Eoin Morgan plays down speculation him with England white-ball job

Former England one-day captain Eoin Morgan has distanced himself from speculation linking him to the role of coaching the national white-ball side.

Current boss Matthew Mott is under pressure amid a review of England’s disappointing performances in their last two major tournaments.

England fell at the group stage at the 2023 World Cup and were unconvincing in reaching the semi-finals of the T20 equivalent, before losing heavily to India last month.

Mott’s position is under scrutiny after two disappointing tournament performances (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Morgan, who captained England to their World Cup triumph in 2019, is highly regarded and considered a potential replacement for Mott but he has indicated he is focused on his media and family commitments.

Morgan, working as a pundit during Sky Sports’ coverage of The Hundred, said: “I’ve been asked a lot over the past couple of months about the role and if I would take it on, and my answer has simply been that the timing for everything in my life at the moment is not right.

“Yes, I want to coach down the line, but I have a young family and I spend a lot more time at home and watching cricket doing this. I’m absolutely loving what I’m doing.

“This news is actually news to me. It’s obviously not nice when a coach comes under fire and there is a lot of speculation about his future but only time will tell what will happen.”

Mott took charge of the limited-overs side in 2022 after the sacking of Chris Silverwood, with Brendon McCullum appointed as Test coach.

Rob Key, the managing director of England men’s cricket, is assessing the white-ball side’s performances (Adam Davy/PA)

Morgan, who was still captain at the time, retired soon after. He subsequently raised eyebrows with comments that were critical of the side under Mott during their failed World Cup defence.

The ongoing review, which could also bring focus on the position of captain Jos Buttler, is being led by Rob Key, the managing director for the England men’s teams.

The white-ball side are next in action when they face Australia in September, with their next major tournament being the ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025.

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Ollie Pope: England’s batting line-up could be capable of 600 runs in a day

Ollie Pope senses a “real hunger” in England’s batting line-up this summer and believes they could be capable of scoring 600 runs in a single day.

Confidence is riding high in the camp after back-to-back wins over the West Indies – an innings victory at Lord’s and a 241-run success at Trent Bridge.

Pope was one of three centurions in Nottingham, followed by Joe Root and Harry Brook, as Ben Stokes’ side became the first English team in history to pass 400 in both innings of a Test match.

1️⃣7️⃣2️⃣ runs in the Test!

Congratulations on winning POTM, Ollie Pope 🍾 pic.twitter.com/0XgybiTIec

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 21, 2024

In December 2022, Pope was one of four players to reach three figures as England racked up 506 for four on the opening day against Pakistan in Rawalpindi – just three short of the world record by a team in one day, despite facing just 75 overs.

And the vice-captain believes the side have developed a new focus that could see them go even further into uncharted territory, given the right conditions.

“I think when Baz (head coach Brendon McCullum) and Stokesy took over, we were a batting unit with, not a lack of experience, but a lack of confidence at the time,” he said.

“I feel that everyone has kind of grown into their roles and now there’s a real hunger. There always is a hunger but now there’s an extra bit in that batting line-up and now we feel like we can go on to do even better things. At the time it was about building confidence, now it’s about hopefully becoming more and more ruthless.

“Sometimes we might score 280-300 in a day but that’s OK and probably because we’re reading situations.

“We saw at Trent Bridge, when the lights were on and it started swinging more that was the time just to manage the game a little bit and that’s something we want to keep getting better and better at.

“But there might be a day where we go and get 500 or 600 at some point in the future as well. That’s a cool thing to have.”

England have not been shy about making big claims in the era of ‘Bazball’, though they remain steadfastly resistant to the term itself.

Confidence is riding high in the England camp after back-to-back wins over the West Indies (Nigel French/PA)

Drawn series against New Zealand and Australia last year, followed by a 4-1 defeat in India in the new year, checked their momentum somewhat, prompting a bold revamp of the squad.

Out went record wicket-taker James Anderson, 100-cap veteran Jonny Bairstow, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and established number one spinner Jack Leach.

The transition to fresh blood has been a positive one so far, with Gus Atkinson taking 12 wickets at Lord’s, Shoaib Bashir sealing the series with a five-wicket haul in the second Test and Jamie Smith making a bright start as a keeper-batter.

“I think there were some big calls and some tough calls to make on guys, but it feels at the minute that we’ve got a really nice balanced attack and batting line-up as well,” said Pope.

