Browsing: series

Sports Mole previews the 2024 One Day International match between West Indies and England, scheduled to be played at the Kensington Oval on Wednesday.

England and the West Indies will head to the Kensington Oval in Barbados for the third and final match of their One Day International series on Wednesday night.

The series currently hangs in the balance, with the hosts winning the first match by eight wickets before the visitors clinched the second match with 15 balls to spare.

Match preview

© Imago

After an Evin Lewis masterclass propelled his team to a commanding victory in the first ODI, the West Indies were quickly brought back down to earth, as they failed to defend a very competitive 328-6 in Antigua over the weekend.

Still, there were plenty of positives to take from the match for the hosts, but the biggest would have been the performance of Shai Hope, who scored a very impressive 117 off 127 balls – his 17th ton in the 50-over format.

The Windies skipper arrived at the crease in the fourth over with the job of rebuilding his side’s innings, and he stepped up in a big way, combining with Keacy Carty (71) to put on a 143-run partnership.

Sherfane Rutherford and Shimron Hetmyer also provided important contributions with the bat, forcing their opponents to utilise nine bowlers, but only Jofra Archer managed to deliver an economy rate of under 5.00.

While England are showing up as marginal favourites to claim the series – when these two teams faced off in an ODI at this venue just under a year ago, it was the West Indies that successfully chased down a target of 191 in just 31.4 overs in a rain-affected match.

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For England, their performance in the deeply one-sided first ODI showed that the road to the 2027 World Cup will be long and challenging for a new generation of cricketers, whose inexperience in 50-over cricket was glaringly evident in Antigua.

However, the visitors bounced back in the best way possible over the weekend, when Liam Livingstone put on a stellar show with an unbeaten century, steering England to a successful chase of 329 and pushing their ODI series against the West Indies to this decisive final match.

The stand-in captain smashed nine sixes and five fours, guiding the team to victory by five wickets with 15 balls remaining, following Phil Salt‘s run-a-ball 59 and Jacob Bethell‘s maiden international half-century.

With the ball, John Turner sent both Windies’ openers back to the pavilion after 19 balls and could have had them reeling even further had Bethell hung on to a half-chance to dismiss Carty while he was still in single digits.

Still, despite the victory and the momentum gained from that result, England fans will know that this final ODI is far from a given, especially if the side is unable to improve on what have been fairly toothless bowling performances overall on the pitches here in the Caribbean.

Team News

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Following almost a year out of the ODI setup, Shimron Hetmyer has largely impressed upon his return to the fold and should retain his place in the Windies’ middle order for this final match of the series.

With spin expected to play a major role in Barbados, Gudakesh Motie will be crucial to the hosts, and the left-armer has a solid record at this venue, having taken two or more wickets in three of his last four games here.

On the point of spin, Adil Rashid has failed to find his best form in this series but will likely remain as the visitors’ main spin option, with Livingstone providing him support with his off-breakers.

Jofra Archer has taken 17 wickets in nine matches this year, and while he came away wicketless in the second ODI, he is still expected to share the new ball with Turner on Wednesday.

West Indies squad: Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (c & wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Gudakesh Motie, Matthew Forde, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales, Alick Athanaze, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh

England squad: Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Jafer Chohan, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner, Michael Pepper

Series so far

ODI 1 of 3: West Indies win by 8 wickets (DLS method)
England -209 (45.1)
West Indies – 157/2 (25.5) – Target 157

ODI 2 of 3: England won by 5 wickets
West Indies – 328/6 (50)
England – 329/5 (47.3)

© PA Photos

We say: West Indies to win

While England will enter this match with the momentum from their series-leveller, the inconsistency in their performances is a concern and their bowling has been an overall disappointment.

Indeed, the Windies have not been incredible themselves, but they seem to be less key-man dependent than their opponents, and that could prove to be the determining factor here in Barbados.

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England tamely succumb to a nine-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the third and pivotal Test in Rawalpindi, going down by a 2-1 loss in the series.

Pakistan have won the three-match Test series with England after storming to a nine-wicket victory inside three days in Rawalpindi.

Having suffered one of the most embarrassing Test defeats in history in the first of two matches in Multan, Pakistan have since opted for pitches with more turn.

That has given Noman Ali and Sajid Khan the platform to produce sustained, sometimes unplayable spells of spin bowling, the pair once again delivering during Saturday’s play.

All 10 wickets of the second innings were taken by the duo as England succumbed to 112 all out, Pakistan requiring just 3.1 overs to chase down the 36 that were required to complete the comeback series win.

Within seven sessions of winning the toss, England had crumbled to 267 and 112 all out, Pakistan’s burst from the middle order onwards on Friday to make 344 proving pivotal in the context of the match.

