All posts by n8rngtd.top

A 5 for 1 collapse. A five-wicket haul. An over with four no-balls: fans at Eden Park were spoiled

Alagappan Muthu27-Nov-2020″It feels strange,” Kieron Pollard said at the toss as West Indies played New Zealand in the first T20I and he stood in the middle of Eden Park surrounded by a crowd. Covid-19 had changed cricket, but the first signs of the game starting to heal and move on were evident in Auckland as the people in the ground reveled in some sensational – and at times unbelievable – cricket.

Watch cricket on ESPN+

New Zealand vs West Indies is available in the USA on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the series

There was Lockie Ferguson, insisting that he won’t bowl a click slower than 150. He picked up his first five-wicket haul in T20Is and while that is memorable on its own, the spell that he bowled – the way he had the world champions ducking and weaving and wearing the ball because they were too slow to react – was the more riveting spectacle. Ferguson finished with figures of 4-0-21-5, with West Indies not in control of 18 of the 24 balls he delivered on Friday evening.Pollard vs Ferguson was only a two-ball event – “Didn’t face him. Smart boy.”, the West Indies captain said with a chuckle at the post-match press conference – but the rest of the New Zealand bowlers took a pasting. From 59 for 5 in the sixth over, Pollard took his team to 180 for 7 in a rain-reduced 16-overs-a-side game.”For me, when the bowlers have their tails up, you have to try something as a batter,” he said. “Sometimes you just have to make one mistake. The rain and the nature of the pitch sort of helped us, with the ball coming through. The opening bowlers were a bit short. But he (Ferguson) changed his length and bowled a bit fuller, and that’s why he was successful. Again, daunting task, but these are the situations you train for as individuals, when you’re team is in trouble you try to get them out.”

‘Special having a good day with nan watching over us’ – Ferguson

Lockie Ferguson’s best performance in a T20I came on the back of a personal tragedy.
“My nan, who I was pretty close with, passed away about a month ago which was a shame. I couldn’t be back for her funeral which was a shame. So pretty special having a good day out with her watching over us.”

Ferguson knew – even though he was ripping them apart – that West Indies would be able to recover if their captain stayed at the crease long enough.”When you face these guys – especially Kieron, who has been very successful – over the last few months, winning every competition there is, you’re under the pump [as] Eden Park gets even smaller,” Ferguson said.ALSO READ – Ferguson, Neesham, Conway star in topsy-turvy win“I thought we bowled a couple of yorkers that only missed by a little bit and they went a long way into the boundary. Once again, we have to look at our plans and execute them better going forward. That’s pretty cliché in T20 cricket. You have good days and you have bad [days]. If we continue to improve, we’ll be better for it. But you’ve got to tip your hat when a guy plays an innings like that, especially after we got quick wickets but he settled himself and had a quick burst in the end.”Pollard made 75 off only 37 balls, and if that sounds like he walked in and went berserk, think again. He took care to get himself in. He respected New Zealand’s momentum when they took five wickets for one run. He fought against it, bit by bit, until the umpire mistakenly ruled him out lbw in the ninth over. The review was emphatic. The next ball went for six. The sleeping giant had awakened.When asked about the official’s decision and his animated response to it, Pollard said, “You take it in whatever perception you want. I’m not gonna say anything. Just wanted it to be consistent. Asking for consistency. Being a visiting team, there are some things you expect but we’ll continue to fight.”Lockie Ferguson celebrates the wicket of Shimron Hetmyer•Getty Images

