And that’s yer lot. New Zealand bid a tearful farewell, and the next time the over-by-over will be in action it’ll be England v Australia. The Ashes start on July 8 at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Gulp.
Well played @ECB_cricket and thanks for a wonderful time over here. Look forward to coming back soon #engvnz ^CE
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 23, 2015
So then, ta-ra New Zealand, who have been very splendid indeed in a sadly brief tour, with two splendid tests, a splendid ODI series and a splendid Twenty20. Splendid all round, well done indeed to everyone involved.
Well, that was a terrific comeback from England, after some fearful pounding in the early overs. They were helped by a few daft shots from New Zealand, who lost their final five wickets for just four runs, which is pretty desperate - to go from 95-3 in the 10th over to 135 all out in the 17th is....not so good.
Updated
ENGLAND WIN BY 56 RUNS
WICKET! McClenaghan c Bairstow b Willey 0 (1) - New Zealand 135 all out
McClenaghan clearly has a Saved By The Bell reunion to get to, as he tries a reverse sweep that merely catches a top edge and loops to Bairstow, who takes the most comfortable of catches.
WICKET! N.McCullum c Finn b Willey 3 (9) - New Zealand 135-9
Last rites for New Zealand now, as McCullum tries to create something with a lap sweep, but laps it only to Finn at short fine-leg.
Updated
16th over: New Zealand 134-8 (N.McCullum 3, Henry 0) - target 192
McCullum misses with a big swing and the ball takes a coat of paint from off stump. He then hooks at one that is stopped superbly on the ropes by a diving Willey, misses a slower ball, then hits another to long-on for a single.
The last ten balls: W . W W | . . .2 . 1
15th over: New Zealand 131-8 (N.McCullum 0, Henry 0) - target 192
What an over for England.
WICKET! Southee c Morgan b Wood 0 (1) - New Zealand 131-8
Three wickets for no runs in the over! Southee hammers his first ball, but straight to Morgan at mid-off who makes a fairly sharp catch look easy.
Updated
WICKET! Williamson run out (Willey) 57 (37) - New Zealand 131-7
Big, huge, massive wicket as Nathan McCullum desperately tries to get Williamson back on strike, takes a suicide single and Willey throws down the stumps. Brilliant innings from Williamson, that could be the match.
Updated
WICKET! Santner b Wood 9 (13) - New Zealand 131-6
Mark Wood has dismounted the imaginary horse and is in to bowl, Williamson taking three from his first two balls. The rate is creeping, creeping, creeping up now, and that’s possibly why Santner takes a big hoy across the line at a straight one, he misses and the ball smacks into off stump.
Updated
14th over: New Zealand 128-5 (Santner 9, Williamson 54) - target 192
Finn/the tall thick one off of the Inbetweeners has the ball, and flummoxes Santner with a slower short ‘un. A similar ball is nailed out towards Stokes, but falls just short of the man at deep mid-wicket. The final ball, outside off, is slapped towards the deep point boundary, but Billings does well to stop it, particularly after almost running past it, an iffy bounce nearly doing for the fielder.
13th over: New Zealand 123-5 (Santner 6, Williamson 52) - target 192
A pair of singles, the latter of which brings up a 50 for Williamson. A couple more, then Santner goes for a big slog-sweep hoik that falls just short of Stokes in the deep, before Williamson gets less on a dab than was anticipated, but still collects one. Six singles from the over.
Meanwhile, here’s the worst collection of things in the world.
Sting singing Every Breath You Take exclusively on the @MailOnline yacht at #CannesLion. Amazing. pic.twitter.com/eCu2o7Nydy
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 23, 2015
Updated
12th over: New Zealand 117-5 (Santner 3, Williamson 49) - target 192
Delightful shot from a delightful batsman, as the delightful Williamson drives delightfully through the covers for four, Delightful. He then plays a slightly less aesthetically delightful but equally effective shot, carving a full wide one over point for another four. And again, this time one dragged shorter that Williamson flicks with minimal effort and to the fine-leg boundary. Three boundaries, three solid defensive strokes, and that would do for New Zealand from here.
11th over: New Zealand 105-5 (Santner 3, Williamson 37) - target 192
Santner hits a couple with a back-foot push, then flips a single round the corner off his knees. Williamson almost falls over playing a pull from a shortish one by Rashid, for which he merely takes a single, and that’s a decent over from Rashid - just four from it.