Pakistan edge towards victory as Sajid clean bowls Jamie Smith â˜Â︠pic.twitter.com/T1XZ3OsLpO

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 26, 2024

Another England collapse

Resuming on 24-3, it was imperative that Joe Root and Harry Brook put together a lengthy fourth-wicket stand to give England any hope, and they deserve some credit for reaching 66.

Nevertheless, the writing was on the way as Brook (26), Ben Stokes (3) and Jamie Smith (3) all departed in quick succession, Root (33) not far behind them to leave England on 85-7.

Gus Atkinson and Jack Leach both made 10, but there was no answer to Noman (6-42) and Sajid (4-69) as Pakistan set up a routine run chase.

Leach managed to dismiss Saim Ayub for eight, yet that allowed captain Shan Masood to come to the crease and smash 23 from just six deliveries to get Pakistan over the line in style.

For his 134 in Pakistan’s first innings, Saud Shakeel deservedly won man of the match, with Noman and Sajid taking all but one of England’s 20 wickets.

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Sports Mole previews the third and final Test between Pakistan and England, scheduled to get underway on Thursday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

It is still all to play for as we head into the third and final test between Pakistan and England which is set to get underway on Thursday morning at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The series hangs in the balance after the first two matches in Multan were split, with England winning the first and Pakistan levelling proceedings with a victory last week.

Match preview

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This series as been a bit of a rollercoaster for Pakistan, which began with them making an unwanted piece of history, becoming the first team ever to lose a Test by an innings after scoring over 500 runs in their first knock.

That result extended the Shaheen’s losing streak in Test matches to six in a row and was also their seventh loss on home soil in their last nine, highlighting the difficulties the team have faced in recent times.

In an effort to end their dismal record, the Men in Green took a major gamble in match two, opting to use to same pitch as they did in the first game, and it paid off handsomely, as they pulled off a 152-run series-levelling victory.

The idea behind using the same strip a second time was to bring their spinners more into the match, and it worked a treat. With the help of sharp turn and unpredictable bounce, left-arm spinner Noman Ali took seven of the eight wickets that fell on Friday, finishing with an impressive 8/46 in the innings and match figures of 11/147.

Heading into the series decider, it seems that the hosts are employing similar tactics, with images circulating on social media revealing the use of six patio heaters, two industrial fans and two large windbreaks to dry the pitch and create conditions favorable for spin bowling.

© Imago

Meanwhile, England arrive in Rawalpindi looking to deny Pakistan their first series win since they beat South Africa in 2021, and head coach Brendon McCullum along with captain Ben Stokes conducted a thorough inspection of the pitch ahead of the team’s practice session on Tuesday.

In anticipation for a spin battle, the visitors have made a tactical change to their squad, bringing in leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed as a third spinning option, alongside Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir.

Leach, England’s leading wicket-taker in the series, took seven wickets in the first Test before adding another seven in the second match, and he will undoubtedly be Stokes’ key bowler in their effort to clinch the final game.

Fellow spinner Bashir has also shown promise in the series, with five of his six wickets coming in the second Test defeat, suggesting that the 21-year-old is rising to the challenge in the red-ball format and gaining confidence in favourable conditions.

With the bat, Joe Root, regarded as one of the world’s best players of spin, became the Three Lions’ all-time leading Test run-scorer in the opening Test and will likely be tasked with anchoring the innings against what should be a spin-barrage from their opponents.

Team News

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While Sajid Khan and Noman Ali claimed the headlines in the last match for taking all 20 wickets, debutant Kamran Ghulam‘s 118 off 224 balls in the first innings was equally crucial to the victory, and he will be looking to follow up in this match.

Shan Masood is expected to maintain a similar lineup in this one, though Zahid Mahmood failed to pick up a wicket in the last match and could be forced to make way here, potentially for Mohammad Ali.

As mentioned, England have opted to go with a spin-heavy lineup for this match drafting Rehan Ahmed, who last played against India in Rajkot earlier this year, as a third spin choice to support Leach and Bashir.

The only other confirmed change for the visitors in this match sees Matthew Potts making way for seamer Gus Atkinson, meaning that Stokes remains the only specialist all-rounder in the squad.

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

Series so far

Test 1 of 3: England won by an innings and 47 runs
Pakistan – 556 & 220
England – 823/7d

Test 2 of 3: Pakistan won by 152 runs
Pakistan – 366 & 221
England – 291 & 144

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

While Pakistan pulled off a sensational comeback win last time out, England are now wise to the challenge and have responded by opting to bring in a third specialist spinner, which could be a crucial factor in this match.

The hosts would have received a huge morale boost from the result in the second match in Multan, but the visitors’ experienced core could be telling in this clutch fixture, and we fancy them to secure this match and the series.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 One Day International match between England and Australia, scheduled to be played at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

Australia‘s tour to England heads to the 50-over format this week, with the first of five one-day internationals spread over just 11 days set to get underway at Trent Bridge on Thursday morning.

