lauren Filer excited by chance of Hundred glory with Manchester Originals
England bowler Lauren Filer is excited to sample life with Manchester Originals and has backed more breakout stars to emerge during The Hundred.
The 100-ball competition started on Tuesday and Originals begin their campaign on Thursday with a home fixture against Welsh Fire at Emirates Old Trafford.
Somerset seamer Filer has limited experience of playing at Old Trafford after she represented Fire and Southern Brave during the first three editions of the tournament but is looking forward to calling Manchester home for the coming weeks.
Want to see how a fast bowler practice their technical skills? 👀
Watch as Lauren Filer takes us through her bowling challenge 👇#EnglandCricket
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 15, 2024
“I think we have a great group of girls,” Filer told the PA news agency at a KP Snacks event with Manchester City footballer Lauren Hemp at Cheetham Hill, the site of one of 100 all-weather community cricket pitches to be installed across England and Wales by 2025.
“Manchester as a city is great as well, so hopefully we’ll have plenty of people supporting us for the first game on Thursday.
“When I played at Old Trafford in The Hundred a couple of years ago it has definitely got some pace and bounce to it, which suits my bowling. I’m super excited.”
It has been a whirlwind 12 months for Filer, who earned an international debut during the 2023 Ashes and has followed it up with appearances in all formats for England.
The 23-year-old marked her Test bow with the scalp of Australia opener Beth Mooney, who will be her Originals team-mate during The Hundred.
Filer is happy to be on the same side as Mooney and South Africa batter Laura Wolvaardt, while England’s world number one spinner Sophie Ecclestone will captain Originals, which adds to the growing confidence they can qualify for a maiden final in this year’s tournament.
She added: “Super excited to be back with some of the players and also people I haven’t played with, like Laura Wolvaardt. It’s really exciting to see how we go as a group.
“They (Wolvaardt and Mooney) are both very, very good players and I definitely prefer not to be bowling at them so I’m happy.
“We’ve spoken quite a lot about having the belief that we can go on and get to the final. That is what we’ll look to do and put in some performances as good as we can. I’m really excited to get going and see where we’re at.”
A big feature of The Hundred has been the platform it has given to young players to flourish on the biggest stage.
Lauren Bell starred in the 2021 edition and has become an England regular, while Maia Boucher impressed in last year’s tournament and has nailed down her place at the top of the order for England.
“It’s a really good comp to get young players or players that have played a while the attention they deserve,” Filer said.
“Like with Belly, since the way she played a few years ago, she has obviously worked really hard, got into England and is now shining like an England superstar. There is nothing stopping anyone else doing that.
“It is a really great competition to bring people out of their shell and show what they can do.”
:: KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of The Hundred, is continuing its initiative to build 100 new community cricket pitches across England and Wales, with 35 brand new pitches going down in 2024.
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West Indies seamer Jeremiah Louis ruled out of third Test against England
West Indies fast bowler Jeremiah Louis has been ruled out of the third Test against England with to a hamstring injury sustained at Trent Bridge.
The 28-year-old, who did not feature in the first two Tests, will remain in the UK to receive treatment, and has been replaced in the squad by Akeem Jordan.
Jordan was already in the UK at the time of his call-up and will train with the squad at Edgbaston on Wednesday, Cricket West Indies announced in a statement.
Uncapped Louis has only featured as a substitute fielder as England have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Jordan is uncapped at Test level and will join Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales and Jason Holder as seam options.
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