Almost County News: Taylor International Comeback?

 

23/01

Taylor Readies for International Return?

Jos Buttler promises to ‘smile more’

Will MacPherson 21/01

Jos Buttler has promised a more positive England team than ever after receiving Christmas presents encouraging him to smile more and practising looking upbeat in the mirror.

When Brendon McCullum was appointed England’s white-ball coach he said his primary task was getting his captain’s smile back after a bruising period that had seen him become snappy and quiet. Buttler said McCullum’s appointment as all-format head coach and some time away from the game with a calf injury had reinvigorated him.

“I’m in a good place,” he said ahead of Wednesday’s first T20 against India in Kolkata. “I’ve been practising my smile in front of the mirror. A few Christmas presents may have been egged in that way, but I feel in a really good place. I’m excited.

“I was a Brendon McCullum fan as a player, and would have always loved to play with him. So to get the chance to work with him as the coach, and having seen the impact he and his coaches have had – he’s very big on method – is exciting.

“I had some time away from the game, which was forced by injury, but actually it was probably healthy as well. You get a bit of perspective and a new baby, children, give you that in abundance. Little things, like putting on the England kit, and looking around the ground here and taking it all in, looking around the dressing and going ‘wow, this is a serious squad of players,’ that’s exciting.”

Buttler admitted that he had become grumpy: “Maybe. Results can do that. We all talk about wanting to play exciting stuff and enjoy it. In professional sport, the results do want to play a part in that.

“I’ve had some good conversations with Baz [McCullum] about that. At this time of your career, and hopefully I’ve still got a bit of time left, to make this the best time of your career.

“I played against Baz all those years ago in that [2015] World Cup game in Wellington, when he had four slips and a gully from ball one. So, whether I’ll quite get that far, we’ll have to see.”

Buttler and McCullum named the first team of their alliance, installing Ben Duckett as England’s opening batsman across all formats. Duckett will open with Phil Salt, who takes the wicketkeeping gloves ahead of Buttler and Jamie Smith, with the captain ensconced in his new position at first drop. Vice-captain Harry Brook spearheads a powerful middle order that includes Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton, one of four genuinely fast bowlers alongside Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.

Buttler promised that all players, including the overlooked Smith, would get an opportunity on the eight-match tour of India.

Here’s the five biggest calls of the new era ...

Duckett up top

In the three-format era, only Marcus Trescothick – now England’s batting coach – has been first choice in every format for a considerable period of time. Duckett has the chance to follow him, by playing in a very similar style in all three formats. Under Matthew Mott, he did not receive many white-ball opportunities, and he has not opened in a T20 since his debut in 2019.

“He’s got an excellent reputation against spin but actually when the field is up in the powerplay, I think he has even more options,” said Buttler. “With only two fielders out, he’s an incredibly tough guy to defend with all the different areas that he can hit the ball. He’s been playing brilliantly well in all formats. You look at someone in England cricket now who could open the innings in every format of the game – I think it’s credit to the way he’s played over the last few years and he fully deserves his chance.”

Buttler drops the gloves – and installs Brook as right-hand man

Duckett will open with Salt, who keeps ahead of the new No 3 Buttler. The captain wants to be closer to his bowlers, and concentrate more on tactics. McCullum made a similar change late in his playing career.

Buttler described his new vice-captain, Brook, as “as positive a captain as I’ve ever seen” when he has stood in. Buttler wants to borrow that attitude and “lean on Brook for advice in the field”. Brook is fast becoming the cross-format heartbeat of English cricket.

Bethell’s rise continues

Six months ago Jacob Bethell was uncapped, but he is rapidly cementing himself as first choice in all three formats, with franchises – including Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore – queuing up to sign him. A stylish No 3 in Tests and crisp middle order hitter in the white-ball game, with handy bowling and outstanding fielding to boot. Being a left-hander helps, and he may float in the order.

“He’s been someone in English cricket that’s been talked about for a while,” said Buttler. “We know the talent that he possesses, even when he’s been playing in the under-19s, he was a name that you would hear talked about. He’s going to be a special player.”