The weather ultimately forced these rivals to draw the Ashes last year, and it was a similar situation last Sunday when the heavens opened to call an end to the T20I series after a win apiece in Southampton and Cardiff.

Match preview

© Imago

England return to the 50-over format for the first time since December last year – a period during which the side relinquished the T20 world title to India and saw their hopes of a ‘perfect summer’ dashed by West Indies in the final Test of their tour.

The Three Lions will now look to make a positive start to the one-day series, unlike in the shortest format last week, but will have to do so without the services of white-ball skipper Jos Buttler, whose persistent calf injury ruled him out of the Hundred, T20 series, and has now forced him to sit out the ODIs as well.

Buttler has not featured for the hosts since they bowed out of the T20 World Cup in Guyana back in June and it is Harry Brook who has been selected to lead the team in this five-match series, which will also see him become England’s 37th ODI captain.

While Buttler’s absence is far from ideal, it has not affected England as much as some may have feared, as it paved the way for Liam Livingstone to return to the fold, and the Lancashire all-rounder was easily the pick of the Three Lions’ players in the 20-over format, top-scoring for them in both innings, including a Player of the Match performance in Cardiff where he blasted 87(47) and picked up 2/16 with the ball in just three overs.

Livingstone’s performance led England to victory that day and gave them the momentum coming into the first ODI at Trent Bridge, where their recent record has been average at best, with four wins, four losses and two no-results posted in their last 10.

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Meanwhile, Australia will have fond memories of their most recent visits to Nottingham during the 2019 World Cup, when David Warner‘s blistering 166 led them to a 48-run victory over Bangladesh and Nathan Coulter-Nile‘s 92 not-out secured a win against the West Indies a week earlier.

The Aussies also enter this series with the better recent head-to-head record, having won each of the last five ODIs against England, including a 3-0 clean sweep in November 2022 and a 33-run victory at the World Cup in India last year.

While the T20s saw the visitors field a much younger squad, the 50-over series will bring with it the return of stalwarts Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc and Marnus Labuschagne, which will undoubtedly give the reigning world champions a huge lift, though it will be interesting to see how they fare having not played much international cricket recently – certainly not in English conditions.

Starc’s return, in particular, will be vital for the men from Down Under, who have already seen injuries blight their pace attack in the last month, with the likes of Nathan Ellis, Riley Meredith and Xavier Bartlett all affected, while Josh Hazlewood‘s workload still requires fairly close management.

Still, Australia rarely put up poor showings in the ODI format, and with a blend of promising youth and experienced campaigners, it would not come as a massive shock if they put in a big performance in this opening match.

Team News

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Ben Duckett‘s impressive performances in the longest format of the game have earned him a call to the 50-over setup and he is expected to open the innings here on his home ground in Nottinghamshire.

Reports in the week indicate that interim coach Marcus Trescothick is ‘taking a cautious approach’ to manage Jofra Archer‘s workload, but he is likely to share the new ball with Cameron Green in this one after sitting out the second T20.

For the Aussies, all eyes will be on the highly-rated Jake Fraser-McGurk, who tore up the Indian Premier League this year to earn a spot as a T20 World Cup reserve, but then failed to make an impact in Scotland, contributing just 16 runs across three innings, including a pair of ducks in the first and third.

The visitors also received a major injury boost for the ODI series, with Mitchell Marsh cleared to play, and he will captain the side with Pat Cummins left out of the squad due to a planned rest period.

England squad: Harry Brook (c), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, John Turner

Team B squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

© PA Photos

We say: Australia to win

While England are in a transitionary phase, they are missing a few key players that would have made the squad had it not been for injuries and may just need this first match to find their rhythm after a fairly lengthy absence from the ODI format.

Australia have several big names returning to their setup for this series and the experience the likes of Smith, Starc and Maxwell bring will be invaluable. For that reason, we feel the visitors will take the lead in this five-match battle.

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Sports Mole previews the third T20 international match between England and Australia, scheduled to get underway on Sunday at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground.

England and Australia will head to the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester for the third and final match of their T20 series on Sunday afternoon.

The Three Lions pulled off an excellent run chase at Sophia Gardens on Friday night to leave the series hanging in the balance ahead of the final encounter.

Match preview

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After a somewhat underwhelming performance at the Rose Bowl in midweek, England sprung back to life in Cardiff to keep the T20 series alive, successfully chasing down a very defendable 193/6 posted by the Aussies.

Liam Livingstone showcased his all-round abilities in Wednesday’s series-opener in Southampton, claiming 3/22 and smashing a brisk 37 off 27 balls, but his efforts were not enough to prevent a 28-run defeat.

