And that was not all. West Indies picked up three injuries and had to manufacture an entirely new opening pair

Andrew McGlashan13-Jul-2025

Justin Greaves celebrates dismissing Alex Carey•Associated Press

A lot happened on the opening day at Sabina Park, and not just with the ball – although that certainly did .One of the greatest spinners of all time was left out. Australia lost 7 for 68 under lights. Batters went into T20 mode in the third session of a Test. Jayden Seales bowled a worldie of a delivery. A substitute fielder took a worldie of a catch. West Indies picked up three injuries and had to manufacture an entirely new opening pair.Day-night Tests can have a strange tempo to them in that, for periods, things can move at a sedate pace, as if setting up for that final session under lights before moving at a breakneck speed. Early in the last session, around the time Beau Webster was dismissed shortly after Steven Smith, Australia shelved the idea of batting normally. At one point, it was worth pondering if Pat Cummins may declare, but the lower order kept swinging until West Indies had 45 minutes to face.

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On its own, leaving out a spinner on a well-grassed pitch for a pink-ball Test shouldn’t really scream selection shock. But this spinner has 562 Test wickets. The day before, Cummins had sown the seeds for a selection call that, while having plenty of logic behind it, still came with a lot of significance.About half an hour before the toss, Nathan Lyon was kicking a football on his own. A couple of backroom staff wandered up to him. There was a tap on the shoulder from one. Then Scott Boland took the tape measure and marked out his run-up. For the first time in 12 years, Lyon wasn’t included in the XI when he’s been fit.Related

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He had bowled one over against India last season in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide and wasn’t needed under lights against England in Hobart during the 2021-22 Ashes. But overall, he has been prolific with the pink ball. Australia have got creative with selection on the subcontinent in recent years, but this was still a surprise.”It’s odd not having him out there,” Smith said. “I think most of us have played pretty much every game with him, but conditions are conditions. I think we saw today how much seam was on offer and Scott Boland’s not too bad at that, as we’ve seen on numerous occasions. Obviously, Nathan’s an exceptional bowler, it’s certainly nothing to do with his skill that’s for sure.”

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When debutant Kevlon Anderson spilled Sam Konstas at third slip, you feared if West Indies were going to have another fielding nightmare. By tea – the first interval, not the second, in the world of day-night Tests, although can anyone actually agree on what to call them? – they only had one wicket to show for their efforts but had beaten the bat regularly amid sometimes extravagant seam movement.”I think some of the numbers early on, the seam amounts were through the roof,” Smith said. “They might have bowled just a fraction short. It looks pretty sometimes when the ball misses the bat, but when it’s a little bit shorter, it’s actually going too far to catch the edge on a lot of occasions.”Steven Smith and Co went into T20 mode in the third session of a Test•Associated PressBut early in the middle session, Shai Hope pulled off a spectacular catch to remove Usman Khawaja, flying one-handed towards first slip. It was another around-the-wicket dismissal for Khawaja but it had been a gutsy stay. Hope, meanwhile, had taken a terrific catch in Grenada to remove Travis Head and his return to Test cricket as a wicketkeeper has been very solid.Still, shortly before the dinner interval, Australia were sitting nicely on 129 for 2. Then Seales produced one of the deliveries of the series to remove a well-set Cameron Green: angled into middle from wide of the crease, nipping off the seam, zipping past the edge and trimming the bails. Sometimes you really do get a good one.”The ball did a lot more today than it did throughout the entire series,” Seales said. “There were a lot of plays and misses, and not enticing the edges as we did in the previous matches. But as the movement calmed down and the pitch calmed down a bit, it was easier to get wickets.”

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After dinner, with the lights in full effect, Smith wasn’t going to hang around. He edged one wide of second slip, slashed one over the cordon then nicked a big drive to first. “Throw the kitchen sink at it,” he said when asked about his thinking. “Any width, I was just trying to climb into it. It felt pretty tricky out there and it felt like when the ball was up there and you get a good look at it, have a go at it.”Webster soon fell and it was clear Australia weren’t going to try and see out the day. “We knew that Australia wanted to bowl under the lights, so they would push and see how much they could get,” Seales said.Substitute Anderson Phillip pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss Travis Head•Associated PressWith Head and Alex Carey at the crease, Australia had a pair who could cause damage in a short period of time. Carey, especially, continued to strike the ball crisply. Then Head tried to drive Justin Greaves over extra cover. Off the bat, he appeared to have placed it well enough. But Anderson Phillip, on as one of three substitute fielders, sprinted to his right at mid-off, dived full length, held the catch horizontal to the ground and managed to cling on as he hit the turf. “Great effort, great effort, great catch,” Ian Bishop said on commentary. “It had to be a fast bowler to do it, great athleticism.”

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Left with 45 minutes to bat, neither designated opener could come out for West Indies. Mikyle Louis had jarred his knee in the outfield – his prognosis did not sound promising – and John Campbell took a blow on the chest at short leg from a hard sweep by Smith.It felt like Mitchell Starc, in his 100th Test, could take a wicket nearly every ball. Then he did: Anderson dragging on in what was one of the tougher debut scenarios to imagine. Starc went to 396 Test wickets. Those four more may not be long in coming.Campbell, who had gone to the hospital for a scan, was back at the ground and set to bat No. 3. But it’s understood that he couldn’t get his kit on in time, so it was over to captain Roston Chase. It was that sort of day.

