England

Big picture Momentum is loosely aligned to confidence, but it’s a broadly nonsensical concept in professional sport – after all, if you’ve allowed yourself to live by it, presumably you’ll be obliged to die by it too. Sure, winning is all very well, but sometimes knowing where you went wrong is every bit as important.

Dawid Malan has described the ECB’s process for awarding central contracts as “a slightly strange system” after he was demoted to an incremental deal. Malan had a full central contract for the year October 2021-September 2022 but lost his place in the Test side after England’s 4-0 defeat in the Ashes in Australia. As a

Liam Livingstone‘s status as a cornerstone of England’s new-look white-ball team has been recognised with the award of his first England central contract, after the ECB announced a list of 30 names for the 2022-23 season, covering all three formats of the game and including 18 lucrative full annual deals. Livingstone, 29, is currently recovering

When Wade got a top edge against Wood in the 17th over, with Australia needing 39 off 22 balls, he blocked the fast bowler’s attempt to reach the catch with an out-stretched arm in what appeared to be a clear case of obstructing the field. However, England captain Jos Buttler, who said he had not

Liam Livingstone has said he can see “light at the end of the tunnel” as he targets England’s final T20 World Cup warm-up match, against Pakistan on October 17, as a possible comeback from an ankle injury. Livingstone suffered the injury during the Hundred when he tripped on a kerb and spent several weeks in

England captain Jos Buttler said he might have considered appealing against Matthew Wade obstructing the field in a higher-stakes contest in the aftermath of his side’s thrilling eight-run victory over Australia in Perth. The series opener, in what is effectively a warm-up ahead of the T20 World Cup, was delicately poised with Australia at 170

England 208 for 6 (Hales 84, Buttler 68, Ellis 3-20) beat Australia 200 for 9 (Warner 73, Marsh 36, Wood 3-34) by eight runs Alex Hales made a statement with a rapid 84, while quicks Mark Wood and Sam Curran thwarted Australia’s bold chase as England stepped up their T20 World Cup preparations with a

Day by day, match by match, we are getting closer to the real thing. Neither Australia nor England have been short on T20Is of late and now they face each other for three more, beginning in Perth before two more back across the country in Canberra. The sides have been doing a fair amount of

As they prepare to face England as part of the T20 World Cup preparation, Matthew Wade has pinpointed Australia’s heavy defeat against them in last year’s tournament as the key moment in the transformation of their T20 fortunes. Though Australia started their campaign with victories over South Africa and Sri Lanka, the crushing nature of

Captain Jos Buttler declared himself fit for England’s T20 clash against Australia in Perth on Sunday, while he confirmed returning talisman Ben Stokes would bat in the top-order but Liam Livingstone remains touch-and-go for the World Cup Buttler has recovered from a nagging calf injury suffered during the Hundred and sidelined him from England’s stirring

Opening batter Phil Salt hopes his new home ground in Perth can help him apply further pressure for a T20 World Cup berth as England prepare for a warm-up clash with Australia at Optus Stadium on Sunday. Salt has fond memories of playing at the 60,000-seat ground in Burswood, which is hosting international cricket for

Jonny Bairstow and Nat Sciver have been voted winners of the cinch Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) men’s and women’s Player of the Year awards, with Harry Brook and Freya Kemp being named as Young Players of the Year. Bairstow, who earlier this week was named by the Cricket Writers’ Club as the inaugural Bob Willis

At the end of the India vs South Africa and Pakistan vs England T20I series, there were some other big movers too. KL Rahul jumped seven spots to 14th after scoring 108 runs from two matches, while Quinton de Kock (up eight spots to 12th), Rilee Rossouw (up 23 places to 20th) and David Miller

Jonny Bairstow‘s prolific Test comeback has been recognised after he was named as the inaugural winner of the Bob Willis Trophy. Bairstow, who is expected to be out until the new year after fracturing his leg and dislocating his ankle while playing golf last month, was presented with the award at the Cricket Writers’ Club’s