On Friday, though, it was a different situation, with the 31-year-old leading his side to a three-wicket victory, scoring 87 runs in just 47 deliveries, which came after a three-over spell of 2/16 with the ball in hand.

England’s stand-in skipper Phil Salt gave the side a solid foundation at the top of the innings with 32 runs off 23 balls, and Livingstone, along with newcomer Jacob Bethell put on an invaluable 90-run partnership before the latter was dismissed for 44(24).

That result has arguably swung the pendulum back in favour of the hosts, who have a fairly good record in Manchester, winning six of their nine T20 matches at the venue over the years (W7 L3 NR3).

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Meanwhile, with Mitchell Marsh missing due to illness, Jake Fraser-McGurk was brought back into Australia’s lineup for the second T20I, and made the most of his opportunity, top-scoring with 50 runs of 31 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes.

The Aussies got their innings off to an excellent start and seemed to be en route to setting a target of well above 200 after Travis Head and Matt Short scored a combined 52 in the first four overs before the former was dismissed by Brydon Carse.

Following Fraser-McGurk’s departure, the visitors struggled to maintain their impressive run-rate from earlier in the innings but Josh Inglis notched up an important 42(26) to get the side to a total of 193 for six.

Unfortunately for the Aussies, while Short led the way with the ball, picking up a career-best 5/22 in three overs, the rest of the bowling lineup struggled, with only Sean Abbott managing figures of note (2/37).

One of the keys to England’s success was the manner in which they managed to nullify the threat of Adam Zampa, with the spinner ending wicketless, giving up 37 runs in his four-over allotment.

Team News

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One player that will be very excited to return to Manchester will be Adil Rashid, who currently has the most wickets at this venue in the T20 international format, picking up 11 scalps in eight matches.

The major selection decision for England in this final T20I will be over whether to recall Jofra Archer to the starting 11 after Carse’s economical 2/26. Should both feature, it will likely mean that Reece Topley will miss out after failing to pick up a wicket in the first two games.

Australia’s decision to select Aaron Hardie and Cooper Connolly for the last match was largely fruitless and we are likely to see Xavier Bartlett and Josh Hazlewood brought back into the bowling attack for the final match.

Marsh has not been ruled out of the third T20I as yet, and if he were to return, it would not come as a surprise to see the visitors retain Fraser-McGurk following his impressive innings, which could lead to Tim David being dropped after contributing just one run in two innings in this series.

England squad: Phil Salt (c), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, John Turner

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis, Matt Short, Adam Zampa

Series so far

T20 1 of 3: Australia won by 28 runs
Australia – 179 (19.3)
England – 151 (19.2)

T20 2 of 3: England won by 3 wickets
Australia – 193/6 (20)
England – 194/7 (19)

© PA Photos

We say: Australia to win

Australia’s batting lineup put on another impressive display in the last match, but their bowlers, particularly with the new ball, were poor against the English top order and failed to make an impact during the middle overs when brought back into the attack.

England enter this match with momentum on their side, but their performance in Cardiff was still questionable at times, as they had to rely on the individual brilliance Liam Livingstone to get them over the line. If the Aussies can find their strike power with ball in hand in Manchester, we feel they will be able to edge the series.

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England selectors take the decision to drop Dan Lawrence – who opened during the recent games with Sri Lanka – for the Test series against Pakistan.

England batsman Dan Lawrence has been dropped from the 17-player squad for the upcoming Test series against Pakistan.

Having had to remain patient for another opportunity with his country, Lawrence was thrust into action for the recent triple-header versus Sri Lanka.

Although England posted a 2-1 series victory, losing the final fixture on Monday, not all of the batting contingent shown enough consistency to guarantee their place for the games that start next month.

Lawrence fell into that category, his three scores in the thirties being undermined by the same amount of single-digit contributions.

His 35 in the second innings against Sri Lanka at the Oval on Sunday was his highest score in his last 13 in all formats, stretching back into July.

With Zak Crawley having recovered from a broken finger, the first-choice opener returns to the fold along with captain Ben Stokes, who has also recently missed out with a hamstring injury.

© Imago

Who are the two Test rookies?

One of two uncapped players is no stranger to international cricket with Brydon Carse having already played in 14 one-day and three T20 matches.

The pace bowler has 15 wickets in the longer format, his best figures of 5-61 coming against Pakistan in 2021, while the 29-year-old also has best figures of 3-23 in the 20-over arena.

Meanwhile, batsman and wicket-keeper Jordan Cox is currently preparing to make his international bow in the T20 series against Australia which begins this week.

Cox, who is 23 years of age, averages 39.92 from 85 first-class appearances, already posting eight centuries with a best of 238*.