A grand spell of fast bowling. A back-to-the-wall batting masterclass from a T20 legend. A hint of controversy. This riveting game turned in the end due to some rusty cricket from West Indies, who had only come out of quarantine yesterday.Keemo Paul then bowled four no-balls in the 14th over of the chase – one overstep and three high full-tosses. New Zealand had slowly been whittling down a frightful asking rate. From 115 required off 60, to 82 off 42 and then to 39 off 24, but at the end of that ten-ball over, they needed only 15 off 12.”In terms of our disciplines, in the bowling aspect, I thought we were a bit erratic,” Pollard summed up. “And in international cricket, if you bowl so many no-balls and if you’re so inconsistent, you are definitely going to end up on the losing side. But it was an entertaining game of cricket for the fans and the general public, something they haven’t got to see in a very long time.”West Indies’ waywardness was the result of their search for yorkers and they were forced into a place with so little margin of error by Jimmy Neesham. He came in after a run-out sent Ross Taylor back for a duck in the seventh over, but instead of that breakthrough proving a turning point for West Indies, it ended up one for New Zealand, as the left-hander carved up 48 match-winning runs in only 24 balls.”Jimmy was a bit of a big brother to me in high school and we played a lot of age groups together,” Ferguson said. “But to be fair, the Black Caps are a pretty tight bunch of mates and when anyone does well and wins the game for us, then of course we get around them.””I think that’s a big part of our culture. We try to drive that. Obviously pumped that Sants (Mitchell Santner) and Neesh could get some runs and bat well at the end there. Certainly, we’ll celebrate tonight. It was one of the craziest games I’ve ever been part of. I was in the changing room for our whole batting innings not sure what to do!”

Pakistan captain suffered a broken thumb at training on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2020Pakistan captain Babar Azam has fractured his right thumb in training on Sunday and has subsequently been ruled out of action for 12 days. That means he will not be available to play the three T20Is that kick off the team’s tour of New Zealand starting December 18.A PCB press release said Azam picked up the injury while facing throwdowns. He was then taken to a hospital in Queenstown where X-rays revealed the extent of the damage, prompting a period of rest and rehabilitation.”During this period, the doctors will continue to monitor Babar’s injury before confirming his participation in the first Test, which starts at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, on 26 December,” the PCB release said.

Pakistan’s T20I squad to face New Zealand

Shadab Khan (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir and Wahab Riaz. Babar Azam (withdrawn due to injury)

The loss of Azam might prove to be a significant blow to Pakistan. Not only is he their captain, he is also the No. 2-ranked batsman in T20Is and had come into the tour with several good scores behind him. Only a month ago he led his PSL team, the Karachi Kings, to their first title with half-centuries in both qualifier one and the final. He was Man-of-the-Match both times and, prior to that, had walloped Zimbabwe for a couple of half-centuries to bolster a T20 average of 57.53 and a strike-rate of 139 since August 2020.”Injuries are part and parcel of professional sport and while it is hugely disappointing to lose a player of Babar Azam’s calibre for the T20Is, this opens up opportunities for the other highly talented and exciting players to step-up,” Pakistan coach Misbah-ul-Haq said.However, since Azam plays at the top of the order, they may prefer to use Mohammad Hafeez in that position and look for a new lower order hitter to round out the XI.Pakistan have other injury concerns as well, including one to their potential stand-in captain. The groin niggle that ruled Shadab Khan out of the home series against Zimbabwe in November has not fully healed yet and a decision on his playing the first T20I in Auckland on Friday will be taken closer to game time.”We remain optimistic that he will be available for the T20Is,” Misbah said about his legspinning lynch pin, “but we will neither risk him nor the team’s chances if we think he needs a few more days to be back to his complete fitness.”Among the Test players, Imam-ul-Haq is also nursing a broken finger suffered in training on Saturday and has been advised 12 days’ rest. As a result, he has been withdrawn from the Shaheens’ four-day game against New Zealand A starting December 17.

