Page 44 - England Cricket Team

'Sacrifice to remain an all-rounder': Stokes pulls out of T20 World Cup

England's star player Ben Stokes on Tuesday pulled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup, saying the "sacrifice" will help him focus on regaining his fitness to bowl full throttle and be the "all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future". The country's Test captain has informed the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) about his decision, two months ahead of the showpiece that will be held in the USA and West Indies. "I'm working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket. "Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future," Stokes said in a statement issued by the ECB. Stokes, 32, was in-charge of the the team that suffered a 1-4 Test series loss to India earlier this year and said the tour made him realise that he isn't quite up for it when it comes to bowling. "The recent Test tour of India highlighted

T20 World Cup 2024: Flintoff projected next head coach, joins England team

Andrew Flintoff has been added to England's backroom staff for the upcoming T20 World Cup, and ECB managing director Rob Key viewed it as a portend to the former all-rounder's potential candidacy to the team's head coach role. Flintoff will coach Northern Superchargers in the Hundred this season and will also be involved with the England team during its four-match T20I series against Pakistan ahead of the ICC showpiece.. Without question, I think he would be an excellent head coach. He will be a worthy candidate going forward. When that time comes and whoever is in this job, and it might be outside of my time, they would be stupid not to look at him, Key told Telegraph. England's Test side is managed by Brendon McCullum while Matthew Mott is its coach in white ball formats. Key also drew parallel with current England captain Ben Stokes and said the Lancastrian can easily relate to players in the dressing room. Flintoff is a leader like (Ben) Stokes. Just having someone who knows w

IPL 2024: England star Harry Brook pulls out, Delhi Capitals left gasping

Brook was picked up by the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2024 mini-auction in December after being released earlier by Sunrisers Hyderabad, who had paid Rs 13.25 crore in the IPL 2023 auction

WTC 2023-25 points table: Check India and Australia rankings after NZ Tests

India, who established their position at the top after an inning and 64 runs win against India at Dharamsala on March 9, is now only six percentage points (PoP) ahead of the Australian side

McCullum concedes 'Bazball' needs refinement, says India made England timid

England coach Brendon Mccullum has conceded that the team's much-hyped 'Bazball' approach needs some "adjustment" after India exposed its frailties and forced the visitors to become "timid" during the recently-concluded Test series here. England started with a thrilling win in Hyderabad but things went downhill for the visitors from there as India bounced back in stunning manner to take the five match rubber 4-1. "Sometimes, you can get away with things. But when you're exposed the way we have been in the back end of this series in particular, it does require some pretty deep thinking and some adjustment to make sure we're staying true to what we believe in," McCullum told the travelling British media on Sunday. "If anything, we got more timid as the series went on, and that was because of the pressure that was applied to us by the Indian line-up, not just with the ball. With the bat, they put us under a tremendous amount of pressure, too," he added. Indian youngsters played a ...

IND vs ENG: We just get lost with this term bazball, fumes Nasser Hussain

Miffed at England's 4-1 shellacking by India, former captain Nasser Hussain has advised the team's misfiring batters to work on individual performances and eschew their obsession with bazball. Bazball, which is derived from England Test coach Brendon McCullum's nickname Baz, fell flat as the tourists capitulated in three days in the fifth and final Test here, helping India secure their 17th straight Test series triumph on home soil. "We just get lost with this term Bazball. The team, the management does not like the term Bazball. They need to look at their own individual performances," Hussain, who led England in 45 Test matches from 1999 to 2003, wrote in his column for Sky Sports. He added, "Look at the opposition. Like in anything in life, try and learn. Why did we collapse? "Why Crawley keeps getting starts and keeps getting out? Ben Duckett, got a brilliant 150, gave a charge when the ball was too new." By his standards, skipper Ben Stokes had a forgettable series and that wa

How young and old combined to script one of India's finest series wins

The thumping series win over England on sporting pitches was not only one of India's finest at home, it also reaffirmed their supremacy in the longest format with young and old combining to smash 'Bazball' out of the park. The likes of Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami were not available throughout and injuries to KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja after the shock loss in the series opener threatened India's enviable dominance at home but Rohit and Co found a way to put pressure back on their aggressive opposition over the next four games. Four out of the five debutants Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep and Devdutt Padikkal showed they were ready for the big stage while the pillars of the team like the captain himself, Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin also stood tall with timely performances. The future does look bright for a team in transition. The standout performers that allowed India to maintain their upper hand over England were young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and wrist spinner Kuldeep

IND vs ENG: Ben Stokes full of admiration for India's bench strength

England captain Ben Stokes on Saturday said staying true to the 'Bazball' approach did not work and conceded that India were too good in their own conditions, always finding a way to wriggle out of tight curves. England won the Hyderabad Test to go up 1-0 but from thereon they resembled a jalopy under constant pressure from hosts under Rohit Sharma to lose the series 1-4. "I'm full of admiration for India and the beast they are in their home conditions. Obviously, a lot was said about certain (Indian) players not being here. But this series has shown the depth of Indian cricket," Stokes said in the post-match press conference, speaking about absence of senior players like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami. "We have seen a lot of young players come in and do extremely well (for India). Since that first game, India have been the much better team and obviously 4-1 reflects that." England came into the five-match series after extensive preparation in Abu Dhabi and even amidst the rubber t