Italy captain says when he is asked about the plan for the 2026 World Cup, his reply is, they’re planning to “win every game”

Matt Roller12-Jul-2025At least one will play at a next year. Italian football is in chaos: their men’s national team have a proud World Cup history but have failed to reach the last two, and sacked their manager after losing the opening match of their qualifying group for the 2026 edition. But in a small Dutch town on Friday, their cricketers created their own legacy.Italy lost by nine wickets to Netherlands in Voorburg, but Jersey’s win over Scotland earlier in the day – and their own results over the previous week – meant that it did not matter. Instead, Italy wrapped up one of the two spots available at the European Qualifiers for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, the first time that Italy have reached a major ICC event.”It’s still very surreal,” Joe Burns, Italy’s captain, told ESPNcricinfo on Saturday morning. “We’ll probably take a few weeks to get home and decompress a bit to fully realise the impact that the occasion will have on so many people. It was an emotional moment that we’re going to try and reflect on as a group as much as we can over the next few months.”The crucial result for Italy was their 12-run win over Scotland on Wednesday. It was launched by Emilio Gay, the Durham opener, who cracked 50 off 21 balls; set up by Grant Stewart, the Kent allrounder, who hit 44 not out off 27; and sealed by Harry Manenti, who has played a couple of BBL games for Adelaide Strikers, and took 5 for 31 with his medium pace.Those names are reflective of a disparate group of players who are based all over the world, but their heritage provides a common thread. Burns’ own story is typical: his roots are in Calabria, in southern Italy, but his grandfather was a prisoner-of-war in North Africa during the second world war and the family relocated to Australia. He has always felt a connection with Italy, and made his debut for them last year.

“I think we had six Australian-born players in our team yesterday… If we do play Australia and I’m on the field, it’ll obviously be a very special occasion”Joe Burns

It was a long way removed from his first international career, which saw him hit four hundreds in his 23 Tests for Australia. “When you play for Australia, there’s such a history to the baggy green that you’re honouring the past and representing the people that have gone before,” Burns said. “When you’re playing for Italy, it’s very much a blank canvas, trying to shape the future.”Burns first reached out to Cricket Italia in 2009, when qualification rules were stricter, and had to undergo a three-year cooling-off period from his final Australia appearance, in 2020, before he became eligible. But he has thrown himself into his new challenge, taking over the captaincy this summer, and has worn the number 85 shirt in tribute to his late brother, Dominic.”A lot of our grandparents left Italy after World War II, so it’s very much a shared story to come together and to represent past generations,” he said. “I know my grandparents would be very proud, and I know mum and dad have been following the games really closely. There are Italians dispersed all over the world, and I hope this team is a beacon for Italians everywhere.”Burns admires his medal•International Cricket CouncilItaly ramped up preparations for the qualifiers last month with a training camp in Rome, and Burns has demanded the full focus of his team-mates: “I told the guys that I don’t care if we’re playing Luxembourg in the sub-regional qualifiers or India in a T20 World Cup final: I want our team to be the most prepared team in world cricket for every game that we play.”This has all come together on the back of a lot of planning. People ask me what the goal for the World Cup is and I say, ‘Look, we’re planning and preparing to win every game – so we’re planning to win the World Cup.’ I want the guys to enjoy the experience and play with freedom – but you have to earn the right to play with freedom on the back of really solid preparation.”Cricket is a niche sport in Italy, but World Cup qualification will unlock new sources of funding. “It will go a long way for us,” Burns said. “We don’t have any turf facilities, and very little facilities in general, but this gives us an opportunity to develop the game. We’ve had a lot of support from CONI (the Italian Olympic Committee) which keeps building in the background.Time to celebrate after Italy qualified for the T20 World Cup for the first time•International Cricket Council”Associate cricket is very much the grassroots of international cricket, so for us, it’s about trying to unlock funding and build facilities to create opportunities for future generations to come. It’s very rewarding. At different stages in your career, you have different motivations, and I think this came at a really good time for me. It really reinvigorated my love for the game.”Italy will welcome back Wayne Madsen – a man with more than 20,000 runs in county cricket to his name – for the World Cup after he missed the qualifiers due to his Derbyshire commitments, but Burns hinted that he himself may step aside before the main event. “This [qualification] was such a big goal for me,” he said. “It’s probably going to take me a few months to think about it.”But if Burns, 35, does play on, there is one team he would relish the chance to face next year. “We’ve said briefly as a group that we want the big stage. We want to be drawn against the best in the world, and we want to take it on. I think we had six Australian-born players in our team yesterday… If we do play Australia and I’m on the field, it’ll obviously be a very special occasion.”