England batsman hopes to learn a few tricks of the trade from the West Indian

Barny Read 01-Feb-2021England international Tom Banton has heaped praise on West Indies counterpart Nicholas Pooran, describing the left-hander as “the best in the world” when it comes to clearing the ropes in short form cricket.Banton was speaking after Pooran smashed a pulsating 89 from just 26 balls at the Abu Dhabi T10 League on Sunday – an innings that included 12 sixes. Pooran – captaining the Northern Warriors – has now scored 162 runs from just 56 balls across his three T10 appearances so far this season.Qalandars opener Banton believes the left-hander is now getting the recognition he deserves and plans to chat with Pooran about his approach to the game.”He’s different level that guy,” Banton told ESPNcricinfo mid-lunch from his hotel room balcony. “Anyone that bowls to him, he’ll get hold of. I reckon he’s the best in the world at the minute at [hitting sixes].”We’re actually playing them in a few days’ time [if both teams meet in the final stages] so I’m going to try and talk to him and actually see what he does. He probably doesn’t do anything different to anyone else, he’s just a lot better than everyone else.”That conversation will be facilitated by a friend of the pair, Chris Jordan, and it will be a fascinating one between two edge-of-the-seat young cricketers that are yet to transfer their domestic and franchise T20 form onto the international stage.With a 20-over World Cup on the horizon later in the year – one that both players have the potential to heavily influence – Banton is looking forward to tapping into Pooran’s knowledge in person, having watched with admiration from afar.Asked what he will be looking to gleam from Pooran, Banton said: “Just how he sets up really. Look, these West Indian guys are so powerful and obviously they can miss hit sixes whereas I kind of have to either get it out the middle or be playing on a small boundary.”I’ve watched a few videos of him and I watched him yesterday (Sunday) and just the way he has a simple trigger and he’s got such a beautiful bat swing. I don’t think he over complicates things, he’s just very good. He has a lot of confidence maybe and just backs himself to clear the ropes.”Banton sits fifth on the list for most runs going into the Super League phase of the competition after scores of 45, 30 and 36 that have helped Qalandars to the only perfect record in the tournament.The 22-year-old says there is more to come, too, having had to get to grips with Zayed Cricket Stadium’s slow, placid wicket. While Pooran has adapted seamlessly, Banton points to his 20-ball 36 on day four as an example of how he hasn’t quite hit his straps just yet, despite an encouraging start to the league.”The guys are taking off the pace and it’s a lot harder to get hold of. I couldn’t really get going last night, which is a bit of a shame. The wicket means it’s not going to bounce on to the middle of your bat so you’re going to have to wait for the ball.”When there’s so much cricket being played on them, it’s so hard for the groundsmen to keep preparing wickets that are going to be true.”

Peter Handscomb’s fine form continued but the home side lost 9 for 94

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2021Jordan Silk and Mac Wright added 126 as Tasmania secured a comfortable victory against an inexperienced Victoria side that had earlier collapsed from a strong position.A century stand between Sam Harper and captain Peter Handscomb had taken the home side to 1 for 128 in the 22nd over but they then lost 9 for 94 with the spin of Tom Andrews and Beau Webster taking five wickets.Andrews, the left-arm spinner, struck twice in an over to start the major unravelling of Victoria’s innings as Matt Short drove to cover then Jake Fraser-McGurk was given lbw second ball.Handscomb’s outstanding form continued as he tried to hold the innings together but he lost partners regularly. MacKenzie Harvey, another of the young players Victoria are given a chance to, lofted into the deep and Xavier Crone was run out by a direct hit.Searching to bring up his century with a six, Handscomb was well held on the deep midwicket rope by Silk who parried the ball back in before he touched the rope and gathered the rebound.Victoria managed an early breakthrough when Caleb Jewell pulled high into the leg side and when spinners Todd Murphy and Will Parker both picked their first wickets on one-day debut Tasmania were 3 for 90.However, there were precious other alarms as Wright and Silk took charge of the chase against the young bowling attack on a docile surface. Another debutant, Brody Couch, who went at under three an over was able to claim his first wicket when Wright was caught at long leg from a top-edged hook but by then the game was done.

Ollie Davies marked his debut with a 35-ball half-century while Cummins put in an impressive all-round display

Andrew McGlashan15-Feb-2021A masterful century from Steven Smith, a sparkling debut from Ollie Davies and a fine all-round display from new captain Pat Cummins propelled New South Wales to a convincing victory in the opening match of the Marsh Cup against Victoria.The home side struggled in the early stages of their innings having been put into bat at North Sydney Oval when Cummins lost his first toss with both openers falling for single figures. However, from 4 for 73 after 20 overs they added a further 245, the innings first brought to life by Davies’ 35-ball half-century then finished off in style by Smith who struck 76 off his last 47 deliveries and Cummins who swung his way to 49 off 30 before adding three wickets.”I was pretty relaxed,” Cummins said afterwards. “The thing I was most nervous about was stuffing up my overs, getting my maths wrong. My mum is a maths teacher, so I wouldn’t have lived that one down if I got it wrong.”Smith’s century, his third in one-day cricket for New South Wales, came from 115 balls and in total he struck six sixes to equal the most he had hit in a one-day innings. His last two came in consecutive deliveries off James Pattinson, the first of them clearing the ground over deep midwicket to carry the total past 300.However, it was debutant Davies, who had briefly shown his talent in the BBL with Sydney Thunder, who initially revived the innings with a superb counterattacking display. After starting with a couple of punchy drives, he responded to Victoria’s attempt to bowl short – which included having a short leg in place – by twice pulling Xavier Crone over the leg side for six.Related