Another notable inclusion is that of spin bowler Jack Leach, the 33-year-old having not featured in an England shirt since the first Test against India in January.

Test squad in full:

Ben Stokes, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Bryson Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes

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Sports Mole previews the third and final Test match between England and Sri Lanka, scheduled to get underway on Friday at The Oval.

England will look to complete a clean sweep over Sri Lanka when the three-match Test series heads to the Oval for the final instalment, set to get underway on Friday morning.

The hosts sealed the series win against the Lions at Lord’s earlier this week, and with that victory, they now have the chance to record their first perfect Test summer for 20 years.

Match preview

© Imago

It will be a big week for English cricket, as not since 2004 when Michael Vaughan led the team to victories over New Zealand and West Indies, have the Three Lions won every Test in a home season.

However, they now have a chance to end the two-decade wait after a five-wicket haul from rising star Gus Atkinson and another masterclass performance from Joe Root secured the hosts the series victory against Sri Lanka.

Atkinson continued his Lord’s love affair by also scoring 190 runs, including his maiden first-class ton, to claim a fifth mention on the dressing room honours boards in just his second Test at the famous venue.

The all-rounder became only the third England cricketer, following in the footsteps of legends Tony Greig and Ian Botham, to score a century and take five wickets in the same Test match.

Root, meanwhile, equalled the record for the most centuries by an English cricketer in Test cricket (33) in the first innings before claiming the outright lead in the second, and he is now lining up to surpass Alastair Cook‘s record for the most Test runs by an English player ever.

However, while there is plenty to be optimistic about with England’s recent performances, there are questions being raised about stand-in captain Ollie Pope‘s suitability at number three after he managed just 18 runs in his two innings at Lord’s and 12 in the first Test in Manchester.

© Imago

Meanwhile, after giving England a tough challenge at Old Trafford, Sri Lanka’s performance unravelled at Lord’s, and the side were clearly second-best in the contest from day one.

Lions’ skipper Dhananjaya de Silva made a somewhat surprising decision to field under blue skies on the first day, and the side, evidently lacking a genuine strike seamer, struggled to make in-roads early in the match.

With the bat, Sri Lanka’s only in-form player Kamindu Mendis was again sent in at number seven in the first innings, and worse, at eight in the second innings, raising serious questions about the team’s tactics and decision-making.

Elsewhere, Nishan Madushka kept wicket for 102 overs and looked like a cheap early wicket waiting to happen when sent in at the top of the order. He eventually ended up adding just 20 runs across both innings.

In the end, chasing what would have been a record fourth-innings total of 483, the Sri Lankans were bowled out for 292 after tea on the fourth day, despite valiant fifties from Dinesh Chandimal (58), Dimuth Karunaratne (55) and De Silva (50).

Team News

© Reuters

England have made just one change to the squad that they sent out in the second Test, with Leicestershire seamer Josh Hull set to earn his debut for the Three Lions at the Oval.

Hull was originally called up to the squad last week in place of the injured Mark Wood and now comes into the side for Matthew Potts, who took just two wickets across both innings in the Lord’s Test.

For Sri Lanka, one of the biggest tasks will be figuring out how to dismiss Root, who has handled the likes of Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara with relative ease over the first two Tests.

In this match, the Lions may have to consider bringing in a fifth specialty bowler after Mendis was given a three-over spell in the first innings at Lord’s and went for 27 runs.

England squad: Ollie Pope (c), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes,

Sri Lanka squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (vc), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake

Series so far

Test 1 of 3: England won by 5 wickets
Sri Lanka – 236 & 326
England – 358 & 205/5

Test 2 of 3: England won by 190 runs
England – 427 & 251
Sri Lanka – 196 & 292

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

Given the form of the likes of Root and Atkinson, combined with the lack of spark shown by the visitors in the first two matches, we feel England will wrap up this series with another victory and record their first perfect Test summer for 20 years.

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Sports Mole previews the third Test match between England and the West Indies, scheduled to get underway on Friday at Edgbaston.

England will be looking to complete a clean sweep in the three-match series when they take on the West Indies in the final Test at Edgbaston, which gets underway on Friday morning.

The hosts have dominated the series so far, winning the first Test by 114 runs and an innings to spare, before wrapping up the second by 241 runs on day four of the match at Trent Bridge.

Match preview

© Reuters

It has now been two years since Jonny Bairstow‘s blistering century led England to an excellent run-chase victory against New Zealand and marked the birth of what has since been dubbed Bazball.

At the time, Ben Stokes and newly-appointed head coach Brendon McCullum were tasked with revitalising England Test cricket, having inherited a team that had won only one of its last 17 matches.