Young names stepped up and executed their skills in pressure: Dravid

Young Indian players showed immense fortitude to tide over the absence of stars like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami to out-punch England 4-1 in the Test series, and head coach Rahul Dravid lauded them for delivering in crunch situations. Kohli skipped the five-match rubber for the birth of his second child, while Shami was recovering from a surgery. India won the five-match rubber convincingly by beating England by an innings and 64 runs in the fifth and final Test inside three days here on Saturday. "We lost the first Test match, and had to bounce back from there, had to do it with a slightly different team to the one that we probably expected to start the series. We were put under pressure at various stages. "But to be able to bounce back from that, it does make you feel really proud for the way the team's evolved. At pressure situations, we've really found people to step up and be able to execute their skills at the top of their ability," said Dravid in the post-match press ...

Day I don't feel I am good enough, I would retire straightway: Rohit Sharma

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said he has been playing the best cricket of his life at present but he will bid adieu to the sport on the day when he feels "not good enough." Rohit, whose side thrashed England by an innings and 64 runs here on Saturday to clinch the five-match Test series 4-1, added that the youngsters in the side played with a lot of maturity and soaked in the pressure, which really stood out during the contest. "One day, when I wake up and feel, I am not good enough then I will retire straightaway. But in the last few years I am playing the best cricket of my life," Rohit told Jio Cinema after the fifth Test ended in less than three days. Rohit has been India's best Test batter in the last five years, having struck nine centuries since 2019, the year he started opening the innings in the longest format. The BCCI had also confirmed that Rohit will lead the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup being jointly hosted by the West Indies and the USA. In January, he .

WTC 2023-25 points table: India, England's ranking after Dharamsala Test

Even after the Christchurch Test, Inda will remain at the top. The fight will be between New Zealand and Australia to get to the second position

IND vs ENG 5th Test Day 3 Highlights: India win by innings and 64 runs

India vs England 5th Test Day 3 Highlights: Ravichandran Ashwin picked 9/128 and Kuldeep Yadav 7/112. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill hit centuries as Indian team beat English by an innings and 64 runs

James Anderson becomes first pacer to take 700 wickets in Test cricket

Overall, Anderson is the third highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history. The two bowlers above him are spinners -- Muthaiah Muralidharan and Shane Warne.

It was written in stars he would bowl a jaffa first up: Jeetan on Stokes

It was as if the stars aligned for Ben Stokes to bowl that magic ball to his opposite number Rohit Sharma on day two of the fifth Test, feels England assistant coach Jeetan Patel. Right after lunch, England captain bowled a peach of a delivery, his first in competitive cricket in past nine months, to remove Rohit, who had already scored his second hundred of the series. Stokes, who had been bowling only in the nets thus far, finally decided to roll his arm over in a match situation after nothing went England's way in the morning session. He had stopped bowling owing to a knee injury and had undergone surgery last year. Bowling the second over of the afternoon session, Stokes produced a peach that seamed away a touch from good length to dislodge Rohit's off-stump. "He's (Stokes) a freak. It was almost written in the stars that he was going to bowl a jaffa first up and get Rohit Sharma out who was on 100. We all know how we can round our attack out, especially in conditions like thes

IPL 2024: Dhoni is a special player and a special captain - Moeen Ali

All-rounder Moeen Ali has lavished praise on England skipper Ben Stokes despite the underwhelming Test performance against India, saying the all-rounder is special for the way he has transformed the side into an "amazing and entertaining" unit. Ali, who has retired from the longest format, said Stokes deserves plenty of credit for ensuring that England are better than average. "I had Joe Root and Alastair Cook as my captains, but Stokesy was just different. The way he's taking the game and team forward, it's really amazing. He took England from not playing great cricket to amazing and entertaining cricket," Ali told 'ESPNCricinfo'. England are trailing 1-3 in the ongoing series and the the fifth and final Test is currently in progress in Dharamsala. Ali also defended the visiting team's ultra-aggressive 'Bazball' approach, which has drawn criticism for being one-dimensional after India managed to gain the upper-hand. "Everyone is talking about Bazball. But they actually don't belie

IND vs ENG 5th Test Day 2 Highlights: India in command, leads by 255

India vs England 5th Test Day 2 live cricket score updates: With centuries from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill and fifties from Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal, India have managed to take huge lead

IND vs ENG 5th Test: Stokes breaks pinky promise, takes first-ball wicket

The last time the Durham man had bowled in a Test was in June 2023 at Lord's. It was after a gap of seven Tests that the English skipper decided to break the promise with his physio

IND vs ENG: Scintillating Shubman, riveting Rohit dazzle in Dharamsala

With both Rohit and Gill hitting centuries India moved into the driver's seat. It was the 12th Test ton for Rohit and the 4th for Gill

Jonny Bairstow 100th Test: Blue-eyed boy from Yorkshire who made it big

Making his debut in 2012 for England, even ahead of Joe Root and Ben Stokes, Bairstow, like his father David, who also kept wickets for Yorkshire and England was called Bluey because he had blue eyes

IND vs ENG 5th Test Day 1 highlights: India 135-1, trails by 83 runs

5th Test | India vs England Day 1 Highlights: Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were at the crease at stumps on Day 1, Yashasvi Jaiswal was back to pavillion after scoring 58-ball 57