• 'Once we knew Virat was going to miss the last three Tests, Pujara was the big wicket for me'

• Pucovski might require shoulder surgery, could miss rest of season

• Ollie Davies soaking up every chance to learn from the best

Another six to the same area, this time off Zak Evans, took him to 49 before he tucked a single to bring up his fifty off 35 deliveries. The fun ended a short while later when he was very well held by a back-tracking mid-on but he had left his mark.Sean Abbott added further impetus, including an extraordinary scooped six off Crone, but when he was acrobatically caught by Peter Handscomb, New South Wales were six down with 10 overs remaining.Smith and Cummins took charge of the latter stages with the captain dominating a seventh-wicket stand of 79 in eight overs before falling one short of a maiden one-day fifty. Crone ended with the painful figures of 1 for 94. Smith’s hundred made it three centuries in four one-day innings this season following his back-to-back hundreds against India.Cummins struck twice in his fourth over, during an exemplary five-over opening spell, firstly when Sam Harper found that trying to scoop the world’s No. 1 bowler is a tough ask and then with a rapid delivery which nipped back to take Nic Maddinson’s inside edge.The innings was steadied by a 59-run stand between Marcus Harris and Peter Handscomb but was ended when Harris chopped on against Sean Abbott which then became 5 for 111 in the 26th over when Jake Fraser-McGurk, another of the youngsters Victoria will give exposure to in the latter part of the season, was run out.Matt Short’s half-century kept Victoria’s hopes flickering and Pattinson’s maiden one-day fifty provided some late entertainment, but an asking rate of approaching ten-an-over for the lower order was always a tall order. The game never got close enough to really test Cummins’ tactical acumen, but for now at least he has a 100% record as captain.

The Delhi Capitals coach also says his bowlers bowled “a few too many slot balls” to Chris Morris

Sidharth Monga15-Apr-20212:19

Ponting: ‘We didn’t adapt and execute as well as we’d have liked’

R Ashwin bowled the seventh, ninth and 11th overs of the chase. He conceded 14 runs and no boundaries. He had two left-hand batters to bowl at. Neither of them enjoys a favourable match-up against Ashwin. The dew was setting in, and it would have been difficult to get Ashwin back later if the ball had got wet or if he had right-hand batters to bowl to. Rishabh Pant, though, went to Marcus Stoinis, who conceded 15 in that over, and Ashwin ended the night without bowling his quota in what turned out to be a close defeat.The move didn’t make much sense to those watching nor to the Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting. “That’s certainly something that we will talk about when I get a chance to sit down with the team,” Ponting said at the post-match press conference. “He had bowled beautifully. Three overs, none for 14. Hadn’t even conceded a boundary. Look he had a disappointing game in game one, but he has worked really hard in the last few days to make sure he adjusted and got things right in this game. I thought he bowled beautifully tonight. Probably a mistake on our behalf, and something we will be talking about later on.”Something else that Ponting and the Capitals will be talking about is the sheer number of “slot balls” they gave to Chris Morris in the last two overs, who in turn hit four sixes to run away with a game that had looked like it was in the Capitals’ bag. Until the start of the 15th over of the second innings, there hadn’t been a single six hit in the game, but the Rajasthan Royals hit seven in the last 4.4 overs to make it home.Despite conceding only 14 from his three overs, R Ashwin didn’t bowl out•BCCI