While many still question the effectiveness of the new-found approach, given the side have drawn with New Zealand and Australia and lost in India since then, major positive signs are emerging, with the victory at Trent Bridge marking England’s first full series win since December 2022.

That victory took Stokes to a win rate of 61% since assuming captaincy, which is the third-highest percentage in Test history among captains who have led their country in at least 25 games, only behind Australian legends Steve Waugh (72%) and Ricky Ponting (62%).

England also made history in the last match, scoring 400 runs for the first time ever in both innings of a Test match. Additionally, Joe Root became the highest run scorer in Test cricket among active players with his century in the second innings, and he is now just 60 runs away from completing 12,000 runs in red-ball cricket.

If Root manages to score those 60 runs in the third Test, which will be his 143rd game, he will be the seventh batsman in history to score 12,000 runs in the longest format and will become the fastest Englishman to reach this milestone, surpassing Alastair Cook, who achieved the feat in 161 matches.

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While the first Test marked the end of an era, with James Anderson playing his final match for his country, new bowling stars have already begun to emerge in Gus Atkinson and Shoaib Bashir, the latter of whom became the first spin bowler since 2006 to take five wickets in a Test match at Trent Bridge.

The England off-spinner tore through the Windies’ middle order, which had performed brilliantly in the first innings, leaving Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze with distinctly different emotions in the second innings.

The pair of diminutive Dominicans gave the West Indies momentum, and a classy 82* from Joshua Da Silva propelled the team to a first-innings lead and their first 450+ score in a decade, but they had no answer for the 20-year-old Bashir in the final innings of the match.

Indeed, the second Test was made a much tighter affair by the Maroons but England still emerged victorious by 241 runs after bowling West Indies out for 143 in the second innings.

West Indies’ second-innings collapse highlighted England’s skill with the ball on home turf, but there were still many positives for Jason Holder‘s men as they aim to get on the series scoreboard in Birmingham.

Team News

© Reuters

While Root stole most of the headlines in the second Test, Harry Brook also turned in an excellent performance, scoring 109 off 132 balls in the second innings, marking his first Test century on home soil.

McCullum may also use this opportunity to experiment with his side’s post-Anderson bowling attack, which could see a change in their starting seamers, potentially opening the door for Matthew Potts or the uncapped Dillon Pennington to make the starting 11.

Given the improvement made in the second Test, the West Indies are likely to remain unchanged for this match, with Hodge and Athanaze looking to improve on their career-best figures from the last match.

The only squad change for this one will be the exclusion of fast bowler Jeremiah Louis due to an injury. The 28-year-old did not feature in the first two matches and will be replaced by Akeem Jordan for the final fixture of the series.

England squad: Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Dillon Pennington, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Akeem Jordan, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair

Series so far

Test 1 of 3 – England won by an innings and 114 runs
West Indies – 121 & 136
England – 371

Test 2 of 3: England won by 241 runs
England – 416 & 425
West Indies – 457 & 143

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

Despite putting up a much better performance in the second Test, we feel the West Indies will struggle to avoid a series clean sweep.

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Sports Mole previews the second Test match between England and the West Indies, scheduled to get underway on Thursday at Trent Bridge.

After cruising to victory in the opening Test at Lord’s, England will endeavour to wrap up the series when they face the West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge starting on Thursday.

The visitors, meanwhile, will attempt to bounce back and level the three-match series before heading into the final Test at Edgbaston scheduled for July 26 to July 30.

Match preview

© Reuters

There will have been many Test cricket lovers looking forward to a full five days of action between these two cricketing rivals in the first match, but England made light work of their West Indian counterparts as they won by innings and 114 runs, completing the rout barely an hour into the third day at Lord’s.

It was a particularly memorable series for seamers James Anderson and Gus Atkinson, with the former ended his legendary international career on a high as the latter made an immediate impact with a player-of-the-match display on his Three Lions’ debut.

Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker, took three second-innings wickets in his 188th and final Test to finish with a total of 704 – third on cricket’s all-time list behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia’s Shane Warne (708). The 41-year-old had the chance to take the winning wicket, but the fairytale moment went begging as he dropped a caught-and-bowled chance off Gudakesh Motie.

Atkinson, meanwhile, impressively claimed match figures of 12-106 – the best for an England debutant in 134 years. The 26-year-old Surrey seamer became the first England player since Alec Bedser back in 1946 to take 10 wickets on his home Test debut, with his 7-45 in the first innings followed up by 5-61 in the second.

While England’s bowlers stole the headlines, head coach Brendon McCullum will have taken positives from his side’s batting display. Although they once again failed to reach the desired 400-mark, the Three Lions were all out for 371 in their first and only innings, with five players scoring at least 50 runs – Zak Crawley the top scorer with 76 from 89 balls.