💯 Brook 💯 Root 🖐 BashirAn incredible victory at @TrentBridge 🏟Full #ENGvWI day four highlights 👇 pic.twitter.com/ZmsOSLDAey

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 22, 2024

“We want to give guys confidence and that we’re building the team around them, but at the same time, in international cricket there’s always going to be pressure for spots.

“It’s been shown in the last few weeks that the guys who have come in have done beautifully and we can keep building from here.

“I think winning can become a habit and the way we’ve gone about these two games is high class and that’s shown in the results so far.”

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Stuart Broad sees Andrew Flintoff’s Hundred head coach role as England audition

Stuart Broad suspects Andrew Flintoff is being groomed for a role as England head coach with a stint alongside Ben Stokes overseeing Northern Superchargers.

Flintoff has gravitated back towards cricket following a horror crash while filming for the BBC show Top Gear in December 2022, becoming increasingly involved with England’s white-ball set-up.

The former England captain and star of the 2005 Ashes was part of the backroom staff for the recent T20 World Cup and has been touted as a replacement for under-fire Matthew Mott following the team’s surrender of both limited-overs global crowns in the last few months.

Andrew Flintoff, left, played alongside Stuart Broad in the 2009 Ashes (Anthony Devlin/PA)

He will take charge of the Headingley-based Superchargers in The Hundred in the next few weeks in what Broad sees as a welcome development and a potential audition for a top England job in future.

“The players I’ve spoken to, when Freddie (Flintoff) has been involved in the coaching stuff, have loved him,” said Broad. “He’s at that great age where the players he’s now coaching, he was probably their hero.

“For him to go into a changing room and hear him speak about the style he wants them to play is really exciting. We know he’s got a brilliant cricket brain, we know he’s a cricket fan and has a lot of energy for it.

“The way the cricket family has got around Fred after what happened has been incredible and shows the strength of the wonderful game we play. It shows the best side of our sport that can get around one of its stars and bring him back closer to the game he loves.

“Ultimately he has ended up as one of the coaches of The Hundred franchises, I’m sure with half an eye on building him towards being an international coach in the future. Having someone like a Freddie Flintoff involved in the game is only going to inspire the next generation.”

Ben Stokes is set to play four matches in The Hundred this year (Nigel French/PA)

Flintoff’s new side start their campaign against Trent Rockets on Friday, with Stokes set to link up with the Superchargers once England’s ongoing Test series against the West Indies has finished.

The England Test captain is set to be available for four matches, bringing together two of the greatest all-rounders the nation has ever produced, and Broad is eager to see what their union will bring.

“It’s great that Stokesy will be matching up with Freddie Flintoff,” said Broad, who helped England to victory alongside Flintoff in the 2009 Ashes.

“It’s almost the iconic duo to see walking out, unfortunately they’re not walking out to play together. Those two minds working together to win games looks quite exciting and brings a bit of intrigue.”

:: Watch every ball from The Hundred live on Sky Sports or via streaming service NOW from 23rd July – 18th August.

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England matchwinner Shoaib Bashir ‘still learning the tricks of the trade’

Shoaib Bashir has already proved his credentials as a match-winning spinner for England but the 20-year-old admits he is still learning “the tricks of the trade”.

The 6ft 4in bowler ran through West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge, picking up five for 41 in a decisive spell that continued his remarkable rise to prominence.

Bashir had just six first-class appearances to his name when he was fast-tracked into the Test side on the turning tracks of India over the winter, but his ascent appeared to have slowed when he failed to dislodge Jack Leach from the Somerset side at the start of the season.

Shoaib Bashir, centre, starred at Trent Bridge (Nigel French/PA)

A loan move to Worcestershire followed but while Bashir was merely on the lookout for regular game time, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum were already thinking bigger.

Changes were afoot with big names like James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes being moved on and their appetite for change extended to the spin department, with Bashir promoted ahead of the man keeping him out of the side at Taunton.

Events in Nottingham, where England sealed the series with one Test to play, went a long way to justifying that call but Bashir is grounded about his rookie status in the slow bowling ranks.

“A lot has happened in the last few years. I can’t get ahead of Leachy at Somerset, understandably, he’s obviously played a lot more cricket than I have,” he said.

“Jack was over the moon for me (getting picked). We had a chat and he just told me to enjoy it. He’s a class spinner and I’ve learned a lot off him. There’s always so much to learn. I’m only 20, I’m still learning the tricks of the trade.

“There’s a lot to work on, in cricket you never complete the game. Going on loan was a decision I had to make to play cricket at a high level, that’s part of the journey.

