England

Big Picture Excuse me while I interrupt myself, as the great Murray Walker once put it, but we’ve got an international series about to butt into the schedule in South Africa. A nation newly energised by the successful launch of the SA20 will be putting that tournament on ice for a week to host the

Jofra Archer has rated himself “about 80 percent” fit ahead of his long-awaited return to international cricket during England’s ODI tour of South Africa. Despite his protestations that “there’s no reason to look back”, Archer is doing just that as he aims to pick up where he left off after nearly two years away from

Trent Bridge, the home of men’s reigning champions Trent Rockets, will host the opening fixtures of this year’s Hundred on August 1, with the final once again scheduled for Lord’s, on August 27. As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, this year’s tournament will played in a reduced four-week window, to avoid a clash with the summer’s men’s

It’s coming up to a year since Matt Fisher‘s Test debut against West Indies in Barbados, and in so many ways that one-off appearance epitomises the promise and frustration that has accompanied his career ever since his Yorkshire debut, as a 17-year old, eight years ago. Fisher showcased his wicket-taking menace by dismissing John Campbell

Jamie Overton, the Surrey and England fast bowler, has effectively been ruled out of this summer’s Ashes after being diagnosed with a stress fracture of the back. Overton, who starred with the bat on his Test debut against New Zealand last summer with a match-turning 97, has returned home from the UAE, where he was

To many, the decision to cast Alex Lees aside and keep faith with Zak Crawley for the tour of Pakistan was a surprise. The opening pair had very similar 2022 summers, though Lees shaded it on every metric: runs, average, half-centuries and double-figure scores. Except, ultimately, on talent ceiling. The three wise men of England’s

England have appointed Freddie Wilde as their new men’s white-ball analyst, ahead of next month’s tour of Bangladesh, as a replacement for long-term incumbent Nathan Leamon. The move comes as part of a reshuffle within the ECB’s analysis department. Leamon, who has worked closely with England across all three formats and founded the data analytics

The ECB has appointed Neil Killeen as England men’s elite fast bowling coach. Killeen, 47, ends a 30-year association with his home county, Durham, to take the role which has been vacant since November when Jon Lewis was appointed head coach of the England Women’s team. From January 18, Killeen will work across the England

Lord Kamlesh Patel has announced he will step down as Yorkshire chair at the club’s next Annual General Meeting in March. Lord Patel, who took over from Roger Hutton in November 2021 at the height of the club’s racism crisis, endured a turbulent tenure that began amid the suspension of Headingley’s international hosting rights and

Jafer Chohan, a 20-year-old legspinner, has joined Yorkshire on a rookie contract until the end of the 2023 season. Chohan, who came through the ranks at Middlesex and played in the Berkshire side that won last season’s National Counties 50-over competition, has since impressed at the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) and will link up

Saqib Mahmood will make his return to competitive action on the white-ball leg of England Lions’ tour of Sri Lanka in February, following the stress fracture in his back that ruled him out of the 2022 home international season. Mahmood, 25, impressed on England’s tour of the Caribbean in early 2022, where he made his

Stuart Broad has been recalled to England’s Test squad following the birth of his first child, while Matt Potts and Dan Lawrence are also back in the set-up for the two-Test tour of New Zealand in February. Potts, who made his Test debut in the first match of the 2022 summer, also against New Zealand

Jofra Archer looks set to play his first match for England in almost two years, after being named in a 14-man ODI squad for the tour of South Africa in January. Archer, England’s leading wicket-taker in their 2019 ODI World Cup victory, last played an international game in March 2021, on England’s T20I tour of

Joe Root has been signed to play in the International League T20 for Dubai Capitals in January and February. Root, who was left out of the England ODI squad for South Africa announced earlier on Thursday, will be making only his second appearance in an overseas T20 league. England’s leading Test batter, Root has not

England pace bowler Tymal Mills has revealed his daughter suffered a stroke shortly before he was due to board his flight to play in the BBL with Perth Scorchers. Scorchers announced that Mills, who was part of England’s T20 World Cup squad, had withdrawn from the tournament due to a family emergency. “Home for Christmas