All-rounder Overton adds snarl

Buttler has known Surrey’s Jamie Overton since their Somerset days, and the pair were first in an England squad together 13 years ago. Overton has taken time to find his role, but it is a sought-after one: finisher with the bat, nasty fastie with the ball, and bucket hands in the field. He brings a bit of snarl to the England side, too.

“He’s a really well-rounded T20 cricketer now,” said Buttler. “Having seen him at Somerset all those years ago, he’s now a really experienced player, has a great mentality, really aggressive and competitive, which is what we want.”

Emphasis is on serious pace  

When it comes to pace bowling, England do not want to do things by halves, only selecting genuine quicks. Overton is one of four quicks in this XI, with Brydon Carse and Saqib Mahmood waiting in the wings. Adil Rashid is the only specialist spinner, but Bethell and Liam Livingstone are handy match-up bowlers. Buttler wants wickets, not defence.

“You need to get ahead, and in this day and age you need to try to get people out,” he said. “If they spend any time at the crease, they can hurt you.”

Fire stops MBBL match at the Gabba.

PTG Editor.
Saturday, 18 January 2025.
PTG 4738-22741.

The Cricket Australia Men's Big Bash League match between the Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes at the Gabba, was stopped for over ten minutes by umpires Shawn Craig and Steven Dionysius on Thursday after an electrical fire broke out in the DJ booth just below the scoreboard at the ground.  A member of staff calmly put the fire out with a small hose, while spectators seated nearby were moved from the area.  No spectators were hurt and the fire service was called to ensure the stadium was safe.

Just over five years ago, play on the opening day of the Sheffield Shield match at the WACA Ground in Perth was suspended after a small fire started behind the players’ pavilion (PTG 2917-14479, 11 October 2019)..  As Tasmania's Jackson Bird ran into bowl, smoke was spotted coming from the back of the pavilion and umpire Nathan Johnstone signalled dead ball.  Johnstone and his colleague Paul Wilson called lunch five minutes before the scheduled interval to allow things to be dealt with, the afternoon session starting on time.

"Electrical fire" put out by a "small hose" that's a fail in my H&S manual...

Batter walks entire pitch to confront umpire over non-Wide call.
PTG Editor.
Saturday, 18 January 2025.
PTG 4738-22736.

Former Australian batter David Warner, openly gestured with arms spread to umpire Sam Nogajski when he did not call a ‘Wide’ during the Men’s Big Bash League match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday, his batting partner Hugh Weibgen asking Nogajski “No Wide?”.  That was not enough for Warner, for he then walked the entire length of the pitch and spoke to Nogajski who had to speak to him twice before he returned to his crease to face the third ball of the over involved.  At last report Cricket Australia’s 2024-25 Code of Conduct list stood at 15 (PTG 4735-22723, 14 January 2025).

Disk Jockey's music holds up play, complains MBBL skipper.

PTG Editor.

Friday, 10 January 2024.

PTG 4731-22705.

Moises Henriques, the captain of the Sydney Sixers side in Cricket Australia’s Men’s Big Bash league (MBBL), has complained about stadium Disk Jockeys playing music between overs and balls in such a way that it holds up play.  Henriques said his players "were kept waiting by the same problem as usual”, during the match against the Melbourne Stars at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, the music apparently being a central part of the “all-action” mantra that drives things MBBL.

Henriques went on to describe it as “frustrating [as] we’re just waiting for the music [to stop] out here, but I’ll probably get fined for the slow over rate.  We’re trying to speed these games up so the kids come out to the games [but] when you’re waiting at the end of every over for the music … games finish far too late”.

There were problems during the match when replays of incidents were shown far too quickly on the ground’s big screen and before the DRS counter had expired, which is a TV production not an umpiring issue (PTG 4720-22657, 30 December 2024).  There was an appeal against Stars batter Glenn Maxwell for a caught behind but umpire Simon Lightbody said ’not out’.  However, Henriques spotted what he thought might have been a nick on the big screen presentation and requested a review, but later indicated he wasn't permitted to do so because the early replays gave him a hint to do so.