10th over: New Zealand 101-5 (Santner 0, Williamson 36) - target 192
New Zealand in danger of imploding here. Mitchell Santner the new man at the crease.
WICKET! Ronchi c Bairstow b Stokes 5 (4) - New Zealand 101-5
Slip in now for Ronchi, but he stands and watches the first ball zip through the covers with a delightful drive for four. The next is another drive that is halted by the cover sweeper and they get just the one, then Williamson dabs another, before Ronchi tries a ramp shot that he only succeeds it flapping straight up in the air, and Bairstow takes a comfortable catch.
Updated
WICKET! Munro b Stokes 1 (2) - New Zealand 95-4
Looks like the only way England will win this is with plenty of wickets, and they get one donated as Munro plays a brainless hoik across the line, misses and Stokes breaks the top of off stump.
Updated
9th over: New Zealand 95-3 (Munro 1, Williamson 35) - target 192
Williamson cuts a four that the fielder at point anticipated and moved according to his hunch...alas his hunch was in completely the wrong direction. Munro gets a single off the last ball of the over.
WICKET! Taylor c Willey b Rashid 17 (13) - New Zealand 89-3
But McCourt isn’t laughing now, as Taylor smacks one straight up in the air off the returning Rashid, and Willey sets himself for the catch.
Updated
8th over: New Zealand 88-2 (Taylor 17, Williamson 29) - target 192
Here’s Ben Stokes, but there’s no change in the superbly-worked singles/flow of boundaries thing, the latter of which comes as Williamson guides a drive just over mid-off and to the fence. And then calamity, as Taylor edges a simple chance through to Bairstow, Stokes starts celebrating but the ball hit the end of the keeper’s finger and is grassed. In the Guardian office, Irishman Ian McCourt laughs, showing a despicable lack of solidarity to his countryman Eoin Morgan.
Updated
7th over: New Zealand 82-2 (Taylor 16, Williamson 24) - target 192
Finn gets another bowl, and tries a few of those slower balls that worked out quite nicely for New Zealand. Not much use as Taylor slaps one of those tennis shot pull things in front of mid-wicket for four, then they pick up two after throw off the stumps falls into no-man’s land.
6th over: New Zealand 73-2 (Taylor 8, Williamson 23) - target 192
As well as smacking the thing, New Zealand are running for everything at the moment. Three rapid singles, all from balls that go either straight to or just wide of fielders, are taken, before Williamson plays a neat clip off his knees and it goes fine for four. They’re cantering to this target at the moment.
5th over: New Zealand 64-2 (Taylor 5, Williamson 17) - target 192
Adil Rashid has the ball, and is driven for four with a full wide one, then Williamson puts the ball in almost exactly the same spot from a shorter, wide one. Two come from a flick around the corner to fine leg, before they take an extremely risky single to point, Taylor just getting in as Wood’s throw misses the stumps. Taylor then goes on the lap sweep and it gets past the despairing dive of Hales at short fine leg and goes for four. A single from the last ball and that’s a very expensive start for Rashid.
Updated
4th over: New Zealand 48-2 (Taylor 0, Williamson 6) - target 192
Bit of luck there for Wood, but a decent ball to end the over, Ross Taylor the new batsman.
WICKET! McCullum b Wood 35 (15) - New Zealand 48-2
Mark Wood comes into the attack, and McCullum makes short work of the first ball, coming down the track and launching it over wide long-on for another six, before hitting another with an extraordinary upper-cut effort over the covers. What. A. Shot. Wood calms the scoring down with a couple of yorkers, one of which is squeezed away for a single, Williamson dabs another, before a yorker aimed at McCullum’s toes flicks off a thick outside edge and smacks into off stump.
Updated
3rd over: New Zealand 34-1 (B.McCullum 22, Williamson 5) - target 192
Woof! McCullum gets plenty of a shot straight down the ground, which of course sails over the boundary for six. A leg-bye, then Williamson collects two from a very nicely-placed back-foot push through the covers, then Rashid saves Willey some embarrassment with a good stop at short fine leg from a flicked shot off a terrible ball down leg.