Morris might have missed out on a couple of these when the Royals lost to the Punjab Kings chasing 222, but he managed to connect enough of them to sink the Capitals.”We probably gave him a few too many easy balls, a few too many slot balls if you like,” Ponting said. “The length wasn’t quite where it needed to be. If you look at the replay of the game, if you bowled a reasonable yorker, he didn’t score off them. If it was back of a length, sort of, above stump high, he didn’t get hold of them either, especially with pace on the ball. We talked about how to bowl to him, but the execution probably wasn’t there.”It is not entirely a coincidence that the errors increased as the dew set in. “The other thing you have got to factor in is just how wet and how dewy the ball was in the second innings of the game,” Ponting said. “It wasn’t easy for the bowlers to grip. You could see it at the end there. There were a few full tosses that fast bowlers bowled with the ball slipping out of their hand a little bit. That’s part and parcel of IPL cricket. We knew coming here that there will be a little bit of dew in the second half of the game. And we didn’t adapt, and we didn’t execute as well as we could have tonight.”Till around the 13th-over mark in our bowling innings, the second innings of the game, everything was going according to plan. We made a few errors coming in the last four or five overs of the game. When you are a little bit off against any team in the IPL, just bowl a couple of bad balls or just a couple of those here and there, it is quite often the difference in the outcome. We didn’t get things right at the back end tonight.”

Both players currently part of IPL 2021 picked for series likely to start on May 23, the same day that IPL’s league stage ends

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2021The Bangladesh selectors have named both Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman in Bangladesh’s 23-member preliminary squad for the ODI series against Sri Lanka later this month. The group is scheduled to start training from May 2, although it is not clear whether either Shakib or Mustafizur, both currently playing in IPL 2021, will join the camp on time.Related

• Mustafizur Rahman to prioritise Tests over IPL, if selected

• Shakib Al Hasan hits out at BCB, saying they misrepresented him

Shakib missed Bangladesh’s Test series against Sri Lanka after being granted leave by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, to play in the IPL. Rahman was also given an NOC to take part in the IPL, after he wasn’t included in the Test squad. Shakib is part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad, while Rahman is with the Rajasthan Royals, who have already lost four players due to a variety of reasons this year in Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Andrew Tye and Liam Livingstone. That has left them with just four overseas options, including Rahman. The other three are Jos Buttler, Chris Morris and David Miller.Both Shakib and Rahman are, however, expected to join the ODI team for the three-match series, which is likely to start on May 23. The IPL’s league stage also concludes on May 23, with the final on May 30.The preliminary squad, which also includes Imrul Kayes who last played an ODI in 2018, will train till May 9, after which they will get a seven-day break for the Eid festival. Most of the preliminary squad is made up of cricketers who played in Bangladesh’s recent white-ball tour of New Zealand.The three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka is part of the ICC’s Super League.Bangladesh’s preliminary squad: Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Naim, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam.

‘Hopefully if my selection demonstrates anything it’s that everyone in the regions now has a chance’

Valkerie Baynes10-Jun-2021Emily Arlott was shocked into silence when she learned of her call-up to the England squad ahead of Wednesday’s Test against India.Arlott, the 23-year-old Worcestershire seamer, had only the day before completed a quadruple-wicket maiden in a five-wicket haul for Central Sparks in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Hove, where they beat defending champions Southern Vipers.After long drive home and unpacking her kit after at the end of “an emotional weekend” then eating dinner, she discovered she’d missed a phone call from Jonathan Finch, ECB Director of Women’s Cricket.”I thought it was a bit weird on a random Sunday evening so I called him back straight away, and he told me the news,” Arlott said. “I don’t think I responded for a good two minutes.”He was sat on the other end of the line: ‘I hope the silence is a good thing’. I’m probably as shocked as anyone that I got the call. I didn’t even think my name was in contention to be considered so to get the call just rounded off that weekend really.”Related

• Heather Knight vows to 'fight fire with fire' during Women's Ashes

• Emily Arlott's four-wicket over wipes out Vipers' winning start

• Sophia Dunkley replaces Kirstie Gordon in England Women's central contracts list