Moeen Ali has ruled out the possibility of making a Test comeback on England’s tour of Pakistan later this year. Writing in the Daily Mail, he said it was “time to close the door on that side of my career”. Moeen revealed in June that he had “unretired” from Test cricket after a conversation with

Ben Stokes will be carded to bat at No. 4 in England’s T20 World Cup team after white-ball captain Jos Buttler insisted that he is wasted down the order as a finisher. Stokes was rested from England’s tour to Pakistan after a busy summer captaining the Test team and has not played a T20 international

England 209 for 6 (Malan 78*, Brook 46*) beat Pakistan 142 for 8 (Shan 56, Woakes 3-26) by 67 runs For a series that has showcased the best of international T20 cricket, it was a shame the finale carried so little jeopardy. England’s comprehensive team performance was to blame for that, firstly by posting 209

Big picture Every time an even number of games have been played in this series, Pakistan and England have found themselves level. After six intoxicating and wildly entertaining games, neither side has been able to pull clear, and you suspect the final game have would been a decider no matter how many matches this series

It was the photograph that did it. Joe Root pictured on a Scottish golf course while Yorkshire supporters were coming to terms with relegation. Root, the epitome of Yorkshire cricket, grinning broadly alongside Michael Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen and Piers Morgan (none of them particularly renowned for checking the county cricket scores), on a day that

Robin Marlar, the former Sussex captain, MCC president, and long-time cricket correspondent for the Sunday Times, has died at the age of 91. As an offspinner who claimed 970 wickets in an 18-season first-class career, Marlar came close to England selection on a number of occasions in the 1950s, but was kept out of the

Big picture “Please, sir, I want some more.” Perhaps few people thought we’d still have a healthy appetite after five matches of the series – the first of this length between two Full Members – but here we are, holding out our bowl for another serving of what has been a rip-roaring contest. Tall run

Dawid Malan has become the first England player to publicly declare his support for the proposals outlined in Andrew Strauss’ High Performance Review, suggesting that “less cricket at a higher intensity” would have a number of benefits for English cricket. Strauss’ review proposed a 15% reduction in the total volume of men’s domestic cricket played

Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah has contracted pneumonia, and will stay in hospital overnight. The PCB announced that their in-house medical panel was monitoring him, and that any calls on his participation in the remainder of the ongoing series against England would be made after assessing his medical reports. However, the development effectively rules him

Josh Hazlewood is still at the top there, after picking up three wickets from three games, and is followed by five wristspinners – Tabraiz Shamsi, Adil Rashid, Rashid Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga and Adam Zampa, in that order. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, at tenth position, is the only other fast bowler in top ten, while Haris Rauf has

Liam Livingstone is likely to arrive at the T20 World Cup in Australia “undercooked” after his ankle injury, but should be fit to play in at least one warm-up game, Moeen Ali has said. Livingstone was ruled out of England’s ongoing T20I series to Pakistan after suffering the injury during the Hundred and has been

Jhulan Goswami has finished her ODI career as the fifth-ranked bowler in the world. Even though she didn’t have a prolific series in England in terms of wickets, picking three in three games including two in the last one, she played her part in India’s series sweep by being the most economical bowler across the

Will Jacks is one of six England players who will fly home from Pakistan next week while the rest of the touring squad travel to Australia for the T20 World Cup, but he hopes that he will have the chance to return before long. Jacks had only taken four first-class wickets this time last year

Was Deepti Sharma running Charlie Dean out at the non-striker’s end at Lord’s on Saturday a plan India had worked out in advance? Or was it an instinctive decision? According to Deepti, who stopped in her bowling stride and whipped off the bails at the non-striker’s end to complete a 3-0 sweep over England, it

Toss England chose to bowl vs Pakistan England have won the toss and will bowl first in the fourth T20I. Playing on the same surface used in second T20I on Thursday, the visitors make three changes as they push to extend their lead to 3-1. Alex Hales and David Willey return, while Olly Stone makes

Stone would be a like-for-like replacement for Mark Wood, who is due to play once in Karachi and twice in Lahore on this tour as England look to manage his return from an elbow injury. Wood admitted to feeling “rank” after taking 3 for 24 in the third T20I on Thursday, his first professional appearance