Updated
2nd over: New Zealand 23-1 (B.McCullum 15, Williamson 2) - target 192
Williamson pushes another single, before McCullum welts another four, this time over point. He nearly chops on next up, before coming down the track and clearing mid-wicket with an enormous hoy for six. Then there’s a risky single that would’ve been a run-out had Roy’s throw not gone nearer the middle of the pitch than the stumps. All happening, as you might imagine.
1st over: New Zealand 11-1 (B.McCullum 4, Williamson 1) - target 192
Williamson gets off the mark first up with a clip off his toes, then McCullum does what McCullum does (which actually this summer is not score as many runs as he should), but this time wallops the thing over mid-off and to the boundary. The next ball beats McCullum’s outside edge, and that’s quite the eventful over to kick off with.
WICKET! Guptill b Willey 6 (3) - New Zealand 6-1
Guptil starts the reply by cracking a short and wide one through the covers and to the fence, then jabs a nice late cut just past point for another couple. Good start for New Zealand...but it doesn’t last as Willey gets one to cut back and sends Guptill’s leg stump halfway to Chorlton.
Updated
The teams are out. Brendon McCullum and big Martin Guptill to bat, and it looks like David Willey will bowl the first over.
Whatever gets people through the night...
Meanwhile, on Facebook. pic.twitter.com/lLooMpQfTJ
— Ashley Connick (@AshleyConnick) June 23, 2015
Solid...
Joe Root v NZ this summer: 98,84,1,0,104,6,54,106*,4,68.
— John Westerby (@johnwesterby) June 23, 2015
Some between innings listening...
Decent batting that from England, although they did get a big bogged down at various points. That was largely thanks to some good bowling from New Zealand though, who spotted that taking the pace off the ball was the way to go.
Interestingly, as dusk settles over Manchester, some of the New Zealand fielders were having difficulty picking up the ball as it came towards them. One to watch out for, there.
England set New Zealand 192 to win
20th over: England 187-7 (Rashid 7, Stokes 24)
Henry to bowl the last over, and Stokes nails a four through the covers, before Williamson stops another with a brilliant diving stop at point. Rashid then does splendidly to open the face and skew a four past short third man, before getting a single from an attempt at the same shot that goes straight to the fielder. Stokes leaves a bouncer that he thinks is a wide, but no dice there, before Stokes ends the innings by hitting a similar ball for four.
19th over: England 177-7 (Rashid 2, Stokes 15)
Southee sends down a wide, before Stokes gets it past short fine-leg with a thickish inside-edge, at least having the decency to look vaguely embarrassed by the whole affair. Then another thick edge, this time on the outside edge, brings a single, and Rashid clips a couple out to wide long-on. The stadium DJ makes McClenaghan feel at home by playing 1995 hit single ‘Common People’.
WICKET! Willey c Santner b Southee 6 (3) - England 169-7
Southee’s bowling, and Stokes damn near brains the square-leg umpire with a pull that whistles past his ear on its way to the boundary. A single jabbed out to the cover ropes, then Willey - who has changed his bat after two balls and one hit - belts it high in the air, and Santner takes a catch from a steepler.
Updated
18th over: England 164-6 (Willey 6, Stokes 5)
These slower balls are working out quite nicely for New Zealand, as Stokes misses one then mis-times another for a single. Ah, but see the secret is to just wait for those and cream them over mid-wicket for six, which is exactly what Willey does. Good work that man.
Updated
WICKET! Root c Guptill b McClenaghan 68 (46) - England 157-6
McClenaghan takes a break from his This Life marathon to bang in a slower-ball bouncer thing, which Stokes waits for and pulls for a single. Then a bouncer is too high and is called a wide, before Root tries to launch a cut over point, but doesn’t get nearly enough of it and the ball loops out to Guptill on the cover fence, and he pouches a relatively simple catch.
Updated
17th over: England 155-5 (Root 68, Stokes 3)
Southee’d bowling again, round the wicket to Root, and he gets away with a leg-stump full-toss that is punched for a single to deep backward square. Stokes drives nicely out to the cover sweeper for a couple, then late-cuts a single to third man. Root sweeps to fine leg who fumbles, and the batsman ignore the first rule of village cricket by running on the misfield...but get away with both it and two runs. Next up is one of those extraordinary reverse-paddle things from way outside leg, which flies past short third-man for four.
16th over: England 145-5 (Root 61, Stokes 0)
Stokes is in to give it some proper tap...but not until the next over as they crossed while the ball was aerial. Root punches a single to end the over.