• Emily Arlott earns maiden England call-up for India Test

• Emily Arlott's England call-up just the start, says Heather Knight

Heather Knight, the England captain had been impressed by Arlott the week before when her Western Storm side lost to Sparks, Arlott taking 2 for 48 with testing pace bowling in tandem with Issy Wong, the 19-year-old quick who was already on England’s radar, having spent time with the squad last summer and on the winter tour of New Zealand in a development capacity.Knight admitted to not knowing much about Arlott until this season, while Lisa Keightly, England Women’s Head Coach, was on hand to watch her feats at Hove on Saturday.”I’ve probably gone under the radar a little bit,” Arlott said. “Just through just playing county cricket for a couple years beforehand, I don’t think anybody had really heard of me.”Awarded one of 41 full-time domestic contracts at Sparks this year, Arlott credits her new professionalism with allowing her to take the next step in her career.”I’ve got to give credit to our coaching team at the Sparks, they’ve really created a purposeful training environment,” Arlott said. “Our Head Coach Lloyd (Tennant) always refers to it as we’re game players not net players, and I think that has massively paid off for us as a team, and individuals as well.”We played our first warm up game in early March. It was freezing but it was probably the best thing we could have done as a team. You forget when you’re inside that there’s so many factors that you lose being inside in a net that we gained so quickly from just being outside.”We’ve really worked hard in the gym, this year as well and I think that’s part of the reason why things like Saturday happen. We’re at a point where we can physically replicate and not just bowl 10 overs but bowl 10 overs with a purpose.”Emily Arlott has enjoyed an eye-catching start to the season for Central Sparks•Laura Malkin

If she is to break into the match-day XI to play India in Bristol, she will have done so from a squad that includes frontline seamer Katherine Brunt, the experienced Kate Cross, who is poised to play the fourth Test of her career and first since 2015, and Anya Shrubsole who missed this year’s tour of New Zealand through injury. Freya Davies, who took 4 for 23 in the second T20I in New Zealand is also in the squad, as is Tash Farrant, who earned her England recall for that tour and who has started the domestic 50-over season in fine form also.”Hopefully if my selection demonstrates anything it’s that everyone in the regions now has a chance,” Arlott said. “I may be one of the first that have come from the RHF but actually I hope that I’m not the last by any means.”I hope that people keep putting in performances and it shows that the system actually really works.”Despite an increased professionalism, or perhaps because of it, Arlott has also learned not to put pressure on herself. And she believes the unexpected nature of her call-up to international level will stand her in good stead going forward.”It’s probably the best thing that could have happened,” she said. “If it was something I expected, I think something like Saturday might not have happened where I was trying to force something.”I’ve spent the whole of this year playing my cricket with just doing everything with a purpose but relaxing with it as well and actually I’ve found that the performances have come from just being able to enjoy the moment rather than thinking too far ahead.”My cricket has really matured over the last couple of years. When I was younger I was quite naive and I was always searching for wickets and trying to force what would happen. I’m [now] a lot more rational with thinking on and off the pitch and I think that’s probably been a big factor in having a good start to the year.”

Allrounder says penalty misses shouldn’t define players after first football final appearance since 1966

George Dobell12-Jul-2021England’s footballers are “absolute legends” who have their best years in front of them, according to Ben Stokes.Stokes, captain of the England ODI side which has taken an unassailable lead over Pakistan in the Royal London series, watched Sunday night’s Euro 2020 final with the rest of his squad while observing social distancing protocols to prevent further outbreaks of Covid-19 within the group.And while accepting the football team would be “devastated” to have lost to Italy on penalties, he insisted their cricketing counterparts were “incredibly proud” of their achievements in reaching a major final for the first time in 55 years and had complete faith in them winning trophies in the years ahead.”They’ll be absolutely devastated, no doubt,” Stokes said. “But what they’ve managed to achieve is incredible. The nation has been completely captured by what they’ve done on the field.”Obviously everyone in the nation would have loved to see England win, but just watching the games you feel a real connection to the team. The way Gareth Southgate has led, the way Gareth Southgate speaks… I think he’s been phenomenal in everything he’s done.”Us as a national team, albeit in a different sport, we’re just incredibly proud of what they managed to do.”It’s such a young team full of talent that the sky is the limit for them. There’s so many more years ahead, so many more tournaments to go and prove themselves in. But in my eyes and everybody else’s eyes in this changing room, they are absolute legends already.”Stokes is a man who has experienced both triumph and disaster on the biggest stage. Handed the responsibility to defend 19 from the final over of the 2016 World T20 final, he was unable to prevent Carlos Brathwaite thrashing him for four successive sixes to take West Indies to the trophy.Three years later, however, Stokes held his nerve in the World Cup final at Lord’s to help England win the 50-over World Cup “by the barest of margins”. It later emerged that, ahead of the Super Over that settled that match, Stokes had helped calm Jofra Archer’s nerves by telling him that, whatever happened over the next five minutes, it would not define him.Joe Root tries to console a distraught Ben Stokes at the 2016 World T20 final•AFP

