Browsing: tourists

Cricket

England in New Zealand: Third T20 abandoned after more rain as tourists win series

Severe weather has impacted flights and left thousands of people without power in New Zealand, though most of the disruption has come south of Auckland.

This series, which was always likely to be overshadowed by England’s build-up to the Ashes series starting next month, has been scheduled unusually early in New Zealand’s season.

Some may roll their eyes at the idea of Brook talking up time spent together off the field. England’s tendency to talk about playing golf frustrates some fans but Brook’s comments do come with merit.

Defeats and disappointing performances at the 2023 World Cup, the T20 World Cup in 2024 and the Champions Trophy earlier this year often left the mood around England’s white-ball squads downbeat under the latter part of Jos Buttler’s captaincy.

Some players opted to skip bilateral series for franchise opportunities, all while coach Brendon McCullum revitalised the Test side with their exciting ‘Bazball’ approach.

McCullum, who combined the role of white-ball coach with his Test duties at the start of the year, has regularly promoted a relaxed and fun environment among the Test group.

Before this tour England traveled to Queenstown, New Zealand’s adventure sports capital, for a team bonding trip with golf, of course, high on the agenda.

“We had a team bonding few days and spent a lot of time together, which the white-ball squad has never had,” added Brook.

“To be able to spend time together, trying to be good mates. We have had a lot of fun and having a lot of fun off the field can help you on the field as well.

“It has been very worthwhile.”

The win is a first overseas series victory for Brook as England’s white-ball captain. They have won seven of their eight completed T20s since he took charge of England’s white-ball sides in April in an encouraging start.

They will ultimately be judged at the T20 World Cup in February, however, and now have just three more matches – against co-hosts Sri Lanka from 30 January – before their campaign begins.

On Sunday (02:00 BST) they begin a three-match one-day international series against the Black Caps when Ashes players Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Jofra Archer and Jamie Smith join the squad, with Archer sitting out the first ODI to manage his workload before traveling to Australia.

The Ashes continues to loom large.

Source link

Cricket

England in New Zealand: Phil Salt & Harry Brook power tourists to victory in first T20

Brook was keen to stress before this series there would be no talk about next month’s Ashes series within his white-ball group, insisting his focus is on preparing for the T20 World Cup in February.

Whether that is true or not is irrelevant, any Brook runs are of benefit to both outfits.

Brook’s T20 international record is modest for a man of his talents – an average of 29 and five fifties in 50 innings – but this was one of his best knocks in either white-ball format as captain.

All his sixes were clean strikes over mid-wicket – three off the spin of Mitchell Santner and one each off seamers Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson – on the same surface his side struggled in the washed out first T20 on Saturday, but which had flattened out.

Salt’s knock follows scores of 89 against Ireland and 141 not out against South Africa in his six T20 innings since the start of September. He hit one six but 11 fours, targeting the covers and behind square on the leg side.

Salt and Brook both holed out in the 18th over after which Tom Banton’s cameo saw him finish unbeaten on 29 from 12 balls as England romped past the ground’s previous high score of 208-5.

Although Jos Buttler hit to mid-off for four and Jacob Bethell found mid-on having stuck four boundaries in a 12-ball 24, England’s T20 batting line-up is starting to take shape.

Source link

Cricket

England in Ireland: Jordan Cox leads tourists to T20 series win with half-century in Malahide

Before Salt quickly eradicated any doubt over Wednesday’s result, Ireland would have felt their 196 in the series opener represented a competitive total.

However, after England’s stand-in skipper Jacob Bethell again won the toss and put the hosts into bat, Sunday’s innings was a much more laboured affair.

With the heavy rain overnight ensuring a slower wicket, conditions were always going to make things more challenging with the bat.

But the variation and discipline of England’s bowling played its part too, with their spinners taking six of the eight wickets.

While opener Ross Adair produced 33 from 23 deliveries, before falling to the bowling of Rehan Ahmad in the first over after the powerplay, Ireland’s top order struggled to score at a rate of better than a run per ball.

It took an 123-run partnership from Loran Tucker and Harry Tector to settle things on Wednesday but Ireland were never able to find their rhythm in this series finale.

Only against Baker, whose first two overs brought 24 runs, could they accelerate their run-rate.

It took the arrival of Gareth Delany, who led the way with an unbeaten 48 off 29 deliveries from number, to improve matters – but even on the slower pitch, 155 never felt a total likely to be defended.

Source link

Pakistan vs. England: Jack Leach spins tourists to historic win in first Test on day five

England complete one of the more logic-defying victories in the history of Test cricket as Jack Leach seals a win in the first Test by an innings and 47 runs.

England have sealed an historic first-Test win over Pakistan, prevailing by an innings and 47 runs in Multan on Friday.

The hard work in a logic-defying contest was done in the previous four days, Ollie Pope‘s side responding to Pakistan’s 556 with a monumental reply of 823-7.

Although England held a 267-run lead, the flat pitch initially left a draw as the most likely outcome until the tourists ripped through the Pakistan top order during the final two-and-a-half hours on Thursday.

Resuming on 152-6, and with Abrar Ahmed absent through illness, Pakistan were left with the steepest of uphill tasks to bat out the day, and they showed resilience through Salman Agha and Aamer Jamal during the first hour of the final day.

However, once Jack Leach had removed Agha for 63, the writing was on the wall, and the veteran spin bowler would soon dismiss Shaheen Shah Afridi (10) and Naseem Shah (6) to seal a famous win for England and finish with figures of 4-30.

Jamal was left high and dry on 55 not out, the effort of himself and Agha to put together a seventh-wicket stand lasting 24.2 overs – the exact amount of time it took for England to take their first six wickets – the only positive that can be taken since they ended their first innings.

What did Pope have to say?

When speaking to BBC Test Match Special after the game, Pope was quick to praise Joe Root and Harry Brook, who scored 262 and 317 respectively as they put together a record-breaking 454-run stand for the fourth wicket.

That effort proved decisive in England becoming the first team to ever concede so many runs and manage to record an innings victory in the history of Test cricket.

Pope said: “Amazing. The way Rooty and Brooky batted was phenomenal. Coming off the field after the first innings we knew 550 was a lot of runs.

“We didn’t know how much [the pitch] was going to break up, but it held together pretty nicely and the boys cashed in. We had to find a way of taking wickets, as captain you have to try to get creative and set different plans.

“That was the main challenge for me trying to find a way of taking 10 wickets and being OK with them getting those runs and keeping your head if someone did get in.”

What next?

The second Test starts on Tuesday at the same ground, England having to make a decision on how to reintegrate captain Ben Stokes should he prove his fitness after a hamstring injury.

ID:555198:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4238: blank

Source link