WICKET! Billings c Ronchi b McClenaghan 21 (11) - England 144-5
Here’s Mitchell ‘Global Hypercolour’ McClenaghan again, and Root treats him as well as the music press treated ‘Be Here Now’, dismissively pulling him behind square for four. A single out to the fielder in the deep, before Billings fully turns around and tries a left-handed shot that he misses completely. Sticking with the standard right-hander, he slaps a couple out to wide mid-on, before charging down the pitch and welting the thing almost straight up in the air, and Ronchi pouches the catch.
Updated
15th over: England 137-4 (Root 55, Billings 19)
Root moves to 50 by nailing one through mid-wicket, a shot that eludes the diving fielder out there, then plays an identical shot that goes to an identical spot for an identical number of runs. A swept single, then Billings gets in on things with a sort of chipped, well-timed effort down the ground and to the fence. Four more from the next ball, with a slapped effort over cow corner, before he murders a rancid full-toss over the same spot. Consider the wriggle well and truly on.
Updated
14th over: England 114-4 (Root 46, Billings 5)
More singles - England can’t quite get it away as they’d like, here, although New Zealand have bowled nicely. Billings goes for a scoop that should bring him two, but he fell over going for the first - getting up via a perfectly-executed commando roll, textbook stuff. Six from the over, and England need to get a bit of a wriggle on here.
13th over: England 108-4 (Root 43, Billings 2)
Root dashes through for a rapid couple, before sweeping a single out to fine leg. Billings’ first shot is a reverse sweep that turns well down leg, the umpire rules that he hit it, even though he was about six inches away from it, so he gets the run but England miss out on a wide. Another couple of singles end the over.
12th over: England 102-4 (Root 39, Billings 0)
Sam Billings - or Biff from Back To The Future as he might also be known, is the new man. Root spanks a single out to the cover sweeper, where Taylor pauses between enjoying some banter, together, with the crowd over that side to field.
WICKET! Morgan c Taylor b Henry 4 (6) - England 101-4
Morgan drives, sort of in the air, down to long-off for another single - singles, singles, singles. Oh, until Root gets hold of one, a slapped pull well in front of mid-wicket that dances its way to the ropes. He tries a big reverse sweep, aiming over point, but doesn’t get it right and only collects a single out to the cover sweeper. Then Morgan aims for the stands over mid-wicket, but mishits and Ross Taylor dashes in from the fence to take a nice catch.
Updated
11th over: England 95-3 (Root 33, Morgan 3)
Morgan thick inside-edges a single, Root bunts another down the ground, before McCullum makes a frightful balls of a ball that goes well down leg, and skips away for four wides. A couple of singles, and that’s all from a reasonably-bowled over...although ten came from it.
Updated
10th over: England 85-3 (Root 31, Morgan 0)
Matt Henry has the ball, and Root cuts him for a single, then a leg-bye brings him back onto strike and he tries a remarkable swatted thing that doesn’t really go anywhere. The next try at a similar shot does, mind, flapped over wide mid-on and to the boundary.
9th over: England 79-3 (Root 26, Morgan 0)
Excellent over and an excellent spell from Santner, who ends with 2-28 from his four overs.
WICKET! Bairstow b Santner 1 (2) - England 79-3
Interestingly Jonny Bairstow has come in ahead of Morgan and indeed Benjamin Stokes. He and Root exchange singles, then Santner bowls an absolute ripper to Bairstow, pitching on about middle then turning away to beat the edge and clip the top of middle and off. Brilliant delivery, that.
Updated
WICKET! Hales c B.McCullum b Santner 27 (23) England 76-2
Santner up for his fourth and final over, and Hales goes big straight away, but skews the thing high in the air. It looks like it might drop safely, but the skipper runs around to take a nice catch.
Updated
8th over: England 76-1 (Root 24, Hales 27)
Southee continues, and a trio of singles into the leg side start things off. Then Root shuffles across as if to play a scoop, but as the ball goes too far wide of off he changes his mind halfway through and gets four with an extraordinary late cut. He’s quite something, this wee lad. A couple more singles end the over, nine from it.
Updated
7th over: England 67-1 (Root 18, Hales 24)
Brindin calls on brother Nithin to offer some more control with some spin. Hales punches a single down the ground, Root does the same, another single off Hales’ toes, before Root cuts in front of square for two. Another couple of singles, and that is a bit more control, as requested.