Former captain says circumstances for this year’s trip are ‘completely different’ from Covid tour of 2021-22

Vithushan Ehantharajah08-Oct-2025″Maybe it is,” laughs Joe Root, when asked if Matthew Hayden’s threat to walk naked across the Melbourne Cricket Ground is extra pressure on his shoulders.As Root heads into his fourth Ashes tour, Hayden has backed him to end his wait for a century on Australian shores. His previous 27 innings, dating back to 2013, have produced just nine fifties, but Hayden is so certain that that drought is about to end, he is willing to don his birthday suit for a stroll across the iconic ground if it doesn’t.Hayden’s comments on the “All Over Bar The Cricket” podcast came after co-host Greg Blewett had omitted Root from a combined Ashes XI for lacking in the hundred column. Both perspectives hint at a simple truth; the success of Test cricket’s second-highest runscorer correlates directly to England’s best chance Down Under since their famous 2010-11 success.It is a sentiment Root acknowledges to be true. But he is reluctant to ascribe his own legacy to England’s fortunes. Nor is he willing to dwell on the words of former Australians.”They are going to say what they want to say anyway, so why bother worrying about it?” Root says, matter-of-factly. “It doesn’t make a huge amount of difference. When we look back in five years’ time, no one is going to remember what Matthew Hayden said to me … Greg Blewett, Mark Waugh, whoever it is. They are going to look back on the scoreline and think that is a historic England win or not.”At the end of the day, this tour is not about me. If I am scoring runs and scoring heavily it gives us a great opportunity to win a series out in Australia. That is the main focus.”A narrower focus has paid dividends so far. Since relinquishing the captaincy in 2022 to Ben Stokes, Root has averaged 58.00 (lifting his career average to 51.29 in the process), with 14 hundreds converted from the 27 times he has passed fifty. Beyond scoring quicker – his strike-rate is 66.89 across this period – there is an evident sense of joy in his batting.Joe Root passes on some tips at an RBC skill share day•Chance to ShineThough he has been part of two successful home Ashes campaigns in 2013 and 2015, it is a joy the Australian public has not witnessed first-hand. Root’s maiden tour in 2013-14 resulted in him being dropped for the only time in his career as he averaged 27.42 amidst a 5-0 capitulation, before he captained successive 4-0 defeats, averaging 47.25 and 32.20, respectively.Root insists the burden of leadership did not contribute to his failings. But he was certainly hamstrung by situations around both tours.”I go there in a completely different capacity to last time, different circumstances, a lot more experience now and I feel like I have a really good understanding of my game and how I want to manage it in these conditions,” he says. “If I focus on that sort of stuff more than myself and my own individual stuff, I will give myself a way better chance.”The most recent tour, in 2021-22, came during the Covid-19 pandemic. Fears about touring among the England team – Root included – became a reality, as both sides felt the effects of the virus. Despite the severe restrictions of their trip, positive tests and forced isolations became a regular occurrence, with visiting head coach Chris Silverwood forced to miss the Sydney Test after a family member became England’s seventh Covid-19 case. Stuart Broad later suggested the tour should be considered “void”, feeling the burden on the players did not lend itself to “high-level performance”.Broad, having signed off his career in style at the end of the 2023 Ashes, will be out in Australia this time as a commentator for Channel Seven and SEN. “It’s not really in Stuart’s nature to wind up Australians is it?” Root jokes. “I’m sure he’ll be really well behaved.” Regardless of what extra support he may have from the commentary box, Root – now back in the ranks – urges his teammates make the most of this trip following that previous, chastening experience.”Are we going to be allowed out of our rooms? Is everyone going to make the plane? It is a completely different set of circumstances for everyone involved on that tour. There are so many different things they don’t have to deal with now.”I am really going to encourage the lads to really enjoy Australia as a country,” he adds. “Anyone that was on that previous tour didn’t get the chance to do that. It is a great place to go and play cricket and have the pleasure of visiting. We should absolutely go and explore it, and see all of the great things that come with being an international cricketer and playing in that country.”Root has struggled to produce his very best on his previous tours of Australia•Steve Bell/Getty ImagesRoot is one of five returning players this time around, along with Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Mark Wood and, of course, Stokes. The allrounder’s participation in 2021-22 was only confirmed late in the day, as he returned from a mental health break, having also struggled with a badly broken finger. Four years earlier, he had missed the 2017-18 campaign due to an ECB suspension, following his involvement in a fight outside a Bristol nightclub in September 2017.There is an argument to be made that this iteration of Stokes will be the best to touch down in Australia, even as he recovers from a right shoulder injury. Though he impressed on his first trip as a 22-year-old debutant in 2013-14, making a brilliant maiden century at Perth before taking 6 for 99 in Sydney, he has yet to show the Australian public the fruits of that early promise.It was only this summer, aged 34, that Stokes bettered that first series haul of 15 dismissals, claiming 17 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. And having seemingly rediscovered his verve with the bat – averaging 43.42 against India – Root believes form and leadership has forged a more complete Stokes.”He’s not really had many opportunities to be (himself in Australia) really, has he?” he says.”He’ll be ready. You look at him when he’s been running around at different county grounds, he’s making sure he’s absolutely ready. I’ve never seen him (like this)… making sure he’s done absolutely everything he can to be as fit as he can possibly be, as mentally ready, and as hungry as he is.Related