Heather Knight has implored cricket’s administrators to invest in women’s international cricket to ensure it remains “the pinnacle of the game” against the backdrop of several franchise leagues launching in 2023. The inaugural seasons of the Women’s IPL and the PCB’s Women’s T20 League will both be held in March, after the conclusion of the

Ben Duckett iced his return to Test cricket by hitting the winning runs for England to complete a 3-0 series sweep in Pakistan, and then insisted he was not just a subcontinent specialist and could succeed as an opening batter in all conditions. Duckett had a brief taste of Test cricket in 2016, winning four

Brendon McCullum, England’s Test head coach, believes “it would be awesome” for Rehan Ahmed to be signed by an IPL franchise for the 2023 season in Friday’s auction in Kochi. Rehan became the youngest man to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut on Tuesday, running through Pakistan’s middle and lower order to return figures

Ben Stokes said he has never had more fun in an England shirt after guiding the men’s Test side to an historic series win in Pakistan. Victory in Karachi, achieved in 67 deliveries of day four of the third Test, confirmed a 3-0 scoreline. England have bossed at least 12 of the 13 days of

As if it wasn’t already dipping into the realms of fantasy for an English legspinner to claim five wickets on Test debut at the age of 18, Rehan Ahmed proved to be the embodiment of a second mythical being in a single remarkable day in Karachi, following his appearance as England’s first true “Nighthawk” in

Innings break Pakistan 304 and 216 (Babar 54, Shakeel 53, Ahmed 5-48, Leach 3-72) lead England 354 by 166 runs Held back until the fourth hour of the third day by Ben Stokes, Ahmed tilted the third Test back in England’s favour when he broke a determined fourth-wicket stand between Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel,

England Women 131 for 8 (Dunkley 35, Brunt 24*, Fraser 3-20, Grimmond 3-33) beat West Indies Women 82 (Matthews 23, Bell 4-12, Ecclestone 2-13, Dean 2-16) by 49 runs For the fourth T20I in a row, West Indies were let down by their batting. And for a third straight game, they faltered while chasing. It

Innings break England 354 (Brook 111, Foakes 64, Pope 51, Nauman 4-126, Abrar 4-150) lead Pakistan 304 (Babar 78, Salman 56, Leach 4-140) by 50 runs Harry Brook made the third hundred of his extraordinary series as England took a 50-run first-innings lead on the second day of their third and final Test against Pakistan.

Tea Pakistan 204 for 5 (Babar 71*, Salman 1*) vs England England continued to chip away at Pakistan in the second session of the dead-rubber third Test in Karachi, as debutant Rehan Ahmed became the youngest man to take a Test wicket for them at 18 years and 126 days old. Pakistan lost two wickets

Big Picture England have already pulled off one race against the setting sun on this tour, thanks to their epic victory in the first Test in Rawalpindi, but this week they are back at the scene of the most iconic heist of them all. Twenty-two years, almost to the week, have elapsed since they last

At 40 years of age and with 177 caps, missing Test matches is not something James Anderson has time for. Yet as he sits in Karachi’s Movenpick hotel on Friday, a day out from the third and final Test against Pakistan, he is at peace with the fact he is sitting this one out. The

Freya Kemp, the 17-year-old allrounder, has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the back, after flying home early from England Women’s tour of the Caribbean. Kemp was given her international debut in the summer and soon made her mark against India by becoming the youngest England player, male or female, to make a T20I

Two Tests against Pakistan down with one to go, with a series win secured and history made, Ollie Robinson is in a good place. He might “only” have eight wickets in his four innings to date, but they have come at an average of 18.37, to reduce his overall Test figure to 19.61 after 13

Ollie Pope says there is no animosity between him and Ben Foakes after he usurped his Surrey team-mate as England’s Test wicketkeeper in Pakistan. Foakes came into the tour as the first choice behind the stumps, having played in six of the first seven Tests under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. Regarded

Ben Stokes said he felt “very honoured and very privileged” to be leading England’s revival, after a 26-run win over Pakistan in Multan gave them the three-match series with a game to spare, and gave his side their first away Test series win under his captaincy. England arrived in Pakistan at the end of last