As such, he is better placed than most to assure England’s footballers – and those who were unable to score from their penalties, in particular – that such a moment need not prove the defining moment of their careers.”I hope they’re not defined by it,” Stokes said. “You look at where they’ve gone over the last two or three years and the things they’ve managed to achieve and you know it’s just such a young team. They’ve got so much more time on their hands to go out and win trophies for England. They’re blessed with youth.”Never has an England team been so exciting to watch. I’m not massively into my football like some of the other lads, but I absolutely watched every time they’ve walked out into the field and they’re just a real exciting to watch at the moment.”You know they will be devastated. They’ll probably hurt for a few more weeks. But I’m sure once they get over it and have an understanding of what they’re able to achieve, there will be a lot bigger occasions to come for those guys, no doubt.”

Veteran Surrey allrounder played 22 times for England, including three Tests in 2003

Matt Roller20-Jul-2021Rikki Clarke, the veteran allrounder who won two Test and 20 ODI caps for England, has announced he will retire from professional cricket at the end of the 2021 season.Clarke, 39, won three Championship titles in a stellar county career – in 2002 and 2019 with Surrey, and in 2012 with Warwickshire – as well as the Pro40 and Twenty20 Cup with Surrey, and the T20 Blast and the Royal London Cup at Warwickshire. He also had a brief spell as Derbyshire captain in 2008.All 22 of Clarke’s England caps came before he reached the age of 25, with his two Tests coming on the tour to Bangladesh in late 2003, and his 20 ODIs spread across three years. He was fast-tracked into the international set-up as a 21-year-old, taking a wicket with his first ball in international cricket, but he was quickly dropped with his progress slower than anticipated.But he remained a stalwart of the county game in all three disciplines: he has scored 17,750 runs across formats as a fluent middle-order strokemaker, taken 587 catches – mainly at slip where he was a notoriously safe pair of hands – and taken 795 wickets with his medium-paced swing. He will continue to play for Surrey in the Royal London Cup and the final stages of the Championship this year, hoping to end his testimonial year strongly before taking up a role as King Edward’s Witley’s head of cricket.”When I started as a professional back in 2000 I could have only dreamt of the career that was to follow,” Clarke said in a statement issued by Surrey. “A particular highlight of mine will always be my ODI and Test debuts in 2003. To represent my country 22 times can never be taken away and memories that I will look back on with immense pride. Of course I would have loved to have played more, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”I have played with and against some amazing cricketers throughout my 22 seasons and amongst them made some friends for life. To Surrey and Warwickshire, I thank you for the amazing times and the success that I was able to experience while wearing your badges. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of successful teams and to win all domestic trophies two or three times over. To Derbyshire, I thank you for the opportunity to captain an amazing county and I only wish things could have turned out differently.Related

• Shreyas Iyer ruled out of Lancashire county stint

• Alex Davies to trade Lancashire for Warwickshire at season's end

• Rikki Clarke proves enduring value as Surrey close in on title

“I hope I’m remembered as someone who was honest and played the game the right way. Playing it tough but would always have a beer afterwards regardless of the result. From the age of 9 when I started with Surrey Youth to my older days amongst the grumpiness and moaning will always be someone who cared about the game, loved the game and would always stick up for his team-mates.”Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, said: “”He should be very proud of his years of excellent service to the county game as well as the 22 international caps he earned. There is no greater honour than representing your country and we were delighted at Surrey that we were able to help him realise those ambitions earlier in his career.”I first met Rikki when I awarded him with the Player of the Course pennant as a nine-year-old on the 10 week Nescafe training course with Surrey. Years later, he briefly became a team-mate of mine as I approached the end of my playing days and his talent was evident to all in that dressing room.”When the opportunity arose to bring him back to The Kia Oval in 2017, I didn’t hesitate. It proved to be an excellent move as both on and off the field he has been an integral part of the first-team squad in the years since, including his outstanding performances throughout the 2018 Championship-winning season.”Thank you Rikki for all of your efforts to add to the history of this great club and I wish you all the best with your future endeavours. You’ll always be welcome at The Kia Oval.”