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“For him to be going out there as our leader of the back, off a series where he’s got the most wickets he’s ever got in a Test series, off the back of a Test hundred as well, and playing really well with the bat. In conditions which, I think, really suit the way he plays cricket; the bounce of the ball as a batter, and the way he combats pace. Clearly as a bowler, what he has to work with there, and his mentality and physicality, I think he’s got great attributes to exploit the conditions there.”So as a player alone, I think it’s going to be huge that he’s out there, he’s fit and he’s firing. But more so as a leader, and his mentality in bringing the best out of the players around him.”Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Stokes’ inspirational qualities is that, for the past two years, he has been moulding a new group of players. Only eight of the touring party played in 2023’s home Ashes, three of whom will be on their first Test tour of Australia. Yet, there are no fears that they will be overawed.Root points to big series such as 2023, and the India series – both at the start of 2024 and in the summer just gone – in which players have experienced high-pressure moments, irrespective of the fact that England have yet to win a five-Test series under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.He cites the struggles individuals have had – “a number of guys have had to weather a small storm in their career” – that will hold them in good stead for what, ultimately, is a bucket-list tour. One of the most important of their collective careers.Joe Root and Ben Stokes will be looking to right the wrongs of previous tours of Australia•Getty ImagesIndeed, Root’s biggest excitement comes from what some of those first-timers will provide – namely the pace of Wood, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue. England may well roll out their fastest-ever combination for a Test match in Australia, when the teams line up for the opener at Perth’s Optus Stadium on November 21.”We’re going to be able to hit them with something quite different in terms of our bowling attack,” he says. “The opportunity to potentially play three or four bowlers that bowl 90mph-plus for a sustained period of time, which we haven’t had on the three previous tours there. And a batting order that is always going to look to put pressure on the opposition.”It’s not like we are going to go there with the same formula and expect different results. We are going to go there and try and do it a slightly different way which I think is really exciting. And the way we’ve been playing lines up well with how we want to go and attack all those conditions.”There are not many teams that can offer that when they go to Australia. The one team that has previously, recently anyway, is India and they’re the ones that have had the most success there. It’ll be interesting to see how that correlates with how we go about things.”This seam attack is a change from the norm, and very much by design. The onus on speed, which essentially brought an end to James Anderson’s career last year, has been driven by the desires of Stokes, McCullum and managing director Rob Key to form a battery of quicks capable of challenging all comers in all conditions – even in England, with the management ordering flatter pitches for their batters which require bowlers of sharper speeds and skills to take 20 wickets.Seamers have enjoyed more success in Australia in recent seasons, which heightens the sense that bowlers on both sides will be a determining factor this winter. “It looks like they’re slightly more bowler-friendly since Pat (Cummins) has been captain!” Root says of the pitches, tongue firmly in cheek.Of course, even with Australia’s struggles over the identity of their top three, and increasing uncertainty around Cummins’ back injury, nothing is being taken for granted. Particularly given England have not won a Test over there since 2011.”Clearly they’re a very good team. They’ve got a brilliant record at home against everyone but especially against us. I think it’s just a great oppportunity to go in, probably as big underdogs, and show them what we can do.”It’d be nice to put that right and bring the urn home. I just see it as a great opportunity for the group. There’s no other way to look at it, really. It’s exciting that we can go there with a completely different approach and just enjoy what a brilliant tour it is.”Just soak it all in, expect a little bit of ‘abuse’ or ‘banter’. It could be six weeks that live long in the memory if we get it right.”Joe Root was speaking as a brand ambassador for RBC Wealth Management, who are the Community Leadership Partner of children’s cricket charity Chance to Shine. He was speaking at an RBC skill share day, designed to develop the leadership skills and confidence of secondary school girls.

The age of the home side is a major talking point but they remain formidable while England have come full of strokemakers and genuine pace

Andrew Miller and Andrew McGlashan07-Nov-20257:23

Will Joe Root finally score his first hundred in Australia?

Top order

Australia Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green

England Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Jacob BethellTheir displays in the New Zealand ODIs may beg to differ, but England’s batters arrive in Australia with a rare clarity of purpose, thanks to three years of constant backing from the selectors and an overarching licence to be proactive. In Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, they boast Test cricket’s standout opening partnership since 2019, and if doubts persist about Crawley’s overall returns, then Australians will need little reminding of his 189 at Old Trafford in the 2023 series. How the diminutive Duckett tailors his game to Australia’s bouncier surfaces could be one of the subplots of the series.Related

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England’s obvious issue is the identity of their No. 3 batter, although the debate may prove to be a red herring. Ollie Pope tends to start series very well, and in averaging a notch below 39 since 2022, he is a long way from being a lame duck at first-drop. His removal from the vice-captaincy will make a switch to Jacob Bethell easier if England so choose, but it seems unlikely they will take that option just yet.Their opponents, by contrast, still don’t know which order they will be lining up in, even if the personnel for Perth are now in place. Jake Weatherald’s impending debut could enable Marnus Labuschagne to slot back into his favoured No. 3 berth, but while his Sheffield Shield form is a significant boost, Usman Khawaja’s struggle for meaningful runs remains a worry as he enters what could be the final stretch of his international career. To highlight Australia’s recent uncertainties at the top, if Weatherald debuts, he will be Khawaja’s sixth opening partner since David Warner retired.It could yet be that Cameron Green retains the No. 3 position if he doesn’t play as a full allrounder. He adapted impressively in the Caribbean, but England won’t mind seeing him there.Who comes out on top? England, if the pitches are flat; Australia, if hanging tough is required