6th over: England 60-1 (Root 14, Hales 21)
Southee into the attack, and Root pulls a couple in front of square, before a slashing, almost Dhoni-esque helicopter cut shot with his bat ending up pointing towards third man on the follow-through, goes for four. Then it’s an arrow-straight six down the ground, a missile of a shot that fires into the boundary boards, before he tries an extraordinary reverse-sweep thing - off Southee, you’ll remember - only brings a leg-bye. They scamper a single from the final ball, and the power play ends with England going at 10 an over.
5th over: England 46-1 (Root 2, Hales 20)
Santner continues, and has a big lbw shout against a sweeping Hales, but it hit him about a stump outside off. The next sweep brings two out to deep mid-wicket, then a single down the ground, Root does the same, then Hales steps away and jabs a low full-toss square, just in front of point and to the fence. And Santner’s otherwise good over ends as Hales finally connects with one of those sweeps, launching the ball over fine leg for six, six, six. Well, just one six actually.
Updated
4th over: England 32-1 (Root 1, Hales 7)
McClenaghan drops short and wide to Hales, and the ball is given the appropriate treatment, cut mercilessly for four. He then misses a clip off the pads and they scamper through for a single, Root makes solid contact on a drive but can only get one to mid-off, before the over ends as Hales misses a slower ball, and they sneak a bye.
Ian Copestake writes: “Concerning the VAT plight of Eynsham CC, do you know if they have set up a crowd funding site/appeal to stave off closure? There would be willing contributors if so.”
Not sure. Anyone know?
3rd over: England 25-1 (Root 0, Hales 2)
Joe Rooooooooooot is the new man.
Updated
WICKET! Roy run out (Williamson) 23 (13) - England 25-1
Hales pushes a single off Santner, who then drops short to Roy who plays a slightly ungainly cut, taking his bottom hand off it, but it still scooches away for four. Roy then gets a huge top-edge on a sweep but gets away with it, as Munro dashes frantically back from square-leg but can’t quite get there, despite an impressive effort. Hales tries to drop a single to the covers and they come through for a quick single, but they aren’t quite quick enough, the throw from Williamson getting Roy just short of his ground at the keeper’s end.
Updated
2nd over: England 17-0 (Roy 16, Hales 1)
Mitchell McClenaghan, with his haircut comin’ atcha straight from 1998, will bowl from the other end. Roy greets him with an utterly extraordinary shot, taking a step or two down the track before launching the ball into the top deck of the stand. He tries it again the next ball but only gets two via a thick inside edge that time, then McClenaghan keeps him in check with a slower bouncer that Roy hopes will be called a wide, but no dice there. The over concludes with another big ‘un, this time straight down the ground, but for six again. Powerful, effortless batting from Roy.
Updated
1st over: England 3-0 (Roy 2, Hales 1)
Couple of dots first up for Santner, then Roy comes down the track to attempt a hoik over mid-on, but gets a leading edge that drops just short of point. Hales then gets off the mark with a neat clip out to deep mid-wicket, before a third single comes from a push to long-off by Roy. Good start by Santner.
Alex Hales and Jason Roy will open for England, and Mitchell Santner has the ball for New Zealand. Let us play.
Updated
Just enough time before the game starts to read the latest edition of The Spin, by the ever-excellent Andy Bull. Sign up here.
Eynsham CC in Oxfordshire is a club like hundreds of others, and like hundreds of others, the problems it faces are a little more prosaic than the ones that preoccupy those of us who watch, play, and run the professional game. They’re not fretting about over rates, England’s spinner for the summer, or pirate video streams (“the biggest danger to cricket”, according to ECB president Giles Clarke). Typically, at Eynsham the challenges are much the same as they always have been: collecting subs, preparing teas, and maintaining the ground. Until earlier this year, that is. Eynsham have been saddled with a £35,344.47 VAT bill from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. They can’t pay it. And unless they win their appeal, they will be shut down. Eynsham CC are fighting for survival, and losing.
