Nottinghamshire batsman says he learned lessons from incident involving Ben Stokes and he is already making amends“It’s been a long few months,” says Alex Hales. England took a 2-0 lead in the ODI series at Brisbane, Hales pitching in with 57 in a four-wicket win. While the focus is on the 29-year-old’s return to international cricket, the interest is on his time away.For his part in September’s incident that has led to Ben Stokes and two others being charged with affray, Hales was suspended by the ECB for the final two summer ODIs against West Indies. In October, he learned he was not under investigation and began the process of getting on with life and cricket. That, in part, has...
A new challenge could revitalise Alastair Cook, wildcards in squads can help find the X-factor and the exits of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad must be staggeredThe search for Alastair Cook’s opening partner has overshadowed an even greater need to fill the most important batting position of all. James Vince, for all his seductive talent, is the antonym of a Test No3. There will be more calls for Joe Root to move up, though few captains have had long-term success in that position – Ricky Ponting is a spectacular exception – and there’s a reason why Steve Smith and Virat Kohli bat No4. Dawid Malan has the temperament and adaptability, though exposing him to high-class new-ball bowling might kill the...
England’s ODI captain knows how important it is to separate the red and white ball portions of this tour before the series against AustraliaOn a Melbourne February morning in 2014, Eoin Morgan was perched on a bench outside the England team hotel nursing a coffee. He looked refreshed, though in that typical Morgan way, where gauging his mood would be a fool’s lot. Morgan sat, supped and watched the world go by while, within the walls behind him, English cricket was falling over itself.The night before, England were thumped by eight wickets in a Twenty20 at the MCG – the penultimate match of the 2013-14 tour that eventually saw them register only one competitive win (the fourth ODI at Perth)...
Five-match series and a squad of fresh faces give the under-fire Trevor Bayliss the chance to demonstrate his coaching credentials The tour that seemingly never ends has reached the halfway stage. The travel time from England to Australia has been cut considerably from the two months spent on the seas during the 19th century but that has seemingly lent itself to a more relentless schedule. Sunday’s opener at the MCG begins England’s limited-overs bonanza of two five-match ODI series against Australia and New Zealand which sandwich a Twenty20 tri-series between the sides. All in the space of two months.Yet this period brings a palpable sense of relief. Even here, where they will watch Australia win at anything, there is a...
The dead rubbers were harder to enjoy but while English TV audiences were limited, the paying public in Australia lapped it up and the hosts will do likewiseAn enthralling Test finished on Monday, 7,000 miles from Sydney and six or so hours after the end of the 2017 Ashes. India and South Africa, the top two teams in the ICC’s world rankings, played out the endgame of a low-scoring, topsy-turvy tussle in Cape Town. Related: Trevor Bayliss assumes rather a lot in choosing when to depart England | Andy Bull Continue reading...