Middle order

Australia Steven Smith, Travis Head
England Joe Root, Harry BrookHere lies the engine room, not just of the respective teams, but arguably the series itself. A pair of all-time great batters on either side, in Steven Smith and Joe Root, and two other brilliant contemporary performers in Harry Brook and Travis Head, with a string of match-seizing displays in their repertoire.A big Ashes ahead for Steven Smith?•AFP/Getty ImagesAll eyes are on Root going into this campaign. As the current No.1-ranked batter in the world, he could not ask for better circumstances as he seeks that elusive maiden hundred in Australia – the only significant void in his immense repertoire. His counterpart, by contrast, has 18 already on home soil and, as he showed in racking up two more hundreds in an overall off-colour series against India last summer, Smith’s muscle memory is liable to kick in at any given moment.Brook, currently No. 2 on the rankings, showcased some startling strokeplay in the New Zealand ODIs last week, and as vice-captain, he has an added layer of responsibility going into a seminal series. But his record in Australia is undeniably limited – at international level he’s made just 69 runs at 9.85 in the country, all during England’s T20 World Cup win in 2022, while his solitary BBL campaign for Hobart Hurricanes realised 44 runs at 6.28. It’s unlikely to remain that fallow for long, but it’s a reminder of the magnitude of the Ashes stage.Head, meanwhile, has eight of his nine Test hundreds on home soil, and plays with a freedom that will take England’s own game back to them if he is allowed to get on a roll. Stokes kept him relatively quiet in 2023 with a persistent short-ball ploy, and while he certainly has the pace at his disposal to do so again, it’s a draining method to deploy across five Tests. Smith, for his part, declared he was “ready” before he had had a proper hit back with New South Wales.Who comes out on top? Australia, purely through weight of prior experience

Allrounders

Australia Cameron Green, Beau Webster
England Ben Stokes, Will JacksThis category might as well be Ben Stokes versus himself, given the inordinate importance of England’s captain to… well, every aspect of his team’s challenge. Four years ago, he rushed back to action before he was mentally or physically ready; four years before that, he was the spectre at Australia’s feast as England were devoured in his post-Bristol absence. Now, he’s back as their strategic kingpin, a full 12 years after he alone emerged with a reputation enhanced from the 2013-14 whitewash.Ben Stokes could be the key to it all for England•Martin Rickett/PA Photos/Getty ImagesIt hardly needs mentioning what “the Headingley heartbreaker”, as one Aussie paper described him last week, can achieve with bat in hand. But his break-glass-in-emergency bowling could yet be the crucial aspect of his performances. He’d scarcely featured as an allrounder for two years until his 15-wicket display against India last summer but, between his knack for partnership-breaking and his willingness to take on the old-ball donkeywork, he could prove vital in keeping his quicks fresh and firing.Green, who could slip back to No. 6, has yet to sprinkle the stardust in quite the same way as Stokes, but he still shapes as a pivotal cricketer for Australia over the next ten years. At full fitness, he is, like Stokes, a genuine pace-bowling option and as a batter could easily be the long-term No. 4 when Smith is done. He struggled with the turnaround from IPL to Test cricket in 2023, eventually being dropped for the final Test, and given he’s a rhythm player, his lack of recent cricket could be a telling factor.Beau Webster, meanwhile, has done little wrong in the allrounder role since debuting against India, although England probably won’t lose sleep over him. If Green is fully fit to bowl, he shapes as the fall guy.Who comes out on top? England, if Stokes doesn’t break himself in the process

Wicketkeeper

Australia Alex Carey, Josh Inglis
England Jamie SmithJamie Smith travels to Australia as one of England’s great white hopes. A batter of proven power and untapped potential who ought to thrive on bouncy surfaces. His counterattacking methods and calmness when batting with the tail make him an ideal No.7 in… whisper it… the mould of Adam Gilchrist. Much like Brook, however, the theory has not yet met the reality of Australia’s cauldron-like venues.Jamie Smith could be a game-changer in the middle order•Getty ImagesIn Alex Carey, Australia now have a tried and tested international career. Four years on from his hasty debut, he has become a fulcrum of the side. Events at Lord’s in 2023 will, no doubt, get a few airings during this series and for a time after that, he did struggle. But over the last 18 months, he has been outstanding with an average of 41.89 along with some excellent glovework, until a few drops in the West Indies earlier this year.Who comes out on top? A tight one to call. Experience vs youth. If the series becomes relatively low-scoring, it could be a defining head-to-head.

Fast bowlers

Australia Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc
England Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Matthew PottsHere’s where things get interesting. Pat Cummins’ absence – at least for the first Test – is perhaps the first indication of mortality in an awesome Australia seam attack that has ruled the roost for a decade. Josh Hazlewood, who has bowled magnificently in early-season white-ball matches and is five away from 300 Test wickets, and Mitchell Starc remain formidable performers, while Scott Boland has his 6 for 7 in the 2021-22 Ashes as proof of his credentials.Mitchell Starc is a great of the game but will age finally weary him?•Randy Brooks/Associated PressBut age is not on their side, and given England’s determination to go after their opponents – Boland has already been earmarked as a target in some quarters, which promises a fascinating duel – it seems inevitable that one of the lesser lights in Australia’s seam ranks will be pitched onto centre stage at some key moment, although it may yet be Cummins himself who plays the super sub role.England have their own concerns, of course. Mark Wood is edging back to operational fitness for what will surely be his own last hurrah, while the excitement surrounding Jofra Archer’s miraculous return to all-formats action should be tempered by the four years of frailty that preceded it. If either suffers a setback mid-match, it would be a disaster.And yet, for the first time since 2010-11, England are primed to hit Australia with a battery of 90mph/145kph quicks, all of whom can expect to make an impact no matter how spicy (or otherwise) the Australia pitches turn out to be. They might conceivably miss the old-school skills of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, but their recent record down under suggests otherwise.Who comes out on top? This is nip and tuck, even in Cummins’ absence. It could come down to further injuries. England need Wood and Archer to stay fit.