A similarly dominant display in the second Test will be the aim for England, who have only won two of their previous six Tests at Trent Bridge and just one of their last nine at the same ground against the West Indies – a nine-wicket win with more than a day to spare back in 2012.

© Reuters

Although there were occasional bright spells from the West Indies in the first Test – particularly with the ball as Jayden Seales took four wickets while debutant Mikyle Louis produced a stunning throw to run out Shoaib Bashir for a duck – there was a notable gulf between the two sides with the bat.

West Indies struggled to cope with the pace of England’s seamers and were bundled out for just 121 in the first innings, with only three players scoring more than 20 runs. Their batting display barely improved in the second innings as they were bowled out for 136, with Gudakesh Motie finishing as their top scorer with 31 runs from 35 balls, including five fours.

Head coach Andre Coley has suggested that his inexperienced side have learned from the heavy defeat, stating that the ‘process’ they went through was ‘a lot more powerful’ than the result itself, and there was plenty to take away from his team’s performance.

Coley has also encouraged his players to channel the resilience shown in their two-match series with Australia earlier this year, in which they claimed a famous victory by just eight runs at The Gabba to tie the series having previously been thrashed by 10 wickets in the first Test.

West Indies head into Thursday’s contest looking to win their first Test match in England since July 2020 when they won by four wickets at the Rose Bowl before going on to lose the three-match series 2-1.

Team News

© Reuters

England have confirmed that fast bowler Mark Wood has been added to their squad for the second Test. The 34-year-old missed the first Test after representing the Three Lions at the T20 World Cup in June.

Wood takes the place vacated by the retired Anderson and is one of three seamers along with Durham teammate Matthew Potts and Nottinghamshire’s uncapped Dillon Pennington battling for a spot in the first XI – the latter is eyeing up a debut on his home ground.

Jamie Smith is set to keep his place after notching up an impressive 70 runs as a lower middle-order batman on his Test debut in the first innings, as well as taking four catches behind the stumps, while fellow debutant Shoaib Bashir could also be given a second chance despite the 20-year-old off-spinner not bowling a single ball in the first Test.

As for the West Indies, they are set to make a late call on the fitness of fast bowler Shamar Joseph who suffered stiffness in his left hamstring during the first Test.

Mikyle Louis made his Test debut last time out, becoming the first man from St Kitts to play Test cricket for the West Indies, and after showing signs of promise with the bat – albeit scoring only 41 runs across two innings – he should continue as an opener along with captain Kraigg Brathwaite.

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Dillon Pennington, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Jeremiah Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair

Series so far

First Test: England won by an innings and 114 runs
West Indies 121 all out (41.4 overs)
England 371 all out (90 overs)
West Indies 136 all out (47 overs)

© PA Photos

We say: England to win

The unpredictability of England means that West Indies cannot be ruled out of this contest entirely, but if the first Test is anything to go by, the Three Lions should once again have the strength, particularly in the bowling department, to secure a victory and wrap up the series.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup final between South Africa and India, scheduled to be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.

After 54 matches across a month of non-stop white-ball cricket action, South Africa and India have emerged as sides that will face off in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Saturday afternoon.

The Kensington Oval in Barbados will play host to this grand spectacle, in which the Proteas will look to make history with a first-ever world title, while India have not lifted the trophy since the inaugural year of the competition, which was held in South Africa.

Match preview

© Reuters

South Africans would have been waking up for their workday around the same time that Reeza Hendricks struck the winning runs against Afghanistan, which brought an end to the side’s semi-final jinx, and kept the dream alive that the nation’s cricket team could be the latest to add to their sporting triumphs in the last few years.

It took the Proteas seven consecutive heartbreaking World Cup semi-final defeats to find the perfect performance in Tarouba on Wednesday, overcoming Afghanistan, who had already defied the odds by sending Australia packing from the competition in the Super Eight to book their first-ever appearance in the last four of a World Cup competition.

After losing the toss, Aiden Markram‘s side were asked to bowl and they were on the front foot from the very first over, when Marco Jansen dismissed the tournament’s top-scorer Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck, before clean-bowling Gulbadin Naib in his second over with just 16 runs on the board for the Blue Tigers.

However, it was not just Jansen that got the best from the surface which provided ample assistance for the bowlers, as Kagiso Rabada also bagged 2/14, Anrich Nortje took 2/7 in three overs and mystery spinner Tabraiz Shamsi mopped up the tail, finishing with 3/6 in 11 balls.

South Africa bowled their opponents out for 56 in 11.5 overs, which is now the lowest total by any team in a T20 World Cup semi-final. The victory also marked the Protea’s eighth consecutive win in the shortest format – now the joint-longest winning streak for a team at the T20 World Cup, and the first time the side have ever won eight-in-a-row in T20Is, period.