The game also saw one of a number of seagulls that swarmed around the ground struck and killed by a shot from Sixers’ James Vince. He took on the bowling of Stars’ Joel Paris and hit him straight back down the ground.  The ball came down near the boundary rope and landed flush on the unsuspecting seagull before going for four.

There’s too much ‘big three’ cricket already, say players of the two-tier Tests plan.
Daniel Brettig.
Melbourne Age.
Wednesday, 8 January 2025.
PTG 4731-22709.

Two-division Test cricket should be considered by the game’s decision-makers, but not if the aim is simply to have Australia, England and India playing each other even more often than they already do.  That’s the verdict of World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) boss Tom Moffat following revelation of discussions at the top of the game about splitting Test cricket in two.

A looming meeting between Cricket Australia (CA) chair Mike Baird, his England counterpart, Richard Thompson, and new International Cricket Council chair (and ex- India board chief) Jay Shah has two-tier Tests on the agenda, following record crowds and broadcast audiences for the recent Australia-India series (PTG 4728-22692, 6 January 2024).

Moffat said any moves to change the Test structure must be more inclusive of equitable contests with revenue pooling, rather than simply chasing more dollars for “the big three”.  “We’ve been conducting a global game structure review since late last year, led by a significant group of experts, developing a report and some recommendations for the game to consider on its global structure”, said Moffat. “So far, more than 60 key stakeholders have been interviewed and there are a number of good ideas to consider, of which divisional Test cricket is one”.  The review is expected to report its findings in February or March.

“The World Test Championship has been a positive step forward, but the reality is it’s a points system wrapped around uneven scheduling based on individual commercial deals between national boards. There is no top-down scheduling framework, which is unique in any legitimate sporting competition.  The current system has led to the bigger countries playing significantly more against each other than everyone else, and sharing most of the game’s revenue between them. Divisions [may]add further context to Tests – but the devil is in the detail and any proposed model should address known issues, not perpetuate them”.

Moffat added that the game’s governors needed to be thinking in terms of all three formats of the game, not just Test cricket.  “It’s also important to remember that the game is comprised of three formats, and both international cricket and domestic leagues, in which the best players compete. Our desire is to see a more coherent structure for it all that makes sense and is easier to follow for everyone”, he said.

The most ardent voice raised overnight in opposition to the concept was from the former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, who raised familiar points about how the Caribbean side was once the world’s most sought-after, but now had to fight for scraps of the calendar that would only get more scarce if relegated to a second tier.

“We were the cash cows for a lot of people over the years”, Lloyd said. “We worked hard for what we achieved, and only had 5 million people. India have got a billion-and-a-quarter. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa – they all have more people but look at what we achieved.  We have a great history, and now you’re going to tell us, because of a monetary situation, this is how it’s going to be? You can only improve against better opposition. The better system would be to give all teams the same amount of money so they can improve”.

=

Cricket’s power nations and their broadcasters wanting more of the most lucrative series against the most popular opponents is hardly a new notion.  A little over 20 years ago, Kerry Packer made the following retort to CA about plans to expand the number of Test match countries to be seen on Nine’s broadcasts: “Why do we want to be playing Bangla-f---ing-desh and Zim-f---ing-babwe?”

But one of the questions raised by reports on talks among Australia, India and England about splitting Test cricket into two divisions is what happens when the most popular opponents change.  In the 1970s and ’80s, Packer revered the West Indians and insisted that the then Australian Cricket Board (now CA) invited them Down Under as often as possible. Between 1975 and 1997, they toured for Tests, one-dayers, or the World Series Cricket breakaway in 12 out of 21 summers.  India did not make a single trip to Australia from 1992-99, but they have been far more regular tourists since then and will remain so for now.

Revenue sharing would allow for all nations to continue to not only play Test cricket but also to invest in the types of first-class systems that serve Australia so well.  Another area for conjecture is what happens in terms of India and Pakistan. The neighbours have not played a Test match against one another since the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, and their return to the calendar would now add immense value to the long form of the game.  Neutral venues for Tests between the two nations are now also a much more viable prospect, given the huge expatriate populations of supporters in places like Australia, the United States and Britain.