Spinners

Australia Nathan Lyon
England Shoaib BashirProven GOAT-tier offspin on the one hand; high-ceiling-ed optimism on the other. On paper, there’s hardly a contest in this department, as Nathan Lyon lays his 562 Test wickets on the table against Shoaib Bashir’s 20 months of on-the-job training. Who knows if Bashir will even feature in the series’ early exchanges – Perth, then a pink-ball Test, might encourage an extra seam option, or even the part-time spin of Will Jacks to enable extra batting depth. But when he does, we shall see whether England’s defiantly biomechanical selection policy stands up to its acid test.England have invested a lot in Shoaib Bashir•PA Images/GettyThe logic has long been that Bashir has the ability to drive his offbreaks into the pitch from a high release point and provide a wicket-taking threat that others, notably Jack Leach, would have lacked in Australian conditions. He’ll be backed up, too, by Stokes’ unfailingly positive captaincy – a few swings for the fences won’t deter England’s captain from persisting in his quest for breakthroughs. Nevertheless, of all the aspects of England’s battle plan, this one feels the most fraught with danger. Not least because of the thrum of inevitable quality twirling down from Australia’s side.One thing is certain, though, and it’s that England won’t let Lyon settle. That was clear in 2023 before Lyon’s series-ending injury, which highlighted how vital he remains to the balance of their side, although the role he plays could be determined by conditions.Who comes out on top? Australia. Surely.

Proud father’s speech caps brilliant century from England’s debutant opener

Firdose Moonda15-Dec-20241:15

Maia Bouchier: My dad’s speech made everyone cry

Maia Bouchier and her father Anthony’s daddy-daughter days involved “sitting on the couch and just watching the best players in the world bat all day,” just like they did in Bloemfontein on Sunday. Sort of.Maia was the one doing the batting – and it was only for three hours and 42 minutes, so not quite all day – while Anthony was in the stands at the Mangaung Oval. He watched as the daughter he raised around the game flicked and pulled and eventually also drove her way to a maiden Test hundred on debut. Afterwards, he got to celebrate it with her and her England team.”My dad came into the changing-room, which was really nice, and he actually made a little speech, and everyone started crying. So that was really sweet,” Bouchier said at the post-match press conference. “Let’s just say it was along the lines of, ”I’m very proud and I think it was the best day of my life.’ And that’s what got everyone.”Emotions always run high around Tests, given the sense of occasion and history attached to the format, and especially around women’s Tests because of how rare they are. In the England camp, they have a tradition of the nearest debutant presenting the next one with their Test cap, which meant Maia was capped by Danni Wyatt-Hodge, perhaps a little later in her career than she would have hoped.Since Bouchier made her white-ball debut in September 2021, England have played five Tests and she may have thought herself in line for at least one of them. In 2022, she was part of an England A side that played against the touring South Africans but could not displace Emma Lamb in the Test side. Now, on the return leg, so to speak, she was given an opportunity ahead of Sophia Dunkley and there could not have been a better country for it to happen for Maia.Maia Bouchier and her father Anthony after her Test cap presentation•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesAnthony has connections to South Africa and facilitated tours between the English club he founded, Primrose Hill Cricket Club (PHCC), and South African sides in the Western Cape. Maia remembers going on some of those tours as a child, and spending time on cricket grounds in South Africa, at a time when young girls were scarce on the cricket scene. Though Anthony never played at a professional level himself, he has been heavily involved in the business of cricket. In 2000, he was one of the principal investors who created Wisden Online, which, three years later, bought this very website (Cricinfo, as it was called then). At the time, Maia was just four years old and would have known only the basics of her father’s love of the game. As she grew older, she would also have been able to gauge his ambitions for her.”Obviously, this is very special for him because he’s waited a long time for it as well,” she said. “What I remember was us watching Test match cricket together just for five days straight, sitting on the couch and just watching the best players in the world bat for all day. I think that’s what he really wanted me to do. Obviously this is my first Test and to just go out there and play how I did, I’m super proud of myself and I know he’s proud of me. So that’s all I can hope for.”Bouchier played with none of the nerves of a newbie and raced to 43 off the first 45 balls she faced; and 40 of those runs were scored in boundaries. She took advantage of anything full and on the pads, and South Africa offered plenty of both. Then, when South Africa tightened up, she changed gears and showed the patience of a much more experienced long-format player. It took her 25 deliveries of watching and waiting to get to fifty, but then only 54 more to reach 100. By that time, she was finding scoring areas on the off-side as easily as she had earlier found them on the leg-side and her straight six off Tumi Sekhukhune, to get into the 90s, will be a shot to find the image of and frame.Related

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She paced her innings so well that, when Maia brought up her hundred, off 124 balls, she held the record for the fastest Test century scored by an England player. Less than an hour later, she had been overtaken by Nat Sciver-Brunt, who took just 96 balls to score the quickest hundred in all women’s Tests and Maia did not mind at all. “She’s a special player. I’m just so happy for her as well because she’s had a tough time and she’s had a lot going on,” she said. “I’m really proud of her as well. She’s just another level.”Maia has singled out Sciver-Brunt as the player she wants to emulate and, with a first Test century against South Africa, she has already done just that. She’s singled out her father as the person she most wants to make proud. However, she also did allow for a small moment of singling out herself and what this means to her, outside of being a dreamer or a daughter.”It’s the pinnacle,’ she said. “To make my debut and to get a hundred, is top of the charts, really.”

