The selectors pick their touring party to Australia this week, a task made tougher by losses of fitness and form among key contendersThe selectors meet and decide their Ashes squad this week – the names of England’s tourists will be announced at 10am on Wednesday – and maybe they deserve some sympathy. Their task is tricky and familiar to anyone who has agonised for hours over a jigsaw puzzle only to discover that there are some key pieces missing.Those selectors have already been in the firing line from Durham’s chairman, Sir Ian Botham, who is enraged by the way so many of his county’s talented cricketers are heading south in pursuit of greener, First Division pastures. Botham has hinted that...
Selectors have plenty to ponder for Australia with batting issues, such as whether Joe Root will come in at No3, and a fast- bowling pack lacking varietyThe handbrake on Ashes speculation has been released with the conclusion of the Test series against West Indies. This may not be a good thing but it is inevitable. Even Trevor Bayliss, usually so wary about looking too far ahead, seems eager to enter the fray with observations about who he would prefer to bat at three and the likely provenance of the tour party. After the Lord’s Test he said the squad was likely to comprise only players chosen in the past 18 months, which is bad news for any blind-side runners around...
Wicketkeeper-batsman farmed tail expertly to score 99 against South Africa and claimed 100th victim behind stumps to underline balance he brings to the sideJonny Bairstow farmed the strike with England’s tail so superbly on the second morning here at Old Trafford that the wicketkeeper from the other side of the Pennines could well be challenging Alastair Cook as the team’s most agriculturally inclined cricketer.Though he fell one run short of what would have been a fourth Test century, the Yorkshireman’s impact on this series finale could well prove the decisive blow against a South Africa side that finished 220 for nine by stumps, trailing by 142 runs and looking ever more ready for the airport. Related: Jimmy Anderson and Jonny...
Australian cricketers have a history of taking on their board over money but this time it seems they are making a stand for those further down the ladderSo let’s unpack the sun cream, cancel the Melbourne Christmas party and stop studying our Aussie phrase books because the Ashes may never happen this winter. David Warner, no-nonsense opening batsman, has morphed into a no-nonsense Scargillian spokesman in the dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (the players union).“If it gets to the extreme they might not have a team for the Ashes,” said Warner, who speaks as forthrightly as he bats. “We won’t buckle at all; we are standing together and very strong.” Related: Australian Cricketers' Association responds to...
The 30th anniversary of England’s all-conquering Ashes tour and the side’s rapid descent into disarray is a reminder of how fast fortunes can change in cricketFor all the sixes and the promises of a brave new dynamic world, England’s Asian expedition has not suggested much progress; nor has it produced many wins. Before Christmas there was victory in the ODIs against Bangladesh followed by a drawn Test series, which produced the most captivating contests of the winter.In India, after an encouraging first Test in Rajkot there were four defeats of increasing inevitability. Then in January England lost the ODI series even though their lowest score in three games was 321 for eight in Kolkota, where they won; this must be...