I say Eynsham is a club much like hundreds of others, but there is one little difference. The club is in the Witney constituency of David Cameron. His house is a short drive up Cuckoo Lane. Now Cameron is, they say, genuinely keen on cricket. It’s his game. Peter Oborne, who used to play with Cameron “before he was famous”, has described himas an “expansive middle-order batsman”, who liked to “strike across the line”, and a bowler “able to deliver an accurate, probing delivery” off a “longish run-up”.
Oborne remembers how the prime minister would stay behind after matches to thank the tea ladies, stack the deckchairs, and pick up the litter. “To sum up,” Oborne wrote, “David Cameron was nothing exceptional as a cricketer. What made him stand out was his instinctive understanding that the local cricket games we used to play were an essential part of society.” As they are at Eynsham. The club runs two XIs, firsts and seconds, as well as midweek and youth teams. Each Thursday, they host one set of nets for children from the primary school over the road, and each Friday they have another for the older kids. They run a series of summer sports camps during the holidays, and once every season they hold a benefit match in honour of a local fireman who was killed in a road accident.
Paul Farbrace is being interviewed on telly. He sounds like a normal human being, talking like a normal human would rather than off ECB talking point cue cards, and for all one can sympathise with the way his sacking was handled, that’s not something you can say about Peter Moores.
The teams
England
JJ Roy, AD Hales, JE Root, EJG Morgan, BA Stokes, JM Bairstow, SW Billings, AU Rashid, DJ Willey, MA Wood, ST Finn.
New Zealand
MJ Guptill, KS Williamson, BB McCullum, LRPL Taylor, C Munro, L Ronchi, MJ Santner, NL McCullum, TG Southee, MJ Henry, MJ McClenaghan
England have won the toss...
...and will bat first.
Updated
And here’s Nathan Lyon being a cartoon Australian. Expect him to grow a large moustache and purchase a Ute, post-haste.
“To be honest I don’t really care what England are doing,” said the 27-year-old, who became Australia’s most prolific off-break bowler during the 2-0 Test series win over West Indies earlier this month when he passed Hugh Trumble’s 111-year-old record of 141 victims.
“I know they are going on tour to Spain – they can enjoy their time on a holiday while we are preparing to take the Ashes home. We’re not sunbathing, that’s for sure.”
Asked about the influence of Bayliss, he added, half-jokingly: “Trevor will bring in a different insight into Australian cricket – now we can text him and try and get injury news and stuff. England have fallen for that. But Trevor is a great guy, a great coach and he will bring a more relaxed environment to the England side, which can potentially be dangerous.”
You’ve already been instructed to read it above, but here’s Barney Ronay’s preview piece for this game. Have a squizz.
Tuesday’s team will show nine changes from that ignominious end to last year’s World Twenty20. For once the abundance of untried talent looks like something other than a curiosity. Billings was keen to talk about “momentum”, as sports people so often are, but he might just be on to something.
If England really are serious about allowing talent in the shorter game to pollinate across every format, then Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan, James Vince, Bairstow and, according to some wise judges, Jason Roy all have a chance to press their case.
Another sound performance from Adil Rashid would confirm his status as England’s current best attacking option in white-ball cricket and an intriguing choice as a possible second spinner in the longer game. With the weather set fair there is at least a sense of something more at stake than simply a glorified farewell to some very popular tourists.
Preamble
Evening all. So, Twenty20, then. Thing is, this game could well end up being something of a damp squib, given what has come before it. The shortest form is supposed to be fireworks and thrills and sixes all over the shop - i.e., what we don’t get from any other type of cricket. The obvious issue there being that we’ve just had the best five-game ODI series anyone can really remember, in which 3,151 runs were scored in 440.3 overs. That, friends, is an almost cartoonish and very near Twenty20 run rate of a hair more than 7.1 an over.
So how do you top that? 180-odd is still a very respectable Twenty20 score, and this lot have been scoring those sort of runs in their sleep, even with the restrictions of the added time and overs that a full-scale ODI brings. We’ve almost reached the point where anything under 200 will be a disappointment now, and the highest international score in this format (260, set by Sri Lanka a full eight years ago, surprisingly) is very much in sight.
Perhaps the thing that the series just gone will do is to bring the two limited overs styles closer together, a recognition that they ain’t so different, these two sports, and perhaps will bring a greater consistency to the England side. Of course we have justifiable concerns about some players (Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes et al) who play in all three formats burning out, but that can be managed carefully.
Anyway, hopefully this will be a good ‘un.
Start: 6.30pm BST.