Spinner takes four to restrict Northamptonshire to 189 before fifties from Sam Robson and Ben Geddes

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Gohar starred with the ball•Getty Images

Middlesex 192 for 6 (Robson 67, Geddes 51) beat Northamptonshire 189 (Vasconcelos 62, Gohar 4-39) by four wicketsSam Robson and Ben Geddes both struck half-centuries as Middlesex coasted to victory over Northamptonshire to maintain their hopes of a knockout place in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.Robson hit 67 from 70 balls, while skipper Geddes followed up his List A best of 141 not out against Kent with 51 from as many deliveries to propel the visitors across the line at Wantage Road with 17.3 overs unused.The Steelbacks were bowled out for 189 in 38.1 overs despite a third-wicket stand of 108 between Ricardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh, who both registered their first half-centuries of the tournament.But their last eight wickets fell for 77, with Middlesex spinner Zafar Gohar taking 4 for 39 and all-rounder Ryan Higgins 3 for 34 before weighing in with a lively 48 from 34 as his side sealed the win.Higgins, making his first appearance of the competition, had an immediate impact after his side won the toss, achieving plenty of movement as the Steelbacks were reduced to four for two.Tim Robinson departed first ball, caught at second slip off a Higgins outswinger and James Sales also failed to score, perishing in identical fashion before Vasconcelos (62 from 61) and Keogh (60 from 68) launched the repair job.Keogh drove Noah Cornwell for successive boundaries, while Vasconcelos pierced the field with regularity and capitalised on Middlesex’s decision to forgo a slip with the powerplay done.The left-hander drilled Henry Brookes to the cover fence to post his half-century, but was halted in his tracks when Keogh’s powerful straight drive thudded into his helmet at the non-striker’s end.Although Vasconcelos was cleared to resume, the blow had clearly disrupted his rhythm and when he slapped his next delivery from Luke Hollman straight to midwicket, the innings began to crumble.Ravi Bopara, featuring in his first List A game since 2019, lasted just three deliveries before he was bowled around his legs sweeping Gohar and the spinner also claimed the scalp of Keogh, neatly stumped by Joe Cracknell.Gohar picked up two more, with Aryaman Varma superbly caught by Josh de Caires at full stretch running back from midwicket and Brookes wrapped up the innings by bowling Lewis McManus.Northamptonshire’s hopes were raised when Cracknell chopped on to the first legitimate delivery of Middlesex’s reply, extending a lean run of form that has now yielded five runs in as many innings.They might also have removed Robson who, having dispatched Justin Broad twice to the rope in quick succession, edged the seamer to second slip where Vasconcelos spilled the chance.Vasconcelos made amends in Broad’s next over by snapping up De Caires, but Robson took advantage of his earlier escape with a series of leg-side clips and cover drives, advancing beyond 50 as he and Geddes built a steady alliance that realised 76.Rookie seamer Ben Whitehouse eventually made the breakthrough when Robson miscued to mid-off, but Higgins announced his arrival at the crease by thumping the bowler for two fours to keep the scoreboard ticking over.Meanwhile, Geddes unfurled a string of classy strokes off both front and back foot, driving Liam Guthrie for a straight boundary that carried him to his half-century at exactly a run a ball – only to perish straight after the drinks break, top-edging to deep square leg.It was too late to rescue Northamptonshire from a fifth defeat in seven games and, although Higgins holed out late on, Gohar swung George Bartlett over the top to confirm victory.

Fabrizio Romano has now shared an update on Endrick’s future at Real Madrid, with West Ham’s striker search taking a significant twist.

Endrick is gearing up to leave Real on loan in January, and Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have been touted as one of the fierce contenders for his signature.

The 19-year-old, still widely regarded as one of Brazil’s brightest young prospects, hasn’t exactly had a smooth ride since joining the La Liga giants.

With first-team opportunities limited at the Bernabeu as a result of fitness issues and competition for places in Xabi Alonso’s side, a loan move appears to be the next logical step for his development.

West Ham have reportedly held talks about bringing Endrick on loan, already positioning themselves well in the race for his signature ahead of January.

Other clubs are also interested, like Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Brentford, according to some reports, but West Ham’s reported early discussions could give them an edge.

This comes as Nuno allegedly urges David Sullivan, Karren Brady and the Hammers hierarchy to sign a new defender, midfielder and forward (GiveMeSport), but with funds tight, temporary deals could be a key theme of their winter window.

Endrick is poised to be one of Europe’s finest talents available on loan in January, leaving little wonder why West Ham are very keen to secure his signature.

While the teenager has struggled for game time under Alonso, Endrick did score five Copa del Rey goals to fire Los Blancos to the final of the competition last season, before they eventually lost to Barcelona.

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The former Palmeiras sensation would be an excellent signing for West Ham, and one who’d inject much-needed flair and enthusiasm to their forward line.

The prospect of a Premier League move could also tempt Endrick, as it would do with any other player on the continent, but according to Romano, West Ham now face growing competition for his services.

Fabrizio Romano shares Endrick update as West Ham striker search takes twist

Taking to X, the reliable transfer journalist now claims that Ligue 1 giants Lyon have opened talks to sign Endrick on loan — which could seriously impact West Ham’s chances of a deal.