When these two cricketing giants crossed paths at the 2022 edition of this tournament in Australia, the Proteas claimed a five-wicket victory. However, the Men in Blue have historically been the more successful in this fixture, winning 14 of the previous 26 matches, while South Africa have won 11 and one ended in a no result.

© Reuters

Meanwhile, India reserved their most emphatic performance of the tournament for their semi-final showdown where they exacted their revenge on England, who beat them in the very same match in the last World Cup, thanks to a record-breaking partnership between captain Jos Buttler and Alex Hales.

However, this time around, it was the Indian skipper who played the starring role, as Rohit Sharma put together a match-winning innings despite the early loss of Virat Kohli and the in-form Rishabh Pant, who was dismissed caught-behind off Sam Curran‘s bowling for just four runs in the sixth over.

Joined by Suryakumar Yadav at the crease, the two posted a workmanlike 73-run partnership between them, before Sharma was bamboozled by a stunning googly from Adil Rashid, which saw him head back to the pavilion for 57 of 39 balls, while Yadav went shortly after with 47 from 36 balls.

Defending 171/7, the spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav did the damage, taking six wickets between them, while Jasprit Bumrah knocked over the dangerous Phil Salt and Jofra Archer late on to finish with 2/12 in 2.4 overs, as England were bowled out 68 runs short of the target.

India finished as runners-up in this competition in 2014 and in the ODI World Cup last year, but they have undoubtedly been the pick of the sides in the tournament to this point, and are the bookmakers’ unanimous favourite to win the match and lift the title in Barbados on Saturday evening.

Team News

© Reuters

In an interview last week, Rob Walter was questioned about the form of Reeza Hendricks, to which he responded by saying that the 34-year-old’s best runs were yet to come, and the opener proved the head coach right in the last match.

South Africa will only hope that Quinton de Kock can find the form he showed at the top of the order in the Super Eight when he surged into the top 10 run-scorers in the competition with back-to-back half-centuries against the USA and England.

Given the Proteas’ performance with the ball in the last match, it is likely that Markram will maintain the same lineup with two specialist spinners, which will leave no place for Ottneil Baartman in the starting 11.

Virat Kohli scored just nine runs in the last match and only 75 in the tournament, but you can never write off the two-time T20 World Cup top-scorer, who has a knack for turning up in the most important games for his country.

Arshdeep Singh ended with a rare wicketless spell in the last match and is now two scalps behind the tournament’s leading bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi, who claimed the sole wicket of De Kock in the first semi-final.

India’s lineup is likely to feature three spinners in Patel, Yadav and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, while Hardik Pandya is expected to round off the three pace options, alongside Bumrah and Singh.

South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Series so far

South Africa

Match One: South Africa won by 6 wickets
Sri Lanka 77 (19.1)
South Africa – 80/4 (16.2)

Match Two: South Africa won by 4 wickets
Netherlands – 103/9 (20)
South Africa – 106/6 (18.5)

Match Three: South Africa won by 4 runs
South Africa – 113/6 (20)
Bangladesh – 109/7 (20)

Match Four: South Africa won by 1 run
South Africa – 115/7 (20)
Nepal – 114/7 (20)

Match Five: South Africa won by 18 runs
South Africa: 194/4 (20)
USA – 176/6 (20)

Match Six: South Africa won by 7 runs
South Africa – 163/6 (20)
England – 156/6 (20)

Match Seven: South Africa won by 3 wickets (DLS method)
West Indies – 135/8 (20)
South Africa 124/7 (16.1)

Match Eight: South Africa won by 9 wickets
Afghanistan – 56 (11.5)
South Africa – 60/1 (8.5)

India

Match One: India won by 8 wickets
Ireland – 96 (16)
India – 97/2 (12.2)

Match Two: India won by 6 runs
India – 119 (19)
Pakistan – 113/7 (20)

Match Three: India won by 7 wickets
USA – 110/8 (20)
India – 111/3 (18.2)

Match Four: No Result

Match Five: India won by 47 runs
India – 181/8
Afghanistan – 134 (20)

Match Six: India won by 50 runs
India – 196/5 (20)
Bangladesh – 146/8 (20)

Match Seven: India won by 24 runs
India – 205/5 (20)
Australia – 181/7 (20)

Match Eight: India won by 68 runs
India – 171/7 (20)
England – 103 (16.4)

© PA Photos

We say: South Africa to win

South African fans dare to dream of bringing an end to years of near-misses, while India followers from around the globe are preparing to see their heroes reclaim the top honour in the shortest format of white-ball cricket.

While India have been the better side in the tournament, South Africa have found a way to earn victories, often from very trying positions. In high-stakes matches like this, the underdog tag often helps take the pressure off the side wearing it, and we feel that could be the case for the Proteas in this one.

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