10/01

Cultural Secretary Says

08/01

Should England boycott Afghanistan as suggested by MP?

07/01

Two Tier Tests

06/01

ECB Response to Government calls

Dan Christian made available in the BBL

England should stand up to the Taliban's gender apartheid.
Janice Turner.
London Times.
Saturday, 4 January 2025.
PTG 4726-22687.

Are the Taliban running a contest for the most extreme restriction on Afghan women? They’ve already banned them from school, college, beauty salons, stadiums (unless being stoned or whipped), gyms and parks; they can no longer train as nurses or be treated by male medics (thus denying them all healthcare); they can’t play sport, drive, dance, sing, travel alone or work. Their faces are banned from view, their voices from being heard, even in prayer.

Now a new Taliban edict has banned windows through which women might be glimpsed in their kitchens. So not only are they locked away, they can’t even look outside. What can be next: cutting out the tongues of baby girls?  Yet on February 26, the England cricket team will play Afghanistan (PTG 4725-22682, 4 January 2025). How in all conscience can this game go ahead? Afghanistan already breaches International Cricket Council rules that require nations to support and fund women’s cricket. (Disbanding the women’s team was the Taliban’s first act).

Moreover, Afghanistan practices apartheid. When South Africa did so along racial lines, it rightly suffered sporting boycotts. Gender apartheid is an equivalent evil and cricket — which the Taliban love, often posing with star players in the Gulf — is a rare way to sanction its monstrous regime. So why no boycott?  Shame on any Englishman who plays ball with apartheid next month.

England will not boycott Afghanistan match in Champions Trophy.
Elizabeth Ammon.
London Times.
Friday, 3 January 2024,
PTG 4725-22682.


England will not boycott their match against Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy next month but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has reiterated its stance that it will not schedule any bilateral series against the Afghanistan men’s team because of the Taliban government’s stance on women playing sport. Afghanistan are the only Test-playing nation that do not have a women’s team for, among a raft of restrictions placed on Afghanistan women by the Taliban government, they are prevented from taking part in any sport.

Last month Greg Barclay, the outgoing chai of the International Cricket Council (ICC), said that Australia and England had merely done the expedient thing by announcing they would not play bilateral games against Afghanistan after the 2021 Taliban takeover of the country and a ban on women in sport, and that “if you really want to make a political statement, don’t play them in a World Cup” (PTG 4696-22569, 5 December 2024). Cricket Australia (CA) chair Mike Baird rejected such accusations of hypocrisy (PTG 4697-22573, 6 December 2024).

Before 2021, when the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, a women’s team had been in existence since 2010. In 2020, 25 female cricketers were handed paid contracts by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), but after the Taliban returned to power, women were banned from universities, parks and sports, and the homes of female athletes were raided, ending any hopes of the Afghanistan women’s team playing their first ever international fixture.

Most of the members of the Afghanistan women’s team fled the country — many ending up in Australia — but the team was unable to reform. The former players wrote to the ICC last year to ask for help to create a team of Afghan refugees and give them coaching and administration support, although that has not yet been forthcoming from the international governing body (PTG 4548-21965, 2 July 2024).

The Afghanistan men’s team, who are coached by the former England batsman Jonathan Trott, do not play or train in their home country. They are instead based in Dubai, which is also where the majority of their home matches take place.

England have previous experience of an international tournament being affected by political issues. At the 2003 World Cup, hosted jointly by South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe, England refused to face Zimbabwe in their opening pool match in Harare, citing concerns over having to shake hands with president Robert Mugabe before the match and having also received death threats in the months leading up to the tournament.

The ICC refused England’s claims that these were valid reasons to pull out, the game did not take place and Zimbabwe were awarded the four match points — which ultimately helped the joint hosts advance to the Super Sixes stage at the expense of England.

In 2023, Australia withdrew from a men’s one-day series against Afghanistan citing the Taliban’s decision to impose further restrictions on women’s and girls’ education, to which the ACB reacted strongly, describing the decision as “unfair” and “pathetic”. Australia also called off a planned T20 series against Afghanistan in early 2024 and have committed to not playing any bilateral cricket against them. However, they did play against them in last year’s T20 World Cup because international tournaments are run by the ICC, whereas bilateral series are organised by the individual cricket boards.