Endrick is believed to be intrigued by the possibility of a move to France, as Paulo Fonseca’s side already make their intentions known with an “official approach” just over two months before the January window opens.

Commenting further, Romano also says that while Endrick is still waiting to assess all of his options, potentially including West Ham, the attacker is pretty keen on Lyon as an option.

If a move for Endrick eventually becomes out of West Ham’s reach, it is worth noting that they’ve also held rumoured discussions about signing his Real teammate, Gonzalo Garcia.

The Spaniard, who finished last summer’s Club World Cup as the competition’s joint-top scorer, has also struggled to establish himself as a starter for Alonso this season and could be a great alternative to Endrick.

There are other options for West Ham as well, but it is absolutely imperative that the club back Nuno with a new centre-forward, especially considering Niclas Fullkrug’s injury woes and their lack of decent options.

West Ham already working on deal to sign £40 million striker in January.

The Zimbabwe bowlers put in a more disciplined performance on the second day of the first Test in Bulawayo, but Daryl Mitchell’s gritty 80 ensured New Zealand kept their advantage intact.New Zealand started the day on 92 for no loss and marched to 158 for 1 before losing five wickets for 42 runs. But Mitchell, with the help of the lower order, steered them to 307, ensuring a lead of 158. New Zealand then removed the Zimbabwe openers before stumps, still 127 ahead.In the morning, Blessing Muzarabani gave Zimbabwe a dream start, removing Will Young with the first ball of the day. It was a short delivery and Young fended it towards Nick Welch, who was slightly deeper than usual at short leg and completed the catch with a dive. Welch was not sure if he had taken it cleanly, but the TV umpire found no issues with it.Devon Conway was fluent at the other end. With Muzarabani and Tanaka Chivanga operating from around the wicket, he used the cover drive to good effect and picked up three boundaries with it in three successive overs. Muzarabani switched to over the wicket to deny Conway but by then he was into the last over of his spell.Henry Nicholls, playing his first Test since December 2023, came in at No. 3 and looked a little uncertain. The Zimbabwe seamers found his outside edge a couple of times but they did not carry to the slip cordon. Nicholls grew in confidence as he spent time in the middle. When Newman Nyamhuri missed his line or length, he pounced on it, taking 22 runs off just 24 balls from the left-arm seamer. During this, he also completed 3000 Test runs.Blessing Muzarabani celebrates Michael Bracewell’s dismissal•Zimbabwe Cricket

Conway and Nicholls took New Zealand into the lead before Muzarabani returned to end the 66-run stand for the second wicket. Seeing Nicholls back away, Muzarabani followed him. Two balls earlier, Nicholls had hit a boundary using the same ploy. But this time, he was cramped and ended up hitting the ball straight to Brian Bennett at gully.That triggered a collapse in which New Zealand lost five wickets for 42 runs.Rachin Ravindra was the next to fall, edging Sikandar Raza to slip, where Craig Ervine completed an otherwise regulation catch on the second attempt.After lunch, Chivanga got the reward for his hard work. His extra bounce had Conway, on 88, miscuing an uppercut to Bennett, who took his second catch at gully. In his next over, Chivanga used the short ball to get rid of Tom Blundell, who pulled one into the lap of deep square leg.Muzarabani, too, used the short ball to have Michael Bracewell top-edging a pull. For a moment, it looked like wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga had misjudged it but he put in a full-stretch dive in the end to complete the catch near fine leg. That left New Zealand at 200 for 6.Mitchell and Mitchell Santner added 33 for the seventh wicket to lend the innings some stability before Santner chipped one back to legspinner Vincent Masekesa. After that, Mitchell took the lead. In the company of Nathan Smith, he brought up his fifty and added 61 for the eighth wicket. Smith played his part by scoring 22 and resisting for 79 balls, of which he took two on the body. He had to eventually retire hurt.With Matt Henry falling soon after and Smith not coming back, Mitchell was forced to take risks. He moved across his stumps to scoop Nyamhuri but missed and lost his middle stump. By then, though, New Zealand had regained their advantage. They extended it when Henry had Ben Curran hooking one to fine leg and Will O’Rourke had Bennett edging one to the wicketkeeper before stumps.

The Red Sox are red hot.

With a 4–1 win over the Rays on Sunday, Boston has now won 10 straight games as the baseball world heads into the All-Star break. It’s a notable high for the Sox, who have been a drastically streaky team to start 2025.

While the run of wins may have come as a shock to the baseball world, or at the very least the Red Sox’ recent opposition, one man who was not surprised was manager Alex Cora. In fact, Cora essentially called the streak two months ago while Boston was stuck with a middling record.

NESN shared a video from back in late May, when Cora talked openly about how his team was just one win streak away from being near the top of baseball.

“You guys know how I feel about 10-game win streaks. we haven’t done that in a while,” Cora said. “When you get on a hot streak, you want to get eight games over .500, 10 games over .500. We’re still playing where we’re at. An average team. Hopefully when we get our streak, we can get to eight games over .500 and then take off.”

With their 10-game winning streak, the Sox are officially 53–45—eight games over .500—as they head to the All-Star break. It’s Boston’s first 10-game winning streak since the 2018 season.

The Red Sox still have some work to do in an impressive AL East division, with the Yankees and Blue Jays still both ahead of Boston as we head into the Midsummer Classic.

Still, if Cora’s prediction continues to hold true, this winning streak is just the start. After the All-Star break, they might just take off.