“I didn’t have too many expectations going into this game, I’m still trying to comprehend what’s happened.”

Bashir’s early successes in the international arena sit in stark contrast to a relatively pedestrian start to life in county cricket. He has 24 wickets at 29.83 in five games as a Test spinner compared to 16 at 70.68 in 10 domestic outings.

10 wickets in under 2 hours 😱Our bowlers were on 🔥#ENGvWI | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/FntQ1d5afy

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 22, 2024

Selectors swayed solely by stats would never have gone near him but England identified his height, drift and attacking lines as attributes that they could harness.

“Bowling spin in England is pretty tough, but I’m grateful I’m a 6ft 4in spinner because it’s a nice attribute to have,” he said.

“The extra bounce helps. We saw it here, if you land the ball in the right areas, a few will bounce and a few will skid on. I’ve got experienced guys in the team that help me make judgments on the pitch, what lines to bowl and what paces to bowl.

“I’m just grateful to be in the position I am. I’m always going to stay grounded, stay humble, and I’m just trying to enjoy every moment I have in an England shirt.”

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The Hundred could be expanded after ‘really good, positive conversations’

No active discussions have taken place over a change to The Hundred playing format, but talks have occurred about expanding the number of teams amid ongoing conversations with potential investors.

The fourth edition of the franchise tournament begins on Tuesday with its future still unresolved, with the England and Wales Cricket Board eager to bring in private investment to secure its long-term position in the sport and to boost the finances of domestic counties.

Dialogue has taken place with Indian Premier League owners over acquiring a stake in The Hundred’s eight teams, but ECB chief executive Richard Gould played down the immediate prospect of a tweak to its format.

A report in the Guardian last weekend stated possible investors wanted the 100-ball format to revert to a Twenty20 competition, which is unable to happen until after the 2028 season when the current television rights cycle would have to be renewed.

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Gould said: “We’ve seen speculation on the format. We understand and we see in terms of the Olympics and the (Twenty20) format they are adopting, but we’re not having any active discussions with regards to changing the format at this point.

“In terms of the eight teams that we’ve got, we’re having really good, positive conversations with all of our stakeholders.

“We understand and we see the need for a potential expansion of the competition at some point going forwards. That is certainly something that has been discussed over the last five or six weeks with our stakeholders.

“We’re not saying exactly how that expansion could and would happen at this point because there are a lot factors that would need to come into play on that. But, there is an ambition within the game that we would like to see the competition expand at some point.”

Asked if that expansion would be allied with a broadcasting cycle, Gould confirmed: “Yeah, I think that is absolutely bang on.

“We want to make sure when we expand, we’re not delivering dilution in terms of value across our stakeholders. It needs to be a net-net increase in terms of the investment that is available so we can do it properly.”

The ECB has enlisted Raine Group and Deloitte to advise on its investment process, which will see interested parties bid for The Hundred teams from September with a rough timescale of a completion by the 2025 draft around the end of February.

A 49 per cent share of each team is set to be sold by the ECB to private investors and this allows host teams to retain 51 per cent of shares.

However, host teams can also sell part of or all of their shares.

“There is certainly the opportunity for people to have potentially 100 per cent ownership within these. It depends on the capabilities they can bring both in terms of finance and operation delivery,” Gould said.

🏏 @IPL 🤝 @NFL 🏈

When the two biggest sporting leagues in the world unite!

BCCI Honorary Secretary, Mr. @JayShah, visited the @NFL headquarters in New York to meet with Commissioner Mr. Roger Goodell and his distinguished team. This introductory meeting focused on sharing… pic.twitter.com/beWeqFEOJi

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 10, 2024

Vikram Banerjee, ECB’s director of business operations, has held multiple talks with IPL owners, but also opened the door to investment from NFL chiefs.

Banerjee added: “I’ve now met and spoken to a number of times all the IPL owners and WPL (Women’s Premier League) owners that don’t overlap and there is interest there, from what they’ve told me, which is fantastic and lends into a very exciting process.

“I would really hope we have a level of partnerships with some IPL teams, I think that would be brilliant. They have done a great job and know cricket very well.

“At the same time, we’ve just sent out a document and video to some NFL owners that explains what cricket is and what the rules are. In terms of fan engagement, how they can build stadia experience and bring in the next generation, those guys are amazing.

“So, we can bring that blend together, which I think is what we hope to do and that can work really well.”