The ECB have followed Australia’s stance and do not have any future bilateral series arranged against Afghanistan. They last played against them in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup in India, losing by 69 runs.

“We have been working on discussions at ICC level with other member countries to understand what action will be taken” Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, said last year. “The ICC’s view is that they are not able to have an impact on a domestic government’s policy. I don’t think that there is an appetite for action amongst the majority of ICC members directly against Afghanistan”.

Our predictions for cricket in 2025: England to win Ashes and Dillon Pennington’s Test breakthrough

Pace can tip balance in touring side’s favour next winter and Notts seamer possesses all the weapons to enrich an already potent attack

Scyld Berry Chief Cricket Writer. 

It promises to be a fascinating year for the Bazball project – here is what I expect from Brendon McCullum’s side, plus my thoughts on how the County Championship will pan out.

Breakthrough player: Dillon Pennington

Assuming Jacob Bethell has already broken through into England teams – and will hopefully major as a top-three Test batsman – what England need most is a new-ball Test bowler to partner Gus Atkinson (Brydon Carse being a third seamer, and Ben Stokes in future a fifth seamer if one at all). No doubt Chris Woakes can swing the ball on home pitches for a few more Tests, but what England need in the next Ashes is a new-ball bowler who can also swing the ball but at a slightly quicker pace, with a more threatening mien than good old Woakesy, and bowl heavy-duty spells with an old one.Dillon Pennington fits this bill: aged 25, now at Nottinghamshire where he made a technical change in the timing of his arm swing, which has increased his pace since leaving Worcestershire. He was selected for England’s squad last summer against West Indies, but the bright idea was to play Mark Wood in back-to-back Tests instead (whereupon Wood broke down). Instead of making his Test debut, Pennington was deployed to the Hundred, where he sustained a hamstring problem in delivering a five-ball set, and has only just started bowling again.

Most important player: Jamie Smith

England’s ever-growing tendency to bat like headless chickens, or gung-ho village clubbies on tour after an all-night lock-in, has to be arrested: and to give England’s middle order the chance to be audacious, they need a platform less flimsy than the one they are being given by England’s top three. Enter, please, Jamie Smith.

As he proved last summer, when keeping wicket down the order, Smith can defend and build an innings – before hitting as hard and far as anyone else. Excellent temperament for a No 3, and more composed than Ollie Pope, Smith is the man most qualified for this job – on condition that he gives up wicketkeeping and passes the role on to Pope if needs be, whose keeping is at the same level as Smith’s. Meanwhile, Bethell, the current incumbent at three, will have to compete for a place with openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley.

I am most looking forward to... some England resilience

England’s brittleness has reached the point where they have been dismissed in fewer than 40 overs four times in their last seven Tests. David Gower, restraint personified, was moved to describe England’s last innings in New Zealand as “ignominious” – and that was one of their better collapses in lasting all of 47.2 overs.

The management and players may shrug it off – but the old adage of doing what your opponent least wants still applies, and when England throw their wickets away they are doing exactly what their current opponents want and future opponents want to see. If England take a lead in the next Ashes, Australia can take heart that another lemming rush is just around the corner. The personnel has to change for this approach to improve, starting with Smith as above, and casting Bethell in the right slot: as opener or down the order, bowling spin instead of Shoaib Bashir.

County Championship winner? Surrey

It does not yet look to be the time when Surrey will do a Manchester City and fall from grace. Resources, resources and more resources: this is what sets them apart from all other counties. As if their pace-bowling stocks are not sufficiently ample, they have brought in Matthew Fisher from Yorkshire and Nathan Smith from New Zealand via Worcestershire. Hampshire and Somerset beat them on turners last season, and Surrey are unlikely to fly in Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh again for a one-off game, not after he has been suspended from bowling.

Ashes winner? England

I am going for a 3-2 scoreline, but it could just as easily be Australia who edge it. My belief/hope is based on McCullum’s side having deeper pace-bowling resources than Australia, who have relied on their “big three” of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood for almost a decade.