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Ben Stokes hails five-star Shoaib Bashir after England win over West Indies

England captain Ben Stokes revelled in Shoaib Bashir’s five-star performance against the West Indies, claiming the spinner “showed the world” he belongs on the big stage.

Bashir took five for 41 as England ransacked the West Indies batting lineup on the fourth evening at Trent Bridge, knocking the tourists over for 143 to take the series with a crushing 241-run victory.

The 20-year-old spinner went from spare part at Lord’s last week – where he was not required to deliver a single ball – to leading man as he stepped up with a big fourth-innings finish.

Bashir removed Kirk McKenzie, Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze in the space of three overs to derail the tourists before cleaning up Jason Holder and last man Shamar Joseph to hand his side an unassailable 2-0 lead.

“I think what Bash has done today is to show the world what he can do,” said the skipper.

“That wicket hardly offered anything for a spinner throughout the whole Test match and look at what he was able to do today.

“The way in which he can change his pace, produce over-spin and under-spin…I think he showed his full bag of tricks. He’s got so much talent and the ceiling is so, so high. He’s got an unbelievable desire and a will to get better and learn.

“He was so aggressive and his intent was always to look to take wickets and was never just to hold an end up. It’s really good for a young guy to come out and put in a performance that wins England a Test match, it’s pretty cool for him.”

Bashir now has three five-wicket hauls in his first five appearances for his country, after taking two on turning tracks in India over the winter. But his selection was still something of a gamble by England, with Stokes heavily involved in the decision.

At the start of the season Bashir found himself behind Jack Leach in the Somerset pecking order, with the more experienced man expected to get the nod in the Test side too. Bashir’s chances were limited enough for him to take a loan move to Worcestershire last month, but England chose to bet on him anyway.

And Stokes’ satisfaction at seeing the call pay off was clear.

“It’s been a really strange couple of months for him since India, having to go out on loan through circumstances that are completely understandable,” he said.

“That’s where communication comes into play and where I’ve got to take responsibility and speak to Bash. I picked up the phone to him and we had a good 20-25 minute chat around everything.

“The decisions we make are all based around not only how far we think their talent can take them, but whether we think they’re good enough for international cricket straight away. If you think you can identify talent, you can throw them into an international environment and give them the confidence, that they’re going to progress really quickly.

“I don’t want to sound like it’s an ‘I told you so’ kind of thing but it sort of is.”

Stokes also joked about reducing Bashir to a ‘thanks for coming’ outing in the first Test and revealed head coach Brendon McCullum tried to get him into the game.

“It was a ‘TFC’, yeah,” he laughed.

“Every time we came in for a break Baz was going ‘this is Bash, if you haven’t met him already’.It’s all fun and games but Bash just loves being in this dressing room, he loves the fact that he’s part of the group and he loves the fact he’s out there playing for England.

“This week we were just telling him to show off his skills and I thought he did that.”

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Shoaib Bashir’s flurry of wickets sees England win by 241 runs to clinch series

Shoaib Bashir helped himself to a flurry of West Indian wickets after hundreds from Joe Root and Harry Brook set up England’s series-clinching 241-run win at Trent Bridge.

Root and Brook, the long-reigning king of England’s batting unit and his heir apparent, reeled off classy centuries to pave the way for a sprint to victory on the fourth evening of this second Test.

Chasing an unlikely target of 385, the tourists were demolished for 143 in just 36.1 overs as rookie spinner Bashir claimed five for 41.

The 20-year-old, who did not get a single over in the first Test at Lord’s, justified the selection gamble that saw him fast-tracked ahead of the established Jack Leach this summer as he took the role of fourth-innings finisher.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENGLAND WIN! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

An incredible effort as we bowl the West Indies out in a session 👏 pic.twitter.com/fmqNTqQY0E

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 21, 2024

He bowled with subtlety and skill, teasing his opponents with dip and drift to register his third five-for in five appearances for his country.

It was a perfect finale for England’s first home Test without Stuart Broad or James Anderson since 2012. England’s attack was in clinical mood as they forced a dramatic Caribbean collapse from 61 without loss.

Chris Woakes got things moving by dismissing both openers, Mark Wood added a dash of raw pace and Gus Atkinson picked up two.

But it was fitting for Bashir, the youngest member of a revamped XI, to applying the killer blow as he clean bowled Shamar Joseph to the delight of the Nottingham crowd.

England are 2-0 with one to play at Edgbaston next week, securing their first series win since December 2022.

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